NEW PERSPECTIVES

August has traditionally been a planning month for Public Relations departments (I’ve heard the month described as akin to a Sunday prior to an eventful week and I must admit I often feel that way). Your CPRS Toronto board has also been meeting this month to plan our programming for the year and I am very excited about the year ahead.

Mentoring has always been valued within our Chapter and under the leadership of Lauren More and support from Membership Chair, Hilary Lawton, our approach to mentoring has evolved to maximize protégé access to mentors. Replacing the traditional 1:1 match-ups, two Mentors Circles were established last year – one for Recent Graduates and the other, called Career Builders, for people with more work experience. Each circle meets every other month and different guest mentors attend each session to share their experiences, provide advice and to answer questions. The next Graduates Mentor Circle is planned for October 15. The next Career Builders Mentors Circle will be held on September 17. If you are interested in being a guest mentor or a joining one of our circles, please email Lauren at mentorship@cprstoronto.com.

We are committed to bringing you award-winning speakers at an economical cost and Jeff Rohrer APR, our Professional Development Chair has an exciting PD program planned for this year. Our first event, PR from the inside out: How technology can improve internal communications and the customer experience is planned for Tuesday, September 16, from 6 pm to 7:30 pm, at The Pilot, Stealth Lounge. Cost to members is $20; $10 for student members.

In this session, Senior Consultant, Jas Shukla, and Director of Brand and Experience, Ben Skelton, from Habanero will share how organizations are using technology to align employees with their purpose and vision, support organizational change, foster connections between employees, as well as increase dialogue and innovation. Learn how organizations across Canada are using their intranets, enterprise social networks, crowdsourcing, and mobile solutions to ensure front-line employees create memorable, informed interactions.

Our student steering committee, led by Arden Bagni, has planned a number of events this year. The popular, Passport to PR (always sold out) is scheduled for October 23rd. Students from PR schools  throughout the GTA visit PR agencies and corporate offices to get a firsthand look at the world of public relations practitioners. See our Events section for all event dates.

Our student steering committee, led by Arden Bagni, has planned a number of events this year. The popular, Passport to PR (always sold out) is scheduled for October 23rd.  Students from PR schools throughout  the GTA visit PR agencies and corporate offices to get a firsthand look at the world of public relations practitioners. See our Events section for all event dates.

I look forward to sharing more of our plans in our next newsletter.

On another note, last month, most public relations departments were involved in the implementation of the new Canadian Anti-Spam legislation (CASL). Some members have contacted me to hear how successful others members were in implementing this legislation. Please let me know what your experiences were. What practices have you changed in light of this legislation? I’ll share highlights in an upcoming newsletter.

Maryjane Martin, APR

President, CPRS Toronto

A majority of Canadian public relations and communications professionals say managing their organizations’ social media has become one of their most important functions.

This was one of several key findings included in two new research studies on public relations in Canada released by the Communications + Public Relations Foundation (CPRF). CPRF funded both studies.

• CPRS GAP VIII: Canada Report 2014 (Mount Saint Vincent University The first national picture of the PR industry outlining the primary issues the industry faces and the principal difference between Canadian and American communications professionals.
• Do They Have What it Takes? (McMaster University) Found that writing skills are still the number-one desired competency, followed by strategy, leadership and competence in information and communication technologies.

Findings are summarized in the infographic below.

Join CPRS National on Sept. 9 for a free webinar about the research. 

Keeping up with technology and communication changes is difficult enough for the individual, but anyone in the PR industry knows it’s a whole new challenge for those trying to reach the right audience with the right message. So how does an organization providing services for PR professionals stay ahead of those changes?

That was the challenge for News Canada, which has spent more than 30 years connecting organizations and agencies with media across the country.

The media landscape has changed, largely due to digital and social developments, making it more fragmented. Consumers are more wary of where they’re getting their information from, and do more research before making purchases. However, few organizations have increased their communication budgets, leaving PR professionals having to do more with less.

“Appropriately leveraging paid, earned, owned and shared channels has become essential to successfully reach target audiences. The lines between PR and advertising are blurring because there are so many ways to amplify your messages digitally and socially,” News Canada president Shelley Middlebrook said. “The ways communicators are getting their messages out, and consumers are making purchases have changed.”

To meet the changing needs of their clients, News Canada has adapted and evolved, expanding their services with video production and other digital and targeted content options, and are now rebranding as Fifth Story. The new name reflects the organization’s story telling role, and it references the five key services it offers: insights, production, distribution, measurement and analysis.

“It’s a reflection of how our services have evolved with the ever-changing communications industry. Traditional resources are still important and a big part of what we do, but it’s about expanding to meet our clients’ needs,” Middlebrook said.

Great storytelling and the ability to repurpose content across multiple platforms are key to successful content marketing. Creative video goes beyond simple b-roll, allowing organizations to engage with their public, while still making the most of often limited budgets.

“Clients are using more and more video because consumers are always on some sort of screen — video is more engaging and memorable,” Middlebrook said. “Also, clients need more content so you have to be more creative in how you can repurpose it.”

The company will continue to use the name News Canada to distribute content to its earned media network, while providing content solutions to marketing and communications professionals using the name Fifth Story.