Pitch perfect – getting your story heard
Your story might be the most exciting thing that's ever happened to your company - but unless you know how you are going to pitch it, it's unlikely to travel far.
Why it’s critical to have a contact(able) person on your announcements
Sometimes the most important touch in our digital world is a human one.
The how-to-guide for a successful Canberra lobbying trip
A trip to Canberra to engage with politicians can be a daunting prospect - so we've broken down the process of finding success in the nation's capital.
How my internship taught me to communicate
Cannings Purple intern Brigitte Colbert explains how time spent at the consultancy taught her about the importance of genuine, two-way conversations.
Why your stakeholder database is much more than it seems
It may look, smell, and walk like a database but your stakeholder database can be so much more than that. Here are some simple reasons why you should start looking at your database differently and appreciating it for what it really can be. It’s your record Well, of course – right? A database, by its very nature, is a record system. But it’s more than just a box-ticking exercise. It’s a permanent and evolving reference of every interaction you have had with your stakeholders. You’ll be forever grateful for the perfect database when it’s easy to track not only what you did and
Pods, parking and moving on from the Milk Arrowroots – your AGM reimagined
If you're treating your annual general meeting as nothing more than a box-ticking exercise, it might be time you did something else - and thought outside the box.
How the Matagarup Bridge was built – with the community
Construction of Perth's latest piece of iconic infrastructure took place in plain sight - but what happened behind the scenes was just as important.
Why developing new journalism talent is so important for the media
The way we digest journalism has changed but the underlying tenet of the craft has not. And it takes a certain kind of person to provide what audiences want.
Why a piece of my heart belongs to Africa
Peta Baldwin was a 'green and naive' Aussie when she headed to South Africa in 2000, expecting to stay a couple of years at most. Nine years later, she and her husband had to be dragged out of the country 'kicking and screaming.'
Trust me, your staff want to put their faith in you
When Edelman released its annual Trust Barometer earlier this year, there was one finding that stood out as remarkable. And it's an opportunity employers can't afford to miss.
Authenticity may not really be what you’re looking for
Recently I was asked to speak in Sydney at the Corporate Affairs Summit, Australasia’s most senior and significant gathering of corporate affairs and communication executives. These events are always a perilous mix of unusual insight (this year a senior leader from tobacco company Philip Morris was the day one keynote speaker) and potential navel-gazing, as 300-plus communications professionals meet in the same room. But the panel I was on was particularly interesting, even if I do say so myself! I was asked to discuss the importance of authenticity in professional communications, especially with regards to large-scale consumer communications. This is a fascinating topic,
‘Old’ news, cyber attacks and shifting cultural plates – seven trends to watch
We live in an ever-changing communications landscape, where the next big trend can go from nowhere-to-be-seen to near ubiquitous in matter of days (or even hours). Against a recent backdrop in which public trust has been tested like never before (from Trump to banking horror stories and Australian cricket disgrace), our experts give their takes on the communication trends they expect to see coming into focus in the near future. Number crunching for the win One of the biggest opportunities – and challenges – for many businesses will be around how they use data and whether it can become a predictive tool for
Know the DRILL – how to pitch your story to the media
Clients - and colleagues - often ask me how I go about pitching ideas, talent and content to media organisations. I am fortunate in that I have spent more than 20 years in newsrooms in Australia and the UK and I have a strong network of contacts and a detailed appreciation for how news outlets work, what types of stories are likely to gain traction and what deadlines are applicable to different organisations. But I still go back to one basic premise every time I make a pitch: DRILL Do you know? What is your story? Why is it a story? What collateral do you
The difference between PR and advertising (and why they are sometimes the same)
What’s the difference between public relations and advertising? I get asked this a lot, even by people in each respective field, and I’ve eventually settled on an answer that doesn’t cause eyes to glaze over and induce mild migraines. In a very simple way it is this: PR companies earn attention whereas advertising companies buy it. Saying “buy it” might be a little simplistic. People build entire careers analysing budgets and carefully crafting media spends to get specific message in front of specific target audiences. That’s not to say PR is free. In PR there are countless ways to earn attention – events, articles,
Rise of the machines: Automation, AI and the ASX
In 1908, Henry Ford revolutionised the car industry with the implementation of the production line for the Model T Ford. The process of mechanisation lowered costs and sped up production, allowing the car to go mainstream and replace the horse and cart. The advent of the personal computer and its evolution over time has allowed significant increases in data flow and streamlining of work processes. While this initially led to a loss of some jobs in areas such as typing pools, this was more than offset by an increase in the number of more productive jobs as well as increased productivity
Does your organisation have a change-ready culture?
