It pleases me that life is never constant, never dull or uninspiring. We never stop learning - this is what keeps us going, and helps us to get out of bed each morning and face the day.

Isn’t it amazing how business evolves daily? We as a team at Red Ribbon Communications constantly find ourselves faced with new challenges, and by embracing these opportunities we just get better at what we do. We grow as a company, become more productive, save costs, learn how to handle difficult situations and in general become more business savvy.

It is much better compared to a cushy corporate job which I used to have - bored to death by doing the same thing every day, every month, year on year. In the end you don’t last long at a job, because after a while nothing changes – you do the identical internal newsletter month after month, host the same clients at the rugby suite each season and plan the annual Christmas party again and again.

According to an online survey from Right Management, 30% of employees change jobs because they seek new challenges or opportunities.

At a PR agency you deal with different clients, diverse personalities and personal preferences every day. Designers, copywriters, photographers, journalists and advertising sales people and are all a breed of their own and require respect and years of experience to handle them well. And even then they will still surprise you with a curve ball. With the constant change of technology thrown into the putt, not one day at Red Ribbon is ever the same.

In the end what makes this job worthwhile is the people you work with, the people you work for and the people you deal with everyday.

Since I’m not a soccer spectator and don’t understand the game or its rules, I thought the soccer-fever-feeling would pass me by altogether. To my surprise, I was wrong – I found myself caught in the middle of the traffic going to the opening game at Soccer City last week Friday, and somehow the atmosphere of vuvuzelas and hooter-blowing by the cars next to me got me really excited – I even enjoyed the game on TV and I cheered just as hard for each goal-kicking attempt by Bafana Bafana!

Interesting though is the PR and advertising campaigns that popped up as a result of the Soccer World Cup. We’re all aware of Fifa regulations, but I love how non-official restaurants and shops took this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capitalise on it through their campaigns. First, large retailer Makro had their kick-off sale’ and now they’re running a ‘celebration sale’ with subtle enough branding not to irritate Fifa but no doubt soccer related.

Even the broadcasters were a part of the buildup action – DJs from Highveld 94.7 and 702 crossed live to the United we shall stand-parade in Sandton and kept all of us in the office entertained and very much part of the action.

People and businesses all-round are making the best of this very exciting event and they should. I heard John Robbie on 702 as he got excited about the side-mirror muffs he bought for R40 on the street and thought it to be a bargain. A listener called in and notified him that the same mirror-muffs were at China Mall for R17… you have to give it to the street vendors – that’s just plain good business!

And after the results of the opening match between South Africa and Mexico, chickens can feel somewhat safe again due to the draw. Nando’s, a proud restaurant to Bafana Bafana certainly deserves some credit for their tongue-in-cheek-campaigns.

I might not have a flag on my car or side-mirror muffs but I can certainly read, hear, feel and love it!

It makes our PR hearts beat faster, our foreheads damp and palms sweaty, our eyes twitchy and nerves edgy. Yet, it also has the power to offer us the most sought after feeling of relief and accomplishment. “Okay, let’s set something up.”

The Pitch - wearing her little black dress, pearls and red heels – can make you or break you. She can either pave your media way with rubies or shift mountains in front of you. It is therefore extremely important to stay on top of her latest trends and examine her every move to make her work for you.

After reading yet again another expert’s tips on how to pitch successfully to the media, I’m starting to wonder about the future of the good ol’ news release like we know it. The Pitch is just too dominant and visionary.

With journalists becoming ever more busy and swamped with new beats and deadlines, time to read through all the prepared news write-ups is non-existent.

Our comfy friend, the news release, remains very valuable on request, but from a pitching perspective is totally overruled by punchy leads and relevant bits of information accompanied by cool graphics and pictures.

Pitching truly wears Prada.

Having finished my degree last year, I was suddenly in the position where I needed to send my CV out to potential employers. I found this a daunting but exciting experience, with so many young graduates waiting for their first interview I could only count my blessings when I got offered the account executive job at Red Ribbon Communications.

