Congratulations are in order!

The very nature of public relations often calls for us to look for the silver lining. In the spirit of this approach, we'd like to celebrate some small businesses that are doing well, despite the tough economic climate. Sure, we're well aware that the country is enduring a recession. And yes, we also appreciate the ramifications that this situation has had on thousands of New Zealanders, and don't for one second wish to be flippant about this. But, we believe, now, more than ever, it's important to congratulate some of the people and businesses who are bucking the trend, are growing from strength-to-strength and will hopefully become well-known and loved Kiwi brands.

Blunt Umbrellas www.bluntumbrellas.com is a great example of our number 8 wire attitude. Inspired by the idea to take a traditional design and make it better, this product is receiving some great publicity and is no doubt destined to win some design awards. In the food arena, Tasty Pots is a delicious and nourishing new meal solution that has been hugely well received by our media delivering unprecedented coverage for a pr shop foodie client. Perhaps it's the heart-warming lunches, courtesy of Tasty Pots that has inspired us into action! Kidzspace www.kidzspace.co.nz is another example of a small business that is spreading its branches. This fabulous children's furniture business has just opened a second store in Takapuna on the strength of demand from parents on the North Shore.

These young businesses are launching and indeed flourishing in spite of current conditions, and we believe the reason for this is three-fold. Firstly, each business focuses on delivering exceptional service and top quality products, something that consumers insist on when cash is tight. Secondly, they each have people at the helm who are believe so strongly in what they are doing that they won't take no for an answer. They are committed and determined to succeed, and so they shall. Lastly, they appreciate the benefit of putting a spotlight on their product or service to generate some positive, well-placed media exposure. Now don't take this as a shameless piece of self-promotion. It's not (ok, so maybe just a little bit). But it's a simple fact that when times are tough, people are going to be more careful about how they part with their cash. Not only will they insist on top quality and expect great service, but also the real secret is letting them know about your product and convincing them that they need it, through the power of an editorial endorsement. That's the beauty of PR. And the best bit? It's considerably more credible and affordable then advertising, so the businesses can feel more comfortable and confident when parting with their cash too.

the pr shop is proud to announce the launch of a delicious new Twinings tea especially created to get New Zealand off to a great start every morning.

Inspired by the magic of birdsong in the bush as day breaks, Twinings New Zealand Breakfast Tea is now available in-store nationwide. It is the creation of Nelson local Andrew Fenemor who won the Twinings New Zealand Breakfast Tea Challenge in April.

The competition -- a world-first for Twinings -- challenged people to create a blend of tea that captured the essence of New Zealand. Around 250 people submitted entries using the Twinings range as a base, which then went to a judging panel that included Stephen Twining, 10th generation of the Twinings family, New Zealand Master Tea Taster and Blender Matt Greenwood, Paul Henry, Kate Hawkesby, Celia Harvey and Dr Laurence Eyres.

Fenemor’s flavoursome blend came out on top with judges describing it as “brilliantly unique.” In May, Fenemor travelled to London where he met with Stephen Twining and the Twinings Tea Masters who helped him fine-tune his blend. The result is a full-bodied, satisfying blend with generous malty flavours.

To help with the launch of this exciting new tea we handled the pr for the sneak preview supermarket samplings held by Stephen Twining, this included getting Auckland City Mayor John Banks along to help serve tea! We also arranged a morning tea party at the British High Commission in Wellington.

We were lucky enough to try the tea as soon as the ship docked in the country - you should have seen us swear the couriers to secrecy... Now it's your turn to try it - let us know what you think!

I am a fan of all things homemade. This was not always the case, maybe because until the age of ten I was forced to wear homemade outfits by my mother with a tag proudly announcing it was “Homemade with LOVE”. A sure sign for bullying!

But these days’ arts, crafts are not only for your Grandma! Everything homemade is cool – particularly as mass produced items get looked down upon due to a perceived lack of individuality. I was recently in my element at The Auckland Arts and Crafts Fair -a true representation of all the talent we have locally. Gummy Bear pendants, old-fashioned plates with quotes painted on them, candles in teacups, handmade postcards were just some of the goodies on display. I walked away with a handmade journal, postcards and a nifty Alice in Wonderland bookmark.

