Dabo & Co

Earlier this year, there was a report on Kippreport on how brands could use Pinterest effectively to promote their goods, services or ideas; and interesting though the feature was, it was the feedback that caught my attention. One post in response to the feature was emphatic in its opposition to Pinterest being used for marketing and promotional activity. According to the comment, the site was not designed for promotion of any kind or to drive traffic to other websites.

As a devoted pinner, I was initially in agreement. For a site in which most people (barring celebrities) do not post personal images, Pinterest feels like a private haven.  If I found it "doing a Twitter" and posting sponsored images on my page, I would feel as violated as if someone had flicked through my scrap-book and left notes in it.

But the fact is, promoting products and ideas is part and parcel of the Pinterest universe and (it kills the Pinterest-purist in me to say this), it would be rampant short-sightedness on the part of brands not too take advantage of this. Pinterest is a marketer's dream tool - it is visual, interactive, personal and most importantly, it has a captive and engaged target audience who are interested in "things". It provides brands with the ultimate consumer wish-list. It also gives them access to millions of potential brand ambassadors - one re-pin from the brand's website or Pinterest page is all it takes to spread the word.

I am a social-media marketing novice but my instinct is that aggressive, figures-based marketing that seems to be the norm with Facebook and Twitter will get nowhere with Pinterest, at least for now. Personally, I think Pinterest is more "inspiring" and "social" than say, facebook or Twitter - it helps people with similar tastes or projects draw ideas from each other's mood boards and get creative.  There are no status updates; and hash tags are few and far between. With more pictures of cats, cookies and couture than you can shake a stick at; a fun and "friendly" feeling permeates the medium. It's not uncommon for strangers to share humorous experiences and useful tips; and sometimes they even agree to disagree on a point of contention. More often, Pinterest feels like one big get-together of friends (albeit ones who have only just met) who share similar tastes and sense of humour.

Breaking in on such an intimate group is a challenge but a lot of brands like IKEA UK, Zara, ASOS are doing it and doing it well. Scrolling through a few of their pages, I found a few things in common:

The Image represents - the brands use Pinterest as a virtual store front and use really strong imagery. Since the prettier or more arresting the picture, the more chances it has of being looked at and shared.

Organisation is king - IKEA UK and Zara have organised boards with relevant captions to make scrolling through them easy. This makes sense given that, a Pinterest page is not a package deal - pinners will follow only boards they are interested in, re-pinning products they like - so being organised has enabled them to do so.

They flaunt the famous - L'Oreal has an entire board dedicated to its ambassadors and its presence at major celebrity events including Cannes.

Themed boards - Although brands like ASOS have recreated their entire catalogue on Pinterest, it has also created themed boards - Vintage, Summer, Fashion Week - to help attract a broader audience.

Links to other social media platforms - ASOS has created a Future Stylist board that profiles up and coming bloggers, wearing ASOS fashion.

They don't sell but share - The brands don't use Pinterest for the hard-sell (although according to a recent survey by boticca.com, Pinterest drives more sales and more new customers than Facebook and drives users to spend twice as much as facebook users), they have used Pinterest to show a different side of the brand.

Brands aside, the most interesting usage of Pinterest recently has been in the U.S. Presidential race. As President Barack Obama and contender Mitt Romney spew venom at each other on the stump, on TV, at debates and especially on Twitter; the First Lady and Ann Romney are trying to soften their respective husbands' images through cutesy family albums, custard recipes or gardening tips. They have shown that it is a great forum to showcase the various facets of a brand/person. Their pins cover the past, present and future of the Presidential contenders showcasing their non-politician personas and values - through a very evocative medium -images.

So, is Pinterest the new alpha-social media market tool? Only time will tell but for now it is a popular social forum where people share a slice of what they like and in the process show what they are like. And, because there aren't a lot of words, it seems gentler, friendlier and more trustworthy. Brands that have made their mark on Pinterest have tapped into this spirit - they have used it to reveal different aspects of its personality - their journey, inspirations and aspirations as well as their more fun and pinteresting side.

There has been a great deal of debate about internships within the PR industry on an international scale with industry bodies such as the CIPR in the UK calling for PR internships to be paid for, with clear objectives and deliverables in place to ensure the mutual benefit for both intern and agency. The fact that this is still being debated within the industry is a sorry indictment on the value we as PR professionals place on internships.

Internships help graduates make the transition from academia and are an important gateway to the industry. We live in a multi-cultural society in the UAE and the PR industry is the chosen sector for many expatriates from across the globe. One thing is for sure, at some point most of us will take the experience and knowledge accumulated in this region and leave to return to our homes overseas or move on to another country. What then we have to ask, will be our legacy? Surely as PR professionals we have a responsibility to nurture local talent and ensure that the industry, which has provided us with ample opportunities, is contributing to the career development of the next generation of PR professionals?

