Zing

Zingers go back to school with Nikon

It seems you can’t walk from A to B these days without seeing some budding amateur photographer with a DSLR camera around their neck. The camera is the latest accessory of choice – and when it comes to capturing that perfect snap, there’s no doubt that all the cool kids are doing it with a Nikon DSLR!

You’d be forgiven for thinking that ‘ISO’ is the latest rapper topping the charts, or that ‘depth of field’ is something to do with football. Dealing with Nikon cameras and photography reviewers on a daily basis, three Zingers jumped at the chance to attend the famous ‘Nikon School’ on Saturday 10^th March to learn the basics – and of course the lingo – of the technical side of this popular hobby.

 

 

At 10am we arrived at the beautiful Blue Sydney Hotel in Woolloomooloo for our Nikon School crash-course: ‘Introduction to DSLR’. Beaming with enthusiasm and ready with our Nikon cameras in hand – we were greeted by our two Nikon teachers and a 5* function suite which would be our classroom for the day. Our classmates ranged both in age and ability, from the total beginner, to those who had owned a DSLR for a while but wanted to learn how to really use it to its full potential.

The day was structured around three components: classroom teaching, hands-on shooting and morning and afternoon tea! Our vibrant and charismatic teacher Alex kept the class engaged with a mixture of PowerPoint tutorial and trial with our own cameras, as well as trips into the midday sun for some outdoor shooting practice. There was also some singing thrown in for good measure – she definitely managed to keep everyone’s spirits up and attention focused. All this learning and practising certainly worked up an appetite – twice in the day we stopped for a welcomed tea break complete with a delicious 5* cake (or two).

Throughout the day we learned how to adjust our camera manually to shoot in different light, with varying depths of field and how to shoot a moving subject. Once we had grasped the basics we looked at how to obey the rules of composition and how to break them (we like to see ourselves as arty alternatives you see).

The day ended at 4pm with a mini graduation ceremony as we walked in turn to the front of the class to collect our certificates, having officially passed the Introduction to DSLR course. We left with our heads bursting with information but held high with a real sense of achievement. I was particularly inspired to give the photographic hobby a proper go now that I’d learned the basics. Nikon School had broken down the jargon into sizable chunks and left us with an inflated sense of confidence – I mean, we’re practically Pro now…

By Laura Cairnduff, Account Executive 

 

It’s that time of the year again… for the Zing Annual Away Day!

The plan was to mix business with pleasure – starting the day with a strategy meeting, followed by a picnic all afternoon on Shark Island. And after a cold and rainy week, Sydney turned on a glorious day of sunshine for our frivolous afternoon of fun on the splendid Shark Island.

I didn’t know what to expect from the day but as soon as I entered the office I started to feel a sense of what was to follow. Everybody was enthusiastic and eager to start the day. My feeling was similar to when I was a teenager and about to embark on a school trip with my class. After months of intense study, the day of the trip arrived and I was really excited to finally spend a relaxing time with my classmates!

Like all the tasks Zing embraces, whether it be client proposals or campaigns, the Annual Zing Away Day was no different - planned with precision and with fun in mind.

In the morning when the whole Zing team came together for a planning meeting, we were welcomed with croissants and condiments to get started for the day. Preya and Jocelyne prepared an impressive presentation assessing the year that had been and the year ahead for Zing, and motivating the team for another successful year. I likened it to a basketball team meeting, where before the season the coach and captains evaluate the team progress, discuss the game plan and explain the new procedures that will be implemented during the games.

In the meeting every Zinger actively participated. Any suggestions and opinions were welcome, and everyone had the opportunity to bring their experiences, background and personality to the table. This made for a brilliant exchange of ideas.

After the meeting we were all ready to head off to our picnic. In perfect Zing spirit, every Zinger collaborated to organise the event, from the food to the water taxi that delivered us to and from our destination.   

The beautiful and quiet Shark Island was surrounded by the calm and bright harbour, which was solely for us to enjoy for the day. On the grass we laid out the rugs and sat down to our amazing lunch! It resembled more of a Christmas feast than a picnic! We could eat forever. We shared old stories and new, and laughed so much that my stomach hurt. Finally, as everything at Zing is done with style, tall and stackable plastic glasses were always profusely filled with delicious champagne – Chandon to be precise: “The Zingers drink of choice,” says Preya.

