Tag Archives: Worldcom

Personal Branding, Responsibility and Best Practices in PR on the Agenda

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Leading international PR partnership in EMEA region invites its young PR and communication consultants to a meeting for professional development in Budapest on 12-14 September

Personal branding and responsibility, career building and best practices in PR are on the agenda at the 2. Annual Worldcom Youth Meeting in Budapest. A three days event gathers young consultants representing Worldcom PR Group agencies in the EMEA region.

”We firmly believe that the young public relations professionals working for the partner agencies of Worldcom PR Group EMEA region provide us with a huge potential. This is why we started the Young Professionals Program two years ago,” says Andras R. Nagy, Managing Director of Probako Communications and responsible of Young Professional at the board of Worldcom PR Group EMEA.

”We want to activate and motivate young talents by organising cross border activities like an EMEA wide video contest and the annual Youth Meeting. We invite young PR professionals from all over Europe to these special workshops to receive a short but highly specialized and tailor made training”, Andras Nagy explains.

Experienced professionals like Dr Péter Benjámin Tóth, communications executive of Artisjus, Hungarian Bureau for the Protection of Authors’ Rights and training company Menedzsmentor shared their insights with the young consultants.

One of the focal points of the meetings are real life tasks. Each year a well-known organization, institute or company gives a short brief to the young professionals who have approximately half a day to draft campaign ideas. This year the brief comes from NNG, a leading navigation solution provider headquartered in Budapest.

“NNG operates in many European and overseas markets. It is always a challenge to act and communicate locally in those markets, so this is a unique opportunity for us to see how these European professionals approach our issues”, says Imre Dózsa, Head of Marking Communications at NNG.

Andras Nagy sees this competition as one of the most interesting parts of the three day event. ”The Young Professionals Program as a whole shows we are ready to invest on our young talents. It also provides our partnership with a recruiting advantage”, he concludes.

The feedback of last year’s meeting was encouraging. According to Marina Caño Galindo from Barcelona based LF Channel the experience helped her to learn how other countries work in PR. ”I’ve also learned that teamwork is necessary and essential to create PR campaigns”, she said.

LFChannel-Worldcom PR Group EMEA_Youth Meeting 2012

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Global Survey Shows Independent Public Relations Firms Experiencing a Surge in New Business

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Global Survey Shows Independent Public Relations Firms
Experiencing a Surge in New Business


Barcelona. January 2012 – Independent communications firms worldwide are starting off the year in better business shape than 2011, according to recent results announced today from a Worldcom Public Relations Group (Worldcom) survey. As the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations firms, Worldcom reported most partner agencies polled forecast hiring new staff and have already experienced an increase in business and budgets as they begin the new year.

“Professional service firms worldwide are leading the pack when it comes to new hires and business growth for 2012,” said Matt Kucharski, chair of Worldcom Public Relations Group and senior vice president of Padilla Speer Beardsley. ”We are seeing the same trend reflected by our Worldcom partners across all regions.”

Worldcom Public Relations Group surveyed CEO’s from national and international partner agencies servicing clients ranging from small to mid-sized businesses to Fortune 50 companies.

The survey indicates a high percentage of new business growth in the technology, consumer, healthcare, and professional and financial service sectors; with steady growth in travel and leisure, transportation, energy, and government markets also anticipated.

The Worldcom Public Relations Group survey tapped more than 100 firms from three regions: Asia/Pacific, Europe/Middle East/Africa and North and South America on 2011-2012 business trends. Survey responses include:
- More than 76% of firms surveyed have recently hired new staff to support new business or intend to hire in Q1 of 2012.
- 67% of firms have started off 2012 in better financial/business shape than 2011.
- More than 64% of firms saw a notable surge in new business activity at the end of 2011.

-more-

“What our Worldcom partners are reporting globally indicates markets are growing across a broad range of industries and businesses,” said Dorothy Pirovano, chair of Worldcom’s Americas Region and CEO of Public Communications Inc., Chicago. “We are finding clients to be much more optimistic moving into 2012 than they were a year ago, and while there is still some caution, there seems to be far more confidence.”

According to the survey, businesses across all sectors exhibited greater confidence in market opportunities and the value of public relations, retaining more agencies on an annual contract rather than project-by-project basis. The survey was fielded in December 2011.

