Viocorp delivers the world’s first live webcast of Palm Sunday Mass
May 29, 2009 by Derek Lau
Filed under Case studies, Featured Content, Technology
Viocorp, one of Australia’s leading online video and digital media specialists, engaged Howorth public relations to spread the news about a momentous customer implementation.
For the first time in history, the Archdiocese of Sydney webcasted the Palm Sunday Mass with the Holy Father and the official handover of the World Youth Day Cross and Icon from Sydney to Madrid – using Viocorp’s online video technology.
Howorth would typically liaise with technology and marketing media to communicate the news. However, considering the size of the announcement with Catholic Communications, Howorth wanted to raise the bar in spreading the word.
SBS does not generally speak with vendors, but Howorth managed to successfully secure a segment on a Sunday edition of “World News Australia”, which featured a Viocorp interview and Viocorp brand placement. The segment was aired between a breaking news story about Guantanamo Bay and SBS’s Dateline program.
Howorth also secured interest from SBS’s “World News Australia” program and worked closely with their production team for several weeks to ensure that SBS was provided with the unique content they needed.
Howorth was able to coordinated a live interview between Cardinal George Pell and SBS while the Cardinal was in Rome. Howorth also coordinated an interview of Viocorp’s CEO, Ian Gardiner, at the Viocorp offices in East Sydney to talk about the use of webcasting technology for such an important religious event.
Showcasing mission control – Telstra Enterprise and Government
May 22, 2009 by Derek Lau
Filed under Case studies, Featured Content, Technology
On behalf of Telstra Enterprise and Government, Howorth launched the Managed Network Operations Centre (MNOC), highlighting the customer benefits of its multi-million dollar world class networking facility in Sydney’s CBD. This led to significant top tier media coverage in:
- ITNews
- Two articles on Computerworld
- Sky Business News
- Communications Day
- Voice and Data
- ZDNet
The MNOC is a mission control style ‘flight deck’ that enables Telstra’s 42 network engineers to monitor their network’s ‘health’.
The media launch of the operations centre reinforced Telstra’s dedication to delivering network reliability to its customers.
To obtain positive media coverage of the MNOC launch, Howorth invited top tier technology and business journalists to attend the event. The trade publications targeted were the most relevant media to the C level executives and IT managers of companies that Telstra Enterprise and Government’s MNOC serves.
Key components of the media interaction
- Media were educated on the importance of network performance, the technical details of the MNOC and Telstra’s Next G and Next IP networks
- A tour of the centre and a live demo of how it functions in the incident room
- One-on-one interviews with Nerida Caesar, Mark Gehan and Michael Rocca – key leaders within Telstra responsible for the creation of the centre.
The Telstra Productivity Indicator
May 22, 2009 by Derek Lau
Filed under Case studies, Featured Content, Technology
What are the opportunities and gaps in business productivity? The Telstra Productivity Indicator sought to provide insights into this question. Howorth’s strategy of selected top tier media pre-briefs under embargo paid off in nearly 30 pieces of quality coverage for the launch of Telstra’s groundbreaking research on business productivity in Australia.
Coverage highlights included:
• An interview on Sky News
• A fifteen minute podcast on BNet
• Full page article in the Australian Financial Review
• The Australian IT section
• iTNews
• The Age
• The Sydney Morning Herald online
• Business Spectator
• Communications Day
• CIO
The successful strategy
Howorth’s strategic approach involved inviting senior, key media to interview lead Telstra spokespeople under embargo, one week prior to the launch:
• David Thodey, group managing director of Telstra Enterprise and Government
• Geoffrey Sims, chief economist.
Importantly, this helped journalists gain a deeper understanding of key Productivity Indicator drivers and implications before results were revealed to all media.
This approach facilitated Telstra’s priority journalists taking ownership of the report and covering it.
Bridging the productivity gap to reach your productivity potential
Telstra commissioned an independent study that was conducted by Sweeney Research, in an effort to find out more about business productivity in Australia. The report surveyed 300 Australian directors, senior executives and managers of medium to large organisations. It found that while 78 per cent of Australia’s largest organisations say improving productivity is a high priority, only half have any systems in place to measure improvements or set targets.