That beautiful day was a true reflection of the essence of Zing’s culture. Zing gives not only the opportunity to work hard but to work better because it provides a positive environment that allows all Zingers the opportunity to be themselves and shine. I am Italian and as an Italian I like everything done with passion. Zingers are brilliant because they work using their skills, minds and souls. They do that simply because they love their job. This is the key of their success. And this is the reason why it is amazing to work with them. Here’s to another Zing Away Day next year! Cheers!

By: Intern, Valentina Pradella

Katy Perry Lashes created by Eylure

February 22
Adoring fans lined up to meet with miss Teenage Dream herself, the lovely Katy Perry, and get the first look at the Katy Perry Lashes created by Eylure!  Zing orchestrated the successful launch event for Eylure at the Americana at Brand shopping center in Glendale, CA, where Ulta representatives applied lashes at an on-site pop-up shop and fans received signed lash packs from the pop sensation!

Batiste-Katie Gallagher Fall/Winter 2012

Zing USA spearheaded Batiste Dry Shampoo's sponsorship of Designer Katie Gallagher during Fashion Week in New York, garnering coverage of the event in top media outlets and reaching more than 84 million readers!

 

Kodak Demise In Stark Contrast To Its PR Heyday

It’s been said that companies like people have lifespans and so their emergence and decline over a period of years ought to be expected as the natural order of things.

But a tragedy is unfolding in Rochester, NY, and to borrow a phrase from Death of a Salesman, “attention must be paid.”

One of the greatest companies in U.S. history, and owner of one of the world’s most iconic brands, appears to have begun its death rattle.

The Wall Street Journal’s front-page story Thursday, “Kodak Teeters on the Brink,” reads like an obituary written for a person over whom last rights are being read.

The company’s impending bankruptcy is sad for Kodak employees and retirees and their families, to whom the company long was known as “The Great Yellow Father.”

It’s sad for a community that prospered for so many decades as a direct result of Kodak philanthropy, and for chroniclers of U.S. commerce and industry to see Kodak going the way of U.S. Steel, Pan American Airlines, and F.W. Woolworth.

And it’s sad for the public relations profession because, not so long ago, Kodak’s corporate communications division set the global standard for respect commanded by the PR function in a corporate environment.

I know this because I worked in Rochester from 1981-1992, first as a Kodak account supervisor for Carl Byoir & Associates, then in media relations as a Kodak employee, and finally as Kodak Global Account Director for Hill and Knowlton.

At its zenith in the mid-1980s, more than 250 people worked in Kodak’s corporate communications department under the leadership of David J. Metz, a PR visionary and dynamic leader who knew how to navigate the corridors of corporate power.

Metz was among the first corporate PR officers to establish a direct reporting relationship to his CEO. While the great majority of his peers at other companies labored under the thumb of Marketing or HR or Legal, he was meeting every weekday for half an hour at 8 AM with Kodak’s chief executive.

In these briefing sessions, Metz, who served three Kodak CEOs, provided an overview of everything in the world that had happened during the previous 24 hours that had the potential to impact Kodak’s reputation or Kodak’s brand.

Under the umbrella of his organization were corporate and marketing media relations, corporate advertising, investor relations, employee communications, federal/state/local government relations, the corporate library, and a unit called Creative Services staffed by of speechwriters, designers and filmmakers.  Plus – Kodak retained three outside PR agencies including mine.

It wasn’t the size of the organization that mattered, though. It was the clout. The product publicists had solid lines to Corporate, and dotted lines to the operational units they supported. This structure helped keep PR from being marginalized. If a divisional VP didn’t value PR and resented having to pay the corporate service tax imposed on his line of business, he thought twice about squawking too loudly because it meant with going mano-a-mano versus Metz.

The intellectual underpinning and justification for PR’s powerful influence was a doctrine known as “One Voice,” since adopted by scores of companies. “One Voice” posits that a multinational corporation issues thousands of messages every day to myriad constituencies. Each message should be nuanced for the intended recipient BUT the company must speak with a single corporate voice to ensure messages aimed at one audience don’t have unintended consequences for another.

It was a glorious time and place for PR and might yet be if Kodak management had embraced digital imaging in the late 1970s instead of squandering time and money on failed ventures like instant photography, disc cameras, and office copiers.

Friday morning’s announcement that Kodak’s current PR director has resigned seems a fitting if ironic denouement, now that the company best known the world over for preserving people’s memories seems about to pass into memory itself.  