About Worldcom PR Group

Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 107 offices in 93 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through The Worldcom Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate. Visit www.worldcomgroup.com for more information.


Press Information:

Press Office Worldcom PR Group EMEA:

LF Channel SL

Flor Calveiro
fcalveiro@lfchannel.com
Tel: +34 93418 81 51
Twitter: @LFChannel_EN
www.lfchannel.com

Global Survey Shows Independent Public Relations Firms Experiencing a Surge in New Business (122)

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“Losing the L-Word” by DuetsBlog

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Losing the L-Word



Okay, nobody wants to be a “loser,” unless, of course, you happen to be the biggest one, but that’s beside the point, because that’s not the L-word I’m talking about today.

No, I’m talking about a much more traditionally positive L-word, as in ”leader,” but as I learned earlier this week, at an excellent breakfast seminar hosted at Padilla Speer Beardsley (PSB) headquarters in Minneapolis, entitled “Thinking Local in EMEA: The Next Wave in European Program Execution,” if you’re a U.S. company doing or wanting to do business in the EMEA, and if you want to succeed or have a winning strategy there, you should strongly consider losing the “leader” word in your branding and corporate communications. It just doesn’t sell well there, especially coming from a U.S. company.

Apparently just about everyone purports to be the leader, of at least something. It is apparently perceived as a very over-used and tired term there – one that offers no differentiation, and perhaps, even a bit of alienation of those you might be trying to reach.

It kind of reminds me of Duets GuestBlogger Nancy Friedman’s previous recommendation to avoid the tired and meaningless P-word in branding communications. And, don’t forget to avoid the D-word for entirely another, yet important reason.

Another take away for me from the seminar was the importance of not ignoring or losing a “local” touch, when it comes to refining a U.S. company’s communications in the EMEA.

Probably the most laughter during the seminar came during Patrik Schober’s answer to my question about what pitfalls exist for those in regulated industries who want to use social media in the EMEA, when he revealed that “lawyers are not social!” Corinna Voss confirmed that the legal community is highly regulated and unable to advertise or promote themselves, so they generally avoid the use of social media.

She also offerred that medical device and pharmaceutical companies will typically avoid regulatory problems in using social media by focusing their communications on non-product information of interest to their targets, and she agreed with Matt Kucharski’s comment that they seem to focus on topics that demonstrate ”thought leadership” — presumably on the theory that this kind of leader is accepted there.

Many thanks to Matt Kucharski, Senior Vice President of PSB, who did a very nice job of “leading” and moderating a dynamic panel discussion with Corinna Voss (of Munich-based HBI Helga Bailey GmbH, Imma Folch Lazaro (of Barcelona-based LF Channel S.L.), and Patrik Schober (of Prague-based PRAM Consulting).

Come to think of it, I’m not sure this L-word is any more differentiating in the U.S., with more than 800 live trademark applications and registrations containing the term.

How would you communicate leadership without using the L-word?



This post was provided by DuetsBlog and written by Steve Baird. To see the original article click here

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Well, I’ve Now Been To Spain….

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Well, I’ve Now Been To Spain…

“Well, I’ve never been to Spain
But I kind of like the music…”

- Three Dog Night

Well, I’ve now been to Spain and I really do like the music.  I just got back last Friday from two weeks there where I attended the Worldcom Public Relations Group’s Annual Group Meeting in Madrid, conducted client planning sessions with our Barcelona-based partner and generally ate and drank my way through two dynamic cities. In the same fashion as the tasty small dishes known as tapas, here is a selection of small bites from the journey.

A Different Kind of Multinational

With 107 partner offices in 91 countries spanning six continents not to mention thousands of employees, and many, many millions of dollars of combined revenues, the Worldcom Public Relations Group stacks up very against the world’s largest public relations firms.  The Worldcom advantage, of course, is that clients receive best of breed service from leading agency minds in any given locale as opposed to having to accept less with other solutions.  It was great to see the combined strength of the organization on display at the meeting where we focused on further strengthening service across ever-changing geographical, geopolitical and cultural boundaries.

Continue reading →

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Worldcom PR Group: The Tour 2011

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Worldcom EMEA PR agencies travelled to the US to share information & experiences with American companies on how EMEA markets need to be approached differently and the common mistakes that US companies make when they go global in Europe. The tour was developed together with Worldcom American partners.

