PR and marketing

Hilton Worldwide today announced that, in support of Earth Hour 2012, all hotels in its portfolio in the Australasian region pledge to go beyond the hour initiative and offset the carbon emissions of every occupied room once a month for the rest of the year. This will be in addition to their pledge to offset carbon emissions from their guest rooms during Earth Hour on Saturday March 31, 2012.

To help out corporate travellers, many of whom are battling to decipher the impact of the upcoming Carbon Tax, all participating Hilton properties in the Australasian region will offset the carbon emissions on the second Monday of every month.

Ashley Spencer, Vice President – Operations, Australasia, said, “Earth Hour has encouraged corporations and individuals to make a commitment to go beyond the hour and to challenge others to do the same. We believe offsetting carbon once a month with help us to reach our sustainability goals and help set the bench marks for other corporations.”

“All customers who choose to stay at a Hilton in Australasia during the elected days will be notified, through information provided in their rooms, of our commitment to Earth Hour and exactly what their occupancy is doing to help the environment. The positives that will come from the amount of carbon we will be offsetting through this initiative far outweigh any financial impact that may occur,” said Mr Spencer.

As the sponsor for Earth Hour this year, Hilton Sydney recently hosted the official launch of Earth Hour 2012 at Marble Bar. To show their full support for Earth Hour, Hilton Worldwide Australasia has taken on a second key initiative in the Earth Hour campaign.

Hilton Worldwide Australasia will be taking part in Earth Hour Unplugged - a series of community based events that will not be using electricity or emitting any carbon during and even beyond the hour.

“Each individual Hilton property will be hosting their own Unplugged event during Earth Hour. Some properties will be hosting candle-lit dinners while others will be featuring local talent giving ‘unplugged’ or acoustic performances,” said Mr Spencer. 

Hilton Sydney plans to mark Earth Hour 2012 from 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, March 31, 2012 as people and organisations around the world turn off their lights in support of action on global climate change

The hotel's signature 'Earth Hour Unplugged' event will be a free, acoustic gig at iconic live music-hub, Marble Bar with Melbourne's coolest rock and roll sextet, The Hello Morning. Heading to Sydney especially to play the one-night only acoustic set during Earth Hour, 8.30pm - 9.30pm, the candlelit gig is set to be unmissable and a spotlight Sydney event for Earth Hour 2012.

Each property will have their Unplugged event listed on the WWF-Earth Hour website.

For more information on the Carbon Offset project, visit www.hilton.com/Australasia.carbonoffset.

For more information on Hilton Worldwide’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.hiltonworldwide.com/sustainability.

For more information on Earth Hour 2012 visit http://www.wwf.org.au/earthhour/


About Hilton Worldwide
Hilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 93 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,800 hotels and timeshare properties, with 630,000 rooms in 88 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.


About Earth Hour
Held each year at 8:30pm on the last Saturday in March, Earth Hour is a WWF initiative which symbolises the collective power of individuals, businesses and governments to reduce our environmental impact on this one and only planet we call home.

From its beginnings in one city in one country - Sydney - Earth Hour has grown to millions of people in over 5000 cities across 135 countries, a truly global community committed to creating a more sustainable planet.

Macquarie University’s The Financial Risk Day: Risk and Regulation  – Past, Present and Future conference on 30 March 2012 will bring together academics and industry leaders to exchange ideas and research on the management of financial risk.

The focus will be on the interplay between the theory and practice of financial risk management, the exchange of information on contemporary financial risk topics, and prioritisation of research in the area.

The key speaker will be Sanjiv Das, Professor of Finance, Santa Clara University who will present on ‘Risk, Regulation and Restructuring of Distressed Mortgage Debt’. His presentation will cover the US housing crisis and the successful models he has built to restructure failed mortgages in an effort to bolster bank balance sheets and to keep borrowers in their homes.

His research will be of interest to lenders, borrowers, regulators and investors concerned about distressed mortgage debt.

