PR and marketing

Congratulations to BRW web editor and business journalist Jeanne- Vida Douglas for winning the prize of Best Journalist and Best Business Technology Journalist at the eighth annual Red Rock Consulting IT Journalism Awards!

Jeanne- Vida was the first female to win Best Journalist in the eight year history of the award!

Online and digital relationship marketing agency Permission together with other leaders in online retail will be discussing issues including; global retail trends and online digital marketing at the breakfast seminar Online Retailing: Get set for Success.

The seminar, presented by Permission, will include online retail expert speakers including Managing Director of Permission, Jeremy Glass; Managing Director of the multi-channel retail consulting company The Retail Doctor, Brian Walker; and Founder/ CEO of Australia’s fastest growing online bookstore Booktopia, Tony Nash.

Permission MD, Jeremy Glass said “Participants will learn the foundations required to build a successful business online and the practical steps they need to take to get themselves established, drive shoppers to their website and keep them coming back.”

My presentation will offer practical tips on how retailers can stand out from their competitors and break through the clutter by communicating marketing messages that keep customers coming back. I will also discuss how retailers can drive both offline and online sales through digital marketing,” said Mr Glass.

Brian Walker will share insights from the recent International Retail Meeting in Zurich, Global Retail Trends and how what’s holding Australia back in online retail.
Tony Nash will offer a very frank insight into how Booktopia has overcome online retail challenges and how they drive consumers to shop online.

To book a seat at Online Retailing: Get set for Success go to http://events.permission.com.au

Event details
Cost: $35 per person or $260 for table of 8 guests
Date: Thursday 13 May 2010
Time: Start 8am sharp - 9:30am
Venue: The Establishment, room 3, level 3
Address: 252 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
RSVP: http://events.permission.com.au 

About Permission
Permission is a full service Digital Relationship Marketing agency that harnesses the power of relationships and leverages digital technologies to maximise customer lifetime value for companies.
They create and implement tailored digital marketing campaigns that build bonded customer relationships and achieve an outstanding return on investment. Permission’s core competencies include Digital Strategy, Email Marketing, Digital Marketing and Data Management.

For more information on Permission please visit www.permission.com.au

Online publisher Allure Media’s gadget website, Gizmodo, has created massive buzz around the yet-to-be released new iPhone4G by controversially leaking photos of Apple’s latest venture after a prototype was left behind in a bar. The story has drawn significant readership to the technology website.

Gizmodo reported an unlucky Apple engineer had left the new model - disguised as a regular iPhone 3Gs - in a pub near Apple's California headquarters. (http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/04/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone/)
Gizmodo’s breaking of the story online sent blogs and social-media forums such as Twitter into overdrive and as the news reached traditional media the story had already gone viral.

Allure Media Managing Director Chris Janz said: "The speed in which we’ve seen this news break and the popularity of the story proves again that online publishing is the most direct way to get the word out.  If a story grabs the readers’ attention they’ll actively help spread the news."

Allure Media reported significant increases in Gizmodo readership yesterday with the website reaching 103,000 Australian unique browsers, a 264 per cent increase on a typical average of 28,000 browsers.  Worldwide, more than 3.4 million unique browsers read Gizmodo on Tuesday.

The popular story provided Gizmodo with the largest Australian technology audience for the day, outperforming other publications such as CNET and the technology sections of The Sydney Morning Herald, News.com.au and The Age.

-Ends-

About Allure Media
Sydney-based Allure Media is the country’s fastest growing and most dynamic online publisher. They publish targeted websites that provide unique content and targeted loyal audiences for advertisers. The websites include Gizmodo, Kotaku, Lifehacker, PopSugar, FabSugar, BellaSugar, Defamer and Babble. Founded in 2006, Allure Media is backed by technology investment company Netus. www.alluremedia.com

Social media and food go together like strawberries and cream. Slow food has its place, but foodies, chefs and restauranteurs are now using instantaneous media, like Twitter, Facebook and live-blogging to share their culinary triumphs, tips and tastes. 

On May 5th, Media140 and SBS are presenting the ultimate Social Media foodie event which will bring together Sydney’s gourmets and gourmands, chefs, food writers, bloggers, critics and restaurateurs. And while we discuss the ways in which Social Media is changing our cooking, eating and dining experiences, The Internet Chef, Bridget Davis (@Bridget_Cooks) will prepare a variety of canapés as part of her renowned degustation.

“Accessibility to products, restaurants, chefs and food personalities has never been so easy with the social web. Whether you’re chatting with your favourite chef about what's hot at the markets, sharing recipes with your friends or getting real-time recommendations for the best steak restaurant in town – it’s all only a mouse click away. The social web is certainly impacting the food industry,” said Ms Davis.

Journalist & social media researcher, Julie Posetti (@julie_posetti) will discuss with Bridget Davis how she uses twitter and other social media in her work. Then she’ll interview well-known food writers including Lorraine Elliot from Not Quite Nigella (@notquitenigella), and Franz Scheurer (@blues_junkie) the founder of Australian Gourmet Pages and @elegsufficiency (Stephanie Wood, Dep Ed The Sydney Magazine & food blogger). A restaurateur’s experience will also be canvassed while guests enjoy sommelier-matched wines from Robert Oatley Vineyards with Bridget’s cuisine.