Making the shift from student life to productive business women has been an exhilarating experience. However, there have been times when I query my four years at varsity, questioning whether the theoretical side, prepared me the for a very practical business world. I can’t help but wonder whether university students should be equipped with a more practical guide on ‘doing your job’ in the ‘real’ world. I agree the theory is necessary and has given me a platform to base my opinion on, as well as equipped me with knowledge, and for that it was well worth it and I will always be thankful for my opportunity to study.

The evolution of TECHNOLOGY
With technology as the core of Red Ribbon, getting to grips with the techno jargon was the first obstacle, and I’m thankful for computer literacy back at varsity. However, learning about technology and social media and practicing them, are worlds apart.

Time is of the essence…
Being a newly graduate the transition of meeting deadlines, managing your clients and a 40 hour work week takes time to get used to, whilst getting over the fact that you no longer have long vacations and all the time in the world to yourself. Time management became part of my daily routine and luckily for me I am part of a team which values the importance of having it all, from power driven PR to a balanced and happy family life.

Client is king
Throughout university you hear the phrase ‘client is king’. This can often prove to be quite a challenge giving them the honest truth and managing their expectations, without trampling on their traditions and normal business practices. Yes they are king, however there are always two sides of the coin. We as PR experts cannot execute our work effectively if we don’t agree with the direction of the client and we should not suggest or implement something that we don’t believe will work. It is important to make positive suggestions that can have fruitful implications for our clients and Red Ribbon.

It’s all about learning curves
Mistakes do and will happen as long as you learn from them. There is also a big gap to close in diversity, where you encounter different cultures and religions’. Understanding where your colleagues and clients are coming from is part of building trust and working towards team collaboration.

The team effort
I’ve learnt that I am not alone in the office - we tackle every situation as a team and it’s comforting to know you have a support system. Two heads are better than one, and collaboration leads to improved solutions for clients.

One step at a time as Lao Tsu said ‘A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step’. Small actions showed me that if I’m positive, work with integrity, and strive to achieve great things, I will accomplish my goals.

Learning is all part of the experience, so it is important to love what you do, only then can you do it well.

There has been several natural disasters recently like the quake that hit Haiti and shortly thereafter the one in Chile. While our hearts go out to the many families affected by it, we often forget the communities in our own area, also in desperate need of assistance.

Bonita, myself, Ilva

On Friday, the Red Ribbon Johannesburg team had the privilege of getting our hands dirty in the garden of the Princess Alice Adoption Home in Westcliff. Apart from nappies, food and medicine which are an ongoing need, the garden was desperate for a good clean-up, since the caregivers spend lots of time with the little ones outside for play and stimulation.

Prior to the clean-up, we phoned around for a garden service in the area to assist us with the heavy-duty work such as mowing the lawn and trimming the edges. Bonita got hold of Leon from Reliable Garden Services who agreed to assist us pro-bono. On Friday, he arrived with six staff and his entire family to assist us with our project! Other volunteers from the Jo’burg Child Welfare and Parkview Golf Club also pitched to help with the enormous gardening task.

Leon and his family raking up the freshly cut grass.

Many times, these projects don’t require much money to execute - investing time and effort has so much more of an impact than a few Rands will ever have.

And although most of us recognise volunteering as an act of giving and even self-sacrifice, what we don’t usually expect are the feelings of fulfilment and abundant joy that we get in return. In my opinion, that last considerably longer than a freshly-mowed lawn.

And you have to ask yourself – who is really getting more out of the deal?

The Red Ribbon team

I hosted Red Ribbon’s first ever team building on our farm, Witklip in Moorreesburg last weekend. The team expanded quite radically and it was needed for the Jo’burg and Cape Town offices to get to know each other better and have some fun together. Team work is key at Red Ribbon and thus this exercise crucial.

The team stayed in the beautifully restored farm house and recently launched self-catering guest house.

Jacolene de Haan, a local artist, presented the team building in the old horse stables (accompanied by the local mice colony!!). We started each morning with meditation followed by right brain exercises such as drawing exercises and in the end each completing our own painting. Something I never thought I’ll be able to do (I guess that goes for the others too) — especially drawing a face and that with using the colours blue and green… See our end products here, soon to be viewed in our offices.

