Many have been left perplexed, wondering how Australia’s much-loved children’s entertainment group could be so ruthless.

In a recent interview, the Wiggles were lost for words when questioned on the fate of ousted singer Sam Moran. As one of the most awkward interviews I’ve encountered; you can see the group stumbling over their words, taking long pauses between questions, muttering the whole way through and showing no consideration to Sam.

The interview raised several questions to me as a public relations professional regarding the communications strategy in place for the announcement. The most important one being, did the Wiggles receive any communications advice prior to the announcement?

With this in mind, here’s how some PR counsel could have helped the Wiggles…

Media training

To ensure brand protection in a situation like this, a communications professional would have drawn up key messages and prepared the group with interview questions and answers prior to the announcement. It is evident in this interview how underprepared the group was. No brand, no matter how loved, can escape media questioning.

Key message preparation

The interview should have focused on how fans would benefit from the change, how Sam and his fans were considered in the decision and what was next for the famous group. Instead, the group showed no empathy towards Sam and his fans, only demonstrating that this was a cutthroat business decision that Sam and his fans lost out on.  Time spent developing and practicing communicating key messages could have influenced the focus of the interview, or at the very least shown the group as empathetic.

Social media monitoring

Following this poorly executed announcement, the sentiment of fans on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube was far from positive.  Monitoring online comments and general sentiment prior to the interview could have helped the Wiggles by providing insight into what likely questions they should prepare for.

For a group that earned $28 million last year, their response (or lack-of response) makes me think whether this much-loved group should invest in some PR support.

Having unfortunately spent most of Friday and parts of the weekend experiencing first-hand the Australian healthcare system due to an infected insect bite, it got me thinking about client service.  Although not perfect, my experience of GP, emergency and outpatient care was a good one.  Here’s four reasons why and how each element relates to what makes excellent client service in the PR world…

• Authoritative counsel.  When I arrived at the emergency department I needed someone with the right expertise and skills to take control.  Thankfully, I was seen quickly by a nurse that took time to explain what would happen to me, where I needed to go and what I should do.  It’s the same in PR.  When a crisis or issue hits a business it requires a rapid response from the PR agency and considered, strategic counsel on next steps.

• Questions.  While I was assessed by doctors in the emergency department I was very impressed with the amount of questions they asked me in order to ascertain the best possible treatment.  Afterwards, I felt not only comfortable they had explored all avenues but confident the treatment recommended to me was based on the best possible insight.  It’s a little like the new client – PR agency relationship.  The more questions the agency asks the deeper they get into the business and closer to understanding the challenges it faces.  As I discovered as a patient, there’s rarely such a thing as a stupid question.

• Zero ambiguity.  Before I was allowed to leave the hospital one of the doctors told me that I should only get concerned and come back overnight if my infection looked like it was getting very serious.  I asked what very serious looked like, to which the doctor replied with a detailed description of what to look for.  It reminded me how important it is to reduce any ambiguity in the agency-client relationship.  Unless both parties are clear on the goals, objectives and expected outcomes, PR activity is unlikely to have the best possible impact.  It’s also a good reminder of why asking the ‘what does success look like to you’ question is so crucial when planning.

• Human connection.  Although the outpatient treatment I’m now receiving is fairly standard I’ve been impressed by the care and thoughtfulness of the medical staff I’ve been seeing.  Not only are they helpful and informative, they remember my name, my interests and what I do.  It’s a human connection that I’ve really valued and something so important in the PR agency – client relationship.  When the chemistry is right and agencies connect with clients, great work and a whole lot of fun almost always follows.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Sydney unveiling of Qantas’ new Boeing 787 Dreamliner the other week.  For a guy who spent his youth taking things apart to see how they worked and has a geeky fascination with all things big and structural, it was a career highlight.

And it actually proved a good example of how to run a solid media and stakeholder event.

At n2n, we run events all the time, from small intimate media briefings to huge stakeholder events with the Prime Minister. But we’re normally on the organiser’s side so the Qantas event gave me a chance to see one from the guest’s perspective.  Below are a couple of observations about what I thought were the positives from the morning.

