SEQUEL PR

Brisbane is revving up for what media has titled a “dream fight”.

On Saturday 2 July, thousands of spectators will fill Suncorp Stadium to watch local good-guy Jeff Horn take on one of boxing’s greatest, Manny Pacquiao.

I’m not sure it will be a “dream” for the competitors, who’ve spent countless hours in a gym and on the streets getting fighting fit, but for the organisers, sponsors and fans this fight will be a dream come true.

The bout has already generated an incredible level of media attention, even before a punch has been thrown.

In terms of PR for Australian boxing, the Pacquaio v Horn fight is sheer brilliance. A clean-cut Aussie school teacher, Horn will hook a place in the history books by fighting one of the world’s greats.

The blood, breaks and blows will be forgotten (for now) as the excitement builds.

I don’t promote boxing, I promote people. Boxing is a catalyst to bring people together. – Don King

Without one advertisement, the fight has generated tens of millions of dollars in media coverage.

Boxing, renowned for its promotional nous, has used PR to fill Suncorp stadium and convince many fans to spend hundreds of hard earned dollars on a ticket.  In addition, the hype has landed organisers lucrative TV rights, generated millions in sponsorship dollars, sent betting agencies into meltdown and will, no doubt, make Suncorp’s Caxton Street neighbours a tidy profit.

Boxing’s Night of Nights will have Queensland cash registers ringing louder than the opening bell.

No doubt the fight is genuine but it’s also one of 2017’s great PR moments. It proves that, if you are brave enough, smart enough and have the right team, a step into the PR ring can really pay-off.

The man who has no imagination has no wings. – Muhammad Ali

Getting ready to rumble is easy.  Here are a few title fight tips:

Fight ready. You wouldn’t step into the ring with Pacquiao unless you were prepared and the same applies to PR.  Research, source good stories and talent, and build a plan. Check for weakness, know your strengths and go in with the gloves on.

A good coach. Make sure you have a PR pro on your team that has been in the ring a few times. Remember, PR types are good at spin so, before making your choice, take a close look at their experience. Can they demonstrate success? Have they worked on similar campaigns? What results have they generated for other clients?

Left, right, left. You need to be brave to step into ring.  It can be daunting for a first timer but if you believe in your story/product/business, then be brave.

Duck and weave. You will get better PR results if you avoid hosting a media event or putting out a release on a busy news day.  Apply some news nous, plan and be flexible on when you deliver media messages into the market. For example, if a big story breaks on the morning of your big launch, it may reduce your media chances to compete with it. Consider your options and potentially delay your activity or look for a quieter media cycle.

Don’t underestimate. A fighter runs the risk of underestimating a rival. In marketing, business leaders often underestimate the value of PR, yet it is a far more trusted and credible communication tool. Pound-for-pound, PR is a real contender.

The knock out round. Always prepare for a media body blow. A crisis management plan will help protect you and, like any good boxer, practice, practice, practice. Crisis management and media training may be the one-two combo you need to get through to the next round.

Siobhan Dooley

www.sequelpr.com

Anyone with experience in media and marketing knows it’s a fast-moving landscape.

Sorry, did I say landscape? Maybe I should have said vertical because right now we’re experiencing a fundamental shift in how media is both produced and consumed – the vertical video revolution.

Ever since motion pictures were created more than a century ago, we’ve been accustomed to watching them in a horizontal format, a.k.a. landscape. Every film, show, news bulletin or advert we ever saw (until recently) was produced for a cinema, TV or PC screen. But now smartphones are turning our viewing habits on their head – or their side to be more precise.

By the end of this year one-third of the world’s population will own a smartphone. Here in Australia, more than 7 million smartphone users say they ‘can’t live without’ their device.

This smartphone explosion has driven the shift to vertical viewing.

It’s natural for us to grasp objects by their narrowest points (not their broadest) and so we’ve quickly grown used to using handheld devices in an upright position. Most video content, however, continues to be produced for horizontal screens – although the marketing and advertising industries are adapting quickly.

Spending on vertical video ads is surging, especially in the US, and it’s easy to see why. An ad or digital piece that uses the available screen to maximum effect obviously packs a more powerful visual punch than a much smaller shot sandwiched between blocks of black. Industry research has demonstrated that vertical videos hugely increase audience engagement on mobile devices.

