Maryann Separovic is an Account Director at the c word. She made the move to the c word after years of experience in arts and entertainment publicity and promotions.

Tell us about your typical day in communications?

It all depends on which campaign I’m working on but it usually starts with checking news sites to see what happened in the world while I slept. I try to check my Google Reader at this time too; I get a wealth of information here from PR news, social media to what’s current in the blogosphere.

While I tap away at my keyboard, I like to keep an eye on Twitter. This is a great tool for me to source articles, news and also engage with fellow communicators, clients, media and the community.

Our projects at the c word are varied so the day can include anything from strategy development, proposal writing, copy writing and editing, research to brainstorming sessions and coming up with creative ideas and plans for our clients. Publicity tours can means endless days shuffling from one radio station to a TV studio with my phone glued to my ear.

When did you first know you wanted to work in communications?

After finishing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Communications, my career took a slight detour in IT. I leant some invaluable skills in varied roles but I wanted to put my communication skills into practice. A little bit of networking goes a long way and I was offered a fantastic opportunity to work with a freelance film publicist and reintroduce myself to the world of comms.

Who’s your communication hero/mentor?

I’ve worked with some amazing women in the early years of my career who taught me the ropes. Their support, tenacity, guidance and expertise were invaluable. Thanks Roxanne and Elise ☺

Given that I’ve invested years into watching the West Wing, I think I can count C.J. as a mentor too. What a woman!! Great press secretary and super awesome Chief of Staff.

Which tools can’t you live without?

My laptop and my iPhone. I consider them extensions of my body. I cannot fathom what life was like several years ago when we weren’t connected ALL the time. What did I do with my time?

What are the biggest challenges in your role?

Keep up to date with the changes brought about by technologies. This not only includes the technology itself but knowing that Sally from the suburbs may be a key influencer in your field.

Tell us about the best campaign you’ve ever worked on?

I’m very proud of the Run for Safe Climate social media campaign we worked on last year. We didn’t have much lead-time but we hit the ground running (oh dear … pun not intended) and managed to achieve some great results for Safe Climate Australia. During that manic six weeks, we grew their social media network to 1500+ fans on Facebook and close to 1000 Twitter followers. With key influences like Greenpeace, Cool Australia, Green Cross and Victoria Police lending support through their networks, we reached a further 50,000 fans and followers and also secured interviews with traditional media via Twitter.

Working on Passion of the Christ also needs a special mention. Up until this film, I had worked mainly on small independent films that did solid box office takings given their size. The media mayhem that led up to the film’s release was eye opening. Great experience.

Which campaign do you most admire?

I love the campaigns that do so much with so very little.

Given my history in film publicity and love of the Interwebs, I always admired the crazy phenomenon that was the Blair Witch Project. To be a worldwide success on a small marketing budget is remarkable. With a clever strategy anything is possible. Artisan Entertainment picked up the film in 1999 and the late Steven Rotherberg developed the groundbreaking distribution campaign. It extensively used the Internet, creating a website suggesting that the events that took place in the film were real. I still get shivers recalling their website and the Blair Witch legend. Blair Witch Project grossed more than US$248 million worldwide, making it the second most successful independent film of all time (It was only recently surpassed by Paranormal Activity). Source: Wikipedia

This was well before myspace, Facebook and other social media channels. Word-of-mouth at its best.

What’s been the biggest change to communication/marketing/public relations since you began your career?

While technology has changed how we work as practitioners, the fundamentals are still the same. Building and nurturing relationships, and conveying key messages are still crucial but we may go about it a little differently.

If you had to cut/keep something in your communication budget, what would it be?

*hand over ears* nah nah nah… I can’t hear you.

What quality do you look for in your communication team members?

Curiosity, enthusiasm and diligence.

What’s your favourite brand?

Hmmm…not sure if I have one. Apple may be my closest experience with brand loyalty but even I look upon that relationship cautiously.

I am impressed with a couple of Australian organisations who have flourished since gaining an understanding of their audience and tapping into it effectively. Channel Seven and Country Road have made this turn around. Sportsgirl is another I admire for having an impressive digital strategy.

What book/blog do you think every communicator should read?

When I was in New York in 2009, I happened on a book launch tweetup for World Wide Rave. The tweetup launch was being held at the NASDAQ with author David Meerim Scott ringing the bell to open the NADAQ stock market. It was a fun day and introduced me to this fantastic read about marketing online packed with useful examples.

