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

Pulse wins TWO Sabre Awards

Pulse Communications, Ogilvy PR’s consumer public relations agency, received the very exciting news on Friday that they won two awards at the Holmes Report Asia Pacific Sabre Awards.

Carlton Draught ‘Wagyu Beef’ was named the winning Australian campaign of the year. The campaign saw Carlton Draught and Pulse Communications make a gastronomic breakthrough, combining two of Australia’s favourite ingredients – Beef and Beer – to create what many Aussies believed to be the greatest addition to BBQing since the invention of tongs – Carlton Draught Wagyu Beef, made from beer.

The second win was for the Engineers Australia – ‘Make It So Campaign’ in the Associations category. EA is the national body for the advancement of engineering and professional development, and the ‘Make It So Campaign’ successfully raised the profile of the profession.

The Sabre Awards returned to the APAC region this year after a three year break. They recognise excellence in reputation and branding in the public relations industry. For the first time ever, APAC winners, including both Pulse campaigns, will automatically be entered in to the global competition, which will identify the 25 best of the best PR programmes worldwide.

Congratulations Pulse!

Pulse meets Mickey & Minnie Mouse

On May 29 2011, Disney Junior, a new multiplatform brand and channel devoted to children ages 2-7, debuted in Australia on FOXTEL and AUSTAR. The channel replaced Playhouse Disney, and consumer public relations agency, Pulse Communications, was tasked with securing positive editorial in high profile outlets to raise awareness of the launch and encourage parents and kids to tune in on launch day and beyond.

To celebrate the launch, Mickey & Minnie Mouse travelled to Australia from Disneyland for the first time in 7 years. An exclusive launch party was held at the Sydney Opera House in the week before launch, which was attended by hundreds of parents and kids. Pulse also secured a number of celebrity mums and dads to attend the launch party, including cricketer Ricky Ponting and TV star Katrina Warren.

In addition, Pulse managed a media photo call with Mickey & Minnie and excited local kids at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. Nancy Kanter, Senior Vice President for Disney Junior Worldwide was also in Australia for media interviews in the days before launch, and Pulse secured back-to-back interviews for Nancy over the course of two days.

At the conclusion of the public relations campaign, Pulse had secured positive editorial coverage on the Disney Junior launch that reached over 8 million Australians. Coverage highlights included morning TV show The Circle, and large news pieces with photos in The Australian and the Courier-Mail.  The campaign delivered a 4:1 ROI and exceeded KPIs by almost double.

On launch day, Disney Junior rated the #1 kids channel in Australia and enjoyed 44% more viewers compared with Playhouse Junior the previous Sunday.

Launching Australia’s first Rainforest Alliance Tea by Lipton

Brief: Assist in launching Lipton Black Tea sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms – a first for the Australian tea industry.

Challenge: Prior to the tea’s launch, Australians had a limited understanding and awareness of the Rainforest Alliance Certification™. Pulse needed to manage media skepticism and claims of “green washing” which was an issue high on the media agenda.

Insight: Australians want to make a positive contribution to sustainability and make their world a better place but any actions they undertake need to be manageable and accessible.

Creative Idea: Give Australians tips to make better, sustainable choices at home.

Campaign:  Ogilvy PR’s consumer public relations agency, Pulse Communications, released the “Sustainable Australia?” report, a 12 month study which delved into Australians attitudes and perceptions of sustainability, with support from the Rainforest Alliance.

Pulse briefed 20 key NGO and influencers in the field of sustainability on the new research and certification process. Following this, a press conference featuring key Unilever and Rainforest Alliance spokespeople was held to engage news, environment and marketing media.

Pulse invited two journalists from Notebook and the Sydney Morning Herald to visit the Lipton’s first certified tea plantation in Kericho, Kenya.

