Slice of Life: Jenni Beattie, Director, Digital Democracy

We'd love you to meet Jenni Beattie, Director of Digital Democracy. Jenni recently launched her consultancy which combines social media with her expertise in public relations, communications, knowledge management and market research. Not only does Ms Beattie know her stuff, she's has one of the most impressive shoe collections around...


So what's your story?
I grew up on the South Coast of NSW lived across the road from the beach so it was fantastic. I moved to Sydney many years ago to do my degree at UTS (Information Science and Mass Comms) and I now live in the inner-west of Sydney. I have two children 8 and 12 which keeps me busy as well as a feisty cattle dog that demands two walks a day! I recently resigned my roles as Director of Digital Consulting and opened up my own social media consultancy called Digital Democracy.

Can you tell me a little more about Digital Democracy?
Yes. Digital Democracy fills a gap in the market by looking at Social Media very wholistically. As I have a background in pr, communications, knowledge management and market research. I view Social Media with those eyes and help organisations get the most from the tools. I am passionate about basing creative ideas on tangible research foundations.

Where did the name Digital Democracy come from?
Now that many people have access to the web we all have the ability to comment, create and review media online. Technology today has given consumers the ability to have a voice whether it is about politics, brands or services – hence digital democracy.

You mentioned working in varying fields can you tell us more about that mix of sectors?
Yes, over the past 20 years I have worked with a great range of organisations and across the marketing field. For example, I worked at News Ltd as a research manager, with McCann Erickson Advertising as a researcher, worked at Media Monitors as a Communications Manager and at Network PR as a Online Research Manager developing their online engagement methodology. More recently I worked at the Digital Edge as the Director of Digital Consulting where I developed and managed online research communities.

What clients have you worked on in the past?
While at Network PR I worked on Paramount Pictures social media strategy for their films – that was very entertaining! At the Digital Edge I set up online communities for Kelloggs, Weight Watchers, Sara Lee, Kimberly Clark and others.

What type of work are you doing now?
Six weeks in and I am working with companies on sales collateral, running social media courses for pr agencies, developing social media strategies for a film currently in development and doing research projects for agencies. Lots of variety!

Right now I'm:

Reading... too many blogs and also a few guide books on Japan

Eating.... mandarins – I love this time of year.

Listening... to Brian Eno

Planning.. a trip to Tokyo for three weeks in September (hope North Korea behave themselves)

Buying... birthday presents for my 8 year old son – it’s a sleepover party so it’s going to be …energetic!

Enjoying... seeing my business grow even in recessionary times.

Drinking... strong coffees in the morning and herbal teas in the evenings (and a few glasses of wine in between)

Media monitoring

Slice of Life: Casey Macneil, Director, Macneil Marketing & Communications

Casey Macneil knows how to squeeze a good time out of work and play... She lives on the Sunshine coast, has clients like the Noosa Longweekend and is mum to two bubs. She's also is a nifty Slice subscriber and doesn't mind a G&T every now and then...




Tell us a little bit about your good self...
Brizzie born and bred, and related to half of it (catholic – 40 first cousins – actually 41!) Went to school, uni then left for London, as we all did in the late 80s. Worked in Brisbane and Melbourne in my 20s and early 30s on fab projects like the Brisbane International Film Festival. Am now spending my days on an idyllic property near Coolum Beach on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. I run my own marketing agency (Macneil Marketing & Communications), I have a few little pip-squeaks at home, I work with some really clever people and my daily commute is very small. Life is rather good actually! G&T anyone?

What campaign are you working on right now?
We’re promoting the Noosa Longweekend festival (19 – 28 June) but also one of our favourite clients distributes fantastic European-designed products for babies and kids including the Bebedelice, a steamer/blender for baby food and a head support called Lovenest which prevents flathead in babies (otherwise babies end up having HELMET therapy – not a good look). You want babies fat not flat.

Are you using social media as part of its communications toolkit?
I yam! A friend of mine is a social networking specialist and owns an agency in London. The Queen is one of his clients! He’s been teaching me the ways of the web world and so has an associate Brad Howarth, great guy. I am working on a seminar event with this London-based guru in November in Brisbane – would love to hear from people if it’s something they’d want to go to and what they’d like covered. Also planning a smaller workshop style format for more intimate learning.

What's the biggest challenge facing professional communicators right now?
Crowded marketplace; social media stuff is very time consuming; everyone thinks they are a communicator. The list goes on, but I’ve been doing it for 20 years and I still love going to work, so something’s right.

Are you feeling the fallout of the GFC?
A little bit, yes. Things aren’t as fast and furious as they have been these last couple of years. Frankly, I really needed a breather, so am not unhappy about it!