After attending the launch, I added Mr Scott’s blog Web Ink Now to my Google Reader subscriptions. Easy read, great advice, the man knows his stuff.

What tips do you wish you’d known starting out in communications?

The Scout’s are onto something … be prepared. Research and planning make solid foundations for any campaign or activity.

Finish this sentence: ‘Communication is…’

Ever evolving

Still shot from Solid Gold Cadillac

Last week, I stumbled across a black and white film called The Solid Gold Cadillac starring Judy Holliday and Paul Douglas.

And like so many movies it got me thinking about communications, particularly the importance of shareholder and client relations.

In case you haven’t seen it, the 1956 film, based on a hit Broadway play, has Holliday playing a minority shareholder taking on the board while the founder is in Washington working for the President. To keep her from asking too many questions, the board makes her Director of Shareholder Relations. And now for the spoiler … all ends well. The board think they’ve silenced Ms Holliday’s characters and her 10 shares but thanks to the success of her shareholder relations program, she and the founder have enough proxies to replace the entire board. It ends with some very grateful shareholders giving the happy couple – yes they get married – a solid gold Cadillac.

It begs the question, when did you get your last solid gold Cadillac from a client or shareholder? And how can you ensure they keep coming or at least the compliments, referrals and custom keep flowing.

It also reminded me of a wonderful non-fictional shareholder relations story; the relationship the world’s third richest man Warren Bufffett has developed with his shareholders and the wonderful letters he writes to them each year.

So what is shareholder or investor relations?

Wikipedia says: “Investor Relations is a strategic management responsibility that integrates finance, communication, marketing and securities law compliance to enable the most effective two-way communication between a company, the financial community, and other constituencies…The term describes the department of a company devoted to handling inquiries from shareholders and investors, as well as others who might be interested in a company’s stock or financial stability.“

While not every organisation has shareholders they all have stakeholders – customers, clients, members, donors, students or supporters – who all have communication needs.

And stakeholder relations is not only for Fortune 500 companies with millions of stakeholders; any organisation – big or small – can learn from the stakeholder relations experiences of the Solid Gold Cadillac and Warren Buffett:

• Move away from corporate speak and develop a personal approach to your correspondence and communication – don’t be afraid to be a little humorous
• Randomly pick a stakeholder from your database and send them a letter; ask them what they think about the company and why they’re still involved – you’ll be amazed at the response
• Be open and honest about your successes and your failures – own up, take responsibility and move on
• Remember, every shareholder and customer is as important as the next, no matter how few shares or products/services they buy.

Finally, all the way through the movie I thought she would end up on the board and do a darn sight better job than her male counterparts. It’s interesting given the ongoing discussion about the low number of women on boards in Australia.

Enjoy your Cadillac,

the c word

We’ve recently helped a client deliver an internal event for 550 staff members, and even with a short lead time and a limited budget the results were quite spectacular – even if we do say so ourselves. The secret ingredient was creativity.

Just because it’s an internal event doesn’t mean it can’t be creative. And with a few creative ideas you can achieve a lot without breaking the bank.

The event in question was called a ‘Festival of Ideas’ and the aim was to encourage staff to think creatively and put their wildest, wackiest and most wonderful ideas forward. It was a huge success with more than 600 hundred quality ideas generated on the day.

So how did we help the team pull it together in only a couple of weeks?

We started by meeting with the team responsible for the event and helping them nut out the overall concept. Luckily, with only a couple of weeks up our sleeves, they had a firm grasp of what needed to be done and were willing to listen to our crew.

One of the simplest things that many people either put off or forget to do is meet with everyone involved with the event. In this case, the event included a number of stands about particular areas of the client’s organisation, so we sat down with them and helped them determine what would make their stand ‘pop’.

We asked them to consider:

• Their goal and objectives
• What made their area unique
• What they wanted people to take away from the experience/interaction
• How they would capture information.

These are questions you should ask yourself every time you get involved with an event.

As a result, the participating staff were offered an array of guest speakers and activities to encourage the creative flow of ideas; taste testing, tarot card reading, play-dough, living libraries, poignant video and even a talent show.

And now we’re knee deep in surveys and post-it notes, which will form part of a report for staff on the outcomes of the event.

Always creatively,
the c word

Last night I scurried along to the Melbourne launch of Silver+Black; an exhibition and retail initiative hosted at 1000 £ BEND.

Firstly, what a fantastic exhibition; secondly, what an amazing branding opportunity for Asahi. Kudos to the Liquid Ideas team for pulling off a great event with free flowing Asahi beer, delicious canapés (steamed eel – yum) and a jam packed crowd enjoying the space, the art and the atmosphere.