To increase longevity of the story as a new angle in phase two of the public relations campaign Pulse focused on one of the key findings from the “Sustainable Australia?” report which revealed Australians are confused about sustainability and how to take action. In order to overcome this, Pulse gave Australians the tools to act sustainably by engaging key women’s/sustainability bloggers by getting sustainability expert Katie Patrick to develop the Lipton “Make a Better Choice” pack which will included top tips for Australians to act sustainability in the home.

Outcome:

• Over 13 million people have been reached through consumer and trade media coverage including key pieces in mx, Sydney Morning Herald, metro radio 2UE and a five-page feature in Notebook
• Pulse successfully managed to overcome any “green washing” claims and negotiated two positive stories with Julian Lee, Marketing Editor of the SMH, including a key news piece in the front section of the paper
• Twenty NGOs and key influencers were engaged on the certification process and the launch announcement received wide support
• 50 pieces of consumer and trade media coverage has been secured including key pieces in metro newspapers
• Every piece of media coverage secured featured at least one key message and over 85 per cent of coverage featured two key messages around Lipton’s commitment to sourcing tea with the Rainforest Alliance
• Over 7,000 Australians engaged in the blogger micro-contest therefore becoming involved in the sustainability concept, and Lipton’s partnership with the Rainforest Alliance

Australia LG Optimus launch

LG-Electronics, a worldwide design leader in mobile technology officially launched its addition to the Smartphone market in a warehouse in Alexandria on 6^th July 2010. Ogilvy PR’s Australia’s consumer public relations agency Pulse Communications worked with LG Electronics’ Mobile Marketing team to execute the launch of its Android handset, and to raise awareness of it latest Smartphone offering amongst Australian media and retailers.

The warehouse was transformed into five different spaces to encapsulate various features that the Optimus offers. Pulse Communications worked with Rizer Events to execute the launch.

The five rooms consisted of a tattoo parlour, featuring a girl being tattooed, this highlighted the phone’s Google Goggles App that can recognise logos and images. It then provides a Google search result based on the findings.

A comedy lounge highlighted the phone’s social networking capabilities as comedians performed and the guests Tweeted feedback and topic requests. The music room saw renowned guitarist Peter Northcote perform as guests were able to look up song lyrics with the Optimus handsets.

The party was attended by consumer, technology and lifestyle journalists, LG partners and employees. Media attendee highlights included The Sun Herald and In Style, Appliance Retailer, Madison and Rolling Stone.

In addition guests also had the chance to rub shoulders with the stars as Pulse Communications secured the attendance of a number of high profile celebrities including sports star Lauren Eagle.

Results of the campaign to date include: 32 product related reviews and a highly coveted social pages piece in a key metro publication. An ongoing review amplification program planned for August/September.

Pulse Communications helps Ford celebrate two Australian motoring firsts

Left to right (front): Former Ford Australia President and CEO; Bill Dix, Senator Kim Carr, Victorian Premier John Brumby, Ford Australia President and CEO; Marin Burela, and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union Federal Secretary Ian Jones

Left to right (rear): Former Ford Performance Racing driver Allan Moffat and Former Ford Australia President and CEO; Sir Brian Inglis

Ford in Australia celebrated two milestones which no other Australian vehicle manufacturer has achieved–85 years of production in Australia and 50 years of the iconic Ford Falcon.

Consumer public relations agency, Pulse was tasked with creating a campaign that celebrated the longevity of Ford and in particular, Falcon by reinforcing its significance in the hearts and minds of Australians who have embraced the car for over 50 years.

Consumer public relations agency, Pulse created two events and a tailored media strategy to generate coverage around Ford’s unique anniversaries.

Firstly, a staged media photo call was held at Ford’s Broadmeadow plant in Melbourne to celebrate the anniversary of the first Falcon rolling off the production line.

Seven Falcons including the first Falcon XK in 1960 and the latest 50th anniversary model were driven off the production line by past Ford Australia presidents, long serving employees and Ford Performance Racing drivers.