Craft has also found a home online! The handmade markets are open 24/7.
Some of my favourite websites to find these unique goodies online include:
www.etsy.com
www.madeit.com.au

Luckily for me, I get to promote the Craft & Quilt Fair which will be in Hamilton on 10-12th September and Christchurch 17-19th September. The fair has over 50 exhibitions containing all things crafty including quilting! Quilting has definitely come back into fashion, but isn’t a talent I have mastered yet. Seeing images of the quilts that will be on display makes me realise just how talented these women – young and old - are and I’ll be sure to give it a go over the next few weeks!

Achieving TV News

When you have been in PR as long as we have it is nice to remind yourself of the buzz of achieving great coverage for a client. We were lucky to have one such experience on TV One news – a quirky angle, a snappy product design and a bloody good sell in and we had a story to make us proud. It just so happened we were all TV side watching it as a team, which made the success that much sweeter – the link is here for you to enjoy http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/revolutionary-umbrella-deemed-unbreakable-3625030

Real Food - Literally

After many years specialising in food and drink PR I have witnessed a lot of food trends that have come and gone – organics, anti-carbs, gluten free and low glyceamic and FINALLY, a food trend is appearing that I can feel passionate about. Real food. Food that is served with honesty and integrity. Food that is not purported to make you thin, smarter or shave hours off your day, but food that is made with natural ingredients no added anything and tastes just like nana used to make. Homemade tasting food is what we need to be craving and while there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to spend concocting delicious recipes in the kitchen I applaud all those manufacturers who are creating incredible food that not only make my life easier but my food tasty and appetising (and allow me – on rare occasions – to pass it off as my own). Kohu Road, Tasty Pots, Country Culinaire – you know who you are – take a bow and may many more enter the fray as they’ll be on my shopping list.

Fiji Baby!

I just returned from a 10 day break in Fiji and apart from the enlightenment of staying still and filling my days with sun, sea, books and beer, I was thoroughly inspired by the latest on-pack promotion gracing the shelves of New World supermarket in Rakiraki (not related to our own version).

Practical, risky and honest - made me think about all the trouble marketing managers go to developing on-pack promotions that whet the appetites of the technologically savvy primary household shopper, Mwah - just give em a tool and strap it to the side! Priceless. I bought three.

Five years of business

Well the pr shop has made it through a recession and had a coming of age on Sunday 4th July. Our 5th birthday celebrations were insular (well it was the weekend) and involved a wicked combination of champagne, cocktails, tequila, karaoke, an ejection from a bar and a few hangovers the next day. The shop is officially feeling a year older and ready to kick some PR butt over the next 5 years. It’s definitely a rollercoaster running a business, but a rollercoaster Sal and I are happy to be on.

Stow Happy to Meet You

Our team has been expanding nicely lately and we’ve welcomed another new "shopper" into the fray. Katie Stow comes to us from a largely journalism and editing background (including Pulp Magazine and the Herald on Sunday, where she won a Qantas Media Award for her fashion and beauty pages). She has also worked in consumer beauty PR at Product Placement before she took off to live in tropical North Queensland for 18 months. Clearly New Zealand’s cold dark winters have a mysterious appeal because she came back, adopted a cat and has been writing ebooks previously to joining us. She’s excited to put her PR hat back on and once again shift back to “the other side”, already demonstrating award-winning (clap in the office) writing skills.

Hello Australia!

the pr shop launched in Oz in March, and when I say launched, yes I do mean like a rocket. The pace hasn’t let up and thankfully neither has the trajectory, and things in the pr shop’s Sydney office (a fabulous space in the equally fabulous Surry Hills thank you very much) are busy, busy, busy!

the pr shop’s Australian operation is now in full effect and there are lots of excited people as a result! Even my super cute puppy (featured above) tries to help out occasionally, often listening to my rambling brainstorming at the park every morning and night, although sadly his contribution to fabulous PR ideas tend to gravitate towards providing sticks and lamb chops as give-aways..

One particularly exciting initiative to take place since launching was the Pumpkin Patch late winter collection showing, which we held last month. With international pr shop hands on deck and the talents of PR extraordinaire Dana Edwards on tap, many a fashion editor and writer came by to view the latest in fashion forward children’s wear and meet with key Pumpkin Patch staff. The Australian media are loving the availability of Pumpkin Patch’s clothing for fashion shoots, which are now happening on a regular basis. More happy shoppers, more media coverage. That’s what we like! (And funnily enough, it’s what we’re good at!)

