Social Diary

CV Tips for Budding PRs

2012-02-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

After 15 years in this biz I've read literally thousands of CVs. And admittedly, chucked a fair few straight in the bin after the first paragraph. Last week Juliet of Girl PR gave a job to a lass who produced a very creative online video, tailored specifically to what Juliet was looking for in this job ad. She literally hired her instantly...without even meeting. Click here for the CV and then click 'Read More' below for some general tips.

Be Creative.
OK, so the CV link above is a rather exceptional outside-the-square example. Yours doesn't have to be like this, but think about it: if you're going for a job in a creative industry, shouldn't your CV reflect why you belong in it?

Make Your Cover Letter Sparkle.
Even if you opt for the standard CV format, be anything but standard. Let your personality shine through via your cover letter/email. When I was a uni graduate of 21 and wanted to do work experience at various PR/Event companies, I didn't send them the usual letter which goes as follows (I am sent thousands of these):

To Whom It May Concern,
I just graduated from UTS with a Degree in Communications and am interested in undergoing work experience at your company blah blah zzzzzzzzzz........

Instead I wrote:

Hi!
I've just finished uni and am keen to get started on my PR & Events career, immediately. I'm writing because your company looks amazing and I'd love to come into your office to be your slave for a week. I have office & computer skills; I'm bright, thoughtful & friendly; and I will do whatever I am told. Absolutely anything. Please contact me!

I sent it to 20 companies, 12 of whom called me the following morning. I picked my top 4 and set up 1 full week at each, totaling 1 month. The funny thing is the first company I went to, Great Big Events, offered me a job the afternoon of my very first day. My very lucky break! Needless to say I cancelled all my other work experience gigs...

Know Your Target.
Being bold can suit an approach to a fashion /lifestyle company, but I understand there's also a more corporate side to our industry. I do believe however, that you can still be creative without being wacky or coming across as flaky. Tailor your approach to the spirit of the company you are targeting and you'll stand out from the rest. Juliet says that the girl who won the job was the ONLY applicant out of 200 who tailored her CV to the specifics of the job ad. Why do people spend more time choosing a pair of shoes than making 100% sure they get the job of their dreams? #Crazy.

Stop Copying Other People's CVs.
"Team player" is my ultimate CV cringe word, what's yours? Read this funny piece 6 Words That Make Your Resume Suck - with constructive advice on how to turn wrong words into right ones.

The Travel Conundrum.
Anyone who knows me knows that my obsession in life is travel. However, I wouldn't go writing this on my CV, would I? So many people do. This could just be a personal irk, but when I'm reading a CV I don't want to know that the person I'm about to spend months training is potentially going to bugger off overseas. They get a gold star if they've already done a year in Europe (I love knowing they have that experience behind them and they're ready to focus on their career) and they lose a point if they have travel at the top of their personal interests. Come on, seriously - who doesn't love to travel?! You don't need to spell it out on your CV - you need to be convincing the person reading it that you are ready and eager to commit to them.

SHORT. AND. SWEET. (Repeat this mantra 10 times)
SO important. Your CV should not be more than 1-2 pages, max. Keep it brief, use bullet points, don't repeat yourself, highlight key jobs and your education background - that's it! If presenting a traditional CV, make it factual and use your cover letter to be sparkly & creative.

Check for Typos.
If there's even a single typo in your CV, you are not ready to work in the Media & Communications industry. I was once sitting with my old boss going through a pile of CVs looking for our new Account Manager, when he read one cover letter and dropped it straight into the bin. I laughed and said, 'Come on I have to see that, now!' He fished it out and I saw the clincher immediately: 'I have excellent attention to detial.' Um, NO, you don't. Cue the sound of it dropping into the bin a second time. The sad part is, the girl sounded good aside from this - but if you can miss a typo on the COVER LETTER of your CV, alarm bells start ringing.

Make It Look Good.
When my sister and I were in our early 20's, we returned from our year in Europe and got busy writing up our CVs. When we had both finished, we proudly swapped them to show the other. I gave mine to my sister first, who upon finishing it said - '...OK, now would you like to see mine?' She handed me hers and I immediately conceded defeat (can you believe I had done mine in Times New Roman - shudder). Whilst the format was identical, the layout & design was light years ahead. Needless to say, she WAS a graphic designer! So she whisked mine away, zhoojed it up - and voila, I got the job. Thanks Fleur!

Bigger Picture Stuff.
While it may be fun to Jump Around Kris-Kross style in a nightclub, it's not on your CV.
If you're straight out of uni, take note of this and try to ensure your career path is as streamlined and focused as possible. If you're older and your CV goes from Hospitality to Jewellery Design to Personal Training to Real Estate, you're going to have a tough time getting into a PR role (but don't give up! Just be prepared to take a big step back pay-wise). If you have a weird tangent you went on, don't be afraid to leave some stuff out if it has no relevance at all to the job you're after. Employers don't always notice small gaps in your CV - what they're looking for is whether you have the right experience for the job in question. Be ready to explain gaps and short stints, and have the confidence to highlight your strengths.

Some more great CV tips can be found here.
A fantastic spot to find industry jobs in Australia is at Pedestrian.TV.

Happy job-hunting!

x Tiff

YOU...Are A Bag Of Douche

2011-12-08T21:31:00.001-08:00

I always try to remember the saying never put into writing what you don't want projected up on a courtroom wall...or in this case, sent virally around the world. Much like what happened to poor Claire Swires ...yum.

Read on for 1,600 words of steaming douche-iness that an investment banker sent to a girl he went on one date with, who never returned his calls or texts.
In her words, the date was "horrific".

Deranged, stalkerish, comically douchey. Why can't I meet a guy like this? Girls, be careful how much you twirl your hair.

Hi Lauren, I'm disappointed in you. I'm disappointed that I haven't gotten a response to my voicemail and text messages.

FYI, I suggest that you keep in mind that emails sound more impersonal, harsher, and are easier to misinterpret than in-person or phone communication. After all, people can't see someone's body language or tone of voice in an email. I'm not trying to be harsh, patronizing, or insulting in this email. I'm honest and direct by nature, and I'm going to be that way in this email. By the way, I did a google search, so that's how I came across your email.

I assume that you no longer want to go out with me. (If you do want to go out with me, then you should let me know.) I suggest that you make a sincere apology to me for giving me mixed signals. I feel led on by you.

Things that happened during our date include, but are not limited to, the following:
-You played with your hair a lot. A woman playing with her hair is a common sign of flirtation. You can even do a google search on it. When a woman plays with her hair, she is preening. I've never had a date where a woman played with her hair as much as you did. In addition, it didn't look like you were playing with your hair out of nervousness.

-We had lots of eye contact during our date. On a per-minute basis, I've never had as much eye contact during a date as I did with you.

-You said, "It was nice to meet you." at the end of our date. A woman could say this statement as a way to show that she isn't interested in seeing a man again or she could mean what she said--that it was nice to meet you. The statement, by itself, is inconclusive.

-We had a nice conversation over dinner. I don't think I'm being delusional in saying this statement.

In my opinion, leading someone on (i.e., giving mixed signals) is impolite and immature. It's bad to do that.

Normally, I would not be asking for information if a woman and I don't go out again after a first date. However, in our case, I'm curious because I think our date went well and that there is a lot of potential for a serious relationship. Of course, it's difficult to predict what would happen, but I think there is a lot of potential for a serious relationship developing between us one day (or least there was before your non-response to my voicemail and text messages).

I think we should go out on a second date. In my opinion, our first date was good enough to lead to a second date.

Why am I writing you? Well, hopefully, we will go out again. Even if we don't, I gain utility from expressing my thoughts to you. In addition, even if you don't want to go out again, I would like to get feedback as to why you wouldn't want to go again. Normally, I wouldn't ask a woman for this type of feedback after a first date, but this is an exception given I think we have a lot of potential.

If you don't want to go again, then apparently you didn't think our first date was good enough to lead to a second date. Dating or a relationship is not a Hollywood movie. It's good to keep that in mind. In general, I thought the date went well and was expecting that we would go out on a second date.

If you're not interested in going out again, then I would have preferred if you hadn't given those mixed signals. I feel led on. We have a number of things in common. I'll name a few things: First, we’ve both very intelligent. Second, we both like classical music so much that we go to classical music performances by ourselves. In fact, the number one interest that I would want to have in common with a woman with whom I'm in a relationship is a liking of classical music. I wouldn't be seriously involved with a woman if she didn't like classical music. You said that you're planning to go the NY Philharmonic more often in the future.

As I said, I go to the NY Philharmonic often. You're very busy. It would be very convenient for you to date me because we have the same interests. We already go to classical music performances by ourselves. If we go to classical music performances together, it wouldn't take any significant additional time on your part. According to the internet, you're 33 or 32, so, at least from my point of view, we're a good match in terms of age. I could name more things that we have in common, but I'll stop here. I don't understand why you apparently don't want to go out with me again. We have numerous things in common. I assume that you find me physically attractive. If you didn't find me physically attractive, then it would have been irrational for you to go out with me in the first place. After all, our first date was not a blind date. You already knew what I looked like before our date. Perhaps, you're unimpressed that I manage my family’s investments and my own investments. Perhaps, you don’t think I have a "real" job. Well, I’ve done very well as an investment manager. I've made my parents several millions of dollars.

That's real money. That's not monopoly money. In my opinion, if I make real money, it's a real job. Donald Trump's children work for his company. Do they have "real" jobs? I think so. George Soros's sons help manage their family investments. Do they have "real" jobs? I think so. In addition, I’m both a right-brain and left-brain man, given that I’m both an investment manager and a philosopher/writer. That’s a unique characteristic; most people aren't like that. I've never been as disappointed and sad about having difficulty about getting a second date as I am with you. I've gone out with a lot of women in my life. (FYI, I'm not a serial dater. Sometimes, I've only gone out with a woman for one date.) People don’t grow on trees. I hope you appreciate the potential we have.

Am I sensitive person? Sure, I am. I think it's better to be sensitive than to be insensitive. There are too many impolite, insensitive people in the world.

I suggest that we continue to go out and see what happens. Needless to say, I find you less appealing now (given that you haven't returned my messages) than I did at our first date. However, I would be willing to go out with you again. I'm open minded and flexible and am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I wish you would give me the benefit of the doubt too. If you don't want to go out again, in my opinion, you would be making a big mistake, perhaps one of the biggest mistakes in your life. If you don’t want to go out again, then you should have called to tell me so. Even sending a text message would have been better than nothing. In my opinion, not responding to my messages is impolite, immature, passive aggressive, and cowardly. I spent time, effort, and money meeting you for dinner. Getting back to me in response to my messages would have been a reasonable thing for you to do. In addition, you arrived about 30 minutes late for our date. I'm sure you wouldn’t like it if a man showed up thirty minutes late for a first date with you.

If you're concerned that you will hurt my feelings by providing specific information about why you don't want to go with me again, well, my feeling are already hurt. I'm sad and disappointed about this situation. If you give information, at least I can understand the situation better. I might even learn something that is beneficial.

If you don't want to go out again, that I request that you call me and make a sincere apology for leading me on (i.e., giving me mixed signals). In my opinion, you shouldn't act that way toward a man and then not go out with him again. It's bad to play with your hair so much and make so much eye contact if you're not interested in going out with me again. I have tried to write this email well, but it's not perfect. Again, I'm not trying to be harsh, insulting, patronizing, etc. I'm disappointed, sad, etc. I would like to talk to you on the phone. I hope you will call me back at xxx-xxx-xxxx> (if it's inconvenient for you to talk on the phone when you read this email, you can let me know via email that you are willing to talk on the phone and I'll call you). If you get my voicemail, you can a leave a message and I can call you back. Even if you don't want to go out again, I would appreciate it if you give me the courtesy of calling me and talking to me. Yes, you might say things that hurt me, but my feelings are already hurt. Sending me an email response (instead of talking on the phone) would better than no response at all, but I think it would be better to talk on the phone. Email communication has too much potential for misinterpretation, etc.

Best, Mike

Source: Huffington Post

My Dog Can Talk, Apparently

2011-12-08T18:55:00.001-08:00

I read the Mama Mia post: "My Dog Knows I Don't Love Him" today and laughed OUT LOUD. So random and so funny. Fang definitely knows I love him (OBSESSED), but I confess: I too went to a dog psychic.

About a year ago I was concerned about a couple of Fang's behaviours (being scared to eat out of a bowl & yapping with every knock on the door) so sought the advice of a trainer, as well as a pet psychic who a Social Diary member put me on to. Like the psychic in the MM story, she too was an experienced vet who had moved into the field of animal communication. Who even knew there was a field? As she was based in Victoria, she asked me to email a couple of pics of Fang and she'd do a phone reading - for around $60. I figured if it wasn't helpful it would at least be hilarious. But I wasn't ready for what she told me...

She said that what was really upsetting Fang was he didn't like being called gay...because (apparently) he's not. She very pointedly said: 'You call him gay, don't you? And other people do too?' I was like 'um...cripes, sometimes! But it's just because he wears a collar with diamante lettering saying FANG and is always humping boy dogs!!' She told me in no uncertain terms to cease & desist, which made me feel very ashamed indeed. But the confusing thing is, she later said that Fang asked her to ask me to get him a rainbow collar. Apparently the diamantes chafe his neck and he loves rainbows. So a straight dog who resents being called gay wanting a Gay Pride collar? I decided the diamantes were staying...but admittedly, I haven't called him gay since. I now tell him he's virile and macho and manly, particularly when he trembles in fear of the rain, wind, birds, the ironing board, Great Danes, Huskies, and...CATS.

PR F@#$ Up Files

2011-12-07T21:15:00.001-08:00

So this certainly got my attention: "THE head of a PR company responsible for mailing - and killing - more than 50 goldfish in a stunt gone wrong has apologised for the incident"

The Agency chief's response to ABC Radio Adelaide: “In hindsight we would probably not do this again.”

No shit Sherlock. As an animal lover I cannot fathom why posting fish sounded like a good idea - at least the folk at The Animal Welfare League and RSPCA have benefited.

Click here for the article - A fine addition to the PR F@#$ Up Files.

5 Tips For Fab Goodie Bags

2011-12-05T20:30:00.001-08:00

I've written about the illustrious goodie bag before in my blog post 'To Gift Or Not To Gift ?' Now here's 5 simple tips to help you pull some impressive loot together for your lucky guests.

1. Post a Product Call on the Social Diary Network & Newsletter
Social Diary members who have product to sample scour the Product Calls on the Network (up instantly) and the Newsletter (out every Friday) to choose what events they offer their product to. Be detailed in your Product Call and specify exactly the sort of items you're looking for, and who your event is attracting to increase your chances. Product Calls should be posted a minimum of 4 weeks prior to your event, the longer lead time the better.
Hot tip: Every week on the newsletter members offer product, so if you keep a running record of these you can contact them directly for your next batch of bags.

2. Target brands who have recently launched
If you go to a lot of events, suddenly you'll see the same bag of chips or lip gloss popping up in bags at the same time. New product launches often involve major sampling activity, particularly FMCG's such as drinks, museli bars and shampoos.
Hot tip: When you're grocery shopping or watching TV take note of the new products on the market - you're more likely to have luck with these.

3. Use Social Diary Brand Search to find contacts
Social Diary Brand Search allows you to find contacts via brand name, category or alphabetically. One of my fave things in goodie bags is munchies (great for those tipsy cab rides home) so if you're wanting some, just click Category: Food (Product), hit Search, and up will pop a list of all SD members food clients and their contact details. Easy!
Hot tip: If a contact isn't in Brand Search just email us and we'll source the contact for you. We're nice like that.

4. Source the right bag
The bag itself can often be sourced from sponsors, saving you money. The Social Diary party bags have been given to us regularly by the fab folk at Instant Rockstar and Peep Toe Shoes, and we particularly loved our most recent bags from Sydney Seafood School which are also handy cooler bags!
Hot tip: If you've only got a few products, don't get a huge bag as it will look empty.

5. Quality vs Quantity
We all know the best goodie bags are jam-packed with a myriad of things but don't overlook the power of a single full-size product. This can often come from the client themselves, such as a full bottle if you're launching a perfume, or as Sunglass Hut gave at their recent event, a $200 voucher for every guest. Maddy is now rocking a fab new pair of Ray-Ban Aviators thanks to her awesome boss.
Hot tip: My opinion is you need at least 4 items to start creating a goodie bag, so if you can't get the quantities you want, consider a special single item.

And once you've got all your goodies? It's Sheltered Workshop time...and for that I recommend many hands, a Sex & The City marathon and lots of wine. Happy stuffing!

How To Get Celebrities To Your Event

2011-12-01T00:17:00.001-08:00

I get asked this question a lot, in fact just last night a magazine girl said - 'Help, we have a charity event next week and desperately need some celebs!' Hence, this blog. Firstly, why do we need them? Quite simply, to add sparkle to the brand and to get media & photogs there. So that's why - but how? If you're the client it's about engaging a really connected PR agency of course, but what if you're starting out in PR and just not that connected yet? Here's a few tips.

Engage Them
The most sure-fire way to ensure celebrity attendance is quite simply, to pay them. And I do NOT mean in a Hong Kong/LA way where every celebrity is literally paid cash to turn up on the red carpet. Most then immediately leave without even entering the party...I just can't stand this kind of event as often depicted on The Spin Crowd. I understand the purpose of a red carpet set-up with a media wall (called a 'step & repeat' in the US!) but if they're not even bothering to go into the party what's the point? It's just become such a cash-riddled farce. Don't even get me started on the media event scene in Hong Kong - that's a whole blog unto itself, coming soon. I shudder when I imagine this scenario happening in Australia and all PRs should be immensely grateful this is not the norm here...yet.

So if budget allows, involve your celeb of choice in an official capacity at your event. This can be as MC, performer or official launch identity. The celebrity is paid for their role, but it's out in the open by way of being communicated on the invitation (You are cordially invited to xxx launch, MC insert celebrity here). This is the most sure-fire, transparent and easy way to get the face you want on your ruby rug.

Ambassadors
What's better than one celeb? A bevy of them. Ambassadorships are hugely popular with Australian PRs, and this can be full blown paid ambassador roles, or simply product contra. When you have several of these relationships, whether formal or informal, you can guarantee a sprinkling of sparkle at your client's events over the course of the year. And rather than handing out product or clothing ad-hoc to whoever over the course of the year, it makes better business sense to strategically target celebrities who are a perfect fit for your client, and develop an ongoing relationship with them.

Know Them
Easier still? If they're your friend! Once you've thrown events with celebrities involved as per above, you've probably become rather friendly with them. Then they start coming to lots of your different events, it's pretty simple.

Developing relationships with up-and-coming celebrities is important too. Remember the old adage of treat all people equally for you never know where they'll end up? Same applies here. When I was a wee PR sprogget I met and befriended lots of celebby types simply due to the events I was throwing and going to - and who, like me, were starting their career too and looking for a bone. I would invite these people along to my events, they were grateful for the publicity and I was grateful for a face for the snappers, and in time their stardom grew. It's a wonderfully symbiotic relationship - and they never stopped supporting my events even when their stardom eclipsed whatever launch party I was throwing. Help each other along the way!

Develop relationships with agents
Developing relationships with the gatekeepers is a clever strategy. They have the power to send a selection of their celebrities to your events, and you have the power to employ those celebrities at various functions. It works both ways. A mutual back scratching scenario if you will. It's cleverer and time-smart to nurture a handful of key relationships with agents and celebrities than to try and get anyone/everyone to your event. However the result can be that if you go to a particular PR agency's event you see the same batch of celeb faces every time, but who cares - there's only a small pool in our fair city to start with!

BEG.
So this funnily enough was the advice I gave the girl last night! Only 1 week to go? No RSVPs from the invites already sent? My advice: be realistic, pick 3 of the nicest/most accessible celebrities, ideally ones you have some kind of contact with and relevance to - and ask really nicely. ie: BEG. Plead your case on behalf of your charity, saying simply - 'If you could just come by for an hour we will ply you with food & drink, it'll be easy, and your presence will help us raise the $50,000 we are aiming for! Pretty please?' They say ask and you shall receive, right? The support you can get if you are humble and ask nicely will surprise you - contrary to popular belief, most people in this industry are lovely. Never be too scared to ask.

And last but not least...Pot Luck
Do what most PR agencies do just in case - send a large batch of invites out to every celebrity who lives in your city and see if any of them come! Sometimes...they do. ;)

xxx Tiff

Where To Find Great Staff

2011-07-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

"HELP - where the hell can I find good staff??" is a cry I hear on a weekly basis from Social Diary members. And it's been like this for years. There are consistently more great jobs going than there are great staff looking - but on the upside this is yet more evidence that the PR Industry is booming.

While Social Diary would be an ideal place to source staff, it is in fact a conflict of interest for me to run job ads on our weekly newsletter. If a gal working at Company X saw an ad for a job at Company Y she could jump ship - and I don't want to 'steal from Peter to give to Paul'. So, I help people on the side and only source potential employees who are not currently employed or are between jobs. I must say I do absolutely love helping people a job and in turn helping my members find fab staff. There are a handful of member companies where I have literally supplied all of their staff - and nothing makes me happier. I've always been a bit of a matchmaker and this satisfies my Patti Stanger leanings, although on a less Cupid-esque level.

And now, I find myself in the same conundrum - I am currently searching for a new Social Diary Coordinator to replace my gorgeous Jessie who I am promoting up. Faced with this seemingly impossible mission, here are my thoughts on some resources which could make your own search a little easier.

Pedestrian.tv
Pedestrian has a FREE job listing service for people in creative industries, and I tried this out for the first time this week. Since listing on Wednesday I've received 30 applications - all quality. In fact, they are all predominatly OVER qualified, as I'm looking for a straight-out-of-uni junior burger. You think this would be easy but clearly it's not! However, I highly recommend the site for industry savvy staff.

FBI Fashion College
I've hired several FBI College graduates over the years and have had scores of them as interns, it's always a fabulous resource. Alas, they are on holidays until August 1st and I need someone NOW! Buzz them on 02 9566 2020 they are amazing.

Twitter/Facebook

I've tweeted my job search twice and have received 10 applications, so it's a super easy way to get the word out. I just updated my status on FB last night (which made me realise how many months it had been since I had, I'm a Twitterholic now - sorry Mark Zuckerberg) and have had a few bites so far.

Mumbrella
Mumbrella, of which I am a huge fan, also have a free jobs listing service. Alas, I haven't received any applications since posting it here 3 days ago, however given that PR starts with a "P" it is waaaay down the list of predominantly advertising industry jobs. They do however have a premium job listing service for $120 so methinks I'm going to give that a shot and see how I go - Mumbrella has a huge audience so I have faith.

Seek.com.au
...GROAN. Ok so while I have in fact found staff before via advertising on Seek, it takes a hell of alot of trawling through mountains of CVs from the most diverse range of folk. Even when I've stated in my advertisement, in capitals, PLEASE DO NOT APPLY UNLESS YOU HAVE A COMMUNICATIONS DEGREE & 2 YRS PR EXPERIENCE, I have received applications from people overseas who don't speak English, people from completely unrelated fields and even an application from a 54 year old truck driver who felt he would be perfect for the job. However, one must explore all channels in the search for your next star employee.

Work Experience
My last word on this is, the more work experience poppets you hire the more likely you are to find 'the one'. Who wants to wade through a mountain of CVs when the person you're looking for is right under your nose? They know their way around your office, you've seen them in action, are they ready to step up? Give them a shot. My most adored work experience lasses have always managed to sneak themselves onto my payroll and into my heart, bless their cotton socks.

xxx Tiff

Top PR Blogs

2011-07-06T23:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a selection of great PR blogs and their respective Twitter accounts, in no particular order. It wouldn't be very good PR to play favourites now would it?

PR Daily
@MarkRaganCEO

PR News Online
@prnews

The PR Coach
@theprcoach

The Future Buzz
@TheFutureBuzz

PR Squared
@TDefren

Media Bistro - PR Newser
@prnewser

NYC PR Girls
@nycprgirls

Stellar*
@StellarTweets

PR Disasters

10 Yetis PR Blog

Ian Needs A Hug

2011-06-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

My friend Mandi told me about some funny exchanges with her grumble-bum neighbour Ian last week, who could perhaps be a little more positive about things.

