Matt Buchanan named judge at CLIO Awards 2012

Managing Director of Pulse Communications, Matt Buchanan has been announced as a juror for the 2012 CLIO Awards in the Public Relations category.

The CLIO Awards is an international advertising, design and communications competition which recognises and rewards creative excellence in the industry. Richard

Beckman, CEO of Prometheus Global Media, parent company of the CLIOs, said “ The CLIO Awards has forged its reputation as the world’s most influential advertising competition thanks in large part to the calibre of our jurors and the integrity of our judging process.

These jurors represent the very top talent in their respective fields and will bring the highest standards of excellence to the CLIOs.”

This year’s CLIO Awards will be held in May at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Kieran Moore to speak at the APAC Summit on Measurement

Ogilvy Public Relations Australia’s CEO, Kieran Moore, will be speaking at the 1^st Asia Pacific PR Summit on Measurement. Held on February 29 to March 1, the summit will focus on public relations performance and encourage new thinking and ideas around setting a standard measurement benchmark for the region.

Kieran will be joined by Whitney Foard Small, the Ford Motor Company; Professor Jim Macnamara, University of Technology Sydney; Eddie Chau, Brandtology; Mike Daniels, Report International; John Croll, Media Monitors; David B. Rockland, Ketchum Pleon Change and Global Research; Nandini Chatterjee, PricewaterhouseCoopers and; Cecilia Chan, Lenovo Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea.

In 2011, Ogilvy PR Australia announced it was abandoning AVEs as a measurement tool. Following on from this announcement, Kieran’s session ‘Chasing Magic Silver Bullets’ will discuss what she has learnt and her plans for Australia’s largest PR consultancy.

Kieran Moore said, “Measurement is the biggest challenge facing the public relations industry. There’s a new world of accountability out there. CEOs are challenging their CMOs and Communications Directors, as never before, to prove the financial effectiveness of PR and the impact on the bottom line. We need to be confident in how we measure; confident that a client examination of how we assess ROI will only show enlightenment, not shadows.”

Ogilvy’s 360 DI team continues pattern of growth with new hire

January 19, 2012: Ogilvy PR Australia’s social media practice, 360˚ Digital Influence continues its strong pattern of business growth, this week announcing the appointment of Roger Christie as Senior Digital Strategist.

Charged with helping to further build the 360˚ DI business in Australia, which has seen rapid and consistent growth since launching several years ago, Christie was most recently Head of Digital at Sefiani Communications.

He will join the team at the end of January and begin work immediately on developing and delivering  B2B social media strategies for a range clients.

Director of Ogilvy 360 Digital Influence Australia Brian Giesen said:  “The addition of Roger confirms Ogilvy’s commitment to strengthening our social media capabilities off of the back of a highly-successful 2011,” he explained.

“Having someone with Roger’s experience and entrepreneurial drive joining the Ogilvy social media team in Australia is a major win for our business and we’re excited to have him on board.”

360 DI is part of Ogilvy PR Australia, a joint venture between Ogilvy Public Relations and STW Group, Australia’s leading marketing content and communications services group.

Ends.

For more information contact:

Rebecca Tilly, STW Group

Ph: +61 410 501 043

 

About Ogilvy Public Relations

­­­­­­­­­­­Ogilvy Public Relations (Ogilvy PR) is a global, multi-disciplinary communications leader operating in more than 80 offices across six continents. In 2011, Ogilvy won more Cannes PR Lions than any other agency worldwide, was named Global Digital/Social Consultancy of the Year by the Holmes Report, won Specialist Agency of the Year in Asia Pacific (Campaign Asia), and won the WPP global, top award (WPPed Cream, Crème de la Crème) for the fourth time in five years. Ogilvy PR integrates deeply with all Ogilvy & Mather disciplines (advertising, direct marketing, activation, promotional, digital and entertainment) through the proprietary Ogilvy Fusion™ approach to delivering comprehensive, business solutions through content creation, community building, and communications with measurable results. Ogilvy PR is a unit of Ogilvy & Mather, a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s largest communications services groups.  For more information, visit our Web site at www.ogilvypr.com or follow us on Twitter at @ogilvypr.