Professor Das previously worked at Harvard Business School and UC Berkeley and is currently senior editor of the Journal of Investment Management. Prior to being an academic, he worked in the derivatives business in the Asia-Pacific region as a Vice-President at Citibank.

Professor John Jarratt, Head of Department of Applied Finance and Actuarial Studies, Faculty of Business and Economics, Macquarie University said “This event will bring together a broad range of practical experience and academic research to stimulate discussion around the topic of financial risk.”

“We have some excellent speakers coming together to share their ideas, experiences and insights in financial risk management,” said Professor Jarratt.

Details
Date: Friday 30 March 2012, 8.30am – 5pm
Where: Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Darling Harbour
Cost: $495
www.be.mq.edu.au/riskday2012

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About Macquarie University Faculty of Business & Economics
Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in addition to strong academic research in the fields of accounting and finance, actuarial studies, business, economics, marketing and management. http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/

 

A survey of the Australian hospitality industry shows that although the boom of online, ecommerce and digital media are well on their way to being powerful business strategies, the hospitality industry is still wary of online business and ecommerce.

The survey conducted by GoHospitality.com.au of more than 850 businesses highlighted that almost a third of the respondents don’t have a website for their business and more than 52 percent do not feel the need to buy or sell any products or services online.

The survey revealed that many businesses in the hospitality industry have been reluctant to adopt an online business strategy.

The survey, however, did show an increase in interest toward the utilisation of online marketing. Although more than half of those surveyed do not use the internet to buy or sell, 82 percent stated they would begin to engage in online buying and/or selling in the future.

Additionally, while 85 percent of business owners surveyed believe that a website is important for their business, a quarter of them do not believe their customers find them online. Furthermore, more than one fifth of business owners in the hospitality industry believe they are unaffected by the internet and mobile commerce.

GoHospitality.com.au Account Manager Kylie Tabrett said, “Although there is indication of attitude changing towards the internet and digital strategies in the hospitality industry there is still very little action going on. Although the internet is the preferred source of information for the hospitality industry their actions just aren’t matching their needs.”

“There seems to be something stopping business owners in the hospitality industry from integrating more with the internet. More than half of those surveyed claimed not to shop online for hospitality products and yet 96 percent believe it’s a viable channel – it’s very contradictory,” said Ms Tabrett.

When business owners were questioned about the internet and an increase to global competition via online businesses and ecommerce:

• Just over one third did not believe the internet helped their business to compete globally in any way.
• 73 percent do not believe their business will be negatively affected by customers going online to shop with overseas suppliers.
• One fifth were unsure whether or not their website helped them to compete with global competition.

“Although businesses in the hospitality sector appear confident about global competition only 26 percent surveyed said their business can compete with overseas pricing. The majority stated they believed they could only sometimes compete,” said Ms Tabrett.

Almost 40 percent of business owners shop online from overseas businesses with 86 percent of those online shoppers claiming to have saved money.

“We see business owners in the hospitality industry shopping online because it saves them money and yet those same business owners are claiming they do not believe their customers will go the same way,” said Ms Tabrett

Australian made products were said to be much more expensive with 74 percent of the surveyed business owners stating overseas products were cheaper but when questioned on quality vs. price 57 percent were confident that their customers would opt for quality even if it meant spending more money.

However, when asked whether the business owners themselves would opt for Australian made over price just over half stated they would in fact go with the cheaper option.

Ms Tabrett said, “The flood of coupon sites offering discount deals in accommodation, dining, and entertainment are signs that the industry is responding to a competitive local market with price conscious consumers. Naturally, businesses are branching out overseas to buy cheaper supplies in order to compete and increase profitability.”

“In addition to leveraging the internet to source products for their business, it seems the hospitality industry is yet to realise the real potential of the internet as a tool to future-proof their business and build on the engagement and loyalty of each customer. Otherwise a discount will trump quality every time,” said Ms Tabrett.

Business and non-business owners in the hospitality industry were surveyed about the effects of major issues in their sector including financial, environmental issues and cost of resources.