Addressing this ‘productivity gap’ and understanding Australian organisations’ productivity potential involves accurately measuring and managing productivity, as well as leveraging ICT tools to deliver benefits, according to Telstra’s report.
Summary
Howorth successfully bridged the ‘media gap’ by securing superior coverage of a landmark study into business productivity through a strategically planned campaign.
Business engagement with…chocolate! Citrix Online
May 15, 2009 by Derek Lau
Filed under Case studies, Featured Content, Technology
To encourage businesses to transition in-person events to an online environment, Howorth worked with Citrix Online to successfully create an Online Chocolate Tasting experience, led by Australia’s most acclaimed chocolatier, Kirsten Tibballs.
The initiative brought together more than 40 of Citrix Online’s customers and prospects from Australia, the UK and USA. Several Australian journalists also participated. In addition to multiple qualified sales leads, the event resulted in coverage within traditional online and social media (including real-time comment by Twitter users).
Traditionally an in-person event, we used the latest version of Citrix Online’s GoToWebinar service to bring the tasting alive online. Each attendee received a box of tasting chocolates in advance of the webinar, then logged on from the comfort of their desk to learn about the art of chocolate tasting online.
Audio enhances the sweet experience
To enhance the tasting experience, we used the integrated audio feature of GoToWebinar to play music from various cocoa bean regions. The music gave attendees a greater appreciation for the chocolate and the region where it was produced.
Questions were put to the moderator throughout the session and snap polls were taken to ensure participation throughout the webinar.
Journalist Dan Warne of APC raved about the initiative, “The webinar was VERY impressive. I was amazed at how the software installed itself onto my Mac using the Java applet in the browser and the webinar itself was flawless in terms of sound and video quality. Truly impressive.”
The Online Chocolate Tasting marked a world first and was so successful that Citrix Online plans to run a similar event in the UK and USA. Howorth conceived the idea, located the chocolatier and managed all invites, logistics and rehearsals to ensure that the event was a complete success.
Shrinking holiday leads to growth in brand presence – Citrix Online
May 15, 2009 by Derek Lau
Filed under Case studies, Featured Content, Technology
To lift Citrix Online’s brand recognition amongst businesses and consumers, Howorth raised Citrix Online’s profile, and that of its GoToMyPC software, by showing thought leadership on the issue of work/life balance. The initiative generated over 130 media placements.
Media coverage appeared across a number of television programs including Channel Nine’s Nightline, National Nine News, Channel Seven’s Today Tonight, as well as featuring on prominent drive time radio programs on 3AW, 2UE and ABC radio.
Additional coverage highlights include:
An effective approach
Howorth helped Citrix Online gain the coverage by, initially, commissioning research with an independent firm to examine the number of interruptions employees experience in their jobs whilst out of the office. This occurred in the run up to the summer holiday season, when most Australian employees take personal leave.
Called Shrinking Holiday Syndrome, the research found that nearly three out of four Australian full-time workers were interrupted or called back to office during their holidays.
Taking this insight, Howorth then launched the research, with a key message to organisations being to ‘get with the times’ and provide employees with remote working technology to alleviate Shrinking Holiday Syndrome.
Howorth coined the term Shrinking-Holiday Syndrome, defined as the encroachment of work into people’s personal life, the stress of not being able to take care of work issues remotely and the physical act of travelling into the office during holidays.
The importance of employee communication in a recession
TALKING MATTERS is a paper that shows how to achieve business goals in a downturn through effective employee communication. It was produced by Impact Employee Communications – Australia’s and the Asia-Pacific’s leading employee communication consultancy. Impact is part of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, Australia,
We are facing one of the most challenging business environments in years. Global growth is declining and unemployment is rising. No one knows how long the downturn will run or what the consequences for international markets, industries and individual businesses will be.
In these challenging times engaging employees in a meaningful way and managing their morale is critical for organisations meet their goals. Employee engagement is tied to productivity, business performance and employee morale.