Mandi: (cheery) "Good Morning Ian!"
Ian: (grumbly) "What are you so happy about?"
Mandi: "You know I'm always happy and it's Sunday morning, beautiful blue skies...it's going to be a lovely, sunny day"
Ian: "How do you know that you're not dead and this is hell?"

Um...OK Ian. The following Friday Mandi's husband Dave enjoyed this exchange while riding in the elevator with him:

Dave: "Isn't it great, the working week is over and it's Friday, the weekend is here YAY!
Ian: "No, it's not great - it means it's 2 days closer to Monday."
Dave: *speechless*

If you see Ian, give him a hug.

Why Don't We Eat Dogs?

2011-05-31T23:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't eaten animals for 1 year today, and it feels fucking amazing. I have to note here that I was the world's biggest carnivore until June 1st, 2010 so it was no easy feat. An egg wasn't breakfast without bacon and salad without chicken was for tree huggers. I literally felt a meal without meat in it wasn't a meal. My, how things have changed. Read on if you'd like to know why I question why we don't eat dogs. Most of you won't read on from here because it's uncomfortable to talk about, but for those who do - good on you.
Most people don't want to know how their food gets on their plate and I understand why. I used to be just like that too. (I have to point out here that I currently still eat seafood, which I am slowly diminishing from my diet. I feared cutting it out at the same time as meat was so extreme that it would cause me to abandon my mission. Please note I am fully aware of my own hypocrisies and contradictions and I'm working on them).

I have loved animals all my life, but I've also loved eating them. I didn't start to seriously think about the torture that goes into making a burger until I got my first dog, Fang, 5 years ago. Anyone who has ever had a pet knows that they feel pain, fear, shame, and real emotions akin to our own. One little whimper tells you that. Did you know that in Chinese culture there is a belief that the more pain an animal feels the better their meat tastes, so many dogs are beaten relentlessly throughout their life? But then I tend to shock people when I say it doesn't bother me that the Chinese eat dogs and cats. Of course it bothers me, but I see no difference between the eating of dogs and cats or any other animal. You wouldn't eat a horse, right? Perhaps you aren't aware that 40,000 Australian horses a year are bred & shipped to France for consumption at the finest restaurants. Young horses too, because their meat is tastier. Try and stomach that for a moment. The fact that we (meaning Australian society) choose to eat chickens, pigs and sheep but not dogs, cats or horses is a blatant form of racism...or should that be specisim?

All animals are, and should be, equal. If you think we don't eat dogs, cats or horses because of their intellect and capacity for human interaction, consider the proven fact that a pig has the same intellectual and emotional capacity of a 3 year old child. And thanks to the film Babe and George Clooney, everyone knows they make fabulous pets. But what pigs go through to get to your plate would make you very upset...so I'm going to spare you the details in this blog. Most of you would be somewhat aware of what chickens experience, but perhaps not that all of them are seriously mentally & physically ill because of their horrific living conditions. Noone in the world is permitted to film inside battery hen houses for a reason.

It makes me really angry when people are charged with cruelty towards dogs and cats, which is often covered in the papers and on the news, but not cruelty towards so many other animals. Of course these people would be charged, but as Animals Australia says, 'Our treatment of animals is a moral failure. Animal welfare laws in Australia don't extend to most of the 500 million production animals in this country. As a result, the level of pain experienced by these animals daily would land people in jail if it was inflicted on pet dogs or cats." Not really very fair, huh?

Funnily enough, I'm actually not completely convinced that we aren't meant to eat animals. But I am utterly convinced we are not meant to torture them, and apart from buying your meat from a Mum & Dad-style farm (which are sadly dwindling in numbers in favour of factory farms) it's virtually impossible to say the animal you're eating hasn't suffered, usually beyond our comprehension. So technically it's not as much their death that bothers me (if done humanely), but their life of suffering leading up to it.

It's actually a fortuitous week to be celebrating my meat-free anniversary because Mark Zuckerberg just announced he will no longer eat any meat he hasn't killed himself, in an effort to recognise that an animal has given up its life to be his meal. I salute him. Most of us would not eat any animals at all if we had to kill them ourselves. Would you?

Also in the news this week was a heart-wrenching story aired by Four Corners about the live export of cattle to Indonesia and the horrific brutality, violence and torture these cows undergo. I defy you to watch this without feeling anything. My eyes stung with tears and I was utterly speechless but I forced myself to do it. If I ever feel like a cheeseburger (usually when I'm hungover) all I need to do is remember these images.

So back to my decision to stop eating animals. I found myself going to more and more doggie charity events, and feeling uncomfortable that I was flying the flag for animal welfare, but only for a certain species. It seemed...wrong. Kind of like how Paris Hilton bangs on about how much she loves animals then does an ad for the Carl's JR burger chain. I just grew tired of my own hypocrisy. I started slowly by doing Meat Free Mondays and undergoing a lot of very tough personal research. Then the final clincher was going to see Food, Inc (there's only 2 or 3 slaughter scenes but I bawled the whole way through) and reading 'Eating Animals' by Jonathan Saffran. This book is not for the faint-hearted and I feel sorry for the guy sitting next to me on the plane when I was reading it. I literally had tears streaming down my face for hours...he must have thought I was a freak. I forced myself to get through it, and it is truly horrific in parts, as I felt it was a moral obligation to stop pretending the horrors of factory farming don't exist.

The most interesting thing about my decision a year ago was the reaction I received from my friends. It was downright bizarre, and I will forever remain fascinated about the first few weeks of my veg-aquarianism and the emotions it seemingly stirred in the people closest to me. Some of them baulked and laughed saying I would fail, some became uncomfortable and changed the subject immediately, and some even fought me on it. Like, literally attacked me and tried to pick holes in what, to this day, has been the most significant decision and personal sacrifice I have ever made. I was stunned. Literally the only people who applauded my decision whole-heartedly were my mother and my best friend - Mum & Juliet, if you're reading this, thankyou! Because of the freaky reactions I got, after the first month I learnt to keep my mouth shut. Until the writing on this blog, I haven't discussed it at all, unless someone asks me straight out.

And do I miss eating meat? Yeah, I do sometimes. But nowhere near as much as I thought I would. Once I made the decision it was actually so easy that my only regret is I waited until I was 34. A secondary benefit is my health has improved - my diet is so much better now that I have to think about what I'm going to eat (and let's face it, cutting Maccas, meat pies and animal fats etc out of one's diet can only be a good thing!) I had a blood test recently and my iron levels are perfect even though I'm not taking any supplements - my doctor actually said it was difficult for her to believe I hadn't eaten meat for a year. And thirdly, being meat-free is significantly better for the environment. Smiles all 'round.

I have no intention of ever suggesting, cajoling, convincing or forcing anyone I know into quitting meat, my decision was a purely personal one. All I would ever like is for people to open their eyes, become more educated, and think about the moral and ethical consequences of our collective treatment of the beautiful creatures who co-exist with us. ALL of them, not just the ones we invite into our homes.

If you don't want to stop eating meat, what can you do?
-Buy ethically farmed meat from farmer's markets (but ASK them how their animals are raised)
-Buy grass-fed NOT grain-fed beef, feedlots are a living hell for cows
-Buy open-range (not free range or 'cage-free') eggs, easiest from farmer's markets
-Have at least 1 meat-free day per week, try Mondays!
-Eat less pigs and chickens, they suffer more acutely than cows & sheep (who still suffer terribly)
-If you're going to eat it, don't ever waste it
-Think about what you're eating and remember where it came from

Thankyou for reading my non-PR related, slightly political, somewhat uncomfortable yet very personal thoughts on this matter. It means a lot to me that you made it to the very end.

xxx Tiff

A Reminder To Think Outside The Circle.

2011-05-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

My 6 year old goddaughter Lola answered a seemingly straight-forward homework question in the most breathtakingly innocent, creative and hilarious way. The answer they were obviously looking for was 'circle', but don't you just love Robin? And she even put a smiley face in the circle to boot. Dying to know whether she was marked up or down for her whimsical approach to this question.

May this serve as a lovely reminder for us all to think a little differently in everything we do. *insert smiley circle named Robin here*

How To Lose A Client

2011-03-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

So last week I blogged about PRs dumping difficult clients, but what happens when the client wants to dump YOU? Ouch... yup, we've all been there. It hurts. Sometimes it's your fault, and sometimes it's not. I spoke to people on both sides of the fence: PRs who've lost clients and clients who've dumped PRs, to come up with a core list of the reasons why.

Admit it, you fucked up.

Well this is the most obvious of course, with most stories already covered in my previous blog PR F@#k Ups. We all make mistakes, and sometimes they're doozies. Like when a PR hired actors for an ACA story for his client (he lost more than the client - he also lost his job and his reputation); or when a PR employee shagged a married client (again, not only did the agency lose the client, she lost her job). Sometimes it truly is all your fault.

An easy FU to avoid is going over budget - it's a surefire way to cause the ire of even the friendliest of clients (most of whom brought it up by the way). Scope out your plans thoroughly before submitting your estimate. Get literally everything you can think of signed off. Get everything you haven't thought off signed off while you're at it. Allocate an overly generous buffer. I used to pride myself on telling the client there was actually money left over at the end of an event simply because I'd been so generous with my buffer...now there's a little trick to ensure your client thinks you're the ants pants.

You over-promised & under-delivered

This is without question the MAIN reason people lose clients. Not for any major fuck-up, but more for consistently average work, laziness, lack of creativity, lack of results, blah blah blahdie blah. And obviously this scenario is quite subjective - you may not necessarily agree with your client on this one, in fact PRs rarely do. This detente is much like the "PRs vs Media" battle that will forever wage on - sometimes, we all just have to agree to disagree.

And the list of unfulfilled promises goes on. One client who has worked with several PR agencies over the years says: "My biggest gripe is that you get sucked in on being impressed with the boss or the person who sold the agency to you, and then get allocated a ditzy Account Manager!" Another PR states: "We took an agency on because of the girl on top. We wanted HER, and she promised she was the one who would manage our business. Once work got underway she never gave us any face-to-face time, and barely even returned our calls, leaving it all to an extremely junior staff member. See ya."

One way to avoid this scenario, is ALWAYS take the person/team who will be working on the account on a daily basis into the pitch with you. It makes good business sense anyway to show the potential new client the human face of your agency as well as to ensure there is good chemistry between client & Account Manager, but it will also mean you avoid the above accusation if things go sour. For this reason, naming your business after yourself may be asking for trouble. Let's face it, if a client comes to Sophie Smith PR because they've heard she's fabulous, well...chances are they'll expect Sophie Smith will be working on their business, daily.

Some other bug-bears from clients:

"Don't be afraid to think outside the square - just getting the who's who to an event isn't going to always generate the publicity a client needs (or cares about). Our PRs need to be one step ahead and more in the know than us the clients. It can be embarrassing for both parties when they’re not and brands miss out on integral opportunities."

"I've worked with agencies who submit paint-by-numbers media releases. You know the ones where all they've done is *insert brand name here* and changed a few words around. Come on, can you even try to pretend you care about our business?? I understand how PRs work, and sometimes they are truly taking the piss."

Not enough ROI

This is bottom line stuff. If you can't prove a healthy Return On Investment to a client in the way of media clippings, hard results from activations, hits on websites, etc - then they are almost always going to question whether your work is worth the money. Yes, alot of PR is simply 'good will' and difficult to quantify, but a good agency has their valuation systems in place and can present tangible results to the best of their abilities. For some clients, this will be mandatory and the absence of proof a one way ticket to Dumpsville.

The client has an ulterior motive

Sometimes when you lose a client it truly is out of your hands. One PR told me: "I worked on a beauty client that myself and the agency just loved, and we'd had it for a few years. The Marketing Manager then left and was replaced by a woman that picked on us from day one. We couldn't understand why she wasn't happy, and were then suddenly dumped over a typo in a DRAFT media release! We soon found out she was best friends with a rival PR agency head who she immediately went with. While we were disappointed, we totally understood the personal relationship she had - how can you compete with that? We just would have preferred her to have been honest and not make us feel inadequate to cover up for the fact she wanted to go with her mate."

The client is poached by another PR

*UGH* this one makes my skin crawl. I am ethical to the core of my being and don't believe in stealing clients, boyfriends, money, anything. I truly believe if you are excellent at your job success will surely come to you - and not at the detriment of another. (On a philosophical level it's akin to the difference between a hedonist and an epicurean - both pursue pleasure in all its forms but the epicurean does so without hurting others.)

Ruthless business people would disagree with me here, and most likely have more money than I do - but I want to sleep at night, be a good person, and have the respect of my peers. It really upsets me when I see this behaviour amongst the industry, and luckily only a handful of PRs are guilty of it. The funny thing is everyone knows exactly who they are, and as a result go out of their way not to work alongside them or do them any favours. And as Social Diary proves, there are a myriad of ways that rival PRs can work together to benefit everyone, on a daily basis, with a wonderfully friendly spirit. And on the flipside, imagine being reviled by everyone in your own industry. I ask you: whose shoes would you rather be in?

A PR friend says: "A new agency once went on a major poach-fest, targeting a number of my clients and offering them a retainer at half the price of mine. Some didn't flinch and stayed with us, but others couldn't resist the lure of a cheaper deal and left, albeit apologetically. (I stood by my rates and quality of service and wouldn't match the fee). Not suprisingly they returned one by one when they suffered unsatisfactory results, and I happily took them back without the temptation to say 'I told you so'. This type of behaviour in our tiny industry is reputation suicide to say the least. EVERYBODY talks."

The client runs out of money

Well this is an obvious one, and we all know that the PR/Marketing is the first thing to get the chop when a company is tightening its belt. However, one PR friend has noticed a trend recently: "There are brands who dazzle a PR with their positioning...but off-set this by saying they can only pay $X to start with. The PR takes them on for the cachet of looking after a top brand, but as soon as it's time to put the fee up to a fair level the client moves on to a new agency and repeats the scenario." In short, they're being cheap and reneging on the original deal - watch out for this.

An additional and worrying trend is the 'on-off tap' approach to PR, which is currently hugely popular - almost the norm - in the US. The PR says: "You work on them for 3 months, then put it on hold for the same period, then they want it back on for 3 months etc. Obviously if you work on category exclusivity this really stuffs you around." But if a client threatens to leave unless you offer this arrangement, what are you supposed to do?

Old Cow, New Cow.

Sorry to say this but sometimes, you've just been around for too long. It's the case of The 7 Year Itch or Old Cow, New Cow - which is short for the sad, sorry theory that men leave women and never come back because all they really want is New Cow. Sometimes a client will just want a fresh set of eyes on their biz. That, and the invariable fact that most agencies will become lazy once they've had a client for a long time - literally every client that I spoke to for this blog agreed with this. So most of the time you'll just have to wear this one on the chin. I have to say, I agree with some major international brands who require their agencies to re-pitch every single year (what a pain in the arse! I hear you scream) but let's face it, there's nothing like the threat of losing a client to make you create, innovate, and work your butt off to keep them.

The client goes out of business

They're out of business, you lose them, and all you can do is hope that it had nothing to do with you...

So my dear reader, I truly hope you don't lose a client any time soon. And if you do? Just say you were gonna get rid of them anyway...everybody does. ;)

xxx Tiff

When To Dump A Client

2011-03-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

Everyone always says it's just as hard to be the dumper as it is the dumpee, but clearly those people have never had their heart broken into a billion pieces. No seriously...dumping anyone - be it partner, employee or client - is hard. And sometimes it's pure, unadulterated relief.

Have you ever had to dump a client? Have you wanted to but didn't have the balls? Would you love to pick up the phone RIGHT NOW to a client who is making you tear your hair out and say SEE YA before popping a cork to celebrate? Here are some stories from PRs who've done just that, and the various kinds of dumpings.
The Let's Be Friends Dump
Sometimes there's just nothing more you can do for a client, so a warm fuzzy dumping is in order. No drama or fireworks necessary, and you can even make it seem like you're doing them a favour as one PR attests: "We've advised clients at the end of our agreed period that we have done everything we can (usually because their expectations are too high). This is always amicable and positioned as a mutually beneficial dissolution of the relationship." See, that wasn't too hard was it? Now let's all hold hands and sing Kumbaya!

The I Knew I Would End Up Dumping You Dump
You know when the alarm bells go off at that very first meeting but dammit, you went ahead and took them on anyway? Maybe it was because you really needed a new client or you simply believed in them that made you ignore your razor-sharp gut instinct. Either way, Welcome To Dumpsville. Population: Them.

"I once took on a client who I just KNEW would be a punish from the first day we met. I took them on as things were a little tough financially so I figured I could cope with some grief. My instinct was spot on, but I had significantly underestimated the level of grief. It was a very stressful experience but what I learnt was to ALWAYS trust my gut. When I meet potential new clients who are the same I am very polite, tell them we aren't able to take on any new clients at the moment and walk away smiling."

The You Need A Serious Reality Check Dump
Ahhh... the bane of every PR: The Ridiculously Unrealistic Client. The start-up label who expects to be on the cover of Vogue next week, the unknown 'talent' who wants their own column in a magazine, the *yawny* brand who wants a major story on Sunrise and thinks all it will take is one phone call. We've all had them.(I was discussing this blog with a PR friend and when I mentioned The Ridiculously Unrealistic Client type she tellingly said "But aren't they all?" hehe.)

"I dumped a food client once when the goal posts changed dramatically from the original brief. They had unrealistic ideas on what their business was and how they should be perceived by the media; refused to listen to journalist feedback; and the tools to work with never came to fruition. I was very frustrated when I was forced to dump then, but in the end was quite amused when they went to other PR companies who had exactly the same problems!"

"I recently had a fashion client who had seriously unrealistic expectations, demanding TV and becoming increasingly difficult. After three months of that, I prepared a hand over document, booked a catch-up and terminated the contract on the spot. Diva behaviour is counter-productive for everyone. The hilarious thing is, they were actually shocked."

"Small businesses seem to be the worst as they don't understand how PR works, even when it's explained to them. My retainers are extremely low in the first instance - they all must get a shock when they go elsewhere!"

The You're Just A Douche Dump
Let's face it, who wants to deal with a douche on a daily basis?

"I once had a client where I enjoyed the work, but couldn't stand him. He big-noted himself constantly, and could best be described as a name-dropping wanker. I was embarassed to introduce him to media. I was embarassed to introduce him to anyone. It was a shame because I really loved the brand, but ultimately my sanity was worth more than the retainer."

The I Don't Even Have To Think About It Dump

The easiest decision you'll ever make re whether to dump a client? When they don't pay. Unfortunately this happens fairly regularly in this industry due to the fact that PR comes with no guarantees. You can work your butt off and not achieve impressive results, leading to the ire of clients who more often than not don't understand how PR works.

I've had many calls from Social Diary members over the years asking for advice when clients aren't paying, and I feel their pain. PRs who've been around the block know how to protect themselves: they have a water tight contract or at the very least everything in writing; get paid upfront when possible; cease all work if they are a week late in being paid; and don't let the debt pile up to an amount where their business would suffer. Yet even then, it can still happen and it sucks. One PR says "I've been caught out only a few times on a financial level, been strung along and not paid, and when it's a tad too late, realising it aint gonna come. Exit immediately. I've never been to court (it's invariably not worth it), but I have threatened to and then got what I was owed."

If someone doesn't pay, clearly the relationship is over. But also, if someone is consistently late in paying each month and it's affecting your cash flow, it's sayonara time. Don't put up with it.

The I Don't Want To Dump You But I Have To Dump
It's tough when you're offered a client who compromises the exclusivity of another, or when factors other than the obvious are at play and you're literally forced to terminate.

"Client A asked us to dump Client B because their business had changed and they believed Client B to be a competitor. Client B was my favourite client at the time, but we had a bigger retainer with Client A. I certainly wasn't happy about it. As luck would have it after we dropped our client, 2 months later we were put up to re-pitch on Client A and didn't win - so we lost both! I so should have stuck to my guns and kept the one I wanted to..."

"My client of almost a year turned to me and said that at the conclusion of our contracted term (one month away) they wanted to severely reduce my retainer because they had to "cut costs". I lined up a new client (a competitor) in the same category and then told them "thanks, but no thanks". They now see the difference my work has made to the new client's business and often joke about what a mistake it was suggesting I cut my fee..."

The last word.
The bottom line? When the writing's on the wall, make a decision and act on it swiftly. If you're already going through pain, why prolong the agony? Do it and move on.

"There are always warning signs so I try to act on these quickly - hence I tend to dump clients very early on before too much damage is done. Having a difficult client stresses you and your staff out. I've found it never gets any better even if you persist; it's smarter just to let them go as soon as possible (just like a bandaid - pull it off quick!)"

"If I've dropped a client there is always a sense of relief. It's always upsetting to lose one (especially when it's out of your hands and not for bad service) but when you've made the decision it can be quite empowering."

And if Charlie Sheen was your client? Well then let's all congratulate this guy for getting his dump on. Gimme a D...

Happy dumping :) xxx

Gossip...You Know You Love It. ex oh, ex oh.

2011-02-24T16:24:00.000-08:00

Why do we love gossip so much? Why are the gossip pages commonly the most widely read of our newspapers, second only to the front & back pages? Why does noone want to admit they revel in it? And if you love it, would you be able to write it yourself? Here's some musings on gossip, and how some of our top gossip columnists feel about their job.

It was Barbara Walters who once said, “Show me someone who never gossips, and I’ll show you someone who isn’t interested in people." Apart from the true misanthropist, people are simply fascinated by other people. Perhaps we just can't help but gossip, it's in our DNA.

Our insatiable desire for the minutae of other people's lives is evident all around us. Gossip about the famous has been going for aeons, reaching a pinnacle with the rise of Hollywood and the subsequent tales of decadent behaviour of the rich & powerful. Stories in tabloid magazines can be likened to an ongoing soap opera with a myriad of misbehaving characters, but one that requires no writers to come up with storylines - the action is relentlessly unfolding and simply requires someone to find out (the reporter) and someone to capture the image (the paparazzi).

And what a wild ride gossip has been on historically - from Chaucer's House of Fame in the 1300's; the use of gossip as a pastime amongst the French aristocracy of the 18th century (a la Dangerous Liaisons); the era of the original power gossip journos Hedda Hopper & Louella Parsons in 1930's & 1940's Hollywood; the rise of the tabloid magazine through the 1980's; and finally to the era of the gossip blogger, spearheaded by Perez Hilton and culminating in the TV show Gossip Girl. Hellooo Upper Eastsiders...

Gossip about celebrities is one thing, but just like the microcosm of the Gossip Girl world we too are addicted to gossip about fabulous nobodies, which we devour daily in our newspapers. We love gossip about everyone except...well, ourselves of course. But then again, that's not exactly true is it? Too many people absolutely love it about themselves. It's a form of attention; a moment in the spotlight - albeit brief and often unsavoury. Hello, Shane Warne and the St Kilda schoolgirl I'm talking about you. Sex tapes and scandals launch multi-million dollar careers these days, so gossip itself has never held so much currency.

So once we've heard a scandalous piece of goss, why do we love to repeat it? Apart from the fact that it shows status ('wow, how did you know that?') and forms trust ('we must be close if you've chosen to tell me that'), it is often simply to make oneself more interesting. In A Brief History of Gossip in The United States, it states "when there aren't things left to talk about in someone's own life, one may revert to talking about the lives of others just so they have something to say." Admit it...you know it's true.

PRs of course are more in tune than most with the hum of gossip buzzing through their city, and usually have the resident columnists on speed dial. PRs understand that even the tiniest snippet can result in heat around their celebrity/brand/event - so they pass on gossip to promote their client, but also to curry favour with journos and nurture these symbiotic relationships.

But why does the person in the street pass a story on to the papers? There are several reasons: they have a vendetta against whoever they're blabbing about; they want the thrill of their story appearing in the papers making them feel a part of this glamorous world; or they are simply mischievous. But more often than not it's simply by accident. They may be chatting to a journo at an event and not realise that the story they've repeated or a snippet they've mentioned is actually hot goss that the journalist is quietly filing away in their head for later on. Whoopsies!

