26 May 2011

How can we be strategically creative?

We hear a lot of people talk about creativity – “we need to be more creative”, “how do build creativity into our everyday approach”, “let’s think of a creative solution”. What is less frequently discussed is how creativity can deliver value to clients and their business.

The best ideas are often not the ones which are the most left-field, flamboyant or the outrageous. While ideas which are a bit quirky or different can hit the mark, the most important filter for ideas has to be whether it helps a client achieve their objectives.

Is the struggle with the awareness of a brand? In that case, a PR stunt or high profile event may well be the best approach.

Are you having difficultly gaining traction in strategic discussions? Perhaps a comprehensive thought leadership campaign is the right creative solution.

There is no clear benefit in creativity for creativity’s sake. You can spend money building a slide in your office, buying bean bags and painting rooms different colours, but what is the result of this activity? In the PR industry, it must be that we can generate ideas which help clients achieve outcomes.  Read the rest of this post

22 May 2011

n2n and Fuel’s Biggest Morning Tea

n2n and Fuel communications are busily getting their ‘bake-on’ ahead of this Thursday’s Cancer Council fundraiser, Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea. n2n and Fuel communications will be hosting a morning tea and encouraging all staff to participate through baking and making a donation.

One in two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 85 and nearly every person will be affected in some way or another by this disease. Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is one of Australia’s most well-loved fundraising events, and plays a vital role in raising money towards Cancer Council’s work in research, education, prevention and support. This year alone, Cancer Council NSW is investing over $16 million in cancer research.

n2n and Fuel communications have set a target of raising $1,000 and, with less than four days to go, we are well underway to reach this!

So make your cup count and help us reach our fundraising goal by donating through our personal fundraising page.

17 May 2011

Carbon reduction and PR

The introduction of carbon reduction policy has got Australian businesses thinking around what issues they need to consider, and plans they need to put in place to respond to a carbon constrained economy. It’s similarly dominated a lot of the national media attention at a political, business and consumer level.

The carbon debate in Australia provides a challenge and an opportunity for PR practitioners and highlights some of the strategic challenges in staying relevant in a highly competitive and cluttered media debate.

Watching the business response is fascinating. Some companies have gone hard on trying to demonstrate ‘green credentials’ – some of these are legitimate, however many are clearly a having a go at getting some share of voice on a hot issue. Others are saying nothing. Read the rest of this post

10 May 2011

Where Social Media and Email Marketing collide

The launch of a new technology or social media platform is usually hailed as “the death of (insert competing media platform here)”. However, many social media platforms provide an extension, and development, of existing communications tools. The most recent example of this is Facebook’s new ‘send’ button and already questions are being raised about the impact on email marketing (see Marketo blog post here).

By adding this button to your website, you allow web site visitors to share content directly with their online connections by sending a Facebook email straight from your site.
Read the rest of this post