Los partners que participaron son:

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Worldcom EMEA Survey on PR trends reveals that traditional media still plays a key role

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Worldcom EMEA Survey on PR trends reveals that traditional media still plays a key role


Worldcom PR Group EMEA has conducted its first PR Trends Survey, with the participation of 17 European agencies. The results show that even if social media has gained relevancy for connecting with the audience, “traditional” media still plays its part.

Barcelona, March 1, 2011– Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s leading network of independently owned public relations counseling firms, has announced the results of its first survey on PR trends in Europe.

The study shows several similarities between European countries. For example, when a new client is launching a product for the first time in a specific market, all agencies have said that dailies are still very important. Nevertheless, they’ve all agreed on the fact that newswires, magazines, TV/radio and bloggers should also be invited. For a fashion and cosmetics announcement, bloggers can be more relevant than dailies.

If the client is visiting the agency’s country for the first time and has no local offices, the most recommended events are one-to-one interviews, or a breakfast / lunch meeting with a group of local media. But then sub-regions show different preferences towards this: Southern Europe agencies would still organize a press conferences in one city but do not recommend social events, while in Central Europe visits to editors are well received. Northern European PR Pros would organize either a breakfast / lunch or a social event, and only Eastern Europe agencies recommend to cover more than one city when organizing a press conference.

Across Europe, consumer goods’ press conferences are the ones that can expect the biggest number of attendees (about 24), while Pharmaceutical events are the ones with less quantity of attendees (less than 10). There are also significant differences depending on the country. For example, the number of people attending a press conference in the technology industry is around 20 in Southern and Eastern Europe while in Northern and Central Europe this will be less than 10. In the consumer goods industry we can find as much as 40 attendees in Southern Europe and as less as 5 in Northern Europe.

Concerning meetings and tradeshows that imply travelling, Southern European agencies explain that in their region journalists will not travel if their expenses are not covered, while in Northern Europe 4 out of 10 journalists would still travel on their own expenses. Most countries have said that they need press releases to be translated into their local language in order to distribute them to the press, except for Portugal: here journalists would prefer to receive press releases in English instead of Brazilian Portuguese.

Overall, 29,4% of agencies would recommend Facebook for a B2B campaign. This practice is more popular in Eastern Europe, where 75% of agencies encourage this, and totally unpopular in Northern Europe, where nobody recommended it. Concerning Twitter, most agencies (70,6%) have said that less of 25% of the journalists in their country use it as a professional tool.

“This is a very interesting survey, as it allows us to learn more about common PR trends in Europe, and also about key differences. Each country counts with specific local characteristics that make it unique. In consequence, the way of doing a same announcement even in neighbour countries can vary significantly”, said Imma Folch, Worldcom EMEA Marketing Chair.

The purpose of this survey was to identify differences between regions when dealing with media. Worldcom PR Group has analyzed media trends across Europe in the following market sectors: Tourism; Public Affairs; Pharmaceutical; IT, Technology and Electronics; Health; Fashion and Cosmetics; Food and Beverage and Consumer Goods.

This survey was done in December 2010, and counted with the participation of 17 agencies based in Central Europe (Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria), Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovenia and Turkey), Northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom) and Southern Europe (France, Italy, Spain and Portugal).

About Worldcom PR Group

Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 109 offices in 95 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through The Worldcom Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate. Visit www.worldcomgroup.com for more information.

Worldcom EMEA currently comprises 34 agencies with strong expertise in consumer, healthcare, travel & tourism, technology, energy & environment, financial services, investor relations, public affairs and crisis & issues management. Clients include Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Panasonic, Sony Ericson, LG Electronics, the EU Anti-Tobacco Campaign, Verbatim and Palm. Visit www.worldcomprgroupemea.com for more information.

Press Information:

Press Office Worldcom PR Group EMEA:

LF Channel
Flor Calveiro
Email: fcalveiro@lfchannel.com
Twitter:@WorldcomEMEA
Tel: +34 93 418 81 51
http://www.lfchannel.com

Worldcom EMEA Survey on PR trends reveals that traditional media still plays a key role (195)


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LF Channel celebrates its fifteenth anniversary and faces new projects in 2011

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LF Channel celebrates its fifteenth anniversary and faces new projects in 2011


After more than a year as head of the EMEA marketing area for Worldcom, the Spanish marketing and communications agency celebrates its 15th anniversary with the aim of expanding its services and performance throughout the market.

