News

Cut Turnover by Challenging Employees

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:25:52 +1000

Barcelona, 15 December 2008 - Employees who get challenging and rewarding assignments are most likely to stay in their jobs at public relations consulting firms, according to a study commissioned by the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) and the Institute for Public Relations.

"People who choose a career in a consultancy are a different breed," said Louis Capozzi, president of ICCO. "Our study shows that to keep them, you've got to constantly bring them new challenges and opportunities. In other words, 'stretch' them more. The tougher the challenges, the more likely your highest potential people are to stay with your firm."

Staff turnover has been identified almost universally as one of the most costly and difficult issues facing public relations firms today. And since public relations is a service and relationship-based business, high rates of employee turnover can have a profound impact on client satisfaction and retention.

Accordingly, the study points to seven specific opportunities to guide firms in reducing unwanted turnover. They are:

Provide employees the opportunity to work on challenging projects of various types. It is essential that work be delegated fairly and also with development in mind. In the primary research, respondents' level of responsibility was ranked the most important factor to an employee in terms of his or her intent to stay at a firm.
Create an aggressive management development programme that includes training to help managers improve relationships with their direct reports. Direct supervisors have the most influence on the day-to-day life of an employee. In the long run, good people managers will nurture an environment where employees want to stay. In turn, employees will want to do their best for a supervisor they respect and admire. They will pursue more challenging projects and learn to be better supervisors themselves.
Make sure your employees know your firm's mission, and work to instil a sense of shared vision among your employees. Employees who feel they really matter as individuals are more likely to stay at your firm; they'll also be better performers. They want to see how their efforts contribute to the firm's overall success, and, in order to be able to discern that connection, they must know what it is they are ultimately working towards: fulfilment of the firm's vision. Create a vibrant, competitive environment - not internally, but with your competitors. Drive your firm for growth by making your goals ambitious and communicating them broadly. Make sure your employees know they are part of the team that's pitted against the competition.
Refine your hiring practices. It takes a certain kind of employee to thrive at a public relations firm. Individuals who are cut out for agency PR (as opposed to working on the corporate side or in an entirely different industry) thrive on challenge. Develop a means to target your searches, and, once in the interview phase, assess what kind of an individual you are meeting so that your firm won't waste time, money and effort developing an employee with no interest in staying on the agency side. Characteristics of the firm's culture should be identified, and interviewers should seek out candidates with attributes that "fit" with the firm's culture. Open the hiring procedure to current employees and ask for their input. To keep especially high potential talent from getting bored once they are in, implement a "high-achievers programme" that identifies these employees and offers special training, development and rewards.
Place an emphasis on work/life balance; if possible, tie it to incentives to stay. Work/life balance is important to today's workforce, and its importance continues to grow. Creating a programme that builds in flexibility, for example one in which a given number of years' tenure at your firm entitles an employee to extra holidays or a sabbatical, helps to mitigate unwanted turnover in two ways: by improving work/life balance, which was found to be one of the top factors in determining an employee's intent to stay at a firm, and by providing a direct incentive to stay on for a given number of years and beyond.
Create an environment and corporate culture that are diverse and different from the rest. Working in a public relations firm can be extremely difficult with long hours, constant pressure and fewer intrinsic rewards than similar positions in corporate companies. According to our findings, these employees want more - more challenging work and more opportunities for advancement - which in turn amounts to more pressure. If you celebrate this type of person in your public relations firm, employees will feel the attention they may be lacking.
Spark a robust dialogue within your organisation. Communication is a must. It supports all of the other six recommendations above and helps develop specific tactics to identify shortcomings and devise remedies. Participate in an ongoing discussion among your employees. Use the conversation to create a sense of team in winning new business, sharing recognition both in trade publications and among the wider public. Celebrate the wins, and mourn the losses - together.

The study, co-sponsored by ICCO and the Institute for Public Relations, was conducted by graduate students from the New York University (NYU) School of Continuing and Professional Studies. The authors, Vanessa Tremarco and Pamela Blum, amassed primary and secondary research to complete the Capstone requirement for a Masters degree in Public Relations and Corporate Communications at NYU. Data sources included: a secondary research study and analysis of secondary data amassed from the 2007 Holmes Report Satisfaction Survey, two international studies of employees of public relations firms, and personal interviews with Human Resources directors of major organisations.