Notable differentiators for this recession include:
- Gen Y has only seen the good times. They have not encountered an economy as turbulent and negative as the one we are currently experiencing
- The emergence of social media as a mechanism that links people both globally and locally in a way that has not been seen before. This means information travels faster, facts are unlikely to be ‘owned’ by a privileged few and it is an extensive and effective communication ‘enabler’.
Leadership is now more crucial than ever. The most successful leaders are those who proactively invest time to engage with employees and understand the importance of leading by example.
It is crucial to maintain open lines of regular communication with employees to reduce anxiety and keep the business moving forward. Employees must hear news about the organisation from inside the organisation first.
Organisations that keep their employees in the dark will find themselves the targets of negative opinion and criticism both inside and outside the organisation.
Messages must be consistent to maintain trust and prevent the rumour mill. For many CEOs, blogging represents a way to connect with employees, helping them get to know their leaders in a more informal, approachable environment, while also encouraging dialogue.
Leaders are not the only communicators within an organisation, or even those best able to initiate or influence change. Employees themselves can be keen and powerful influencers with their colleagues and can be effective change agents, supporting others to accept organisational evolution. Employees who have a strong connection to the business strategy and understand how they fit into the bigger picture will deliver more productive outcomes.
Effective employee communication is a ‘must have’ for organisations to ensure their sustainability and future growth during this downturn and beyond.
Parker & Partners Federal budget report
Our 2009 report provides an overview of the Budget and some headline statistics as well as (and most importantly) some detail on the areas of the Budget papers of most relevant to the ICT sector.
In this short briefing document you’ll find some more detail on major initiatives announced within the key ICT spending portfolios, as well as some additional information on a range of ICT-related opportunities and some new initiatives in the Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy portfolio.
Brian Giesen joins Ogilvy PR Australia as digital director
Ogilvy Public Relations Australia (Ogilvy PR) announced today that Brian Giesen, current vice-president and senior strategist with Ogilvy PR’s 360° Digital Influence Group in Washington, DC, has joined Ogilvy PR Australia in the position of Digital Strategist.
An award-winning global expert, Giesen brings more than ten years of experience developing, managing and executing a range of digital marketing and social media campaigns for brands such as Lenovo, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, DuPont, Yum!, National Institutes of Health and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Working from Ogilvy PR Australia’s Sydney office for the next 12 months, he will provide senior counsel on crisis and issues management from a digital perspective, educate employees on the fundamental parts of digital influence strategy and educate on a range of digital tools to help build further understanding on the power of digital influence among both existing and new clients.
“This is a well timed appointment and provides all the Ogilvy PR companies in Australia the opportunity to further grow our digital influence skills as they become increasingly important to our client’s communications campaigns,” Ogilvy PR’s Managing Director John Studdert said. “Brian will also boost our leadership position in the Australian market across each of the areas of specialisation, while maintaining a high-level global role based out of Sydney.”
Giesen will also work with other Australian-based STW Group and Ogilvy Group companies, including Singleton Ogilvy & Mather, OgilvyOne, OgilvyInteractive, and Neo@Ogilvy.
“The Australian Ogilvy PR companies have already established themselves as leaders, having executed a number of digital campaigns for their clients,” Giesen said. “I’m excited at the prospect of now working alongside them in person, to merge our international experience from our overseas campaigns, with local and regional clients.
“With the explosive growth of online media, consumer word of mouth and new technologies springing up every day, we now have to create comprehensive digital strategies for clients who want to engage customers or constituents in direct conversation. We’ve spent several years developing our methodology for identifying and engaging these new influencers in a way they find valuable, and it is this discipline we call digital influence.”
Prior to joining Ogilvy PR, Giesen worked as a legislative assistant for US Congressman Jay W. Johnson, where he lead an effort to promote the federal E-Rate program, connecting Wisconsin schools and libraries to the Internet. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and is an active member of the Social Media Club of Washington, DC.
Brian’s arrival in Australia follows the appointment last month of Thomas Crampton. Thomas is a veteran, award-winning journalist and digital media specialist and was named Asia Pacific Regional Director of 360° Digital Influence at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. In addition to his Australian responsibilities, Brian will support Thomas and the region.
