The PR Internship Debate

Here at onechocolate we believe that interns are a valuable commodity and they should be paid and treated fairly. Most of us have done our fair share of internships and I have to say that mine were an invaluable insight into the industry and helped me realise that PR was the career for me. I was always treated fairly (though not always paid) and since joining this agency I’ve loved our interns –they tell me this is reciprocated. They help us and we try our best to impart our pearls of wisdom whilst letting them experience what it’s like to be in a busy and bustling agency. PR is not always the glamorous ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ world portrayed in some TV sitcoms, and there is a lot of hard work which goes into the smooth running and maintaining momentum of campaigns and brand building. Granted, a lot of an intern’s work will be administrative but, if they show aptitude they are very often allowed more responsibility and help with anything from placing competitions and writing copy to product placement and talking to media. Obviously, interns do have to prove that their ability before being unleashed onto the big wide world of media first.

Sadly, there isn’t always the opportunity to offer interns a permanent job once they’ve finished, but it does help wannabe PR peeps get their foot on the job ladder by giving them experience and a taste of what it’s like. It’s not just that, they also build contacts (I still have some great ones from my time as an intern) and, more often than not, receive lots of help, advice and support for their next move. If you’re an intern reading this, don’t be despondent if you don’t get a permanent job after your first couple of internships, trying out a few different agencies will let you experience different types of PR, whether it’s consumer facing or B2B, and also shows your determination to potential employers (everyone knows now’s a tough time to get a job, anyway).

Whilst there are many fantastic internship programmes out there, what is disturbing is that some companies take advantage of interns, not only financially, but also by treating them poorly. Companies that do not pay their interns, and give them a poor learning experience, really ought to hang their heads in shame. It devalues the valuable contribution that interns can make and is also, potentially, illegal. It’s unfair to expect someone to work for months for free and it also means potential PR stars of the future are being priced out of the market or put off by the few companies that, quite frankly, aren’t behaving as they should. This, to us, is something that should never happen. In fact, we’ve signed the PRCA intern charter which means that we commit to paying our interns at least minimum wage – as we have always done – and we fully support the PR Week campaign launched in October of last year. There are quite a few agencies who have signed the charter and we hope very much that all companies across all industries come together to eradicate this practice.

Technology, Life and our addiction to smartphones

Last Saturday evening I had the misfortune (or luck) to place my low-battery mobile phone in a “safe place” at home (I think). Mid-way through the week and I still hadn’t managed to locate it but as a persistent and positive PR I refused to give in and report it lost.

Coincidentally, this also happened to be the week that RIM went into meltdown, leaving millions of Blackberry users without access to the internet so at least I wasn’t suffering alone. An Ofcom survey released this summer highlighted that a quarter of adults and nearly half of teenagers admitted to being highly addicted to their smartphones. We spend hours with them and rarely have them out of arm’s reach (even if we are in the bathroom). A Sheila’s Wheel’s survey found that partners love their phones more than their partners and on the average night out 48 minutes are spent on these techy toys. I, for one, admit to spending an unnecessary amount of time with my phone, whether it’s keeping up with the latest news, looking at Twitter, playing games and emailing not to mention normal calls, texts etc. Pre loss I was checking my phone for news in the bath, slept next to it, checked it in bed once the alarm went off in the morning, in the bus on the way to work, on the way home, at lunch with colleagues and the list goes on. This is not a unique situation and though colleagues say that checking my emails in the bath is a little on the extreme side, most admit to being unable to cope without their mobiles.

So what is it like not having a smartphone? I have to say, after the initial feeling of missing a limb wears off, it’s actually not that bad. I had to use landlines, traditional maps, be on time and started to read again. My tech hits were limited to laptops and my work PC, but I noticed a sense of freedom, better concentration and that my eyes weren’t as strained. I also talked to people without worrying about what my trusty little electronic pal was up to. I went to an event in Shoreditch called Slow Tech last month, which examined ways to detach from tech for a while. Whilst recognising that technology plays an important part in our lives, the event also looked at our inability to not check phones every few minutes. Interesting solutions included the Tamagochi style living plant which is looked after when your phone or iPad is plugged in and not touched, the innovative pulley system which lifts your phone out of reach until it’s fully charged and a tech blocking gizmo which blocks signals and apps – very handy when you’re having a dinner party. A friend and I had dinner the other night and I found myself increasingly irritated with his need to reply to texts and check his phone. Slow Tech speakers argued that no one’s going to die when you don’t look at your phone for a couple of hours – something that I agree wholeheartedly with. I may have caved in and finally ordered a replacement phone, but I certainly think it helped me realise our obsession with being constantly connected is unnecessary. I wonder how many Blackberry users feel the same?