Lawyer uses Facebook to serve

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:43:37 +1000

Facebook has been used for the first time to serve legal documents, in a case where the defendants failed to turn up to court and could not be found.

In an Australian first and potentially a world first, a Canberra court has used Facebook to serve legal documents.

The ACT Supreme Court ordered that a judgement be served to defendants via the social networking site, after they failed to turn up to court.

No-one could find the two defendants but lawyer Mark McCormack suggested a novel way to contact them.

"Both myself and my colleague Jason Oliver have Facebook accounts, so we thought we could access that and see if we could find them," he said.

The co-defendants were listed as being friends with one another and their Facebook profiles displayed their birth dates, which was enough to satisfy the court that the right people would receive the documents.

Courts have previously allowed judgements to be delivered by email and footballer Sonny Bill Williams was recently served via text message.

Read the original story here

Digital Economy Future Directions blog

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:42:42 +1000

Digital Economy Future Directions blog: What is this about?

From the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy website - read the original article here.

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy has announced that the Australian Government will develop a Future directions paper for the digital economy - a roadmap for Australian businesses, households and government to maximise participation in the digital economy. And we would like you to help us create the roadmap.

We want to hear your thoughts and ideas about the digital economy. Click on the blog topics (starting with Minister Tanner's welcome) in the column at the right or in the list at the bottom of this page to start engaging with the blog. We plan to release a draft of the paper for detailed feedback shortly; but in the meantime, it seemed logical to us to use one of the key communications platforms of the digital economy - blogs - as a way to engage with you and your ideas.

We expect to hear a range of views, including some criticisms and negative comments - all we ask is that you submit considered, on-topic comments.

We aim to release the Future directions paper early next year. This blog will be open for two weeks to give us time to reflect on comments that you make.

Some of the themes that we will explore in upcoming blog posts include:

What does the digital economy encompass?

How do we maintain the same 'civil society' we enjoy offline in an online world? (this is the post that touches on the issue of filtering and we welcome your feedback about the issue in response to this post)

Is there a benefit for the digital economy from open access to public sector information?

Does Australia's regulatory framework need tweaking to enable a vibrant digital economy in Australia?

How can the digital economy respond to environmental concerns?

What should Australia do to ensure that our businesses and citizens have the necessary skills to participate fully in the digital economy?

How can we measure the success of Australia's digital economy?

We are intending to post every couple of days. In the time between posts, we hope that a discussion can emerge between participants on each of these topics. We look forward to hearing from you.

Remember - this is one of the first times the Australian Government has engaged in this manner so we don't expect this to run perfectly, but we hope that this can be a productive experience. As Minister Tanner has indicated, this a trial and we welcome people's comments or feedback about how we run this blog as much as we welcome response to what we are blogging about.

To help get you started, we have included some videos of the Minister on our YouTube channel addressing the Forum and hope to add more shortly (once we get the necessary consents signed off).

Please note that the use of the blog is subject to the Terms of use and a Moderation policy. Please make sure that you have read and understood them and our Privacy Policy before participating in the blog. You are also welcome to provide feedback on the blog.

The Digital Economy blog team

Ex-Labor aide will adhere to lobby law

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:44:33 +1000

By Philip Dorling
National Affairs Correspondent
The Canberra Times - read the original article here

A former senior Labor staffer has taken a job with a prominent Government and public relations consultancy, but the firm says this will not breach the Federal Government's new code of conduct for lobbyists.

Daniel Cotterill, the former chief of staff to Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon, has been appointed to handle defence issues with Hill & Knowlton Australia. Mr Cotterill left Mr Fizgibbon's office on October 24.

Hill & Knowlton announced his appointment yesterday in the context of the forthcoming publication of Mr Fitzgibbon's defence white paper.