Those agencies that follow best practice and are clear about the nature of the internship offered, upfront about the expectations and the financial compensation that an intern can expect on completion of a successful internship, are helping to create this legacy.  Simply put, effort is required by agencies for internships to be successful. It's not enough to find a spare desk and a pile of magazines and call this an internship programme.

Firstly, let's be clear about what I mean when I refer to internships. I do not mean that PR agencies get to hire free labour during the summer and get recent graduates to sit in a corner with a pile of filing to do.  Unfortunately, this is an all too familiar story among time-poor agencies which often see internships as an afterthought with no-one in the agency taking responsibility for the intern. This is not in the spirit of giving young professionals a first step on the career ladder and just is not good enough.

I've seen firsthand the potential of the industry. Having helped to organise this year's MEPRA Student Day 2012, I saw for myself just how powerful the investment of time can be and the impact it can have on young graduates wanting to forge a career in PR.

So what was the outcome of that day? The students benefited from having young PR professionals take them through a selection of specialisations within the industry and share their experiences of working in PR, debunking the myths and providing insight into the hard work behind the "glamour". That day was an eye-opener for me that made me realise how much these students need our guidance and assistance to polish their raw talent and prepare them for the 'real world of PR'.

During my career; I have had a couple of interns and fresh graduates joining my team and I witnessed how their perspective on PR has changed throughout their internship at the agency.

What is key for a successful internship is to have a clear idea and a schedule on what the intern is going to do each day. It's our responsibility to ensure that interns get to see all aspects of the industry, whether that is writing press releases, selling in stories to the media, assisting at events and meeting journalists or doing coverage reports. As with so much in life, you get out what you put in.

As an agency, DABO & CO has benefitted hugely from its internship programme. Over the last 12 months the agency has offered three interns permanent, full-time junior positions and in most cases we have already promoted them and 'fast-tracked' their careers. They now have fully fledged careers within the industry that they hoped to crack after graduation and DABO & CO has some very talented junior team members who we hope will be with us for years to come.

What has been the key to this successful internship conversion? I believe the answer is three-fold. Firstly, the fact that everyone from the Managing Partners through to the receptionist has an interest in the intern as soon as they walk through the door. There is a collective willingness to make this experience count and to ensure the graduate gets the most out of the time spent with us. Secondly, the fact that there is a clear defined programme with tasks and a reporting structure for the intern - there is no such thing as 'under the radar'. And finally, our internships are paid for. For me, this is significant and sends a clear message, that we expect you to invest in this experience as we have invested in you. The rules of engagement are clear and the opportunity is what you make of it.

Listen to any PR agency and they will all tell you the same thing: "It's so hard to find talent and to keep hold of it". Well if that is the case, why are more agencies not investing in securing a pipeline of talent by taking internships seriously? It's time for agencies to stop whining about the challenges of talent management and start building a solid internship programme for the students in the region. Individual agencies will benefit, young graduates will benefit and perhaps most importantly of all, so too, ultimately, will the Middle East PR industry.

On 26th August 2012, MINI the legendary small car with a big attitude, celebrated its 53rd birthday. In true DABO & CO style, the PR team turned this occasion into an opportunity to meet, greet and treat the media and generate coverage for the great British icon.

Hitting the road in the early hours, laden with MINI cupcakes and mini birthday cards, the journalists were delighted to see the an arrival of the PR team at their offices offering them a slice of the birthday action.

Throughout MINI's birthday, the DABO & CO team visited 20 publications across the UAE. Coverage highlights included a MINI mention on Virgin Radio's highest rating show, online hits on leading automotive websites and a social media buzz across Dubai's leading publications. Proving, once and for all, the importance of getting out and about and meeting media face to face. Especially if it involves cake!

Happy Birthday MINI!

"Why do you work so late?" is a question I am asked often. For those who don't know me, I tend to stay late at work.

So, why? Is it because I am a slacker? Or is it because there is just too much work? Or is it because I didn't define what work-life balance was meant to be? Let's find out!

I am against a 9 to 5 attitude, but at the same time, I personally don't believe one should stay every day at work late and do as much as possible. Going 'over and above' is good and is something which should be in our professional DNA. But, obviously anything overly done isn't good in the long run, because expectations are raised and become difficult to manage. This leads to a tendency to excessively over service clients and that tends to be the bench mark to excel each time, thereby impacting on the 'work-life' balance.

