Category: Public Relations

May 12, 2010

Bullet PR looking for online-literate Account Manager

If you are driven, motivated and like working in a flat management structure, this could be the role for you.

We are excited by the possibilities and challenges that digital media brings and passionate about using social media to complement ‘traditional’ PR. We wouldn’t claim to be social media experts, but we know our stuff and love learning more. Our new team member should have some knowledge of online PR, digital influence, social media and how they interrelate.

As an Account Manager at Bullet PR, you would be expected to have some PR or relevant marketing experience – probably one to three years in an agency setting. But, more importantly, you would need a self-starter attitude and a determination never to give up.

You would also be comfortable picking up the phone and pitching to journalists as this will always be part of what PR is all about.

The office atmosphere is very open and everyone’s ideas are heard.

If you thrive off responsibility and like the idea of joining the team, please email your CV to jenniferd@bulletpr.co.nz

May 10, 2010

Communicating Creatively

Think outside the box for a minute. Let’s have a brainstorm and do some blue-sky thinking. You know, a whiteboarding session.

Working in public relations, we’re straddling the line between the creative and business fields, often being pulled strongly in both directions. Clients want new, fresh ideas that bring original thought and perspective to help reach their audiences, while the realities of budgets and billable hours mean that the grandest, greatest, most original ideas are often ones that get cut first. It’s easy to therefore fall into the trap of complacency and do the same set of standard tactics that worked before and will work again. But that does little to advance the brand and reputation of clients, and frankly, they deserve better. Agencies are engaged for their creative nous just as often as for their business acumen, writing skills and media contacts.

Continue reading →

May 3, 2010

Not mobile optimised? Then you’re not in business

Research giant Nielsen recently released a study that confirmed what we have all probably known for some time: optimising your site for mobiles is the next game-changer for global business. The research features on Australian SME website, Smart Company and highlights several salient points, notably the relevance of Google maps via smartphones. As Matt Bruce, managing director of Nielsen’s online business, says:

“Google is making big plays in mobile, both in terms of maps and mobile search. I think businesses need to pay attention to local business listings, and that type of activity, because people are increasingly using these tools to get around.” Continue reading →

April 1, 2010

Let battle commence: Facebook vs Google is about to get serious

There is an interesting guest post on Social Media news site Mashable about the ‘billion dollar battle’ between Facebook and Google to be your default social profile.

It highlights how the talk around location based services and group purchasing tools hasn’t yet gone mainstream, despite the hype. The real questions are whether Google Buzz and Wave are going to reach their much vaunted potential and if social commerce (the ability to buy ‘direct’ from within Facebook) is the way forward for retailers. Check out sites like Payvment to see what this is all about.

Continue reading →

February 8, 2010

An engaging online strategy doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in bottom-line revenue

I’d never really noticed it before, but Burger King has a really cool homepage.

Take a look for yourself, but the website has three volume bars (‘Fun’, ‘Food’ and ‘King’), which control how big the central icons are.

For example, if you max out the ‘Fun’ bar, and minimize ‘Food’ and ‘King’, it makes it easier to see all the advertorial video content on the site. Continue reading →

January 28, 2010

Creating online communities: the journey doesn’t stop there

Working in PR, marketing, advertising etc, we need to pull ourselves back from situations and realise that we don’t all spend the entire day behind a computer screen engaging with Social Media.

We should always, at the very least, ask how the offline is being influenced by the online. Jeremiah Owyang recently alluded to this in a post on his Web Strategy blog. If we don’t, then we can end up with a campaign overflowing with clever ideas that create dynamic online communities, but build limited relevance for the company in question and, as a result, limited revenue and ROI. Continue reading →

December 16, 2009

Marketing in NZ: Where’s the Experience?

Experiential marketing is about bringing the customer closer to the brand and, by its very definition, creating an experience. It’s fair to say New Zealanders love experiences like anyone else; tons of graduates take an OE and the country is full of different tours, promising the ‘Kiwi experience’.

In addition, there are plenty of campaigns that tap into Kiwiana and play on the strong sense of national identity. You only have to look at the extremely successful ‘Tourism Paeroa’ campaign by L&P and the newly launched ‘Get Some Kiwi in Ya’ concept from Kiwi Bacon to see that we all love engaging with a brand that feels alive.

Continue reading →

November 23, 2009

Google Opts For Word-Of-Mouth News Announcement (Again)

With news that Google has just announced the next step in its plan to take-over the world , one tech sector at a time, it seems like an apt moment to highlight how it does PR/marketing. Continue reading →

November 19, 2009

The Importance Of Face-To-Face Networking

With the huge increase in the role of online in the media world, in particular social media, it’s easy to forget the importance of face-to-face networking. It’s great to ‘connect’ with people on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the like, but nothing beats having a drink and chewing the fat in person. Continue reading →

November 6, 2009

Is it a trend or is it a ‘megatrend’?