Robert McEwen is president and CEO of Zing USA

 

 

Why We Lose to Lawyers and How To Even the Odds

The battle between legal and PR doesn’t always have to play out as "Godzilla vs. Bambi." Savvy PR pros gain "relationship altitude" to even things out.

Stay in this business long enough and sooner or later you’ll find yourself at loggerheads with a lawyer.

There always has been and probably always will be dynamic tension between those who navigate courts of law and we who work in the courts of public opinion.

Clashes between corporate legal counsel and corporate communications usually involve high-stakes crises and play out in the C-suite or boardroom. Unfortunately for us and for the reputations of our clients, it’s almost never a fair fight.

The prototypical corporate attorney by virtue of training, temperament and disposition, is far better equipped to win when push comes to shove. Lawyers see the world through an adversarial prism. They either defend or attack. It’s what they do. It comes naturally to them.

Most PR people, on the other hand, by nature and experience, are inclined to engage, communicate and seek win/win solutions. We tend to be collaborative and avoid conflict. We like things to be pleasant.

Amiability, however, is not an asset in the heat of a crisis when PR is pitted against an unyielding chief counsel who insists the CEO say nothing. All too commonly, the scene plays out as “Godzilla versus Bambi.”

Granted, there do exist low-key attorneys and obstreperous PR people. But I am talking about the archetypes, not the exceptions. Yes, PR practitioners can be competitive. PR agencies duel each other over RFP’s all the time. But there is a difference between being competitive and being combative. In my experience, the latter trait more often characterizes attorneys, and it has served them well if not always the reputations of their clients.

In a sense the relationship can be likened to that between a U.S. Secretary of State (PR) and a U.S. Secretary of Defense (Legal). The first wants to smooth things over, and the second wants to prevail. Think back to the Bush Administration.

Donald Rumsfeld ran roughshod over poor Colin Powell who by the time he left office – in the aftermath of the Gulf War and despite his extensive military experience - admitted he had little or no influence on foreign policy.

So what is a nice PR person to do?

All of what follows is easier said than done, but it must be done if the PR function is to command respect commensurate with its responsibility.

First, gain “relationship altitude.” Try to ensure that communications has as much access to the C-suite as Legal. The CEO must see his chief PR person as often as he sees his General Counsel. That usually requires that PR reports directly to the CEO instead of an administrative officer, Marketing, HR or, God forbid, Legal.

It can be done. One of the first men in our profession ever to earn an SVP-corporate communications title at a Fortune 100 company met with his CEO every day at 8 AM and briefed him on anything and everything that had happened during the previous 24 hours that had the potential to impact the company’s reputation.

Second, try in advance to “defang” Legal. Do what a smart PR person does in managing any constituent relationship. Long before any problem surfaces befriend the General Counsel. Take him to lunch. Invite his or her spouse and children into your home. Break bread together. Swap stories. Commiserate. Bond. The next time you are advocating for openness and transparency, the lawyer will be less likely to chop you off at the knees.

Legal still might oppose you, but the rhetoric will be less vitriolic if your kids have played video games together.

Third, speak the language of the C-Suite, i.e., dollars and cents. Don’t allow corporate reputation to remain intangible. When the chief legal counsel raises the specter of 7- or 8-figure settlements if the CEO says so much as a word of apology, fight back with numbers of your own. Try taking this approach with the boss:

“Sir, you may want to consider that since Fortune Magazine began ranking “Most Admired Companies,” falling just one rung in a company’s industry sector translates on average to $100 million less in market capitalization the next year. Reputation has as much value on our balance sheet as real estate or inventory.”

Then there’s the issue of the chief executive’s personal legacy. When the lawyers want to stonewall, remind the CEO that he likely will be remembered for how he responds – or fails to respond – to the crisis at hand. Cite these two examples:

When an explosion killed a factory worker and injured dozens of others at Ford’s River Rouge plant in February 1999, Ford Chairman Bill Ford rushed to the scene. His anguish and compassion for the victims prompted him to tell the New York Times it was “the worst day of my life.” No one sued him for that remark, and his actions on that day remain a textbook example of leadership during a crisis.

Conversely, we have the more recent example of BP’s Tony Hayward whose initial downplaying of the 2010 Gulf oil spill ultimately gave way to foot-in-mouth syndrome. So, again, when the lawyers advise the boss to clam up, ask him, “Sir, would you rather be remembered as a Bill Ford or a Tony Hayward?”
If he has a healthy ego, and most CEOs do, he just might be persuaded to risk the legal consequence in order to appear a statesman and not an ostrich.

