An evening with Corporate Responsibility

On a September evening some BOM members of PRIME-Hungary (me included) participated on an a business evening organized by Atlantis Press Ltd. which had its main focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the practice of public affairs. The event took place in the very prestigious Gerbeaud House which indeed gave a more serious flavor to this evening.

Both topics were very relevant for me since I’m a trainee member of the PA team of MmD, one of Hungary’s best public relations consultancies (and that’s not just my personal opinion either – MmD has won the International Business Awards as being the Best Public Relations Agency in 2007). Also, as it was stressed out in my earlier posts, PRIME-Hungary is a major advocate of CSR and we are pushing ourselves to be up-to-date on every incentive taken on this course.

Keynote speakers of the event were Rita BEDE, communications director of British American Tobacco Hungary; András GÖLLNER, managing director of Annax International, a strategic communications consultancy; and Gábor KOPIÁS, vice president of the Association of Hungarian Lobbyists. All three shared great thoughts with the 30-so audience which I would like to present to you.

The insights:

• Corporate social responsibility is still considered to be part of a company’s PR strategy. The best solution would be if CSR was a decisive factor in the core business strategy not just a public relations tool.
• Forming a social network is one of the basic elements of CSR: a company has to build and maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with its major stakeholders. As Mr. GÖLLNER stressed it out companies have to be measured not only according to their business performance but also to their ethical performance. An ethical and trustworthy CSR strategy can be an added value in every aspect.
• Mrs. BEDE also made a point by mentioning that companies themselves cannot declare that they are good corporate citizens. They must show to their stakeholders that they are (take the RACE model – they have to take ACTION) and the stakeholders will communicate it to the wide public. This way the company a, will receive feedback that they are on the right track and b, their CSR actions will be considered trustworthy.
• The media on general is not yet educated on CSR. Reporters are not interested in the “we-are-good-corporate-citizens” stories since these stories are not seen as real news (or worse, the stories are seen as mere publicity). “Positive news are not newsworthy, you better place an ad in our magazine if you want to see this on the pages.” – this being the general attitude among editors.
• “We are still talking about it (CSR) but not taking action.” – stated Mr. GÖLLNER. For me this statement was confirmed at the international CSR conference in Eperjes, Slovakia (see the blog entry below).

For me the last statement was the real eye-opener. The concept of CSR is such a beauty in the books but implementing it – ie. not just talking but taking action – is no easy job. On the other hand I’m sure that CSR will become a major priority for every future Chief Strategic Officer serving in Fortune 500 companies. At least for the sake of sustainable business growth.

A Far Cry for Public Relations

Two weeks ago I attended an international two-day CSR conference in Presov, Slovakia organized by the Carpathian Foundation. I represented PRIME – Hungary there as our organization is a great advocate of CSR and we are eager to be up-to-date on this very relevant topic. Two thumbs up for the organizers – the conference was very professional and the social event on the first night was a blast (we had dinner at an atmospheric inn in a small local village). New friendships were formed and I’m hopeful that PRIME – Hungary will be able to cooperate with these vibrant and lively organizations.

 

My major conclusion after the conference was that CSR is starting to enter into the public debate in Central and Eastern Europe, research studies are made and CSR is taught in major universities (not a single course though but as part of another subject).

 

Businesses are starting to realize that CSR is more than simple sponsorship and they are initiating projects which serve the needs of the community they are working with. On the other hand we are still far away to state that CSR is getting closer to the core of business strategies.

 

The most important part of the conference for me was a workshop which centered on how CSR could be integrated into business strategy. After listening to the presentations we were to rate the companies according to their commitment to CSR. At this point I was really shocked to see that public relations was considered to be “talking-but-not-doing-anything” by the moderator. Also in the official recommendations to businesses there was a point which said: “Businesses have to decide whether they want to do CSR or PR”.

 

As the representative of Prime – Hungary I knew this was my time to make my entry. In a five-minute “speech” I argued that there is a great distinction between public relations and mere publicity. The former is a two-way, open communication between the company and its stakeholders which encourages feedback and an open debate. The latter on the other hand is much more a one-way communication when feedback is not considered to be a necessity. My point was made and the participants all agreed that we have to differentiate the above two.

 

This was only one battle won though. The war is still out there and if I wanted to be realistic then I would say we still have much to do. The image of public relations is – for one reason or another – still blurred and the public sees only fractures of what we really do. We as public relations professionals – or wannabes at least – are seen as flicks and spin doctors simply because the true values of PR is never communicated to the public. In Hungary public relations is almost a synonym to bad political spin. Globally public relations enters the public arena through the cases of PR misbehavior ie. bad apples in the basket. Will this ever change?

 

PRIME – Hungary hopes so. We are planning to set in motion in cooperation with other EU PRIME member organizations a public relations campaign next year which will have to major goals: to communicate the real values of PR and to inject the CSR concept into the youth.

