New Year’s Resolutions: Revisiting Brand Strategy
Every New Year, many of us make resolutions. We stretch to see a better version of ourselves and try and coax it into being. I believe brands are similar. Brands can sometimes get distracted from their true purpose. Often, it's because the people who manage them are time poor, and other times the market has changed, leaving businesses feeling like they’ve lost their way. So, it’s good to stop, take stock and ask the question, “is our brand the best version of itself?” Back to Brand Strategy Basics To answer that question, businesses need to ask themselves: What is our purpose? What is our vision? What is
Facebook blocks news from Australian users
Facebook has made the unprecedented move of banning Australian news publishers (and users) from sharing or viewing any news articles on the platform. It’s a response to the Federal Government’s bargaining code which has passed through the House of Representatives, and which will require social media companies to pay news organisations if their content appears on the platform. For many Australian users, this means their main source of daily news - their Facebook newsfeed - will look very different, with only content appearing from friends and family, and non-news organisations. It’s a bold, even aggressive action, on Facebook’s part. If you look at
Google vs Australia
Google is threatening to shut down its search engine in Australia over a proposed media law. Google said last month that it may stop delivering search results in Australia after the government introduced a new media bill that requires digital platforms to pay publishers to link their content in news feeds or search results. Essentially, Australia wants internet giants like Facebook and Google, to pay to display and link to news generated by Australian journalists. If Google does exit from Australia, it would deny more than 25 million people access to the world's most popular search engine, which handles almost 95% of the country's daily
Purple Conversations: Annette Ellis
In between her very busy schedule, heading our organisation and its teams, Cannings Purple’s Managing Director, Annette Ellis takes a break to tell us who she is when she's not working. In our ‘Purple Conversations’ series, you’ll find out about the Cannings Purple team – what led them to their careers; what they do in their spare time and even what their favourite apps are. Meet Annette With more than 25 years experience in corporate communications, reputation management, crisis communications, change management and stakeholder relations, Annette is an accomplished corporate editor, speechwriter and a highly regarded coach in executive presentation skills. Annette gained her
Why content hubs should be part of your digital strategy
A branded content hub can be an excellent driver of new business, but it takes time to create and maintain. Outsourcing the content side could be the difference that makes the project viable.
Caretaker period: What it means for your engagement with government
With January now behind us, the WA State election is squarely in view. As candidates from all political persuasions prepare for the final push towards the March 13 finish line, executive government is gearing up for a different shift - the transition into caretaker mode. What is caretaker? Caretaker government starts when the parliament is dissolved and lasts until the election result is clear. During this period, the government is bound by a number of conventions to uphold responsible government. In particular, these rules govern some key aspects of our government. One eye on the horizon Key contracts and commitments, as well as
The Internet vs Wall Street
It's a story that would make a thrilling Hollywood blockbuster - the underdogs who beat the corporate giants at their own game and got super rich in the process. However, this is not a movie, but a real-life drama unfolding right now. In recent days, mainly-amateur stock traders have come together online to drive up the share price of a struggling (but much-loved) video retailer, GameStop. An army of rookie investors on Reddit’s “wallstreetbets” online chatroom joined forces to target short sellers, resulting in more than two million subscribers loading into GameStop’s shares. On Thursday 28 January, the mall retailer was the single most traded name in
How trends in engagement are changing for 2021
As we eagerly leave 2020 behind and cautiously step into 2021, Senior Consultant, Sarah-Jane Dabarera, reflects on the themes in community relations for the year ahead. Culture and heritage 2020 has set the scene for an increased focus on culture and heritage in 2021. The Black Lives Matter movement, Australian deaths in custody and the destruction of sacred sites at Juukan Gorge have resulted in increased focus and scrutiny on genuine engagement with Traditional Owners. The recently released amendments to the Aboriginal Heritage Act, issued by the WA Government, will require renewed effort in making agreements and strengthening relationships with Traditional Owners. Black
Why is the internet telling you to drop WhatsApp?
There's a lot of noise on social channels right now from people who are switching from WhatsApp to other messaging services. The move seems to be driven by the (wrong) assertion that changes in WhatsApp’s user policies mean the app will begin pushing personalised information about you to its parent company, Facebook. Now, I’m not a huge supporter of Facebook’s grip on our personal data (or indeed what it has done with that data in the past), but the changes it is making do not mean your personal information will be any more compromised than it already is on WhatsApp -
2021 Conversations That Matter
As we embark on 2021, the world finds itself at a major turning point – politically, economically, technologically and socially. What’s next? It’s never easy to predict, and especially so this year! For businesses and communication experts, the best way forward is to reflect and learn from the year that was – the lockdown; the economic and social impacts; the devastating bushfires; the disruption of everyday life. The events of 2020 transformed how we communicate. We asked some of Perth’s best communication experts to look back on 2020 and give us their predictions for 2021. A purpose-driven focus With lots of social justice issues
How Your Business Can Manage Online Trolls
Your business will always have detractors and promoters. Detractors will find any excuse to bring you down and take attention away from serving your community, clients or customers. Promoters are people who will publicly back your organisation. A troll will always be a detractor and there are several ways to deal with them, but first, let’s define a troll – and no, we’re not talking about the thing that lives under a bridge. What is an online troll? Trolling is creating conflict on the internet by starting disputes or upsetting people by posting inflammatory or off-topic messages in an online community. In essence,
Preparing for a Christmas like no other: Getting your brand’s messaging right
After what has been a very challenging year, a Christmas break couldn’t come soon enough. However, just because the holidays are near, it doesn’t mean you should be winding down your PR and communication activities. We asked some of Perth’s best communication experts what brands should keep in mind when communicating during this Christmas period. Being mindful for a Christmas like no other Christmas is a time to celebrate, uplift and inspire, but it will mean different things to different people this year. Ensuring your brand or business considers its audiences and messaging will, therefore, be vital. Cannings Purple’s Head of Digital, Glenn Langridge
Writing For The Web
Engaging – it’s the word most often used to describe great content on the internet. Readers who are engaged keep their eyes on website pages for longer, and engaged customers feel compelled to act and purchase products. Length of time on site and customer conversion are two of the most common goals for content strategies. Video and podcasts have become popular ways of creating content, but the written word remains an important pillar of content strategies. Writing for the web, or indeed any public medium, can feel intimidating for those unfamiliar with it – but the best strategy is to prepare and keep
Branding: Can we put a Santa hat on our logo?