No Bullshit

our mantra is no bullshit - keeping it real, on the straight and narrow, straight up, honest - call it what you will - while it may sound simple to some, this mantra is surprisingly effective in our campaign to prove you don't need "spin" or "smoke and mirrors" to provide effective PR. If everyone operated on no bullshit terms in our industry imagine the time and energy that would be saved. No layers of deception, no hidden costs, no tip toeing around the real issue - just cutting straight to the heart of the issue and focusing on solutions not the problems. It ain't easy - it's amazing how naturally a little "false truth" can come to you in times of stress - but once exercised like a muscle the truth becomes easier to tell than the fiction. Of course there will always be the necessity to soften the blow from time to time - but we strive to operate in a friendly loving environment where people's feelings come first ... this is not about being harsh on a personal level, more upfront and honest in a professional sense so don't go asking us if we think your bum looks big!

Get into the Irish Spirit!

Today was St. Patrick's Day and we were up before the crack of dawn taking Philip Doyle, the main man representing Guinness in New Zealand (who just happens to be Irish), around radio stations for interviews. With a strong coffee in one hand, a cold Guinness in the other, an array of promotional gear in another person's hand and a giant Guinness-chocolate cupcake in the other (thank St Patrick we had an entourage), we visited 8 stations in 3 hours. No mean feat! Highlights included Philip doing a rap on Mai FM, reading the news on Hauraki, and hosting a special St. Patrick’s Day pub quiz on More FM.

All in all, a very successful start to St Patrick's Day and a lot of Guinness was consumed for breakfast as everyone got into the true Irish spirit! (except by us as we were working)

Pumpkin Patch

We are now working with this iconic Australasian childrenswear company and getting up to speed with what is hot in the world of small people's fashion - organic cotton for babes, boho and jeggings are in for gals and rugged jeans and sturdy jackets for boys - if only we sported mini sized bodies so we could try on some of the delightful numbers displayed in our office!!!

Advance Australia Fair

After a whole lot of research and considerable thought, the pr shop is making moves to conquer the world by opening an office in Sydney. We now have an office, two employees, an accountant, a bank account and a few clients to make the whole thing possible. First day of business will be 9 March so stay tuned for all the details..

No More Hiding!

After a year and a half in our shop being a little bit incognito - we have revealed ourselves with some very visible signage! Street presence? You betcha! No excuses for not popping in to say hi now!

Bangers and Beer

On Wednesday we had our annual client drinks, which were held right here at the pr shop. We realised our fancy bbq had only been used once, and considering it was still summer, thought that we could provide everyone with a banger and a beer!

Needless to say that just as the bbq fired up it started to pour down, but it didn’t dampen our spirits! A big thank you to Dawson’s catering – the food was fantastic and the friendly and efficient service was even better (Pippa wasn’t allowed back on the bbq after everyone ended up eating black sausages last year!). Thanks to those who came to celebrate with us - what a fabulous start to 2010!

TWININGS NEW ZEALAND BREAKFAST TEA CHALLENGE

We are so excited to be working on the Twinings New Zealand Breakfast Tea Challenge, where Kiwis get a chance to create their own perfect blend of tea, submit it for judging by an amazing panel including Paul Henry, Kate Hawkesby, Celia Harvey and Dr Laurence Eyres, who will choose ten finalists. The winner will travel to the UK to meet with the blend masters at Twinings to refine their blend and then the final product will go on sale across NZ.

We are getting lots of calls from all sorts of people - Trelise Cooper, Wendyl Nissen and Wallace Chapman to name a few who have all started blending their favourite cuppa so we know competition is going to be pretty strong!! All the tea lovers are coming out of the woodwork!!! Still time to enter if that's you - www.twinings.co.nz

NEW TEAM MEMBER

We have a new team member. She is a bright, young graduate who has already impressed us with her eye for detail, her ability to listen (a rarity) and ... well she laughs at our jokes so she's going to fit in just fine!

Alysha Dingle (Lysh) is a fulltime Junior Account Executive and be nice, her boyfriend is a copper. You'll get to meet her if you're coming along to our drinks on Feb 10th, and if not, say hi next time you call the shop.

Jingle Bells on Waiheke

The sleigh was a boat and the reindeer were the pr shop team but we touched down at Stonyridge Vineyards for a delightful lunch with the most stunning backdrop. Merry Christmas to all.