The Asahi event is just the tip of the iceberg; lately wherever you look there are interesting campaigns for alcohol brands using creative and memorable approaches to spread the word. Heineken tricked ardent AC Milan fans into attending a classical music/poetry performance instead of watching a Championship League match. Southern Comfort recently brought New Orleans to Australia by sponsoring a tour of the Polyphonic Spree and New Orleans Bingo! Show. What was particularly impressive about this tour was the way they decked out audience members with complimentary feather head gear, fedora hats, face masks and Mardi Gras beads. Walking into Melbourne’s Forum Theatre and seeing a sea of feathers, masks and fedora hats was jaw dropping, and the atmosphere created by adding a simple touch of fancy dress was electric!

Asahi’s Silver+Black merges art, fashion and design in a retail space with limited edition objects of desire, some of which will be available for purchase. The curated selection of work acknowledges the Japanese ‘wabi-sabi’ spirit of finding beauty in imperfect things.The standout of the exhibition is clearly the Karakuchi Project; a global art project where artists visually interpret the Japanese characters on the beer’s label.

As you may have guessed, I’m a fan of creative campaigns that use less traditional approaches to get their brand’s key messages in the public domain, especially when the arts community benefits from the exposure. What do you think?

Participating artists in Silver+Black include Andrew Curtis, Asuza, Evan Demas, Dave Kinsey, Julia Deville and Kazari. The Karakuchi Porject features Dylan Martorell, Usugrow, McBride Charles Ryan Architects, Michael Leon, Natas Kaupas and Toshikazu Nozaka.

The exhibition runs until 18 April at 1000 £ BEND, 361 Little Lonsdale Street Melbourne. Head down and check it out.

Chin chin (or Kanpai as they toast in Japan),

the c word

What does your prospectus look like?

A prospectus is traditionally used when a company is floating on the stock exchange for the first time. The prospectus isn’t just a piece of advertising for the company, rather it helps investors make informed decisions. Similarly, schools and universities use a prospectus to help parents decide which school best suits their child.

So why wouldn’t your business or organisation have a document that tells people what you do and what your experiences are?

the c word recently completed our own company profile (the name we use for our prospectus) which you can view here. Once again we collaborated with our design partner housemouse to ensure the design of the company profile matched its content.

Some key things you should include in your company profile are:

• Clients you’ve worked with
• Type of projects you’ve worked on
• Services you provide
• And most importantly, who are you

A company profile is the perfect document to send to prospective clients interested in engaging your services. Don’t hesitate to touch base with the c word if you’d like some assistance in creating a company profile of your own.

Now for a word from someone who has seen his fair share of prospectuses over the years, Gordon Gekko who will return to the silver screen in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Ciao,

the c word

Apart from the usual benefits of brand alignment and media exposure that you can gain from sponsorship, sometimes the little details can make an impact too. There are number of different ways you can leverage your sponsorship investment:

• Brochure and promotional material placement
• Develop and supply an electronic pack with your logo and brand elements to ensure it is placed on promotional materials, websites and other channels
• Website acknowledgement and links back to your own site
• Secure invites to events and networking opportunities; an ideal way to meet potential clients
• Have information packs ready with background info, FAQs and fact sheets; these can be used across e-newsletters, websites and even annual reports
• Secure acknowledgement in annual report
• Offer to participate in joint case study presentations
• Provide your own staff for talks and presentations at functions, conferences or staff events
• Secure referrals to other suppliers and clients

Get creative and come up with your own ideas. Or contact Jack or Maryann on 03 9676 9040 or email info@thecword.com.au. We can work together to find ways to get more value from the money you spend on sponsorships.

Check you later

the c word

After spending a few weeks developing sponsorship proposals for clients, we thought we would share some pointers to help if you are in the same boat.

Start by answering the three main questions potential sponsors will have:

1. What is the project/campaign about?
2. Why are we being approached?
3. What’s in it for us?

You should answer the first question by painting a picture of your organisation and the project/campaign you are trying to attract sponsorship for. Your response should include:

• Summary of the project including the project vision
• Background and experience of the organisation including a brief history and mission
• Goal and objectives
• Structure: Is it a festival, exhibition, website or all three?