Barcelona, February 23, 2011 – LF Channel, a full-service agency with added value in communications and marketing, is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary enhancing its services and strengthening its presence in new markets.

Founded in February 1996, the agency’s main goal was and still is using the formula of combining and creating synergies between the areas of marketing and communications, to communicate, educate, and inform through their passion for service. LF Channel has spent 15 years creating, developing, and implementing successful strategies in order to increase the quality of sales, image, and market share of its customers, mainly in sectors such as technology and consumer products.

LF Channel, which has a long experience in the technology market, has now expanded its services to the pharmaceutical and consumer health markets, as part of its process of opening up new market segments.

Among the main services LF Channel offers these include strengthening:

  • Communication and Events. Using 2.0 tools that complement the plans and comprehensive communication strategies of their clients
  • Online Marketing. Through the in-house training courses:

  1. Development of a basic plan for online marketing: Develop and define a plan for optimizing online marketing investment with clear objectives that can range from the capture leads to direct sales.
  2. Joomla Web Development workshop course: Create, manage and optimize one of the most used web content manager.
  3. The keys to a successful website: Get the most out of investment, usability and SEO.
  4. Management of Social Networks in the company: Managing social networks as tools for brand placement on the Internet.
  5. Social Media Reputation Program: Take the best decision on where to be present as a company or what communication channels create a higher level of recognition to obtain the best return on investment (ROI)

  • Strategic market consulting. Offering support in negotiations with wholesalers and distributors, or by quantitative and qualitative studies ad hoc designed for each specific customer and market.
  • Field Marketing. Using innovative tools that adapt to the times at the moment of a sale or merchandising.

Since 2009, LF Channel has been the head of the EMEA marketing area for Worldcom Public Relations Group. The Spanish agency has been a member of this professional association of public relations and communications since 2007, which has allowed the management of communication strategies for Spanish companies in different countries and expanded its influence in various international markets such as Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, France, United Kingdom or Russia.

“We are very proud of the quality level achieved by the work of the LF Channel team during this stage of the company. Our line of action is to keep improving with and for our customers, expanding our range of services with the same professionalism and involvement that characterizes us,” said Imma Folch, General Manager of LF Channel and Marketing Chair of Worldcom EMEA.

For more information about the online services offered by LF Channel, please visit: www.lfchannel.com

About LF Channel

LF Channel is a marketing and communications agency with 15 years of industry experience, specializing in developing and implementing comprehensive plans that suit the different needs of each client and market.The company’s main objective is to serve its clients with a number of vital tools to enhance the quality and quantity of their sales, market share, and image, allowing them to grow and evolve in an increasingly competitive and dynamic sector.

LF Channel has more than 40 specialists working, who are distributed among the various corporate communication disciplines: public relations and communications, marketing and event management.

LF Channel is part of Worldcom Public Relations Group, an international network of independent agencies, and is an active member of Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA).

LF Channel
Raúl García
Email: rgarcia@lfchannel.com
Tel: +93 418 81 51
http://www.lfchannel.com

LF Channel celebrates its fifteenth anniversary and faces new projects in 2011 (186)


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LF Channel audits and advises its clients about their reputation in social media

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LF Channel audits and advises its clients about their reputation in social media


Through the Social Media Reputation program, clients can make the best decision on where to have an appearance or which communication channels to create, enhancing its level of recognition and obtaining the best return on investment.

Barcelona, January 26, 2011 – LF Channel, a full-service agency with added value in communications and marketing, has launched its new Social Media Reputation service that allows the clients to know a user’s activity, such as the where, when, and how, on social media in relation to their company. This is defined as social mapping. This service provides the necessary information that allows a customer to make the best decision on where to be present in social networks or which communication channels to create to achieve their desired position.

The actions on social networks require setting clear objectives and to define the best return on investment is particularly useful to know the image of the company that runs the networks, which requires a distinct analysis from the traditional metrics. Therefore, the methodology proposed by LF Channel involves a first phase that analyzes the statements and conversations that are generated from a brand, company or person, in different mediums of social media (Facebook, Microblogging, Bloggers, YouTube and Flickr). In this phase, the messages sent by the client and what others say about it can be tabulated.