So how do columnists themselves feel about gossip? I asked a bunch of my favourite scribes, anonymously of course...

Why do you think we are so addicted to gossip?
G1: "We have a burning desire to know things that we don't know and shouldn't know. That's what curiosity is for. It's a healthy trait, until it kills the cat"

G5: "It makes you feel connected and important if people want to hear your gossip. It goes back to the whole 'watercooler' thing. You're part of the cool gang if you know all the latest gossip"

G2: "What would we all talk about if there was no gossip? We all live and breathe it every day. We want to know who is doing what, who, when, where and why. It's an aspirational thing - we love to see how celebs and socialites live so we can replicate that in our own lives. On the other hand, seeing celebs live such crazy lives makes our lives seem more normal"

Do you ever feel bad about something that you've written?
G1: "Yes, especially when you don't know the person, then meet them and find out they're not so bad"

G3: "Never. We speak the truth and nothing but."

What do you say about people who are addicted to gossip but are then horrified to have something written about them?
G1: "They have been living in a bubble and it bursts. They only like reading about other people because it's more entertaining than having the media blowtorch applied to themselves"

G5: "It's such a double standard. What goes around comes around. I take an evil little bit of pleasure when a big gossip becomes the target of gossip. The funny thing is once the storm passes they are back to gossiping again...they never learn"

G2: If you're putting yourself out there, roll with it. It's better to be written about/talked about than not at all. Often, these people are desperate to be in the paper"

G3: "Get. Fucked."

Do you believe it when celebrities say they don't ever read their own gossip?
G1: "Not really. At the very least they get their agent/manager to read it and tell them about it"

G2: "Not at all. These people are the first to Google their names for stories on a Sunday morning, or to rush out and buy the first edition of the paper!"

G3: "No way. I'm convinced they all have a collection of shoe boxes packed to the rafters with their press clippings"

G4: "Ha! You'd be surprised at how many stories come direct from the celebrity..."

Do you ever get abused by people after something has been written about them?

G3: "Almost on a weekly basis. It's usually by readers or C-listers however, the real stars don't care"

G4: "We get plenty of emails from celebrity's managers if we write something negative about their talent, but that's to be expected. But we're not in advertising, we're in journalism. We're all just doing our jobs"

G1: "A celebrity rang to complain that they didn't like me calling them a 'party animal' because this description would work against them. But they WERE a party animal. The truth hurts"

G2: "Abuse? Verbally, on Twitter, via Text message, Email, on Facebook - I've had it all. It's part of the job but I think if you're dishing it out, you've just got to take it"

What do you love about your job?
G1: "Love meeting the celebs you wouldn't get a chance to meet, the fabulous parties, the fabulous gift bags. Love finding out juicy information, some believable, some UNBELIEVABLE"

G4: "I love being the first to know what's happening in Sydney and being in the lucky position of being invited to every party, launch, or premiere. It's also great to see stories you broke travelling around the net - often globally.

G5: "I love the opportunity to walk up to any star and ask them absolutely anything I want - and they answer!"

What do you hate about your job?

G2: "It can be tough when you get a cracking story on someone you are friends with. Do you or don't you write it? Or is it better you write the story than someone else?"

G4: "It can be frustrating when you find out a piece of juicy gossip but can't get absolute proof in time for print. It's also interesting how many people will blatantly lie to you on the record when you ask them to confirm or deny a rumour, then subsequently admit it."

G5: "I hate it when people suck up to me and I'm tired of going out every night of the week"

Would you ever bury a story to protect a friend?
G2: "I would definitely try. If it was already 'out there' I would contact the friend and work with them to make the story as positive and small as possible. But ultimately, it's my editor's decision"

G5: "I wouldn't write it. I would get another journo to write it. And yes I'd try to play it down but I'd declare my interest to the other journo"

G1: "It must be the worst thing about being a social columnist - writing things about your friends. I think every columnist avoids or ignore stories about their friends because it's social dynamite. But there are 'personal friends' and just 'friends' that you amass hundreds of"

And if you yourself are hungry to be talked about, I can only leave you with this: Be careful what you wish for. The sports star who secretly enjoys gossip about being a womaniser may not feel so chuffed about pictures leaked online of dalliances with kiss-and-tell girls. Gossip can spread like wildfire - an unstoppable freight train across the technology of the world, and irreversable. Although gossip has been around since there were more than two people in the world, the internet has without question been the single most powerful propagator of gossip and has changed the way it is spread - forever.

If you want to read a brilliant piece by New York Magazine about the 'real' Gossip Girl(s) who ran the 2006 website www.socialiterank.com and caused the downfall (& subsequent infamy) of Olivia Palermo, click here.

to talking about the lives of others just to have something to sa

When NOT To Hold Your Event

2010-12-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

This blog was inspired by all the media who have grumbled to me this week about the number of events on in late November/ December. Honestly, it really pisses them off - and they are also genuinely disappointed that they have to miss out on covering some fabulous events. Additionally, lots of PRs are upset that they're not getting much coverage - often absolutely none at all. It's the same every single year, but nothing ever changes.

Social Diary came along to stop clashes throughout the year but even I have to throw my hands up in the air from late Nov and admit that it's every man for himself. It's hard to imagine why you would purposely launch a product now so I can only guess it's actually the clients who are forcing PRs to do it? When will the madness stop!

Ros Reines at The Sunday Telegraph says "I wish that organisers would think of having parties closer to Christmas when we are really scratching around for events to cover on the social pages. Once we hit December 20 it all goes deadly quiet. Sure a lot of people have left town but there are plenty of A-listers returning home who want to party."

Shelly Horton at The Sun-Herald says "As it stands we've had more than 20 events a week in November, with one week having 32. Xmas Parties we understand, but launches...move them to January! At the moment we don't have a single event from Dec 20th-26th and January is a wasteland."

Amy Cooper at The Sun-Herald concurs: "It's a sinful waste of good parties when they're clumped over 3 weeks in Nov/Dec. We have to ignore a lot, then there's nothing on throughout January."

The downside of doing events in Late Nov/Dec:
-You're competing with:
a) Xmas Parties for every brand, agency, publishing title & TV show
b) specific end-of-year events such as Awards for x, y & z
c) specific anniversaries
d) Kick-offs for Summer activities
-There's limited space in the papers so even if it's brilliant, there's a chance you'll get no coverage
-Guests tend to pop in and out faster than you can say 'another canape?' because they're running between so many events

Although 'tis the season to be jolly - don't forget that literally EVERYONE else is getting their jolly on too. Whilst it's definitely the right time for events described above, do you really think you should be launching a new product into market around this time? If you don't care about media coverage then absolutely go for it, but if coverage is a key factor for doing the event in the first place you may want to reconsider.

After 6 years of running Social Diary I've noticed there are consistently the same gaps in the annual party calendar - so perhaps you should consider filling some of these:

The Week of Christmas
I know it sounds crazy - but think about it. Whoever has the sense to do a party between Dec 20th-Dec 27th is basically guaranteed coverage. There is literally nothing on. It would be a no-brainer for a venue to throw something fun for their VIPs and regulars and clean up media-wise.

January, January, JANUARY!
I tell Social Diary members every year to consider January but so few do! There seems to be a general fear that everybody is away, but rest assured many people stick around in Sydney in January and they're itching to party. The media are always desperate for content as well, as most PRs are on hols. One year I held a simple drinks event for 80 people on January 12th and got Party of the Week! As Shelly says, "January is a wasteland". When I was running Breakfast PR I held as many events in January as possible and my clients were always thrilled with the results.

Don't overlook August
Party season officially starts on September 1st, but August is a fabulous month for an event. How do I know this? Because it's my birthday on August 6th and every year without fail it's a stunning day in Sydney. People tend to avoid both July & August fearing Wintery weather but it's often really nice, and most importantly - it's generally DRY.

Public Holiday Weeks
PRs tend to naturally avoid doing events on the Thursday before a long weekend or the Tuesday after a Public Holiday Monday. Most likely because they fear a lot of people will be away, or ironically, 'exhausted after the long weekend'. The irony is, if you pick a Tuesday after a long weekend you are likely to have far less competitors. People also tend to avoid the week of Melbourne Cup which is why I thought it was the perfect night for the Social Diary Xmas Party this year - I figure it could be the permanent night moving forward. It's usually the very first Xmas Party to kick off the season, and it's no accident that it's well and truly out of the way of the madness.

But if you simply must hold a launch during this period...

Avoid boats and dinners
When there's 10 big events in a night, media are forced to party-hop in order to cover as much as they can. Amy Cooper says if you do a dinner or an event on a boat, this is virtually impossible - they are just too difficult to 'pop into'. The same goes for events which are a bit further out of the CBD/East: if there's too much travel time, your event won't make it onto the hopping agenda.

Consider a lunch instead
One major social journo says they much prefer lunches during this period - while another says it's too exhausting to get it together for lunch after being out every night. So it's a 50/50 decision here, but if you do decide to do one - always keep it short & sweet. Have guests in and out in less than 2 hrs...1.5 ideally. However, it can be hard to get guests to leave the office in the middle of the day. People can get to work in the morning and suddenly be swamped - meaning that leaving for a couple of hours is simply not possible. For this reason, ALWAYS oversubscribe your lunch to account for drop-outs the morning of.

Which Day of The Week Is Best?
Traditionally, certain events fall on certain days of the week:

Monday: restaurant industry night
Tuesday: media launch
Wednesday: media launch
Thursday: media party
Friday: consumer party
Saturday: charity ball
Sunday: bar industry night

Most bar/food/restaurant events happen on a Sunday or Monday night given that less hospitality staff work on these nights and many restaurants are closed on a Monday. Tuesdays & Wednesdays are the most popular nights for a media product launch (with both going up and down in popularity over the years - it seems to be all about Wednesday night at the moment) and Thursday night is the best if you're launching something but want your guests to let their hair down, being the end of the week the following day. For this reason, the Social Diary Xmas Parties will always be on a Thursday night! Friday & Saturday media events are rare given the fact that they are less likely to be covered by the papers, so Fridays are great for consumer events and Saturdays are the mainstay of the charity ball.

Choose wisely my party throwing friends!

xxx Tiff

PRs & Booze: A Love Story.

2010-11-25T15:41:00.000-08:00

This blog topic was inspired by my dear friend Mike Goldman and his mate Benn Jae, who have this week launched a charity initiative to NOT drink over the silly season, called Desperate2Drink. They figured anyone who does Ocsober or Dry July is a lightweight and that this is truly the ultimate test! Bizarrely enough, prior to them telling me about it I had already made the personal decision to not drink from December 18th-Jan 2nd, to give myself a break and start 2011 with bright eyes & a bushy tail. That's right, no alcohol at all through Xmas & New Year's. OK you can get up off the floor now. It's true.
So this discussion got me thinking about the deep love affair between PRs/Media & booze...a saucy hook-up it is indeed, and one that has no plans of breaking up anytime soon. We throw parties where it's consumed, we attend awards nights for mixologists, we run promotions to get people to drink more of it and we launch the alcohol brands themselves. I've often heard PRs (yes, including myself) joking "I get paid to drink", "I have to drink this because the sponsors are here" and my fave, "But I'm not partying, this is my job!" The fact that it's not only always present, but FREE can lead to rampant over-indulging. And the reason that some people look at fashion/lifestyle PRs as Champagne-swilling party gals is because, well, that is often what we look like from the outside.

Amy Cooper from The Sun-Herald agrees with this reality on the media side too, stating that "the pub is the journalist's University." Young cadets will spend hours boozing it up with the old hacks simply to be a part of their world and learn. If you want an insight into the role alcohol plays in a journo's world you must read Tabloid Girl by Sharon Marshall (in fact if you want an insight into the whole world of tabloid journalism it's a Summer must-read.)

So if you're a young PR, how do you navigate your way around this alcohol-drenched playground you've found yourself in, without falling off the slippery dip? One newbie PR munchkin says: "I always understood that being in PR would mean a lot of events and parties, but never to the scale that I'm witnessing. Nowadays it's a rare night that goes by without at least one drink, usually four. I wouldn't be surprised if a Lindsay Lohan/Betty Ford-esque getaway is in my near future."

Learning to drink
There's one skill that most PRs will acquire after some time in this biz, and that's actually learning how to drink. While this could be viewed by some as potentially destructive, I think it's positive because if you do choose to drink on occasion - and most do - it's best you know how to handle it. I'm talking about being able to monitor yourself. Being able to drink without it affecting your speech/vision/ability to walk. And most importantly, knowing when it's time to take yourself home before anybody else suggests you do. Seriously, it boggles my mind how many people do not know their limit. I believe most people should know what theirs is well and truly by the age of 21. I'm talking the number of drinks you can have before you get tipsy and the number you can have before you need to cast yourself off the island. For some people it's just 1, for some it's 15. For most it's about 5. I know some people in their 30's who STILL don't know their limit. Most PRs do, except of course...The Drunk Publicist.

The Drunk Publicist
For years I warned my staff about The Drunk Publicist, a not-so-fictional character I created based on a few people around town, to warn them of the perils of drinking on the job. I always discussed The Drunk Publicist with an ominous tone...usually followed by raucous laughter - but the message was certainly serious. Getting drunk at your own event is unprofessional and potentially career suicide, as mentioned in my previous blog How To Lose A Job In PR. One Sydney PR, lets call her Nelly Nappypants, became so inebriated at her own event at an upscale Sydney bar that she actually wet herself. Like, really obviously and yes, everybody saw. Alcohol is all around us in PR-Ville so you have to be really careful with it...let's all learn a lesson from young Nelly.

Industry Peer Pressure
Amy Cooper - also affectionately known as Cocktail Amy - has recently had to stop drinking for a few months due to a non-serious health issue. Amy's job involves going to parties for a living, and for anyone in this industry who's done Ocsober or Dry July, not drinking at media events can be difficult, as well as an eye-opening experience. "It makes you realise that alcohol has become a part of our identity in this industry. When people offer me a drink and I decline, they immediately want to know why. When I mention it's for a health issue, they are almost unanimously relieved that there's a valid reason." I myself did Ocsober in 2008, and went out practically every night. Yes it was hard, but also quite an adventure. And I concur with Amy, that for some reason the fact that you're not drinking somehow becomes the major topic of the night. People are shocked, curious, inquisitive, and will usually see if they can break you. Hilarious, much?

Meet the party girl who never drinks.
Ruby Jacenko is a 21 yr old Eastern Suburbs lass who loves a party. They're a dime a dozen, right? Well she's about the only one I know of who doesn't drink. Not a drop. I admit I've always wondered why: Does she not like the taste? Does she not like the way she feels when she gets boozy? Is she a recovering alcoholic? Or is she secretly doing lines of coke every night instead? So I asked her, and none of these are the reasons - she doesn't touch drugs either. In fact, she absolutely loved drinking when she was a teenager as teenagers do. She simply decided at the age of 18 that it wasn't for her (I do love the irony that when she was finally legally allowed to drink, she decided not to.) "I hate it when people say they have to have a drink to have a good time. It's crazy - I always have fun wherever I go. I simply don't need to drink." And do people try to push it on her? "All the time. My friends don't really do it because they know what the answer will be, but people I've just met sometimes can't believe it and put drinks in my hands - the whole bit. Funnily enough, alot of guys seem to find it really attractive. I often get asked out on dates just after I ask for a lemonade." Take note girls!

Meet the PR who can't drink.
Back in '98 I was working in a PR company in London, and at 21 was duly fascinated by my boss. She was of the old-school Ab Fab-style PR - glamourous looking with a booming voice, filthy mouth and a glass of Champagne permanently in her hand. I loved her. Then one day she became ill, and it turned out to be cirrhosis of the liver. At 31 years old and at the height of her career, she was told she could never drink again. Ever. Even a glass of Champagne at her wedding. We lost touch once I left London and I wonder how she coped with that. It's one thing to choose not to drink, but to be told you can't is another matter. Like people who say they don't want children - to then be told they actually can't have them can be a shocking blow.

Balance
I love that working in this industry means our work life and social life are rolled into one. It suits me, and I like to think I manage it well. In my early 20's yes - I did struggle to find balance, but I eventually learnt. The important thing is to appreciate the joys of alcohol and the abundance of the free stuff - without losing your head, or your job, in the process. Never drink at your own events. I'm allowed 'cos I'm the boss (hehe) but even I had only 2 drinks during Social Diary Sleepover. True - it was difficult to drink with a bed strapped to my back, but noone wants to see a boozy gal on stage. Enjoy some cocktails after the proceedings are done. Have a blinding mid-week knees-up when you want to but be aware that you'll have to back it up the next day. I was the proud winner of the Spin "Berocca" Award 2 years running for my ability to do this. We're not angels, but if you have a big night - own it. Don't be a hot mess in the office the morning after. If you find yourself having too many boozy benders, check yourself. If you don't you could find yourself with health issues, a cranky boss, an irate partner, debts and a not-so-stellar reputation faster than you can say "This is my last drink then I'm going home I swear!" If I had a dollar for every time...

If you'd like to join Mike, Benn, Amy & I on our non-drinking silly season quest, I salute you. Go to www.Desperate2Drink.com and choose any time period you like.

xxx Tiff

How To Lose A Job In PR

2010-11-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

Everyone talks about how tricky it can be to get a job in PR and the various ways to get your foot in the door, but perhaps we should have just as much discussion on how to keep the job once you actually get it. So you've gone to Uni, studied PR, done some work experience, completed an internship, and scored a job - what do you do to ensure you don't lose it? As I've blogged before, there is NO crime in making a mistake - we are all human, and it's how you handle that mistake that proves your worth. Being shown the door is usually not due to mistakes, but rather deep-rooted character traits. I chatted with a group of Sydney's top PRs to find out exactly what the fireable offences were...

Lies & Cover-ups
Who could forget the pearler about the PR gal who doctored an email to a client and got caught? See my previous blog, PR F@#k Ups. Lies & cover ups of this kind are the very worst, so it's ALWAYS best to 'fess up rather than cover up.

One PR states "One of my Senior Account Managers was in effect useless, but constantly blamed me or the client for not getting results. After questioning her for months, sitting in meetings where I knew she was lying, we finally got an email saying our services were not going to be renewed - with the finger firmly pointing at her. When confronted she just looked at me blankly and said the client was a punish and she didn't want to work on it anyway - and so it was best the agency didn't have them on board anymore! She is hardly in a position to decide what's best for my agency. Needless to say...Sayonara."

Theft
For one top PR, a theft was accidentally stumbled upon after a media sendout of luxe grog was one case short. Two weeks later, a friend of the boss came in the office, saw the grog in question and said "Wow, you've got those, I went to a party recently and she had them too!" Apparently young...let's call her Shazza Sticky-Fingers had taken it upon herself to relieve the office of the case for a party she was having at home. And of course, they had taken delivery of the only batch of the product available in the whole country. All eyes then darted to young Shazza, who nervously pretended to receive a phone call and quickly left the room...only to return to hear the boss say, "Shazza, in my office. Now." And to make matters worse for herself? Her response to being fired was "Well I'm not happy here anyway". There is nothing more class-less that being ungracious in the face of the firing squad when you have been so spectacularly sprung. See ya Shaz!

Partying too hard
One PR friend says: "We flew a junior to Melbourne to work on a music gig and she decided to carry on all night long, ringing with a bollocks story the next morning about missing her flight. Pics immediately surfaced of her on Facebook as well as in Sydney Confidential of her partying hard, clearly off chops. BUSTED."

Another company tells of a 9am new business meeting the morning after a huge media launch. An employee, let's call her Sleepy Sheila, rocked up to the office at 8:50am in the same clothes from the day before, smelling like vom and begging for chewing gum. After frantically trying to get it together, the meeting commenced. The witness says: "Within 20 minutes, her eyes started dropping and her elbow slouched onto the table as she desperately tried to keep her head upright. Within another 10 minutes, Sleepy was officially snoozing. It took another 15 minutes for the team director to realise, and luckily at this point the client had failed to notice. One team member nudged Sleepy and another started coughing loudly but nothing worked. Eventually the client noticed and asked the director to wake the girl. Sleepy promptly found herself unemployed...and most likely returned to the woods to join the other 6 dwarves."

Being disrespectful (or plain stupid)
One PR told me a cracker about an interesting email she once received. Her PA sent a friend an email about how her boss was annoying her followed by a most unsavoury comment...and accidentally copied her boss. Naturally, the boss responded to the email - with a termination. Everybody say...WHOOPSADAISIES!

Bogus Credentials
One Sydney PR says this is the No.1 reason for firing staff in all her years in the biz. The number of people that bull-scheisen on their CVs is so immense that she no longer relies purely on references - too often the ex-boss is a friend. "So many of these young PRs can use Facebook & Twitter, but can't write a simple email" she says, so she now puts all potential employees through a half-day test inclusive of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and the humble email. And guess how an inept girl who over-sold herself responded to being fired by her? "But I look good, I can get a job anywhere". Yes...She ACTUALLY said this. Umm...how about you go do that darlin', and get an education and a reality check while you're at it.

She had another seemingly accomplished girl from a major national publishing house come to work for her as an Account Director on a 6-figure sum. It turns out her true credentials were nowhere near the size of her breakdown just 2 days later. Becoming flustered and bursting into tears, she wailed "I don't know how you do this job, it's too much!". Given the brevity of her tenure there she technically wasn't fired, more like an anullment - just like after a quickie Vegas wedding. While we're all guilty of a little CV embellishment, it's best to be honest before you press print on your snazzy resume - or risk being Donald Trumped before you can say Kinko's.

Good riddance...
Every story I heard, regardless of the fireable offence, have one thing in common: each offence was the tipping point. Not one of them came out of the blue from a highly valued employee who may have just had a momentary lapse of judgement. All stories listed above were preceded by a series of lies, or dodgy behaviour, or an overall bad attitude. It goes to show that where there's smoke there's usually fire - so if you're an employer and an employee is showing any 'signs' of less-than-ethical behaviour, perhaps you should bite the bullet before they do some serious damage to your business.

And just to end with something saucy:
Shagging a client!
They say 40% of people meet their partner at work, but most PR bosses would consider this a fireable offence with many having it written into their company policy. One PR friend watched in horror when a girl was called into the boss's office and verbally ripped to shreds for having an affair with a client, who also happened to be married. There was screaming, tears, curse words and door slamming, and the girl was immediately walked out. If you've never witnessed a 'walk out', and I've seen a few in my time (luckily only as a witness, not as someone orchestrating the walk out or *I shudder* being walked out myself), they are HIGH drama. Nothing like a good walk-out to make you pay attention on a tiresome Monday morning. So back to our sultry client shagger, yes she lost her job - and predictably, the agency lost the client. This kind of romance
is not a desirable feature of the professional PR girl, so if you really want to pursue something along these lines - ensure it's a) worth it b) it won't cost you your job or worse, c) your professional reputation and d) you're willing to tell me ALL about it for a future blog...

xxx Tiff

Party Pearls of Wisdom

2010-11-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

After 14 years in this crazy industry, it occurred to me the other day that I've probably collected some random bits & pieces of advice that may be helpful to you folk out there. I assume if you're reading my blog it means you're either a) working in PR b) interested in the world of PR or c) just bored out of your holyshitballs at work. So, I've conjured up some party pearls of wisdom that could assist. There's a couple of cubic zirconias of wisdom in here too, but every little gem counts...

You never get as many guests as you think you will.
This is quite simply an etched-in-stone fact, and one that couldn't be truer these days in the party-packed town of Sydney. There is ALWAYS a drop off on your RSVP list, and as one top Sydney PR put it last week - "what used to be a drop off of 10-20% on the night is now 30%, sometimes even up to half". I have always laughed when PRs freak out to me saying "OMG our RSVPs have gone way over we are going to be so slammed!" This rarely, if ever, happens. A good PR will know to keep taking RSVPs well over the capacity that it's planned for. I go to alot of events and can't remember the last time where I felt uncomfortable because it was way too crowded. (Note here: there is a big difference between a venue that is full & one that is jammed). I certainly remember the ones where there weren't enough people though!