Why Slice over other monitoring services?
Price; love the self-serve (but you need someone to help download it all).

Tips on using Slice for other subscribers?
Nail a tight string. (now that’s talking the lingo!)

Right now I'm:

Reading... the Noosa Longweekend program – full of juicy stuff!

Eating.... chocolate when I shouldn’t be

Listening... to my baby trying to talk and my toddler never stopping!

Planning... a trip somewhere…

Buying... nothing, saving for my trip! Sorry Kevin!

Enjoying... Twitter. And watching MAD MEN! Loving it. Also loved Entourage.

Drinking... green tea in the day and G&Ts on Fridays (martinis on Saturdays)

Media monitoring

Slice of Life: Andrea Kerekes, Managing Partner, Access PR

We'd like you to meet the very gorgeous Andrea Kerekes, Managing Partner, at Access PR. When she's not staving off her teenage son's ever increasing appetite, Andrea is leading her team to provide PR counsel for some of Australia's top brands. Oh, and she also happens to be one very sassy Slicer.


Since launching just over 12 months ago, Access PR has grown incredibly fast. What has been the key to your success?
Paranoia is a wonderful thing.

Access PR has been finalists in many PR awards recently. Is there a campaign that you're particularly proud of?
We do less campaign work and more ongoing counsel and reputation management. Having said that, the Starlight Children’s Foundation Christmas campaign generated a ridiculously huge amount of media coverage as well as reaching fundraising targets – all PR led. We are also very proud of our Pizza Hut ‘Pasta Hut’ launch.

What do you think are the biggest challenges for the PR industry right now?
Nothing new I reckon. There’s the perennial ritual of having to read about publicity ‘professionals’ making announcements they are going to guarantee media coverage or that “PR as we know it is dead” (blah, blah, blah…). The main challenge is really keeping on top of the rising tide of digital media and opinion leaders online.

You've used other monitoring services. What gives Slice it's edge?
The self service aspect is great and it’s very simple to use.

Any tips for other Slice subscribers?
As Kath & Kim would say, be pacific.

Right now I'm....

Reading... How to Kill Your Husband by Kathy Lette (sorry George)

Eating.... a stupid carb-free diet that is killing me

Listening... to my teenage son tell me he’s hungry. Again.

Planning... to teach my son how to cook for himself

Buying... Food

Enjoying.... anything that doesn’t involve bloody food.

Media monitoring

Slice of Life: Owen Cox, Communications Manager, Greening Australia

We'd like you to meet one of our terrific Slice subscribers, Owen Cox, Greening Australia's Communication Manager. When he's not defending our landscapes and spreading the word about curbing climate change, you can find him organising a trip to some snow peaked mountain or planning for his new arrival due in September.



What is your role at Greening Australia and mission
for the organisation?
I am a Communications Manager in Greening Australia’s national office in Canberra. My work focuses on delivering the organisation’s communications and marketing objectives, primarily through our corporate website (www.greeningaustralia.org.au) and carbon offset program Breathe Easy (www.breatheeasynow.com.au). I also work on publications, email marketing, events, workplace giving, media and of course, media monitoring. A jack of all trades, and hopefully a master of some! Greening Australia, the country’s largest non-government environment organisation, is passionate about transforming landscapes to be more resilient in the face of climate change. We do this by protecting remnant vegetation and using trees to restore degraded land, improve biodiversity and sequester carbon.

Is there a particular campaign that your especially proud of?
Personally I’m particularly proud of launching a new corporate website last year. Greening Australia is committed to using the web as a primary communication tool. What we have done, and continue to build on with the new site, communicates our story well and provides a great platform for future marketing campaigns. In terms of a more traditional campaign, I am proud of the national team’s efforts in launching our carbon offset program Breathe Easy in February with Foundation Sponsor Alcoa of Australia. In a particularly crowded media space we managed to secure good coverage across Australia, and in the process demonstrated that Greening Australia is a reputable, intelligent voice in the climate change debate.

How has social media been useful in your communications mix?
If our mix was a recipe, then social media remains a pinch of salt - at the moment. We have a basic social media presence and I have experimented with, among other channels, Facebook and Care2, and we are aware of what social media campaigns have worked for similar environment NGOs overseas. However the core audience reach for most social media channels doesn’t quite suit our needs just yet. So for now we are observing and learning.

What do you like most about using Slice as your media monitoring provider?
I like the idea of a portal that allows you to manage your own search strings, the price is spot on, and being able to know exactly what the cost of transcripts and audio will be before you order is great when you’re on a tight budget.

