Tuesday, 3 May 2011

An insight into PR

I contacted a friend, Jay, who I know has had a lot of experience in the field of PR. I asked him to give me an insight into what he has done before. The information gathered concludes that relations with people in the media industry is very useful, you also need to be up to date with current issues and affairs that are present in the news.

PR is the art of achieving media coverage for a client without paying for it. As a PR you act as the middle man between the media and the client (Businesses, Charities, Institutions, Celebrities).

On a day to day basis, I had to write press releases to send out to all relevant media contacts informing them of 'media worthy' developments. The main challenge is often making the most mundane stories sound interesting enough to get them published.

The best PR's build up strong relationships with those who work in the media. This is the easiest way to ensure your client gets the maximum amount of coverage on a regular basis. When working on behalf of a high end restaurant and nightclub in London, I had to spend many evenings wining and dining journalists and feeding them false show-biz stories to guarantee the business got the coverage it needed.

The only way to judge whether your doing a good job is by scanning the media on a daily basis and highlighting all references to your client. There is no better feeling that opening a newspaper and seeing an entire double page feature on your client.

The most interesting part about the job is the whole area of PR Stunts. Press releases get dull and they often fail to have any impact. Most PR's now have to resort to setting up huge stunts to ensure they get the pictures or stories they need. When working on the Radio 1 Live Lounge album we made a number of famous bands do sets in busking locations across the London Underground. The pictures hit every newspaper and magazine we targeted!

I now work in the field of Event Promotion. The role has a greater focus on direct marketing and the development of long term promotional campaigns.

Monday, 2 May 2011

An area of interest

Public Relations (PR) is an area of the media that I have found interest in. PR involves communication of the organisation with the public that generates goodwill. It aims to produce and maintain a positive perception of the organisation; this is crucial for a successful business.
There are many ways to promote an organisation, event or business. Targeting the media is one way that will generate a great deal of success if done correctly and strategically. For example, promoting a new nightclub may include a spokesman from the organisation doing interviews with local newspapers or magazines, as well as print advertising in the paper. The company will aim to choose a particular magazine or newspaper that they believe their target audience may read and take notice of. Promotional material such as stickers, banners or products that relate to what is being promoted is also one of the ways that involves the public.

The company may also choose to do a promotional stunt or event. For example a case study that I found when researching PR was Bacardi Limited, one of the largest spirits companies in the world, partnered with Burson-Marsteller to launch its first ever global corporate responsibility campaign, Champions Drink Responsibly. The objective was to position Bacardi as a responsible company, prepared to address alcohol harm issues. Their strategy targeted the Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher to support their message ‘Drinking and Driving don’t mix’. They ran a competition online where Schumacher would drive the winner around a racecourse. They also contacted the BBC, where the famous reveal of ‘The Stig’ on Top Gear was revealed as Schumacher. His interview promoted Bacardi and the drink aware campaign; consequently the promotion reached millions of viewers all over the world, online, in the papers, Internet and magazines.

PR can also involve conference meetings, sponsorships, online viral marketing and face-to-face communication with the public. The PR company needs to generate as much interest and buzz about the product or event as possible, they need to devise a plan that aims to do so positively and effectively.

Furthermore, the skills involved in PR include communication; this needs to be on a small scale, face-to-face talking and also on a larger scale, to the general public or interaction with a company. Communication with co-workers, employers, the public and media representatives are part of the day-to-day duty of someone working in PR. Writing skills are also required, as well as being proactive and working with a team of people. Being organised is also vital as job duties encompass media relations and event planning, furthermore PR involves a lot of forward thinking and it can be very time consuming. PR professionals can be responsible for handling pre-planning, logistics, setup, and promotions for news conferences, grand openings, new product launches, and many other types of events.

PR seems to be similar to jobs in marketing, as it involves generating interest in a particular field. Both jobs offer positions in fashion, technology, food, health and products and so on, either on a large scale or with a smaller independent business.