Our paintings

The afternoons were spent discovering the quaint town of Riebeek Kasteel and enjoying fish and chips on Yzerfontein’s beach, a highlight for the Jo’burgers. Thank you to Marlene for making their holiday house available.

Lots of jokes were shared, shocking information revealed; bad sleeping nights endured, but in the end great memories were made and everybody left as proud members of the Red Ribbon team.

As public relations professionals, we build reputations; raise company profiles and position spokespeople as thought leaders. Unfortunately, it could take one action to break down years of hard work and make millions in sponsorships seem so insignificant.

As an example, I’m picking on cellphone giant MTN for debiting client-accounts with exuberant fees as they have supposedly undercharged clients on their data accounts and are now deducting fees up to R10 000. According to the recent article on ITWeb, MTN is facing class action from angry customers that will go to the highest court to fight and win this battle.

My question again - is being bad good for business? Can you dare to take such a bold step without hurting your name and customer-base? I don’t think comments on porting to other networks in the MTN-debacle are empty threats so that kills the saying ‘any publicity is good publicity’.

Through online forums, blogging and micro blogging such as Twitter, it is extremely easy to receive publicity, so part of your PR exercise should include monitoring and responding to it. If someone is complimenting your company or service, thank them and be truly appreciative of the good word they’re spreading. But work even harder on following up on negative comments and implement honest measures to rectify it as soon as possible.

On that note then, good luck on keeping that AYOBANESS flowing MTN!

My intentions to see the SA premiere of New Moon - the second segment in The Twilight Saga – has gone terribly wrong and I only got to see it this weekend. A fascinating escape!

However what stunned my communications orientated mind the most during the movie was a leisurely shot of the last-minute plane that two of the characters (Bella and Alice) had to take to Italy in the tensest part of the movie - VIRGIN AMERICA.

BIG, bold, red and unmistakeable it drifted in the air.

My first reaction was…WOW, clever (and expensive) ad move! I only read afterwards that Virgin America airlines doesn’t even offer flights to Italy at all and that the “virgin” part fits in humorously well with the overarching theme of abstinence in the vampire/human love story. But still, I find this form of marketing striking and witty. As in the first part of Twilight, where the VOLVO C30 takes the spotlight in the 4 minute slot where the silver car is featured from all possible angles.

I don’t find these examples of product placements intrusive or pollute. They portray the “real” world and the real world is branded all over, whether we like it or not. I mean Bella can’t drink a no-name juice on a no-name aeroplane and take pictures with a no-name camera? That would be just weird.

(I only know of the VOLVO brand that is portrayed in the book by author Meyer, so that’s justified in the movie, but are Minute-Maid, Virgin and Nikon mentioned in her books as well? If not, they might have taken the “yearbook” and picture-taking with the slim Nikon a bit far.)

Either way, I do agree that product placement/marketing embedding can very easily interrupt and stain a clean and unbiased channel. So it has to be handled very carefully and with skill to ensure and maintain the strong emotional connection this channel has to offer its audience.

What do you think? Did you find the product placements intrusive Twilighters?

Well, I think I have to go and see it for a second and third time to finally make up my mind. Perhaps I’ll even book my next flight with Virgin and go test drive that sexy VOLVO that I haven’t won in their clever competition following the movie.

I’m urging you to look a little deeper and understand the complexity of the circumstances before making a judgement call on Climategate.

As the momentum of the so-called ‘Climategate’ saga gathers, I find myself wondering about the coincidental timing of the revelations. I don’t consider myself a cynic, nor a conspiracy-theorist, but I do find it uncanny that just weeks before the biggest global climate change discussion of the decade, the credibility of a group of scientists is called into question.

And these are not just any old scientists - they work for the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit, one of the world’s preeminent research centres on climate change.

Idon’t know much about science, so I really can’t comment as to whether the allegations are significant or not. But having worked in the media industry for over 10 years, I do know a little bit about the media. What I know is that the media can be influenced - fed certain information that will generate news. The more sensational the information, the bigger the news.

