Introducing Curious George

Thanks to all who made it on Friday for our first office drinks party. The new BBQ sizzled, the sun streamed in so much we had to crack a bottle of sunscreen and the new pad was officially christened.  We think it made the perfect location for Friday drinks so for those of you who missed out - rest assured there will be a repeat!  It was terrific to show off our new window display brought to us by "Loved by Band".  This will change out regularly to entertain the masses (of people who frequent the Duchess Bakery next door!!). 

Introducing Curious George.... George (yes she's a girl), is the newest recruit at the pr shop. Despite recently graduating from the University of Otago with degrees in Law and History, George's long held captivation with reading, writing and chatting saw her shun her legal beginnings in favour of taking up a career in PR.  A self proclaimed aphorist (go on look it up!) with excesses of enthusiasm and imagination, George is a newbie to both the industry and the pr shop.  Make sure you all say hi next time you call or pop in. 

And farewell to Meticulous Mich .... When one chapter begins, another one ends.  After whipping us into shape and masterminding our recent seamless office move, Michelle is leaving us to embark on her next challenge - whipping Fairfax Sundays into shape.  We think it might take a bit more elbow grease than we required, but we have little doubt that she will quickly make her mark.  Thanks for all of your hard work Mich - we'll miss you!

Pippa 17?

Pippa got in touch with the youth of today at the Chris Brown & Rihanna concert last night.  Now why - you ask yourself - is this worth mentioning?  Because she got ID'd at the bar.  Nothing else to say. 

Sal turns 33

Sal celebrated her birthday in style this year with a few days of events to ensure she felt every little bit of the year older she became.  We kicked off the day before the official date with drinks at our new local with the pr shop team - the Corner Bar - they serve Pol Roger (our signature drink) so we'll be back.  Dinner at Jervois Steakhouse with Pippa where we were served by Raz, drank Mt Beautiful and dined on meat, more bubbles at the new Sale Street Brewery with a bit of dancing thrown in for good measure.  Friday was a slow start, but morning tea at our local cafe Arcadia sped things up with coffee and cake and then a bit of a shopping splurge at TK Store added a touch of elegance to the rest of the days proceedings.... and by all accounts Sal kept things in party mode for the rest of the long weekend.  Hip hip hooray.  

Red Carpet Girls

the pr shop took the red carpet by storm at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards on Wednesday night (8/10/08).  Well in our minds we did.  It was a star studded event and our client Gravity made the entrance for them all just a tad more exciting by putting on a visual feast of trapeze artists spinning around off rigging over the red carpet.  Pippa checked out the VIP media room where they were guzzling Gravity coffee to keep them on a high and Sal showed the teenagers a thing or two about how to behave in a mosh pit.  Turns out rock stars don't really behave like rock stars which was a little disappointing, but it was a very entertaining evening. And a pie tasted good the next day.  Go the new neighbours (Duchess Bakery). 

A New Shop for the pr shop

We survived the move in one piece and have already christened our gorgeous new office with some Pol Roger (PR). 

We've been making new friends in the neighbourhood, making ourselves known and leaving our mark, especially with Arcadia Cafe (such lovely people) and the Duchess Home Bakery (mmm delicious pies). 

Our new abode is light, airy and full of sunshine.  Drop in for a beverage when you're in the area, we'd love to see you!

Air Kisses All Round - Bell Tea does Fashion Week

Tea doesn't automatically spring to mind when you think Fashion Week, but tea it was when Bell Zesty Green sponsored the Hailwood Show at this year's Air New Zealand Fashion Week. 

Bell's foray into fashion is indicative of things to come for the Bell Tea Company - a New Zealand brand that is confident in its heritage, while looking to the future in fresh - and daring - ways. 

If you were there, you will have witnessed the seamless integration of Bell Zesty into the minds (and hands) of New Zealand's Fashionistas.  From the kooky moving projection of the Bell logo at the end of the catwalk, to the box of Bell Zesty Green placed in every VIP bag, and a limited edition Bell Tea mug specially designed for the event by Adrian Hailwood himself.  It was Bell Zesty all round, all night. 

Especially as Bell's involvement with the evening extended to Bell Zesty mojitos being served at the official after party.  Will we tell what happened there?  We think not! 

