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Public Relations
is an umbrella term that includes not only the programs designed to
generate free publicity but also many different projects and
activities that have little or nothing to do with the media - like
developing brochures and flyers, publishing a customer newsletter,
hosting seminars and workshops, sponsoring an open house or annual
meeting, developing exhibitions and shows and staging all sorts of
special events, such as golf tournaments or parades and yes, even
those lavish cocktail parties or sit-down dinners for VIPs - and a
whole lot more...
Corporate
Communications is about building:
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Reputational
Capital: An essential element in achieving business goals |
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Organizational
Communications: Building commitment among your workforce to the
company's mission, values and strategies is fundamental to your
success. |
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Financial
Communications and Investor Relations: In the financial world, a
disciplined approach to communications pays dividends - in achieving
the highest sustainable share price, lowering the cost of capital, and
improving liquidity for a company's securities. Whether a company is
undergoing an initial public offering or engaged in ongoing financial
reporting, it is necessary that the right story reaches the investors. |
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 Imagine harnessing the
secret of success
A firm that...
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Develops research-driven and
experience-based
corporate communication strategies |
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Execute strategic plans that
foster and achieve
corporate image objectives |
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Delivers sound and effective
media relations programs |
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Plans and stages news events
to reach community,
multicultural and national audiences |
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Analyses and evaluates
publicity issues with a keen
and cautious approach |
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Handles all Corporate
Sponsorship Opportunities |
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Create and executes the most
unique and memorable
Special Events |
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Manage all communication
requirements for major
conferences, seminars and meetings |
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Corporate Image Management |
The approach to corporate image
management is essentially the same as it is to selling any other
product or service. Only here the corporation itself is the product or
service. All the principles of marketing, advertising and sales apply.
Good corporate image management can lead to broad support of a company
by enhancing a company's image and function in the business world. It
can influence behaviour with regard to the purchase of stock; it can
attract bright employees and gather support for controversial issues;
and it can sell products and services.
"Many consumers
gladly pay a little more,
if necessary, for an article
that bears a name they respect."
-George Burton Hotchkiss, Advertising Copy |
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Honesty wins the day - the art of
effective media relations.
Focus on the positives
Gaining media
exposure
Gaining media exposure
can be a great way to establish your firm's credibility and
visibility. But getting good ink takes more than firing off a quick
press release. Journalists are swamped with news alerts — most of
which end up in a recycling bin.
The problem? Poorly written, unfocussed media releases lacking a
timely news peg to catch the eye of busy journalists. A few pointers:
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Keep your
press releases out of the recycling bin by catching the eyes of busy
journalists
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Determine your media targets. Is television, radio or
print more suited to your news? You've got to figure out where it
would be best for your message to go and then start getting to know
those media really well
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Pitch the right story to the right journalist.
Find out which reporters cover your industry, be it technology, retail
or healthcare
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Prepare a press release and send it to the appropriate person.
(Web sites such as newswire.ca are a good place to find examples).
To up your chances of getting a call back, make sure your story has a
"hook". It must be timely, innovative (is your business the best,
first, only company to do something?), or have human, local or gender
interest
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Follow up with a phone call and try to arrange a meeting. Journalists work on tight deadlines. Always open the conversation by
asking if he or she has time to chat. If not, schedule another talk
time
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Make yourself available at any time.
Include all of your contact information in your press release,
put in a phone number, put in an after-hours phone number, put in a
pager number and a cell number. Make it easy for the media to find you
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Publicity Management |
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Publicity is
news coverage by the media of the products, services, activities,
events, positions, people, contributions, history, or goals and dreams
of your business, agency or group. This can include traditional news
stories in the newspapers or on radio or television as well as
articles in magazines and other publications and appearances on talk
and public service shows.
Hundreds of
SMEs/SMBs miss out on all sorts of opportunities for really
positive publicity simply because they do not understand how to deal
with the media and public forums, or what made a good story for the
news. Whether your SME/SMB is a small architectural firm, a boutique,
a teen pregnancy centre, a fast food franchise, even a garden club,
you should ensure that your group receives the attention it deserves. From drug
patent laws to financial service regulations, organizations need to
anticipate and manage public issues and to enhance their relations
with governments, local communities and key stakeholders.