Hill & Knowlton's government relations and public affairs director, Jacquelynne Willcox, said yesterday, ''Daniel will assist our current and future defence industry clients meet the reforms outlined in the white paper and its accompanying capability plan.''

Effective since July, the lobbying code of conduct prohibits former government staffers from engaging in lobbying activities for 12 months, after they cease their employment, on any matter that they had official dealings with in their previous12 months of employment.

Hill & Knowlton Australia chief executive Michelle Hutton said Mr Cotterill would be ''doing no government lobbying'' until the 12-month prohibition had expired.

''We fully abide by the code of conduct,'' she said.

No defence industry firms are now listed as clients on Hill & Knowlton's entry on the register of lobbyists.

Mr Cotterill is the second senior Labor staffer appointed to a prominent government relations or lobbying role in the private sector.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's former chief of staff David Epstein was appointed last month as Qantas's executive general manager of government relations and corporate affairs.

The Federal Opposition called on the Government to scrap the prohibition on former Labor staffers engaging in lobbying activities.

Shadow special minister of state Senator Michael Ronaldson said yesterday, ''When the lobbyist code was first released, the Coalition said the prohibition clause on former Labor staff was unworkable.

''Kevin Rudd should just admit he got this one wrong and scrap the clause that provides a prohibition on former staff. It's a classic case of something that looked good in a press release, but is not practical in the real world.''

Pizza Hut appoints Access PR

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:45:24 +1000

Pizza Hut has appointed Access Public Relations to handle publicity and media relations after a competitive pitch.

Access PR will work on a project basis and the appointment is effective immediately.

"Pizza Hut has a number of initiatives in the pipeline and public relations forms a key part of our plans," said Valerie Kubizniak, Group Marketing Manager Pizza Hut Australia.

Access PR managing partner Andrea Kerekes added: "It's a great brand in a fast-moving category and we're looking forward to help further drive their success."

Starcom predict downswing in ad spend

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:19:57 +1000

Article on MediaBiZnet - read the original article here

Starcom MediaVest Group's annual Media Futures report, released today, has predicted a 2.5% decrease in above the line adspend for 2009, however email, point-of-sale and PR are expected to benefit from increased marketing expenditure.

The Media Futures report predicts advertising budget changes over the coming year, and is the only survey that involves interviews with advertisers. It asks advertisers to predict their spending intentions for the year ahead.

"While it is disappointing that the report has predicted negative growth for the first time, it is hardly surprising given this study was conducted in November when negative headlines dominated the news about the global economy," Starcom MediaVest Group CEO John Sintras said.

"Advertisers have predicted their spending intentions in the year ahead at a time of great caution and uncertainty. With recent tax cuts and falls in interest rates and fuel prices, consumers will in reality have more money in their pockets. The unknown is how or if they will spend. If the year ahead produces better economic conditions, then expenditure could certainly move back into positive territory."

In fact, the internet is expected to be the main beneficiary of main media expenditure next year. Advertisers anticipate that the internet will be the strongest performing media channel and almost six in 10 national advertisers intend to increase their internet budgets during 2009.

In addition, key below-the-line media is expected to benefit from ad expenditure next year. Point-of-sale activations, public relations and email campaigns will continue to be the most used
channels among more than two-thirds of national advertisers.

Overall, national advertisers expect to increase their below the line media budgets by 6 per cent in 2009.

Using social media for commercial gain

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:29:38 +1000

SMH/Age
Paul McIntyre
December 4, 2008 - 11:00AM

With the Prime Minister on Twitter, blogging his way to the next election, maybe business should get a little more serious about social media. All the evidence suggests it will.

Twitter, a micro-blogging venture in which users post views, or "tweets", to a maximum of 140 characters, is still tiny.

But numbers are up more than 500 per cent this year in Australia, says Hitwise. And the time Twitterites spend with the application is greater than MySpace, Facebook and any of the big five online publishers, including ninemsn and Yahoo!7.

Twitter is just one emerging social media application, but combined with others (and there are hundreds) it is creating a boom for the PR industry because someone's got to interpret what's being said about companies and brands online. Most critically, they've got to figure out the tone - and algorithms can't do that yet.

