PR impressions

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Iris PR Dubai

It was interesting to talk to an ex-journalist other day who kept saying how he can never be a PR person because he does not have a slavish mentality! As a professional PR person with oodles of experience it was quite shocking to listen to his impression of PR people in the region as those who beg for coverage and manage to get coverage solely on the basis of ‘gifts’. He even spoke of PR professionals who charge clients per clip and that is his understanding of PR. It took me a while to explain to him that PR is not just about a clip, its about the messaging, the impression, the image; its not about the number of ‘hits’. It wasn’t so long ago that PR staff tracked the number of “clips” to show the client how successful their PR work was and it was the easiest metric to use to indicate success. But the Internet changed what clients now expect. If all you do today is count clips, maybe your job will get clipped.
PR is a respectful profession and I hope the odds one here and there does not taint this amazing profession. Either you love it or get out of it, don’t give it a bad name!

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Business efficiency

Posted on May 29, 2011 by Iris PR Dubai

It was interesting to attend a Business Forum in Dubai last week organised by IMD, a global business school based in Switzerland. One of the takeaways from the session was how much lack of business efficiency can adversely impact a country’s competitiveness. This was in the context of UAE’s ranking in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2011. Though the country ranks at a high of 4 in government efficiency it lags behind in business efficiency which has pulled its ranking to 28 out of 59 countries.

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What new skills should PR hopefuls have?

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Iris PR Dubai

In the changing world of communications- thanks to social media- a pertinent question arises as to what are the qualifications to look for when hiring new PR practitioners. Recent studies show that there is an increasing emphasis on social media skills. This also extends to a broader understanding of marketing communications as social media is integrated into various functions including sales, customer service, marketing etc. Oodles of creativity, marketing, website designing and SEO experience are a plus point for prospective PR candidates, especially those who have a passion for digital PR.

Basic Digital skills a PR pro should have are:

1. Analytical ability and knowledge of media monitoring tools to capture what is being said on twitter, facebook etc

2. Creative ways to create a community online, not just a group to post client news. Interactive competitions, games and polls are part of the game

3. Steer away from just content to visuals, videos and podcasts and have an understanding how the audio visual medium influences brand perceptions

4. A basic knowledge of SEO – how to optimize images, videos, keywords and text so that the brand has a higher chance of turning up in searches

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Future of luxury marketing

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Iris PR Dubai

We were very happy when a friend sent us a link to ‘world’s top 10 most luxury brands 2010′. It was interesting to note who won the top slot and who were close to winning. Louis Vuitton is at the top which was great news for the LV fans amongst us but not so for the ones who have sworn eternal allegiance to Chanel!

Below is a link to a video on the future characteristics of luxury brands by Cindy Gallup. She sees them as being ‘elitist, empathetic, immediate,social and youthful’. we totally agree!
Marking characteristics of future luxury brands

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Media habits of MENA youth

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Iris PR Dubai

AUB & Issam Fares Institute survey on the media habits of MENA youth found the participants highly adept at using new media. “They spent considerable time consuming new and traditional media, but much less time producing media content. This pilot study surveyed 2,744 university and high school students in Jordan, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. It asked about their media consumption and production habits and about their attitudes towards certain media.

For instance, the vast majority of participants indicated that they had never blogged. In addition, those who did produce media content, through blogging or otherwise, tended to do it in a language other than their native language. Indeed, with the exception of news, the majority of surveyed youth consumed and produced media in English, rather than Arabic. In addition, the participants used media predominantly for entertainment,for connecting with others, and for work or schoolwork, but less often for current affairs, for expressing their opinions, or for political activism.

Participants trusted new media to alarming levels, and had little concern about privacy or surveillance threats. They viewed the web as a place for freebees and frequently downloaded media content without paying for it. In addition, most did not click on online ads. Traditional news media, especially print, were among the least used, and the preference was primarily for TV and some new media, but not blogs, which were used least as news sources.

Across all media uses, TV remained king followed by some new media like mobile texting, online social networking and emailing. The findings indicated weak levels of media literacy and news literacy across all groups,but high levels of new media adoption and technology savviness, especially among the younger and more affluent participants.

Differences did emerge across countries, genders, age groups, and education and income levels. These were too numerous to state here, but the following are three highlights:

U.A.E.’s participants and those of mid-to-upper income mainly used English across all media, while those from Jordan and those of lower-to-mid income used Arabic.
Males, older participants and those of higher educationlevel followed the news more often than females, younger participants and those of lower education level.
U.A.E.’s participants and those of mid-to-upper income reported higher usage levels of entertainment media.
The study used a purposive cluster sampling technique and a self-administered questionnaire. It focused on nine areas:
(1) Language use with various media
(2) Online social networking and blogging habits
(3) News consumption
(4) Entertainment and leisure-related media activities
(5) Television habits
(6) Work- or schoolwork-related media activities
(7) Internet use, speed and cost, and computer skills
(8) Attitudes toward the Internet, online restrictions and privacy
(9) Online purchasing and downloading habits ”

Full report can be accessed here.