Photo credit: biztravelguru.com

Access all areas

There was loads to do, see and hear.  Maybe this is my geeky bias coming into play, but we were able to photograph anything, film everything and go wherever we wanted.  It was a change from the sometimes overly structured and limiting tours.  People were able to leave at anytime but welcome to stay if they wanted to; it made the event seem a relaxed and open affair.

Strong talent

The press conference was quick, interesting and packed with sound-bites. It was messaged well, was to the point and was upbeat and energetic.  Alan Joyce is great media talent and appeared relaxed and genuinely happy to be there.  His speech was punchy and easily quotable – as evidenced by the media coverage that ensued.

Timing

The event was in the morning, early, but it meant that everyone was back at their desk by 10am at the latest so it ensured a strong turnout before deadlines and other stories hijacked the day.

Openness

Inevitably the media Q&A featured questions on Qantas’ recent difficulties but they weren’t shirked, nor were they greeted with frustration.  Alan Joyce took all questions and gave good answers to each.  It meant the focus soon turned back to the reason for being there – to talk about big shiny new planes.

Of course there are many more things that make an event a success – just ask our team – but these basics are good to remember and, for this guest at least, made it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Running a competition on social media can be a great way to build brand awareness, attract new fans and generate buzz.  But like any communications activity it’s worth spending time upfront assessing the potential risks with your campaign.  Competitions played out on social media are available for all to comment on, share with friends, and as we’ve seen this week with Qantas and Nissan, open to public criticism.

If you’re thinking about running a competition on social media here’s some brief pointers to keep in mind…

-          Timing – In the same way as news announcements, competitions need to be launched at the right time.  The right time involves knowing what customer sentiment is toward your brand at a particular moment and that means regular social media monitoring.  If that monitoring, for example, shows customer sentiment is negative toward your brand you might want to consider holding off launching a competition until later.

-          Transparency -  It’s important to be open and honest about the terms and conditions surrounding any competition, but especially so when it’s being run online.  For brands, that means being upfront about who can enter, what prizes can be won and the deadlines for entry.

-          Platform – Deciding what platform, such as Twitter or Facebook, to run your competition on is also important.  On Facebook, for instance, there are clear guidelines on how to use the platform to communicate about or administer a promotion that need to be carefully adhered to.

-          Rewards – When thinking about prizes for a competition consider whether offering one big prize is likely to be as attractive as multiple smaller prizes.  Often, people are more likely to enter and talk about a competition online if they believe they stand a good chance of winning, so lots of smaller prizes could be the way to go. Ensuring your prize is relevant or desirable for your target audience is also crucial.

-          Participation – When thinking about how you want people to enter your competition, striking a balance between promoting your brand and not being too self-serving is important.  Think too about ways to best engage participants.  For example, could people enter by uploading a certain picture online or by downloading an app?

-          Regulation – Before launching a competition it’s worth reading up about online competition legislation, which can vary from state to state.  For example, in NSW an online competition permit is required for all ‘game of chance’ promotions, regardless of the prize value.  If the promotion is deemed to be a ‘game of skill’ then no permits are required. 

These are just a few thought starters.  If you’ve got others to add based on your experiences let us know.

You’d have been hard-pressed earlier this month to avoid the hype surrounding this year’s Melbourne Cup.

Titled ‘the race that stops the nation’ it certainly lives up to its name, with the whole of Australia donning their best outfits for what has to be the most talked about three minutes of the year.

As we settled down in our Sydney local for a company lunch, armed with our ‘I-have-definitely-picked-the-winner’ tickets in hands, an interesting conversation started on how working in PR can sometimes be a little like taking part in the world’s biggest horse race.

Of course, there are the obvious similarities – training hard for a win, putting in the leg work to get a great result and jostling for the attention of the media.  But what about some of the less obvious similarities?

Winning the Melbourne Cup is never going to be easy.  The week before this year’s big race, Dunaden needed a new jockey.  So similar to how a team tackles an urgent brief for an important round of media pitching, jockey Christophe Lemaire descended on Australia, took the reigns and rode to victory – proving that with experience, skills and a great deal of flexibility pretty much anything is achievable in a week.

I guess the times when agency life feels most like a sporting event is when preparing for a big client event.  Just like in sport, it’s about working together and a lot of determination.  And as was the case in this year’s Melbourne Cup, sometimes last minute alternations have to be made.  At the time, these last minute changes can be challenging but with the right focus and right people for the job, success is achievable.