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Is the Mobile Bandwagon Passing PR By?

Last week I attended the Mobile First Look conference in lower Manhattan and came away wondering why other communications disciplines seem to have embraced the technology more rapidly and produced more results than PR has.

Granted, the conference was sponsored by Mobile Marketer, and marketing usually focuses attention on a single constituency – the customer – as opposed to the many different audiences PR typically seeks to engage.

Still, I was struck both by the apparent dearth of PR pros in attendance and the virtual absence of PR strategies or tactics in any of the excellent presentations by Macy's, Coca-Cola, Office Max, The Weather Channel, MTV, Walgreen's and Sears.

These companies are using mobile communications to great effect, and no wonder given the 2011 Thanksgiving Weekend statistics provided by Insight Express:

• 65 percent of smart phone owners looked for a coupon on their phones
• 55 percent used their phones to find better prices
• 50 percent scanned a barcode with their phones
• 50 percent used their phones to take and send a photo
• 40 percent used their phone to sign up for a store loyalty program
• 35 percent used their phone to search for an item to find reviews
• 30 percent used their phones to tweet about their experiences in stores

Again, these are all marketing numbers with a heavy emphasis on retail but the implications for PR are worth pondering. 

One of the conference sponsors, Appcelerator, asserts that the mobile revolution will be more transformative than the web because mobile devices are always with consumers and mobile is going to evolve at a much faster pace. In fact, according to the same source, mobile shipments outpaced desktop/laptop shipments last year.

If indeed mobile is going to eclipse predecessor technologies as desktops did mainframes and tablets have laptops, how ought the wise PR practitioner counsel a client trying to the discern impact mobile will have on his business?

For starters, imagine the efficiencies of communicating via mobile to:

• Quickly disseminate news of a food or drug recall to known users
• Activate crisis protocols instantaneously when disasters strike
• Conduct in-the-field opinion sampling of people who don't work in offices
• Get news to employees before they read it online or in print
• Reach rank and file union members in the midst of a labor negotiation
• Respond immediately to influential reporters while they're out covering stories
• Alert stakeholders to pending legislation that requires their immediate action
• Update members of a class action to major developments in their case

Skeptics may say, "We're already doing that. We send e-mails and people read them on their mobile devices." Fair enough. But what situations might merit more urgent SMS communication and how might that impact crisis preparedness plans?

It would be inaccurate to suggest that PR is wholly ignoring mobile. Online reconnaissance reveals some large agencies are conducting surveys about the growing use of mobile and others are developing customized Apps, although most still are created by technology boutiques or self-identifying digital agencies.

There also are instances of PR agencies and their clients beginning to exploit the potential of mobile in sectors such as healthcare, banking, broadcasting and gaming.

Healthcare, in particular, is a sector in which PR has made some mobile headway. PR Newswire and PRSA are listed as sponsors of the Mobile Healthcare Communications conference in New York today, and at least two PR execs are on the roster as speakers or moderators.

Still, anyone attending the First Look conference last week could not be blamed for concluding that mobile communication is the province of marketers. If mobile is the future, and marketing controls mobile, who's going to shape the future? None of us want to regress to an era when PR had no voice at the management table. 

It's high time we all picked up the phone.

 

Secret Camera Business

The morning of Wednesday 21^st September saw team-Zing descend upon Sydney’s glamorous Ivy Pool and Penthouse - yellow props, pool noodles and clipboards in hand. I had no idea what to expect from the day having started as the new Zing intern a couple of weeks earlier. What I did know—from the intricate planning and attention to detail, which I’d observed from the girls around the office, and by the fantastic array of media guests who I’d helped to invite in a shroud of secrecy – was that this top secret reveal was going to be something very special!

 

The sun hadn’t quite reached the rooftop area when we took the elevator to the prestigious Ivy Pool Club, and I quickly regretted my over-ambitious dress choice for an early Spring day in Sydney (having studied in Scotland for the past four years I was living by the standard rule: if you can’t see your breath, then it’s clearly summer – and had been milking the Aussie sunshine for all its worth!) After a quick but necessary caffeine fix, it was all hands on deck to bump-in for what would be Nikon’s biggest product launch of the year.

The Pool and Penthouse were decorated to project a big and bold message: I AM Innovative, I AM Unique.  Everything was clean, crisp and shiny, with the sun’s reflection really emphasising the white and yellow theme that Zing had splashed around the pool area.

