A Campaign that Lives on for Centuries

Advertising Vs. PR No Responses »
Jun 172013

Every girl dreams of a shiny sparkler on her finger. More importantly, she’s spent years of her life dreaming up how he will propose and what the engagement ring will look like.
For him he’s told to spend at least ‘three months’ salary’ to make sure he’s proven his undying love.

Diamonds are forever. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Diamonds are priceless. Diamonds are a great investment.

While the first few statements can be forgivable, the last two are downright fabrication. So why do we continue to covet these stone?

Great Marketing and PR.

Back when De Beers was trying to find a way to boost sales, they enlisted the help of some great minds.
“The diamond invention—the creation of the idea that diamonds are rare and valuable, and are essential signs of esteem—is a relatively recent development in the history of the diamond trade.” Atlantic.com

The fact of the matter is that if you ever tried to sell a diamond you would be left coming up short.
Continue reading »

Share
Posted by admin at 10:07 AM Tagged with: , ,

We love to see a great campaign

How to, Public Relations No Responses »
Jun 122013

What makes a great campaign? We as PR professionals spend hours upon hours in brainstorming sessions, trying to come up with something different and ‘out of the box’ for our clients.

And being a Public Relations agency in Dubai, we constantly make sure that our messages are culturally relevant to the Middle East while exhibiting universal appeal. But enough about us, here’s a campaign that we found very amusing:



And to answer the question: what makes a great campaign?

A great campaign is one that makes you stop and pay attention.

Seen any great PR campaigns lately?

Share
Posted by Reem Heather Dabbas at 11:12 AM Tagged with: , , , ,

Great PR from the Gatsby

Do's and Don'ts, How to, Public Relations No Responses »
Jun 102013

After reading the book in school, watching the Gatsby after 10 years I found myself extracting interesting PR tactics from the movie and the script.

Be confident in yourself. Nick Carraway was certain of his honesty and stated in the movie that he is one of the few honest people he’s ever known. Assert your qualities and virtues and be confident in them. Once you acknowledge facts about yourself people will acknowledge them in you and associate you to these traits.
Continue reading »

Share
Posted by Maysa-Jana Atoui at 12:03 PM Tagged with: , , , ,

What should I write for my next blog?

Do's and Don'ts, How to, Public Relations No Responses »
Jun 052013

Since I’ve started working for C&B, I’ve been tasked with writing a monthly blog – great for personal development and a nice change from writing about clients, and about something that interests me.

But the problem starts when I don’t know what to write about. Not just that, how can I be sure that people will be interested in the topic and the way I have approached it? Above all, am I giving the reader valuable information?

The most important part of the blog is the information it contains and if it’s explained properly and clear for the readers to understand.

Is it answering their question?

Is it a topic that they want to know more about?

What have others written about the same topic?

How is my approach any different?
Continue reading »

Share
Posted by Wajd Breek at 10:41 AM Tagged with: , , , , ,

Butchered English

Public Relations No Responses »
May 292013

We grew up studying the likes of Shakespeare and Dickens. They join many more great writers whose words still live on generations later.

But times have changed, people have changed and the ways we communicate have changed.

While I personally remember thinking: “Why do we have to decode the words of Shakespeare when his words make little plain sense to readers today?” I also remember arguments of keeping history alive.

Fair enough. But we speak differently now. Some will even say we have butchered the English language. With children growing up communicating through texts and social media, slang and shortcuts have overtaken proper English. Continue reading »

Share
Posted by Reem Heather Dabbas at 10:50 AM Tagged with: , , , , ,

How is it like to work for an agency?

How to No Responses »
May 272013

Just like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, at first comes the physiological needs like the chair you’re sitting on as well as the desk, and whether your palm rests coolly on the laptop or if you’re like me and you’re using a 2008 MacBook Pro, then your palms are mostly sweaty from how warm the laptop can get when running multiple tasks in the background.

Once this stage is yesterday’s topic we move on to getting familiar with the accounts we’re handling, the clients, the content and the amount of time we put into each account before it becomes routine and with that comes the feeling of safety, as everything feels under control.
Continue reading »

Share
Posted by Karim Mobayed at 10:47 AM Tagged with: , , , ,

Email Etiquette

Do's and Don'ts, Public Relations No Responses »
May 222013

Something so simple – we all write so many emails a day, but we can soon forget the basics when it comes to writing a professional one.

Take a look at this checklist and use it as a refresher course to make sure your emails are on the right track.

1. Keep it simple. No one wants to read a chapter or even a long paragraph for that matter. Stick to your point and get there quickly.
2. Don’t use strange fonts and crazy colours. It doesn’t matter how quirky your personality is, this is just not professional. Keep to standard business fonts in black or blue. Continue reading »

Share
Posted by Reem Heather Dabbas at 10:41 AM Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Making a move…

Public Relations No Responses »
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.
Continue reading »

Share
Posted by Maysa-Jana Atoui at 11:41 AM Tagged with: , , , , ,

Mistakes a PR Intern should never make

How to No Responses »
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.
Continue reading »

Share
Posted by Wajd Breek at 11:17 AM Tagged with: , , , , ,

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.
Continue reading »

Share
Posted by rouba at 10:15 AM Tagged with: , , , ,
Older Entries