Any tips for other Slice subscribers?
Experiment with your keyword combinations so you can fully understand how the tracking works, and don’t just file your clips for a rainy day – involve your staff and celebrate good results.

Right now I'm....
Managing content

Reading...
Empires of the Indus – the story of a river by Alice Albinia. A history of one of the world’s longest and most influential rivers.

Eating....
Organic new season Gala apples

Listening...
Fat Freddys Drop, Bjork, and Cornerstone Roots

Planning...
Backcountry telemark skiing trips for the winter season

Buying...
Prams, cots, nappies, blankets and booties

Enjoying....
Reminiscing about last summer’s climbing trip in New Zealand (that’s Mt Cook over my right shoulder)

Media monitoring

Slice of Life: Renee Creer, New Media Director for Stellar* Concepts

Say hello to Renee Creer from Stellar* Concepts - she's the New Media Director for the Sydney based communications agency specialising in online and offline public relations and marketing campaigns. She also happens to be one terrific Slicer...


1. Based on your Wrapup 08, your roster looks very healthy. What's the Stellar* edge over other agencies?
We know our stuff, we do what we say we’ll do, we care about doing a good job, we like our clients and what they do, and we really like and respect each other which makes work fun. The last point is really important. If your team doesn’t like each other, you can’t give your best to clients or the business.

2. Biggest career highlight to date?
Being appointed New Media Director this year.

3. The Stellar* blog looks terrific. What insights would you share with other bloggers?
Plan your blog - know the purpose, the audience, the topics you will and won’t write about. Write in the first person, write regularly and write about things that are of value to others and that are remarkable (people talk about things that are remarkable not boring). Don’t forget that a blog is about two-way dialogue – it’s meant for conversation - so write to support that.

4. What are the biggest advantages to using Slice for your business over other media monitoring agencies?
Slice is more affordable than other services we’ve used and the service is comparable – if not better. I also like being able to log into the account to see the clippings to date.

5. Any advice for other Slice subscribers?
Use the excellent support staff. While you can manage the account yourself, the support from Slice is still really great and has actually saved me time. Any adjustments to my account have been dealt with right away.

Fun stuff:

1. So you think you can dance OR Australia's Got Talent?
Dance, dance, dance, dance.

2. Long Island Iced Tea or Shandy?
Shandy – a drink that needs some serious PR

3. Orlando Bloom OR Andy Lee?
Hello Orlando

Media monitoring

Slice of Life: Bruno Bouchet, Executive Producer Mix FM 106.5

If you're pitching to get your story on Australian radio, you'll be interested in listening to our interview with Bruno Bouchet, Executive Producer of Mix 106.5 (Sydney) breakfast show, Mornings with Sonia Kruger and Todd McKenney.



Listen to our podcast below and hear Bruno's top three tips when pitching a story to a radio producer.

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We ask Bruno:

Where he sources content for the show
What makes a great media press
What are the steps to pitching a story to a radio producer
What are the mistakes publicists make when pitching stories
What makes a good radio interview
Guinness or low carb?
Wii or Playstation?
Sean Connery or Daniel Craig?

Thanks to Bruno for being a slice of life!

Media monitoring

Slice of Life: Chris Bendall, TV Producer, TODAY (Podcast)

Straight from the producers mouth to a PR campaign near you... we were lucky enough to record a podcast with Chris Bendall, a producer on Australia's Channel 9 breakfast program TODAY.

Take a listen below to find out how you can get on Chris' list of publicists who always deliver pitches that end up on the show.

Podcast with Chris Bendall, Producer, Channel 9s TODAY show

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During the interview we asked Chris the following questions:

-Where do you source the majority of your stories from?
-What makes a good press release into a great press release?
-Is it important for a PR practitioner to approach TV producers with a plethora of ideas/angles or to present the bare bones and allow the TV producer to create the story?
-How should a publicist proceed with a cold call to a producer for a story pitch.
-What are your top three tips to a publicist in making the pitch more enticing to the producer?
-What puts a producer off immediately from a publicist who delivers a bad pitch?
-What are the three key ingredients to a great story pitch?
-Is a telephone pitch better than an email pitch?
-How is relationship building an important element to succeeding in TV?
-What differentiates strategic publicists to stalking publicists?
-What has been your worst experience with a publicist?
-What does a publicist need to do to make a producer’s job easier?
-Has the ‘pitch’ changed over the years? If so, how and is it for the better?

A huge thanks to Chris for being a Slice of Life!

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Slice of Life: Louise Di Francesco, Verve Communications

Many of you working in the PR industry will have already heard of Louise Di Francesco, Agency Director of Verve Communications. Her 25 year career expands across all areas of public relations, media communications, issues management and crisis management... so you could say she knows a thing or two about media monitoring! Read on to find out why Louise is one of our favourite Slicers...



