Creative Territory

Share your cyclone experience with us

2012-01-11T12:38:00.000+09:30

How do people access information during severe weather events in the Top End? And has this changed since Cyclone Carlos last year? We’re trying to find out.

Creative Territory is encouraging people to tell us about their experiences during the recent cyclone and floods so we can find the best ways to communicate in the future.

This survey follows a similar one undertaken after Cyclone Carlos battered Darwin in February 2011, flooding properties and bringing down thousands of trees. That survey showed a growing reliance on the internet and social media as a means of accessing information. (You can see the results from that survey here)

This survey will help us understand if the trend has continued.

You can access this new survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z9DQN7Z

We will publish the results of the survey along with an analysis of how information access has changed since Cyclone Carlos in February 2011 based on the survey we conducted then.

NT Facebook membership up 20% in six months

2012-01-10T16:13:00.000+09:30

Facebook membership across the Territory has grown by more than 20 per cent over the past six months, according to the latest statistics compiled by Creative Territory.

There are now almost 85,000 Facebook users who list the Territory as their home, including 64,860 in Darwin and 12,920 in Alice Springs.

The raw data, drawn from Facebook’s advertising tool, shows more substantial increases in smaller centres such as Nhulunbuy and Tennant Creek. However, this is likely to be the result of more accurate data collection as the number of Territorians listed in “unknown” towns as dropped considerably since Creative Territory first started collating this data.

Facebook membership	Jun 11	Sept 11	Dec 11	Six-month Growth %
Total NT	69,620	72,420	84,580	21.49
Darwin	50,240	52,020	64,860	29.10
Alice Springs	10,060	10,260	12,920	28.43
Katherine	2,640	2,780	3,360	27.27
Nhulunbuy	1,280	1,380	1,960	53.13
Tennant Creek	780	880	1,160	48.72

Facebook usage is highest among Territorians in their 20s with almost 30,000 members. But don’t think that Facebook is not an effective means to reach older Territorians – there are still more than 10,000 Territorian members aged over 50.

While both men and women use Facebook at around the same rate while they are younger, women are more likely to be members as they age.

While LinkedIn continues to enjoy stronger growth than Facebook in the Territory, it has a long way to go before it catches up. At 31 December it boasted 11,091 Territorian members, about one-eighth the following.


LinkedIn Membership	Jun 11	Sep 11	Dec 11	Six-month Growth %
All major centres	8,177	9,494	11,091	35.64
Darwin	6,219	7,214	8,254	32.72
Alice Springs	1,344	1617	1845	37.28
Katherine	252	308	367	45.63
Nhulunbuy	462	555	625	35.28

The Art of Event Staging

2011-12-08T17:34:00.002+09:30

By Jeannette Button
Many people have a misguided view of PR people as champagne popping, event staging socialites. If only that could be closer to the truth. With over twenty years in PR I have had my share of campaign launches, Lord Mayor “dos”, community events and official openings. My Dad says I would go to the opening of an envelope – but that’s just not true.

I am currently organising an official opening for a client and my stomach is in knots. You would think by now I could do it with my eyes closed but every event is different and comes with its own idiosyncrasies or clients?

There are six things I am reminded of however with every event:

1. Have a clear purpose: What are we here for, announcing or opening and will anyone else be interested.

2. Be organised: There is nothing worse than pulling guests and suppliers together at the last minute. An event template works wonders for me while others prefer a more organic approach. The main thing is to try to think of every aspect of the event from the invitation to the closing ceremony and make sure you have it covered. Step though the event if it helps as it is amazing what we sometimes simply overlook.

3. Consider the timing: What other events will you be competing with? Is it just me or are the Christmas parties held earlier every year? No matter how devoted people are to your cause, be realistic about how much time we can expect of them and what other obligations they will already have.

4. Follow up invitations: RSVPs are not everyone’s strong point. Be prepared to follow up on invitations, especially if sent via email. Despite the benefits of an electronic invite, they are easily lost in the Inbox, are seldom printed out and are often overlooked as junk mail. And everyone in the Top End knows that Territorians are notoriously bad at replying to RSVPs.