Ogilvy PR trumpet winners

December 20, 2011: Last week, we announced the second round of our trumpet winners. The Trumpets is our formal employee recognition program launched in May this year. Our company culture is built on our three core Values – Partnership, Learn & Grow and One Step ahead, and the program recognises values-based behaviours across the whole business – from great client work to the way we work with each other and aligned with our social and environmental commitments.

A very big congratulations to the winners for this quarter:

Martine L’Eveille – Partnership, nominated by Tam Sandeman

“Martine has been at Ogilvy PR for almost seven years and in that time put her energy and passion to a number of Ogilvy initiatives, but never in that time has she been client-facing. Martine rose to the challenge for Ogilvy Impact when the team was faced with a last minute, but large employee event for a client. Embracing the challenge head on, Martine delivered exceptionally. Her story is about pushing herself professionally and living our partnership value absolutely outstandingly!”

Jacqui Teurlings – Learn & Grow, nominated by Tam Sandeman

“Jacqui personifies Learn & Grow, day in day out. Since day one Jacqui has a thirst for learning.  Jacqui always puts her hand up. What drives this? For Jacqui every day is about stretching herself and professional growth; this not only includes client work but Ogilvy Impact business initiatives too.  She continue to be in the fast lane when it comes to learning and growing every day.”

Melinda Varley – One Step Ahead, nominated by Lelde McCoy

“The usual dictionary definition of “one step ahead” is ‘slightly better prepared or more successful than someone else’. In Melinda Varley’s case she is usually ‘several leaps ahead’ in her approach to solving a client’s PR issue, contributing to a team event or embracing professional development opportunities.”

We look forward to congratulating more trumpet winners in 2012.

Ogilvy PR Australia appointed to support Veda PR activities in 2012

Sydney, December 16, 2011:  Ogilvy Public Relations Australia, a joint venture between Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and STW Group, has been appointed by Australasia’s leading data intelligence and insights firm Veda, following a competitive pitch.

The appointment from January next year, will see specialists from Ogilvy PR’s business-to-business consultancy Howorth and sister consumer and brand agency, Pulse work together to develop and implement a national PR campaign for Veda.

Howorth and Pulse will be supported by Ogilvy’s 360 Digital Influence teams to ensure social and traditional media integration. Ogilvy PR will also work closely with Veda’s communications team to grow brand awareness of the company, with a particular focus on its Commercial Credit Risk and Consumer Credit Risk (B2C fraud identity and credit file) markets.

A leader in credit reporting, analytical tools and marketing services, Veda serves a diverse range of markets including large financial institutions, small to medium sized enterprises, and consumers.  It provides services in Consumer Credit Risk, Commercial Credit Risk, Credit Analytics, Data Solutions, Fraud and Electronic Verification, Insurance, Automotive, Customer Location Services and Commercial Information Brokerage.

Kieran Moore, Ogilvy PR Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, said the win reaffirms Ogilvy PR Australia’s ability to offer highly specialised services tailored specifically to meet a client’s business needs.

“The grouping of expertise from multiple agencies and practices is a key strength within the Ogilvy PR offering in Australia and one which enables us to meet the diversity of client’s requirements   within very specialised areas,” she explained.  “We are also finding the demand for this approach is increasing within the current climate and having our deep expertise under one roof facilitates a tailored response that can address complex requirements.  We are excited about the prospect of putting this deep specialisation to work for an outstanding market leader such as Veda.”

Veda’s Marketing Communications Manager, Katherine Craig, said: “Veda is undergoing an exciting period of growth and change and we needed a PR agency with a track record in delivering successful campaigns. We were very impressed by Ogilvy PR’s understanding of the challenges and opportunities in our market, and in their ability to offer a depth and breadth of expertise. Ogilvy PR’s approach and philosophy matched well with ours, and we look forward to working with the team to make 2012 a successful year.”

Ogilvy PR Australia is a joint venture between Ogilvy PR Worldwide and STW Group, Australia’s leading marketing content and communications services group.  Veda is Australasia’s leading provider of commercial and consumer data intelligence and insights and has been at the forefront of the information services industry for many decades.

