Visit to Weber Shandwick HQ

"Our job is to listen, not talk" - Colin Byrne, CEO, Weber Shandwick 

The University of Greenwich's PR Fraternity were lucky enough to bag yet another visit to top PR agency, Weber Shandwick's headquarters in London. Being that the agency is the second best in the world and possesses four Cannes Lions, the visit was a pretty big deal for us PR students, giving us an opportunity to shine.

Colin Byrne talking to us PR Fraternity students 

While we were there we got to hear from CEO, Colin Byrne and Head of Brand Strategy, Liz Wolstenholme who told us a bit about the company:

• Established for 40 years with international clients
• Clients include big brands such as eDF, Johnson & Johnson, Mastercard, Microsoft, Nestle, Vodafone, Walt Disney, Warburtons, Westfield and many more
• Voted 1st, 2nd or 3rd best agency from 2008 - 2014
• For the third year running listed in The Sunday Times' prestigious 100 Best Companies to Work For review
• PR Week award for International Consultancy of the Year
• Only firm to have won four Cannes Lions
• 850+ awards in ten years

The agency has worked with some of the most popular brands known today. Its practitioners helped with the launch of The Shard and even persuaded Time Out to hand their cover over to people who won Samsung's iconic photo competition.

Some interesting quotes from the speakers: 

 "Advertising is in decline - all of today's interests are in PR"

"PR is the dialogue between two way communications. It is also about talent and creativity"

"Innovation is key and creativity runs through every part of business"

"Creativity without planning is like designing a rocket and sending it to the wrong planet"

"Practitioners need to come up with a global platform that reaches any channel"

"Insights are not facts - they are revelations"

"Media relations is now a channel; not the channel, as it once was"

"The more you look like a leader, the more someone wants to be a part of what it is you're creating"

Visiting Weber Shandwick taught me many things about being successful in the PR world. I learnt that it is imperative to keep learning and to always be curious. I learnt the importance of staying proactive and being a 'change agent': that originality in new ideas is key. They taught me to avoid arrogance but not to be meek. 

PR Fraternity last year with Liz Wolstenholme

An insightful trip to an amazing agency which I one day hope I'm eligible to work for.

webershandwick.co.uk

Twitter: @WS_London

Drastic Plastic

A quick post

I was on Facebook yesterday and came across an external link to an article called '33 Powerful Animal Ad Campaigns That Tell The Uncomfortable Truth' - a collection of campaigns and adverts that do just that. Each one displayed horrifying truths of the results of human actions to the animal population, which is a subject I like to think I try to keep up with.

Although they were all upsettingly accurate and flawless in creating a message, there was one campaign in particular that caught my attention. It was designed by advertising agency BBDO Malaysia and a similar campaign was devised by Duval Guillaume in Belgium.

BBDO Malaysia                                   Duval Guillaume

I think I like this campaign so much because it literally involves the public - it is almost humiliating the 'carrier', as if it is making them feel like the victim.  

Although it is more advertising than PR, it cannot be denied that the technique and planning is incredibly creative and really gets people thinking and acting. How would you feel if you had to carry one of these bags around in public?