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  • Igniting innovation in PR

    September 13, 2016

    We have all heard that in order to stand out, we need to innovate and challenge established practices. But in a competitive PR landscape, how do we as consultants achieve this? It is no longer good enough to just create brilliant ideas for clients, we need to extend beyond traditional promotional tactics by moving away from what’s normal, comfortable and easy. Don’t talk product, talk impact Standing out from the crowd goes beyond talking about...

  • Branded podcasts: Listen to your audience

    September 8, 2016

    The earliest form of storytelling is oral and had its heyday when it took to the airwaves in the commercial radio era. It is still one of the most powerful ways to communicate in the modern age, even as visual stimuli are everywhere you turn. I’m talking about the rise of the podcast. Sure, podcasts have been a thing for a while now, but they have been niche –digital radio for tech nerds. They have...

  • Facebook at Work – future or failure?

    August 31, 2016

    Social media driven employee advocacy is not new. It makes sense, it’s necessary and effective. A company’s biggest advocates sit within the organisation, tools like Sociabble and Everyone Social provide an effective service where company sanctioned content is curated and presented to employees to consume and share – tools of this nature fulfil in part an internal communications role with the added benefit of external advocacy. It is hardly a surprise that the likes of...

  • It’s Women’s Month – PR it, please!

    August 30, 2016

    “It’s Women’s Month and we’ll be giving branded journals to all the ladies in our office, we need to make a big hype about them, please PR it.” We’ve all been at the giving or receiving end of this brief or some variation of it. Now in principle, there is nothing wrong with celebrating the moments that make us proud, get our hearts racing and break the 9 – 5 mould. But a PR campaign...

  • Stories: still the same thing

    August 15, 2016

    The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, the first person to ever say that, was a French critic, journalist and novelist – a professional storyteller. So much about the way we tell stories has changed. Fancy, new technology means our stories have to be Omni channel, multi-platform, snackable and sharable. Insights driven storytelling, thanks to social listening and online behaviourial analytics, has also meant that our stories are now being...

  • PR on the front line

    August 11, 2016

    During the six years that World War 2 took place, it is estimated that 60 million people were killed. A year after the war ended in 1945, former Pentagon employee Al Fleishman reached out to his writer friend and Navy veteran Bob Hillard and together they created FleishmanHillard that helped brands and businesses in general to communicate ideology and culture that spoke true to rebuilding a world in light of peace. Fast forward 56 years...

  • Women’s Day 2016: The Rules FleishmanHillard Women live by that make them successful communications professionals

    August 8, 2016

    In celebration of Women's Day 2016, we asked a handful of FleishmanHillard women to tell us three rules that they live by, that make them successful women in public relations. This is what they had to say: 1. Chipo Nhapata Live with a thankful heart. Don’t take anything for granted, no matter how small. Karma is real – treat others the way you would like to be treated. Keep your integrity, no matter what the...

  • What Mandela Taught us about Storytelling

    July 26, 2016

    As a communications agency, a part of brand communications is now about giving a voice to communities in need. Through the power of storytelling, we can contribute to solving broader societal issues and driving social inclusion. Storytelling gives us the ability to influence the way people understand the experiences of marginalised or underprivileged groups, and what needs to be done to help. Nelson Mandela was a masterful story-teller. After being imprisoned for 27 years, Mandela...

  • Dying to make a profitable social connection

    May 16, 2016

    Not so long ago, marketers only used a limited range of mass communication channels such as newspapers, radio, and television to drive awareness about their companies’ products and services and consequently get customers into stores to buy and subscribe. Today, the internet and social media platforms have enabled customers to find all the info they need on said products and services, do pricing and benefits comparisons, read reviews, and participate in forums. Businesses are utilising...

  • Increased recognition for communications campaigns executed in Africa

    May 10, 2016

    The economic surge in Africa has increased the need for world-class communications across the continent and has in turn, been mirrored by the increased recognition for communications campaigns executed across Africa. In 2015, The Public Relations Institute of South Africa responsible for hosting the Prism Awards, introduced the Pan-African Campaign of the Year, a new award to recognise excellence in PR in Africa. In addition to this, the first ever African Excellence Awards took place...