Technology may be helping media audiences swim in more ponds outside the mainstream - blogs, social networks, podcasting, vodcasting, video-sharing sites and the like - but it can't deliver what companies need: automated insight about consumers. Statistics, yes, but good thinking is a different beast.

Companies the world over are starting to dabble with social media - and they have to.

Universal McCann's latest global round of research on the media, derived from interviews with 17,000 active online users in 29 countries, hammers home the booming participation in this arena. Here are some of its statistics on online users gathered this year:

Bloggers globally: 184 million;

Those who watch video clips online: 82.9 per cent;
Those who say they have joined a social network: 57 per cent;

Those who have uploaded photos to a network: 55 per cent;

Those who have uploaded videos to a network: 22 per cent;

Those who have uploaded a video clip to a video sharing website: 8.5 per cent.

These are global figures, but UM breaks out some numbers for Australian users: 62 per cent say they have read a blog, up from 21 per cent in 2006 and 55 per cent last year.

But here's the critical point for companies: 34 per cent of bloggers say they post opinions about products or brands.

This underlines the rush by PR firms to figure out how to use social media for commercial gain, or at least damage control. The first step is usually monitoring online conversations, but the real action is how to participate in them.

There are pitfalls - just ask National Australia Bank and one of its PR outfits, Cox Inall, about the drama of overtly "seeding" commercial messages on Twitter without following the right protocols or tone.

In contrast, Launch Group quietly introduced clients such as Lovells Lager to pub gatherings of Twitter freaks with sponsorship deals so low-key many at the bar were not aware the beer was free.

"The demand is growing very, very fast for specialised services in social media," a Bendalls Group director, Fi Bendall, says. "We're looking not at influencers, which might be a blogger with a big following, but more the propensity of those influencers to actually advocate and spread the word with an independent passion.

"It is about very different engagement tactics ... To sense the emotion people are feeling online about brands, issues or whatever it may be you need to have human analysis attached to it."

Tricky stuff, but it is a grand irony that with all the latest online technology, humans are still needed to decode other humans. For the digerati, it must be so uncool.

Read the original article here.

BM chief calls for stay of execution

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:37:57 +1000

Julian Lee
December 4, 2008 - SMH Business Day - read the original article here

PUBLIC relations people are nothing if not opportunistic, as the head of one of the world's largest PR firms only too gladly demonstrates.

While the advertising industry goes into meltdown, the worldwide chief executive of Burson-Marsteller is pushing PR as a more effective and cheaper way of getting results.

"You can't just communicate by advertising [alone], which if anything has [had] a diminished effect. Or just online, because what drives online is the earned [editorial coverage in the] media," Mark Penn says.

His comments are all the more pertinent because his agency is part of the London marketing services group WPP, which counts among its agencies the venerable advertising brands JWT and Ogilvy & Mather.

"A lot of what is driven online is what's seen on cable TV or in the newspaper. The cycle between what you see in traditional media gives people a response mechanism that they can exercise online."

As more people research products online, Penn has begun urging his clients to use PR to set the agenda for the myriad conversations taking place in the blogosphere; something advertising cannot do, he says.

"Most companies spend 65 times as much on advertising as public relations, but what we have seen is the ROI [return on investment] in PR and digital combined has been underestimated relative to advertising. As they realign their budgets they have to take these facts into account."

Penn says marketers would do well to remember that the world of social media does not exist in a silo; that events - such as those orchestrated by PR people - act as a stimulant for web chatter.

He points to the recent presidential elections in the United States. The Obama camp successfully used the digital world of blogs, texting to mobile phones and online video to leverage speeches by Barack Obama, rallies and television commercials, he says.

"The growth of the importance of the digital image is so PR-driven versus ad-driven that more and more companies have seen [PR's] value."

But his analysis of what works - and just as important, what doesn't - risks being trampled underfoot in the headlong rush to cut budgets, he says. Penn has observed a swathe of cuts in corporate America.

"They are not exactly using scalpels here," he says.