So after a fair few ‘I-won’t-be-so-confident-next-time’ bets, some friendly sweepstakes and one best dressed award, n2n says farewell to the Melbourne Cup – until next year.

Effective issues and crisis management relies on simulations and practical scenarios. At n2n, we have regular internal training sessions for our team – and it’s timely that issues and crisis management fell last week.

The escalating industrial relations crisis at Qantas served for a challenging and relevant scenario for our team to tackle as a training exercise.

The challenge for the Qantas public relations team is to work through the likely scenarios, and develop a communication plan that can be implemented quickly, and remain flexible enough to respond to situation changes and as new issues emerge.

A typical issues management plan would cover:

• The potential risks to Qantas (reputation, financial, operational etc..)
• The likely scenarios and how these could play out
• The stakeholders and how they may be impacted (employees, shareholders, customers, government)
• Potential third party advocates and supporters
• Key messages for each stakeholder and the best channels to use to communicate with them (eg face to face, media, direct email, online/social media)
• The make-up of the crisis management team and roles/responsibilities
• The resources needed (internal/ contracted) to manage the issue and the recovery
• Protocols for handling the media and social media

Qantas made for a robust and challenging workshop on how to prepare for a crisis – and what to do when you’re in one.

It also raised a key question – how many executive and communications teams invest in advance to prepare for potential issues and crises?

Are you prepared?

Public relations agencies, and in fact all types of organisations, know that internal collaboration is good for business.  It’s how work gets done, plans get made and results get delivered.  Serious stuff.  So serious in fact that media articles this week report BBC bosses have banned employees from keeping bins at their desks because it makes staff territorial and stops them from mixing with other people in the office.

Necessary measure to increase workplace collaboration or a load of rubbish?  Whatever you think, the BBC’s policy on bins goes to show the steps businesses are taking to foster a collaborative working environment.

Surely though, there’s more to it than moving office furniture around?

Dr Suzy Green, Co-founder of the Positive Psychology Institute, reckons so.  In a SMH article published on Tuesday, Green explains collaboration and teamwork are often visible signs of a happy workplace.  If staff members are happy, they talk more, engage with each other more frequently and as a result are more productive.

So perhaps successful collaboration is less about office design and more about office culture?

For a PR agency I reckon it’s a combination of the two.  The right environment is important if collaboration is to thrive, but at the end of the day, if you’ve got an unhappy workforce then no amount of beanbags or funky meeting rooms is going to help.

Here’s five things we do in our business to encourage collaboration.

1.       We meet weekly. On Tuesday mornings the entire company gathers in a meeting room for an hour. The meeting is used to share business updates but is also a forum for debating industry issues and challenges our clients face.  It always results in lively discussion, and more often than not forces us to question existing processes and ways of working.

2.       We limit email. In our experience, not many great ideas come about through exchanges on email.  They come from company brainstorms, catch ups over coffee and conversations in the pub.  It’s because of this we try where possible to avoid internal email, meet face-to-face and do what humans do best – talk.

3.       We move desks. We don’t work in a huge office but every six months or so we have a re-shuffle and all move desks.  Doing this means people that don’t necessarily work together on client accounts still have the opportunity to easily connect and share ideas with each other.

 4.       We get out there. New ways of approaching projects don’t just come from people within the business. That’s why training and participation at industry events is highly prioritised.  External training sessions and attendance at industry events means we’re exposed to other ways of working and avoid thinking ‘our way is best.’

 5.       We have drinks. Each Friday we gather in the kitchen to share successes from the week, results we’ve achieved and news from across the agency.  It’s relaxed and informal but, after a busy week it keeps everyone in the business connected and engaged.

What do you think?  Whether you’re a PR agency or not, what measures you have implemented to encourage successful collaboration in your workplace?

The sad passing of Steve Jobs sent shockwaves across the tech industry yesterday, leading many of us to reflect on the significant contribution he’s made to technology and innovation.  But aside from the products we’re all familiar with the news also reminds us, it’s people that matter.