What has been your PR highlight so far at Verve Communications?
The highlight has been the formation of Verve Communications. Prue MacSween is a legend in the PR world and I had my own agency, The Write Communications Group, for years. Both of us were journalists in a previous life and we were competitors before we merged and re-launched ourselves as Verve five years ago. We have a great business partnership and we have never had a disagreement about anything at all. The fact we are both opinionated and tell it like it is could have been a disaster but it is a match made in heaven.

How do you compare PR practices in a consultancy environment compared with other PR roles in your career?
Verve Communications has only one client per industry sector as we are very mindful of conflict of interest. We also tend to have long term relationships with our clients – sometimes many years – so we are an essential part of their business and communications team. We get to work with incredibly talented people in a range of very different industries so that makes our work really exciting all the time.

Why did you choose Slice over other monitoring services available?
We were so dissatisfied with our previous provider. We dreaded dealing with them, but didn’t know there was an alternative. It was just taking so much time to get our hands on clips and then we were getting the wrong clips. Slice was recommended to us by a colleague. We decided to try out the service and we haven’t looked back since signing up. Slice gives us total control over media monitoring, but still provides support when necessary.

What's the top three things you love about Slice?
We have total control.
We have instant access to media clips.
It’s so inexpensive.

How did Slice make a difference to your job and/or organisation?
Media monitoring is no longer a difficult and time-consuming procedure. We have transferred just about all our clients to Slice. They love the savings, we love that we have total control and there’s really not much extra work. We just read the clippings as we would with any other service, then we download them to our server. Given the trouble we were having with our previous supplier, I think Slice actually saves us time. We can monitor everything and make instant adjustments to briefs.

How do you qualify and quantify a solid and successful PR campaign?
It’s important that we meet (or exceed) our clients’ expectations across a variety of criteria or agreed objectives. It’s important that PR is quantifiable. Without a media monitoring service, you can’t really show your success, in terms of how much coverage you obtain, or the quality of that coverage. We use Slice to conduct key message analyses and evaluate the success of a campaign. With Slice, it’s so inexpensive that we’ve convinced clients who previously couldn’t afford media monitoring to use the service.

How significant is online publicity to a client compared to off line publicity?
It depends on the client, their audience and objectives but online is definitely significant. If you ignore online publicity, you really have your head in the sand, especially because the world we live in mediates communication in so many ways.

Do clients mainly look at ‘column inches’ as the bottom line in publicity success? If not, what are other KPIs?
Most clients do want to see something concrete and column inches/estimated advertising values give them that however it is just as important that the column inches you achieve are communicating the right message.


European getaway or tropical resort?
Can I have both – just alternate holidays?

Cocktails or Champagne?
Do I have to choose? Both!

Chocolate soufflé or lemon meringue?
Definitely chocolate?

Feature films or reality TV?
Feature films

Megan Gale or Jennifer Hawkins?
They are both so gorgeous but completely different. Too hard to choose.

Chartbusting 80’s or Hip Hop?
The 80s??? Give me a break. Abba, Abba, Abba?

Jackie Collins or JK Rowling
Jackie Collins – give me wild sex, lots of champagne and decadent lifestyles over wizards and warlocks any day.

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Slice of Life: Danielle Seymour, Whitsunday Regional Council

Danielle Seymour is the Communications Officer for Whitsunday Regional Council, a music lover, a curry devotee and a Slice enthusiast. Read on to discover her PR highlight, surprise breakfast beverage and how Slice made a difference to her job.



What is your top PR highlight so far for you at Whitsunday Regional Council?
The top PR highlight would have to be winning awards for the region – which we have been very lucky to win many over my 2½ years at Whitsunday Regional Council. Awards such as Tourism Awards for the Airlie Beach Lagoon, ‘Friendliest Town’ in Queensland for Proserpine, ‘Most Beautiful Beach in Queensland’ for Whitehaven Beach and ‘Tidiest Town’ for Airlie Beach are a really great reward for all of our staff for their hard work, and for our community.

How do you compare PR practices in a council environment compared with other PR roles in your career?
Basically if you’re the Council, it’s the media’s job to hate you and find all those nasty angles to any story! So it was quite a wake up call to move from private practice to Council – I had to grow thick skin pretty quickly! But once relationships are built with the media, this can generally be overcome.

Why did you choose Slice over other monitoring services available?
I wanted the convenience of online and instant access to media clippings. It was also a most affordable option for us.