It’s a good day in PR when…

You read a lovely story that makes you smile and spreads a bit of happiness. This week saw TFL’s Random Acts of Kindness art project hit the news in the Evening Standard. What is it? It’s a project that documents happy experiences in the tube from actual people and anyone can submit one. Of late, there have been all manner of horror stories hitting the headlines from random acts of violence in the London riots, to awful killing sprees in Norway.

Lest we forget, humanity is not always horrible. Alongside the violence, the riots spurred many into positive action, from making cups of tea and cleaning up the mess to donating money to help unfortunate victims, and Twitter was positively buzzing from all the excitement – so much so that my Tweetdeck stream was “scrobbled”.

But acts of kindness happen every day, not just as a reaction to something terrible, and it’s brilliant that there are places where people can share their stories. Whether it’s blowing bubbles in a tube carriage, offering a crying person a tissue, giving up a seat to someone in need, or offering a stranger at the local coffee shop the 50p they lack for their coffee, a little random act of kindness is infectious.  It not only makes you feel good, but can have a very positive impact on others.

Here are two happy Twitter hashtags which might give some of you food for thought: #randomactofkindness and #randomactsofkindness.

We’d love to hear some of your random acts of kindness; whether you were the recipient or you did something that you’re proud of.

The importance of checking your facts

Today and yesterday saw the confirmation of a huge hoax. Last week a large piece of research was released which highlighted that Internet Explorer Users were stupid. News coverage appeared in the likes of the BBC,CNN and several nationals including the Telegraph and the Mail. According to the Aptiquant “research” which tested 100,000 people and included a table, there was a substantial relationship between a users’ cognitive ability and their choice of browser. IE 6 users came bottom in the IQ stakes, which became a huge story.

How did the study come about? Someone who was frustrated with their browser decided to lash out by sending though a press release with the attention grabbing headline “Is Internet Explorer For The Dumb? A New Study Suggests Exactly That.” They obviously went to a lot of trouble – creating a fake website and even stealing the corporate identity from another website. Some questioned the credibility of the results, but not quickly enough to stop the story getting widespread coverage worldwide. Though an investigation was launched, it took a little while for the survey to be exposed. Interestingly, there were a couple of ways that the hoax could have been spotted quickly which the creator has blogged about. I’ve highlighted a couple of suggestions below.

• A link to the website AtCheap.com was in the footer
• Checking the address on Google would have revealed that it didn’t exist
• The IQ test mentioned in the report cannot be administered online due to copyright

Whilst this fake survey could have negative ramifications for future PR surveys, there are many reasons why it shouldn’t. Surveysare a great way to give brands exposure and reach out to a wider audience. Legitimate surveys can reveal some interesting and sometimes controversial results which appeal to readers for example.

Today and yesterday have seen more stories covering the Aptiquant survey hoax and there have been quite a few red faces, but perhaps it has exposed just how overworked and under pressure journalists really are. One big lesson that everyone can learn from the whole experience is that it does pay to spend even 5 minutes checking the validity of a source, even if you are pressed for time.

10 Top Tips for the Perfect PR Press Trip

It’s not just all about social media. Some of the original ‘tactics’ still have a worthy place in campaigns and the PR industry is famous for organising press trips. It sounds very glamorous, and it definitely can be, but it should always be rewarding and fun for those that go. Whether it’s for building media relations or securing a fantastic piece of coverage, press trips need to be remembered for all of the right reasons. At onechocolate we’re lucky enough to host press trips on a regular basis and, as such, thought we’d share some of our nuggets of wisdom with you:

1. Invite people who you think will not only enjoy the trip, but will also get on with other people – to help create a good atmosphere
2. Be very organised – eg have everyone’s contact details and make sure everyone has your number in case there’s a problem
3. Do remind guests if they need to bring something eg a valid passport, swimming trunks (people sometimes forget)
4. Keep things simple eg arrange a reasonable meet-up time and obvious meeting point
5. Don’t push press releases constantly at your guests, it’s annoying and will probably irritate them
6. Make sure your client is briefed properly
7. Set your client’s expectations for the trip
8. Be nice, courteous, calm and helpful – if you’re in control, it will rub off on others
9. Do enjoy a drink with journos and clients if the occasion arises – but remember you’re working
10. Have fun!