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For further information or interviews please contact:
Lauren Milne
CP Communications
Phone: 02 9460 9200

About the survey
The survey of 866 business and non-business owners in the hospitality industry over the age of 18 years was carried out over the months of September, October, November and December 2011, and January and February 2012 covering all states and territories of Australia and representing all demographics.

About GoHospitality.com.au
GoHospitality.com.au is an online business directory servicing the hospitality industry. Owned and operated by Catch, an online division of Reed Business Information Australia, GoHospitality.com.au provides a comprehensive central online source containing the latest product, company and industry news updates.
www.gohospitality.com.au 

KEY FINDINGS FROM THE SURVEY

Online trends and buying habits

• 76 percent reported the internet to be the number one preferred source of information to support purchase decisions.
• The internet is a rich resource for hospitality professionals who claim to use the internet primarily for researching products & services (83.8 percent) – as well as finding suppliers of sought products and services (81.3 percent).
• Of the hospitality professionals surveyed (non-business owners), 48.8 percent claimed they will change their buying
  habits to incorporate products from overseas.
• Hospitality professionals surveyed agreed that while Australian products were more expensive (74.2 percent) – they also agreed that they were a better quality (63 percent).
• Business owners also felt confident that their customers would opt for quality (57.1 percent) over price (42.9 percent).

Search Engine Optimisation

• Of those businesses who reported having a website, more than half (51.8 percent) were confident of their SEO performance.
• 27.9 percent were certain their SEO was not good and 20.2 percent were unsure whether their SEO was good or bad.
• Results indicate a significant portion of the hospitality market has an understanding or awareness of what SEO (and Internet marketing) is.

Hospitality industry outlook on the Carbon Tax

• More than half (53.5 percent) of the hospitality industry believe carbon emissions will not be reduced as a result of the carbon tax.
• 52.5 percent of the hospitality industry claimed they would use alternative energy sources in the future due to the carbon tax.
• 91.2 percent of the hospitality industry claimed they do make an effort to reduce carbon emissions and 41.5 percent already use alternative energy sources for sustainability.
• 91.4 percent of the hospitality industry is concerned about environmental issues of which the majority worried about Water conservation and consumption, followed by climate change.

Future outlook for the hospitality industry

• While 62.1 percent of hospitality businesses felt positive about the future of the industry, the remaining 37.9 percent of businesses were either unsure (27 percent) or did not think the future of the Australian hospitality industry looked promising (10.9 percent).
• The main concern for Hospitality businesses in 2012 were reported as the Global financial crisis, followed closely by the declining retail sales in Australia.

We are very excited to be participating in the Million Paws Walk 20th May 2012 to help raise money for the RSPCA.

We love animals and we believe that they should be protected, which is why we are supporting this very worthwhile cause.

The RSPCA NSW cares for and protects neglected, abused, injured and strayed animals. Last year 46,558 animals went to the RSPCA for help. The RSPCA provides new homes for neglected animals, educates the community, responds to animal cruelty complaints and so much more.

The Million Paws Walk aims to inform, entertain and educate the community about animal welfare to help stop animal cruelty in Australia.

We will be walking the 4km track around Olympic Park in Sydney on Sunday 20th May 2012.

We hope that by participating in the Million Paws Walk we can raise money and awareness to help neglected animals, but we need your help.

Please support our team and the RSPCA by donating to our CP Communications fundraising page.

Help us achieve our fundraising target of $250!

Donate here.

Meet Leiah

Leiah is a fluffy 18 month old spoodle who will be joining us on the Million Paws Walk. She’s a photogenic teddy bear that loves a good play. Leiah regularly visits our office and acts as a guard dog when the mail man arrives. She is very friendly and can’t wait to attend the Million Paws Walk with us.

Measuring the value of social media with Tracey Brown

With growing numbers of Australian businesses using social media, the need to measure the effectiveness of social media activity is becoming increasingly important.