SBS’ Senior Marketing & New Media Specialist, Aisha Hillary said “SBS is using new and social media channels to connect, build awareness and engage with audiences. We create relevant and timely content our food audiences love, and serve it when and where they want it. We work together with the foodie community producing content and partnering in events that are important to the development of the food industry.”

Where: Electrolux Centre, 163 O'Riordan St Mascot NSW 2020
Time:  6.45pm for 7.15pm
How much: $15/head
Buy tickets to media140 on the event website (http://www.amiando.com/media140foodies.html)

About media140 
Media140 is an independent global movement creating unique multimedia conferences and events to explore the future of the real-time web. They look at all the real-time platforms that are now beginning to affect business and consumers: to foster discourse, collaboration and innovation within journalism, media, advertising, entertainment, marketing, PR, gaming and technology industries. This event is being produced and hosted by Media140 Australia.

Find out more at http://www.media140.com 
Read the blog http://www.media140.org 
Join the Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/media140 
or just follow on Twitter at  http://www.twitter.com/sydney140 & http://www.twitter.com/media140  

 Last week I had the most amazing opportunity to attend ConnectNow – a three day conference about social media and emerging technologies. Not only did I get to hang out with my twitter folk, I heard incredible speakers that opened my mind to how social media is changing how we communicate and interact.

The speakers were leaders in this field from the US and Australia. I attended the presenters dinner and acted like a  groupie with Brian Solis – who is a prominent thought leader and author of Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR. The photo of me is with his iPad. Don’t ask me why I didn’t get a photo with him! I mean, seriously!

Some of the themes that emerged from the conference include:

• Social media starts with listening and researching. Just showing up on the networks isn’t enough. Brands need to connect and engage with people as individuals.
• Social Media has nothing to do with technology. Its about sociology & psychology. Its making us human again by building villages, connections and opening sharing information and knowledge.   
• We are now built on a word-of-mouth society.
• Content is king! Offer useful information that will help people. Online publishers don’t produce the most content online – individuals do, so its a democratisation of information.
• Story telling isn’t just for kids – we are all story tellers online.
• Love your community – give back.

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.

What's your personal brand?
We all know that Nike, Apple and Toyota are brands. But did you know individuals have brands as well?  In fact, in this world of interconnectivity, personal branding has become critical. 

A brand is the art of standing out. It’s a set of characteristics a company or individual can program to expect a certain quality, consistency, and benefits from their product. Simply, it’s your reputation. 

Like big brands, you need to start by researching your passions, how you want to be perceived and, define your dreams and then put them into action. If you are planning on becoming a leader in a specific field, you need to figure out your competition. 

 

Read how to develop your personal brand on our Public Relations Sydney Blog.

What's your story?                
People tend to remember stories more than they remember facts because they create emotional reactions that people can connect with. Stories can create change, and can bring brands to life. Stories motivate, persuade, inform and inspire.

As Michael Margolis, Author of Believe Me, says “Humans are not plain, rational beings. We seek experiences that spark our imagination and kindle the spirit. Stories are the pathway in.”

Imagine sitting in a conference listening to speakers describing how they established their business. One speaker talks about the steps they took, ie registered the business, got a website and printed a business card. The other a heart-felt honest story about the trials and successes they went through to build a business. I know which one I would remember and relate to. 

In the online world, what we do is tell our story. That is all we are doing – and that is why storytelling is critical for your personal brand – and your company’s brand. 

“Storytelling is our most basic technology, evolved through twenty-first-century innovation. Whether you’re trying to Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube your way into popular consciousness, storytelling is still at the core of all effective communications.” 

“We are fast approaching a tipping point in storytelling. The means of story production have been democratised. If you have a story to tell, the internet provides unlimited, affordable, and easy platforms for sharing your story with the world. Of course, if you want to get people’s attention, you better have a really good story to tell. Technology is just the means, not the end in itself,” says Michael Margolis.

Read more about storytelling on our Public Relations Sydney Blog.

Upcoming events
Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in:

Social Media Women 
Women with an interest in social media are invited to attend the next meeting to be held by the newly launched formal networking group Social Media Women. Whether you are an expert or have never used social media – you will find it an inspirational and collaborative group.1
3 April

Creating Excellent Communicators
This is a two day course that aims to improve your interpersonal communication skills in all workplace situations. It will provide the opportunity to learn how to use your voice and body language to engage clients and colleagues.
22- 23 April

Time Management Training: The Power to Manage Time, Email & Work/ Life Balance
This challenging and in-depth course will teach you how to slow down time and gain control and achieving a balance.
28-29 April

Mother’s Day Classic
Catriona will be running in the Mother's Day Classic to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, a not for profit organisation that promotes and supports research into breast cancer prevention and treatment.
9 May

Perfecting Your Pitch   
This practical course will enhance your ability to sell your stories with confidence and help you develop a professional approach to pitching that editors will appreciate and respond to.11 May

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