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UNICEF appeals for $47.3 million to fund its relief operation in Pakistan – 1.4 million children affected by the flooding

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Iris PR Dubai

UNICEF has appealed for $47.3 million to fund its relief operation for the millions hit by flooding in Pakistan, including an estimated 1.4 million children. Pakistan is facing the worst flooding in more than 80 years. Heavy monsoon rains have affected close to 4 million people across the country.

“UNICEF is ramping up its relief operation for the millions of people affected by the flooding in Pakistan. Many of those are children who are especially vulnerable to disease and the present harsh conditions. They need water, medicine, food and shelter urgently. Our immediate priority is to reach all those hit by the flooding especially those in the most remote areas,” said Martin Mogwanja, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.

The UNICEF relief operation will concentrate on the critical areas of water and sanitation, health, nutrition, education and child protection. The largest part of the operation is the provision of water and sanitation systems to head off the outbreak of diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera, especially deadly to children. UNICEF is already providing clean drinking water to over half a million people and will bring in emergency food rations and emergency health kits.

The flooding has caused widespread destruction of infrastructure with roads submerged and bridges swept away. Power lines are down and many hospitals, schools and sanitation systems have been severely damaged. There is also concern at the damage to crops and livestock in regions where agriculture is the main source of income.

“The appeal also reflects our concern for the longer-term recovery operation in regions where critical infrastructures has been affected and livestock and crops have been wiped out,” said Mr. Mogwanja.

The figures in the appeal will continue to be revised according to information coming in from ongoing assessments and response efforts will be coordinated through inter-agency Cluster Response Plans.

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How to make the most out of a bad PR story?

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Iris PR Dubai

All situations can be turned to your advantage, even the bad ones.. though that is a bit tricky. Even if you are not able to repair all of the damage caused by negative publicity, you can give it a positive spin

1. First of all apologize if the negative occurence is because of your actions or misjudgement. Take responsibility for your actions and sincerely implement measures not to repeat it in the future.

2. Create consistent key messages for communication with the media and stakeholders.

3. Issue a press release on steps being taken to address the issue and provide follow up stories to reporters on the results achieved.

4. In some cases, it is even important to advertise on the measures being taken. This will help to create wider consumer awareness.

5. In the case where consumer confidence in the company or its products come under scrutiny, it is important to set up a forum or helpline to address consumer concerns.

All is not lost, people appreciate the fact that you have taken responsibility for your actions and are genuinely interested in making amends and setting up systems in place not to repeat such mistakes in the future.

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Ethics in Public Relations

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Iris PR Dubai

Ethical questions often pop up in public relations. Are PR agencies responsible for reporting on CEOs who cook their books or do they just go along for the fear of losing the account?Is it ethical to do crisis communication for a public limited company whose top management has knowingly diverted funds without asking for the approval of its shareholders? Is it ethical to manipulate news content by bribing journalists?

I think PR agencies who preach corporate governance and corporate social responsibility should take a stance when it comes to practicing it.They may make money in the short run by playing along with an unethical company but in the long term your reputation as an agency is bound to suffer. Especially in this digital world where all that you have done in the past is preserved for posterity, its difficult to erase the bad doings. It will be ironic if the PR agency itself will have to resort to doing crisis communication to save its own reputation.

Below is excerpt from article on Ethical Public Relations by Steven R. Van Hook that is worth reading(http://www.aboutpublicrelations.net/aa052701a.htm):

The Public Relations department is frequently the ethical heart of an organization. Internal and external PR communications control of the flow of good and bad news to the staff and community. The PR team copes with company crises. PR pros sit at the elbows of top officers drafting a company’s mission statements, its strategies, its vision.

PR people are often put on the spot — if not to determine the morality of a course, at least to help envision the fallout. Fortunately there are valuable touchstone tools for finding our way.Throughout the many schools of ethics and conduct, there are some common threads.

For example: Don’t lie. Ever. One thing we’ve learned well in recent decades is that the uncovered cover-up frequently incurs more wrath than the original offense. Even the highest potentates with all the levers at their power cannot keep a lid on a secret boiling over.

Many people perceive public relations as something less than respectable — as clever strategies to convince the public that what’s wrong is right. Some see public relations professionals as manipulators of the public mind, rather than conveyors of truth.

That is likely the reason most every code of conduct, especially those targeted at the PR profession, stresses honesty above all else. Too often our conduct falls short of the code. Spin substitutes for truth. Perception substitutes for reality. Victory substitutes for success.

