Our intern Mandy gives her thoughts on PR and life at Publicity Engineers

Starting work at Publicity Engineers was something that made me feel excited but nervous at the same time, as the start date approached. But I needn’t have worried as the team took me under their wing and from the first day it felt like I had been there for months.

My first task, which was opening magazine wrappings and separating the rubbish from the recycling, can be seen by some as a tedious chore but I welcomed the jobs given to me, knowing as time went on I would be gaining more and more experience. PR is not something I have an extensive knowledge of, so gaining an insight to what Publicity Engineers do showed to me that although whilst clients they deal with do feature in many high end, luxury magazines, making the job seem very glamorous at times; it isn’t as easy as some can make out and you have to be prepared to work hard to meet deadlines and targets.

I was very happy to be asked to write a press release for a client of Publicity Engineers. However, after looking at templates of past press releases, I realised it would not be as easy as I thought. Although as an English literature undergraduate I enjoy writing, I did find it difficult to word the press release suitably for the client intended. After struggling through the first press release however, I found the next one given to me less daunting and with help from both Hannah and Sarah I am learning from mistakes I have made, allowing my writing to improve.

I have particularly enjoyed answering journalists’ queries and offering advice to their questions. Although I do not have much knowledge in terms of products which clients of Publicity Engineers offer, I did enjoy researching and using my own opinions and thoughts in helping answer their queries.

So far I am thoroughly enjoying my time here at Publicity Engineers, where everyone is so welcoming and helpful in all the tasks given to me to complete. Although I haven’t been here very long I am already considering a career path into PR, as I have already gained so much from this experience.

Mandy

News of the Twitter World

With the News International/Hackgate scandal dominating the headlines for the foreseeable future it seems only right to dedicate our next blog to the effect on the media. With yesterday’s dramatic developments and Jonnie Marbles’ meteoric rise to notoriety (incidentally, did anybody see his alleged final tweet before the pie episode? ‘It is a far better thing that I do now than I have ever done before #splat’) there is no hotter topic.

As much as I sympathise with Jonnie Marbles’ attitude towards the Murdochs I can’t help but be a little frustrated by his actions. Despite almost getting a shaving foam pie to the face, Rupert Murdoch must be absolutely delighted at the opportunity to appear as a victim of such an attack. Directly after the incident, Twitter was a-flurry with responses to the day’s events. As I use Twitter constantly for PR I couldn’t help but notice the topics that rocketed to the Top Trends in the UK, once again underlining for me the powerful position that Twitter holds in the media today. Indeed, directly after Murdoch’s admission that yesterday was the ‘most humble’ day of his life, the phrase ‘humble pie’ began trending almost immediately.

Countless articles have since emerged including The Guardian’s Twitter ‘sentiment’ analysis. Whilst attitudes towards the Murdochs and News International remains negative, Wendi Deng, the lightning fast wife and defender of Rupert Murdoch, has herself shot to fame, garnering an overwhelmingly positive response from Twitter users worldwide.

When such abhorrent incidents such as the actions of News International come to the fore, Twitter becomes the outlet for the general public (and protesters such as Jonnie Marbles) to vent their frustrations, express their disgust and seize their 15 minutes of fame. More and more journalists are turning to Twitter as a source for quotes and stories. The playing field has never been more level and the thoughts of Joe Public now matter in a way that was inconceivable 5 years ago.

All this is proof, to me, that Twitter really is king. Can you afford not to be on it?

A quick hello from the PE newbie

Hi there!

So as my first month as an Account Exec at Publicity Engineers is drawing to a close, I thought that it may be a good idea to let you all know how great it’s been so far…

First things first, let’s point out how pleased I am to have found a job doing what I love so quickly after graduating! When I put down my pen at the end of my last exam, there was a sinking feeling in my stomach, not only because the happy-go-lucky style of student living had come to an end, but because my next step was still a mystery to myself and my parents who were crossing their fingers that they wouldn’t have to keep me for too much longer! But, truth be told, I couldn’t have hoped for a better result - after all not many new employees find themselves spending their first day at work sipping Pimms on the HMS Belfast do they?!

The hard work started soon enough though with press releases, copy calls, cuttings and meetings, but I would be lying if I said I haven’t enjoyed every second of it. The team here at Publicity Engineers are great - they’ve all made me feel very welcome, taught me a lot and surprisingly haven’t given me a whack yet for asking so many questions! I’ve even had the opportunity to go to the Hampton Court Flower Show, which after enduring four long hours of grid-locked traffic was actually a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon!

Anyway, enough from me, time to get back to the hard graft - those press releases won’t write themselves!

Bye for now!