The event was witnessed by Victorian Premier, John Brumby and Senator the Hon Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

All major metro TV news crews, VIC metro newspapers and radio stations attended and one-to-one interviews were held with Marin Burela, Ford Australia President and CEO.

The same evening, a gala dinner was held at the Ford Discovery Centre (Ford’s museum) in Geelong, Melbourne to celebrate Ford’s 85th anniversary of vehicle manufacturing in Australia.

Geelong is the birthplace of Ford Australia and the dinner aimed to recreate Ford’s early years by turning back the clocks to the 1920’s.

The venue was transformed into an art deco inspired evening and featured the first Ford Model T off the production line in 1925.

Nearly 200 people attended the dinner including key Geelong Football Club members to signify Ford’s 85 year partnership with the Club.

To support the events, consumer public relations agency Pulse developed a tailored media strategy to generate in-depth news and feature coverage on the history of Ford in Australia. Feature angles included profiling Ford’s long-standing employees, the economic contribution Ford has made to Australia and the history of Falcon.

Pulse created b-roll footage using archived Ford materials to visually showcase Ford’s history in Australia. In addition to being shown at the gala dinner, the footage was used as overlay by key metro TV news programs.

To date, Pulse has reached 63 million Australians via 240 pieces of positive coverage including key pieces on Channel 7 news, Sky News, a double page spread in the Herald Sun, The Australian and Australian Financial Review.

Tongues and Tails wagging at Beneful Bark in the Park

Within the hectic pace of modern life, pet owners are challenged when it comes to spending quality time with their pet. This was the key insight to come from the BENEFUL Fetching Time Report, a research report that coincided with the third annual BENEFUL Bark in the Park event being hosted around the country. Ogilvy PR’s consumer public relations agency Pulse Communications worked with Purina Pet Care again in 2010 to conduct the research and promote the Bark in the Park events taking place in key states. BENEFUL Bark in the Park is a free day out for dog owners and their furry friends, and provides fun complimentary activities and an easy way to spend more quality time with your pet.

The findings of the BENEFUL Fetching Time Report only highlight that pet dogs are quickly becoming more than just an animal in the eyes of dog-loving Aussies. Perhaps quite surprisingly, findings show that double the amount of male respondents (11%), compared to female respondents (5%), say that they consider their dog as a good friend. In contrast, mums’ definitely the word for female Aussie dog owners, as almost double the number of women (5%), compared to men (3%) are adding to their brood with a child of the paw variety, saying they consider their dog as a child.

“As the research indicates, dogs are increasingly considered as more than just a pet. The BENEFUL Bark in the Park™ events provide the perfect bonding opportunity for dog owners and their dogs” comments Nicole Battistessa, Head of Marketing, Purina.

The 2010 campaign was launched in Melbourne on Saturday 20 February, followed successfully by Sydney on Saturday 13 March, and ended with the inaugural Brisbane event on Saturday 27 March. Over 14,000 dogs and their owners enjoyed their quality time together at the three events, partaking in complimentary activities such as dog washing and grooming at the Healthy Radiance tent, free BENEFUL samples, and free expert advice from dog behaviourist Jo Righetti. Most popular was the free caricature of dogs and their owners, which saw the line snaking through the crowd.

A combined PR effort from public relations agency Pulse Communications saw coverage reach over 25 million people, with highlights including the cover of the Daily Telegraph’s Best Weekend Lift out, Channel 9 and 7 news bulletins, and photo stories in metro magazine mX in both Sydney and Brisbane. A case study created extra interest in the findings of the Beneful Fetching Time Report and received coverage in The Courier Mail, in itself reaching over 400,000 Australians.

Public relations agency Pulse Communications found that 99% of messaging included a reference to the BENEFUL Bark in the Park event, and 96% of messaging included the BENEFUL brand reference. With an initial KPI of 55, Pulse secured 77 pieces of coverage, with further pieces still pending publication.