The shadings are subtle. The arguments are heated. The proponents are ostracized. But it does matter, both in the big picture and the bottom line.

Theologians say it. Physicists say it. Even squinty-eyed comptrollers now realize it. In our interconnected systems, everything matters to everything else. What we are is a composite of our daily decisions, thoughts and actions, large and small. As business writer John Ellis says, “The truth matters. Loyalty matters. Lies matter. Values matter. You know a Dilbert company the minute you walk into it. Dilbert-company employees know the exact calibration of corporate dishonesty.”

An organization’s ethics flow from the top down and back up again, and permeates throughout the company mindset. A stranger off the street can sniff it out just by walking in the door. Nothing is hidden, especially in this wired age where news — especially bad news — gushes in an instant.

These matters must preoccupy the devoted PR professional.

We might remember, too, that public relations is a two way street: not only do we represent our organization to the public, but we must also present the public back to our organization. We should help our colleagues understand how the public perceives our actions.

Just like little Jiminy Crickets, public relations professionals are often the conscience of a company. It’s not always a popular spot to be in, but it is our duty. It’s what we’re paid to do. And, as we sometimes confess to one another, it’s what we largely love most about our job.

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UAE Land Art Generator Initiative recieves support from Masdar

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Iris PR Dubai

Masdar to sponsor the prize award for the first UAE Land Art Generator Initiative international competition

The prize for the winning design of Land Art Generator Initiative’s (LAGI) first international design competition, which was held this year in the UAE, will be sponsored by Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted initiative advancing the development, commercialisation and deployment of renewable and alternative energy technologies and solutions.

LAGI is a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary collaboration that has brought together global artists, architects, scientists, landscape architects, and engineers to design energy-generating public art installations to be constructed in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The international competition, which closed on June 4, 2010, received entries from over 40 countries.

Commenting on Masdar’s support to the initiative, Elizabeth Monoian, Principal, Land Art Generator Initiative, said: “Masdar is leading the way to a renewable energy future. The architectural design of Masdar City has consistently set a standard of visual creativity in the methods of integration of both passive sustainable design and active renewable energy systems. Masdar’s support for the integration of renewable energy systems with public art shows their continued support for the cultural aspects of the renewable energy future—a great compliment to the scientific research that Masdar is conducting which is so necessary to achieve that future.”

The winning team will be awarded the prize at the 2011 World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi (January 17-19, 2011) with the award ceremony taking place as part of the Land Art Generator exhibition at the Masdar stand.

“The 2010 LAGI design competition was launched earlier this year on January 18th at the most recent World Future Energy Summit, and so it is fitting that the award should be announced at the WFES 2011 summit,” Monoian added.

Commenting on the support to LAGI, Nawal Al Hosany, Associate Director, Sustainability for Masdar commented: “We are extremely proud to be supporting LAGI’s important initiative for UAE. Sustainable design solutions play a vital role as we actively pursue the challenges related to renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change. Sustainable design is key to many of our projects, indeed the wind tower featured at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology building in Masdar City is a living example of how it is possible to combine a traditional cooling system with modern, sustainable and functional design solutions.”

Once constructed, the selected design will be the first ever in the world and will become a tourist destination that draws people from around the world to experience the beauty of the collaborative art creation. At the same time, the art itself is a working piece of technology and hence has the potential to produce power.

Robert Ferry, Principal, Land Art Generator Initiative, said: “We live in a world that cross-culturally puts a high emphasis on design. As energy generation necessarily comes in closer proximity with the real estate that it powers, issues of aesthetics that drive public acceptance are becoming more and more debated. We believe that it is not only possible, but also necessary that renewable energy generation be integrated into the fabric of our constructed environments. In so doing, these installations must react responsibly to their role as permanent additions to our shared experience. In their most lofted role, they will also serve the more cultural function as works of art that can inspire and educate.

“The residents of the communities in which these artworks are constructed will be pleased to know that some percentage of the power that is being used by the lights in their home has been generated cleanly by works of art. Sustainability in communities is not only about resources, but it is also about harmony.”

A select jury panel consisting of 20 local and international artists, architects, academicians, industry leaders and writers have reviewed the entries. All the designs will be posted on the Land Art Generator Initiative blog site (http://www.landartgenerator.org/blagi)—about three per week during the autumn.

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water saving car wash technique

Posted on August 1, 2010 by Iris PR Dubai

Iris PR client Q2 was in news today for helping UAE to save a precious commodity-water that most people take for granted.
http://bit.ly/bxJ3qT

Average amount of water used during car wash:

  • Home wash — 370 litres
  • In-bay car wash – 205 litres
  • Conveyor wash – 280 litres
  • Industrial wash – 228 litres
  • Geo wash method used by Q2 – 5 litres

     

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