public relations

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Bilingual PR student? This scholarship may be for you
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The Communications + Public Relations Foundation awards the Torchia scholarship annually to a student who best exemplifies the spirit and practice of bilingualism in the Canadian communications and public relations profession.

Inspired by the career of Armand Torchia, who cofounded The Houston Group with Stan Houston, and Torchia Communications with his son Jean-Claude, the $1,500 scholarship is awarded by September 15.

Apply in English or French by April 30, 2013.

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#Volunteering
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Fantastic news everyone, it looks like volunteering is trending! Over the past five years volunteer rates among Canadians have increased. But after digging a little deeper, I discovered that it is the 19-24 year-olds who are doing the majority of the work. On average, they are donating 20 per cent more of their time versus the 25-34 year-old demographic. We have all been made aware of the benefits of volunteering, so why is it that the numbers start to drop as we age?

It could be argued that the benefits of volunteering are far greater for the individuals aged 19-24; these are the people trying to gain experience, enhance their skills and develop their professional network. This is all very true, and I couldn’t agree more. But I also think I would be hard-pressed to find a career-oriented individual, between the ages of 25-34 who isn’t chasing after the exact same things.

If you are looking to advance your career, develop your personal and professional connections and help out the community, why not make time in your calendar to volunteer. The sense of accomplishment coupled with the fact you are helping out others will help you move your career forward and will most definitely make you feel better than sucking up to the boss, or taking on a ridiculous work load. (Not to say that being polite and offering to help out when it is busy should be ruled out)

Let’s take a look at few scenarios…

Scenario #1

Meet Erin, she is 26, has a degree in English and a certificate in PR. Erin has worked in a few different intern roles and is now doing media monitoring full time for her company. As much as Erin likes her job she really wants to be writing, but unfortunately there is a team of writers on staff and not much of an opportunity for her to get involved.

Well Erin, instead of getting frustrated and letting those writing skills go to waste, consider volunteering. There are numerous opportunities out there for you to get involved in, and the CPRS would be an excellent place to start your hunt! There are opportunities to write copy for marketing material, blog posts and member communications, all of which are excellent ways to keep your writing skills up to date and expand the reach of your work. Erin, before you know it you will be SWAMPED with requests because of your newly-found writing expertise!

Scenario #2

Meet James, he is 31 and has a business background with a focus on strategy development. James has recently been promoted to national PR Manager. Congratulations James! In his new role he will be managing a team of seven and of those seven two make up the national events team. James has worked for his company for five years, has been to many of the events but has never planned one. Needless to say, he is a little nervous about overseeing all national events.

Volunteer suggestion; get involved with one of the planning committees for a CPRS event such as the CEO Awards or the ACE Awards. The only credentials needed here are a positive attitude and the willingness to learn. James, this will give you the opportunity to brush up on your event management skills and leverage some of your past strategy work. You are going to be a superstar before you know it!

You can greatly benefit from volunteering with CPRS Toronto, no matter the stage of your career. By taking the time to give back you also have the opportunity to develop strong networks, work portfolios and discover new employment opportunities.

In closing may I suggest, the next time you are feeling a little restless in your job, or would like to learn a new skill, consider volunteering as a viable option. To find out how to get involved with CPRS Toronto e-mail Parm Chohan or read more online.

“Not everything that counts can be counted. And not everything that can be counted, counts.” Albert Einstein

Geoffrey MacNeil is a marketing and communications professional with a background in financial sales, currently studying public relations at Ryerson University.

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Call for submissions for CPRS Toronto 2013 ACE Awards
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By: Natasha Nitsopoulos

ATTENTION PR mavens!

Would you like to be the star of the hottest PR event of the year, while gaining industry recognition, raising your organization’s profile and being noticed by Toronto’s top public relations gurus?

Well, this is your chance to ‘shine bright like a diamond’ (as Rihanna would say) with a 2013 CPRS ACE Award!

Every year, CPRS Toronto recognizes communications excellence in public relations with the ACE Awards. Winning an Award is a great way to give you and your company a competitive edge in the industry and strengthen your strategic planning skills. Not to mention, you’ll be able to celebrate your success with all of your peers and colleagues at the chicest PR event in Toronto!

More information on eligibility, submission requirements and campaign entry categories is available on the CPRS Toronto website. So if this sounds like the opportunity you have been waiting for, then get ready to submit your campaign!