It seems that a postgraduate course in communication and media, marketing or something along those lines will be particularly useful. PR is one of the most chosen careers by postgraduates, therefore the more work experience and qualifications gained, seems to beneficial!
It appears that the media tends to show PR as a glamorous and lavish lifestyle, for example Samantha Jones in Sex and the City. She is confidant, outgoing and is always seen lunching and mixing with celebrities. However, from my research into the field it appears to be fairly the opposite of how the media represents it. It involves a lot of long hours; it doesn’t appear to be a 9-5 job!

To improve as an undergraduate I believe I need to prepare and plan my assignments more efficiently. Forward planning and organisation would benefit me when writing the essay; a structure would definitely help the writing process. Although I think my time management is quite good, I could improve by starting assignments a bit earlier. This would then help if I became stuck or the assignment was more complex than originally thought. Consequently this would improve my essays, as it would allow me to spend more time making sure that I have answered the question properly and that my writing is of a high standard.

Public speaking is inevitable if I chose to take PR as a career choice. Being confident and presentable when public speaking can be a challenge, I believe that if I feel confident about the topic I am presenting, then public speaking will be a lot easier. It’s something that with practice it will become easier and I will probably feel more self-assured when faced with the challenge.

Monday, 18 October 2010

Supermarket sweep


Tesco Value porridge oats VS Tesco finest porridge oats.

Tesco Value porridge oats at 75p (1kg).



By instantly looking at the product the consumer is aware that it is a Tesco value product. This is because the colours and the font act as codes that are associated with Tesco’s, therefore the consumer decodes this and understands it is one of their value products. The information on the front is minimal along with the packaging; it is presented in the simplest form without any reference to taste and quality. The packaging also signifies the value of the product; it looks cheap and doesn’t benefit the consumer in terms of its storage.

Tesco Finest porridge oats £1.49 (750g).




This product’s main focus point is the bowl of porridge that entices the consumer, it looks appealing which signifies that the product will taste good. The word ‘finest’ is in a different font to the rest which makes it stand out, as well as the product information clearly displayed in the middle of the box. It gives the consumer nutritional information as well as where it has been grown, this informs the consumer that the product is of a specific quality. The image in the background of the oats in a field is an encoder that denotes the natural environment and emphasises the ‘100% wholegrain’ of the product. By letting the buyer see images of where it has been grown acts as a signifier of quality and it seems like it has come straight from the fields rather than being in a factory for a long period of time therefore putting emphasis on the ‘finest’.

The Tesco Value oats offers a higher quantity for price than the finest oats, which leads the buyer to think that the standard is low therefore the price is low. In relation to social differences the quality of the value product seems as if it would be for people who could only afford the cheapest end of the range, as the overall look is plain and it hasn’t been designed to entice the consumer. Whereas the finest oats box appears to have had more time and thought put into the product which suggests quality. However, the consumer doesn’t know which one is of a better quality in terms of taste and what will satisfy their personal needs. The value product could taste the same or even better than the finest product, nevertheless the finest oats is more appealing but the buyer will get less quantity for the price. Therefore a contrast in social difference is created just from the design of a product, neither of the oats can be defined by its taste through the packaging but consumers assume that the finest product will be the better one.

Sunday, 6 December 2009

What is Continuity Editing?


Continuity editing uses a combination of combining shots and rules of framing in order to help the audience make sense of what is going on. It is an active two way process in which the audience are meant to decode signs without thinking. The audience are not supposed to notice the techniques used, for example the ‘180˚’ rule or the’ crossing the line’ rule. The 180˚ rule is set-up so that there is no confusion over narrative time and space. The editing process uses ‘cuts’ in order to have a smooth transition from one piece of dialogue, location or action to the next. It is intended to provide a ‘realistic’ set of events. However, texts can go against the rules of realistic editing in order to cause a disorientating or discontinuous narrative for the audience (Tarantino for example!).

The ‘180˚’ rule -dictates that the camera should stay in one of the areas on either side of the axis of action. There is an imaginary line drawn between the two key elements A and B in a scene, usually two characters.


