TAKE PART IN NEW ZEALAND'S BIGGEST MAKEOVER!!

I usually shy away from using this blog to promote clients but I know that there must be plenty of PR ladies out there will be interested in this particular event!

On Thursday, 30th October, Friday, 31st October and Saturday, 1st November, Life Pharmacy stores will be offering personal beauty treatments to the public. This is a great opportunity to have a team of experts create a new make-up look, skin care programme or beauty room treatment just for you.

All that you need to do to secure an appointment is to pop down to your nearest Life Pharmacy and pledge a minimum $20 donation which will be passed on to national women’s cancer charity, Look Good Feel Better. All donations will go towards the special hair and make-up workshops that this very special charity holds across New Zealand. These free workshops, which are attended by up to 3,000 women each year, provide a vital boost to self-esteem at a time when it is needed most.

All of New Zealand’s favourite beauty houses are participating in the event including Bobbi Brown, Clarins, Chanel Beauté, Clinique, Dior, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Lancôme, La Mer, Mac, La Prairie, Origins, Revlon, Shiseido, Smashbox and Yves Saint Laurent Beauté
Bookings can be made at any of the nationwide Life Pharmacy stores.

Everyone who makes a booking will also go into a draw to win one of two baskets filled with cosmetic products, valued at $1000.

So, head on down to your nearest beauty counter. Not only will you pick up some great beauty tips but you will also be supporting women with cancer throughout the country....

INTERMEDIARY COMMUNICATIONS TEAMS UP WITH INTERNATIONAL INVOICE DISCOUNTING COMPANY, INTERFACE FINANCIAL GROUP

Intermediary Communications has added The Interface Financial Group, a leading international company specialising in invoice discounting for SMEs, to its steadily expanding portfolio.

We will be providing Interface with a coordinated marketing communications strategy, branding advice and public relations guidance.

We are really looking forward to working with Interface. Our goal is to continue to strengthen the company's already well respected name within the financial services industry and to increase brand recognition amongst potential clients and franchise holders.

Interface Financial Group has a network of offices throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The business has been providing a cash flow lifeline to small to medium companies for over 35 years,

For more information on Interface, you can visit http://www.interfacefinancial.co.nz/.

HELEN CLARKE CALLS FOR A NOVEMBER 8th ELECTION

Soooo....it looks like the time has finally come. Today, at 12.30pm, Helen Clarke called an election. Here is a link to the announcement which just popped up on NZX. You can also go here to see a video of Helen making the announcement. Hopefuly, a big chunk of of the population will be dashing down to the polls on Saturday, 8th November to decide the future of New Zealand.

These are very interesting times. I am sure that many of us will be looking on and wondering how the results of this election will effect both our clients and ourselves.

I have already decided who I am going to vote for. I hope that my decision will go a small way towards making this country a better place.

Who else has already reached a decision? Or will you be waiting until the last minute before you make your mind up?

The announcement has, obviously, spread through international media like wildfire. Here are a few links that you can visit to read more about the upcoming election:

TVNZ
NZ Herald
The Australian
Herald Sun
Scoop
Stuff

INTERMEDIARY COMMUNICATIONS ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH LIFE PHARMACY

I am thrilled to announce that Intermediary Communications has signed Life Pharmacy Ltd. We will be providing Life Pharmacy with a coordinated marketing communications strategy, branding advice and public relations strategy.

Life Pharmacy Limited owns the Life Pharmacy and Care Chemist brands and holds a 49 percent shareholding in 19 pharmacy companies, representing 22 of the 36 Life Pharmacy and Care Chemist stores. The Company also operates 2 Life Outlet stores and is franchisor to 10 Care Chemist branded pharmacies operating throughout New Zealand. Stores are located in Auckland, Hamilton, Bay of Plenty, Wellington and Christchurch.

We are very excited to be working with Life Pharmacy. Life has ambitious plans to be the leading presence in the New Zealand pharmacy market and we are delighted to be able to be part of their growth strategy.

For more information on Life Pharmacy, visit http://www.lifepharmacy.co.nz/

You can read our original announcement release here.

JARGON IS NOT YOUR FRIEND

Look up the word 'jargon' in the Oxford English Dictionary and this is what you will find:

'jargon- noun - words or expressions used by a particular group that are difficult for others to understand. Origninates from the French term for twittering or chattering.'

Bearing this in mind, why oh why, do so many people insist on dismantling the English language with business babble and jargon?

Many people presume that those in the advertising industry are the main culprits. However, shamefuly, PR consultants are guilty too. I have endured meetings that have been almost entirely made up of strange metaphors, buzz words and acronyms. Sometimes you feel like you need some kind of jargon interpreter or dictionary, just to make sense of what is going on.

Here is a list of my least favourite words and phrases:

- 'Thinking outside of the box'- You mean we need to be creative? So, why can't you just say that?

- 'Can we touch base?'- This one makes me cringe. What does it even mean? Is it an invitation to play a few games of baseball (if it is, my apologies, I would love to. Give me a time and a place and I'll be there)?

-'We need to get all our ducks in a row' - I'm sorry, I know this is widely used in Kiwi businesses but I hate it. What does it mean? What ducks? What do ducks have to do with meeting PR or advertising objectives? Surely we can get our point across without bringing our webbed footed, feathery friends into it?

- 'We need to walk the walk'- Ummmm...

- 'We need to step up to the plate'- Can anyone tell me where this plate is and why it is so important?

- Acronyms- 'FYI, I will need those SME stats for the 10.30am WIP, ASAP.'

All of these words, metaphors and phrases are completely pointless and only result in confusion, amongst both clients and our colleagues. As PR consultants, it is our job to ease the lines of communication, not clog them with acronyms and made-up words. I think that every time a PR or advertising person utters one of these awful phrases, they should be fined $2.50, which would be donated to a deserving cause. We would be doing two great things- raising money for charity and stamping out jargon!!

What is your least favourite buzzword or phrase?

NEW CLIENT ANNOUNCEMENT- LUMINO THE DENTISTS

I am very pleased to announce that Intermediary Communications has picked up the public relations account for Lumino The Dentists.

Lumino is part of the Abano Healthcare Group and is New Zealand's largest and only national network of dental practices. We will be working on this account with our sister company, MMG Advertising.

We are all really looking forward to working with Lumino The Dentists. It is a great company and has the potential to become even more succesful than it already is. If you want to learn more about them, you can visit their recently upgraded website at http://www.lumino.co.nz/

You can read our original announcement release here.