Surprisingly, many businesses do not measure the effectiveness of their social media activity, or they’re unsure what to measure or where to start.

Tracey will discuss the importance of measuring social media activity by looking into how success can be defined and measured using simple tools.

She will explain how to get the most out of your social media measurement tools, how to measure the success of a social media campaign and what the future holds for social media measurement.

About Tracey:
Tracey Brown has worked in online for over 15 years, from Westpac eBusiness, to co-founding Tipping Point in Sydney, before moving to London as Head of Digital for Schroders. She also held a global online CRM role for Vodafone Group.

Now back in Sydney, Tracey co-founded eMarketingConnected in December 2010.

Her breadth of experience ranges from online strategy, strategic email marketing, social media strategy, benchmarking and optimisation strategies, to user experience definition and content strategy.

Tracey has delivered workshops and training programmes in USA, Asia, Sth Africa, UK & Europe. She also conducts events and workshops for clients and members.

Tracey’s company eMarketingConnected has recently produced a comprehensive report on the social media activities of Australia’s 500 largest organisations, ‘How the Largest Australian brands use Social Media’. The company has also produced other reports such as ‘Why The Largest Australian Retailers Are Losing The Online Battle’ and ‘How Are Australian Brands Using Facebook’.

Twitter: @traceybrown74

Please note: This month's Social Media Women is being held on the FIRST Tuesday of the month as the second Tuesday falls too close to Easter.

A not to be missed event - learn about the importance of measuring your social media activity by using simply tools.

LUCKY DOOR PRIZE - You could win a corporate headshot session from Polly Street valued at $385! This includes: 30 to 45 Minutes on location photo session, an online preview gallery to select your favourite shots, 3 Edited and retouched high res image files.

Register now for our April event at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1933221317

Date: Tuesday 3 April 2012 (First week in April)
Time: 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Venue: The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel,
134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
(Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Meet amazing women as well as discussing the ever changing world of social media.

Macquarie University’s Women, Management & Work Conference on 12-13 July 2012 will empower women to take control of their career by building on, and embracing, their full potential to become influential leaders in their field.

Newly appointed conference director Jenny Morawska, President and CEO of The Morawska Group said, “This year we are aiming to inspire and encourage women looking to make their mark in corporate leadership to act on their strengths and be empowered to start making changes.”

“It’s not enough to just discuss why women should be involved in more leadership positions. We need to inspire and empower women to start doing,” she said.

Women and men who are leaders in business and government will identify strategies to achieve higher levels of women in leadership roles throughout Australia. The conference will share inspirational stories, practical tips and tools to help the audience build on their strengths, unlock their potential and become empowered.

“Positive steps are being taken for women in leadership positions, but it isn’t enough. We need to start working together with men to ensure that the corporate landscape takes this on as an issue and begins helping us to make a change,” Ms Morawska said.

The Women, Management & Work: Inspiration and Empowerment – Creating your future conference is specifically designed to provide practical and relevant advice on empowerment, negotiation, social networking, presentation skills, workplace diversity, networking, mentoring, and career development.

Topics to be discussed over the two days include; the emerging future of corporate leadership, leveraging personal networks and how to be seen and heard in the workplace, as well as tips on how to empower your strengths to become an influential and successful leader.

The conference is hosted by the Centre for Workforce Futures, in the Department of Marketing and Management, Faculty of Business and Economics.  Professor Ray Markey the new director of the Centre for Workforce Futures said, “This conference gives voice to the many issues surrounding diversity and the changing dynamic in today’s workplace. Our research and academic input will give delegates an insight into the future of work and their place in it”.

Date: 12 - 13 July 2012, 9am – 5pm
Where: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip St, Sydney
For more information, program details & registration: www.mm.mq.edu.au/wmwc 
Fee: Early Bird $1,725 until 1 June 2012, $2,300

On Sunday I went to an event that kicked off a week of celebrating International Women’s Day called the F word with Germaine Greer and Naomi Wolf. These women shared their views on feminism in the global context, as well as what it means in today’s society.