 

After all the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. To be misinformed on the above topics in definitely not acceptable.

Get yourself an internship – Part 1

Prepare – It seems to be the most obvious advice anybody would give you if you were thinking about applying for an intern position. You read all kinds of articles, you speak to PR professionals to gain more insights, maybe you even get your hands on a book to study interview techniques and how to deal with certain questions.

What if you were not thinking about applying for an internship at all? What if – like in my case – life offers you the awesome chance to grab a trainee position within a major PR consultancy on the market? What if you had one single afternoon – and the night – to get prepared for an interview which may give a significant boost to your early career?

When I had to face that issue two months ago I realized immediately that I simply didn’t have time to waste. I thought that almost three years of college studies combined with my enthusiasm for the profession – including endless studying of up-to-date PR trends, PRIME and this blog – will get me through the tough questions. What I had my focus on was something which I was sure will come up during the interview: knowledge on the consultancy itself.

Living in the brave new world of the new media you can find every piece of information you would like (and more). In the case of a PR consultancy you will have an even easier job.

What I’ve done first was studying the webpage of my hopefully future employer to gain a wide knowledge of who they were, what they were doing and what clients they were/are working for.

After the wide spectrum I wanted to deepen that knowledge. I was focusing on the major events that had happened in the past 5-6 years in the life of the consultancy. Mergers, acquisitions, awards, successfull campaigns, articles, everything.

Next step was to get to know the senior staff. CEO and senior managers (especially the person/people who will have you interviewed) are the prime targets to be covered. New media is a major advantage here. Check professional websites (senior professionals moving from one job to another are usually reported), their blogs, and their MySpace stuff. Never forget: you are about to enter a profession in which persuasion through a two-way open communication stands in the center. Your job in this case is no different: you persuade them to hire you as an intern. Obviously you have to focus on fields of interest (hobbies for example) you have in common with your possible interviewer.

A final but equally important step in my case was to get to know the consultancy’s clients. Make a list on every single client the consultancy was working on in the past 12 months (I had like 20 of them…:D ). Don’t make it too difficult – time management! – just make a reminder of 5-6 words for yourself what the purpose of the project/campaign was and what were the outcomes.

Still, never forget: your main weapons remain your personality, your knowledge and your skills. These cannot be acquired within a single day – and I guess that’s the main point.

Back again

So after a long while, I’m back again to my beloved blog! The exam period is almost behind me (just one to go) and I’ve got to tell you, it was hell of a time – literally.

The past two months have seen two internship interviews with a major Hungarian public relations consultancy, one of which proved to be a success! I’ll post a longer blog entry on both the interviewing process and on the first few days/weeks in work. In advance I must say: working for a PR consultancy is major fun!

More to follow in a few days, hang in there!

You gotta do what you gotta do

Public relations is a profession which is practiced around the clock. If an issue arises – God forbid a crisis hits the organization – that should be addressed in no time then the practitioner simply cannot wait until the next workday. Time management is a very important skill which should be mastered during the college/university years. Well, those were the main lessons I’ve learnt from our PRIME event organized at our college this week.

One of our main priorities this year is to build and maintain close relationships with the business world and higher education. The first event took place this Wednesday as we invited the Director of Communications of Coca-Cola Hungary, Ibolya Szabo. Coca-Cola is world-famous multinational corporation with excellent reputation – it proved to be the best choice for a first such event.

We had basically 8 days to prepare everything: acquire the green light from the university management, get digital cameras to record the event, create the buzz and craft a creative poster, complete a funny yet informative presentation to introduce PRIME, create questionnaires… all this during the Easter holidays.

The night before the big day I got to sleep for only two hours because I still wasn’t satisfied with the PRIME presentation. It was 3 A.M. and I was still thinking about the best visuals which would get our main messages through. I was thinking: “Hell, I should go to sleep, creative thoughts are long gone…” In that very second, another thought popped into my mind: “You gotta do what you gotta do!” Like a miracle, the heavy clouds on my brain simply vanished – all what was left was the deep blue sky of the focused mind. I finished the presentation and still had time to sleep… well, two hours definitely count, isn’t that right?

The presentation and the event was a great success. The room was filled with ambitious students who were eager to look at the latest PR trends of a great corporation. We had an almost full house there, leaving only a few seats unoccupied. The on-line college magazine gave us a two thumbs up for our organizing skills. Still, the best feeling was when students were telling us during breaks how much they liked our presentation.

You gotta do what you gotta do! If you are fortunate enough to be a manager of an organization’s reputation (ie. public relations) then don’t hesitate to spend energy and time on that. Know your publics, craft the messages carefully and stay focused – satisfaction is guaranteed.

Meet a Professional – and learn the lessons!