Mwah sweeties. 

Having had enough of staff outings celebrating weight loss and birthdays and all of the good we do we decided to have a bit of a blow out....just because we felt like it! We started off the evening's proceedings by visiting Sassi to have our nails manicured - sometimes it is good to be a woman!  We then headed to the Queens Head Tavern for a cheeky half (or two) and then it was shoes off for the sunken table at Kura Japanese Sake Bar.  After a 3 litre can of Asahi and a number of bottles of Seven laughs Sake - the five girls were laughing enough for seven and we departed for a bit of disco dancing in Ponsonby.  It is around this stage that things got a little fuzzy.  What goes on tour will definitely stay on tour.  The nails are now chipped and a little worn, but spirits are high and we all love each other just a little bit more. 

The only detail we can remember is that we have appointed Lydia Blatch as our new sustainable director - responsible for making the pr shop responsible.  Good luck with that Lyds.... ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!! 

Many of you may have come into contact with someone called Caroline in our office.  Now it is very unlike us to have not made a formal announcement, but we have been keeping her slightly under the radar.  She was a chance find at a time of turmoil (Shannon's departure) and so we have been contracting her services while we decide what to do in the long term.  So introducing - Caroline Morgan.  Caroline is 26, comes from a sales background, has a boyfriend called Stu (sorry fellas), is incredibly sporty - last night she won her basketball game in the final 38-35, is a bit of a fox and a tad on the quiet side, but we are slowly chipping away at that (as you can imagine).  Next time you are in - say hi!

Delicious Launches

the pr shoppers have had a very busy few weeks with lots of launches including: 

-   Griffin's ToffeePops Desserts 

-   Eta Crostini 

-   Huntley & Palmers Wafer Thin crackers 

-   August issue of MiNDFOOD

-   And a totally new brand - Solay 

The new Toffeepops come in three delicious flavours: Dark Chocolate & Orange (a pr shp favourite), Tiramisu and Banoffee Pie. 

Solay is all about taking small steps to a better you and the first of many new products to be launched under the brand include Multi-Grain crisps and Potato Crisps, both are free from MSG and preservatives and - most importantly - taste amazing. 

This issue of MiNDFOOD has Penelope Cruz on the cover and is all about how positive thinking can change your life - a tried and tested formula in our office! 

It's painfully obvious to us girls why we frequent the gym as much as we do, all that "sampling" in the name of "research", 

Pick up some samples next time you pay us a visit! 

There's something special about Shannon

It's the end of an era at the pr shop.  Shannon has left the building , and will soon be leaving the country on her big OE.  She has most certainly left behind big shoes to fill.  Shan (or Shappy, as she is affectionately known by the team) is quite simply, one in a million.  A bright, bubbly and infectiously enthusiastic member of the pr shop team, Shan has been here (almost) from the start, and has been integral in creating our special pr shop culture - producing outstanding results, while making it all look so easy.  We have many, many fond memories (thanks to all of those photos Shan!) and she will be sorely missed not just by us, but also her clients, suppliers and the media that Shannon considers her friends.  Our lives are richer for having you in them Shan - go wild in the UK and come back to us one day - we love you!

Independence Day

Well the pr shop turned three on Independence Day (4th July) and it was spectacular.  So much wine, so much fun, so much gossip! But we're not one to kiss and tell, so you really should have been there to get that goss first hand. 

We carried on celebrating a lot longer than the intended three hours but now, come Monday morning, it's business as usual. 

Thank you to all of you for your support over the last three years - we can't wait to show you what we're made of during the next three. Here's a photo of us looking glam (obviously a shot from early in the night - all others are censored!).

Bye Bye Kitty-Kat

Our gorgeous Kat is leaving us today for the sun in Tonga (holiday) and the chance to make her millions as an entrepreneurial jewellery designer.  I hear your screams of woe, but shut your mouth, because our Kat will still be around albeit in a contracting capacity.  We've decided on a boozy lunch to say our tearful goodbyes. 

On another note..... our 3rd birthday is fast approaching! We're excited, we're ready and we're gonna be drunk and dangerous.... watch this space. 