5. Be flexible and creative: Even the best laid plans can go astray for one reason or another. Be prepared to reformat, revamp or reschedule an event so that it delivers the best outcomes for your client.

6. Relax and celebrate: Once the event is over take a deep breath, remind yourself that the knots in your stomach were worth it and maybe, in a few weeks or so, you may consider managing another plaque-revealing, champagne-popping event.
Twittercue: 6 tips for successful event staging http://bit.ly/tBFE5v #topend #events

Too little, too late? Skilled workers a dying breed in Darwin?

2011-11-30T11:29:00.005+09:30

More than 20,000 workers are needed in Darwin within the next five years according to one of Australia’s leading project management specialists.

Living Planit Managing Director Lesley Bentley says more than 50 per cent of skilled jobs aren’t being filled and that’s before Inpex and other resource projects start demanding workers.

Speaking at the Northern Territory Major Projects Conference 2011 today, Ms Bentley will give the dire warning to government officials and explain the impacts of a skills shortage on the delivery of major projects.

“Darwin has the slowest take-up of jobs anywhere in the country and we need to start tackling the jobs shortage now,” Ms Bentley said.

“Today I’ll be asking if already it’s too little, too late and paint a picture that Darwin needs to become a training hub for skilled workers.”

Lesley’s comments follow BHP Chairman Jac Nasser’s projection that 60,000 workers are needed in the Pilbara region alone to deliver the iron ore projects on time.

“With a lack of skilled workers, pressure builds and too few people try to do too much,” Ms Bentley said.

“Ultimately it affects timelines, teamwork, project quality and the bottom line. Without enough skilled workers the project will be a failure.”

Ms Bentley has more than 20 years industry experience and spearheaded the Project Office under then NSW Assistant Police Commissioner, Christine Nixon, on the Wood Royal Commission into police corruption.

Lesley’s address at 4pm today coincides with the launch of a Living Planit Training Centre in Darwin tomorrow.

Living Planit will offer workshops, short courses and more advanced training in project management to workers in Darwin.

Twitteque: Skilled workers a dying breed in #DarwinNT? #topend http://tiny.cc/ko1b8

Five things to consider before you let #qantasluxury turn you off Twitter

2011-11-23T08:10:00.001+09:30

One of the sad things that will emerge from the #qantasluxury Twitterstorm is that social media is likely to be accused of further damaging the Qantas brand.

For those who missed the commotion, Qantas launched a competition via its Twitter feed Tuesday morning offering a free first class pamper package – including Qantas pyjamas – to the Tweep who could come up with the most creative description of their dream luxury flight experience. Answers needed to include the hashtag #qantasLuxury.

Within minutes, the hashtag was hijacked by those venting their anger at Qantas for everything from the grounding of planes three weeks earlier to every frustration they had ever experienced while flying.

If you are not on Twitter yourself, just Google #qantasluxury for a peek at what has been going on.

Some commentators were quick to jump on the “failure” of Qantas’ social media strategy.

It would be a shame if this incident were to scare off jumpy executives already spooked about using social media creatively in their own companies. Facebook, Twitter and the multitude of other social media applications available today are a powerful way for them to engage directly with customers and the broader community.

If the #qantasluxury debate is making you think twice about your own social media strategy, first consider five questions:

Is there an advantage to bringing a debate about your brand out into the open where you can listen, respond and engage rather than allow the anger to fester in backyards and around office water coolers?
If the “timing was bad”, as some commentators would have us believe, how long after a crisis should you wait until you creatively engage with your community again?
Can the choice of words you use change the outcome? Would a word other than “luxury” have worked better?
What’s really going on here? Customer backlash is not created by social media. Twitter simply provided the platform for customers to vent their spleen publicly. The fact that they are participating in the debate at all is a signal of something much deeper going on.
Is this really damaging the brand? The jury is still out on this one. It’s easy to be spooked in the first few hours of the furore but as time goes on we’re likely to see more measured debate about how this social media exercise is really going to impact on Qantas’ reputation.