Christmas is coming. We’ve all seen brands dressing up and letting their hair down during the Christmas period. Sometimes it’s a hat, other times a wreath or bells. Every year I have one person or another ask me if it’s a good idea to put a Santa hat on their website and social media logos. Every year, with a pinch of Christmas grinch, I often have to say no. Rules for Christmas branding One of the first rules of branding is: do not change any part of your logo. Brand recognition is hard enough to earn, so eroding it by making it
How Has COVID-19 Made ‘Brand WA’ Stronger?
Thankfully, here in Western Australia we’ve been spared rising COVID-19 infection rates and the social unrest that has been felt in many other destinations. But how has our response to the pandemic strengthened our State’s reputation? Last week, some of Perth's best communication specialists battled it out at IABC's event, The Great Debate. We took the opportunity to hear what they thought. WA’s Major Industries Continue to Make a Considerable Contribution Chamber of Minerals and Energy’s Director, Policy and Advocacy, Rob Carruthers said he believed COVID-19 has made WA’s brand stronger on the national stage. “As we’ve seen over the last few months, and how
Cannings Purple recognised as an Employer of Choice
We are proud to announce that Cannings Purple has been recognised as an Employer of Choice in The Australian Business Awards (ABA) 2020. Although we’ve won a host of awards over the years, both regionally and internationally, we are particularly delighted to be recognised as an Employer of Choice. Annette Ellis is our CEO: “We invest a great deal in workplace culture and values, then hire people who share them. This means that our values don’t live in a manual, or on a poster in the kitchen, they are reflected in behaviours that we hold each other accountable for and that’s a
The numbers that matter: State Budget 2020-21
As Australia faces record levels of debt and deficit in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Australian Treasurer Ben Wyatt today bucked the trend to post a $1.2 billion surplus in the State Budget, followed by surpluses in the range of $363 million in 2021-2022 to $1.5 billion in 2023-2024. Buoyed by high iron ore prices, which enabled Western Australia to bank $8.4 billion in royalties in 2019/20, the coffers are well placed to support the State’s economic recovery and combat the ongoing threat of the coronavirus. The Budget assumes that Western Australia’s borders will remain closed until April 2021. Importantly,
Federal Budget 2020-21: analysis and insights
From ‘Back in Black’ to a more than $966 billion budget blackhole in 2024, Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has handed down the most significant budget in Australian history. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has provided $257 billion in direct economic support to cushion the blow and strengthen the recovery. The 2020-21 Budget commits a further $98 billion including $25 billion in direct COVID-19 response measures and $74 billion in new measures to create jobs. The 2020-21 Budget is focussed on measures to stimulate a private sector-led recovery that drives economic growth and employment, as well as trying to
COVID-19 recovery: The Federal Government’s $1.5 billion manufacturing strategy
The Morrison Government announced a $1.5 billion manufacturing strategy to support Australian manufacturers in an effort to recover and rebuild from the COVID-19 recession.
Case study: a real-world example of good content strategy
We’re all meant to be publishers these days, but it’s not unusual for organisations to be a bit bewildered about how to go about creating content, or what it should be.
Not pandemic-proof, but resilient: Perth’s CBD office market holding up
The latest report from the Property Council of Australia shows Perth's office market holding up remarkably well in the face of COVID-19.
Not if, but when: preparing for the inevitable cyber attack
For many businesses, the threat of a cyber attack and loss of vital data is inevitable. So how do you prepare to manage that?
Diverse economic heavy lifting the next step in COVID-19 recovery
The COVID-19 pandemic will remain with us for some time but the heavy lifting on economic recovery has well and truly started.
Perth needs to aim big and grab the opportunity on its doorstep
Despite the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the recently released Hashtag Perth report delivers a range of recommendations that are very timely.
Why media is changing for good and also chasing ‘good news’ stories
A panel of experts from three major Australian media companies says the art of journalism has likely changed permanently as a result of the coronavirus.
Putting your best face forward in a webinar-heavy world
We’re living in a world where it’s easier and more useful than ever before to put ourselves on video.
Property leaders welcome ‘game-changing’ kickstart for construction industry
High-profile WA property industry leaders have welcomed government stimulus packages that could total more than $1 billion and inject much-needed life into the State’s construction sector.
Now is the time to start telling your good news story
It’s difficult to imagine another event that might present such a challenge for our health and economic systems as COVID-19 has. But there is an opportunity to tell another story - your story.
Property industry gives thumbs-up to major WA planning reforms
Property industry leaders have voiced support for a raft of planning reforms introduced to Parliament on Wednesday.
Making in-house support work post COVID-19
The big story of the past three months has been about disruption — it’s a story that every business, big or small, has shared.