In PR, we tell a lot of stories on behalf of the brands we work with.  Whether it’s new product launches, new company strategies or the opening of R&D facilities there’s always a story to be told.  These stories are of course interesting but when you think about what really gets people interested, what generates most buzz online and what ultimately gets people talking, it’s people.  People like people.

If a start-up is launching we want to know who’s running it, why they set it up, what drives them, what inspires them.  It’s the same with multi-nationals.  If a new product’s launched we want to know who designed it, what challenges they overcame, who they worked with to develop it.

All good stories involve people because that’s what’s interesting, what’s exciting and what brings brands to life.

Steve himself knew that, and while he kept his personal life private (and all credit to him), as Cathie McGinn points out in a post for Mumbrella, Steve ‘was one of the first business leaders to truly understand that your people are your brand.’

In the past two years I’ve seen more transformation in the PR sector than I have in my entire 10 years of working in the industry.

Today, the PR toolkit is expanding faster than ever with digital, social media, event management, analyst, government and community relations now all important elements of the services we offer to clients.  Add to this the ever-changing media landscape and it’s no wonder we’re busy.  Not only are we required to help our clients keep up to speed with changes but at the same time navigate brands through an increasingly complex communications environment.

With this in mind, I’ve found myself thinking about a question recently – can one person really excel in every single PR discipline?

When you think about it, PR practitioners are a different breed to marketers.  In the advertising industry, teams develop specialisms that support specific business functions (creatives, strategists, planners, account managers).  In PR, however, we differentiate ourselves by being masters of all these disciplines, which is part of the attraction.  We can create, execute and manage projects from end to end, which brings a huge sense of accomplishment and purpose.

Becoming a master of all disciplines is something that’s important to do when starting a career in agency PR.  Unless you immerse yourself in as many facets of PR as possible it’s difficult to gain the experience needed that will be valued by clients in years to come.

But what about more experienced PR executives?  Should we always be increasing our skills and expertise or is it better to take a step back and think about where we really shine as individuals?  In my opinion, it’s the latter.

With the PR toolkit expanding at such a rapid rate, chasing after every skill and capability will become an increasingly impossible task.  Surely now is the time for PR to take a leaf out of the marketing book and start to encourage individuals to focus on developing individual strengths.

Uncovering our strengths however is not always easy to do, which is why agency leaders have an important role to play in helping team members uncover hidden talents and  nurture the capabilities and passions that exist within them.

That means giving team members the opportunities and training to progress their personal goals so they can flourish in the areas they choose.  It also means constantly listening to colleagues to uncover what gets them excited and where they feel they can bring most value to the business.

In a world that values the extraordinary, agencies that focus more on the skills individuals can offer will be able to make the agency whole much greater than the sum of its parts.

A story this week in Mumbrella incited some passionate debate in our industry about metrics in public relations.

This is an age old debate in our profession.

Whenever measurement comes up in PR – it invariably focuses on media results. How much media coverage was achieved, audience reach, key message penetration and how it was published are some of the metrics commonly discussed and used.

However in reality, media coverage isn’t worth anything at all unless you have a strategic and integrated public relations campaign. Media relations is a tool – it’s not a campaign and executing it in isolation will never deliver measurable value or ROI.

Effective public relations requires understanding of an organisation’s objectives & key stakeholders, development of targeted messages and then a strategy to engage and communicate usually via a range of tactics. Public relations is two way – it’s about understanding perceptions, engaging your audiences through communication and dialogue, and adjusting this communication based on feedback. It aims to educate and influence through relationships – whether that’s with customers, employees, partners, influencers, industry associations, government or the media. The effectiveness of a public relations campaign is measured by changes in awareness, attitudes and behaviour of your stakeholders – and the effect on business results.

A major milestone for public relations measurement was the 2010 adoption of the Barcelona Declaration of Research Principles. This industry first has provided the foundation for a more robust, and meaningful debate on the value of public relations.

The seven principles lay out the basis for effective measurement – and reinforce that public relations is not just media relations. Fundamental to the principles is the need to set goals, select a range of metrics that measure outcomes (like influencing consumer behaviour) rather than outputs (like media coverage) as well as the effect on business results.

The truth is, effective measurement takes commitment, strategic thinking and investment – much like a communications campaign. However in a rapidly changing environment where communication is critical to business success, clever companies realise that the investment is worth it.