Publicity
is not just icing on the cake. Good coverage in your community can
yield tangible results - selling products and services, legitimizing
your business, recruiting employees, and influencing the way people
look at the issue or industry your SME/SMB is involved in. |
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Corporate Sponsorships |
Sponsorship Negotiation
There's more to an
event than being present. You also have to make your presence known
and get the most out of your marketing dollar. Display location,
signage placement, premium giveaways, public address announcements,
electronic and print advertising placement are just a few of the
details that affect the success of an event. We achieve prominent
placement for our clients by negotiating the best sponsorship deal
with event coordinators. By customizing the sponsorship package, we
not only meet your marketing goals, we also make certain that your
company is represented with integrity and professionalism that
bolsters your brand image.
Sponsor an event.
Attaching
your company name to a reputable community, multicultural, specialty,
or charitable event can do great things for your business. Sponsoring an event is a great
way for your company to raise its profile and promote new products.
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Pick an event — but
not just any event.
What type of event should you sponsor? Think about your
personal and corporate philosophy - do you want to sponsor an event
tied to a health concern? Children? Women's issues? Community? If
you have no idea where to start looking for events to sponsor, then
perhaps begin by thinking back to the event organizers that have
approached you in the past. Typically, organizers solicit businesses for
corporate sponsorships, not the other way around. You are not
limited to sponsoring events that reflect your products or services.
For example, a running shoe company should not feel obliged to only
sponsor sporting events. |
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Establish your
goals.
What are you looking to achieve by sponsoring an event? Are you
looking to generally raise your company's image among the general
public, or do you have a product you'd like to pitch to a specific
audience? Once you decide, you'll know what to request from the
sponsorship |
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Do some
investigating.
Before you agree to be a sponsor, take a close look at the
organization running it. Request financial statements and an
information kit on what it does -look at its mandate and how many
people it assists. Make sure its funding goes into programming. This
will help you weed out questionable events from legitimate groups,
and ensures you get more from your corporate sponsorship dollar. |
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Explore all the
ways you can participate.
Almost all event organizers will offer you logo exposure
on posters, invitations and websites. But what else do you require
to meet your goals? Do you want to give a speech? Do you want a
booth and the opportunity to hand out samples or coupons? The more
you do, the more you get noticed. In fact, companies should always
dig deep to find creative ways to integrate themselves into the
event. If the organizer is amendable to your
requests, then draw up an agreement to make sure your expectations
are met at the event. |
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Be aware of
the organizer's expectations.
Many ask for a flat fee from sponsors, and there often isn't much
wiggle room around that figure. Sponsorship requests
range all over the map - from a few thousand dollars to
more than $40,000. But think about how you might contribute in other
ways. If you are a printing company, for example, you might offer to
print the invitations for free in return for logo placement. |
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Keep the lines of
communication open. If
your company has a communications office, make sure it works closely
with communications staff from the event you are
sponsoring. This will go a long way in preventing goof-ups, such as
issuing press releases with contradictory information about the
date, time and location of the event being sponsored. It's equally
important to decide in advance who the media spokespeople for the
event will be. |
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Insert a "first
right of refusal" clause in any sponsorship contract you sign. This gives your company the option of renewing your sponsorship deal
before the organizer approaches anyone else. |
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Trade Shows, Special
Events & Seminars Management
There are many logistical considerations to take into account at any
trade show, event or seminar. Our familiarity and experience of the
industry ensures that everything goes off without a hitch, avoiding
costly mistakes. Through our network of contacts and connections, we
are able to offer full-service management solutions - from
promotional materials to custom display booth development to travel
arrangements for your top clients. Every feature of the event will
meet and exceed your exacting specifications. Working with you, we
prepare a budget to get your message across as cost efficiently as
possible. Then we handle all on-site logistics, including site
surveys and public relations. When the event is ready to begin, we
have made sure that everything is in place and you look great.
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