What does this mean for cameramen (or video producers) like yours truly?

Well, I started my first job at TNQ7 in North Queensland in 1976, shooting on 16mm film, which I had to process and edit myself – so I’ve seen a few technological changes over the years! But where previous tech-driven changes made the job of shooting film or video easier, this change is the first that fundamentally changes how we use cameras. Panning shots, for instance, don’t work particularly well on vertical screens. Vertical shots may need to be tighter than most camera operators are used to (especially as smartphone screens are small to begin with).

I’m fortunate in having experience as a photographer as well as a cameraman. Snappers are trained to look for and compose both vertical and horizontal images, especially if they are working for newspapers and magazines. But we do not naturally ‘see’ vertically. Remember, the horizontal format developed because it matches our natural vision. So, visual agility will be increasingly important in mobile-driven media.

Some cameramen, shooting for vertical, are ensuring their video quality is maintained by turning their cameras on their sides to shoot – and then editing on screens which are turned upright. Filming horizontally and then severely cropping either side of the shot will reduce picture quality but allows the flexibility to produce both horizontal and vertical work.

 Even the BBC does it...

There’s a lot for my fellow camera guys and girls to think about but, in my experience, there’s no problem we can’t overcome with a little ingenuity and imagination.

We might not be the talent that everyone sees on their smartphone or TV but we make the magic happen – whatever shape the screen!

Geoff Stock, Digital Content Expert and Cameraman, Sequel PR

http://www.sequelpr.com

It’s that time of year when the naughtiest, trickiest and cleverest come into their own.

Now in my final year of Uni, the prospect of getting a real job is just as exciting as it is nerve-racking.

With less than a handful of subjects remaining before graduation, I realised I knew nothing of how PR works in the real world.  

Sure, I can write a mean media release from the safety of my laptop but would it catch the attention of a journalist?

I started looking for an internship to get experience in a professional PR agency and when one Brisbane firm offered the chance, I grabbed it with both hands.

I brushed up on the basics of media release writing, reviewed the difference between stakeholders and partners and studied different creative EDM campaigns. But nothing prepared me for the real world of PR.

Staging media conferences, drafting digital scripts and compiling pitch lists have all been in a day’s work at the busy office of Sequel PR. Over the past six weeks, I’ve refined my writing skills, learned to draft shot lists and met clients.

It’s been an exciting and sometimes challenging foray.

I can’t imagine getting (or keeping) a job without this experience. For any other nearly-graduated PR students, here are my top tips for doing it IRL:

1.       Be a “yes” person

Every opportunity is an experience you would not get at uni. Despite the anxiety of taking on tasks you’ve never done or attending events where you have no idea what is going to happen, the learning potential is priceless.   

2.       Be prepared for anything

I learnt quickly that in the PR industry, no two days are the same. My internship has taken me from a desk to a photoshoot, a media conference, a business breakfast and interviews with journalists all over Brisbane.

3.       Not everything you’ve learnt at uni is “real life applicable”

On the first day of my internship I was asked to write a media release. Looking at an example from Sequel, I realised that none of my uni’s stringent writing rules and techniques had been applied.

4.       Keep up with the news

Don’t be the uni student who rolls out of bed at midday and barely manages to keep up with the Kardashians. Be aware of and proactive in finding out what’s going on, locally, nationally and internationally every day. Get your news from a variety of sources and don’t leave it to radio highlights in the car on the way to work.

5.       Network and Ask Questions

Most people love to share knowledge and an internship is the perfect way to pick the brains of the industry professionals working alongside you. Asking a question is not a sign of stupidity and people are always happy to help. They have a wealth of information about the industry and can offer insider career advice.

As the corporate world starts to grind back into full swing it’s time for us all to walk the talk.

“Next year we will…” or “In the new year, I want to…” sound great and achievable in late October and the thought process is as sensible as it is noble.

It’ll be quieter over the Christmas break. We’ll have time to refresh our marketing communications materials then. We’ll put together a bank of really engaging digital content and come up with good content management strategy that the whole organisation can contribute to. We’ll run those media training refreshers before things get too crazy.

But it’s amazing how quickly October becomes February.  February is today!

Why you need to reset

In the death throes of 2016, some very astute Sequel clients embarked on a media training refresher program.

Part of the reason was to step out of their every day routines and get the teams to focus on hitting a reset button for 2017.