In the second phase, a small comparative study of major competitors or references that may attract similar desired demands is conducted. And finally, once all data is collected and tabulated, LF Channel advises the client to make the best decision when choosing the best communication strategy and which online-marketing activities to continue, while focusing on the diverse target audience.

The qualitative and quantitative analysis of Social Media Reputation service about visibility and quality of information that moves across the network can be done both nationally and internationally. It pays special attention not only to the strengths highlighted by the users, but also to all “unwanted” messages by the client to make a subsequent monitoring and control of them.

“Now days, it is vital to utilize in a strategic form the information that provides us with the tools for media analysis and social networks and this allows us to define how we will build our presence in them. The ability to show that there is a team after a brand or product can allow the gain of proximity, closeness and trust, which helps maintain a direct dialogue and interaction with users or potential clients. The aim is to build trust and create a loyalty program that will maintain, as well as, attract new audiences, “said Jofre Folch, Director of Online Marketing Channel LF.

For more information about the online services offered by LF Channel, please visit: www.lfchannelonline.com

About LF Channel

LF Channel is a marketing and communications agency with 15 years of industry experience, specializing in developing and implementing comprehensive plans that suit the different needs of each client and market. The company’s main objective is to serve its clients with a number of vital tools to enhance the quality and quantity of their sales, market share, and image, allowing them to grow and evolve in an increasingly competitive and dynamic sector.

LF Channel has more than 40 specialists working, who are distributed among the various corporate communication disciplines: public relations and communications, marketing and event management.

LF Channel is part of Worldcom Public Relations Group, an international network of independent agencies, and is an active member of Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA).

LF Channel
Raúl García
Email: rgarcia@lfchannel.com
Tel: +93 418 81 51
http://www.lfchannel.com

LF Channel audits and advises its clients about their reputation in social media (178)


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When simple is clever

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One of the benefits of being members of the Worldcom PR Network is the incredbibly talent people you get to meet. David Grossman is the President of Worldcom’s University.  I receive a newsletter with very valuable information for my work in communication and PR. Today I want to share a very simple post, but very very inspiring:

I’m Not Kidding: Three Steps to be a Better Listener

At a recent kid’s story time event at the local bookstore, I overheard its storyteller with directions for the toddlers. “Before we get started, what do we need to do?” she said in her kid-friendly voice, reminding attendees of the rules of story time (complete with helpful gestures perfect for the 2- to 4-year olds and their parents).

Together, they all said:

  1. Open your ears
  2. Close your mouth
  3. Eyes on me

Brilliant, I thought. These three strategies can work for anyone who needs to listen, or who wants to improve their listening skills. It’s amazing that much of what we learn as kids can translate to the workplace, and often how quickly we forget simple but powerful principles that could make life at work a whole lot better.

- David Grossman

I encourage you to read David Grossman’s blog!

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Worldcom commited to the Young

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The network Worldcom has specific programs focused on our young workers, managed by the Worldcom Future Generation Group, giving them an opportunity to exchange experiences and lead initiatives related to 2.0 in their respective agencies. One of the most successful programs is the exchange program between agencies. In this way, the young don’t only receive additional information about communication, they also get to live immersed in other culture helping to expand their international character.

Recently, Eszter Szalkai from the Hungarian agency PROBAKO has visited and worked in HBI, German agency based in Munich. Eszter describes her stay in this way:

 

Dear Partners,

Thanks to the Worldcom Exchange Program I had the opportunity to work together with this fantastic team for two weeks in Munich. I arrived from the Budapest-based agency Probako Communications. This was the first time my agency took part in the staff exchange program, but I have received so much from this opportunity that I am sure we will continue participating.

The program is not only useful for learning from foreign PR specialists, getting an insight into the media landscape they are working in and exchanging ideas with them, but it is also a good opportunity for building a stronger connection with other member agencies.

I can warmly recommend you as well to participate in this program, because it is such a great opportunity for your young PR specialists from which they can profit a lot in the future.
Since the easiest way we can learn from each other is to work together.

I hope one day we can serve as a host for your colleagues. J

Warm regards,
Eszter

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