See & Be PR

Making a move…

May 152013

I recently watched an interview with the President and CEO of a global high-end hotel company about how he further developed his business through moving the headquarters from the US to China just for a month. That got me thinking of the importance of other companies in different industries, as well as a local PR company, to venture into such similar opportunities.

As we expand our consumer database, win accounts that want to make it on the global level and strive to win international clients; we should not underestimate the power of exploring public relations around the world and on different levels.

Moving his senior management team across the world, the CEO states that the risks he assumed, investments he made, and the challenges he faced managing workload and understanding the market, were all made worthwhile by the indispensable learning experience he was exposed to.
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Mistakes a PR Intern should never make

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May 132013

When I started here, I began as an intern. Beyond being a test to see if you make the cut, it is also a valuable learning experience and a great first step into the world of PR.
Things I learned you should never do as an intern are things I would like to share to help anyone else starting the journey.

Act like you are above it all
The things you get asked to do may seem beneath you or your degree, but every task is important in shaping you to become a PR professional.

Dress like an intern
You may not have the job yet, but you had better start dressing for the position you want. A big part of getting ahead is coming in looking like a professional.
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Sky is the Limit

Public Relations No Responses »

May 012013

They say if you find a job you love doing, you will not work a day in your life.
In that case, I haven’t worked a day in my life. Well maybe a few years here and there until I learned how to let my passion drive me.
As human beings, we need to feel a sense of satisfaction and contentment in what we are spending most of our day doing and working in an office is no exception.

If there were any culture I would like to bring with me to my new role as MD at Cicero & Bernay (C&B), it would have to be the need to “work hard & play hard” and do it with passion and drive. As serious and stressful as our work can get sometimes, there is no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy the ride and try to have fun along the way. The great thing about passion is that it fuels success and the more you allow it to be part of your approach the more you will be able to make the best of the challenges you face and in turn optimise your chances for achieving greater results.
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The Region’s Brightest and Best Minds Meet at the Digital Media Forum

Media, Public Relations, Social Media No Responses »

Apr 172013

For the second year running, the Digital Forum will bring together leading minds from the global digital media arena to share their knowledge and expertise at the One & Only Royal Mirage, Dubai, on the 22nd and 23rd of May 2013.

They will be addressing a wide range of topics, individually and in panel discussions, that today impact the delivery of social media programmes and how they are received by consumers. Everything from the ‘bombardment of Social Media’ to asking the question ‘who is king?’ and from ‘e-education’ to ‘measuring social media effectiveness’ will be up for discussion.
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Thank You UAE

Public Relations, Social Media No Responses »

Jan 072013

Sitting with our resident writer, trying to conceptualise my next blog post, she suggested using passion to lead the way – as it has proved to evoke some interesting writing in the past.

Wait, I’m thinking. Sports? No, I’ve done that before. My job? Done that too. As I gaze out the window in hopes that some idea will just suddenly make itself known, it works and I’m instantly inspired.

The UAE. If I had taken a snapshot from the day I first looked out that very window and compared it to today, that picture would be very different and in a very good way.
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Social Media ROI

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Nov 142012

If PR is about results, how do you measure them on social media?

With traditional outlets, we already know the drill. Check newspapers for coverage and scan for online appearances.

When it comes to social media, how do we know how effective campaigns for clients have been?
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My First 30 Days in PR

How to, Public Relations 1 Response »

Oct 082012

As the newest member in the C&B office, a fresher in the PR industry in Dubai and a first time blogger, I thought it best to start my ‘blogging career’ by sharing my experience of my first 30 days in PR.

Starting a new job is a trying time for anyone since making a great first impression is very important, as it has a lasting impact. Every workplace has its own unique culture and finding your way around in the beginning can be daunting.

For me entering the C&B office was more like the first day at school. I felt just like a teen who is excited to meet new mates, eager to take on a new challenge in life, and at the same time self-conscious about leaving a positive impression among the crowd. Being an expat and fairly new to the city, having a job in Dubai is part of the fast-paced lifestyle. I was eager to start my first day at work, and was looking forward to getting back to PR again.
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The Real Power of Social Media

Social Media No Responses »

Aug 272012

We talk about it and we do it all the time, but every now and then we get a little reminder about how powerful social media really is.

This is one happy tale; about how social media transformed a Canadian city from backwater to celebrity. On Facebook, the city has racked up thousands of likes and on YouTube the city’s videos have been viewed in the tens of thousands.

Their success is so much so that officials have been asked ‘The city has racked up those numbers in just under three years of having a social media presence. Its success has been so stunning that officials have been asked to write about their experiences in Municipal World magazine and have spoken at national conferences for city administrators.’

It all started as an experiment – one that asked if they could get more people involved…and it worked.

Isn’t social media beautiful?

How Public Relations Has Changed in the Past 10 Years

How to, Public Relations No Responses »

Aug 152012

So there I was on vacation in Istanbul, my first time there – beautiful city by the way, I totally recommend it. I’ve just finished a whole day of sightseeing and shopping and was walking to the closest metro station to head back to the hotel, when I get a call from my client requesting me to urgently send out a very important announcement to the media (yes, they know I’m on vacation!). Since it was approaching 9pm Dubai time I told them that I would make sure it was sent out first thing in the morning, but the urgency of the announcement wouldn’t let them wait till the next day. So there I sat, on a street bench in the Nişantaşı district of Istanbul, with my shopping bags next to me and my BlackBerry in my hand, sending out emails, text messages, chat messages and making phone calls to the media. Forty five minutes later the mission was accomplished. Feeling good about a job well done, I treated myself to some tasty Turkish ice cream and headed to the hotel. About an hour later, and while flipping through channels on TV, I see the news of the announcement I had just sent out on CNN! That’s when I thought to myself how things have changed in the last few years, and how when I first started working in PR about 10 years ago there was no way I could’ve pulled off getting news out while sitting on a street bench thousands of kilometers away from my office.

How have things changed in PR?
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Bored at Work? What do you do?

Do's and Don'ts, How to, Public Relations No Responses »

Jul 112012

We all have those days; days where clients are eerily quiet and no one from the team is asking you for anything. I do the writing, so when there’s no writing to be done, there’s nothing to do.

What seems like bliss to some is pure agony to me. I cannot fathom the idea of sitting idly about until the clock strikes 6. I have to do something, ANYTHING, to keep my work-mind motors running.

So what to do when you’re bored at work that will look good on your To Do List?

Learn something new
I’ve already done this with social media. It started with me editing posts and Tweets; but slowly and surely I’ve realised, ‘hey! I can do this too.’ And that’s what I did. Slowly amassing followers and reading up on other bloggers has helped me to become a semi ‘social media expert’ in my own right – beats twiddling your thumbs.
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Older Entries

Avatars by Sterling Adventures

Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha

Making a move…

Mistakes a PR Intern should never make

Sky is the Limit

My First 30 Days in PR

How Public Relations Has Changed in the Past 10 Years

Bored at Work? What do you do?

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