Save the date! Make sure you clear your schedules for this premier event that you don’t want to miss. The Gala will be held on April 24. More details to come.

Important Dates and Deadlines:

Early Bird Entry Deadline: enter at a discounted rate by January 9, 2013

Entry Deadline: January 23, 2013

Leadership Awards Deadline: February 24, 2013

 

Enter at www.cprstoronto.com!

 

Questions? Tweet #CPRSACE or e-mail ace@cprstoronto.com

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Helping new practitioners transition to work
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If you are entering the public relations and communications job market, you may want the think again about the value of membership in your professional society.

It can be helpful to be matched with a professional mentor during this transition, for example. Networking with professional members can help you tap into the hidden job market. Participation in your professional association can also help to differentiate you as a job candidate.

CPRS helps students, new grads and new practitioners transition to work. We’re here to help.

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A new global mandate for the public relations profession
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At the recent World Public Relations Forum in Melbourne, Australia, public relations leaders from 29 countries identified three emerging areas of value for public relations and have issued a new ‘mandate’ for the profession.

The Melbourne Mandate speaks to the role of public relations in defining organizational character, building a culture of listening and engagement, and instilling responsibility in organizations and individuals.

Are you practising to the full scope of the mandate? Can the mandate be used to guide your professional development, enhance your practice, or inform your clients?

To help CPRS Toronto members grapple with these and other professional ideals, we’ll be bringing you the idea guy behind the Melbourne Mandate in the New Year.

Watch this space for details of our February professional development event with Daniel Tisch, APR, FCPRS, Chair of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management. You can also read Daniel’s reflections on the release of the mandate.

Is the Melbourne Mandate relevant to your practice? 

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Dumb ways to die viral video
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Melbourne Metro Trains launched a video titled “Dumb ways to die” that is gaining a lot of attention for its PR approach in promoting safety.

What do you think? The video has almost 26 million views on YouTube.

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Case study: Broad Reach Communications award for media relations over $50K
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By Liza Butcher

On April 26, 2012, the Canadian Public Relations Society Toronto (CPRS Toronto) congratulated the PR industry’s elite at the annual Achieving Communications Excellence (ACE) Awards gala.

The gala celebrated all of the winning campaigns, including Broad Reach Communications’ “Creating Eminence for Deloitte Canada by Leveraging its 2011 Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions” campaign, which won a prestigious ACE Award in the Best Use of Media Relations over $50K category.

I had the pleasure of talking with Andrea Lekushoff, President of Broad Reach, about the success of this campaign and the widespread eminence Broad Reach created for it.

Can you tell me about your winning campaign? What was the objective and why was it so successful?

In late 2010, Deloitte Canada (Deloitte) asked Broad Reach to develop and implement an English-language media relations campaign to secure widespread national, regional and trade/industry media coverage for its 2011 Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions report. We were also asked to generate a second wave of media coverage over a two-week period, during which TMT Predictions events were held across the country in St. John’s, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton.

The overarching goal of this campaign was to showcase the knowledge and expertise of Deloitte TMT leaders across the country by generating widespread media coverage for TMT Predictions among target audiences in national, regional and online stories. In doing so, Broad Reach ensured that all aspects of the communications plan positioned Deloitte’s TMT Predictions and spokespeople as the leaders in global and Canadian TMT Predictions.

The launch of this media relations campaign exceeded all goals, objectives and client expectations. An unprecedented volume and quality of media coverage was generated: over 128.5 million audience impressions were generated in 210 on-message stories, 95 per cent of which appeared in top-tier media. It wasn’t easy to improve on last year’s campaign, which was very successful at 92 million impressions, but we committed to delivering even better results this year. And we did.

In addition, at least five top-tier media stories were generated in each region (with most regions receiving between two to six times as many stories). All stories mentioned Deloitte in a very positive tone; 92 per cent of stories focused exclusively on TMT Predictions; the term TMT Predictions was included in 80 per cent of stories; the report’s co-author, Duncan Stewart, was featured in 60 per cent of stories; all 10 regional spokespeople participated in high-profile media interviews; and 26 media outlets attended road show events across the country.

How did winning an award contribute to the agency’s brand?

This campaign was among Broad Reach’s most successful media relations campaigns to date. A prestigious ACE Award positions us as a leading Toronto PR agency that produces outstanding work and delivers exceptional results. It is also rewarding to have some of our best work recognized by our peers.