Now is not the time for meek marketing but to aggressively grab market share from rivals who are ducking for cover, says Penn. "Market share fights are by nature more competitive, so I'm urging clients to look at competitive advertising and public relations during this period."

Those marketers who invest will be rewarded with greater growth once economic conditions improve, he says.

"Hopefully they'll be able to take the time to step back and look at things more carefully and adopt a strategy for winning through the recession and not just cutting back."

Burson-Marsteller lists Ford, Merrill Lynch and Shell among its clients. And some are already listening. The marketing chief of Hewlett Packard recently told the media it was "incredibly important to be risk-takers in the economic climate we're in" and "you don't hunker down and go in the bunker".

Others aren't heeding his message, but Penn won't say who.

PR can help through economic downturn

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:06:43 +1000

The economic downturn can be a great opportunity for organisations to build brand awareness and stakeholder confidence, according to the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA).

PRIA National President Tracy Jones said smart organisations are using the current climate to take stock of their position.

Jones said the PRIA had received mixed reports about PR employment trends as the economic downturn takes hold. Some are cutting PR budgets while others are actually increasing them.

'This is a time when PR can make a big difference to an organisation,' according to Jones.

'Key stakeholders need reassurance; they need to know what is happening, what the organisation is doing, and how they will be affected. Organisations need to research their audience and understand the position they are in. By communicating your understanding and your action consistently, you maintain your brand position, your reputation and the confidence of your stakeholders and consumers, ultimately giving you an edge over your competitors.

'One of the key aspects of public relations is dealing with and adapting to change. Rather than do away with the PR function, organisations should adapt it to suit the climate. Cost-effective communication such as blogs, e-bulletins, media releases and web content can build your brand position and strength. In the long run, your organisation will be well placed when the market does turn around and there will be no need to play catch-ups.'

'It is particularly important to maintain stakeholder relationships and trust for organisations facing downsizing. Keeping open and honest communication with staff, stakeholders, customers, government and the media is critical to keeping the relationship healthy.'

PBL chiefs step in on media, public relations

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:36:51 +1000

TOUGH economic conditions and high debt at PBL Media have forced its top management -- including chief executive Ian Law -- to handle media and public relations in person.

The revelation came as part of an announcement that ACP Magazines' last remaining public relations representative, Hannah Devereux, had departed the company yesterday.

PBL Media owns well-known media assets including ACP and the Nine Network. It is understood Ms Devereux was told her position had been made redundant yesterday.

In a memo to staff -- obtained by The Australian -- the company revealed that in future, "all PR" on corporate matters "relating to PBL Media and ACP Magazines" would be handled by Mr Law.

The company also said all corporate PR "on matters relating to Nine" would now be handled by the network's CEO, David Gyngell.

All PR for magazine content and related stories would be handled by individual magazine editors, the memo said, while ACP group specialist publishers Pat Ingram and Phil Scott would handle some general issues.

Mr Law said the moves were unrelated to performance. "This decision was not a reflection on the department but simply a matter of priorities given the economic conditions. It is simply part of the ongoing process of reviewing our operations."

Last month, Mr Law cut staff in ACP's publicity and events area from 10 to two, including Ms Devereux.

But the memo indicated the costs of running the infrastructure of a PR department at ACP had led to the latest decision. "We have decided we can live without a formal PR department, and we have also significantly reduced the events team within ACP."

ACP's workforce has shrunk by almost 20 per cent to 1950 staff since the company's controlling owner, private equity firm CVC Asia Pacific, took over PBL Media in late 2006. Nine's staff numbers have been cut by more than 10 per cent to 1750 during the same period.

The latest cutback comes just days after CVC unveiled a formal proposal to inject $335 million into the debt-laden vehicle to a group of 70 senior debt holders. Mr Law said the new deal would give PBL "realistic headroom on the covenants to ensure (it) can trade through the current economic upheaval and be in a position to take decisions that are in the longer-term interests of the business".

CVC has been talking up its ability to control costs to the debt holders, with PBL this week revealing it had "pulled more than $100 million of operational expenditure out of the business since PBL Media was formed in 2006".

Read the orginal article by Nick Tabakoff on The Australian web