In the media we are always speaking about ‘trends’. Twitter was/is a trend; Google Wave is a trend; apps that drive core business revenue also seem to be an increasing trend (just take a look at the Pizza Hut app )…but what’s a ‘megatrend’? Well, according to Adam Kleinberg , CEO of a Traction, a creative agency out in San Fran, it’s something that transforms society as we know it; “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” and all that malarkey. Continue reading →

October 29, 2009

Social Media to bring world peace?

At what could be described as its ‘beta’ stage, social media was a tool for people to stay connected within restricted groups (think Facebook’s origins within American colleges). It obviously widened considerably after that and is now on a par (or even beyond) with us checking our emails everyday. It then became a tool for businesses to have a stronger online presence; one where they could communicate better with their customers and potential customers. In even more recent times, social media has evolved into an almost catch-all term for digital marketing. While those in the know will tell you there is more to digital than purely social media, it certainly plays a large part in today’s media landscape. The advent of Twitter has meant social media is now an information swapping super-highway and full-on customer service portal, in addition to all its other guises. Continue reading →

September 29, 2009

The ‘socialisation’ of the internet

SEO and SEM specialist First Rate recently pointed out how data from Hitwise (the online data monitor) shows that Facebook has overtaken TradeMe as New Zealand’s second most popular website (after Google, of course).

With the rising popularity of other social media such as Twitter and Flickr and the further news that Facebook has just signed a deal with market research company Nielsen to boost its credentials as a genuine advertising platform, businesses in NZ need to be aware of how these events are changing the way they need to work. This ‘socialisation’ of the internet is not simply a way for people to stay in touch; it’s bigger than that. The use of social media tools to speak to potential and existing customers has broken down the traditional barriers between businesses and the man on the street.

Continue reading →

June 25, 2008

‘Where the bloody hell are you?’ – I’m going to miss you!

Yes, the now ditched Aussie tourism slogan grew on me! Maybe it’s because I’m Kiwi; we have that much more cultural affinity with Australia than just about anyone else – I think it appealed to us. And of course, it spawned a whole bunch of amusing variations, particularly so at Bledisloe Cup matches!

The images on the TVC were simply spectacular – that mouth-watering variety of visual slendour from the great vastness of the Australian continent. It certainly made me want to visit Oz!

But apparently Canada and the UK didn’t like the language or something; Tourism Australia ditched it… and now the Aussie PM himself is having a go!

Ultimately the slogan fell victim to the tighter travel market – there was little or no discernible increase in inbound travel from specifically targeted countries.

But maybe Australia doesn’t need a one-size-fits-all global slogan – after all, what attracts New Zealanders, for example, to visit Australia may be entirely different to that of Japanese or Germans. What happened to targeted marketing?

So, bloody hell, whatever they come up with next, I hope for their sakes, it isn’t treated as a sacrificial lamb should greater macro-economic forces once again take their toll on tourist numbers.

June 16, 2008

Why public relations matters in a changing media landscape

Interesting article in The Australian last week. Nick Davies’ book Flat Earth News cites research finding that 80% of stories in British newspapers were rewritten wire copy and press releases, or “churnalism” as Davies puts it.

It’s true that newspapers around the world are cutting costs and trimming editorial staff. But the selected findings of Nick Davies don’t tell the full story. In a post-Enron world, the likes of Sarbanes-Oxley and equivalent laws in other jurisdictions, mean there is an increased demand for greater corporate governance in the private sector, and greater statutory obligations for transparency in the public sector. The reality is that many organisations must use PR tools by necessity in order to ensure full disclosure and regulatory compliance.

At the same time, the media has a greater need than ever for content due to the demands of their expanding online channels. The NZ Herald, for example, frequently runs material on its site that is not replicated in the print version. It is an unfair expectation on already stretched journalists that they fulfil this demand themselves, which is where PR-driven content comes in. As long as the content that’s provided is newsworthy, relevant and of interest, then PR serves a valuable purpose to the media.

The public relations industry has long been an easy whipping-boy for media commentators like Davies, who would have you believe that PR is responsible for devaluing or undermining journalistic standards, that in some way the industry is corrupting the integrity of the media. Well I’m sorry Nick, but that’s nonsense – it’s simply up to publications to ensure they cut the wheat from the chaff, and ensure that what makes it into print is relevant to their readers.

June 3, 2008

Avoiding pitfalls to ensure Corporate Blogging success

Following on from my previous post re the benefits of blogging, it?s also appropriate to point out the pitfalls to avoid in ensuring long-term blogging success. There is no better source to turn to than US Search Engine Marketing and Online PR guru Lee Odden of Top Rank Online Marketing and the excellent Online Marketing Blog. I had the pleasure of meeting Lee at Search Engine Room Australia. Check out his five very salient points in ’5 reasons why business blogs fail’.