What inspired you to submit this campaign for an award?

We knew that this campaign was among our most successful and, as a result, we wanted to honour the team that worked on it by submitting it for an award. We were also fortunate enough to win a CPRS National Award of Excellence and IABC/Toronto OVATION Award for this same campaign.

What were the challenges associated with submitting the campaign?

The only challenge was that it was time consuming, which is to be expected. However, the Broad Reach team rose to the occasion and it paid off in the end.

What were you sure to include in your binder?

We included a wide range of materials including: the research and rationale for our recommended approach; a series of quantifiable goals and objectives; our strategy, a list of target audiences; a description of the campaign theme; our media relations tactic; a wide range of media materials; spokesperson briefing documents; an MRP (Media Relations Rating Points) report of all media coverage generated; a high-level results report; and clips of both TV and radio coverage.

How did it feel to receive your award at the gala?

I’m thrilled that our team has won yet another prestigious PR award for Deloitte’s TMT Predictions. This award is a testament to our unique business model of only working with seasoned senior practitioners. It also demonstrates that when talented and experienced practitioners have the opportunity to work in a flexible and family-friendly work environment, they can produce outstanding results together.

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2012 APEX Scholarship winner announced
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The Communications + Public Relations Foundation and APEX jointly announced the recipient of the 2012 APEX scholarship. Below is the news release, also posted on CNW on October 31, 2012. Congrats Cole!

TORONTO, Oct. 31, 2012 /CNW/ – Toronto resident Cole Douglas is the 2012 winner of the APEX Scholarship, established by APEX Public Relations in 2010/11 for launch in 2012. The scholarship assists a student in need of financial aid who has demonstrated high academic achievement following completion of the first year of a four-year public relations degree program at the Toronto-based Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. The scholarship offers $3,000 per year over a three-year period to the same student contingent upon academic achievement. It is offered on a three year cycle.

In his first year at Humber, Cole was a lead ambassador in the Recruitment Office at the College and served on the Student Board of Directors for the Humber Students’ Federation.

He has consulted on social media work with Hearth Place, a support centre for cancer patients and their families to assist the organization to better understand how to use social media tools and the use of monitoring analytics, which resulted in a Canadian Public Relations Society 2012 Silver ACE Student Award for campaign of the year.

This past summer, Cole was a communications intern for Humber’s Student Recruitment and Advising Office where he researched and developed a plan to engage students to share their first year experience with their high school, revised the College recruitment brochure and tour scripts, among other activities.

“The jury felt that Cole’s early involvement and interest in the public relations industry was inspiring and his community involvement and grade point average demonstrated the qualities we look for in a young practitioner,” said jury Chair Scott Bonikowsky, Vice President, Corporate, Public and Government Affairs, Tim Hortons Inc. “Cole is an outstanding scholarship candidate who will make a difference in public relations in Canada.”

“There are a number of talented students who have the potential to be leaders in our industry”, emphasized Pat McNamara, CEO, APEX Public Relations, “but might not have the financial resources to obtain the education they need. We hope this scholarship will help Cole in his pursuit of a public relations career, and look forward to supporting his progress.”

The Communications + Public Relations Foundation, manager of the scholarship, promotes the advancement of communications and public relations as vital functions in society, is dedicated to the public interest, and is committed to increasing public knowledge and awareness of the role of public relations in daily life. The Foundation accepts individual and corporate contributions towards research and educational initiatives nationwide.

“We are delighted to be working with both APEX and Humber College in establishing and managing this Scholarship,” said Dr.Gordon McIvor, chair of the Foundation, especially, when we can support leadership development in our industry”

APEX Public Relations is a high-performance, high energy, public relations firm with an unmatched track record of award-wining campaigns. Its clients include consumer brands, and corporations with a focus on financial and technology communications.

For more information about the Foundation and its public relations educational initiatives, contact Barbara Sheffield, Executive Director, Communications + Public Relations Foundation, Suite 1515, 73 Widdicombe Hill Blvd., Toronto, Ontario, M9R 4B3, or phone 416 242-6146, or e-mail: foundation@prmediaconnection.com.

SOURCE: Communications + Public Relations Foundation

For further information:
Barbara Sheffield, APR, FCPRS
Executive Director
Communications + Public Relations Foundation
(416) 242-6146
foundation@prmediaconnection.com

Pat McNamara, APR, FCPRS
Chief Executive Officer
APEX
416 934-2120
pmcnamara@apexpr.com

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New mandate speaks to our collective corporate social responsibility
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The three pillars of the Melbourne Mandate.