Secondly, you need to explain why you have decided to approach this particular sponsor. You can set the context for the partnership by providing details such as:

• Audience profile and alignment with the sponsor
• Market research
• Community feedback

Finally, you need to explain what’s in the sponsorship for the sponsor. This is where you should outline:

• Sponsor benefits: Detail all the marketing opportunities and benefits for the sponsor (make sure you tailor this specifically for each sponsor)
• Marketing plan: Explain how you will promote the project; via publicity, advertising and social media.

Other things that can come in handy when you’re seeking sponsorship for your event or project include a sponsorship strategy, sponsor profiles and sponsor benefit brainstorming sessions.

If you need more help with your sponsorship proposals, don’t hesitate to call Jack or Maryann on 03 9676 9040 or email info@thecword.com.au.

Cheerio,
the c word

David Taylor is the Director of Privacy Awareness for the Office of the Victorian Privacy Commissioner. Privacy Victoria will be hosting their one day national conference ‘Watch this Space: Children, young people and privacy’ on 21 May 2010 in Melbourne, MC’d by children’s ambassador Noni Hazlehurst. The program includes leading cybersafety experts, educators and those dealing with the privacy issues facing young people to address protecting the privacy of children and youth in a rapidly changing physical and cyber-world.

Tell us about your typical day in communications?

It starts over breakfast, reading The Age and watching the Today Show, and continues on the train deleting junk emails from my BlackBerry. At the office it’s the usual email checking, especially any media items of interest or concern, then working my way through any number of projects that I need to juggle. These might be event management, working with colleagues interstate and overseas on joint promotional initiatives, editing articles and publications, preparing a media release, managing a small but terrific team etc etc.

When did you first know you wanted to work in communications?

When I was in secondary school I had a job as a Copy Boy at Southdown Press (who published New Idea and TV Week amongst others). An editor there told me that I would make a good journalist because I was always asking questions and had an insatiable curiosity about everything that went on! Then she told me to get back to counting votes for the TV Week Logies.

Who’s your communication hero/mentor?

Angela Scaffidi from Scaffidihughjones and Alicia Patterson from House Communications are two colleagues whose professional advice and support I couldn’t do without. Internationally, I am still impressed about the way that the Whitehouse has harnessed the power of social media to push President Obama’s agenda and with its localised and personalised targeting. Perhaps the tyranny of distance plays a part but it seems less contrived than the local varieties.

Which tools can’t you live without?

Curiosity , technology, my iMac and my digital SLR.

What are the biggest challenges in your role?

As a very small government agency with statewide responsibilities we have the continuing challenge of trying to do a lot with a very small budget. This means thinking creatively and operating strategically. The most important part of my role is relationship management. As a small child my much older brother told me “it’s not what you know but who you know” and this is definitely the case.

Tell us about the best campaign you’ve ever worked on?

The introduction of the Information Privacy Act in 2002 and introducing an annual Privacy Awareness Week (which is now held across the Asia Pacific) was the best in terms of the diversity of activity – it had it all, from public sector training to research and statewide advertising, to sponsoring a summer swimwear parade and the toilets at a Big Day Out. I was also pleased to have a role in the introduction of smoke-free dining in Victoria.

Which campaign do you most admire?

Locally it is campaigns that keep it simple, with memorable tag lines e.g. TAC and the Yellow Pages, and campaigns which seize the day e.g. the No more bush advertisement run on the day of Obama’s inauguration. Internationally it was Obama’s election campaign.

What’s been the biggest change to communication/marketing/public relations since you began your career?

With today’s technology, almost everyone is a communicator, marketer and in PR for “brand me”, whether we consciously think about it or not. Trying to keep up with the pace of change can be a little daunting but is also energising and inspiring.

If you had to cut/keep something in your communication budget, what would it be?

What budget? Seriously, your best investment is your people.

What quality do you look for in your communication team members?

Professionalism, the ability to think outside the square, commitment, team spirit and a good sense of humour.

What’s your favourite brand?

To be consistent, I’d have to say brand Obama, still.

What book/blog do you think every communicator should read?

The dictionary. Correct spelling and grammar is still essential.

What tips do you wish you’d known starting out in communications?

Nothing beats preparation and rehearsal.

Finish this sentence: ‘Communication is…’

… our bread and butter.

Watch this space: Children, young people and privacy:

To be opened by Attorney General, Rob Hulls, the one day conference includes presentations from more than 25 leading experts in privacy regulation, law, education, cybersafety, media, youth work, health and sexuality. For full conference information, please visit: http://www.privacy.vic.gov.au/privacy/web.nsf/content/conferences.