Ends.  For more information contact Rebecca Tilly, STW Group, Ph: +61 410 501 043

A new look for Pulse

December 5, 2011: 2011 was a big year for Pulse Communications and what better way to end the year than with a fresh new start.

Following eight very successful years, Pulse has reinvigorated its visual identity to reflect its offering and essence, helping the brand to continue to lead the rapidly-changing consumer PR landscape. 2011 has been our most successful year to date with some of the biggest consumer PR account wins in the industry including Activision, Mattel, Malaysia Kitchen and Milo. We’ve also received recognition for some of our best work with two Asia Pacific Sabre Award wins, a NSW and national PRIA Golden Target award win and we were a finalist for the PR Agency of the Year in the 2011 B&T Awards.

Managing Director, Matt Buchanan, said “Our new logo is the visual representation of a much wider piece of work to craft an agency which will deliver to the needs of clients, media and consumers in a rapidly shifting market. The new identity expresses the brand’s new mantra to ‘be curious’ – a rallying cry to ensure that we are consistently producing both strategically and creatively excellent work.”

Curious? We’d love to chat some more, please get in touch with Matt Buchanan matt@pulsecom.com.au

Ogilvy PR announces leadership changes at Parker & Partners and OgilvyEarth

Ogilvy Public Relations Australia today announced new leadership at public affairs and government relations specialists Parker & Partners and sustainability communications consultancy OgilvyEarth.

Ogilvy PR Australia is investing further in OgilvyEarth, announcing that after a decade at Parker & Partners Managing Director Sarah Cruickshank will move formally into the role of OgilvyEarth Managing Director.

Former senior political adviser Mathew Jones, with Ogilvy PR Australia since 2008, will take on the role of Parker & Partners Managing Director. Both changes are effective 1 January.

“Politics and policy making have never been more interesting and the requirements on public affairs professionals have never been so complex, and so we’re thrilled to announce that Mathew Jones will take on the role of P&P Managing Director after three years at Ogilvy PR,” said Ogilvy Public Relations CEO, Kieran Moore.

“Mat came to us after a stellar career in NSW Labor politics and government, and since joining Ogilvy PR has excelled at providing top quality advice and support to clients engaging with governments and other stakeholders.

“He has also driven some of our key thought leadership initiatives, including the State of Change booklet on the change of government in NSW, work which just last month won an Atticus Award from WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell in London.”

Mr Jones said that in its 14 year history the company’s client roster had never been stronger, providing public affairs support to category-leading corporations in industries including QSR, resources, FMCG, technology, childcare and airlines.

“It’s a really exciting and interesting time for the public affairs and government relations sector, with greater scrutiny and oversight and the impact of technology on communications demanding both strong specialisation and broad skillsets.

“Last week’s events in Canberra once again demonstrated the quick moving political ground. In this environment clients demand not only access and knowledge, but the ability to forecast and interpret trends and respond intelligently to developments.”

Ms Moore said the changes at OgilvyEarth were the next stage in the evolution of the practice in Australia.

“Sarah’s move is a testament to her dedication to OgilvyEarth and her knowledge of and passion for the sustainability policy area,” Ms Moore said. “OgilvyEarth was created here in Australia – where it is the recognised leader in sustainability communications – and has now been successfully established across the global Ogilvy network.”

Ms Cruickshank will be supported by Practice Director Teljya Oka-Pregel – who commenced full time with OgilvyEarth in July 2011 following her in-house role with a major blue-chip company driving its sustainability communications strategy – as well as a dedicated team of sustainability consultants drawn from across the Ogilvy PR Australia business.

She will continue to manage a select high-end client roster at Parker & Partners in a new role of Executive Counsel.

“CEOs, sustainability managers and communications specialists now recognise the need to transform their business operations, but understand it isn’t necessary to have scored a perfect 10 before they communicate this,” Ms Cruickshank said.

“What is important is being able to show that an organisation takes sustainability seriously and this commitment is supported at the most senior levels, that the organisations has commenced its journey of improvement, and that its roadmap to greater sustainability is clear and measurable.”