But the reset button can be hard to find, particularly for seasoned communicators.

It can be even more challenging to locate towards the end of the year, when you’re tired and can’t wait for summer holidays with the family.

What was astonishing in the few days our trainers spent with these groups was the ability for even the most capable and experienced performer to stretch, tweak and reinvent.

Sometimes, all it takes is the smallest of changes to dramatically alter the result.

Autopilot is a dangerous thing when it comes to communicating with people. It doesn’t consider the important nuances of timing and temperature.

How to reset your year

If you haven’t already rebooted and hit the 2017 terra firma running, don’t despair!

Here are a few cheats that might help you hit your communications reset:

Ditch the list

Long lists can be overwhelming despite new year intentions.  Do yourself a favour and choose THE NUMBER ONE thing you want to change and then set about doing it.  Big or small – knocking off that outstanding item that irritates you most, or the performance trait that lets you down, will help you reset in 2017.

Make a date

Before the calendar fills entirely with meeting requests or work trips, diarise some hours to devote to acting on your 2017 wish list. Block out the half day for your media training refresher and book the course; make a meeting time with the web designer to discuss a new look and feel; lock in a date for new corporate headshots or videoing some customer testimonials. Do it before October rolls around again!

Do it differently

Same old, same old is safe but is it effective?  Sometimes you need to try new things to extend yourself and your organisation. If you haven’t embraced the digital revolution take a baby step.  Write a blog, film a short interview explaining what your organisation does and why you’re better than the rest, agree to try the podcast your PR team is keen on.

Fortunately, the reset button doesn’t launch a nuclear warhead!  You can press it again if the experiment fails, so don’t be afraid. On the plus side, rethinking your approach to marketing or communications might attract new audiences who want to hear your story.

Melissa Watter

December 6, 2016

As if the first 11 months of the year weren’t busy enough, the information overflow hits turbo speed in December.

From retailers to politicians, everyone is clambering to spout their end-of-year achievements and spruik their must-have Christmas bargains.

Thanks to the rise-and-rise of social media, there’s really no escape. Not only can your message reach millions of people with just a few clicks but we can all access anything we want to know (or don’t want to know) at any time of the day or night.

For business, the challenge is getting heard above the din; you need to stand out amid the billions of ads, stories, blogs, and posts being fired at consumers every day.

So, how do you gift wrap a message to present it to the world

1. Keep it simple

Whether you’re trying to communicate a complex concept or simply looking to drive sales, keep your message short and sweet. People tend to be tired and overloaded at the end of the year. If you offer long, complicated info they will look elsewhere for something easier.

2. Steal the show

Ramp-up the entertainment factor. That doesn’t mean trivialising your work but it does mean presenting it in a new, creative and fun way.

3. Picture perfect

We all know a picture tells a thousand words and this has never been more valid since the advent of social platforms like Instagram. An image or video or graphic can be the most effective way of telling your story.

4.  Use it or lose it

We’re a fickle bunch. You have seconds to grab any attention, so offer information that’s useful, helpful or beneficial. Making it meaningful will most likely keep them coming back for more.

5. Practice makes perfect

If you want to make a media appearance (or two), be prepared. Training with industry experts is vital to learn how to make the most of your time in the media sun.

From all at Sequel PR, Merry Christmas and our best wishes for the New Year!

Fran Metcalf

It’s been an interesting few weeks in the world of public relations with much of the industry chatter around issues management.

Dreamworld’s tragic and very public PR disaster has sent a rocket through the business world; no doubt many companies are now dusting off their crisis management plans.

Even at arm’s length, a death or injury is confronting and distressing but to be at the coalface is horrifying.

Sadly, I have managed several traumatic incidents over the years and seen how shock, grief and confusion can turn a once confident leadership team into a chaotic muddle of self-doubt and second guessing.

It’s normal to have speed wobbles in the middle of a crisis but having a solid, strategic plan supported by a crack team of experienced and well-trained professionals will keep your organisation on the right track.

Don’t freak out when the media comes knocking

If you were to witness a car accident, would you run to a reporter to tell them what happened or is your first instinct to go to the car to see if everyone’s alright?

Common decency applies in crisis management, as it does in life.