Twittercue: 5 things to consider before you let #qantasluxury turn you off Twitter. http://tiny.cc/rh0vl

Cars beat buses and trains in Northern Territory Brolga Tourism Awards

2011-11-15T15:13:00.000+09:30

A small business offering digital audio travel guides for self-drive tourists in Outback Australia has won a prestigious 2011 Northern Territory Brolga Tourism Award in the category of Specialised Tourism Services at the weekend.

DIY Tourguide’s GPS triggered iPhone app, MP3 and CD audio tours are the first of their type and this niche product for the Northern Territory reinforced its acceptance by the marketplace by rising to the top of the Brolga Award category over national companies offering tourist products for buses and trains.
The Brolga Awards are the tourism industry’s highest accolade and recognises tourism businesses that strive for excellence in every area of their operation. Winners represent the best products and services in the Northern Territory.
“I am thrilled to receive the Brolga Award and see innovation and small products recognised,” said Alice Springs based Laurelle Halford, who is the director for DIY Tourguide and the only employee in the business. She is also Creative Territory's Alice Springs consultant.
“More and more tourists coming to the Outback are travelling independently in their own or rental cars rather than in a group with an on-board tour guide, meaning they miss out on vital information to help them fully appreciate the region.
“We wanted to better entertain self-drive tourists and help them to interpret the Outback landscape as they drive through it and not see the centre of our country as an empty, barren place.”
Along with CD and MP3 tours, DIY Tourguide’s unique iPhone application offers detailed, location aware audio commentary over a distance of hundreds of kilometres giving self-drive tourists a new appreciation of the region as they travel.
“For the tech-savvy tourist lack of mobile phone and internet coverage in Outback Australia no longer needs to be a barrier to accessing latest technology.”
Ms Halford says work is underway to expand the company’s self-drive routes beyond the West MacDonnell Ranges and between Alice Springs and Uluru to other routes across the Northern Territory and Australia.

DIY Tourguide is one of the many Brolga Award winners who will represent the Northern Territory in the Australian Tourism Awards in Cairns on 2 March 2012.

Twittercue: DIY Tourguide app helps Alice company win Brolga Tourism award. #alicesprings #topend #tourismnt http://tiny.cc/diybrolga

Qantas' Twitter goes to sleep as passengers vent their anger

2011-10-30T15:27:00.001+09:30

An extraordinary thing happened last night just hours after Qantas announced its unprecedented decision to ground its entire fleet. Its Twitter went to sleep.

Just five hours into a crisis which left thousands of travellers stranded throughout the world, Qantas decided its customers no longer needed to hear its voice and posted the following on its Twitter feed:

The Qantas fleet remains grounded until further notice. Twitter updates will resume tomorrow at 9am. Visit http://bit.ly/11vT6d for info.

It was a move that could be likened to Christine Nixon’s decision to have dinner at a local hotel while Victoria burned a few years ago – although at least she left someone at the helm.

I accept there wasn’t much else Qantas’ Twitter feed could say over and above “sorry”. And responding individually to the Twitter storm that followed its announcement was nigh on impossible.

But to go to sleep? Take the night off? Check out while everyone else was desperate to check in?

Facebook and Twitter weren’t asleep. Neither were the thousands of passengers on the other side of the world who were just waking up to the news that they weren’t going home either.

I’m sure the person feeding the Qantas Twitter account needed some sleep. But surely the company has a contingency in place for keeping the communication going in a situation like this.

It is understandable that many companies have a “business hours” only approach to monitoring and participating in social media discussions – under normal circumstances.

But the extraordinary events of the past few days demanded more. Qantas should have known better. At the very least, its Twitter feed should have soundlessly drifted off the sleep rather than broadcast to the world that it was off to bed.

Cyclone Carlos study wins national award for CSR

2011-10-25T08:41:00.004+09:30

A study looking at how Top Enders accessed information during Cyclone Carlos this year has won a Darwin company a national award for corporate social responsibility.