The world of PR will soon have a new mandate to shape the organizational role and responsibilities of public relations professionals. 

As part of the advance preparations, three working groups have been hard at work studying the issues and preparing the draft mandate for presentation and debate at World PR Forum 2012 in Melbourne, Australia.

  1. Organizational character
  2. Listening
  3. Responsibility

The new Melbourne Mandate picks up after the 2010 Stockholm Accords and is expected to be released later this month.

Watch this space for news that the final document is available and be among the first to share this guide to best practice with colleagues.

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Case study: MAVERICK Public Relations and the People for Good campaign
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By Liza Butcher

On April 26, 2012 the Canadian Public Relations Society Toronto (CPRS Toronto) congratulated the PR industry’s elite at the annual Achieving Communications Excellence (ACE) Awards gala.

The ACE Awards gala was full of celebration for winning campaigns, including MAVERICK Public Relations’ People for Good campaign, which picked up a bronze ACE Award for Best Use of Media Relations in the Under $50K category.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Kirsten Walkom, Senior Consultant at MAVERICK Public Relations, to discover more about the success around the People for Good campaign and the ongoing buzz and excitement spreading throughout Canada.

Can you tell me about your winning campaign? What was the objective and why was it so successful?

Each year MAVERICK Public Relations works with a variety of probono clients, including People for Good, founded by Mark Sherman of Media Experts and Zak Mroueh of Zulu Alpha Kilo.

The People for Good campaign was launched through a multifaceted creative advertising program, beginning with interest-sparking advertisements and week-long whisper campaign targeting citizens and media in major Canadian cities, including Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Montréal and Halifax.

MAVERICK Public Relations and the People for Good campaign chose extremely engaging, interactive messages and images, with the purpose of challenging Canadians to be nicer to one another. Some acts of kindness suggested were smiling at a stranger; giving up your seat on the subway, bus or streetcar; while on Facebook, just pick up the phone and give your friend a call; and cutting grass or shoveling snow for your neighbour.

The success of the People for Good campaign was tied directly to the media coverage and creative strategy of the campaign, including outdoor, interactive, print, guerrilla and online advertising, and the engagement, positivity and interest of Canadians to be kinder to one another.

Since the launch of the People for Good campaign, Kirsten has continuously been receiving inquiries about how individuals can start a People for Good campaign within their own towns, communities, schools and other public places.

How did winning an award contribute to the agency’s brand?

MAVERICK Public Relations has had a great year, not only winning a bronze ACE Award for Best Use of Media Relations in the Under $50K category, but also winning an ACE Award for Best Use of Special Events and the International Association of Business Communicator’s (IABC) Small Agency of the Year award.

The success of winning an ACE Award has had a positive impact on the agency’s brand. The awards have helped MAVERICK Public Relations in market differentiation and raising their company’s profile, leading to the growth of existing relationships, helping attract new business and positive acknowledgement by peers and the public relations industry.

What inspired you to submit?

MAVERICK Public Relations knew they had something interesting, unique, thought-provoking and engaging which was proven in their results. The results proved that by utilizing the creative possibilities of the advertising world, social change was possible.

What were the challenges associated with submitting an award?

The process of submitting an award was fairly straightforward and gave the team a great opportunity to reflect on the campaign and really pull all the work they did together into a cohesive submission.

The only challenge mentioned, as many in the industry can relate to, is time can be a scarce resource, however Kirsten and her team are passionate and dedicated to the People for Good campaign and made time to submit.

What were you sure to include in your binder?

MAVERICK Public Relations was sure to include coverage from all mediums, including social, digital, print, and broadcast. In addition, MAVERICK Public Relations included numerous key messages, planning and tactical documents, which confirmed their strategy and how their approach led to the successful results expected by their client.

Also including the binder was Media Relations Rating Points (MRP) reports to give the judges a clearer picture of how MAVERICK Public Relations met their objectives.

How did it feel to receive your award at the gala?

Receiving an ACE Award was exciting and pleasing for the whole agency and the campaign team. “It was like the academy awards,” said Kirsten.

What advice would you give to other entrants?

Take a chance and be positive. It is a time commitment, but is a lot of fun to reflect and celebrate the success of the work done.

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