PRCA Internship Week Two - Kourtney Shaw

Hi everyone,  

It’s been a busy two weeks since I last wrote about my experiences at the PRCA.

During this time I have attended a campaign master-class on crisis management at the Olympics,heard a talk on Asia and Social media from Ogilvy 360 Digital Influence, carried out political research and compiled various spreadsheets. I am going to briefly discuss each of these activities.

Campaign Master-Class

The campaign master class put on by the PRCA was held at Ketchum Pleon and was centred on crisis management at the Olympics. Upon arrival, each attendee was greeted and ushered upstairs where the PRCA had laid on a delightful breakfast. I wish I'd known beforehand that there would be such a wide variety of food to eat as I wouldn’t have eaten breakfast at home. But for those who know me, if there’s good food to eat – it’s going to get eaten.  Chocolate muffins, smarties cookies, all-butter croissants and a collection of succulent fruit, what was I meant to do? Once everyone had arrived and had their morning caffeine intake we were seated and the glamorous Rebecca Hopkins from ENS ltd began to speak.

Rebecca spoke articulately about how to deal with crisis management. She emphasised that when dealing with a PR disaster, you should remain calm and be clear with the message you’re giving. “Throw them one ball – they’ll catch it. Throw them ten balls, they’ll drop the lot”. I’m sure those who have experienced a PR disaster can understand and relate to the metaphor she used. Fiona Wilkinson from Visa Europe also gave a superb presentation on Visa’s marketing and branding for the Olympics. She spoke about their strategies and goals which included the messages they want to relay to the public about VISA. It was an extremely insightful presentation.

Asia and Social Media

Thursday’s talk given by Michael Darragh from Ogilvy was fantastic. I learnt so much about China’s cultural differences thanks to his creative presentation on Asia and Social Media. He included stories of his life experiences which shed light onto his in-depth knowledge of Asia. I was blown away by some of the facts he gave, as well as in awe of the holographic catwalk Burberry campaign carried out by Ogilvy in Beijing (see here)! I was surprised to hear that China is the only Asian country where people have more online than offline friends on average, whilst quite envious to hear that 80% of the luxury market in China is under 45 years old. I am now considering launching my career there instead (joking)!I I also loved the name "great firewall of China" which signifies the ban on popular social media sites such as Facebook, Youtube, Myspace and LinkedIn.

via Vicenzo Cosenza www.vincos.it

(The picture above shows the major social media sites used worldwide. Facebook is the most dominant, however in China there is a very different social media landscape. With over 300 million online users, there is a multitude of social media sites to use (see below)).

via fastcompany.com

Michael also said that it’s not unusual to walk into an office or room in China and hear someone say “you are looking fatter today”. I can’t really see that catching on in the PRCA office although Steve Miller did give it a try. It failed disastrously.

Weekly activities

Throughout the week  I also carried out some political research for the PRCA’s ‘end unpaid internship’ campaign and listened to a webinar from a PRCA training session on the uses and benefits of Twitter. I am honestly not being biased towards the PRCA but I absolutely loved it!! When I went for drinks with my university friends on Wednesday I spoke of my new knowledge on Twitter and they were impressed. It’s great to know about how social media, when used correctly, can benefit you, your company and brand. I will definitely be taking the knowledge I gained from that webinar away with me.

I also went for drinks on Friday with some of the PRCA team which was thoroughly enjoyable. It’s a great opportunity to get to know your fellow peers and engage with them outside the office. I can safely say I look forward to the next one.

I’ll catch up with you in two weeks. The deadline for the Awards, which I've been working on with Katie, is coming up at the end of this week, I'll be attending a few PRCA traning sessions and doing a bit of marketing for them as well. Its all very new and exciting for me.

See you soon,

Kourtney Shaw

PRCA Internship - Week One - Kourtney Shaw

Hi I’m Kourtney and I’m the current PRCA intern. I’ve just completed my second year studying Philosophy at the University of Birmingham. Like many students, I am undecided on my chosen career path after university, which is why I feel an internship during the penultimate year of university is crucial. Lots of second year students I know get summer jobs but I’d strongly recommend they take a week or two to gain some work experience as well.

