Saturday, October 10, 2009

Leading journalist and writer joins Auckland PR firm

AWARD WINNING JOURNALIST GERALDINE JOHNS JOINS JML COMMUNICATIONS

JML Communications is delighted to announce the appointment of Geraldine Johns as a senior consultant.

Geraldine has a wealth of journalism experience. For 10 years Geraldine worked at the New Zealand Herald as a medical and political reporter, and as chief reporter. Included in this period was a stint as a Fulbright fellow with the Baltimore Sun.

Geraldine’s appointment will add additional strengths to the team and expand the range of PR services offered to include the food and beverage sector. Geraldine has superb knowledge of New Zealand cuisine and wine as both a food editor and restaurant reviewer. Geraldine was the foundation restaurant reviewer for the New Zealand Herald’s Viva magazine. Over the years Geraldine has also looked after the food and restaurant review columns for Metro Magazine, the Sunday Star Times and Sunday Magazine, and more recently been a contributor to Bon Appetit and Cuisine Magazine, and feature writer for Heritage, Next and NZ Home magazines.

Geraldine will also provide senior communications counsel, having been a senior staff writer with the Sunday Star Times. There she covered both news and feature stories, as well as profiles, with her specialty areas being crime, politics and health. In addition, Geraldine has vast media knowledge and contacts from being a television reviewer for Nine to Noon and researcher for BBC World, Greenstone Pictures, Third Party Productions and Screentime Television. JML is delighted that Geraldine has joined us and she will be a welcome addition to the JML team and its clients.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Digital Now New Zealand (www.digitalnownz.co.nz.)

The event was an overwhelming success with 270 attendees from leading companies, such as Air New Zealand, and a range of speakers who highlighted the important ways that marketers can use digital and social networking tools in the rapidly changing media landscape.

The quality of the speakers at DNNZ was superb including Justin Baird, Google’s Innovationist, who illustrated the importance of the Engagement Framework so that people are moving from a transformational framework of creating to actually nurturing ideas.

The convergence of brand and reputation is having a big impact on trust, as consumers now have the power themselves to create, distribute, and moderate all types of content in what is now an uncontrollable marketing environment. Not surprisingly, online retailers through to hotels now let their customers review their products and services.

As an example of how quickly things have changed, in the course of a few years we have now seen the rise of blogs not only as means to communicate, but also as trusted places where people get their news and base their opinions. Social networking sites such as facebook and twitter have become the new accepted ‘norm’ for connecting with friends, as well as a way to reach audiences in a personal way.

Nearly 80% of NetGeners under 28 regularly visit blogs, the most popular way to create and share content.

Corporate blogs are increasingly a tool that is being used and can humanise and help organisations address issues and consumer questions head on (i.e. by-passing the media) – these are more interesting than corporate websites, which won’t necessarily have a human voice.

Blogs are decentralising influence as the Net Generation speaks out – sources of power are being altered and the balance of power is being shifted away from more traditional sources. Not surprisingly, friends are more important than movie reviewers.

If you would like to know how to control your brand online please contact Julien Leys at JML Communications.

Messages for marketers using digital media
TVNZ

Social sites catch 90 percent of Kiwi web users
NZ Herald

Digital Media the way forward for Kiwi businesses
National Business Review

Speakers say it’s time to utilise digital realm
IT Brief