Don't fret if you don't have enough RSVPs.
We've all gone through that panic a couple of days before an event when the RSVP list is looking thin (sometimes downright emaciated). PRs have tried all the tricks in the book: sending out another last minute batch of invitations by courier; calling people who weren't invited reminding them to RSVP and then feigning shock when they say they never received an invite; or madly calling everyone they know the day before to try and bolster numbers. I've witnessed it all over the years, and it's all stressful and often unnecessary.

Send enough & send a reminder.
Firstly, send more invitations that you think you should. Sometimes, way more if you happen to be throwing an event that may not be the hottest ticket in town (we've all had to at some time). The beauty is you can always cut off RSVPs if you do truly go over, so if you send enough out in the first place you should be fine on the other end. Secondly, it's really helpful to send an RSVP reminder at least 1 week prior to the event (NOT the day before in my opinion). If you don't send a reminder, people can forget and make other plans. Normally with RSVPs you get 2 spikes: one when they first land, then another a day before the event when people realise they've forgotten to RSVP. By sending an RSVP reminder at least a week before, you'll get another healthy spike in the middle which will make the day before the event much less stressful.

Bolstering numbers can be easy.
If you still have low numbers the day before, the easiest thing I find is to simply look at who has RSVP'd and highlight 15 of your favourite guests, the ones you know well and who love to party. Then contact each and let them know they can bring a bunch of friends along with them. You don't even need to explain why, as they will usually be thrilled to be able to bring some mates - they're coming anyway, and they'll get the double whammy of being able to party with a gang (always more fun) as well as getting some kudos amongst their friends for being given this privilege. And I'm a believer that if you like someone enough to invite them, chances are their friends will be fabulous too. AND - if they've committed to bringing a bunch of friends they're less likely to drop out on the night as well. You can get an extra 50-100 fun people very easily this way without sweating your freshly spray tanned bod about it, trust me.

Always invite media with a guest.
Speaking of people who freak out at too many RSVPs, the ones who don't allow media to bring a guest just boggle my mind. OK, so there will always be events where numbers are strictly limited where it's not possible, and media will always understand this. But over the years I've had media grumble to me MANY times about PRs who nix a guest for them, and it's always really puzzled me. Yes media are there to do their job, but they are there to potentially write about your client, so surely you'd want them to have the best time possible? And on the flipside, if you had the pleasure of having a job that involved going to parties every night of the week, wouldn't you love to bring your partner/bestie/Mum every now & again? Let them!

Find some stories.
The best PRs are the ones who don't just send a straight media release the day after the party talking all about their client and who was there. While this stuff is crucial, the really good buzzy media pieces will happen if you go out of your way to find something spicy that happened at the party. Sometimes you'll have to accept that it has nothing to do with your client but that it will achieve good press which is why you're doing the party in the first place, right? It will also improve your relationships with media if you give them something fleshy to work with. Think outside the square.

Don't do an event in another city without local help.
So you have a stellar guest list in your city, great media relationships and always throw a great bash - do you really think you'd be able to pull this off in a different city? I've seen this mistake all too often and it's SO easy to avoid. Just recently I was at an event in Sydney held by a fab Melbourne PR company - and it was perfect in every way, simply divine. Except there was barely a soul there. It SO could have been a cracking event, with the right number & mix of guests. I wouldn't do anything in Melbourne without Susie Robinson from PR Darling, who is my rock when it comes to anything there. I have always encouraged Sydney & Melbourne PRs to develop mutually beneficial connections with each other like this - everyone wins. If anyone needs to know the best PRs in all cities in Australia who can help you on the ground with guest lists & media, contact me.

The bottom line - entertain your guests.
Events are expensive whichever way you look at it, so if you're going to spend your client's money on one, make it memorable. Avoid the straight drinks-canapes-speech-gift bag routine and spice it up with unique features. I like to make something happen, a 'moment', at least every 40 minutes. It can be as simple as a singer, or as wacky as a huge noise and sudden 'reveal' down the other side of the room. Have interactive elements that will bring out the playful side in your guests and you'll have the room buzzing & flirting in no time. Rise to the occasion and make it a goal to have your guests remember the night for weeks, months, hopefully even years to come. Never forget it's a party- ~MAKE IT FUN!~

xxx Tiff

Confessions of a Model

2010-10-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

Oh to be so beautiful that people pay money for the privilege of taking a photograph of you. Surely it can't be that taxing a job? I actually think it is, as I've had the dubious honour of a couple of modelling jobs in my time. Victoria's Secret you ask? The Pirelli Calendar, surely! No - I was an 'extra' in a fashion ad in London for a friend and a promotional model (complete with cheesy sash) for another friend at a Darling Harbour Convention Centre Exhibition stand. Oh, the dizzying modelling heights that I have reached. All I can say is that these two jobs were so deathly boring and involved hours of standing around - being completely still for the first gig and completely Miss-Universe-smiley for the second. Maybe I have A.D.D because I wanted to shoot myself during both, so I actually feel for people who do this day in and day out for a living. It just aint for me. Cue Kasey Chambers: "Am I not pretty enough..." Thank God.

But seriously, apart from the boredom factor we often hear models complaining about their lot in life, how it's so hard being beautiful, yada yada I WANT TO KILL YOU slowly & painfully we all think to ourselves. However, sometimes they do have legitimate reasons to grumble. I've spoken to some of my fave models on the circuit and unearthed a few pearlers and seriously frightening experiences.

Model Rivalry
There's an unspoken rivalry between editorial girls and catalogue girls. There's girls who do alot of editorial for which they get paid very little - and then some girls are strictly catalogue - not nearly as glamourous, but highly lucrative. The irony is that if you want to develop a long-term career you do editorial but earn no money, and if you just want to make money you do calatogues but practically ruin any chance of making it after that - hence why alot of models who've already 'had their time' end up happily doing catalogues for the rest of their career, but it's a huge decision.

There are stories of bitter editorial girls ruining the reputations of the catalogue girls, particularly if they live together. Editorial girls brag about getting into Vogue and apparently they (as well as many managers) refer to catalogue queens as "just horses". This love is equally returned by the horses, with one catalogue girl saying: "Living with editorial girls is SHIT. They never have any money - people joke that models don't eat but seriously, some of them can't afford to." Now, now ladies.

Australia is HARD
Australia is considered to be one of the hardest markets in the world - many believe the only way to get anywhere here is with hype. ie, they only book you if you're 14 and your agency is talking you up or if someone big has used you - then everyone follows suit. "So many young girls are told they are amazing and encouraged to drop out of school (agencies will never admit this but I promise you they do - it happened to me) and then all of a sudden the hype ends and they're 18 with no job, no money and no education."

Girls can be pushed around not only by agencies, but by their families. One of the current top models in Australia had a rough start. She was from a very poor suburb and her mother forced her to work from the age of 14, sending her overseas back and forth when she wasn't emotionally ready to deal with it. She ended up messed up with a very serious drug problem. She eventually grew up and has now cleaned up her act, excelling in a career she was obviously destined for, but pushed too early.

Agency Poaching
One model who has done the rounds of the agencies says "The Australian agencies absolutely HATE each other...they steal girls from each other all the time. One major agency brought me into a meeting with a potential new model and her mother and demanded that I tell them how dreadful my previous (major) agency was. I refused."

Sleazy Photographers
One model says, "When I was 18 I shot with a photographer who was trying to get my clothes off the whole time, grabbing at my legs so he could sit in the middle of them for no apparent reason to take a shot. We were shooting at his house and it was just us so I started to feel very uncomfortable. His girlfriend called during the shoot and he jumped on top of me and put his hand over my mouth before he answered the phone (obviously he didn't tell his girl that he was shooting a model alone in his house). It was terrifying. He started showing me very risqué, pornographic photos that he had taken of other girls and told me that our next shoot together would be in a seedy motel. I walked out of the shoot."

Overseas Horror Stories
Being away from home in a foreign country is always a huge safety issue for girls. The models are usually very young and impressionable, and extremely vulnerable to predators.

One Australian model had her drink spiked in Hong Kong. "I was 17 and it was my first trip overseas. On my second day I was doing a show for Lane Crawford and we were invited to the after party. I asked for a vodka and before I had finished half the drink I collapsed on the floor. I woke up later in bed with no idea of how I got there. Two weeks later I ran into a lovely American guy I had met who was very concerned about me - apparently I was talking to him when I received my vodka and collapsed mid conversation. He spent hours trying to find out where I was from and where I lived which proved very difficult as noone knew who I was as I'd only been there 2 days. I felt very lucky to have been in safe hands."

Chloe* was in Tokyo when she was attacked in a model hotel. In the middle of the night a man broke into her apartment via the balcony, took off his shoes, walked across the apartment to lock the front door from the inside and then jumped on top of her and started to strangle her. Chloe opened her eyes and was staring directly at him as she started to get tunnel vision. She said that even though he was wearing a mask she could tell that he freaked out because she was suffocating so he got off her, put his shoes back on and disappeared over the balcony again. As it turned out, apparently there had been a 'model stalker' who had been seen sneaking about this particular model apartment for 20 years. As he had never actually attacked anyone, the agency decided against warning the girls...

Another girl, Mia* went to a casting in Romania for a photographer who was shooting in Russia later that week. The photographer booked her and 9 other girls and they all flew to Russia expecting to be in a photo shoot. When they arrived they were instead taken to the house of a rich Russian man and were expected to be the 'entertainment' for his friends for the evening. There were men with big guns guarding the door and no way out. Mia decided that the safest way to get out was to pretend to be really sick. The men let her go and she had to find her own way via train back to Romania. She was just 16.

Dodgy Agents
Some people complain about models being difficult, but sometimes they are put into difficult situations by the very people who are supposed to be looking out for them - their agents.

Lily* states that the worst part of the job is "lots of over-working and under-payment. Constantly being sleazed onto and then missing out on jobs because you won't do anything with the photographer or client. People joke about the 'casting couch' but it's ridiculous how often it happens."

One model said her agency in New York sent her to a shoot for a high-end edgy fashion magazine with the strict instruction not to go topless if they asked. They did, and the model said she couldn't. The photographer then called her agency asking why she wouldn't go topless, and the agency assured the photographer that she would. The model then got on the phone to the agent who told her "if you go topless, we will drop you from the agency" and promptly ended the call. The model was left very confused with no idea what to do.

The same girl told a story about how the very wealthy owner of her Spanish agency invited her away for the weekend on his boat in Ibiza, via private jet. Being her agent, she trusted him. "On the boat I was the only single girl. Every one of his sleazebag friends hit on me so I spent the whole trip locked in my room. When they couldn't get me they started propositioning my friend and her boyfriend to have sex in front of them. After 3 days of getting nothing from us, they sent the skipper to the mainland to pick up some prosititutes for them. I woke up and walked into it and was so disgusted - the fat sleaze was going for it with a chick who looked like Donatella Versace on the kitchen bench! The next day we were sent back to Madrid...economy class."

Oh those poor, achingly beautiful lasses. Go on, hug a module today!

xxx Tiff

* asterixes denote my attempts at suitably glamorous, modelly-type names.

Confessions of a Celebrity Manager

2010-09-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

OK so Celebrity Managers are a bit of a misunderstood bunch and there have been more than a few clashes between PRs/Media/Celebrities and Celebrity Managers over the years. But they are a very hard working bunch - and lets face it, they deal with a breed of person that can be um...tricky to say the least...on a daily basis. Considering the grizzly celebrity experiences many PRs have had, if you actually think about it we should perhaps all hug a Celebrity Manager today. So what really pisses them off?

First, a definition of the difference between a Manager and an Agent:
A Talent Manager overseas the entire career of an actor/personality and a Talent Agent sends them out to auditions. Agents are primarily for actors, who usually have both a Manager (In Entourage, it's E) and an Agent (Ari Gold). A media personality would generally only require a Manager.

Celeb Managers vs PRs
Alot of PRs believe the invitations they send to managers and agents never actually make it into the celebrities hands - an unfortunate reality that has been proven to me personally too many times throughout my career. But I am pleased to report that there are ones who send them on every time. At one particular agency in Sydney it's company policy to send an email to their talent listing the events they've been invited to, and if the invitation is particularly spectacular they are forwarded on by post. This agent says however that they are tired of being blamed if the celebrity is a no-show. She insists that they love seeing their talent in the papers as much as we PRs do but they have no control over what they attend - "We control their careers - not their lives."

This manager cites an occasion when two of her talent were invited to a marquee at the races, and herself and the owner of the agency were also invited to come along with them. On the day the talent didn't show, and the PR kept harassing them as to when the talent would be showing up. Eventually, the star texted to say one was ill and they weren't coming - and since then the PR won't respond to any emails from the manager, believing that she only used her star's name to get into the marquee. "It can be very frustrating - don't blame us when our client screws up! We do our best, but there's only so much we can do."

*Tip: It's recommended PRs always send an email version of their invitation to the agency so that it can be forward onto the celebrity - thus showcasing the style of the event much more clearly that a one liner in an email from their manager.

*Tip: It's probably best to stop calling agencies and asking if their talent will be attending your event. They pass the invites on (we hope), but they don't act as their social conduit - meaning unless you hear from the celebrity themselves, assume they aint comin'. Your best bet is to develop your celebrity relationships as best you can and you'll get their home address, cutting out the middle man once and for all.
A pet peeve of one top Sydney Celeb Manager is the standard line she hears from PRs: "there's no fee, but this is great PR for your client". At the end of the day, they work on commission and many PRs forget this.
Celeb Managers vs Media
One Sydney agent told me that a gossip journo directly contacted one of their talent and asked to build a relationship with her and tell her the truth about all the rumours. When the celebrity asked the journo if she could please go through her manager for any questions, the journalist replied with a harsh email about the star's stupidity and how she had just made a very big mistake by not sitting down and talking with her…The agent says “the journos need to build a relationship with the Manager as it will be much more beneficial to them. The Manager will then sometimes give them the first hint of a juicy story, the big scoop and off the record information.”

Another grumble is when the tabloids get the information wrong about clients: "Nobody fact-checks these days. A journalist calling a manager of the person they're about to do a story on should be the first thing they do, so at least when they say “this rumour was denied by management” you know they've done their research if they run the fact-less story anyway."

Celeb Managers vs Celebs
It's here we need to perhaps be more understanding of the trials that Talent Managers go through. As was clear from my previous blog "Celebrity Meltdowns", you would be hard pressed to find a PR in this town who doesn't have at least one horror story about a holier-than-thou celebrity they've worked with, so spare a thought for the people who have to put up with bad behaviour on a daily basis. This is NOT to say that all celebrities are badly behaved, but when I sent a request to all my favourite agencies for input for this blog - the one thing they all sang in unison was that dealing with celebrities is HARD WORK. Comments range from "trying to control a celebrity is like trying to control a child. It can't be done" to "it is very rare to find a celebrity who isn't 100% selfish" to "the majority of celebrity clients are driven by greed and ego and often resent that you take commission."

One Sydney manager once represented a celeb who was calling the office asking questions about a job they had done for a corporate DVD a while back. The client had taken the money to do the DVD in lean times. What the manager later found out was that the client was doing a deal on the side with a competitor for a decent sum of money and it didn’t suit them to have the DVD still in circulation, and had no intention of paying commission. She says: "Needless to say we weren’t thrilled and quickly came to a settlement and parted company. You can’t work with clients who don’t want to work with you."

One female celeb client demanded that a promotional banner featuring the endorsement of another female celeb client be removed from the company meeting room. The banner was duly removed prior to all meetings with this particular client (and then put back up). And, "our staff made sure they never crossed paths in the office." Ooh...don't you just wanna know who it was? ;)

A huge bug-bear for managers is celebrities being unappreciative. Some spend weeks, months and years waiting for hard work and good reputation to convert into new business – which is fantastic when it does, but if it doesn’t the client won’t admit it could have something to do with the market simply not being interested in them. "In the client’s opinion, it is because we as Agents are not doing our job."
And my favourite is of course the delusional 'celebrity': "Upon hearing that national treasure Brian Henderson was retiring from the National Nine News, a reality TV star who had been known for about 5 minutes once suggested they should be put forward as a viable replacement."

Advice to Celebrities
It's apparently often very clear to managers who is going to make it and who won't - and alot of it comes down to attitude. One agent states that there are regular exceptions to the above 'celebrities are hard work' rule, and that the best client relationships happen when expectations and egos are left at the door. Not surprsingly, she states many of these clients achieve great success and are happier personally.

Clients getting arrested can be tricky...especially if there is CCTV footage of the lewd act they got caught engaging in. Imagine sitting a client down together with the Executive Producer of the show they worked on and asking with straight faces, “This is not a time to lie to us otherwise we cannot work to protect you. Will that footage reveal you getting a blowjob in the middle of the main street?” Fun times.

So is it all blood, sweat & tears for these hardworking folk? No. One says that despite the hard times, “I wouldn’t change this job for the world. It can be so much fun, has a lot of perks, you make great connections, get the inside dirty goss about the rich & famous, go to fab events and on occasion when you do get the gratitude you deserve, it’s amazing”.
Could you do it? xxx

Confessions of a Restaurant Manager

2010-08-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

After I wrote last week's blog the stories kept coming, so much so that I felt restaurant folk deserved the spotlight for a moment. The humble manager and wait staff go through alot in the course of a single night, and are always good for a hilarious story or two. If you've ever wondered whether the restaurant really is booked out, or what causes the ire of our restaurant friends, read on.

Regulars vs. celebrities
A great restaurant can be judged on how they treat their regulars, which are the bread & butter of any establishment. But also, celebrity guests are in another handle-with-care category as it's undeniable that the presence of a star does much to create a buzz which other patrons love, not to mention the potential PR opportunity and media attention. But how to juggle both without upsetting one group? It's all in the balancing act. If you don't create a table in your booked out restaurant for VIPs, then the celebrity group will dine elsewhere shining their star-lit glow on your rival. But turn regulars away in favour of a sudden VIP group and you can say goodbye to some folk who have been loyal to you long before the star turned up. Some restaurants get this really wrong. And you'll always have the occasional restaurant who are so sure of themselves that they don't care for celebrity guests and boast that they "treat all customers equally". The truth is, most restaurants will create a table for star guests that they wouldn't normally create for the more civilian amongst us. It's just a fact of life, which most PRs would understand more than anyone else given the media opportunity that such an occasion provides. As we always say, surely the best part of being a celebrity apart from the millions and the adoration, would be simply to get that top table at that top restaurant on a whim? We can all dream.

Do you have any idea who I think I am?
One friend, the manager of one of the top restaurants in Sydney, received a call from a holier-than-thou agent type who at 7pm on a Saturday night demanded a table for 4 for a "very special international guest". Given that they were at capacity my friend had to work out whether it was worth the pain of creating a table out of nowhere, so understandably inquired as to who it was. The agent refused to tell, continually stating "I can't tell you", and on it went back and forth much to my friend's frustration. The bottom line is, if you want the restaurant to make special consideration for you and your VIP guest, just tell them who it is and they can work with you - don't make it harder than it has to be. My favourite was when a girl who recently called up a top spot was told she couldn't get a table, and she then protested, "but I'm *insert top radio jock here*'s wife!!" Can you guess who this could be? ;)

The bullshit factor
Everyone I spoke to said they had all experienced the bullshit reservation enquiries. It usually goes like this: a caller asks for a table and is told the restaurant is fully booked. They then call back an hour later, stating that they are bringing a celebrity. If you ever do this, trust me - the person taking the reservation can see through this immediately! Another common one is when the caller states up-front that they will be having a VIP in attendance thus demanding the best table in the house - then on the night, they turn up without the celebrity stating "he's running late, he'll be here soon". Cue halfway through dinner when they let the maitre'd know that, alas, suddenly the celebrity just called to say he's been held up and won't be joining them! Rest assured the maitre'd always remembers who does this, and they may find it that much harder to get a reservation next time they call.

The Restaurant/Concierge connection
This is an important symbiotic relationship, and the best restaurant managers will always have close relationships with the top concierges in the city. Money rarely changes hands, as it simply benefits both parties: the concierge is able to secure a top restaurant reservation for their VIP at the 9th hour, and the restaurant gets a shining star in their establishment. Smiles all round. And due to the bullshitters described above, the restaurant will often call their concierge friends to cross check that whatever international star has been mentioned is actually in the country.

The secret language of waiters
Did you know that waiters have a code amongst themselves to describe you? Don't fret, they tend to only classify the types who sit for hours drinking water, ordering a single entree. I've heard tags such as "there's a bunch of 191's at table 14" or the more lyrical term "tangoes". The cheapness of some patrons will always cause the ire of the oft-frazzled wait staff. There's stories of customers choosing to split their tables in 2 to avoid the larger party booking surcharge of 10%, them complaining that their tables aren't set together. Or the lengthy get-your-calculators-out bill splitting to the last cent groups, the rejected credit cards and the legendary 'runners' who bolt before their bill arrives. If you really want a laugh, set aside some time to pour over this fabulous blog: www.waiterrant.net, Confessions of a Cynical Waiter. Fabulous.

Be rude at your own risk...
If you've ever ready Anthony Bourdain's brilliant book 'Kitchen Confidential' you will be a little more mindful next time you feel like barking at a waiter...tales of what they do to your food backstage in the kitchen are legendary. (Bourdain also advises never ordering fish on a Monday; that the person who orders a well-done steak gets the oldest, dodgiest piece of meat; and that hollandaise is generally always made from the leftover pats of butter from the tables - it makes for a fascinating read.) Top restaurant workers assure me that no matter how rude the customer is, it's just too risky to mess with their food and risk bringing down the reputation of the venue. We all know too well what happened with Poogate at the Coogee Bay Hotel! If you're nice to your waiter and order heartily they will love you, I promise...

The Vegetarian Conundrum
One of my favourite greeting cards ever has two women on the front eating dinner, with one stating: "I started my vegetarianism for health reasons, then it became a moral choice, and now it's just to annoy people." I can't explain why this makes me laugh so much but as a born & bred carnivore all my life I have admittedly found vegetarians, well...annoying, simply because I used to pride myself on being 'able to eat everything'. However - I have recently given up eating meat, so the irony that I now find myself in a position of potentially annoying people is not lost on me. The great thing is I am discovering it's actually extremely easy to be a vego or pescatarian in this city - literally every restaurant has extensive options. However, apparently there's always the ones who insist on being annoying to waiters: vegetarians who theatrically start picking apart food, people who call themselves vegetarians but then order the chicken, or my favourite was the woman who visited one of the top steak restaurants in Sydney. She stated she was a vegan, and created such a fuss about it that the restaurant went to great lengths to order her meal from the restaurant next door while her companions dined on their fare. The clincher: she ordered chocolate cake for dessert. Ever heard of a cake without eggs in it?

Bon appetit, and be good to restaurant folk!

xxx Tiff

Confessions Of A Doorbitch

2010-07-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

So I blog about parties and what happens at them, but what about what happens right outside the door? The things I've witnessed and the stories I've heard over the years from doorstaff are often funnier than the gossip bubbling inside. My all time fave would have to be the loud lass who swore black and blue that she knew Tiffany "really, really well". I must admit I let her babble on a fair bit before I eventually let her know that I was in fact, Tiffany...

A lot can be learned about the skills required to handle yourself if you're ever in one of these jobs, or more importantly if you're a punter and dealing with someone who has the authority to make or break your night. Below are some anecdotes, tips & tricks from both sides of the rope.

I remember hearing sage advice when I was an underager and lining up to get into clubs like Sugareef, Kinselas and The Freezer. I was advised to "f#$% them with your eyes" which looking back is hilarious seeing as we were all 15 and virginal. God only knows what kind of goofy looks we were giving the door guys, could you just die? Funnily enough a lot of the guys working the door in the early 90's are still there now so perhaps I should ask. ;)

My sister Fleur was the ultimate doorbitch, having worked on the velvet rope of the famous Atlantic Bar in London in the early 1990's. Every celebrity worth their column inches frequented the hotspot, from Prince to The Spice Girls and everyone in between. Fleur's job was to separate the riff from the raff so to speak, and the irony that a 21 yr old Aussie girl clad in Sportsgirl was the ultimate authority was not lost on her. She certainly saw some funny things in her time there, from Bjork & Goldie shagging in the staff toilets, to Jason Patric being turfed out for pinching ladies on the butt and Naomi Campbell turning her nose up at Louis Roderer Champagne. As one does.