What's the top three things you like about Slice?
-Cost effective
-Online access at any time
-Being able to sort clips into files for future reference

How did Slice make a difference to your job and/or organisation?
I’m obviously not able to listen to the radio all day, or watch the TV news every night, and there’s only one of me doing the job. So it’s great to be able to log on in the mornings to find out what stories were reported and how, rather than relying on other people to tell me a certain story was reported.

How do you qualify and quantify a solid and successful PR campaign?
Our Council does regular community satisfaction surveys, after completing a benchmarking study in 2005. We evaluate our PR success based on the results of the satisfaction surveys, with purpose built questions worked into the survey relating to communication.

How important is media exposure to the council?
Absolutely vital – in a small community where the local newspaper is the gospel, it is vital that Council communicates via the media to get its messages to its community.

Brad Pitt or George Clooney?
Definitely Brad Pitt

Wine or champagne?
Champagne (especially at breakfast!)

Hot and spicy or mild cuisine?
Hot and spicy – I could eat curry every night of the week

Feature films or reality TV?
Embarrassingly enough, reality TV

Tango or waltz?
Waltz

Easy listening or heavy metal?
Either, depending on the situation, I love all music.

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Slice of Life: Neil Thew, Perisher Blue

Neil Thew from Perisher Blue has possibly one of the best PR jobs in the biz - especially considering he's a skier (yes, that is a pic of him below). But when he's not skiing, he's Slicing and spreading the love about Perisher Blue.



PR highlight so far for you at Perisher Blue?
Contributing to the significant increase in audience reach though our marcomms efforts.

How do you qualify and quantify a solid and successful PR campaign?
By keeping track and seeing responses/results/outcomes as strategically planned .

How much do internet sites and influential blogs play a part in your proactive publicity endeavours as compared to traditional media channels say, print?
A big part now, we have our own PB blog which allows us to interact with our guests who often provide us with good feedback. We also provide information to a wide variety of websites sites and send viral advertising messages.

Why Slice over other monitoring services?
It provides all that we require, simply, at a good price.

What's the best thing you like about Slice?
It's format.

How has Slice made a difference to your job and/or organisation?
It saves our staff time in monitoring media ourselves and quickens reaction time if needed.

Rolling waves or powdered peaks?
Love them both. I surf & ski with equal passion.

Facebook or Myspace?
Facebook. Check out Perisher Blue's Facebook page!

Medium rare or well done?
Definitely rare.

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Slice of Life: Elen David

She danced into our lives, 'wow'-ed us with her boolean knowledge, dazzled us with her commitment, focus and determination to be great, and we haven't stopped applauding since. She's our national telephone sales consultant. Presenting the highly adaptable, not to mention highly flexible (literally!), Elen David.

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Love your work Elevator. Keep on dancing.

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Slice of Life: Hector Vasconcelo

He's our resident footballer, snowboarder and all round thrill seeker. He's our national telephone sales consultant, Hector Vasconcelo. If you too think James Hird is god, give Hector a bell and chew the fat. In the meantime, if you want to know what Hector's mum would say about him, spend 60 seconds and find out.

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Go H-bomb! We love ya.

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Slice of Life: Wendi Dawson, Aquent

A few months back we spoke to Gabriel McDowell of award-winning Res Publica Public Relations, and he said the biggest challenge facing his business today was the ability to attract talent, particularly at the account director level. So we thought we'd chat to Wendi Dawson from Aquent, who specialise in recruiting for the PR, Comms and marketing industries.

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Takeaways from this video:
-More employers are attracting talent by offering salary packaging and flexible work practices
-Employees want mentoring, coaching and a clear career path
-When employers are recruiting, the should look for passion and cultural fit, as skills can be taught on the job

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Slice of Life: Hubert Dumas

Have you ever wondered (cared?) about how Slice is able to do what it does? Sometimes when you're dealing with a web business it's easy to forget that there are actually real life human beings behind the scenes making things happen every day. So we'd like to meet Hubert Dumas (aka DJ Hubie aka The Fixer), one of our Slice developers. He's responsible for things like our 'reorder tracking folder' and 'download broadcast items' functionality... and a few more things you'll find out about in the coming weeks!

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Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Slice of Life: Angela Pippos

We were lucky enough to catch up with the gorgeous Angela Pippos, Radio Sport 927 program host, at the Women in PR luncheon a little while back. And it wasn't just her leopard-print, platform, stiletto mary-janes that made an impression on us. After watching her deliver the sports news on the ABC for many years, Angela's sharp wit and love of a good chat had us, and a room full of PRs captivated. Here's an insight into how she became so passionate about men running around in short-shorts and long socks.