The first priority in a crisis must be the safety, security and wellbeing of anyone who’s directly affected. This may include employees, contractors, customers, volunteers, general public and stakeholders.

I’m not sure why but kindness, care and empathy are sometimes forgotten when a news camera appears at the front door. Yes, you need to handle media inquiries but it’s the people on the ground who come first in any emergency.

Poor planning is hazardous to your business health

Best-practice crisis management is when an organisation is well-prepared for the unexpected. You should be able to spring into action instantly and that’s a lot easier if you’ve done your homework, assessed all the potential risks, and built step-by-step guide for every crisis scenario.

Pre-planning allows you to take all the time in the world to consider every conceivable risk and plot well-conceived strategies. That way, when the proverbial hits the fan, it’s much easier to make the best possible split second decisions.

Surrounding yourself with a team of people who have the experience and know-how to provide critical advice when you need it is a major key to crisis management success.

Each member of a crisis leadership team should be so well rehearsed, they know who will look after any impacted contractors or employees; what is the plan for impacted families; who is responsible for contacting next-of-kin; who will activate the counselling advice phone number in 30 minutes and liaise with emergency services; and how their organisation will inform the public and deal with social media posts.

It all seems simple, yet many plans are shoved in a cupboard, out-of-date or incomplete and recent PR disasters show exactly how exposed that can leave you.

7 simple steps for getting crisis ready

Expert advice. You don’t get a lawyer to check your heart, so don’t trust your crisis communications to someone who doesn’t have experience and expertise.

Is your current plan up to date? A crisis management plan should be reviewed every 12 months. For example, does your current plan deal with social media?

Ignorance is not bliss. Assess the risks and prepare well in advance to improve the chances of smooth communication and brand recovery.

People first. Managing a message and the media is not the priority in crisis.  Safety, securing the scene, and supporting or helping victims, their families, customers or employees involved in an incident is the first priority. Processes to deal with this should be well underway by the time a PR person is drafting the first media statement.

Open, honest and timely. If you don’t know, say so. Don’t guess, pretend, fabricate or speculate. You will get caught out.

Team work and practice. In my airline days, even though we regularly dealt with low to medium level incidents, we frequently practiced managing major to large-scale incidents.

Don’t try to go it alone. If you don’t have the expertise internally then seek out external, senior advice on your crisis management planning and implementation. And most importantly, heed that advice.

Siobhan Dooley

Director, Sequel PR

Laura Geitz talks about the shock loss of the Firebird's major sponsor. Queensland Netball rebound.

Yesterday’s Trump v Clinton debate was just another round in what has become a wild, long and heady bout to win the White House.

The world seems somewhat shocked that Democrat nominee and veteran politician, Hilary Clinton, even has a chance of losing – no one expected the polarising Donald Trump to do so well.

Mates from San Francisco claim if he does win the White House they would move to Oz. Others from Indiana say he is misunderstood and misrepresented by the media but for a man so often put under media fire, the Presidential hopeful does love to fan the (social) media flames.

In fact, mainstream media has found Trump’s indifference to political correctness difficult to wrestle with. The New York Times even went as far as to say Trump was “testing the norms of objectivity in journalism”. Even so, Trump has generated $2 billion in editorial commentary, more than double his rival. Some may argue he’s living proof there’s no such thing as bad PR, but we all know that’s not true.

Where Trump has triumphed is on social media. His media nous should not be underestimated. This is a man who has made billions of dollars selling his wares for decades so this isn’t his first time around the media block. He has long used his profile and provocation to promote and PR.

He knows the mainstream media are against him (well, The New York Times did put it in print) so he’s taken his fight directly to the people, playing his trump card on social media.

If Presidents were elected based on the number of followers they have on social media, Trump would trounce Clinton. He has five million more followers and ‘likes’ on Facebook, three million more Twitter followers and half a million more watching his Instagram feed.

Of course, not everyone following Trump is a fan but like him or not, his social media strategy, support team and his methods will be dissected long after this election is over.

In some ways watching this US election via social media has been like a season of Game of Thrones.

Trump v Clinton – a real life ‘Game of Thrones’

It’s a world that operates without ethical boundaries. You can say and selectively share what you want. Political strategists have triggered ratings bonanzas by simply throwing something sensational, farfetched and unbelievable into the mix.