In these coming weeks I look forward to learning about the PR and Communications world, building contacts and developing skills beyond those I’ve gained at university, whilst figuring out whether PR is for me. In a competitive job market making your CV stand out and sparkle has become more important than ever before. So, when the PRCA offered me the opportunity to intern with them for 8 weeks, I immediately accepted. I was also pleased to discover on my first week that the PRCA is carrying out an internship campaign, where they are asking their members and the wider PR industry to pay their interns.

As this is my first internship I was extremely apprehensive before entering the office. However, my nerves were swiftly calmed upon meeting the team. I’m sitting next to the lovely Katie, Events Manager, for the 8 week duration of my internship. Katie is currently organising the 2011 PRCA Awards which will take place in November and provides a showcase for the best that the UK's PR industry has to offer. It is an extremely exciting large-scale event and I am happy to be learning about all the different aspects of it from Katie.

A debate on the Future of Content
I am aware of the importance of seizing any opportunity to learn so when Richard, our Communications Director, asked if I wanted to attend a debate we’d organised with Meltwater Group on the ‘Future of Content’ at the British Library I jumped at the chance.

I met many professionals from the PR and media industry and introduced myself as a staff member of the PRCA – which I guess, although it was my first day, I now was. I sat in the front row for the debate, vigorously taking notes as I tried to understand the issue which Tom, our Policy and Research Executive, had explained to me during the day.

The debate centred on issues with online copyright where PRCA Chief Executive Francis Ingham and Jørn Lyseggen from Meltwater Group (a media monitoring organisation which provides documents, analysis or media content to clients) were in agreement that the potential new licensing fees proposed by the Newspaper Licensing Agency had worrying implications for the future of copyrighting online content. David Pugh, of the NLA, denied this statement, arguing that copyright laws protect people who create content from piracy of their works. He argued that copyright protects creativity and gives people a choice of different business models.

The keynote was given by Richard Sambrook, Chief Content Officer and Global Vice-Chairman of Edelman, who spoke expertly about the changes in the digital landscape and the importance of quality content. Privacy, economics and rights are core issues we must address with immediacy if the digital world is to carry on progressing as rapidly as it has been. Sambrook argued that the digital world is evolving faster than we can adapt and manage – which I agree with. We are generating more data than ever-before, which gives us great insights about consumers. He suggested if we are to manage and control the amount of data we have and, similarly, our privacy and rights then perhaps we need to take a step back and find our feet.

From my understanding of the debate we need to deliberate rationally and respectfully about what needs to be done and only then will we be able to come to an agreement on how to make the internet a safe and secure source of information and platform for engagement.

Awards
The next day Katie and I put together spreadsheets and sent out the PRCA awards leaflets (all 2000 of them!)

Coming soon to a desk near you!

We’d set up a nice little factory in a little corner of the office and ordered WagaMamas for lunch! I had a Chicken Katsu Curry: yum! The rest of the week Katie asked me to organise, edit and upload the pictures and biographies of the judges for the 2011 PRCA Awards. My beautifully constructed work can now be found online. I hope you like it. Later in the week we went for a company lunch which was filled with laughs, smiles, and lots of great food. I had the opportunity to speak to everyone properly and learn about the PRCA’s current initiatives.

So far, a week into my internship and the PRCA has treated me as one of the team, an equal. I have a lot to learn from my peers and hope to take as much as I can away from the great opportunity they have given me. Developing skills which will benefit me when I leave university and enter the job market so I intend to be constantly involved and keep asking questions. I am glad the PRCA also want me to be a proactive member of the team.

In the office there is a great ethos, a friendly attitude and an approachable manner, which I am grateful for. I look forward to the weeks to come and grasping every opportunity that arises from interning here. I will be keeping in touch about all the new things I do and learn. Next week, for example, I’ll be attending a campaign masterclass on crisis and issues management, part of the Olympics series, where we’ll hearing from various interesting speakers.


Kourtney Shaw