How did you discover your passion for what you do – was it love at first sight or something that grew over time?
My passion for writing was ignited at a young age. It comes with having a vivid imagination. I've had some wonderful moments in my life but becoming a published author sits all alone at the top of the list. I'll never forget how happy I felt when I saw copies of my book, The Goddess Advantage, for the first time. That's when it really hit me. I'm a writer. I discovered my passion for journalism at University while studying politics. My passion for sports reporting came out of left field. I've always loved sport but I never thought it would become my career. I took a punt and came to Melbourne in 1997 and I've never looked back.



What are some difficult challenges you have faced and how did you stay passionate?
How long have you got? I'll narrow it down to two (rather substantial) challenges. In 2004 ABC management made Peter Wilkins the face of ABC Sport Australia-wide. My position was diminished, much to the disgust of ABC viewers and the general community. Both sides of politics got involved in the fight. It was a testing time. The outpouring of support meant a lot to me. It also empowered me. It kept me going until 2007 when I resigned. The other difficult challenge came in mid 2007. The ALP approached me to stand for Steve Bracks' old seat of Williamstown. I wasn't given long to make up my mind. It was a difficult decision played out in the public domain after someone leaked it. I decided to turn it down and focus on my creative pursuits instead.

What do you think the components are of a successful PR campaign? Can you give an example?
This is not really my area of expertise but it's important to know who you're targeting - your key demographic, know your product inside out and don't be afraid to think outside the square.

A full-forward or a full-back?
I don't have the attributes for either. I'm more of a midfielder - feisty and evasive. Perhaps I would have made a good politician after all?

Nigella or Gordon?
Nigella by the length of the Flemington straight and then some. Passionate, gorgeous and brunette. No contest.

Bombay or Bordeaux?
I'm drawn to both for very different reasons. I love losing myself in a chaotic big city that's full of life and adventure but I all also enjoy getting away from it all and I can't see any reason why that place shouldn't been a wine-growing region.

Bonus question: Premiership tip?
I'm going out of a limb here - Geelong. My heart says Adelaide but we would need to sort out our forward line and QUICKLY. How hard can it be? All you have to do is kick the ball through the big sticks and pat the team mate who gave you the ball on the bum.

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Slice of Life: Karen Webster, Director L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival

When we went to the Women in PR luncheon a few weeks back, we met up with the wonderful Karen Webster, director of the L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival. Here's a few insights into what keeps her passion for fashion alive... even on shoe string budget!

How did you discover your passion for what you do – was it love at first sight or something that grew over time?
My passion is diverse – as a child I had a love of fashion, style and creating. I was given my first sewing machine at age 4. At age 11 I read Quant by Quant and discovered a desire to be a fashion designer. At age 17 something radical happened to me – I did really well at School – and it was with dismay that my school realised that I was about to waste away going to an art school to study fashion rather than doing something that as they put it “took brains” – the pressure mounted and on I went to study politics and economics – I didn’t complete the degree because without the pressures around me I reconsidered my decision to study fashion but not before I realised early in my career that I am what is strangely regarded as a rare breed in our society someone who uses both their left and right side of the brain – that is I am both a creative and a business head.

Although I went on to design for ten years in Australia and overseas – it is my passion for business and fashion creativity that has provided me the greatest career opportunities. It put me in good stead at RMIT where I worked for 14 years heading up the fashion programs and is now one of my greatest strengths as Festival Director at L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival.


What are some difficult challenges you have faced and how did you stay passionate?
Bringing creative ideas to life on a shoestring budget is one of the greatest challenges. Innovation rises out of adversity and I love this part of the role. The fashion industry works at a speed like no other, so the need to come up with creative ideas as a constant fuels my spirit.

I stay passionate because the fashion industry means a lot to me – I really do believe in the talent that exists in Australia and our ability to position ourselves globally – I am equally passionate about Melbourne as a creative hub so it is wonderful to be in a position to promote this great city.

The biggest buzz comes from making it work – success breeds passion.

What do you think the components are of a successful PR campaign? Can you give an example?
All PR campaigns need strategy – which embodies planning, ideas generation and timing. Strategy will only then work with action. In the world of PR, action is fundamentally supported by networks – now none of this strategy, action and networks will tell any of you anything new. Most even reasonably successful PR companies have this. From our perspective there are some other key characteristics important in a PR firm that will drive successful relationships and campaigns – they are integrity and synergy.

Synergy is about understanding the client and the campaign – having aligned expectations. I love working with our PR company and in-house PR coordinator because working together over time, they just get us – we don’t need to brief them on what to do or not to do.

Connected to this is the notion of integrity – whoever came up with the adage that any publicity is good publicity is so off the mark. Simply put good publicity is good publicity and bad publicity is a shocker and no brand in today’s age should either desire or accept bad publicity. Any publicity that demeans a person or brand should not be turned into a positive.