Why a bitch?
Have you ever wondered why they morph from a doorgirl to a doorbitch? Most of them apparently don't start off with attitude - it's something that is acquired after long nights of endless desperados and douchebags, blistering cold, drunks and worse - so perhaps the humble doorbitch should be respected rather than reviled. In Fleur's first 2 weeks on the door she was actually way more nervous than the punters on the other side of the rope, letting anyone and everyone in, absolutely terrified of saying no. "You would be amazed at how this can affect the atmosphere & vibe of the club, and you learn this pretty quickly" Fleur says. Her tip? The doorbitch moniker is supposed to be tongue-in-cheek. Don't be a bitch, just tough but fair.

Who to choose?
Fleur was instructed to let girls in who were dressed to kill, and to only let guys in if they were cashed up. She was obviously able to recognise a fabulously dressed girl but how to tell with the guys? By their watch & their shoes. Fleur became an expert at discerning between a Casio and a Cartier, a Dunhill brogue and a Kumf. The theory here is that the more gorgeous women inside, the more the rich men will pull out their cash and Platinums left right & centre to buy them drinks - also adding to the decadent atmosphere of the bar.

Um, sorry, who are you?
Once a short, grey, balding man came up to the door and looked at Fleur, who delivered her standard line which was "Good evening Sir, do you have a reservation or are you on the guest list?" He said nothing, just simply stared. Thinking he hadn't heard her she repeated the question. He continued to say nothing, but just looked at her quizzically. Becoming frustrated, she couldn't help repeating her line with a tone dripping in sarcasm, "I SAID. Do you have a reservation. Or Are. You On. THE GUEST LIST??!" Suddenly her boss appeared, pushed her aside, lifted up the rope and said "This way, Mr De Niro. Fleur, in my office NOW." Unfortunately Fleur also failed to recognise Bill Murray. Twice. She still swears to this day they were just grumpy old men.

Do you know who I am?
We all say this as a joke, but yes, people actually say this for real...more often than you would even imagine. Once the lead singer of Pulp, Jarvis Cocker, was trying to get into Atlantic (his eyeballs rolling into the back of his head) after last drinks were called, and Fleur was obviously unable to let him in. Screaming blue murder, he said: "Do you know who I am?? I'm going to get you fired!" to which she calmly replied "I know who you are, but do you know who I am? I'm the girl who's still not going to let you in." Nice.

Dealing with douchebags
Fleur once had an argument with the friend of a guy she wasn't letting in because he was inebriated. (Actually I think most of us have been in this situation with security: "I swear he's not drunk!") but on this occasion Fleur won the argument when the wasted guy pulled his willy out and started peeing at her feet. The friend, duly humiliated, took the drunk by the arm and quickly left. My sister has unfortunately been flashed a number of times but always handles herself beautifully, my favourite being when she used to work at the Four In Hand in Paddington. Some guy ordered a beer, and when she turned back around to serve it to him she saw that he had flopped his willy out onto the bar. Without skipping a beat, she responded "Sorry, we don't accept small change here." Needless to say his entire group of mates roared hysterically as he turned beetroot red and popped his wang back where it belonged. The golden rule here? The best way to beat a douchebag is to embarass him in front of his mates, a lesson from my sister that I proudly upheld during my bartending years.

Know when to give up
Some people are relentless in their pursuit to get in, when really they should recognise that it just aint gonna happen. When they were over capacity Fleur would tell people to go home, that they weren't coming in tonight - and then would watch them wait for hours and hours in minus 10 degrees, in the pouring rain, absolutely miserable, freezing and drenched. She stopped feeling sorry for them because well...you've gotta be kidding. Remember whatever bar you're at, chances are there's another bar around the corner - try your luck another night!

My claim to fame
My fave door moment happened when I was at New York Fashion Week in 2006. I was dying to go to Bungalow 8 as I'd heard so much about it, but a NY photographer friend of mine said "Like, there's absolutely NO way you'll get in there". I was like, "well why don't we just give it a shot - I'm in New York!" He argued but I won, and when we arrived at Bungalow 8 sure enough there was a queue of 150 people snaking down the street. I even ran into Josh Goot heading the opposite way who told me "We can't get in, we're leaving." For some reason nothing would dissuade me, I think I was just on such a high being back in my favourite city. So I walked straight up to the door and literally said "Hi! We're from Australia, can we come in?" Seriously, that was my line. The burly doorman, a huge 8ft tall African American named 'Disco', eyed me up and down (and no my boobs weren't out, it was February and I was in a Michelin-man style puffa jacket and beanie), looked at my friends, then casually lifted the rope to let us in. Just like that. We quickly walked in, and I turned to see my pessimistic New Yorker friend frozen to the spot with a gaping jaw. Quoting Elle from Legally Blonde I simply said, "Like that was hard?" and disppeared inside...I may have even clicked my fingers for dramatic effect. Come on, you would have too ;)

Tips for being a doorbitch
-Know what your celebrity guests & media look like
-Know what the famous Sydney gatecrashers look like! They get around...
-Build a rapport with regulars
-Get to know who the owner's friends are
-Dress appropriately. You can hardly turn unstylish people away when you look like you've just gotten out of bed
-Don't just say "no" and give no reason. 'Over capacity' and 'private party' are better, and kinder, lines
-Don't be a bitch - just tough in a nice way

Tips for dealing with a doorbitch
-Be polite. The fastest way to be turned away is to be rude
-Make a few jokes and build a rapport with the doorbitch. Even if you don't get in the first time, the next time she/he may remember you and let you in!
-Don't turn up wasted. It's illegal for clubs to let you in if you're inebriated and they can be heavily fined
-Don't think that they won't notice you're wasted. Just think of how smashed your friends seem after a few drinks when you're stone cold sober!
-Don't argue. They have the ultimate power and it NEVER helps the matter, especially in Winter when they've been freezing on the door for 8 hours
-You'll always have more luck getting in with girls than with guys. Guys should split up and enter with 2 girls each.
-No really usually does mean NO. Recognise when to cut your losses and move on to the bar next door
-Quite simply: call ahead and get your names on the door
-When in doubt just say you're from Australia, it's worked for me countless times all around the world. 25 years on from Crocodile Dundee and they STILL love us. Thanks Paul! :)

xxx Tiff

The Art of The Canape

2010-07-22T00:34:00.001-07:00

I often joke that the reason I got into an event career was due to my long-running obession with canapes. Sometimes I don't think it's a joke at all...I suffer from a fear of commitment in various areas of my life so the humble canape represents the reverse: fast, fabulous and fulfilling! No commitment necessary. I would much prefer to graze on bite sized morsels of heaven than commit to a single main meal, and am sure that the rise of tapas bars confirms that many feel the same. Here are some catering tips & tricks and opinions I have formed over the years, from the PR perspective:
DOs & DON'Ts
-Do make sure your wait staff are briefed on who the event caterer is, you would be shocked at how often they don't know. I always ask because I love recognising signature styles and playing 'guess the caterer', but I would say at least 7 times out of 10 the waiter has no idea. This is so avoidable by a simple briefing!

-Don't be too quick to cut costs by slashing the food. If you're holding your event straight from work and around dinner time, guests expect to be fed or else they'll leave early in search of sustenance or worse, get very drunk very quickly. A 2 hour cocktail event should provide at least 8 pieces per person, preferably 10. 6 pieces and you're in danger zone.

-Do ensure canapes are one mouthful, and never 'higher' than the average person's jaw span. There's nothing worse than widening your mouth as far as it will go in the attempt to insert a mini-burger. Not very glamourous.

-Don't forget to collect the detritus! If you're serving anything on a shell or a spoon or a stick, make sure your waiter either waits for the person to finish so they can collect the shell/spoon/stick, or at least provide bowls scattered around to dispose of them. People feel very awkward if they have to search for somewhere to discard. The number of times I've stabbed myself on skewers hidden in my bag is hilarious.

-Do serve a 'substantial' dish/es if your event is longer than 2 hours, and ensure you provide a generous number of cocktail tables for guests to place their drinks on while enjoying the bowled or boxed dises. There's nothing more awkward than trying to hold a bag, a cocktail, a fork and a bowl all at the same time.

-Do include 'alcohol soaking' food if you're holding a generously-beveraged event (the PC way of saying heavy drinking). Anything with bread, carbs, bulk may save you from dealing with excessively drunken behaviour.

-Do serve a sweet. If not simply for their glory, then for the fact that dessert canapes are a clever & subtle way of communicating to your guests that your event is coming to an end.

The 'canape of the year' awards
Every year there is a food trend or a single canape that reaches its zenith. Here's my Top 10 most frequent sightings of the past decade:

- food in Asian boxes
- food on a spoon
- food stations
- duck pancakes
- anything in a shot glass
- vietnamese rice paper rolls
- sushi
- 'mini' anything: burgers, pies, pavlovas
- delicate chicken sandwich
- freshly shucked oysters
- ice creams in cut-out wooden trays

NB: Best to refer to this list of trends if you are attempting to use my gatecrashing-with-a-canape tip outlined in my previous blog, 'Everything You Need To Know About Gatecrashers'...hehe.

*Yawn*
Personally I think sushi is boring for an event, unless made fresh by a sushi chef at a food station when it becomes something special. While I love sushi, at an event it just doesn't have the same appeal. And then there's the issue of the drippy soy on the white frock. Asian boxes and spoons have also been done to death across the decade.

Never out of style
My pick for my favourite event food that never goes out of style is the humble chicken sandwich. I'm not talking about the one you get from your local sandwich shop, but the delicate finger of fluffy bread, cut perfectly, with chicken, mayo and herbs. It's substantial, it's an alcohol soaker, and always a crowd pleaser. A perennial classic. I have recently become a pescatarian and believe I will miss this item the most.

On a budget?
For the right event, such as a music or fashion event targeted at a young crowd, I don't think I'll ever tire of white boxes of pizzas being passed around a buzzing room. Easy, simple, cheap. Once I even saw the pizza waiters followed by guys holding huge ice buckets full of beers - I love the simplicity of it.

Current Trends
-Share plates
At cocktail events where guests are encouraged to gather on couches in little groups, being delivered a small platter of canapes to share is a lovely way to graze. For dinners, it's a more casual way of dining. Large platters of meats, veges and salad placed in the centre of the table encourages people to pass food around and chat. Lovely!

-DIY Cocktail stations
A new trend, this is definitely one I love and reminiscent of the fabulous bottle service experience in the clubs of LA & Miami. A selection of spirits, champagnes, garnishes and ice is provided with guests able to shake their own, with a bartender to oversee and advise. Definitely a feature that is more appropriate at day events, garden parties, weddings and the like - not at crazier parties where this would only encourage revellers to go nuts...you've been warned!

-Food stations
This trend has come and gone over the years but seems to be back in force. Cooking stations such as a sushi chef whipping up fresh sushi, or a chef whipping up truffled mushrooms like I saw at the launch on The Lane a couple of weeks ago. Not only does it mean the food is fresh, it also becomes part of the theatre of your event, attracting guests to watch and buzz around.

-Boxed Goodies
A perfect solution for a film screening, grown-up picnic or outdoor VIP event (eg Symphony in the Park or the Stoneleigh pop-up bar), you can't go past a fabulous box of goodies. Plated Catering do awesome "signature boxes" which contain things like pasta salad, fruit, chocolate brownies and mini red frogs. Divine!

-Organic
The buzz word of 2010, wouldn't it be lovely to offer your guests a completely organic, sustainable and ethically farmed menu of delights? Seeing as so many of us over-indulge at events, it's one less thing to feel guilty about in the morning. Forte Catering & Events has become the first Gold Licence catering company in Sydney to offer an exclusively organic menu, with the majority of ingredients sourced from local suppliers within a 100 mile radius of Sydney. Pat on the back for Forte!

Feeling hungry now? Me too! If you ever feel hungry at an event, my tip is to simply work out where all the food is coming from. Even at events with sparse catering you'll rarely be disappointed if you stand at the entrance of the kitchen. It's usually where you'll find me, so wait your turn! ;)

xxx Tiff

Just Don't Call It Networking

2010-07-14T17:49:00.001-07:00

I was asked to MC at a great PRIA event this week, called "The Perfect Pitch" - and was asked to say a few words about networking. I pondered the subject and promptly realised the only problem I have with networking is the word itself. It sounds so...contrived. It suggests that when you 'network', that you're doing it for the express purpose of getting something out of it. I don't think I've ever talked to a stranger, at a work function or other, just to elevate my career. I simply genuinely enjoy talking to people - even the arseholes (more on that further down).

I have to admit my very first experience of networking was a harrowing one. I was 21 and working for a company called Great Big Events, and my bosses were a lovely young couple whom I adored. That is except for the fact they regularly took me to very corporate networking events and forced me to *ugh* network in the scariest of ways. ie, they would slap a name badge on me, push me into a crowd of strangers, and tell me I was not allowed to come back until I had met 7 unconnected people. Even to a confident girl this is not an enjoyable task, particularly when every now and again I would look over to them and they'd be watching my awkward progress like hawks (bless them).

Looking back, perhaps being thrown in the deep end like this was the making of me - I certainly feel like I can walk up to anyone now and get them talking, however I still take umbrage at the N word. So for arguments sake, I'll call my version of this practice as simply 'being open'. I think it's important for everyone to be perpetually open to meeting new people, making new friends, broadening their circle - but particularly so for anyone in the PR & media industry. The variety of work we are required to do becomes exponentially easier as our contact list grows. Being able to pick up the phone and call someone who is connected to whatever it is you need to find is a daily task, so the more people you can call the merrier.

That said, while you're out being open and talking to everyone you can, there are obviously several types of people who will undoubtedly make your job as a PR easier and sweeter:

Meeting media
A 5 minute face to face chat can literally be the equivalent of years of email banter. It's wonderful for both parties to put a face to the name, so it's very important for PRs to meet with the media they deal with the most. Young PRs should hang in there if they are finding it tough to actually get to meet many journos. I remember feeling like I was never going to be that PR girl who knew lots of media - but rest assured if you put yourself out there enough it will eventually happen. The best way to achieve this is to ask your boss, senior colleagues, anyone in the industry to assist you in meeting them. When I was younger, my boss Mark Cavanagh was wonderful at this - he took me to lots of events and introduced me to everyone he could. I have always done the same with my staff, and actually feel very jealous of my newest girl Jessie who has met more industry people in her first 4 months at Social Diary than I did in my first 4 years! Most media love meeting PRs, it makes the jobs of both sides easier, and that much warmer when you know each other personally.

Remember it's really important to be good to all the juniors, as they will be the ones who will rise through the ranks with you. Don't overlook them - many of the Editors of the top mags today were Fashion Assistants and even interns when I started out! Oh Lord, I'm showing my age ;)

Meeting other PRs
Oooh...my favourite meetings of all. I have always loved it when PRs gather together which is pretty obvious seeing as I ended up creating an entire business around it! By knowing and having a camaraderie amongst your peers you can develop a tremendous support network, never moreso important than in times of crisis. Like when you stuff up, get fired, or need a new job. That PR you meet at a party could be your next boss, or put you forward for a job at their company (remember the majority of PR jobs are never advertised), or simply be a wonderful ally to bounce ideas off.

While you're busy meeting fabulous PRs, I do highly recommend you find yourself a mentor. I don't know what I would have done without mine - my first being Annalise Brown, who is now the GM of Splendid Communications. She was an old school friend who started in the industry a few years before me, and was responsible for scoring me my jobs at Colvin Communications, Jonathan Ward, Cav Con and Spin. When I applied for the job at Cav Con my test was to write a media release about the shampoo I used, and Annalise came over to help. I got the job of course! I used to call her all the time for advice, usually whispering because my boss was in the next room, eg. "um Annalise...what does above the line and below the line mean??" (I never studied PR so had to teach myself alot and *ahem* blag my way through when I was starting out). My next mentor was of course Mark Cavanagh, who has taught me so much about this industry that I am forever in his debt. And the only way you can repay a mentor is to become one yourself, which I happily am to many of my previous staff. I love that my ex-employee Sara Bray is now fast becoming a mentor to younger PRs herself. I am beyond proud.

Meeting potential clients

Literally anyone you meet could be a potential client, or someone that you can simply give advice to about PR. The number of times over the years that I won new business simply after casually chatting to someone at a party, over dinner, at BBQs, even on planes, is numerous. My advice here? Don't do the hard sell! There's nothing that is more of a turn off, or more the trademark of the perpetual 'networker', cue business card being shoved in your face before you've even gotten through the introductions. Just be yourself, talk about what you do with passion but don't shove it down people's throats. People are more likely to want to do business with you if you take this approach.

Meeting celebrities

Let's be frank here, life becomes alot easier for PRs when you actually know the person you're sending the invitation to. Having a bunch of celebrity contacts who will support your events is great, and chances are that celeb will actually turn up rather than never even see your invitation (see previous blog: The Art of The Invitation). Many celebrities have moved their way up through their career as I moved up through mine, and we would help each other along the way whenever we could - they would come to my events and I would put them forward for MC roles and pass on opportunities. There are so many symbiotic relationships within our industry it's important to help each other out as much as possible.

So you may be scared of walking up to strangers at a party and starting a conversation. The best thing to do is ask questions - according to Dale Carnegie's famous book written in 1936, "How To Win Friends & Influence People" people simply love talking about themselves, and it's easy to get them started. Personally I absolutely love asking people what they do for a living and refuse to believe this is a boring conversation starter as some people suggest. What could be more interesting that finding out what someone does for the majority of their life? My favourite response to date was when a girl responded that she was the Editor of a fetish magazine about urine. She wasn't kidding - and I was duly fascinated (we talked all night).

When in doubt, Carnegie believes that the sweetest sound a person can hear is their own name! And what's the worst that could happen if you initiate a conversation? Oh that's right, the person you approach could be a total arsehole. When this happens, I just laugh and ponder the eternal mysteries of human behaviour. I used to take it personally, but I promise that you stop worrying about this eventually. Just smile sweetly, thank your lucky stars that you aren't rude like them and move on to someone friendlier! Always keep a sense of humour about it all and you'll be fighting new friends off in no time. Just don't network, promise? ;)

xxx Tiff

The Art of The Invitation

2010-07-07T17:26:00.001-07:00

This blog topic came courtesy of Sarah Wilson who I shared several cups of rosebud & lemongrass tea with this week. (I'm a huge fan of Sarah's column in Sunday Life and reading her weekly hints on how to make life sweeter always does make my life sweeter, without fail.) So you think an invitation is just a piece of paper delivered to you in an envelope? Think again - like everything in PR world it can be ridiculously labour intensive, often fraught with glitches and can send us not just to the Post Office but screaming for the hills. Here's some tips I've learnt over the years, and why I would never send an invite to a celebrity via their agent.

The WOW Invite
Let's face it, a spectacular invite really does set a certain tone. It's literally the first experience your guests will have with your event, so if your budget allows, a snazzy invite will usually ensure a buzz and a healthy RSVP response. I've seen some spectacular invitations over the years and have even produced some if I do say so myself! One that comes to mind is when I helped Cav Con on an event for ABSOLUT to celebrate their involvement in Sculptures by The Sea in 2005. My sister is a graphic designer who has produced all my invites throughout my career, and this was a stellar one. The ABSOLUT sculpture was a huge bottle made entirely out of thongs, all of which had been found on beaches by the artist. To bring this concept to life, Fleur designed a flat perspex bottle invite, to be slipped inside a clear plastic envelope and filled with sand and shells. My mother provided 1,000 small shells from her years of collecting and sent them down from Coffs Harbour, and we sourced the sand from Bondi Beach. I swear I didn't realise that it's *ahem* illegal to take sand from the beach (who knew?) and I did rope a couple of interns into coming to Bondi with me, with buckets. I wonder if they actually ended up in PR? The things we do in this job...but the invitation received accolades so it was all worth it.

Tip: don't fill your enevelope with confetti, glitter, or anything else that can spray out of it. The media hate it. I got away with the sand because the envelope was clear, hence you could see it, and open it without spilling a grain!

Post vs Email
To me the only kind of invite is the posted type - and a quick canvas of our top social journos yielded a unanimous vote in agreeance. Comments ranged from "it's more special", to "I keep a folder of them all to refer to" and "it's hard to find email invites in amongst work ones". And of course there's nothing more lovely than seeing a crisp gold envelope peeking out from between bills, bills and more bills. Extra points for calligraphy! I'm not a fan of the emailed invite unless it's for a straightforward event that doesn't call for the expense of paper, printing and postage. However, more tech-savvy media have told me they also love emailed invitations as they can right click and immediately have the date logged into their MAC or Outlook. To ensure it gets to everybody, I recommend posting invitations and emailing as well. Several commented that they loved the reminder email the day before the party.

Tip: Across the board, everyone seems to loathe the emailed PDF invite - best to have the info in the body of the email.

Save the Date?
Sarah is not a fan! She explained that when she's sent a Save the Date first, then the invitation follows down the track, she can't remember whether she's RSVP'd to it or not and it can get confusing. To me, the only time we ever sent a Save the Date at Breakfast PR was when the printed invitation was delayed to a point where we were worried it would go out too late, so it was purely to offset that. The party journos said they love them as they can put it in their diary, then receive the hard copy invite closer to the date.

Tip: Seems the choice is yours here!

With a guest or not?
If everyone is invited with a guest, it should be printed as such - at least it saves the inevitable barrage of emails asking "can I possibly bring a guest?". If numbers are tight it's standard to invite the individual only, however it should be kept in mind that while media are used to going to events solo, some social guests are not and may decline if unable to bring a guest. The safest bet is to address it to the person only, and respond to their request for a guest on a case-by-case basis.

Dress Code
This is a whole blog topic unto itself! Coming soon.

Sheltered Workshops
Unless you've sent 1,000 invitations yourself, noone can possibly understand the pain often experienced in sending them out. Choosing and ordering stock & envelopes, designing the invite and the back-and-forth nature of the approval process with the client & sponsors, printing and the inevitable delay in delivery, packing envelopes and the joys of multiple paper cuts, the relentless moistening of non peel & seal envelopes, the stamping/franking, and the lugging of boxes to the post office - usually always at 4:55pm. I've engaged in many a sheltered workshop over the years, generally with lots of coffee, interns and Foxtel!

Tip 1: if you choose an envelope colour other than white, franking is not possible. I've learnt this the hard way and have spent 4 hours at the Post Office hand stamping 1,000 envelopes. On at least two occasions, because I failed to learn the lesson the first time. Oh, the glamour of PR.

Tip 2: Check the proof, then check it again. Then get someone else to check it. Once when I was doing an event for Cartier I got a digit on my phone number wrong. It was heart-breaking and it involved a second print run. Probably not as bad as the invite I received last year that didn't have a date on it, because I caught my mistake before they were sent. The invite stated what time to turn up...but on which night? I admit I did giggle but then immediately felt bad for the poor PR whose job it was to check it. I felt her pain.

When to Send?
I stick to this rule:
Normal event or launch: 2 weeks prior
Special event: 3 weeks prior
Wedding: 3 months prior, with a Save the Date up to 1 year prior for overseas guests

Celebrity Invitations
Most PRs send a bunch of celebrities invitations to everything, more often than not to their agents. STOP doing it. I don't care whether any agents reading this disagree with me because I've simply heard it too many times from the mouths of these celebs: they rarely, if ever, have invitations passed on to them. I shudder to think of how many forests are destroyed to make these invitations that never reach their desired recipient - I would imagine at least 20% of all invites sent. Several times over the years I've had celebrities approach me at parties wondering why I never invite them to my parties anymore. Shocked, I would reply - I send you an invite to everything! They would then give me their home address knowing full well that the invitations sent to their agent rarely make it to them. Personally, I think most end up in the bin. Generally speaking unless an agent is making their 20% they have little interest in getting their talent on the red carpet. Am sure every PR has called an agent to follow up an RSVP and heard the standard response: "if they want to attend they'll let you know themselves". A celeb's PR however will generally always pass on invites because they're not working on commission, and understand the value of red carpet appearances.