Look Even Better Naked

Well some of us are suckers for punishment, some of us fell off the wagon so hard we were back at square one and some of us just loved the feeling of looking better naked.  Whatever the reason - four of us have signed up for another six weeks of gruelling work outs, tight regimes, smaller glasses of wine and a whole lot of water.  This one is more of a personal quest so we won't be updating you quite so frequently, but we will be just as competitive as ever so the biggest loser will be announced! Stay Tuned. 

Michelle Starts & Pippa has a Birthday!

The times, they are a changing at The PR Shop. For starters, Pippa is one year older.  She's had a birthday and was uncharacteristically restrained with her exploits (even working on her birthday): there were no incidents to report, except some dancing on tables, apparently.  

We also have a new employee - Michelle - who joins us from SKY TV as our Office Manager. Michelle is wonderful, and to celebrate her joining the team as well as Pippa's birthday, we went out for a Bliss Reflexology treatment and a Japanese dinner.  The combination was a great one - everyone helped flush out the toxin's reflexology released with some Kirin beer.  All in the name of health we say...... 

Sweat and the City

Pippa and Sal were speechless (for all of 2 seconds) when they walked smack-bang into the middle of the English Rugby squad at Les Mills on Friday.  Bodies were being flung everywhere and you could smell the testosterone in the room.  The girls were in exercise heaven .... well, that's until Cindy made them do burpees in the midst of it all and they looked like complete idiots.  

Most of the lads were not so hot to look at, what with their cauliflower ears, but their accents were nice to listen to and their celebrity status made exercising amongst them a treat.  One guy lifted 120kgs.  That's a lot of weight and put Pip and Sal's 10kgs to shame.  We wished them luck on Saturday, but not too much luck of course! 

How to put the Zest back

Well we’re all feeling rather zesty at the pr shop with the launch of Bell’s new Zesty Green Tea and the Zest for Life Challenge.

To inspire and enthuse you to get off your backside, get healthy, drink loads of green tea and feel ridiculously good, the Bell Zesty Green Zest for Life Challenge offers a full nutritional questionnaire and health programme, designed by the lovely people at Real Nutrition.

Take a look at www.zestychallenge.co.nz to see how you can get back your zest for life with new Bell Zesty Green Tea (you might even win a prize).

We pride ourselves on finding people with spark, effervescence and enthusiasm for our pr shop team. Most would give up on using these criteria when looking for an accountant, but no not us.

Lovely Lynda comes into our office twice a week and sorts out our accounts, makes sure we get paid, that people pay us and plays with numbers while we stick to what we do and play with words. And then we find out that at the weekend, she jumped out of an airplane. Luckily with a parachute attached to her back. We were gob-smacked. Assume nothing when dealing with the financial sector. That is the lesson for the day.

End of Boot Camp, Boot Party

To thank everyone who sponsored and supported us during our six week Les Mills Boot Camp recently, we had an “End of Boot Camp, Boot Party last week.

We swapped our kilos cash and managed to raise more than $1000 for Oxfam!

The party also served as an excuse to show off our pretty new cars, and no, we didn’t all wear boots (although one client used it as an excuse to buy a new pair!).

We enjoyed nibbles and cold beer from the back of the Jeeps and ever had a random runner (pictured along with Sal and our PT, Cindy) stop for a refreshing beer on his run home!

P+S = PRS

As many of our clients will attest, Sally and Pippa are a force to be reckoned with. The duo are excited to announce that they are both now equal shareholders in the pr shop. The 50/50 partnership takes immediate effect and both have big plans for the business - so keep watching. The move reflects the unique relationship the pair has - a heady mix of energy, humour, hard work and perhaps most importantly, constant reminders not to take themselves or each other too seriously.

LBN is over!

It is official – we look better naked – and we even have a certificate to prove it!

After our little blow out in Week Four, we were all on best behaviour for the last two weeks leading up to the final weigh in.

Six weeks of intense trainings, no chocolate, no long lunches, no alcohol (ok well maybe a little bit!) and lots of carrots have paid off!

We are proud to announce that together we reached our goal and collectively lost 15kg. And that is no mean feat - 15kg is the same weight as 3 sacks of potatoes, 20 bottles of wine, or 441 crème eggs!!