Mini skirt or maxi dress?
Maxi – so much more sleek, sophisticated and quintessentially Melbourne (avoiding all traces of trash a la chic)

Milan or Tokyo?
I am equally split on this – Milan for sophistication, love of excellence in design and pursuit for perfection. Tokyo by contrast is a toy shop on steroids for any creative person, with inspiration on every street. I love how Tokyo embraces the future with a sense of quirk while maintaining a strong grasp of nostalgia and respect for its heritage.

Platforms or wedges?
Bring on any shoe – the more the merrier and the source of most female happiness.

Macchiato or mocha?
Loyal to Melbourne style – a macchiato any day!

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Slice of Life: Gabriel McDowell, Res Publica

In November 2007, Res Publica won PRIA's top national award for a public affairs campaign, and then in February 2008, Res Publica was named AdNews PR Agency of the Year for 2007 after an exceptional year of growth and success. They were acclaimed for delivering big, original ideas that cut through the clutter and delivered positive brand awareness for their clients. Slice caught up with managing director Gabriel McDowell to uncover some of the secrets to Res Publica's success.

Tell us about a campaign you're most proud of?
The campaign to legalise Therapeutic cloning. We ran the campaign on behalf of a range of patient advocacy groups representing sufferers of diseases and conditions like spinal injuries, juvenile Diabetes, motor neurone disease, Alzheimer's. It was a complex campaign over an extended period of time, incorporating the mobilization of grassroots constituencies, media relations, and lobbying. We won in the end and because it gave real hope and joy to a lot of people, it is the stand out campaign.

How do you measure campaign success?
How happy is the client?

What makes your agency different from others?
I like to think we combine professional excellence with a down to earth attitude. Also, we've got a real results orientated approach and I think it is this combination that helps us attract and retain clients.

What are the biggest challenges facing PR agencies right now?
Getting good people. We elicit a lot a high quantity of applications to our searches but the quality responses are few and far between and the problem's worst at the account director level. So if there's anyone really good out there...

Rolling Stones or The Beatles?
Tough one musically, but for sheer front and because they're the epitome of rock and roll bad boys you can't go past the Stones.

New York or New Delhi?
New York and London are my two favourite cities. I'd happily spend a year to two in either.

Earl Grey or English Breakfast?
I'm Irish so Irish Breakfast.

Loafers or blunnies?
I grew up with Doc Martins, they're probably closer to blunnies.

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Need an expert on your side?

Need a quote from a subject matter expert? Then you're in luck. Thanks to the ingenuity of one Margaret Lawson, you have a suite of Australia's experts at your fingertips waiting for your call!


Expert Guide connects journalists, government, business and the community with thousands of academic and professional experts. The experts come from universities, research centres, museums, CRCs, industry/professional groups, associations, and many more organisations across Australia. Visitors to the site are encourage to use the free resource to enhance research, reporting, teaching and other activities by making contact with one of the many experts listed. Simply enter the topic you need an expert for, press 'Go' and presto - there's a comprehensive list of experts, complete with contact details. Genius!

We asked Margaret a few questions about expertguide.com.au...

How did you come up with the idea, and how long did it take to get the site live?
Like many people with a business idea, I procrastinated and dreamed about it for quite a while – about two years in my case. The idea first came to me when I worked as a communications officer for a university. I took calls every day from journalists who were ringing around looking for an expert. I realised that there were a lot of organisations who wanted to promote their experts to the media, but no central place where journalists could easily find them. Once I started work, it was about nine months from business planning to the go-live in 2004.

What is the business model?
Participating organisations (those whose experts appear on the site) pay an annual subscription of $295, $395 or $1295, depending on how many experts they list. That’s the core business. However, as often happens with a new idea, the model evolves slightly over time as new opportunities arise. After starting Expert Guide, I was presented with a lot of opportunities to do consulting work and media training, and that led to a new business in its own right, Cole Lawson Communications, which I started with Malcolm Cole, a former political journalist. Expert Guide has also grown, and now offers back-end data management for our clients who are managing very large expert databases.

What have been some unexpected uses of the site?
Expert Guide has been found by a lot of professionals outside the media – including lawyers, consultants, speaking agencies, and PR consultants looking for an expert to add credibility to a news release. I didn’t market to those sectors in the beginning, so I think a lot of that growth is due to search engine traffic. I’ve also been surprised to see a lot of overseas journalists using Expert Guide, which they generally find through the search engines. I got some feedback last year that a journalist from the Wall Street Journal had used the site. I felt like I’d made it!