As we all know, within the PR industry, everything is ASAP. For me ASAP equated to NOW! This is where I had issues with in terms of time management. On the constant drive to achieve more and do things in the best possible way, I developed the habit of staying late at work. I would stay very late and ensure everything gets done even if it could easily wait for a few days.

During this process over the last four years, I did even more work, attained the highest possible client servicing and satisfaction standards; but also gained 40 kgs (yeah, you read that right!) and a few extra strands/patches of grey hair!

Is it worth it? The answer is an obvious one! Better late than never, I have accepted the fact that however much you do, work will always come and it's perfectly okay to logically prioritise and carry some work over for 'tomorrow' as well! So here comes the question - how do I define work-life balance?

There is no perfect, one-size fits all, balance one should be striving for. The best work-life balance is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives. I personally feel work-life balance does not mean maintaining an equal balance between the two. Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of your various work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic. Life is and should be more fluid than that.

What is important is to strive towards attaining a work-life balance model with a 'purpose'. A 'purpose' that is defined on the elements of personal "Achievement" and "Enjoyment", which are basically two sides of the same coin.

By doing this one will bring work home if necessary, and at the same time, one should also take a break from work.  This ensures you are productive and efficient on a professional level at the same time a very happy individual on a personal level.

This is my two cents on work-life balance. On that note, I am signing out today at 5.30 PM sharp! But for tomorrow - it's a different story. I'll have to see…

Everyone is different when choosing their career path. Some people change their mind about what they want to do over time, some never find what it is they want to do for a career, and then there are others who always knew what they wanted to do.

I have always considered myself to fall into the latter of those categories. At the tender age of 12, while tagging along with my aunt (a well-established Sydney Barrister) to Court during my school holidays I decided that I wanted to be a barrister. This goal only intensified over the years leading up to the end of high school, and straight after that I began my Law degree. In New South Wales, Australia, all Law students must complete a second degree or double degree, so I opted for Commerce (Marketing), as I figured that business knowledge would never go away. Little did I know that I would need it more than I thought in later years!

I achieved my goal of becoming a Criminal Barrister at the age of 26. During my university years, I had travelled, studied overseas and done all of the things I believed at the time were necessary before settling down for a lifelong career as a Barrister. In fact, if you had asked me two years ago if I would ever consider another career, I would have scoffed and told you that I would not give up my career for anything or anyone. Well, as it happens, life happens. You meet people, priorities change and before you know it, there are big decisions to be made.

My husband's work was drawing us to Dubai, the land of opportunity, and this opportunity was simply too good for us to pass up. My main concern was, 'what am I going to do?" For those of you who don't know, unless you speak Arabic you cannot practise criminal law in the UAE Courts as an advocate. I do not speak Arabic and corporate law was not an area I was overly keen to move into, so my options were limited.

I had been told by some very wise people that it was not the type of job I had to focus on, but the skills that I had acquired, these are what mattered when it came to forging a new career. When forced to re-evaluate your career options you will find that you have actually acquired many more skills than you thought. For me, this included strong organisational skills, the ability to work under pressure, pitch/public speaking, analytic and problem-solving skills and of course convincing people to do something that they might not want to do. Obviously this list is not exhaustive, but it was a start for me, and got me thinking of other jobs I could do that required these same skills.

Over lunch, while discussing my skills and what my options might be, it was suggested to me that PR might be a good way to go. To be honest, I wasn't exactly sure what PR was and what kind of work it would involve. After this big move, I decided to give it a go and get some PR work experience.

It was an enormous change, from being a Criminal Barrister, used to running my own business for the last three years, to working in a job where I really had no idea what I was doing. I have to say, the leap was well worth it.  After a few weeks of building up my knowledge in PR, learning from those around me and getting my teeth into some great campaigns, it began to feel like I had done this before - not PR so to speak, but the use of some of the skills that I had built up over years in the legal industry.

Delving into a whole new career has been an eye-opener in more ways than one. Working as part of a team had been something I had not done in many years, and although it took some getting used to, it is amazing to see how satisfying it can be to work in a GOOD team environment where everyone supports each other and the work they are doing. Secondly, the new job made me realise that I could use the skills I had acquired in law in a whole new way that I had never imagined. And lastly, that as long as you are using the skills that you are good at, and that you enjoy making use of, you can be just as happy and satisfied in another career, on the other side of the world.

The lesson? Well for me, it has to be to "keep the blinkers" off. Yes, it is great to be determined and goal-oriented and work towards something you have always wanted. But once there, you should not just rest on your laurels and think, 'this is it'. Because you never know what is around the corner, and how much that new world can open up your eyes and your mind. Maybe it is time for us all to make that list, and realise our full potential. You may even surprise yourself!