More importantly, with the generous support of our clients, family and friends, by reaching our goal weight, we have raised $1000 for Oxfam.

And although we are all winners, we were all too competitive to leave it at that, so we also had a Biggest Loser prize for the pr shopper that made the biggest changes. Our “Biggest Loser” is Sally who lost 5kg and 20.7cm in the six weeks.

This has changed our lives and habits for the near future and hopefully, thanks to your support, our donation will help change lives on the other side of the world as well.

Again, we reiterate there will be no stripping, but we will be sipping (some wine) soon and we hope you can join us.

Giddy-up

Remember those TV ads with Mark Todd and Charisma showjumping their way over to a piping hot cup of Bell Tea? Well history repeated itself this weekend when Mark came out of retirement to compete at the Horse of the Year in Hastings. Pippa and I flew down for the day to see what all of the fuss was about.

Bell Tea have supported equestrian events since 1978, and, if my maths serves me correctly, that's a whopping 30 years, which is nearly my entire lifetime (plus or minus a couple of years). It's pretty impressive stuff.

There's nought as queer as horsey folk, that's for sure. We saw hundreds of them all dressed in funny tight pants and frantically cleaning their horses bums. Not being a farm gal, I've never quite understood it. Pippa however, used to ride horses as a girl (until she got flung off one, broke her arm, got rid of the horses and discovered the city). We even saw some clever horses that can dance to rock music. For real. Then, when we'd had enough of the big horses we checked out some small ones, and had the good fortune to meet Angel, a 3-month old miniature pony, who stole our hearts (even though she had way too much wax on her mane). So, while we didn't have to contribute to making the 10,000 cups of Bell Tea that were served, we got in amongst the action and got a feel for what it truly means to be a heartland brand.

Special thanks goes to Bill Ralston, our knight in a shining Sport Hawkes Bay car, who gave us a ride to the airport when it looked like we were going to miss our flight due to an overload of taxis. Grateful? You bet. Bill, you're a friend of the pr shop for life - there's some tea on it's way to you.

LBN - Week Four

Well it has to be said that we hit an all time low with our attempts to look better naked last week. Bought about by the stress of presenting to 100 people, launching a new magazine and generally getting fed up from surviving on protein shakes and thin air. The result was a blow-out on Thursday night after our Schmooze presentation where the entire pr shop team disco danced until the wee hours (well 1am, but that's a fair effort on a school night!). We were invited to the re-opening of Boogie Wonderland, which was a fine way to celebrate - by showing off some night fever body language of our own.

Needless to say that our personal trainer, Cindy, was none too impressed with our efforts, and didn't think that two hours of disco dancing counted as a cardio workout. So after a poor show with our training session on Friday (sweaty, hungover, bad form) we were reprimanded and told to swear off alcohol for the remaining two weeks. We've since decided that honesty is not always the best policy and have made a pact that what goes on tour, stays on tour. So we're not telling her about the Creme Egg, six beers, two burgers, bottle of wine and fruit covered in chocolate fondue that we collectively consumed over the weekend.

With just over a week and a half to go before that all important weigh-in, it's back to the celery sticks and water for us.

Schmoozing

Sally and I have always had a fear of public speaking – love a small group, but give us a crowd and stage and the performer in us usually shrinks away. Well – look out world – no longer. We faced this fear head on by presenting to a group of 100 young professionals at EMA Schmooze networking event last Thursday. And what pretty heads they were too – amazing what a professional blow dry, makeup, new outfits, professional lighting and a Madonna headset can do for a couple of girls! The topic was “How to Be Body Lingual in Business”, so we called upon our skills as communicators, our experiences in business settings, some brilliant visuals, cracking examples and our experienced media trainer Greg Ward to present a humorous (the audience laughed!), light hearted yet practical overview of how to get the upper hand (pardon the pun) in the work place. The crowd lapped it up – the sky is the limit. Check out event listings for the next Pippa and Sally show near you!