Tip: Get their home address or don't bother sending it, unless you have a close relationship with their agent and trust it will be forwarded.
I guess I can expect some irate calls from agents now...don't worry there are always exceptions to the rule and I know who the great ones are ;)

xxx Tiff

Choose Your Own Celebrity

2010-06-30T20:30:00.001-07:00

There's been alot of talk lately about the value of paying a celebrity to spruik your product. Sometimes it's hugely successful, sometimes it's an abysmal failure and sometimes it's just, well...weird. Like Lleyton Hewitt as the face of Sorbent toilet paper. Enough said. Some brands are just tempted to throw alot of coin at *insert person of the moment here*...but is it always worth it, and what do you do when you have a great brand but not alot of dosh?

The Accidental Endorsement
There's only one story I can start this topic with and that's my Britney moment, God bless her cotton socks (or her Sketchers, considering she's paid a motzah to wear them). Back in 2001 I was working at Spin, and in came team Ken Done - his kids had been given the task of celebrating the 21st anniversary of Done. At the time, despite the iconic stature of the brand and our respect for it, we were a little nervous about being given the task of making it cool. But as I've always said, it's WAY more fun to work on making a daggy brand cool rather than just working on a cool brand - anyone can maintain the image of sass & bide.

So back to September 2001, and Britney was coming to town. And yes she was actually cool then if you can remember back that far. We had heard her say that she liked to support the local designers of any city she visited on tour, so we decided to get her to put her money where her mouth was. We knew her stylist, so were able to wrangle getting a gift pack literally placed on her bed in her suite - and contained within was a variety of Aussie designer duds, including a Ken Done bikini.

Sadly that week, September 11 happened and devastated the world. As a result, all planes were grounded for days, leaving Britney stranded in Australia. And what's a girl to do on a sunny Spring day? Head to Bondi Beach. That Sunday I was at the Beach Road Hotel when I suddenly received several phone calls stating that Britney was at the beach in our Ken Done bikini, surrounded by news crews (I recall almost choking on my beer). To cut a long story short, the pics and footage of Britney in her Ken Done polkadots went around the world - it was named the "fashion moment of 2001" and featured in Hello!, Paris Match and pratically every other paper & magazine in the world. Sales of that particular bikini went through the roof and Done experienced a significant spike in general sales immediately after.

Oh, the power of celebrity endorsement had never been so clear. We hadn't paid her a single cent and it culminated in over $12 million worth of PR. And the irony? She was sponsored by Pepsi at the time to the tune of millions, and was photographed that week in Australia enjoying an icy cold can of Coke. Whoopsadaisies Brit Brit...but cue a pat on the back for the Spin Showroom girls! Of course, every client thereafter asked us to "do a Britney" for them, so it was a tough act to live up to when it had pretty much been a fluke :)

How to choose?
I used to work on the STC Spring & Autumn Racing Carnivals for a number of years, and each season we would employ a celebrity ambassador to be the face of the races for that period. The initial meetings of who we were going to choose must surely have been hilarious to listen to for anyone not in the industry. We would collectively come up with a 'hit-list' of celeb girls & guys, covering the spectrum of TV, music, film etc, and then one by one dissect each and every one of them regarding their suitability - down to the finest detail. I think it's times like this that I thank my lucky stars that I'm a behind the scenes girl and not a celebrity. I do not have the thick skin to handle being discussed like a commodity, but you have to remember that in these instances, they pretty much are. The final decision is based on a combination of their relevance, heat, and of course - how much they cost.

Get them on their way up.
What's cleverer that picking a fabulous celebrity to be the face of your campaign? Picking someone who's almost made it but not quite. If you get your timing right, you can get them before they hit the big time, meaning they are cheaper, more interesting because they're fresh, and you look extra-clever for predicting their rise before anyone else did. A great example is when Pierre Cardin signed Grant Hackett literally moments before he hit the big time. I think I am particularly adept at predicting stars-to-be, but admittedly I never would have predicted that chubby little Vinnie from Home & Away would grow up to become Jason Stackhouse...WOW Ryan Kwanten completely blind-sided me.

And how do you acquire these skills? By being a voracious consumer of popular culture. I always knew my addiction to tabloid mags, gossip pages and E News would pay dividends someday. On that note, ACP hired me 3 years running to work the red carpet at The Logies, simply because I could recognise pretty much every single person attending. I would be stationed approx 20m from the red carpet, stick my head in the limo, then radio the names to the front of the red carpet so the media would know exactly who was getting out. Hidden talent or the height of ridiculousness? Am happy for you to decide, although I am painfully aware that 6 foreign languages could fit in the place of all the random celebrity trivia I have in my brain. By the way, Shiloh is a Gemini.

Who are you kidding...?
I think it's hilarious when brands choose celebrities who they think can give their product credibility, when clearly they are seriously living in fantasy land if they think their customer is going to believe it. Like Libby Trickett currently doing the rounds for KFC. Or Kerry Armstrong espousing the benefits of Coca-Cola for children. It's a shame when celebrities sell-out, but dollar signs can be very seductive when an actor is between jobs or an athlete is post-retirement. Never treat your customer like an idiot.

Make sure they know their stuff
Oh. God. I CRINGE when I see a celebrity interviewed for whatever they're spruiking and they have no idea what they're talking about. I rarely blame the celebrity here (well, if they're particularly dim I do), but I blame the PR or Brand Manager for not briefing them to within an inch of their lives. You've spent serious money getting them on board - surely you can spend a couple of hours drumming your message into their head? It's inexcusable and makes a mockery of the whole exercise.

Get them to DO something, anything
I also loathe when celebs are brought out to Australia and they don't really...do anything. I've never understood the whole bringing a singer here thing and then they don't sing? Someone please explain. Often they just stand there and say a few garbled words and that's it - it's just celebrity endorsement for the sake of it. YAWN.

A great celebrity & charity combination can literally mean the world of difference.
Obviously a celebrity face to any charity is going to help raise their profile and have a seriously beneficial impact for a fabulous cause. It means so much more when the celebrity in question has been personal affected by the cause/s they represent - it goes well beyond the 'celebrity endorsement for the sake of it' factor. The perfect example here? Lara Bingle as Ambassador for Bowel Cancer Australia. I remember having a discussion several years ago over dinner with some journos, and we pointed out that although Bowel Cancer kills MORE people every year in Australia than Breast Cancer does, it's not as 'glamorous' and few would put their hand up to be the face of it. We actually started to brainstorm ways to raise the profile of the cause, and it's something that has stayed in my mind for some time. When Lara's father sadly passed away from the illness, it became a way for her to carry his legacy. I think it's a wonderful example of a great celebrity endorsement.

Your homework, if you're doing Dry July like me and have nothing better to do, is to read the papers, tabloids & blogs this weekend and tell me who the Next Big Thing is... ;)

xxx Tiff

Shut The Fick Up!

2010-06-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

This blog was inspired by the speeches at the divine Sydney Winter Festival last night and the shockingly rude guests in attendance. The word fick is a nod to the fact I was standing in a German Bier Hall at the time, am sure you don't need Google Translate to work out what it means. This is a major grumble of mine at events, and one that needs to be addressed because, seriously? You've been cordially invited to a fabulous soiree, you're drinking for free, you're eating for free, surely the least you can do is shut the fick up while the formalities take place? And yes I'm one of those people that yell SHUT UP! if you don't, even when it's not my event. I generally leave the fick part out.

Last night the two gorgeous Viennese guys who started the festival around the world began their speech - and within less than a minute practically the whole room was talking. It was appalling. OK, so English isn't their first language but come on! They created this amazing event and the people in the room were invited to be a part of it (the ice rink really is awesome, I highly recommend a twirl). Show some respect. The divine Rupert Noffs came on next, and thanks to his drama training was able to project his voice and gain some attention back, but still a gaggle of people continued to talk, loudly. Then the two singers from the Noffs Foundation Street University came on, and one of the guys requested silence in respect for their friend "who isn't with us anymore". A hush descended on the crowd, then he revealed that his friend hadn't in fact died, but just wasn't with them last night...in the physical sense. This is seriously what he was driven to say just to get everyone to shut up - hilarious. I deeply admired him for it.

The only time I believe it's OK to talk through speeches is when someone goes on for longer than 10 minutes during a cocktail-style event. Noone should speak for longer than this, and if you need to, the event should be a sit down, or better yet a seminar. As far as I'm concerned, after this point all bets are off. I was once running a large scale event for an international luxury brand, when my client said that the CEO wanted to say a few words. I am always hesitant when an 'unknown quantity' wants to speak, so I politely asked whether he was an experienced speech maker. My client informed me the CEO was Japanese and couldn't speak English very well, so I strongly advised that he literally say a few words, with an absolute deadline of a minute and a half. They understood and promised...but of course come event time he stumbled in broken English for well into 15 minutes. It was beyond excrutiating, and I didn't blame people for starting to talk amongst themselves. I almost wanted them to increase their chatter to max volume just so he'd work it out and put everyone out of their misery. Cue loud Academy Awards orchestra here.

When you're running an event, try your very best only to have great speakers make speeches. If someone pivotal needs to speak and you know they'd be a better sleep aide than Valium, give them another important role like making the toast or simply welcoming guests before they pass the mike over to an expert. An amazing speech has the ability to inform, delight, and move your guests, sometimes to tears. A bad one can kill the party vibe and have your guests running for the hills. You want to move them, just not out of the venue.

And the best rule of thumb when you're listening to a speech, no matter how dull, is to simply imagine it was you up there. To many people it's quite simply the most terrifying thing they'll ever have to do. And if you want to be really gracious to your host? Cheer for their sponsors. Event speeches generally start with a series of thankyous to the various donors, and whilst not the most scintillating list to listen to, give them a clap and a cheer if it's appropriate. Without them, there wouldn't be a party and your host will love you for it.

So how do you pull off the perfect event speech? Keep it short and sweet - and make it warm. Additionally, and without question, leave the sheets of paper at home. The fabulous Jonathan Pease's blog this week has a piece titled Public Speaking not Public Reading about a keynote speaker at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival currently taking place. He states: "The session read by David Harris called ‘When inspiration strikes’ was less inspiring than white noise. I just can’t tune into a speech that’s being read off an A4 page." I couldn't agree more.

My Dad always drummed into me that if I was ever asked to make a speech, to never, ever use notes. It was sage advice that I always uphold, despite being nervous that I'm going to forget everything. When in doubt, I take a small, single piece of paper with bulleted one word prompts, or better yet write them on the palm of my hand. The funny thing is, I never seem to reference the paper or my hand, they tend to just be there for security. As long as you're prepared, speaking off the cuff will always be more believable, warm and engaging. This couldn't be truer than at a wedding. If you're invited to speak at a wedding, chances are you have a special, intimate friendship with the bride, the groom or both. Speak from the heart. Noone is going to judge you if you fluff it up here or there - but to read something heartfelt word for word from prepared pages just doesn't have the same resonance.

And if you ever find yourself in a room and I'm making the speech...please shut the fick up and I'll love you forever.

xxx Tiff

You Know You Work in PR When...

2010-06-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

PR is not just a job, it tends to completely permeate the very fabric of your life. A budding young PR girl Kaaran inspired this week's blog when we started discussing what you should do when you forget someone's name at a party. PRs always know, so it got me thinking of all the quirks that make PRs some of my very favourite people to be around. They are usually the kids who had the best dress-ups, nailed show & tell, and told the best stories in the playground...then worked out how to get paid for it.

So you know you work in PR when...

...your social life is back to front
A normal social person works hard from Monday to Friday, spending most evenings in front of the TV, perhaps a dinner out or the movies. When they get to Friday they can let their hair down, and they usually do it all again on Saturday night - spending Sunday recovering with a lie-in, breakfast and the papers. When you work in PR, everything is in reverse. Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday become the best nights to party and you become a master at backing it up the next day; Friday becomes dinner with friends and Saturday & Sundays are spent gloriously couch-bound watching Foxtel and recovering from the crazy week. Nothing would ever, ever get me out on a Saturday night apart from my best friend's wedding. I believe the only universal night at home for everyone, PR or otherwise, is Monday.

...you read the Sunday papers on Saturday night
This is a terrible habit I got into when I was running Breakfast PR and my work completely revolved around the social pages. I simply couldn't wait to see my client's coverage the next day so would go to the newsagent where they make the first drop of the Sunday papers every Saturday night at 7pm. It's on Darlinghurst Rd next to the Fire Station for the uninitiated! If you get into this habit please don't blame me for the inevitable disappointment the following morning when you wake, stretch, think about the day ahead and how you can't wait to have a big breakfast and read the papers...then realise you already have. You've been warned.

...you know how to get away with a forgotten name
People in PR are expected to remember everyone's names, which I think is highly unfair considering the sheer volume of people we meet on a weekly basis as part of our job. Yet we are the a-holes when we blank on someone - come on, surely it's relative? So over the years I've come up with a no-fail trick. If I'm standing with a friend and someone I swear I have NEVER seen before says "Tiff, Hi how are you!" I immediately say "hey SO good to see you! You have to meet my friend Jessie!" as I spin around to grab my phone out of my pocket or bag. The person then instinctively introduces themselves to Jessie, eg "Hi, I'm Tom!" and hearing this, I immediately say "So Tom what have you been up to?" Always ask them questions about themselves as the penny will eventually drop and you'll know who they are. Works every time. And if I ever do this to you, please be kind and play along - it happens to the best of us.

...you know how to mingle
This is a highly underestimated skill, and one that comes from years of party practice. Some people don't know how to do it, and therefore stick with their group of friends all night and meet noone new, or worse, get stuck with a dreadful bore they can't break away from. Learning to mingle will significantly increase your enjoyment of parties and allow you to be in control of who you meet and who you spend time with. PRs do this better than anyone, so watch them and learn! The rule is to never, ever be rude. Know some sure-fire lines that will allow you to politely detach from a person/group and slink away to the next one. If you can, make your exit line entertaining so at least the person you're leaving gets a laugh (not at their own expense). An example: "Please excuse me, I have to rescue that poor girl my friend is hitting on". This one is great because I take alot of male friends to events, so it's usually true.

...you know how to handle your alcohol
Alcohol is a fairly permanent fixture in the life of the PR, so one must learn how to handle it at an early stage. Noone wants to be known as "the drunk publicist" and let me tell you, there are a couple around. I like a drink so have always been in perpetual fear of being described as such, and thus have never allowed it to happen (well, I most certainly hope not!) I always allowed my staff a couple of drinks after their duties at an event were done, and put the fear of God in them that if they ever overdid it they too could become known as *insert ominous tone* the drunk publicist. I'm pleased to report it freaked them out sufficiently.

...everything can be made into a canape
I often say that the humble canape is why I pursued a career in events, and jokes aside it's not far from the truth. It's a delectable mouthful requiring no commitment, it often resembles a work of art, and it can make or break a party. As a result, my culinary pursuits tend to centre around them. When I was backpacking through Europe my sister & I camped in Greece for a month and dazzled our tent-neighbours with our creations each evening. Everything became a canape: thin rounds of bread with cheese laid out platter-style, topped with slivers of capsicum (one red, one yellow and one green sliver artfully placed of course), assorted homemade dips, and for dessert: discs of banana topped with a dollop of Nutella. Pretty soon everyone ditched their usual camp fare and partied on at ours... only if they were on the guest list, naturally. (See previous blog: How To Get On The Guest List).

...you are always looking for a story
Do you walk into any bar/cafe/airplane looking for a famous face? A celebrity couple? A hint of scandal? As one PR friend said: "I can't even enjoy a meal without scouring round the restaurant for a famous face in case I need to call Syd Con." When you have the papers on speed dial and the gossip journos are in your wedding party you know you're a PR to the very core.

Or as Sara Bray succinctly put it, you know you're in PR when someone says "you should work in PR!"...and of course, you already do.

xxx Tiff ;)

Are Parties Important?

2010-06-09T19:02:00.001-07:00

OK this topic puts a smile on my face. When anyone who works in events is asked what they do for a living, the reactions are usually amusing, ranging from "Wow that's unreal!" to "...that's actually a job?" and everything in between. From a personal perspective, I've always absolutely loved the career choice. As the old adage goes, "find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life" and I couldn't agree more. However, when I was 27 I actually had a crisis of conscience wondering whether what I did held any value at all, probably brought about by spending time with a couple of friends who have real, 'grown up' jobs. One is a criminal lawyer with the DPP and the other is a kidney transplant surgeon - a far cry from the lipstick wonderland I had always frolicked in. And as Carrie would say, I couldn't help but wonder...

I have always had great dinners with Bec the lawyer, one of my oldest school friends. We work in such polar opposite worlds that we are perpetually fascinated with each other's jobs. Our conversations usually go something like this: "Wow Bec, your job is so amazing tell me something you've worked on lately" at which point she will download some horrific homicide case and all the grisly court details (She worked for the prosecution on the Bilal Skaf gang-rape trials, so the importance of her work cannot be underestimated.) At the end she'll go "Wow Tiff, it's all just so full on, please tell me about something fun you're working on", at which point I will regale her with some party goss and the like. When finished I invariably say "But Bec it's all just fluff, tell me more of the serious stuff" and she will, then follow with "But Tiff it's boring, tell me something fun" etc - back and forth, back and forth until we are both exhausted! The grass is always wilder, right?

So back to my crisis of conscience: after 6 years in the biz I started thinking, is what I do important? Will I be proud on my deathbed? Will my children be proud? All the big, ludicrously self-indulgent questions we occasionally find ourselves pondering on our individual journeys. And during my deliberation which probably spanned a few months, I found myself at the very first event I produced under the banner of my fledgling agency Breakfast PR & Events - the 100 year anniversary of the world's first wristwatch by Cartier. It was a 2 day bump-in, so by the time guests arrived I was exhausted and took a step back to observe from the shadows. Guests met, they mingled, they drank and they danced. Some kissed.Without sounding too deep, it was a spectacular visual display of life and love, and it suddenly got me over the negative thoughts I'd been having. No, parties aren't going to cure cancer or fight crime or save the world...but damn, they sure do make the world a sparklier place for a little moment in time! And that could be regarded as vaguely noble, right? Whether you agree (or strongly disagree), this revelation certainly set me back on my path and gave me a newfound appreciation for the humble party.

It could also be argued that while an actual party won't cure cancer, without question they can raise a phenomenal amount of money for countless charities. Not only are they a great forum to communicate a profound message to a captive audience, there's nothing quite like plying guests with bubbles and witnessing just how generous they can be!

Whether you think parties serve a greater purpose or are a frivolous waste of money is everyone's personal opinion. I have no doubt that some people scanning the social pages think it's all superficial froth and have no idea just how serious this business can be and how important for charities, brands and the industry as a whole. And obviously there are a wide range of opinions on parties from a guests' persepective - some people absolutely live for them and for others being in a room full of buzzing strangers is their worst nightmare. It's pretty obvious which sort of person I am...! I have no idea why I was born to do this type of work, the same as a surgeon doesn't need to question it - they just go forth and, um, surge? And thanks to my Dad's advice when I was young: "work out what you love doing, then work out how to get paid for it", I luckily did.

As touched upon in my previous blog, many of my friends have met, fallen in love, gotten married, and had babies after meeting at mine and other people's parties. (Needless to say many have also had their egos shattered, their hearts broken and their dignity all but wiped out, but that's for a future (saucier) blog.) Claudia & Jamie met whilst Claudia skated and Jamie DJ'd at the "Pimps n Hoes" party back in 2001, and are now married and living in LA with two sons. Jenny & Ash had their first kiss at our Spin Events "Go Rio" Party back in 2002, and are now married and proud parents to the gorgeous Scarlett with another bun currently in the oven. One of my Topless Events boys even fell in love with a Social Diary member at the 2006 Winter "Hello, Sailor" Party! Countless people over the years have called me to say thankyou for having them at an event because they met a lovely guy or girl, reunited with a long lost friend, or landed a great job.

So with endless respect and admiration I'll leave the great doctors and lawyers and fighters for justice to their incredible work, and send them all an invitation to kick up their heels at a party when they've finished for the day. We all play our part, no matter how insignificant it can seem.

xxx Tiff

PS Bec writes a fascinating blog about murder cases in Sydney: http://murdersheblogs.blogspot.com

The Costume Party is BACK!

2010-06-02T00:39:00.000-07:00

This blog was inspired by the ad for www.costumebox.com.au currently on TV. To me it indicates a tipping point of sorts - have you ever seen costumes advertised on TV? The costume party is officially BACK. However, to anyone like me, they never went away. But like all trends, it comes and goes and I have been predicting for years that they are growing infinitely in popularity - you would only have need attended a Social Diary party in the last 4 years to see me making a pretty loud point. But how to throw a party that truly terrifies a certain percentage of the population?
Here are some tips.

Accept the fact that you'll scare some people off.
But hey, who wants them anyway? *KIDDING*. OK so some people find it scary or too much effort - here's what I think the breakdown is:
20% UGH it's costume that's so scary
20% UGH it's costume I couldn't be bothered
40% YAY it's costume, FUN!
20% YAY it's costume I'm going to have the BEST costume there. Watch out, I'm definitely in this percentile band!

Always have a theme that has an 'easy option':
The best themes are able to be translated 'lazily' - ie, from anyone's wardrobe at home, whilst still having the scope for amazing creativity for your more interesting guests. Some examples of past Social Diary parties:

Social Diary High
Easy option: school uniform - everyone has a shirt & tie at home
Creative: prom queen, nun, coach

Social Diary REHAB
Easy option: Nurse. All you need is a white dress with a red cross!
Creative: Britney, Amy Winehouse, giant ecstasy pill

Valley of the Dolls
Easy option: Barbie. Anyone can look like a slut!
Creative: Buzz Lightyear, Green Soldier, Pinocchio

Social DAIRY
Easy option: farmboy/girl: everyone has a flannel shirt
Creative: Carton of milk. Need I say more?

Be strict.
No costume, no entry. OK that may be a little harsh but nothing like putting the fear of God into your party guests. Everyone fears they will be one of only 10 people who dressed up and feel like a fool - but without question the best costume parties are the ones where the 10 people who didn't dress up feel foolish. Be bold. Go hard or go home!

Reward them.
Incentive never goes astray...make it worth their while with a seriously good prize. My fave? When Mark Cavanagh won a trip for 2 to Paris (business class, naturally) for going as a Yum Cha waitress to the opening on WokPool in Darling Harbour. He was doing PR for Market City at the time and told them he needed a trolley for a photo shoot, which he then proceeded to slam into guests angrily shouting "What You Want? Gow Gee? PORK BUN!" A costume is elevated to lofty heights when the wearer stays in character for the evening.

Which leads me onto the obvious....what to do when you receive an invitation to 'stume? The only answer is to do it properly or not at all. Take it seriously and think outside the costume box. For many girls, the opportunity to dress like a slut and get away with it with good reason is very appealing. I've dressed like a slut before and it's very liberating - the most obvious occasion being when I attended a party at the Playboy Mansion. My outfit was apparently so convincing that I was actually mistaken for a bunny...chalk one up for some seriously false advertising and a great set of chicken fillets. But that said, I gained serious respect from my bestie Juliet at the REHAB party for dressing as an old lady (Betty Ford) and throwing myself into a sea of girls dressed as saucy nurses. Sometimes you need to put your vanity aside in the pursuit of authenticity.

For some people, it will always be a much loved opportunity to go wild and get creative. God bless my mother for instilling such a passion for costumes in me from an early age - I have hundreds of photos of me as Raggedy Anne, witch, ballerina etc to the point it's literally in my DNA. However, I also appreciate that for some it's frightening - so when in doubt, go in a pair or group for safety. At BOO! in 2007, my friends and I went as the entire cast of The Rocky Horror Show. We moved around the party as a pack and loved the reactions of other revellers. A great option for the shy or newbie costumer!

The one truly fabulous thing about dressing up is you can literally become someone else for the night, and anyone who knows me knows that all it takes for me is a pair of skates. Preferably my prized white quads, complete with orange stoppers. Life is always more fun on wheels, and once I have them strapped to my feet I'm elevated to another level. And who knows what could happen?