There is no doubt that it is the media’s job to report unscrupulous behaviour, so if the boys at East Anglia behaved badly, the world needs to know about it. But it is also the media’s job to look a little deeper into the story.

Climate change is a topic fraught with political and corporate agendas. Whether we want to believe it or not, big business wields a big stick. We saw it in full swing in the US during the Bush era.

When so much is at stake for so many boys with big sticks, I think that being a climate change scientist in favour of the global warming theory is a tough place to be. I reckon you have to watch your back and cover your tracks, because those boys have deep pockets and you’re a potential spanner in their works.

So I’m sure that those scientists possibly did write the emails the media claim they wrote. There probably were results of experiments and data that went against their theories. But isn’t that often the case with science? Are scientific results always definitive with no room for question or doubt?

For me, the elephant in the room here is ‘context’. Do we really understand the full context in which those emails were written? Do we understand enough about the complexity of the science to know that what the scientists were trying to hide was truly significant, or why they were trying to hide it and from whom?

Nevermind about the science, do we have any idea about the context of being a climate change scientists in a world that doesn’t want to believe it is on the path to self-destruction? Can we even begin to imagine the reality of social, political and corporate pressure that these scientists live with every day?

I for one have had my fair share of corporate politics and power games. But what I have seen in my working years probably doesn’t have a patch on one day of reality for a climate change scientist.

So what I am saying is two fold: Firstly, I think these guys deserve the benefit of the doubt. When they respond to media enquiries with “I need to talk to my lawyer”, we should really try to understand the context of that statement: university-based scientists faced with some serious allegations, with corporate and political pressure bearing down on them. If it was me, I’d talk to a lawyer before anyone else.

Secondly, and even more significantly: it is less than two weeks to Copenhagen. Out of the blue, some clearly very talented hackers get access to a top university’s confidential emails - not about art or literature, but about the flaws in climate change science. The credibility of the very basis of global warming theory is being questioned.

Those emails find their way into the leading publications of the world. It’s just the stuff journalists love: high drama, highly controversial. But have any of those jouranlists asked how those emails found hem? Have they wondered at the coincidence of the timing? Do we know anything about the hackers that accessed them and their incentive schemes?

No. All we know is that a bunch of scientists are skating on ever-thinning ice, while we hypothesise about their motives for hiding the data, or worse, use the allegations as a justification for ‘business as usual’.

Maybe a couple of old-school journalists should investigate the story behind the story and give us some real news. But perhaps that is planned for later, to keep the story alive; one that no doubt will find itself a corner on page two.

And in response to that sad phenomenon, I can only turn the words of another; a great scientists, Albert Einstein who, in the early 1900s, said “we shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.”

This year has been by no means an easy one and I think I must make a list of all the positive things that happened before I kick 2009 in the butt.

I have an overall feeling of thankfullness. Through these tough times Red Ribbon has somehow (no, we call it hard work) managed to grow. Grow in numbers (we have appointed a right-hand women for Deirdre in Johannesburg) and outgrown both our offices which forced us to get bigger office space for both Johannesburg and Cape Town. We have also grown in number of clients and signed a few exciting ones: Barnstone, Silverkeys and Cape IT Initiative.

Red Ribbon still managed to generate awesome coverage for our clients even though hordes of publications closed down or went less frequent.

We also discovered and somewhat mastered the world of social media. We started our own blog (you’re here now!) in the beginning of the year, made our website SEO friendly, discovered the value of Google Adwords and started participating in platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter.

Red Ribbon practised what we preached and did our own PR for the first time ever with amazing results and positive feedback. See two of our articles on Bizcommunity and Marketingweb.

On a more personal note… We had many exciting firsts in the company such as th arrival of Inge, Deirdre and Roald’s little bundle of joy, my and Moller’s son, Julian, first birthday, Marlene and Marnus’ first wedding anniversary and the marriage of Elanza to Dewald after a whirlwind romance!

In fact, if you look at it - all in all a good year. See, it helps to highlight the positives and off course a good, long break will also help me forget the terrible D word: world Depression.