Tea. It's the world's most popular beverage after water, but did you know that there is compelling evidence that drinking tea improves mental clarity?

The last few weeks have seen the PR and event teams working together on an exciting event for Lipton - the region's first ever Tea Symposium. The event, which took place at The Palace Hotel in The Old Town, Dubai, was attended by some of Dubai's leading health and nutrition experts and featured exclusive insights from Dr Jane Rycroft from the Lipton Institute of Tea and Wafaa Helmi Ayesh from Emirates Nutrition.

As part of the event, the PR team delivered a media roundtable, giving journalists the chance to explore the science behind why things become clearer after a cup of tea, as well an interactive tea tasting experience with Karush Barucha, Unilever's Regional Category Supply Chain Director for Beverages - and one of the region's few tea tasters!

Find out more about the event - and how drinking tea can help improve your mental clarity - from this great blog by Dubai in the Frame http://www.dubaiinaframe.com/2012/05/tea-symposium-in-dubai-the-first-of-its-kind-by-lipton/

Media Relations is, without doubt, one of the cheapest and most effective promotional tools available to PR professionals. The media are extraordinary conduits of information to promote a business, a spokesperson or product.

I've been dealing with media for long enough to know what they find frustrating about PR. If you start a conversation with a journalist about PR, they will frequently tell you that they dislike PR people and it's usually the following:

• Sending poorly written press releases
• Sending stories completely irrelevant to what they cover
• Being difficult to contact when the journalist needs to get hold of them
• Not respecting  journalists' deadlines

This criticisms are fair to be frank and too many agencies are still guilty of them. Based on my experience, media relations is all about avoiding these pitfalls and optimizing results through nurturing and maintaining a lasting relationship between your company, the brand you represent and journalists. To achieve this objective I personally have found the following approach most successful:

Media Lists

A media list is simply a list of reporters, their contact details and the name of the publication/ website that they write for. Sounds simple, but all too often, PR professionals get this wrong and they don't spend time researching publications. There is no substitute to reading newspapers, magazines and online portals and the more you familiarise yourself with the media, the more you can start to understand what they are looking for and give them news and content that genuinely has value. Of course, the more you do this, the more coverage you get, so everyone is happy.

Press Releases

I've chatted with journalists about the type of press releases PR agencies send them and their feedback is that we need to keep three things in mind at all times:  the quality of written material must be good; the news we are sharing with them must be relevant to their audience; and finally they must be sent in time to meet their deadlines. With this trinity in mind, stories can and should get published and the art of good PR is understanding what is news and what isn't, and being able to feed this back to your clients. If you can explain that there is no relevant section in a particular newspaper or magazine that will feature your clients' news, you can at least work together to create content that could be a better fit the publication your client wishes to be in.

Press Conferences

Through the years, I've arranged and attended many press conferences in the UAE and the region, and understand that journalists have very busy schedules. Journalists who agree to attend should not be disappointed. Therefore, you need to provide:

• A newsworthy story
• An announcement of something of country-specific importance
• A central well-known location convenient for journalists and appropriate to the event
• A timetable to ensure that everything is ready when it is needed
• Appropriate press kit (includes press release, spokespeople bios and images, copies of speeches, product images, etc)
• Media gifts (Arabic media in particular expect gifts)
• English spokespeople for English media and Arabic spokespeople for Arabic media  - unless he/she is a global spokesperson visiting the local market; in this case the possibility of providing a  translator should be considered.

Media Lunch/Iftar/Sohoor

These individual meetings are the best way to establish a social relationship between you and a journalist.  From here, everything else becomes easier. You'll find they pick up your calls more regularly and respond to your sell-ins because they know you and they know they you "get" what they are looking for.

So my advice is to start with the basics of relationship-building and fill in those expenses claims - it will be worth the money!

Press Trips

Press trips are a valuable tool when it comes to giving the media a first-hand look at a destination. But nobody likes to be herded like cattle. Press trips should be intimate, customized and personalized. Focus on quality not quantity

At DABO we talk about the importance of 'Oneness', but it wasn't until recently that I realised what that means in practical terms. Having worked in so many different organisations including more than six years in PR, I have come to understand that, to achieve one's goal it is important to be part of a team.  In simple terms, teamwork allows common people to attain uncommon results.

From the time we start schooling we are brought up in an environment where we always have our friends and family supporting us, offering a helping hand when we stumble and fall, lending their shoulder when we are sad and down and we take it all for granted. During this time we are living in an atmosphere of oneness and unity  but we never realise this fact till one fine day we decide we are smart and independent enough to leave our comfortable nest, take care of ourselves and walk away from our comfort zone.