How did formerly cutting-edge companies like Nokia and Kodak lose their way? Why do some businesses evolve, and yet others get left behind? What is the next Toys ‘R’ Us, or Blockbuster, or Blackberry, poised to go extinct through lack of innovation? Continual change is a guarantee of successful business, not just in terms of the processes you use or the services or products you offer: the culture of a business needs to evolve as well. Nokia is a good example of how a corporate culture didn’t evolve, leaving the company struggling to reclaim a once buoyant market share. Failing to appreciate
Ten steps to getting the most out of Twitter for your business
So, you’ve signed up to Twitter and to your disappointment no one is reading your tweets or responding to your brilliant insights. It’s a common complaint for many Twitter users: if you’re not already famous, no one is listening to anything you say. So, to help you get a little more out of the platform here are some top tips to assist you with being heard. Use your real name If you want to build a professional network and for people to take you seriously, you need to use your real name. People are much more likely to trust you and what
Why date night is cheaper than a divorce
Divorce is expensive. Wouldn’t you rather spend money on improving your relationship and having fun? Our friend, health scientist and TEDxPerth speaker Amanda Lambros, discusses why you need to make time in your relationship for dates and how spending $2500 a year on two outings a month can save your relationship. At Cannings Purple, we put family and relationships first and know that a happy environment helps deliver the best results for our clients. Trust us, Amanda’s message is worth watching.
WA’s battery power: a question of opportunity and cost
WA’s battery power: a question of opportunity and cost It’s no secret that WA stands on the crest of a potential once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the new energy and battery materials sector – but how do we best place ourselves to take advantage of it and how far should we go down the production chain? Those key questions, in the face of projections that the “new energy boom” could be worth as much as $56 billion to WA, form part of a major report launched by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA in November. WA’s Future In The Lithium Battery Chain explores
No one is going to tell your story for you
The mining sector needs to tell its story better. In the face of declining corporate trust, a potential skills shortage, and increasingly-advanced and organised activism against the broader mining industry, now is the time to tell stakeholders, communities, government and the public about the positive social and economic contributions the sector makes to Australian life. These are three areas the industry should focus on to improve how it is perceived, and help guarantee its social license to operate over the coming years and decades. 1) Education: If we are to attract new talent to the sector, we need to ensure WA youngsters understand
What do your competitors know about you – and what should you know about them?