OgilvyEarth recently announced its formal partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project, an international NGO that operates the only global climate change reporting system for companies, and is a Major Partner of independent research think-tank The Climate Institute.

Ms Moore said the leadership changes meant Ogilvy PR would go into 2012 putting renewed energy and commitment into key parts of the business.

“The fact that we’ve been able to fill these key roles internally shows just how much talent we have here at Ogilvy PR, and that there are fantastic career opportunities within the company that keep employees interested, engaged, and challenged and which meet long-term career goals,” she said.

The changes at Parker & Partners include Canberra Managing Director Greg Sam, who will leave to take up new opportunities outside public affairs consultancy.

“While we understand Greg’s desire to move on to other challenges after eight years with the company we’re very sad to be losing him and wish him all the best,” Ms Moore said.

Ogilvy Public Relations Australia is a joint venture between Ogilvy PR Worldwide and the STW Group. It is the largest and most awarded public relations agency in Australia, scooping more than 50 Australian and global trophies in the last two years, including the top honour amongst all WPP-owned PR agencies.

A little bit of change for Impact

Today marks a significant change day in Impact’s history as we are changing – but just a little bit. From today, we’re dropping two words from our name (‘employee communications’) and becoming ‘Ogilvy Impact’ to reflect the ever-broadening scope of our work.

Over the last 17 years we’ve been engaging and driving action not only with employees, but franchisees, members and sales channels as well. We’re still the same strategic thinkers, playful creatives, compelling storytellers and fearless doers we’ve always been helping Australia’s leading companies achieve great business results.

Being the change experts – everyone in our team has raced through the change curve, is on board with our new name and are now even more passionate about driving creativity and delivering even more award-winning work for our clients. Work that truly makes a business difference.

In the spirit of simple, clear, concise communication, that’s all we wanted to say. Happy Thursday all.

Conference of the Parties

This week has seen the commencement of the 17^th annual Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa.

As with every COP meeting, commentators place undue emphasis on whether or not an all-encompassing global treaty will be achieved – a highly unrealistic expectation given the complexity of international negotiations. You only have to think about how long it takes for international trade agreements to be formalised to realise that in fact the practical progress achieved at each successive COP, by comparison, is impressive.

The Climate Institute – with whom OgilvyEarth is a Major Climate Partner - has a senior representative on the ground and actively involved in the Durban negotiations. To keep up to date with the progress of these important discussions over the next ten days, visit this link http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/durban for some background to COP17, daily updates and regular video blogs.

Sam North speaks at the IABC forum

Sam North, Ogilvy PR’s Media Director and all-round media guru spoke at the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) forum on how businesses should prepare for and respond to a communications crisis.

He was one of two media experts on hand to give his insights into the recent crisis situations to hit Australian businesses and how they were handled from a communications view-point. High profile media dramas like the recent Qantas dispute, the GASP “bad service” email, and the brand damage to Tiger Woods from his extra marital affairs were covered.

Sam noted that businesses must identify who their key stakeholders are before deciding what key messages should be relayed in response to a crisis. Furthermore, general messaging, without specific relevance to customers or employees (as in the Qantas crisis) is not an adequate response. For example, if an employee is worried about the future of his/her job, messaging about flight cancellations is not going to be of interest. Indeed, to a customer looking to get the next flight home, information about the future of the airline in Australia will also not be as immediately relevant.

Reputation, and correctly fostering it, was raised as a key part in dealing with a crisis. Having a good reputation with your stakeholders before a crisis hits, will mean you get more leeway from them when the proverbial hits the fan. Naturally, having “good will” will only last so long in a crisis, but if you already have a bad reputation with customers – like BP during the Gulf of Mexico oil spill – your stakeholders will be more likely to inflame the situation. Businesses must be honest about their reputation.

The growing use of social media from organisations to respond to crises was also addressed during the debate. However, if the presence of a business in this field is not genuine (i.e. just being there as a marketing ploy rather than being used to engage with stakeholders), this can actually do more damage to your brand in a crisis. Allowing your followers on Twitter and Facebook to moderate the discussion themselves, is also a key part of using social media effectively in these tricky situations.

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