OUR FAVOURITE COMMUNICATIONS STORIES & TIPS OF THE WEEK

How do you know if you should start a PR program? What are some common news consumption habits and which brand unveiled team Canada’s new uniforms for the Pan Am Games? These questions can be answered in our weekly communications stories and tips.

Brands:

In less than 100 days the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games will take place in Toronto. To begin the celebration some Canadian athletes modeled the collection unveiled by Hudson’s Bay Company this week. The Maple Leaf was used as a starting point for the graphics throughout the line, inspired by the 50-year anniversary of the Canadian flag. The new gear is similar in looks to the classic varsity sport and is suitable for both physical and everyday casual wear.

You can read more about the Canadian uniform and the inspiration behind it in the link below.

“Hudson’s Bay debuts Canadian team uniforms for Pan Am” (Marketing Magazine)

Client/Agency Relations:

Sometimes we work on a project and decide that a good way to get the word out about a company, brand or service is to use PR. However, how do you know if you are ready for a PR program? Here are seven questions to ask yourself to determine whether you’re ready to start a PR push:

1. Are your expectations realistic?
2. Can you let go?
3. Are you ready to engage?
4. Do you understand PR isn’t magic?
5. Can you embrace opportunities when they come?
6. Can you overcome the fear factor?
7. Can you provide constructive feedback?

Each of these questions is discussed in more detail in the article link below.

“7 questions to ask before you embark on a PR program” (PR Daily)

Consumption Habits: 

What are our news consumption habits? According to the Pew Research Center’s State of the News Media report for 2015, when, how and what type of news we read says a lot about how we function as a society, how our values are shaped and what influences our opinions. As PR professionals we can learn a lot from this year’s survey as media trends are always evolving and can pose problems when finding and keeping audiences. Knowing where information trends are moving to can make all the difference in how your brand gets noticed or mentioned in the media.

Below is some of the eye catching information from the report. Note, this is based on an American survey, but still applies to Canadians.

• The shrinking cable news audience.
• Podcasting continues to grow.
• Mobile use is up, but desktop holds audiences longer.

“3 PR Takeaways From Pew’s News Media Report” (PR News)

Thought of the week:

“Whatever it is you’re seeking won’t come in the form you’re expecting.” – Haruki Murakami