Both women have formidable intellects and raised really interesting and valuable issues. Some of which I agreed with, and others I didn’t.

I was very aware of the privilege of sitting and hearing them.

As Germaine said, “In some countries feminism is a matter of life and death” quoting a situation where a woman was killed because she wore lipstick.

As an educated woman living in the western world, I do have choices. Many choices. I realised it’s how I act on those choices that makes the difference.

One of the comments made by both women got me thinking. Germaine said “I’m going to get in trouble for saying this but I’m going to say it anyway”. That’s what people love about her (and why others hate her).

On International Women’s Day this Thursday 8th March 2012 maybe it’s time for all of us to 'say something anyway'! Maybe it’s time to act in a courageous way that will help the women around you, or women in the global community.

There are so many events to celebrate International Women’s Day. Here is a list of events you might be interested in.

Join me:
International Women Day: I'm a panelist for Women as Entrepreneurs event WE WIN, Women Empowering Women In Need. It’s an awareness and charity event, a celebration of the successes of women with a focus on enabling change for women as entrepreneurs, both here and in the third world. Special price tickets for our friends $45, register here using "CPComm".

Step into the spotlight with PR and social media: Join me on 28 March 2012 at the Women’s Network Australia’s lunch where I’ll be talking about Stepping Into the Spotlight Using PR and Social Media – both from a business and personal perspective. Register here.

Learn how to do your own PR: My next one day workshop – PR and Media Releases that get Results – is on 30th March 2012. Learn how to construct a PR strategy including how to develop media angles, pitches, media releases, articles, case studies and editorials. You will also learn how to strategically use these tools to maximise your chance of achieving your PR objectives. This event is held at the Sydney Writers’ Centre. Register here.

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.

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How to create a media list
Do you want to generate publicity for your business with a media release? Then you need to create a media list and start pitching your release to the right journalists.

A media list documents the key media contacts in your industry that would be interested in your media release. These contacts can include journalists, producers, bloggers, freelancers and editors.

A media list allows you to create a targeted approach to the distribution of your information. By targeting the right journalists you can gain coverage in the publications that your target audience views. This means that the right audience will see your media release at the right time.

Here are some steps to creating a media list.

1. Find your audience: The purpose of a media list is to gain coverage in publications that your target audience uses or views. This means that you need to write a list of all the publications, blogs and TV programs that appeal to your target audience.
2. Identify contacts: Once you have a list of publications you now need to identify the appropriate contact person to send your information to. Usually the most appropriate contact is the reporter or editor who covers the topic in your media release. You can find their email address or phone number on their publication’s website or call the publication directly. Try to avoid sending your media release to the email address for general enquires or “editor@” because it usually will not reach the right contact person in that publication.
3. Create a Database: Organise your media list into a database such as excel document, with separate columns for the name of the publication, the contact person, their job title, email address and phone number.
4. Categorise your list: You should categorise your list into different sections for each media outlet. For example you could create a section for all your newspaper contacts and another section for all your magazine contacts.
5. Update your list regularly: Media professionals often change their career or areas of expertise, which means you should constantly update your media list. Remember to update your list if your contact person changes or if you find new contacts.

Read the full article here.
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Why your business should start pinning on Pinterest
Have you heard the saying a picture paints a thousand words? Well your business can do just that on Pinterest.

Pinterest is a new social media site where you can create online bulletin boards and ‘pin’ your favourite images to it.

You can create a variety of bulletin boards in any category imaginable. Your followers can then view your images, like them, add a comment and re-pin them to their own boards. Each image represents a link to its original website, which makes sharing images and websites easy.

It isn’t a broadcast mechanism and doesn’t encourage product pushing, so you need to be creative and take a different approach to Twitter and Facebook.

The images on Pinterest can quickly convey their messages to the audience with just a glance, instead of users reading through long lists of text on Twitter and Facebook.