So back then – some weeks ago, gee – I promised to write about our time with Zsuzsa Gyarmati, a great Hungarian public relations expert. Being part of our Meet a Professional project, these evenings are bringing the professional world closer to higher education, the practice closer to the college studies. Our organization, PRIME is picking successful, mentor-like experts of the communication field to give our members insights into the real world of public relations.

I don’t think we could have started off with a better professional. Zsuzsa has so much energy, so much enthusiasm in herself that for some of us she immediately became a role model. The evening itself went like a workshop as we asked and were asked on topics which are not really discussed in class. So let me hook you up with some career-boosting info straight from the field!

Be up-to-date

You look fresh and clean, you have that ambitious look and that bright smile on your face, you memorized all the answers that could possibly come up during the interview… so what else?

According to Zsuzsa, being up-to-date of everyday news may become a decisive factor during a job interview. No matter if you are applying for a job opening or for an internship in public relations, you are expected to be well-informed on national and international politics, business and media news. A two-thumbs-up info: scan the morning papers and read the leaders before leaving for the interview. Also try to memorize what stories made the front-page of the well-known papers.

“In the professional world it is essential to know your public’s opinion on certain issues before crafting your message. You learn this in college and you are expected to use this in practice from the very first day of your career.” so says Zsuzsa.

Be proactive

You are responsible for your own career, so kick-start it with the right attitude. Being proactive means living a faster and “harder” lifestyle: you attend professional conferences and seminars, you know the latest public relations trends, you are aware of the current issues of the political-business-media world, you participate in student activities and you scan the Internet for the fresh best practices just to name a few actions.

On the other hand, you don’t have to centre all your life on professional development: go out and party, meet new people and have a great time (professionally seen: networking never stops )! Being proactive shows your qualities and your desire for your profession and that is very much appreciated no matter where you start your career.

Follow the trends & LEAD the way

We are living in a new era as the sunbeams of the social media are shining upon us. The positive potentialities of Web 2.0 are already recognized by the professional world; we (college students and those entering the PR field) should also use the new media to our advantage.

Zsuzsa (similarly to Richard Bailey) emphasized the importance of student blogs: you are able to improve your writing skills – “perfect writing skills is a MUST in public relations” – , you can network with other bloggers from all around the world and your blog becomes your CV as future employers may recognize you as the perfect candidate for a job opening.

Show your worth and ambition: LEAD the way! You have to realize the fact that you may be competing against dozens of similarly ambitious and bright college students for a job or an internship: “you may have to show a little extra to land that desired position”. Still – though we live in a competitive environment – don’t forget a ground rule: “Don’t burn the bridges behind you!”

Closing the gap…at least a little bit!

I have always looked upon PRSSA as a role model for our Hungarian PR student organization, PRIME Hungary. We share the enthusiasm and the drive for the public relations profession, but our organization obviously lacks the experience and the funds PRSSA has on it’s disposal.

On a Hungarian public relations blog – PRGuruk – several Hungarian professionals addressed a major problem: Hungarian PR students are not practical enough. They (well, we) might cite the definition of public relations many different ways, might know the proper steps to organize a press conference or might describe the characteristics of a press release… but couldn’t draft a pitch letter, couldn’t write a press release or wouldn’t know how to call an editor when speaking on the phone.

I personally think – along with my PRIME Chapter – that this is a shame. Nowadays, when globalization and ever fiercer competition for job openings are gaining momentum, we cannot allow ourselves to be “left behind”.

See, I consider public relations to be sort of a lifestyle: you always stay focused, you always strive for perfection, you always are ready to learn. So what my Chapter decided to do is to approach to problem and deal with it on a proactive way!

So this Tuesday evening our first “Meet a PRofessional” event took place. Organized in a American-style café, 14 PR students were listening to a well-known Hungarian public relations expert, Zsuzsa Gyarmati. This workshop-style meeting really made an impact on us: Zsuzsa gave us practical advices on how to start working at an agency; how to deal with press; how to draft a press release and how to pitch it successfully; she explained why is PR a great profession to work in; finally she gave us insights on the situation on the Hungarian media (I will sum the event up in detail soon).

I guess when you have the courage and ambition to step up for yourself and make things happen – then you are thinking in the proactive way!

So the gap between Europe and the US in this aspect is closing…at least a little bit.

Let’s start the dance!

Welcome to the Crossroads!

This blog is about Public Relations from a PR student’s perspective. The focus will be on college students who – just like me – are eager to make a career in this exciting field.

I will concentrate on the two values which stand in the crossroads of my personality: creativity and ambition.

Ambition is a must in PR, considering the fact that this is not a 9-to-5 job. Ambitious, proactive people full of energy will make a difference.

I personally think that creativity will play a major role in PR within a few years from now. As competition on a global scale becomes fiercer, creativity will give students a decisive added-value to their PR diploma.

My intentions are to share my thoughts on the latest PR trends, keep you updated on our Chapter’s project, share links and ideas on career ticks and tips… and have a lot of fun!

Join the discussion!

Csaba