PR Brief Newsletter of the Public Relations Society of Jamaica Volume 3 August, 2013

Garvey, the PR

Entrepreneur—

2013 trends in

billing

Quite provocatively, we are high-lighting Marcus Garvey as perhaps one of the most successful public relations practitioners of all time.

Marcus Garvey started out as a disad-vantaged immigrant minority to lead a major international movement. From the photos history has left us, we see that Marcus Garvey was not only

fashionably aware, he managed his personal image to best effect and was a powerful publicist and journalist for his organization's goals.

INSIDE

2013 trends in

billing clients

PRSJ founding

member receives

national honour

Value of volunteerism

Gift giving and

endowments

Corporate Canapé

Cover photo: Tivoli Dance

Troupe close Mello-go-Roun

2013.

This edition of PR brief recognizes the the 126th anniversary of his birth, on

August 17, and his achievements in the fields of corporate affairs and business communication. Among Garvey’s nota-ble communications achievements was the development of several media platforms: multilingual newspapers, and the staging of popular events.

At age 27, Marcus Garvey was acutely aware that collective entrepreneurship would be the way forward for persons like him—black and under represented in leadership positions and in the own-ership of capital. Under his leadership, the United Negro Improvement Associ-ation (UNIA) achieved the incorpora-tion of a shipping company with its own commercial steamship. Contd….

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Page 2 Volume 1, I ssue 1

The Public

Relations

Society of

Jamaica

congratulates founding member and

Past President Elaine Commissiong

on her induction into the Society of

the Order of Distinction, for

her distinguished contribution

to the field of Public Relations.

Mrs Commissiong is a visiting

Fellow at the Mona School of

Business and Management.

Her most recent service to the

PRSJ was the modernizing of the

constitution to reflect the im-

pact of the Internet on the field

of communication.

Garvey the PR Entrepreneur—

Garvey understood, “ There is no

force like success, and that is why

the individual makes all effort to

surround himself throughout life

with the evidence of it”.

The PR practitioner as entrepre-

neur has to continually evaluate

the price point of his or her ser-

vices . The PRSJ sought insights

into current billing rates and

asked experienced practitioners

with ten to 30 years experience.

We found that they preferred an

arrangement where a suite of ser-

vices are to be delivered for a pro-

ject over a stated period of time.

This would include creating con-

tent for broadcast and digital me-

dia, placement of content across

media outlets; administration of

social marketing; brand marketing

activities; event management and

also the management of online

platforms . Marcus Garvey not

only delivered long letters and

articles, but he has left us with

many pithy quotes which would

suggest that he would have been

comfortable as a micro blogger.

Experienced practitioners are ne-

gotiating upwards of $250,000-

$300,000 with large organisations

for a 30-day campaign. For short-

er projects, the hourly billing

starts at $8,000-$10,000 per hour,

with a 10% differential for clients

who are billed in foreign curren-

cies.

Marcus Garvey’s speeches are still

quoted to this day, demonstrating

how the power of his writing

helped to change conversations

on race and power.

Our conversations with five expe-

rienced practitioners revealed

that fees for experienced writers

start at $20,000-$25,000 for a

five-minute speech. Speeches

that need more research start at

$30,00-$45,000. Ministers of gov-

ernment are not allowed to make

speeches in Parliament, but can

speak from “notes”. Negotiations

to prepare these notes for a

budget debate in the house start

at $50,000.00.

In his pitch perfect words, we can

remember Marcus Garvey saying,

"I trust that you will so live today

as to realize that you are masters

of your own destiny, masters of

your fate; if there is anything you

want in this world, it is for you to

strike out with confidence and

faith in self and reach for it."

The PR consultant can look to this

for inspiration, as these words

have at their core the fiery pas-

sion of an entrepreneur. END

National Honour for Founding Member

Elaine Commissiong CD

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Page 3 Volume 1, I ssue 1

Fundraising is now important for

the UWI and the organisation has

embarked on a number of im-

portant strategies which include

increasing major gifts, building

alumni outreach, income genera-

tion, refocusing to meet market

needs, creating efficiencies and

internationalization.

It is against this background that

broader public discourse and

engagement about the financing

of tertiary education is being

proposed by UWI alumnae. Some

of the related issues which would

greatly benefit from this type of

discussion are:

Connecting tertiary education and

a highly educated workforce to

the realization of broad

development as has been

successfully achieved in other

countries.