Where do you see the site going in the future?
We’ll have more experts listed, more organisations involved, and more tools and services for visitors. I’m currently working on an offering for PR agencies that will allow their consultants to list multiple experts. That is something that’s being developed in response to feedback from clients. One of the things I love most about small business is the ability to be flexible, to adapt and evolve to meet the market’s needs. As a small organisation, I can be a lot more nimble than a lot of the corporates I’ve worked with. I’m almost always working on a project to enhance the site in some way.

Explorer or Firefox?
Still using Explorer myself, but Expert Guide caters for both.

Decaf or double strength?
Travel & chocolate are my weaknesses. And I’m a tea drinker.

Paris or Peru?
Both, please! Seriously, I’m a travel-aholic. I love Paris, but if I have to choose, my favourite holidays are probably more the “go anywhere, try anything” variety. My last trip, in January, was to South America; I hiked in Patagonia and sailed south from Argentina to Antarctica. I sea kayaked around some of the Antarctic islands and encountered a lot of penguins and icebergs. It was definitely one of the travel highlights of my life.

Gold fish or Great dane?
Definitely the Great Dane. I’m a dog person. My last pet was a rottweiler named Elly.

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Slice of Life: Eric Beecher

A few weeks ago Slice had the pleasure of meeting Eric Beecher, the 2007 Walkley Award winner for Journalistic Leadership. To find out why Eric received his award, watch take a peek at the award presentation here. You'll hear lots of references like 'risk taker', 'forefront of evolving media' and 'advocate of independent journalism'.

Eric was the former editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and editor in chief of the Herald and Weekly Times newspaper group. He is currently co-owner of Crikey, Smart Company, Eureka Report and a founder of Business Spectator - a new and free, online business and finance website with contributors including Alan Kohler, Stephen Bartholomeusz and Robert Gottliebsen.

Here are some of Eric's views, based on his prestation at the Media Monitors Annual Conference in February:

What are the major issues facing Australian journalists today?
The ever decreasing news cycle, and the 'dumbing down' of journalism are issues both locally and overseas. As news can now be rebroadcasted globally in a matter of seconds, it is becoming more difficult to have a 'scoop' story. News is becoming a commodity, where the owners of the information (publishers) and/or the audience value intensively researched, quality journalism less. Well funded journalism is central to a modern democracy, it creates a check and balance to ensure politicians, governments and businesses are kept accountable. Watergate was a prime example of this.

How is Business Spectator different from other business media websites?
We are free business and finance website, independently owned and operated by the people who produce it. We publish around 1000 stories a day and we update the site with commentary as events of the day evolve. Our information is sortable via 28 industry and category filters, which enable you customise our website to your specific interests. And we have some of the brightest minds in the industry on our team.

What are the biggest news/media trends you can see on the horizon?
User generated content and blogs are already here and starting to make an impact - although it's much bigger in the US than Australia currently. Blogs which focus on specialised topics and create like-minded communities are the most successful.

'Copyright' will become increasingly difficult to manage, as content becomes digital and distributed by readers throughout the world over billions of web pages.

The consolidation of mass media ownership, and the convergence of media across platforms - owners are looking to get bigger returns, with fewer resources.

Thanks to Eric for his time and commentary. If you haven't already done so, check out Eric's websites - we believe they have some of the best quality and most relevant Australian content you'll find on the web.

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Grrrrrrr! It's Savage PR!!

This month we get to know the savagely lovely Gina Pearce from Savage PR.



How is Savage PR different from other PR agencies?
Savage Public Relations is a boutique PR company, specialising in beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands and events. Savage Public Relations delivers extensive editorial and brand awareness for its clients.

Why Slice over other monitoring services?
Firstly, Slice is more cost effective than other monitoring companies and secondly, you manage your own account, so you can check your clippings any time, day or night and manage all aspects of your account instantly. In this fast paced industry this is a very valuable asset to any business.

When you analyse your news items, what are you looking for?
Column inches, circulation of publication, equivalent advertising spend, message delivery and if clients contact details are listed in the article.

How does your analysis influence your future campaigns?
Every 6 months we evaluate the all our client’s editorial coverage and this helps us to plan for the next 6 months and target different areas of the media.

What's the best thing you like about Slice?
Self management and price!

Tip/s for other subscribers?
Try Slice and you won’t stop slicing!

Cosmopolitan or martini?
Martini

Blackberry or printed diary?
Paper, but will have to submit to the Blackberry this year!

Yoga or running?
Both, try a 30 minute beach run on sand with 30 minutes yoga at the end watching the sun go down and see how good you feel.

Hillary or Barack?
Barack for sure

Tracking the media, monitoring the message