How can Media Intelligence give you a jump on your competitors? We asked Sarah-Jane Dabarera what businesses need to know about monitoring their activity — and that of others. Unless your company has been hiding under a rock, you will know there’s been a revolution in data in recent years. With regards to your organisation’s digital presence, information now exists on everything from instant analytics on your reach per tweet, to better alerts when your business gets a mention in the press. There is a wealth of information available which we call media intelligence. But data without analysis is just
Why ‘The 268’? There’s method to choosing a sub-brand
What’s in a name? For businesses, just about everything. Think of the difference between Twittr, the original social media site name, and Twitter, or TheFacebook and Facebook, or the gap in consumer recognition between shopping at Dayton Hudson Co. and Target. In fact, naming your brand, sub-brand or offshoot product is a serious business. This is even more significant when you want the newly-named creation to have a life of its own beyond the parent company, be easily findable on Google, or have its own web domain that sticks in the mind. But there are more than 3 million registered web addresses in Australia
The single worst thing you can do at an investor conference
Cannings Purple’s Investor Relations Director, Andrew Rowell, has sat through thousands of investor presentations. While there are several areas that can sink your presentation, there is one simple mistake that CEOs and managing directors keep making. You’ve only got one chance to make a good first impression. You step up to the podium as you are introduced to the audience. You’ve got your best suit and tie on and have been through your slide deck a hundred times. You know your stuff inside out – after all, you live it and breathe it day in, day out. The organisers have given you 20
Developing a winning roadshow and marketing strategy
Roadshows are hard work, from planning, travelling, delivering to following up. Cannings Purple’s Investor Relations Director, Andrew Rowell, gives his insights into developing a winning roadshow and marketing strategy. Glossophobia — the fear of public speaking — regularly ranks high on the list of what people dislike the most. Whether it be fear of failure, fear of being caught out saying something wrong, or just fear that their message will come across badly, there are a number of good reasons why people don’t like standing up and presenting in front of others. Unfortunately for CEOs or managing directors of listed companies, you don’t get a
Got some news? Brokers hate it when they’re the last to know
Cannings Purple’s Investor Relations Director, Andrew Rowell, treads the fine line between marketing and promoting your company — and compliance with ASX listing rules. Let’s say you have been heads down, focused on building your business, and after a few months you pop out a series of ASX announcements that, on small volumes, start to
Don’t underestimate the impact of live events
Want to make a splash with clients and stakeholders? There’s a lot of value in a live event – despite the challenges — writes Emma Britton. In a world where we connect online at an ever-quickening pace, hosting a live event or holding a face-to-face catch up can seem … outdated. It’s inconvenient. You have to juggle calendars. People might not show. Why host an event when you can blast out an EDM to your contacts to get your message across? Why bother with networking when you can sit at home and tweet (or even pretend you were at the function
Why content is still king (but data is eyeing up the crown)
Is your content clever or cocky? Lauren Pow explains how you can tell if your content is cutting through. Content has held the coveted top-spot in digital marketing for several years, with businesses harnessing the power of credible, on-target articles, videos and posts to reach buyers where spend most of their time: online. Whether it be in the form of blog posts, videos, infographics or social media visuals, content was utilised by around 90 per cent of businesses last year with the goal of encouraging engagement, improving SEO, generating new leads and raising awareness of products and services. But as businesses invest more in
Five signs your business needs a better corporate narrative
Is the story of your business a fairytale, an encyclopaedia or a cautionary tale? Ruth Callaghan looks at the signs it is time to dust off your corporate narrative. It sounds like the worst sort of marketing buzzphrase — a corporate narrative — but telling a compelling story to your customers and staff can make a real difference to your bottom line. Sure, you know what you do and you probably do it well, but how successful are you in sharing that story? If a junior staff member is put on the spot for a quick description at a barbecue are they left
Are you talking to me? Getting community consultation right the first time
Associate director Renee Wilkinson looks at how best to consult in an era of over-consultation. Any project — a new mine, a wider road, an additional bridge or a bigger hospital — has stakeholders who expect to be kept informed. Then there are those who want to be asked, those who would like to guide the process, and those who really want the power of veto. And on the flipside, many projects benefit from input from the people and organisations that have an interest in them. Community consultation is not necessarily difficult. Most communications professionals have done it a thousand times — information packs, community
Not dead yet: 7 reasons to monitor old media
Even though it’s a digital world, traditional media matters for monitoring, writes Consultant Emma Britton. There’s nothing like a social media slam to give business leaders a wake-up. It might be a cranky customer who has hopped on Facebook in the wee hours, adding angry-face emojis to their diatribe. It might be criticism of your staff on Twitter by an upset ‘egg’ with three followers and a disdain for punctuation. Something about the immediacy and human face of social media means that comment, and the scattered retweets or likes that follow, can cut to the heart of a business. But while social media monitoring is