Initially we enjoy our new found independence but soon we find ourselves all alone where we have to make our own decisions, sometimes right and many times wrong, and only have ourselves to blame for the mistakes we make in life - and that's when we feel the need to be around people who understand us and with whom we can share our joys and bad moments too.

Where can you find these people? If you are lucky, at your place of work, where you spend more that 8-10 hours every day, five days a week. These are the very same people who notice your mood swings and will come forward with a word of comfort or even a smile to let you know they are there if you need them without encroaching on your space. This is the kind of oneness we need and look forward to from people around us.

Our recent DABO day, which was my first, was a real eye opener for me personally where I fully understood the meaning of oneness and unity and it also struck me that it goes hand-in-hand with sharing is caring, which is another of the values of our organisation.

We were split into six teams. Each team had six members and the goal was to achieve a set number of jobs within the allotted time and all the members of the team had to really integrate their thoughts and minds together, sharing their ideas at the same time as caring for the feelings of others without letting any one person feel left out and not a part of the team.  Each member's ideas were taken into account and put into effect in some way or the other. In every team you could feel the same spirit, the feeling of oneness and unity, of sharing and caring...

This is the way we all work in our organisation as a PR team, day in and day out, where every person's idea matters and is taken into consideration and given a lot of importance. During events, conferences, new pitches etc. you will see the excitement bubbling on everyone's face. The eagerness to help, even though the person may have a thousand other things to do, they will help the team to do simple chores like burning usbs, preparing media kits or cautioning the team members on last minute glitches that could take place and how to avoid them and I think this can all be summed up by referring back to my first paragraph... thanks to 'oneness', us common people are able to deliver uncommon results day in, day out.

When I moved to Dubai in 2008, a friend gave me the Who Moved My Cheese book to read, for those who have not read the book, it's a best seller that helps individuals adapt to change - quite useful in a country where change is the only constant. I read the book for the second time last year when I changed jobs, and it gave me a totally different prospective the second time round. It made me realise that we all face change - and everyone has their own comfort zone. Yet our definition of comfort changes with time, which inevitably affects our 'beloved' routine. When this happens people tend to react differently, possibly stress out, complain or even nag.

Business wise, stressing out is not the most effective state of mind, and no one wants to work with those walking around with poor morale on their shoulders. So how do we cope with change in the office environment? Should we follow and accept blindly what we are told? Is this the key to success? Some employees/organisations choose this path and wait for instructions, which might work in some cases. But, how many opportunities might we miss out on while waiting for instructions? Instead, I would rather look at the glass half full and look for opportunities, many top performers will roll up their sleeves to make things work - moving out of their comfort zone instantly.

Accepting that our office environment will inevitably change and knowing that we must accept such changes are the first steps to an easier transition. Why? During tough times people including 'clients/employees' will always watch how their consultants/leaders are acting, so if an individual is projecting a role model image, they need to set the tone for others to follow, without letting their guard down when it comes to their attitude.

Prepare clients and involve them in this change, because the change will affect them in one way or another. So discuss the rationale behind the change and the potential issues that might rise throughout the transition process. This will show how prepared are we change and eventually turn the situation around for all parties to benefit from.

Recently DABO & CO underwent some internal restructuring which consisted of mixing up the teams, expanding our team as well as changing desks. When I moved desk, it felt like moving houses with new neighbors. This change has brought me new friends in the office; there are more people having lunch with me now than ever before. But more importantly, new people come with new ideas, the vibe in the room is more dynamic and filled with fresh ideas, which is very inspiring and motivating. Overall the change has resulted in more creativity and diversity that ultimately our clients will benefit from - thereby proving the old adage that "a change is as good as a rest."

Charles Darwin an English Naturalist once said: "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change". He asked, will you choose to be like the chameleon, which can quickly adapt to a changing office environment? Or, will you choose to follow in the path of the once powerful Tyrannosaurus Rex that became extinct because it could not respond to a changing environment?

We can choose to embrace new ways of doing business or be left behind. For example, Digital has emerged as an effective and interactive platform that an increasing number of campaigns have utilised to reach new audiences or simply communicate better with their existing customers. This is a platform that cannot be ignored. Nowadays PR firms are incorporating digital initiatives into their campaigns and proving themselves to be chameleons.  Whoever resists this new trend (ie the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the comms world) will be giving away their market share on a silver platter to the 'colored reptiles', proving Benjamin Franklin right when he said: "When you're finished changing, you're finished".