At the end someone wins and another loses but whether it’s a throne, the Oval Office or your office there’s a few lessons we can learn to better prepare for tapping into social media:

You need a strong, smart and prepared army to back you up. Don’t go it alone. Good social media is a team activity.

Prepare your arsenal. What are you going to say and to whom?

What if it goes wrong? Proactively plan for the ‘what ifs’ before you start.

Not everyone likes me. Social media allows you to communicate with the world but remember the world can answer back. Have a plan to deal with all types of messages.

Feed the beast. You can’t just tip your toe in the social media pool and expect results. Constant, consistent and entertaining content is key.

Meanwhile, the man who made the line “you’re fired” famous, inches closer to the ultimate season finale and the chance to hear the words “you’re hired”.

Shaun Rigby

September 14, 2016

Taking an opportunity in Public Relations after more than ten years as a breakfast radio super star *cough* in regional Australia, I wondered if my skills would realistically translate.

I suspected some would i.e. knowing how to get people talking about a topic and knowing how to deal with newsreaders who’ve been up since 2:30am. But was PR all buzz words, cool suits and cocktail parties? Just like in that movie I watched that one time…actually, was The Devil Wears Prada even about PR?

Was I going to become a ‘corporate jerk’, as I’d been labelled by a former radio co-host? Was I even capable of traditional work hours? (I learnt pretty quickly that PR is not 9 to 5! #fail)

I can safely report that, after two years of public relations life, I’ve found the skills learnt in breakfast radio transfer brilliantly:

Understanding a brand and target audience,

Sourcing great talent (or making okay talent sound great!),

Keeping content short, sharp and to the point,

Knowing the media landscape,

Making quick decisions, and

Being able to work with people from all walks of life.

As well, to get the blood flowing, all our creative, innovative and effective PR content needs to be rolled out at speed across multiple platforms including social media.

To make it work, you have to be media obsessive, researching trends and current hot topics daily, inside and outside the office.

Another great crossover: in breakfast radio, you’re told to keep the talk breaks short (under two minutes in a perfect world). If you nail this one objective every single time, you win radio surveys.

Same goes in public relations: you make the most of every second to create content that excites and engages all sorts of audiences, from podcasts to videos and everything in between.

So, maybe there’s a little less gossip and giveaways in PR but it takes just as much imagination, resourcefulness and momentum as producing a top-rating timeslot!

Lachlan Clark

Normally data hacking flies under our daily radar but Australia’s #censusfail and the ensuing public relations nightmare should give every business owner pause for thought.

The alarming truth is that ransomware is at unprecedented levels around the world.

A recent survey by global security company PhishMe found a staggering 789% jump in encryption ransomware attacks in the first three months of 2016.

PhishMe CEO Rohyt Belani said “Individuals, small- and medium-sized businesses, hospitals, and global enterprises are all faced with the reality that this is now one of the most favoured cyber-criminal enterprises.”

Whether you decide to pay or not, it can be costly to the bottom line and your reputation.

Does coughing up suggest you were unprepared to handle customer records in a secure way?

How are you going to reassure clients and suppliers (current and potential) that you can be trusted with their information?

And what steps are you taking to stop it from happening again?

No matter what business sector or size – if you hold any kind of data, you are at risk of a potential public relations nightmare. And if you haven’t contemplated a ransomware attack as part of your overall communications plan, you could be in trouble.

Here are some things to consider:

Put up your hand – if you don’t own the story, others (e.g. competitors) will tell it for you. Admit any mistakes, acknowledge any problems, and communicate what you’re doing in response.

Tell it truthfully – this is not the time to sugar coat, gloss over, or spin what’s going on.

Remember the 3Cs – in all communication (internally and externally) show your Concern for those impacted, show you are in Control of the situation, and show your Commitment to preventing a recurrence.

Make a list – think across your business about who you need to communicate with i.e. clients, members, visitors, staff, volunteers, government, business partners, donors, media.

Use the right channels – make sure your message gets through by using the most suitable and effective internal and external channels to communicate with different audiences.

Keep at it – constant, reliable, authoritative communication in bad times will make your stakeholders more likely to listen (and respond) in good times!

Your reputation is worth seeking expert communications advice, and spending time and effort preparing a proactive crisis communications plan, because, ultimately, the cost of prevention versus the cost of paying a ransom and/or rebuilding your brand is a no brainer.

Barbara Cox