Brian will be speaking at The Insight Exchange’s launch event, The Power of Influence, on 19 May 2009, where he will give an overview of how influence impacts the success of businesses.
Visit www.theinsightexchange.com for more information.
Thomas Crampton appointed regional director of digital
Thomas Crampton, veteran, award-winning journalist and digital media specialist has been named Asia Pacific Regional Director of 360° Digital Influence at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.
Tom started his career in journalism 18 years ago with the International Herald Tribune and the New York Times, reporting from Asia, the US and Europe. He has worked in Asia for more than a decade as a reporter, serving as president of the both the Foreign Correspondents Clubs in Bangkok and in Hong Kong. Most recently, Crampton worked as Director of New Media and Business Development at Next Media, the publisher of Apple Daily newspaper.
The World Economic Forum named Thomas as a “Young Global Leader,” a prestigious title offered to very few worldwide, and Crampton leads sessions at the annual Davos event. Tom is also a much sought-after speaker on social media around the world.
Tom is also well-followed Twitter poster and a very popular blogger (www.thomascrampton.com). Appropriately, word of his joining Ogilvy PR made it to Twitter first and he confirmed it on his blog, saying his new job is to “Build Community… Build Business… Build Profile.” Tom also confessed “Why am I so excited about this job? This role combines my two great passions: Asia and digital. I spent more than a decade reporting on Asia and the last five years immersed in digital.”
“Tom attracts brilliant, interesting people on the cutting edge and connects them in ways that generate electricity and new ideas,” observed Ogilvy PR Asia Pacific CEO Christopher Graves. “He lives, works on, and deeply understands digital and social media– as well as the fundamental changes they are driving in media consumption and influence– and what that means for our clients.”
Four years ago, Ogilvy PR launched its 360° Digital Influence Group out of the US (see: www.360digitalinfluence.com) led by Managing Director John Bell. Since then, the 360° Digital Influence team has worked with clients such as: Lenovo; Johnson & Johnson; Ford; Adidas and dozens of others.
In Asia Pacific, Ogilvy PR has been building its community of digital specialists city by city over the past four years. “This completes our global leadership,” said Graves. “Now we have an inspirational leader in Thomas Crampton to lead this group in Asia Pacific and connect with his counterparts in North America and Europe and bring huge value to our clients looking to learn about and leverage emerging digital and social media.”
Thomas Crampton graduated from the University of Virginia, and studied at Trinity College, Dublin and at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. He speaks English, French, Thai and is learning Mandarin Chinese.
Follow Tom’s blog at: www.thomascrampton.com
Follow Tom on Twitter: twitter.com/ThomasCrampton
Join the Ogilvy PR team of bloggers: www.360digitalinfluence.com
No pants, frozen strangers and improvised musicals
Imagine riding the train to work one morning. Nothing really out of the ordinary. The train pulls up to a station and a bunch of hip youngsters walk in. The funny (and bizarre) thing is that…none of them are wearing pants!
Imagine walking through a busy thoroughfare, people heading in all directions onto whatever destination they are destined for. Suddenly, every single person in sight stops dead in their tracks – apparently frozen.
‘Flash mob stunts’ – the term given for groups of people who orchestrate bizarre and often hilarious stunts in public places – have actually been around for a while.
It all started with Improv Everywhere, a collective of New York citizens who join up to achieve ‘missions’. Created in 2001, Improv Everywhere has executed over 80 missions involving thousands of undercover agents.
Some of the most incredible stunts include the annual No Pants! Subway Ride (now in its 8th year of operation), Frozen Grand Central, and the very witty Food Court Musical.
But pants or no pants, what do flash mob stunts have in common?
They’re high impact, they’re extremely memorable and people often talk about them (sometimes for days and days) with colleagues, friends and family (“Hey guess what happened on the way to work on Monday morning?”). As such, the clever marketers out there have started jumping onto the flash mob phenomenon, utilising the power of word-of-mouth to spread their brand message.
Click here to see a telco company that has cleverly used the power of flash mob stunts to bring joy and laughter to many commuters at Liverpool station in the UK and turned the footage into a short viral that really hit the spot. The commuters certainly loved it!