For any disbelievers or lazies - back in 2001 one of my besties Claudia and I were invited to a "Pimps 'n Hoes" party. Both being passionate Rollergirls, we decided to go as matching cops in full denim flared catsuits, complete with aviators, batons, sheriff badges and cuffs. The taxi pulled up outside the party and we sat in the gutter strapping our wheels on - then rang the bell and skated through the house, down the stairs (stair rolling is surprisingly easy and never fails to impress) and ended with a double twirl in front of the DJ. Rounds of applause ensued and I introduced Claudia to my DJ'ing friend, who was holding the party. Cut to 2010 - and the two are blissfully married, and living in LA with their two young sons. Never, EVER underestimate the power of a good costume.

xoxox Tiff

PRs & Media Wrap Up

2010-05-19T22:48:00.000-07:00

OK so I had to really think about this one hence the 3 week absence! I won't blog unless I have something to say and I went round in circles a bit on this one. I started off by getting quotes from media but decided that I should just write it from the point of view of the PR, considering this is what I know. It's brief, but there's a few bits 'n bobs I've learnt over the years that could assist here.

I think PRs should:

Deal with the fact that journalists will continue to not get back to you.
I was listening to 106.5FM the other night (yep I'm a total cheesebag) and a girl called up to contribute to a discussion about relationships. She said she didn't understand why guys didn't call after a date, and her argument was they should call and let her know that they're not interested to save her waiting around for weeks. She said she could deal with that and would prefer the honesty. I couldn't help but laugh and think this is exactly how PRs feel when it comes to media not returning calls. But I really can't imagine even the most decent guy calling up to let a girl know he's just not that into her...so it made me realise nothing is ever going to change and everyone just needs to accept it!

Accept the fact that a PR story comes with no guarantees.
Just because you've pitched, confirmed, organised a photo shoot, interview, exclusives, etc - doesn't mean it's going to run, and it's usually not the journalists fault. After years in PR I refuse to get excited until I have the paper in my hands. I remember doing a Sunday Tele page 3 shoot with a 9 yr old BMX champion years back when I was working on Coca-Cola, and he was SO excited he was going to be in the paper. Noting this excitement, I took he & his mother aside and explained that there's never a guarantee and firmly instructed them not to tell any of his mates just in case the story was pulled, as fluff pieces so often are. They told me they totally understood. Cut to Sunday morning when indeed "a bomb dropped somewhere in the world" and the story was pulled - and I was left with an irate mother and a distraught young boy on my hands. They had ignored my advice, told everyone at his school, and he was subsequently being teased for being a liar. It was awful. Bottom line: if you want something to run, buy an ad. If you want to PR it, cross your fingers. And don't tell anyone until it runs!

Help the media in all ways, not just for yourself.
All too often PRs only contact the media or give them stories when it benefits their clients. I've always felt it's really important to give them what you can when it doesn't benefit you, simply to help them out. It's obviously a wonderful way to build relationships as well. So if you hear something, see something, spot a celebrity - whatever it is, let your fave journo know. I have personal ethics here however: I would never pass on a story that would hurt someone.

Know the individual media deadlines.
It's pretty simple - just ask them when they do and don't like to be contacted, or at least use your common sense and don't follow up a Sunday journo on a Friday - pretty simple really but this is so often ignored and it's a total no-brainer.

Be appreciative.
If a journo runs a fab story for you, say thankyou. PRs can often chase, harass, hound to get their story across the line and then when it comes out - they're silent. Some manners wouldn't go astray!

And I feel media could:

Lighten up a bit on PRs.
Keep in mind that often it's not the poor young girl following up that is at fault, but her boss who has instructed she keeps calling until she gets an answer. PRs need to seriously reconsider this strategy. And even if she's not under this pressure (unless she's inept) she's really just trying to do her job.

When I was a wee PR lass of 22 I was following up a Ray-Bans release. I was going down my follow-up list when I came upon an Editor of a Sydney metro newspaper lifestyle section, lets call her Cynthia Scarypants. Me: "hi, it's Tiffany from CavCon and I'm just calling about the Ray-Ban story I sent you and wondered whether you're interested?" Cynthia: Long pause. "If I was f@#$ing interested in your f@#$ing media release, I'd f@#$ing call you wouldn't I!" *Insert a series of expletives here that would make this blog a little too colourful*. Cue me, shaking and teary - it was quite a verbal assault.

Cut to two weeks later when I was at an event, being introduced to a group of people. Mark said "Cynthia, meet my new girl Tiffany Farrington". Cynthia flinched at my name and then looked at me with a curious expression, as if trying to place where she knew me. I nervously looked down at the floor, hoping she'd just let it go, when she said "Tiffany Farrington...Tiffany Farrington...have we met before?" Me: "No, no, I don't think so, but lovely to meet you!" to which she replied: "Did I...did we...speak on the phone a couple of weeks ago?" Me: (meekly) "Um...maybe", nervously looking for an exit somewhere in the venue. Cynthia then proceeded, to my surprise, to apologise profusely. She explained that she'd had a really bad day and I happened to be the 1,000th PR to call her and to whom she vented all her frustration. The irony of this was that she was so apologetic that she ended up hugging me, and becoming a great contact in the process - always taking my call and helping out when she could!

Big love to all PRs & Media everywhere :)

xxx Tiff

PRs vs Media

2010-04-29T18:40:00.001-07:00

I have to say I really did enjoy the emails I received after last week's "Media vs PRs" blog. Wow, do you guys have some grumbles! Funnily enough there weren't that many different kinds, they were just the same grumbles over and over again. It makes me laugh because I'm technically not a publicist anymore (except for my one special client Curtis) but I certainly remember the *ahem* occasional frustrations I experienced with the media (who I do truly adore). So, I added my own two cents below in the form of a single quote. But which one is mine? All quotes have been sourced from a gaggle of my favourite buzzy PRs - next week I'll do a wrap up on this silent war and then we'll all hold hands and sing Kumbaya, campfire love-in style.

The things PRs hate the most are...

Journalists who don't respond.
"Just tell us if you're not interested in running something. We wouldn't have to hound you if you just told us a clear & simple "not for me". We are accountable to clients and bosses who ask us if we've followed up."

"I once asked a couple of journos if they would ever consider hitting reply and stating "not interested" and they said that would take too long. I then asked could they simply hit reply and a simple "x" to PRs meaning they're not interested and they said that would also take too long. Come on, seriously?! It would take less than 2 seconds per email and save alot of heartache!"

Don't get angry at us if we follow up in the first place.
"On occasion when I have followed up, a journalist actually HADN'T received my email, and really liked the pitch and ran it! Hence why we follow up. This persistent follow up could be avoided if they just said "NO" in the first place."

"You wouldn't believe how often I get stories up and running simply by following up, it happens more than you'd think. This is the reason an important part of the pitch process is to follow up - yet the media continue to complain that we do. Go figure!"

"We don't care if you say 'not interested' - just say SOMETHING!!"

Journalists who won't confirm your exclusive.
"OK so we know media hate it when we pitch a similar story to two different papers, but what are we supposed to do when they won't get back to us, or won't confirm what they want to do with the story once they've said they're interested? Are we supposed to sit and wait and wonder and potentially miss out on both publications? We have to do what's best for our clients and maximise the opportunities."

Journalists who don't mention your client."PRs offer publications exclusives in good faith that the journalist will at least mention the person/place/product being publicised. Then the story runs with NO mention at all. Shouldn't there be give & take? Not just take."

"I once went to huge lengths to organise a segment for a TV show about a charity event with a real twist. The producers loved the concept and shot a big story. When the segment aired there was not a single mention of the charity, the website, the event - nothing. It was just a generic feel-good story, so there was absolutely no way for an interested viewer to access any information at all. What a tremendous waste of everyone's time."

Throw our sponsors a bone!
"I would love it if media saw the bigger picture of events and PR. Many of their pages focus on fabulous events, and clearly their readers love it as they consistently rate as the highest-read sections. But getting them to mention your sponsors...wow. It's even tiny mentions that keep the sponsors coming back and the party circuit spinning. No sponsors = no more events = very empty social pages. I wish they'd back us on this one!"

Not being able to reprimand media for serious errors.
"It's always puzzled me that media continue to complain about publicist's errors, eg typos, grammar in pitches etc, when 9 times out of 10 the story a journo writes on my clients comes out with errors - sometimes really serious ones. Even when they have a clear media release stating the facts. It boggles my mind that we just have to cop it, but wow when we make a mistake - watch out!"

(this one is from a non-PR, but valid):"I was once misquoted so badly in a media interview I point blank refuse to do them now. I have friends who are horrendously misquoted frequently and I don't understand why journalists keep doing it. Just to add spice to their story? It's criminal and they should be held accountable."
"Twitter is the first real platform that allows celebrities or people who have appeared in the media to retaliate and give their side of the story. Unfortunately, this often causes more grief when the journo then publishes their emotional rant and drags the story on longer. We can't win!"
And to end on a high note:
"I have no gripes whatsoever! I think it's because I worked with some really large arseholes in the automotive industry before PR, and in comparison everyone is so lovely. I can't wait to hear everyone's elses gripes though!"

Thanks to everyone who contributed - see you next week!

xxx Tiff

Media vs PRs

2010-04-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

OK, so we're all supposed to work together but often PRs couldn't be further on the other side of the fence to media. While I'm not naive enough to believe that the silent war that wages on between the two camps will ever be over, I do believe that the more we discuss the grumbles each has for the other, the closer we'll all get to an elusive detente. While without question there's a whole lotta of love between the two groups, this week I'm discussing the things that PRs do that consistently piss off the media. And of course the PRs will have their turn next week! I'll then *ahem* attempt some kind of summary where we'll all hopefully learn something, and be just that little bit savvier in our dealings with each other.

In no particular order, here are the top things that piss the media off. All comments have been sourced from a variety of fabulous journos: Ros Reines, Melissa Hoyer, Shelly Horton, Holly Byrnes, Andrew Hornery, Luke Dennehy, Joel Christie...and anonymous! And don't get upset, Hornery suggested we all have a love-in once this blog topic is finished :)

Know what they write about.
A PR rang Holly and pitched a story completely unrelated to her pages. Holly kindly replied, "This isn't really the sort of thing I would write about for my pages, but if you can find a relevant angle I'd be happy to have a look at it." And the PRs response? "Why don't you tell me in 30 words or less what it is you write about?" Um, how about you get the paper and read the pages for 30 seconds and then you'd know?

Luke: "The most annoying thing is when a PR has obviously not done their research when calling to pitch a story. As I'm based in Melbourne, it's usually interstate based companies that do this, and I'm sure some Melbourne PRs do this to Sydney journos! This can be simple things like not knowing my name, spelling it wrong, getting the publication I work for wrong, etc. Like always, first impressions are very important."

Shelly: "I hate it when people don't spell my name correctly. It's a little thing but come on, after 3 years on the job your lists should be updated and you should know there's only one 'e' in Shelly."

Don't assume a personal relationship until you actually have one.
Anon: "I hate it when part of the PR pitch is asking questions about my weekend and what I've been doing. If I don't know them and they don't know me, this is an irritable waste of time and will affect how I view what they're actually calling about."

Luke: "I love a PR who is direct and straight to the point, there's no point for me to have mindless chatter about inane topics, unless we're friends of course!"

Don't call them on deadline.
Andrew: "When I get calls from 'blah blah' at 'blah blah blah PR' at around 4:30pm when I'm on deadline and they are asking me if I received their email about some crappy lip gloss or some such. My eyes glaze and my tone usually gets a bit frosty. It's really tedious and pretty dumb on their part as it's the worst possible time to call a journalist on a metro daily newspaper who has never written a word about lip gloss products in his 23-year career!"

Holly: "PRs that call on deadline and say "I know it's deadline, but..." and then wax on about getting an RSVP to an event or something that is not critical for next day publication. By all means call with urgent info, but please understand that we are feral on deadline and may just bite your head off."

Ros: "Calling on Friday deadline about something next month. We pretty much work week to week but I'm definitely more tolerant on Tuesdays and Wednesdays."
Luke: "I prefer pitches, hellos, ideas in email - it's just easier and for me, much clearer."

Don't harass.
PR: "I'm just calling to find out if you got my media release?" Andrew: "Yes, we do receive your emails, but if we don't respond it usually means we don't care very much!"

Joel: "Don't push too hard - if we've shown interest in a story, you have a right to keep calling, but if it's something we have no intention of running and the calls and emails keep coming, this is obviously going to affect the relationship."

Don't offer bogus exclusives.
Andrew: "The PR who says they are offering me an exclusive angle on a story which I later discover has been carved up among 3 million other reporters - sorry but that aint very exclusive in my book! And as for those flunks who ask "can you write about it in a positive way?"...Puhhlease! Sorry honey, take out an ad."

Melissa: "PRs who get two bites of the PR cherry, pitching the same story to opposing papers. Both would publish but all you end up getting, apart from a very happy client, is two very peeved journalists."

Don't bullshit.
PR: "Cate Blanchet and Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Hawkins and Megan Gale are all coming to my event!" Luke: "There is nothing worse when PRs tell you celebrities will be there that have no chance of making it, just to get us there. It's wasting everyone's time, and I think us journos always remember things like that."

Andrew: "It really annoys me when PRs provide comments on their clients behalf, before even asking what their client thinks of the question. I've caught a few out over the years - calling the client and getting it from the horses' mouth will always be more favourable for me."

Joel: "Not long ago a PR gave us some handout quotes from a story in a magazine they represent. It was a 6 page spread but we were given just a few key quotes. Basically, they were given to us completely out of context and the ensuing story was highly defamatory and would have almost certainly have landed us in court. Luckily we got a hold of the magazine just before going to press and we pulled the piece. To this day I refuse to deal with this PR and they should ask themselves: Was it all worth it for one day of coverage?"

Don't be ridiculous.
Melissa: "I once had a PR say, "I don't buy papers, so could you send me a copy once you've written it up." I kid you not!"

Shelly: "After hounding me to run a fashion/charity story I was already annoyed but then it got worse. The PR rang on Monday to see if the story ran because "she couldn't be bothered reading the papers on Sunday". I told her not to bother pitching to me ever again."

Don't send ridiculous press kits or invitations.
Ros: "People who send press kits to the office stacked with silver confetti or other missiles that get stuck in our hair or in the keyboard. Save that kind of caper for your next children's party!"

Don't hound them at events:
Ros: "What I hate the most is PRs who try and lead me around an event like a performing seal. I've been on the party circuit for 15 years and pretty much know everyone - if I wish to talk to a celebrity, I have no problems approaching them myself. You don't have to hover in the background nervously wondering what I'm going to say. If it's that much concern, don't invite me in the first place."

Make your client the star, not yourself.
Andrew: "My absolute pet hate is the publicist who becomes more famous than their clients, and appears in too many social pages."

Give them something to work with.
Holly: "I think in the case of crisis management, 'no comment' is as good as 'I'm guilty' when it comes to responding on behalf of the client. My personal opinion is that it's better to attempt some sort of response which acknowledges the story but declines to comment further or disputes the facts."

Ros: "Photographing or filming the speeches at charity events, while undoubtedly worthy, will probably not propel that event into party of the week. The social pages and videos are all about entertainment and fun, so we need plenty of names and well dressed people. The odd controversial celebrity would not go astray either."

Luke: "I like a PR person who plays the game and understands using things like 'off the record' and how journalists work. The best PRs are ones that have a great news sense, and know what we're looking for."

Next week: PRs vs Media! Send your feedback to tiffany@socialdiary.com.au. For obvious reason, all comments will be anonymous! ;)

The Most Memorable Parties I've Attended

2010-04-13T23:25:00.000-07:00

Now here's a question I get asked alot. It was a funny one to ponder as there's been so many - but I settled on listing the ones that either inspired me in the early days or throughout my career, or were memorable simply because I couldn't actually believe I was lucky enough to be there. None of these were events I produced myself - but they are certainly ones that have burnt themselves into my memory for a number of reasons. I figured chronological order was best:

Event: New Year's Eve, 1984 into 1985
Venue: Dunk Island
Producer: Dunk Island Staff?
This is the very first proper grown-up party that I can remember, and it had a huge impact on an impressionable 9 year old. It was the year of Dire Straits "I Want My MTV" and the song played on repeat all night. There was a flashing disco floor! I saw smoke coming out of machines! I was allowed to stay up until after midnight for the first time! I still vividly remember the smells, the sounds and exactly how I felt. And I was completely sober all night - no channelling of my inner Drew Barrymore (not until I was at least in double digits). I don't doubt this caused the first stirrings of a future in PR...or a love of partying all night long? Definitely both.

Event: My Father's 50th, November 1995
Venue: The University of Sydney
Producer: My Mum
My mother has always been the ultimate party thrower, and I would feel very flattered if someone suggested that even a fraction of her magic had rubbed off on me. She spent a year organising what is without question one of the best events I've ever been to: imagine a 1945 theme (the year my father was born) with 120 guests at a sit down dinner at huge tables the shape of an "X" in The Great Hall at Sydney University. Everyone wore ballgowns. We had performances by Jeanne Little as Marlene Dietrich and Tom Burlinson as Frank Sinatra. If my Mum had been in the industry, she would have been at the top of her game.

Event: My 21st, August 1996
Venue: The Australian Museum
Producer: Mum again
This was a pivotal moment, because up until this point I believed, like so many people do, that an event was made up of 4 simple factors: Venue, Guest List, Entertainment & Catering. How wrong could I have been? My Mum spent months and months organising my 21st and I knew NOTHING about what was going to happen until I got there on the night. Imagine drinks in The Skeleton Room amongst the T-Rex's, a dark tunnel leading guests to the top floor, a sushi station, French crepe station, and the best DJs in Sydney. Mum even had a fully draped off area for a sit down dinner for the 25 "oldies" while the kids went crazy next door. I laugh when I see the pictures - my outfit was hotpants, knee high boots and a huge hairpiece (I was going through a serious gay-clubbing phase) but the event was breathtaking and it was this precise moment that I decided it was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Thanks Mum! (& Dad for paying for it.)

Event: The Cointreau Ball 1997
Venue: An assortment over a 24 hour period
Producer: Colvin Communications & David Grant Special Events
OK technically I was helping out on this one, not a guest - but I was there! I certainly count myself very fortunate that I was able to witness a part of what is without a doubt the most legendary series of parties ever thrown in Australia. I got in just at the end! (they finished in 1999). And this one was a party that officially ran for 24hrs: from 9am on Saturday morning until 9am Sunday morning. Imagine a city breakfast-trip to Terrigal-lunch & games-drinks at a hotel-masked ball-after party (and hundreds of celebrities running thorughout the corridors of the hotel in the wee hours). I will never forget the assembly of 400 people in their PJ's in the hotel foyer at 7am on Sunday morning, champagnes in hand, followed by a bus ride back to Surry Hills for the most glorious gospel breakfast in an old church. Out of this world.

Event: Ministry of Sound, August 1998
Venue: SPACE, Ibiza
Producer: Ministry of Sound
What would a list of memorable parties be without a mention of Ibiza? My sister and I went travelling in '98 and went to Ibiza for 4 days...and stayed for a month. This day party was supposed to be our last hurrah - we had even dropped our backpacks at the port and bought the ferry tickets for 10pm that night. That all changed when we met the Ministry of Sound crew who refused to let us leave...they even drove us to the port to get our bags and moved us into the official Ministry of Sound apartment indefinitely. So what started off as a simple day party turned into a WEEK long party where we didn't pay for a single thing. I turned 23 that week and they made it so memorable, taking us out on the Ministry of Sound boat and jetskis. A week later our health had deteriorated to the point where we had to escape - so leaving a letter of immense gratitude and a bottle of vodka, we tiptoed past sleeping people everywhere and out of the apartment. Hilarious.

Event: Pamela Anderson's Bachelorette Party, July 2006
Venue: The Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas
Producer: David La Chapelle
This one I attended purely by accident, as my sister and I were accosted by 10 gorgeous looking young boys in the casino at The Bellagio Hotel. Welcome to Vegas baby! They spirited us up to Pammy's room where we partied the night away (and the next day). This was a very private soiree thrown for her by her best friend, photographer David La Chapelle and 10 of his hand-picked interns. The only girls there were the bride-to-be, myself and my sister. I have a hazy recollection of lying on a bed in between Pammy & Rob Solomon (the guy from "1 Night in Paris") and trying to help her get a private jet out of there the next night. So she married Kid Rock a few days later, divorced him 3 months later and immediately married Rob Solomon. Who she then of course divorced 3 months later too. Surreal to say the least.

Event: A Night At The Playboy Mansion, August 2008
Venue: The Playboy Mansion, LA
Producer: Max Soto
WOW - I really never believed I would get an opportunity to go to the Mansion, which would have to be akin to the Holy Grail of Parties (I'm still working on getting to the Vanity Fair Oscar's after party.) I was lucky enough to know a friend of the guy running the party, which had a dress code of Rockstar for the guys and Lingerie or Schoolgirl for the girls. Needless to say I passed on the lingerie, and went as a Barbie-esque school girl. I'm proud to say I looked like a total tart. I watched naked people swimming, frolicked through the zoo with the monkeys, and partied on in The Grotto. Some guys there actually thought I was a bunny - my Lord, the wonders of modern makeup. If only they knew that under the spray tan, blonde wig, spack-filla, chicken fillets and suspenders was a 30-something B-cup brunette. I didn't have the heart to tell them the truth... ;)

xxx Tiff

How To Get On The Guest List

2010-04-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

If I had a canape for every time I've been asked "How can I get on the guest list?" I would be a very robust gal. And if I may be a little cheeky here, the answer funnily enough is simple: make friends with a PR. It's really not much more complicated than that! When we were kids it was about having a friend with a beach house, when we were teens we all wanted a friend with a car - and now that I'm in my 30's it's about having a friend with a private jet, luxury yacht and their very own island.
I'm still looking.

At 22 years old I was 2 weeks into my job at CavCon when I asked Mark if I could invite some friends to the first event I was helping on, which was a glam restaurant launch in The Rocks. He said I could invite 3 friends...so being cheeky I invited 20. What good is a job putting on parties if you can't invite your mates! So my friends all came, and being their first media event ever they were absolutely bright eyed, bushy-tailed and glammed up to the nines. They couldn't believe that the drinks were actually free - one even went for her wallet when a waiter came over with a tray of cocktails. They were all a-buzz and absolutely loving it.

The following Monday morning Mark came by and silently dropped The Sunday Telegraph on my desk. Smiling as he walked away, he said "You can invite your friends any time." As I opened the paper I saw that Melissa Hoyer's lead article was about our launch, with the opener along the lines of "What a breath of fresh air, to be amongst a sea of bright, new faces instead of all the usual suspects" - and opposite was an entire photo gallery of my friends. I was beyond proud.

So not to blow smoke up my own party skirt, but my friends have been very spoilt over the years. Goodie bag products line their bathrooms, they have secret stashes of clippings of themselves in the social pages, and sometimes they accidentally walk away from a normal bar without paying. But they have always been very appreciative and deserving of the invites, and sometimes they get even more - my boyfriend at the time won a weekend away for being Best Dressed at the Social Diary REHAB Party. No, I wasn't on the judging panel - he was dressed as a giant ecstasy pill after all...hands down the winner according to the judges and the 600 screaming guests. Several friends have pashed Topless Events boys at my parties (you know who you are!) - but most importantly, one pair of friends had their very first kiss at one of my events, and are now happily married with their second baby on the way. Fortuitous moments like this remind me that while some of the work we PRs do is "just lipstick", there are times when parties really do make the world a lovelier place.

And there are times when we can all help each other out a bit too. One girlfriend of mine was suffering a broken heart after being dumped, so I was really wanting to lift her spirits. I brought her out to a few events to cheer her up when I had a fabulous idea. Knowing that her ex was an avid reader of the socials, I wrangled a pic of my unsuspecting friend with the hottest guy I could find in the room.
Lo and behold, the pic of this spunky man with his arms around my gorgeous friend appeared in the Sundays the following weekend, and I still imagine her ex spluttering his morning coffee all over it. Chalk one up for the ladies!