There are also a number of sharing options. Each image can be shared on Facebook and Twitter, you can embed it so the pin can be shared on blogs and external sites (which is great for link building) and the URL can be shared via email.

Read how Pinterest can benefit your business on our Public Relations Sydney blog.
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Upcoming events
Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in:

International Women’s Day: Reception, Expo, Lunch and Seminar
Celebrate International Women’s Day and hear the success stories of three inspirational women. During the expo a wide range of businesses and women’s organisation will showcase their community work. You then have the opportunity to network with other like-minded women during the included lunch.
8 March – Rockingham, WA

Strike a Pose for International Women’s Day
Get involved in a professional flashmob to promote the global recognition of International Women’s Day! The event will be held at 2pm at Martin Place in Sydney where participants will strike 10 pre-prepared poses over 5 minutes. You will be given the poses weeks in advance and anyone can participate.
8 March – Sydney, NSW

Women Empowering Women In Need
WE WIN, Women Empowering Women In Need, a celebration of International Women’s Day, presented by Women as Entrepreneurs. This is an awareness event – a celebration of successes of women with a focus on enabling change for women as entrepreneurs, both here and in the third world. Speakers include Catriona Pollard, Angela Vithoulkas, Orsi Parkany, Lisa Messenger, Kim McGuinness, Nicole Kersh, Hannah Schwartz and Maria Padisetti.
8 March – Sydney, NSW

Social Media Women
Online presence, e-commerce and social media are now necessary in every retailer’s marketing strategy. At this networking event Nancy Georges, “the Retail Miss Fix-it”, will give you the information to get you started in e-commerce and social media to increase your online presence.
13 March – Sydney, NSW 

Start your own business
This free seminar will provide you with the information you need to start your own business. You will learn about the legal and insurance requirements, the different options for a business structure and learn about what it takes to run a successful business. You will be given resources and a checklist to help you start your own business.
14 March – Newcastle, NSW

Creating successful social media strategy+ crisis management, measurement and evaluation (B2C)
This two day workshop will show you how to evaluate your social media activity using the latest social media monitoring, measuring and evaluating practices. Learn how to manage your own social media campaigns and gain actual ROI results. Learn how to prepare for social media crisis situations.
15 – 16 March – Brisbane, QLD

Do you want to generate publicity for your business with a media release? Then you need to create a media list and start pitching your release to the right journalists.

A media list documents the key media contacts in your industry that would be interested in your media release. These contacts can include journalists, producers, bloggers, freelancers and editors.

A media list allows you to create a targeted approach to the distribution of your information. By targeting the right journalists you can gain coverage in the publications that your target audience views. This means that the right audience will see your media release at the right time.

Here are some steps to creating a media list:

1. Find your audience: The purpose of a media list is to gain coverage in publications that your target audience uses or views. This means that you need to write a list of all the publications, blogs and TV programs that appeal to your target audience.
2. Identify contacts: Once you have a list of publications you now need to identify the appropriate contact person to send your information to. Usually the most appropriate contact is the reporter or editor who covers the topic in your media release. You can find their email address or phone number on their publication’s website or call the publication directly. Try to avoid sending your media release to the email address for general enquires or “editor@” because it usually will not reach the right contact person in that publication.
3. Create a Database: Organise your media list into a database such as an excel document, with separate columns for the name of the publication, the contact person, their job title, email address and phone number.
4. Categorise your list: You should categorise your list into different sections for each media outlet. For example you could create a section for all your newspaper contacts and another section for all your magazine contacts.
5. Update your list regularly: Media professionals often change their career or areas of expertise, which means you should constantly update your media list. Remember to update your list if your contact person changes or if you find new contacts.

If creating your own media list sounds too hard then you can get help from an online media guide such as Margaret Gee’s Australian Media Guide. These sites provide an online database of contact information for media professionals.

Another alternative is to hire a PR agency because they have an extensive list of media contacts and know how to create a perfect media list.

Once you have created your media list you can start contacting journalists to gain coverage in the most appropriate media that will reach your target audience.