 

We had real life moving sets so the media could test the camera there and then.  The models were beautifully styled and the whole dazzling visual looked like something out of a magazine shoot. As I watched the group of male Capoeira dancers, who would act as our live performing set, stretch and limber up in nothing but a pair of tight, white pants I found myself stopping (for a little longer than necessary) to appreciate real, raw talent (ahem!).

 

At 2pm the models took their places; a family lounged by the pool, a group of stylish friends sat and chatted by the bar and the Capoeira dancers were positioned conveniently in the eye-line of every single woman in the venue - much to the pleasure of the female Ivy staff! With media poised eagerly in the penthouse suite—iPads, smartphones and laptops at the ready to tweet to the world— a presentation at 2 o’clock (and not a second before) officially launched the magnificent Nikon 1 camera.

 

The media flocked down to the pool area to get their hands on this new, sexy product and try it out for themselves with the help of our live sets and some product ambassadors. The kid models were especially cute, loving their fun day out in the pool and enjoying the focal point of the venue- a giant inflatable swan (naturally).

 

 

Handing out Nikon goodie bags in the now warm afternoon sun I lusted over the trays of canapés and Pimms, which were being passed around, and we all quickly realised that we’d not eaten all day. Everybody had worked so hard to ensure the smooth running of the event, and despite very sore feet and a grumbling stomach I felt really honoured to be part of something this big so early on in my step into PR.

 

I was amazed at how gracefully the PR and Experiential Events side of Zing were able to blend to create a wonder-team with expertise in all the right places, and couldn’t wait to see what more they had up their sleeves!

 

But first, there was a small matter of the Nikon 1 launch party to attend that night at the equally glam The Mint, where all Zingers could let their hair down and fill their glasses up, after a really successful day.

 

Roll on the next! 

Laura Cairnduff is an intern at Zing

Want to work at Zing?

We are looking for a passionate and talented senior account director/account director to join the PR team.

With at least five years proven PR experience agency side or in-house, you’ll be heading up an enviable stable of brands in a fast paced agency.  

You’ll enjoy having a considerable amount of autonomy and working with an energetic and hungry team.  This is a hands-on role for a senior account director/account director who likes to get stuck in and loves using their creativity to get big campaigns off the ground.

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, a sense of urgency and a positive can do attitude are a must.  You’ll know the Australian media inside out and have excellent contacts.  You’ll also be a digital native with a number of successful online campaigns under your belt.

If you are looking for a move to a vibrant, dynamic and philanthropic consumer PR agency with a truly diverse and high profile client portfolio, then please send your CV to claire@zing.net.au.

Tis the Season…..For A Zing Christmas Luncheon at Astral

 
With the temperature growing steadily warmer as Christmas draws closer, I’ve been finding it difficult to get into the holiday spirit. Others used to the holidays in a cold climate will agree that it’s somewhat unsettling to hear Christmas carols on the beach, or see Christmas lights blinking over sun-baked porches instead of snowy rooftops. To me, it wasn’t beginning to look or feel a lot like Christmas in the slightest. That is, until Zing’s fabulous Christmas luncheon on December 7^th kicked off that unmistakable holiday feeling.

 

Astral was the destination of choice for our celebration this year. Actually, more specifically, we settled for nothing less than the Astral Private Dining Room, and a 5-course luncheon serving up everything from marinated king salmon to jurassic quail with spinach puree to an armadei chocolate dessert. And of course, the champagne was flowing. Our dining room was on a deck overlooking a beautiful expanse of glittering Sydney water, with surrounding glass walls showcasing views to rival some of the best in the world.

 

We all enjoyed a couple (ok, several) glasses of champagne on the roof before heading into the dining room for a delicious holiday lunch. Being Zing, we couldn’t let the day go by without handing out a few well-deserved awards to some lucky staffers—among them sky diving passes for the more intrepid among us. We also bid goodbye to one long-time staffer who is off travelling, as well as welcoming some new faces to the Zing team with toasts and presents. And for the grand finale everyone presented Preya with a carefully compiled book documenting Zing’s ten years as a leading PR firm, showcasing countless pictures of memorable times over the years just like this one. 

 

That’s the thing about the holidays—there’s always an excuse for a party, and there’s always presents and surprises (especially when you work at Zing!) These surprises continued after lunch in the (in)famous Star City Casino, where money was to be won and laughter was to be had. I may just be coming around to a summertime Christmas after all, at least when it’s celebrated Zing-style…