Needless to say these days my friends are a little harder to coax out! Jaded, much? So they're a little spoilt, but not quite as spoilt as the fashion identity I once spotted walking into a party. As the waiter came over and offered her a glass of bubbly, she picked it up, took a sip and put it back down. Loudly declaring "it's not French", she turned on her heel and left. This woman clearly needs to stop going to the opening of a door and take some time out to re-appreciate her social position! I get sad sometimes that some people in this town who are lucky enough because of their social standing or job to get invited to so many events, often don't appreciate them. I still absolutely love all events - big or small, sparkly or sombre, fabulous or spartan- I think when you've produced them yourself you can appreciate the effort that goes into all of them, even if the result is less than stellar.

So if you want to avoid the jaded party set, look to your younger staff for a potential array of fabulous, new, sparkly guests. My Breakfast PR girls did a fabulous job of keeping our parties stocked with bright young things. Particularly as some of us (ahem) *mature* PRs were getting, well, more mature.

Making friends with a PR aside, being a desirable guest is the key to getting on the lists in the first place. If you do get the opportunity to attend a glamorous event, be the kind of person you would want at your own party. Bring something to the party in the way of personality and energy. Frock up and dazzle! Don't get wasted, or sit in the corner, or talk through the speeches. Do you hate it when someone at a party bangs on to you about how tired they are or how over-worked? Don't be that person! If you're tired or grumpy, stay home and party another night. I love it when people come looking fabulous, greet the host, work the room, respect the speech element, start everyone dancing and call to say thank you the following day. They always get invited back.

xxx Tiff

To Gift or Not To Gift?

2010-03-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

There's nothing quite like stumbling out of a party with a bag of mystery goodies to rifle through, particularly when it's eons until your birthday. It's a fabulous way for brands to sample their wares, and without question I've become a loyal fan of many products after first encountering them in gift bags. It also leaves the recipient with a warm fuzzy glow and happy associations with the event and the brand gifting them.

The inspiration for this blog subject came from someone at lunch last week who mentioned that a girlfriend is obsessed with gift bags. OK...you say, aren't we all?, but this woman is married to a man worth $11 billion. Yes, that's with a b, not a meagre m. This is a woman who could probably buy every company represented within most gift bags, but she simply loves them.

I have to say I know how she feels. Well, not exactly...I doubt I will ever earn, marry or see $11b in my lifetime or the next thousand, but after 13 years in this industry I still get excited about what lies within these glorious mystery bags.

There's of course the story about the girl who loves them a little TOO much. Serial misbehaving Sydney socialite, let's call her Gloria Grabs-a-lot, once had a nasty case of the gimmees at an A-list function. She left early, ie, before the gift bags were displayed at the exit (which is usually always after the main proceedings) - and was caught most un-ladylike on her hands and knees underneath a tablecloth grabbing as many hidden bags for herself and her friends as she could. Not exactly behaviour becoming of a girl of her family background. Needless to say it ran in Sydney Confidential the following day and I suspect Gloria waits patiently in line for her goodies these days.

Another PR friend confessed to a re-gifting glitch...he passed on a luxe perfume to a girlfriend with the suggestion he bought it for her as a loving gift, but neglected to remove his seat allocation and media release from the bag. Whoopsies!

So clearly the humble goodie bag can evoke lust, greed and shame, but sometimes also disappointment, for there is an art to the creation of them. One can't help but compare the bag full of brochures and 10% discount vouchers to the one heaving with full-sized products.

Over the years I've compiled a set of golden rules for goodie bags:

* Give potential product suppliers PLENTY of notice, whether you're placing a Product Call on the Social Diary newsletter or you're approaching brands directly. You can't expect to receive 500 hairsprays 2 days before your event, most have a 4 week turnaround.

* Don't bother creating a goodie bag unless you have at least 4 decent items. Anything less just feels...light.

* You can ignore the above rule if you have one, single, fabulous full size product - eg a perfume - beautifully presented and wrapped in a bow. One of the most beautiful gifts Mark Cav & I gave was for the launch of Kables @ The Regent - a divine gold leaf Orson & Blake bowl & lid enclosing a rich chocolate panaforte. I love that 10 years later I still regularly spy these gorgeous bowls at people's homes.

* It's great to have items that are relevant to the event. At a singles party on Valentine's Day this year there were mini vibrators in the bag...taking relevance to a whole new level.

* The most popular items are of course beauty products. Full size preferably, or at least decent travel size. Sachets just don't really cut it - if you can get it out of a magazine it's not exactly special.

* A personal fave are snack items of ANY kind: chips, choccies, sweets etc. PERFECT for the cab ride home! And a magazine for bedtime :)

* A personal un-fave (let's pretend that's a word) are discount vouchers unless they are a minimum of 50% off. I mean, does anyone really use 10% off vouchers? I think they're a terrible waste of trees.

* Always get your photographer to take a great photo of the bag with the contents displayed around it and send it on to everyone who contributed. It means alot to them and will make it more likely you'll be offered product for your next event!

* Try not to reward people for leaving early (like our friend Gloria) and place them on display at the appropriate time, usually an hour and a half after start time or whenever you expect the first lot of guests to depart.

* Don't let people who stay until the bitter end miss out. I always keep a portion of bags aside to give to the true party people who rock on all night!

And who gives the best gifts ever? Social Diary members of course for the annual Xmas party! WOW have we had some seriously HEAVY bags over the years...a huge thankyou to everyone who has ever contributed. Keep on gifting on!

xxx Tiff

Celebrity Meltdowns

2010-03-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

When someone looks in on the PR world from the outside, it's usual for them to want to know more about the celebrities we often work with. Oh, the glamour of it all! they think. While the majority of my experiences with celebrities have been great, for every time a little gold dust sprinkles onto your shoulder when you rub it against theirs, there's also some shockers...

Way back in 1999 I was working on the Australian Hair Fashion Awards with Mark Cavanagh, the annual hairdressing night of nights held at Crown Casino in Melbourne. The star of the show that year was Naomi Campbell, who was in Australia to launch her fragrance (which funnily enough seems to have disappeared from the department store shelves). Her role on the night was simple: 4 walks down the runway followed by announcing the Australian Hairdresser of the Year.

So walk she did - looking fabulous, and creating a huge buzz amongst the 600 hairdressers who had flown in from around the country. However...4 walks later and just 20 minutes before the final announcement, Naomi had a little meltdown backstage. Apparently she was waiting for the lift to get something from her penthouse apartment when the lift took longer than usual. In response, to put it mildly, she threw all her toys out of the pram by going to her suite, removing all her makeup and refusing to come down.

You can just imagine the scene backstage - myself, Mark, the head of the Awards, the head of Wella and an assortment of sponsors all trying to work out what the hell to do. There were suggestions that we should tell the audience she wasn't feeling well...which was more than a little ridiculous given she was just seen looking like a million dollars. And well, she doesn't exactly have the most pristine reputation - so we were adamant not to treat the audience like fools. They had all paid good money to be there, and it was THEIR night after all - not Naomi's.

So we finally all agreed and sent out the MC Dylan Lewis to face the music. Being the goofball that he is, he went on stage with a poster of Naomi over his face pretending to be her. He then stuck his tongue out through the poster and told the audience that she'd spat the dummy. It was HILARIOUS. The audience booed Naomi but cheered Dylan, and we ended up finding a newsreader in the audience who announced Hairdresser of the Year. It was a great experience as I was able to witness how to turn a potentially negative moment around and make it work. And needless to say, we achieved brilliant press nationally with the story! Even though it's been 11 years it's still mentioned in Australian press whenever they write about her latest meltdown, usually involving a mobile phone and some poor staff member's head.

Another celebrity run-in happened to me again at Crown, back when I first started in the industry in 1997. I was just 20 years old and working on the huge Australian Reconciliation Convention, when John Howard famously refused to say sorry to the Stolen Generations. I was actually in the wings of the huge auditorium when the Aboriginal community one by one stood up in the seats and turned their backs on him...it was thrilling, historical stuff.

But onto the meltdown: it was my job to look after the 300+ performers who were taking part in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 4 day convention. Every big name Australian act was there, it was wonderful. When I was handling the initial approaches and subsequent contracts, I had to advise all performers that we would not be able to organise their riders given it was a government event with a limited budget (a rider is a performer request list which usually includes their favourites drinks, foods and amenities). I assured them there would be wine, sandwiches and other refreshments and all agreed and signed off.

On the night of the Closing Ceremony everything was going smoothly until I was approached by the management of the final act, Christine Anu, who had become a big star that year with her songs "Party" and ""My Island Home". Her manager, whose name I can't remember but will call Cyril Crankypants, came up to me in the Green Room with a shy Christine standing behind him, to demand where their rider was. I politely reminded him that while we couldn't cater to every performer's individual rider, we had an array of refreshments avaiable which I escorted them over to. Cyril then rudely shoved the rider in my face and declared Christine would not be going on if it was not organised. At this point she was due on stage in just 20 minutes. The list was mind-boggling: 3 different wines, 2 different kinds of scotch, vodka, specific soft drinks etc. When I said I couldn't possibly organise it all in the limited time, he said they were leaving immediately. I couldn't let this happen - my bosses were both in the sound booth and not contactable, so I had to sort it out then and there.

Shaking a little, I told them to wait as I ran into the bowels of Crown Casino looking for someone, anyone, to help me. I found myself in the massive commercial kitchen with chefs, waiters and busboys running around me in every direction. No one took any notice of little old me until one guy rushing past saw the quivering lip and the beginnings of a tear in my eye. He turned on his heel and asked if I was OK, bless him. I just pushed the rider into his face and said "HELP ME!!! I need to get everything on this list in the next 5 minutes or the show is over!" (yes I was suitably dramatic, but I most certainly wasn't faking the fear). He ran me over to the bar and we started grabbing every bottle we could...and then he asked me how I was going to pay for it! I promised that I would deal with that later, and although he looked very uncertain, thank God he trusted me. I'll never forget the two of us wheeling this huge trolley laden with stuff into the commercial lifts, around corners, running, running, running until we got back to the Green Room. I never saw this guy again but am forever grateful.

As I delivered it to Cyril, sweating and shaky, he looked at me, then looked at the trolley, opened a bottle of red, took one sip, then said "Christine will go on now". So she took to the stage, sang the 2 songs, and then the group left immediately after - not even stopping to enjoy a drink from their hard-won rider. The truth of this situation was, Cyril was just trying to pull rank and show off to himself, me, Christine, possibly the world, that he was someone with power. What a terrible thing to do to a young girl who was just trying to do her job! I remember feeling angry that Christine didn't do anything to stop this, but the truth was she looked just as young and scared and new to this whole world as I was! So I don't blame her, but I sometimes wonder whether celebrities really require their managers to be bullies, because in my experience so many of them are.

One of Sydney's leading PRs had his own story for me, which happened while recently working pro bono for an Australian charity with a top supermodel as its Ambassador. He was with the module - let's call her Ophelia Hoo-ha - at an interview with a leading journalist for a highly respected business magazine. Ten minutes prior to the interview wrapping up, the PR walked into the room to politely inform the journalist that he would need to wind up shortly, knowing full well how busy Ophelia's schedule was. For no apparent reason, Ophelia exploded into a rant about being interupted, startling both him & the journalist who looked on in shock. Put simply, it was rude and unnecessary and the PR chose to exit on the spot (I don't blame him when he was working gratis and she was not his client). No apology came from Ophelia afterwards....that is, until the article came out which described her lack of manners and bitchy attitude for all the country to read. Needless the say, a gushing letter from Ophelia to the PR soon followed.

Despite these examples of less-than-stellar meltdowns, I've had many wonderful experiences working with celebrities over the years. Generally speaking, the bigger the star, the easier they are to work with - if they've reached the very top of their game more often than not they are consummate professionals. Funnily enough, it's the new stars or small ones that have the biggest egos, ask for the most free stuff, and act like divas...go figure!

So I'll leave you with one of the nicer experiences I've had and that was with the always lovely Tom Williams. Tom was our ambassador for the Golden Slipper a few years ago and an absolute dream to work with. Not only did our first meeting involve him stripping down to his underwear in my kitchen to try suits on, but he also asked me to help him out with a drunk girl at an event who was hitting on him and being very annoying. What did he ask me to do? To drape myself on him and cuddle him so she would think I was his girlfriend and leave us alone. I did, and she promptly stumbled off. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.... ;)
xxx Tiff

PR F@#k Ups

2010-03-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

A f@#k up is a f@#k up in any industry - this is not a dig at PRs...I am one after all, and one doesn't like to scheiben in one's own nest. But - where there's a f@#k up, there's a lesson to be learnt. Some of the standard FU's in PR world are typos in media releases, forgetting to BCC everyone, forgetting to invite someone important, drinking too much at your own event. Yawn. Let's get onto the juicy stuff:

A couple of years ago a PR friend called me for advice about something one of her staff had done. Let's call my friend Polly PR and the rogue staff member Wilma Whoopsadaisy. The scenario was thus: they ran an event where the client stated the bar tab was to stop at $3,000. At the end of the event, the venue manager came over with the bill, which was in excess of $5,500. Polly obviously flipped and asked why they hadn't stopped the tab when it had hit the pre-arranged limit of $3k. They stated they were never told this. When questioned, Wilma said that she had clearly communicated this, and even produced the email with this instruction at the office the following day. Upon viewing the email Polly was satisfied that her company and client were in the clear, and that the venue was liable for the excess spend.

However, the venue owner brought Polly over to his office to show her the email he had originally received. It had no mention of the bar limit, which was in the email Wilma had presented. Yes, Wilma had doctored the email and added that crucial one-liner. And obviously, the only answer was to fire her immediately.

After hearing this story I immediately called a meeting with all my staff to discuss. The most important lesson here, is the mistake was not a fireable offence at all - but the cover up most certainly was. I wanted my girls to understand we all fuck up...but you have to own it. Don't EVER lie or cover up, or you'll be shown the door sooner than you can say Seek.com.au.

The same goes for PRs who party on into the night after media events and call up the next morning for the day off coughing, or with a "stomach bug". Granted, this happens across every industry in the world but probably more in ours given that attending events is part of the job. I always said to my girls, you can't bullshit to someone who used to bullshit (I stopped in my early 20's I swear!). If you have a big night, own it. Back it up the next day. Being hungover will annoy me, but being hungover and lying about it is the first step towards the exit.

Slightly off-topic but I have to mention: Back in the Breakfast PR days one of my gorgeous non-drinking girls (yes there is one non-drinking PR in this town) once had a few drinks at one of our events and actually ended up in hospital (warning: this is what happens when you don't drink). To my utter disbelief she turned up to work at 8am. It was a Friday and I told her she could go home, no problem. She insisted on staying and I couldn't get her to change her mind, so at lunchtime I said - darling you've proved your point, you're a battler - but go home now! She again refused, and worked until 6pm. I thought she was insane but I had to admire her dedication to the job.

Back to topic: the deception of PRs who resign and then steal important databases from the business. It happens alot - a friend of mine even caught an intern sending crucial databases to her hotmail! Talk about effing up your career before it even gets started. The funny thing here is - over the years when my valued staff left, if they asked me for media databases I always allowed them to take them. I figured they'd worked on them for years and had earnt them. But if I caught an employee stealing them as she walked out the door, well...cue the sound of a thousand bridges burning here.

Another story is when a PR company hired a major international star to front a campaign for an equally major Australian brand. The Account Manager on the project was - let's call her Milly Muddled. Milly failed to read the celebrity's contract which stipulated no one-on-one interviews would be taking place, and promptly went ahead and organised one with every major media outlet. When her Director discovered the mistake, she asked Milly to cancel all the interviews. For some bizarre reason, most likely to save face with the media outlets, she didn't cancel them. Instead, when the star turned up, he was confronted by Milly asking him quietly (behind her boss's back) to do some interviews with the media patiently lining up behind. Needless to say, he was Not Happy Jan. Apparently she had figured he would just be OK with it on the day. Needless to say, she managed to piss off the star, her bosses, her client and the media all in one, totally avoidable, go. Silly Milly...

Another pearler happened just a couple of weeks ago, and must be seen to be believed - and heralded as a warning for all. This example is from one of my fave sites Mumbrella about a Sydney PR who got caught hiring actors to pretend to be real people for a story, then went on ACA himself later to confess his deception. Apologies go to the lovely Jothy for repeating it here...but it did air on ACA after all. Click here to watch the disaster unfurl: http://tinyurl.com/yhn82wa.

xxx Tiff

Everything You Need to Know About Gatecrashers

2010-03-03T23:20:00.000-08:00

Ah...gatecrashers. We've all had them, sometimes we haven't known what to do about them (without causing a scene), and yet they remain either a source of amusement or a frustrating fact of life for all event producers. Firstly, you have to discern which type of gatecrasher you're dealing with:

-The Harmless Gatecrasher: When a guest brings a few friends without telling you. At worst, this is just mildly annoying if you have a maxed-out event. I generally have no problem with this and happily let them in (I'm a soft touch).

-The Creative Gatecrasher: This is someone who just really, really wants to come to your party and will do whatever they can to get in. Generally, they look the part - ie, fabulous - so you can't really complain! As William Petley wrote many years ago in Mode Magazine, a hilarious trick is wandering past an event with a napkin and canape as if you've just stepped out for a ciggie. Presto, you're past the velvet rope without the doorgirl even glancing at the list...priceless. You almost have to take your hat off to someone who would do this.

A fave is when a friend of mine - the ballsiest chick I know - wanted to go to a party where Carl Cox was playing in Melbourne but didn't have a ticket. Although the queue snaked down the street and around the block, she boldly walked straight up to the rope as if to enter. The doorman stopped her, saying "Excuse me, get to the end of the line", to which she loudly replied: "Excuse me, I'm fucking the DJ". The doorman, suitably shocked, quietly lifted the rope and in she went. She had of course never met Carl Cox and what I love most is, she was alone. This chick has BALLS.

There's another classic Sydney story from years back about a girl who tried and tried to get an invite to a party and couldn't, then tried to get in on the night and couldn't, then called up a limo who picked her up around the corner and dropped her off outside the party - alas, to no avail! I find this amount of effort beyond hilarious and out of sheer gob-smacked-ness and respect for her perseverance I would have let the poor girl in (oh God I really am SUCH a soft touch.)

-The Serial Gatecrasher: The very worst kind...and the only ones I have no qualms about kicking out. These are the ones who tell you they are a journalist, wield their "media pass" or huge camera, or at worst, create ho-hum websites about the Sydney social scene giving themselves carte blanche to demand invitations to everything. They can be agressive and bullying, with a tendency to harass junior staff - something I will not put up with.

The very first 'serial gatecrasher' I had was at a lingerie event back in 2000. And how I found out I had one? In the paper the following Sunday! What made it a little embarrassing was that it was a sit down lunch for just 60 people. So yes, this guy enjoyed a free meal whilst ogling a bevy of semi-naked women - not a bad way to spend a Wednesday afternoon! The way he got in was to say his name and (bogus) media outlet on the door, and then proceeded to intimidate the inexperienced coordinator when his name wasn't there. The poor girl had been previously instructed to look after the media so she let him in.

I've had many interesting run-ins with this guy over the past decade. In the interest of not naming names, lets call him Douglas Dingleberry. I've escorted Douglas out of a fair few events - and fortunately, he never makes a fuss. He simply puts his drink down and follows you to the door. One night at an event in 2005, I saw him over at the bar enjoying a glass of red. As he saw me approach, he immediately put his drink down to leave. I told him to relax, that I wanted to have a chat. I figured there must be an interesting side to this guy if he gatecrashes as a hobby! We chatted for a while and I invited him to stay.

He then proceeded to crash another couple of my events and I let him be. The truth is I had this notion that he was rather eccentric and should possibly be added to people's lists - or at the very least be some kind of indicator of success, eg "My party was so fab that Douglas Dingleberry crashed!" I imagined him writing a fabulous book on his years of crashing and becoming somewhat of a Sydney bon vivant. Unfortunately, this was not the case. He ended up biting the hand that fed him, so I don't allow him to stick around any more. Such a shame really...

As for the self-professed 'journalists' and the "Don't you know who I think I am" types...well, let me just say that you should always check their background before you add them to your list. In my experience anyone who calls up and demands to come to your event, spouting off how important their extremely popular site is and how many hits they get - perhaps should learn this is not the polite approach. Whatever happened to being gracious? If these people just learnt to develop relationships and be friendly and positive, chances are the invitations would come rolling in. Many times over the years people I don't know have asked to attend my parties, and if they are polite and lovely about it, I put them on the list. Call me soft, but I like savvy, confident people. Don't let the bullies get to you.

How to Hire Work Experience Students

2010-03-03T22:05:00.001-08:00

I have always been a huge advocate of work experience within our industry. It's a tough one to crack, so sometimes it's the only way in. Work experience students can be enormously helpful whether you're starting out, established, or just crazy busy and needing an extra pair of hands, stat.

Additionally, undertaking work experience is also vastly beneficial to the student/worker: not only does it give them first-hand experience in their chosen field (often compulsory as part of their course), it also enables them to work out whether they actually want to be in the industry or not. As my wise father says, it's just as important to cross things off your list as it is to tick them! When I finished school I undertook work experience at The Daily Telegraph and CLEO. While I loved the time I spent at both, it wasn't quite right for me but I knew I was close! By being there I learnt more about the industry and discovered the PR & Events side - a career I have always loved with a passion.

Lesson: Never underestimate a work experience student!
A decade ago when I was at Spin, I had a gorgeous young intern named Kannon Rajah. We were chatting one day and I asked him where he wanted to be (when he grew up!). He said quite confidently, "Running the Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows around the world." I laughed and said "Good for you!", loving his passion but admittedly not quite believing he'd get there. Cut to a night 6 years later, me sitting on the couch in my jammies devouring a tub of Hokey Pokey, looking up at the TV to see Kannon with a headset on shouting "Gisele! Heidi! Adriana!"...yes - he now runs the shows all over the world, bless his cotton socks.

Social Diary members contact me on a daily basis enquiring about where to find interns, how to manage them etc - and I'm also contacted daily by students eager to break in. Hence, the reason for this blog piece.

What I've found (and I was definitely in this position years ago) is often people just don't know what to do with them once they've taken them on! And after 13 years in the industry and hundreds of work experience students, I've seen every kind - ranging from the ones who roll their eyes and groan when asked to do something to the ones you love to bits and hire in a heartbeat.

Some tips:

* Interview potential students as if you were going to hire them for a salary position. Don't just take on anyone who calls - they have to be the right fit for your company in personality and attitude - why should it be any different from full time staff?

* Put aside a list of set tasks for them before they arrive. Work out the kinds of jobs that can be easily explained and undertaken by inexperienced workers.

* 1 day a week is not enough. Personally, I prefer having someone in for 2-3 days a week for a shorter time period than 1 day a week over months. You can give them meatier tasks, and they really get a feel for the daily job.

* Mix it up. Imagine it was you - noone wants to spend a valuable 3 month internship doing clipping reports every single day. Make it interesting and nurture them.

* Don't put up with bad behaviour. Just because they are technically working for free, doesn't mean they should take advantage of you (we've all had some shockers!)

* Reward them. They should be appreciated. Give them goodie bags, product, and take them out to lunch.

* Hire them! If you love them, give them a job. If you don't have a position, do what you can to introduce them to industry contacts - or just send them my way, I can help!

Best resources for students:
Contact me! I get heaps of requests from students: tiffany@socialdiary.com.au
FBI Fashion College email train@fbifashioncollege.com.au
APM College of Business & Communication

This week I discovered a Social Diary member company who have developed a fantastic program that really makes the most of this symbiotic relationship: Klick Communications and their "KlickStart Work Experience Program".

I chatted to Klick Director, Kim McKay who explained the program runs for a minimum of 3 months, incorporates regular performance reviews, and the students recieve a certificate at the end. They currently have 3 people in the program, and after 1 year have employed their first graduate!

Kim says: "We believe the strength of this programme is tailoring the goals and objectives to suit the candidate - if they can achieve their own goals they perform better for us. And who knows, they may employ us one day!"

Congrats to Kim and the team at Klick for such a fantastic initiative.
For info contact florence@klick.com.au.

*Social Diary*