LBN - week three

It was a tough week - we were busy juggling frantic workloads with demanding lifestyles AND going to the gym three times - all while trying not to binge on chocolate and alcohol due to stress. Ironic that we were so busy with a client with the word food in it (see picture). There may have been a few hiccups but we are trouping on and you'll never guess what - the clothes are getting a little looser. We celebrated the end of the third week - halfway people - with a team outing to Katchafire at Zoo Music. Cindy - our PT- came along with her family too but we strategically planted her in front of us so she couldn't watch us nibbling on biscotti and swilling red wine out of plastic cups. We deserved it. We are on the downhill slide and hopefully that is where the rest of the weight is going too. Stay tuned for the date announcement of the binge and purge for all supporters, sponsors and US.

Live Life to the Limits

Some may believe this to be the motto of Pippa and Sally - lord knows we couldn't possibly fit another minute into our days. Others may know it as the strapline for Jeep. Well today the two collided in blissful harmony as we picked up our new company cars. We can now be seen around town in identical black Jeep Compass's- or lovingly referred to as the Compai - five star green rated diesel beauties. Now before you go harping on with lines like "clearly we are paying them too much" or "my aren't they getting flashy" please note that they should be sign written with the strapline "sponsored by Westpac". Celebrating our joint partnership in the fastest growing consultancy in the west (well we may have made that up but it sounds good) we decided we needed a bit more of an image around town - call it advertising! The branding is currently being developed -and will warrant it's own blog entry - but until then look out for PRSHOP and PRSH0P living life to the - legal - limits.

Confessions from the Look Better Naked Camp

Well… week two has been and gone and week two was confession time. So, here goes… pizza (two slices), more then 100mls of wine, a crème egg, corn fritters, a marshmallow egg and some mud cake. The culprit is all of us. And the punishment was bad: stair runs. Up the stairs and back down them again each carrying 10 kgs of weight. If that doesn’t motivate us to be good, what will?! Your support! So help motivate us by sponsoring us - and in return, we’ll buy you wine; more than 100mls, of course!

One week down

Well we survived week one. There were no tears, just a lot of sweat and we’re all feeling muscles we didn’t know we had. With the office cleared of anything that looks or smells remotely like yummy food, life at the pr shop is all about celery sticks and protein shakes. A few of us enthusiastically made silly pre-boot camp arrangements and went to the Devonport Food and Wine Festival, but couldn’t eat or drink anything at all, so you can imagine how much fun it was. Regardless we’re fired-up for another week of physical punishment with only 35 more sleeps till the challenge winner is announced. This week is confession time. Stay tuned.

What’s the skinny at the pr shop?

We're swapping cash for kilos - that's what!

Today the pr shop girls embarked on a 6-week boot-camp in the name of beauty and charity. The aptly named "Look Better Naked" programme is courtesy of Les Mills and combines an intense training programme with a strict, but incredibly healthy diet (yes, there will be carbs), in a bid to help shed those extra kilos gained during the Summer hols.

With a combined weight-loss target of at least 15kgs, we know that we've got some hard yards ahead of us, and to make it more interesting (and motivating), we're looking for sponsorship to swap our kilos for cash, which will be donated to Oxfam (www.oxfam.org.nz).

To make a donation, please let us know how much you'd like to sponsor us per kilo lost and we'll be in touch at the end of March to arrange payment. Of course there's absolutely no obligation to sponsor - we'd be just as happy to receive your support in the form of motivational phone calls, emails and txts, but please, save your dinner and drinks invitations until the end of March!



In the meantime, you can keep up with our trials, tribulations and weekly confessions right here. The photo is of Cindy, the pr shop personal trainer.

Here's to looking better naked!

pr shop Promotion!

Well we said 2008 was going to be great and it is off to a spectacular start.  In the first instance we are delighted to announce that Shannon Green has been promoted to Account Manager.  Shan has been with the business since July 2006 and has gone from strength to strength.  It has been a joy watching her develop into a fine consultant and we believe that this promotion will boost her confidence to even greater heights.  Look out world! 

Shop Opens For 2008!

Happy New Year to you all. We are of the view that regardless of Zodiac signs, symbols or tidal patterns, 2008 is going to be a cracker so brace yourselves!

the pr shop team put on their glad rags and scrubbed up for the annual Christmas lunch. If you were near the Viaduct on the 21st of December – we are sorry. Trust me when I say we looked nothing like the girls in the photo at the end of it!