The role of endowments here and

elsewhere and the constraints to

building endowments –economic

and cultural.

The role of students and parents

in planning for tertiary education.

The need for meaningful policy

support and mechanisms to make

this a development priority and

create incentives for investment

in education - especially higher

education.

Role of all stakeholders in building

support for higher education and

developing creative mechanisms

to channel support.

For more information on giving to

the UWI Development and En-

dowment Fund visit

http://www.uwifundmona.org.jm

/.

Endowments—Important to sustaining access to UWI and other tertiary education organisations

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Page 4 Volume 1, I ssue 1

VOLUNTEERISM …A

GREAT WAY OF

LIVING -with Honorary

Member Kathleen Johnson

As a now retired Public Relations

Practitioner I can hardly recall a

time when I was not a volunteer.

As a child in high school I

showed women of the Jamaica

Federation of Women how to do

embroidery, how to knit and do

crochet. Simultaneously there was

this helper of my acquaintance

whom I assisted by taking her

through the JAMAL reading pro-

cess.

I was a Girl Guide, a Cub Scout

leader, Founding Secretary, long

serving Treasurer (more than 20

years) of the PRSJ; a Founding

Member/Life Member of WOM-

AN INC.; a Founding Board

Member of United Way of Jamai-

ca and the Jamaica Foundation

for Children. I also served as

Chairman of the Kingston Branch

of the YWCA and as President of the

St Hugh’s Past Students Association.

I grew up seeing my mother making

scarves for the Scouts and Cubs at-

tached to the Lyndhurst Methodist

Church and also rising early on a

Sunday morning to prepare refresh-

ments for the Officers of the Church

who had to stay back after service to

take care of various chores. We were

not rich but there was hardly a time

when someone else’s children were

not in our home while they attended

regular school or extra classes in

Kingston.

Happily in my experience there have

not been many major changes in vol-

unteerism through the years. People

are still willing to “give back” to the

community as they have had the

opportunity to grow and find suc-

cess in their own lives. I think also

that mentoring and volunteerism

has become more structured.

Volunteerism has played a very im-

portant and integral part in my per-

sonal career and development. As

Secretary to the Gleaner Editor

Theodore Sealy I had the oppor-

tunity to learn some journalism as

he had me accredited to cover the

Jamaican contingent to a Caribbean

Boys Scout Jamboree in Trinidad &

Tobago. Shortly after Independ-

ence Day, I gave up my vacation

leave and got the opportunity to

cover a tour of over 200 Jamaican

teachers on a visit to the U.S.A.,

Canada and Mexico. It was a won-

derful and very enlightening experi-

ence which led to my recruitment

into the Public Relations

profession.

I would encourage anyone who has

the time and the needed expertise

to be a volunteer. It can be fun, a

meaningful activity which keeps you

motivated and yet relaxed. I have

served on the Board of the Best

Care Foundation, which operates

the Best Care Home for Mentally &

Physically Challenged Children for

over 30 years and although I do not

have to work physically with the

children, it has been a joy to make

contacts and to use my professional

expertise to help raise the cash to

keep the home open and well run.

Its amazing how good it feels when

a fund raising effort makes its

target. END

COMMUNICATORS CONFERENCEKingston, JAMAICA

February 20 –21 2014

Promoting a profession of cutting-edge learners

5

A young author and economist, Christopher Lai, has

recently written the lifestyle book The Lai Detec-

tor. The book has 64 pages and has been described

as a hilarious look at the world of dating from a young

man’s perspective.

Corporate Canapé Natalie Fearon is now the

communications director at HEART Trust/

NTA moving from the

National Environment and

Protection Agency (NEPA).

Damian Wilks is now the Senior Public Rela-

tions Officer at the Ministry of Justice. He

was formerly with the Access to

Information Unit.

The Public Relations Society of Jamaica

https://sites.google.com/site/gojamaicapr/home

Facebook: Public Relations Society of Jamaica

Twitter: @PRSJm

Blogs:

http://publicrelationssocietyofjamaica.blogspot.com/

P.O.8240, CSO, Kingston

Lisa Hogarth is the Integrated Marketing & Communica-

tions Manager for Guardian Holdings. She continues to

be the

Marketing Manager at Globe

Insurance, a subsidiary of the Guardian Holdings Ltd.

Christin Senior has moved on from the Electoral Com-

mission of Jamaica.

Kerry-Kay McCatty is now the Public Education Officer at

the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.

PRSJ extends best wishes on the

professional moves.