A few examples of editing techniques that help create different meanings when used.


Cut- a single unbroken strip of film.

Establishing shot- a shot used at the beginning of the scene, to show the audience the location or the relationship with other aspects that follow.

Close up- a shot that is close to the object, face or subject. Usually reveals detail

Extreme close-up- a shot that shows the subject in a lot of detail, for example writing in a book.

Jump cut- is a shot that breaks the continuity of time.

Pan- the rotation of the camera on a vertical axis.

Dissolve- the shots merge together through an edited almost fade technique.

Point of view shot- is from the view of a character on screen or for the audiences understanding of an important subject, what they want you too see through their eyes.

Montage -scenes whose expressive impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots.

Tilt- the camera is fixed but tilts up or down.

Text and the City




‘Wales Millennium Centre opened in 2004 and has already established its reputation as one of the World`s iconic arts and cultural destinations. The vision of the Centre is to be an internationally significant cultural landmark and centre for the performing arts, renowned for inspiration, excellence and leadership.’ (www.wmc.org.uk)

The centre is an arts centre located in Cardiff Bay; it hosts performances of theatre, dance, opera, comedy and musicals. The calligraphy on the building is part Welsh ‘Creu Gwir fel gwydr o ffwrnais awen’ which translates ‘Creating truth like glass from the furnace of inspiration’, the other part is in English ‘In These Stones Horizons Sing’, composed by the welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis. Lewis explains that she chose the Welsh words in order to reflect the buildings architecture and the English words as the front reminds her of the sea, in which the Welsh port has allowed the world to come in and out of Cardiff. What is intriguing and clever, is that the huge letters are formed by windows which look out from an upstairs bar, in which they are illuminated at night. It is interesting that they have used two languages, it connotes that they are proud of being Welsh but also that they are proud to share another language with the rest of the world. The decision to use the poetic lines instead of the ‘Millennium Centre’ on the front entrance is artistic and contemporary and undoubtedly significant in relation to the nation of Wales.



Becky Ingram's chosen image.



Becky G's chosen image.


Wednesday, 2 December 2009

Who is Banksy?














Banksy is an unknown artist to but a few of his trusted friends. For years his identity has been a closely kept secret as he travels the world and leaves his iconic trade marks on buildings and public places. His work magically appears overnight, leaving everyone questioning why he keeps his identity such a secret.

Banksy’s work first became famous in the early 90’s, in which his well-known ‘guerrilla’ art appeared in Bristol, thought to be his home town and in London. Since then he has travelled to many cities such as Los Angeles, Palestine and Israel where he has become a well-known graffiti artist.

The reason his work gains so much controversy is because it often mocks political and cultural topics. He started out as a freehand graffiti artist as one of Bristol’s DryBreadZ crew, he starting using stencils as it was a quicker way of completing his work and avoiding being caught by anyone. His images are also humours and contain slogans about subjects of anti-war and anti-capitalism. His work has included spoofing British £10 notes by replacing the Queens head with a picture of Princess Diana’s head. He also replaced Paris Hiltons CD in shops around the UK, with a remake of his own, including song titles ‘Why Am I Famous?’ and ‘What Am I For?’ along with images of her topless and with a dogs head!

He has held many exhibitions but his recent one was at the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, where it was the first show in which Bansky said ‘taxpayers’ money is being used to hang my pictures up rather than scrape them off’. He was involved with the exhibition but the staff did not know who he was amongst the crew of people who set up. www.banksy.co.uk


‘Banksy previously believed to be one Robert or Robin Banks and born in 1974/5 in Yate, Bristol.
He doesn't do interviews very often but was interviewed in 2003 by Simon Hattenstone, a reporter for the Guardian newspaper. He described Banksy as looking like a "cross between Jimmy Nail and Mike Skinner of the Streets" and turning up wearing scruffy casual jeans and t-shirt, sporting a silver tooth, silver chain and silver earring.’ (banksyunmasked.co.uk)


Saturday, 28 November 2009

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