Even banks get the blues

If you were suffering from a case of Thursday afternoon-itis like we were, you would have got a huge pick-me-up about an hour ago when the official Westpac Twitter account tweeted: “Oh so very over it today.”

The response from the Australian Twitter community has been overwhelming with more than 120 classic retweets within postings in the first hour. And how witty are Australian Tweeps? We think very witty after giggling and chuckling as the Twitterstream poked fun at one of the big four banks with an-oh-so-honest Tweeter.

Our favourites:

From @rynobi

From @NickdMiller

As one Tweep put it, “If anyone EVER tells me that no one notices what’s said on social media again, I’ll tell them to go talk to @westpac.” – @IDEALAW.

As we prepared to press the publish button on this post, there was no official response from Westpac on Twitter except for the obligatory delete. It begs the question, how long should an organistion wait before they respond? Particularly in a digital age, when people expect a response before they’ve even asked the question.

The other question it raises is when to delete and not to delete? Would @westpac have been better leaving the offending tweet and adding a series of follow up responses? Or have they done the right thing in deleting it? Only time will tell – but one thing’s for sure, the tweet in question will never disappear.

I’m sure anyone who has managed multiple accounts has fallen victim to this. Usually after posting a personal message to your professional account, you realise the mistake and delete it immediately.

Not so for the poor social media team at Westpac. It stayed up for almost an hour. With followers retweeting, making jokes, and general causing a nightmare for the PR team.

As communicators, we’re curious about what Westpac will do next? Will it be another Macquarie Bank fiasco? Let’s hope they can see the fun in all of this – after all this will surely generate some positive PR to offset the recent interest rate rise and $1.6 billion profit result last quarter.

Happy tweeting Westpac! We love that you’re on Twitter and it’s nice to see a brand with some personality behind it… even if they’re feeling a little grumpy at the end of the day

That’s how we c it.

the c word

D/A Henry Wade (l) conducts press conf. in line-up room / New York Herald Tribune photo by Bill Sauro

With an increasing number and frequency of media outlets, podcasts, blogs and avenues for exposure, it has never been more important to be media savvy.

Nowadays the average sound bite is approximately seven seconds, a far cry from the 60-second sound bite common 30 years ago. And there’s no longer a 24-hour news cycle, instead we have an every-second news cycle.

Therefore being on message and getting there fast is essential when being interviewed by the media. If you do nothing else to prepare for an interview, you must prepare three key messages to convey during the interview. No more, no less.

If you don’t edit your story down to the three most important points, then an editor, producer or audience member will edit it for you. And often your most important messages will be lost and not remembered.

If you have to speak to the media on a regular basis then you should undertake some media training. In the meantime, here are a few basic tips to help you handle media interviews:

1. Give yourself time to prepare, even if that means calling a reporter back when on deadline. Get your messages ready first.

2. Practice, practice, practice: Like a professional sportsperson, the more you do something, the better you will become at it. It takes time and practice to be comfortable with preparing your three messages, getting your sound bites right and staying on message, so it’s best you practice.

3. Give details and examples to help make your point and flesh out your story. Telling stories helps to deliver your message to an audience.

4. Avoid fact and figures, lists, jargon, catch phrases, acronyms – they’re boring with a capital B.

5. Keep it natural and speak at your normal pace. Steer clear of big unfamiliar words but don’t dumb down your message too much either.

6. For radio interviews, check whether the interview is live or pre-recorded and what it’s being used for. If you’re doing the interview over the phone, make sure you’re in a noise-free environment.

7. Drink plenty of water and keep a bottle handy. Avoid caffeine or dairy before the interview as it can affect your speech (dry mouth, licking lips eek). Also don’t interview on an empty stomach. Your tummy grumblings will only distract you and perhaps the listeners. Grrrrrr

8. After each interview, review your performance. Figure out what worked well and what could be improved. Ask a friend or colleague to give you some feedback too. (If you can’t find a friend to be brutally honest, my mother is always willing to provide some frank feedback.)

9. Again, develop three key messages for the interview and make sure you know them off by heart and get them out early.

10. Finally have fun – it’s not the Spanish Inquisition ☺

There are plenty more handy hints and tips however if you prepare your messages and keep it simple, you’ll be an old hand in no time.

Call Jack or Maryann on 03 9676 9040 or email info@thecword.com.au if you want to learn more about how our crew can help you with media training or publicity campaigns to get you the interviews.

Or you can simply ignore us and take tips from Sarah Palin

Celebrate hump day. Yay!

the c word