Events PR around the Globe: From Africa to Japan

by Maya Hurruna

​At its core, PR is the way organisations, companies and individuals communicate with the public and media. According to the CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) public relations is “the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics.”
 
Taking this into consideration, you would think that PR would be the same across the globe! However, when faced with a global brief, you can’t expect that what works in one country will work in others. Each country may require a slightly different tactic.
 
When implementing a global events plan, remember:
 

• Communication, communication, communication – It is important to speak with the journalists in the country that the campaign is based in. This will allow you to find out what works best for them. Simply sending out a press release, and hoping for the best, won’t help you to achieve coverage of your event.

• Understand cultural nuances - It’s important to know the social customs and etiquette in countries outside of the UK when dealing with international journalists and clients. For example, status is extremely important in Japan, and so it is important to approach people with the appropriate level of respect. In Africa, whilst status is also extremely important, business leaders and journalists are more informal – on several occasions the Secretary General of COMESA referred to me as his daughter. If you approach campaign planning with awareness and understanding of cultural differences globally, you’ll more likely find global success.

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• Partnership is essential – At Flame PR, we always have a partner on the ground. From London, to Rwanda, to Japan, we have team members based in the country. This ensures that we have first-hand experience of the media landscape, and results in us being able to liaise first hand with the media, securing not only the coverage they desire, but the media attendees they require.