Darwin-based Creative Territory won a Highly Commended Award in the Australian Golden Target Awards announced in Sydney last night.

The award recognised work the company had carried out during and after the cyclone to communicate emergency information, collect data on how local people accessed information and subsequently set up an online portal for future emergency events.

Creative Territory Managing Director Tracy Jones said her work centres on the critical role social and online media is now playing in getting messages out to the community.

“While traditional media will always remain important, they generally cannot compete with the speed and engagement that social media allows,” she said.

“People are increasingly turning to Facebook, Twitter and other online channels to stay in touch with what is happening.”

Creative Territory undertook research in the weeks following Cyclone Carlos that revealed a strong preference among Darwin residents to access information via the internet, particularly using mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet computers.

“Almost 3 in 4 people said they accessed information about the cyclone via the internet and even more say they will use the internet in the future,” Tracy said.

“The results also show very clearly that the more people go online to get their information, the more they feel informed about what is happening.”

Creative Territory shared its survey results with both local residents and the broader public relations community both nationally and internationally adding to a weight of global discussion about the role of social media in a crisis or emergency.

The national Golden Target Awards are awarded annually by the Public Relations Institute of Australia.

Leak Detectives Save One Bucket of Water per Second

2011-10-20T16:59:00.001+09:30

A water pipeline that connects Alice Springs with its main water source at the Roe Creek borefield has undergone a leak repair, saving around 10 litres (about one bucket) of water per second.
The leak repair, four metres below the Tom Browne roundabout near Heavitree Gap has saved the equivalent of 300 Megalitres per year or half an Olympic swimming pool per day.

Power and Water Manager Sustainable Development Water Services, Mark Wiltshire said that whilst leak detection has always been a priority, there is now has a dedicated Leak Detection Officer for the town through the Alice Water Smart plan.

“Fixing water leaks from key piping infrastructure, households and businesses is paramount if we are to preserve Alice Springs’ precious water source and the extra funding through Alice Water Smart provides us with dedicated resources and detecting ability.”

Alice Water Smart is a two year project to help Alice Springs reduce its water use by 1600 million litres per year, equivalent to two months average water supply.

“The Leak Detection Officer will work with the community to help identify leaks around town, no matter how big or small”, Mr Wiltshire said.

“If residents or businesses notice unusual ground water pools or unusually high water bills they can contact Power and Water and we will send the Leak Detection Officer to investigate.”

“Alice Water Smart auditors have already conducted water audits on 19 tourist accommodation properties, detecting some major leaks that will save businesses large amounts off their annual power bills.”

“We are also working with owners and managers to help them become their own on-site leak detectives and the signs to look for should a suspected leak occur.”

For more information on Alice Water Smart visit www.alicewatersmart.com.au or call 8951 7315.

Who is involved in Alice Water Smart?

Funding of $7.5 million is being provided under the National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns, a key component of the Australian Government’s long-term Water for the Future initiative. This was matched by Power and Water Corporation with contributions from consortium members, including Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport; Alice Springs Town Council; Arid Lands Environment Centre and Tourism NT.

AAco Food Processing Facility Community Update

2011-10-20T09:00:00.000+09:30

Australian Agricultural Company Limited’s (AAco) development application to build a meat processing facility at Livingstone Valley is on public display and the community and stakeholders have until Friday 4 November to make submissions to the Development Consent Authority.

If you are seeking more information about the proposal, please do not hesitate to contact us for a briefing or to ask questions. Our information line is 8941 9161.

Individual and Stakeholder Briefings

Over the past two weeks we have met with neighbours, stakeholders, Litchfield Shire Council, MPs, Indigenous groups and other people interested in hearing more about the project. In meeting some of our neighbours, we have been able to hear their suggestions on how they would like the facility to operate if approved. For example, some neighbours have asked that trees not be planted adjacent to their properties while others had suggestions about operational hours for trucks delivering cattle. These valuable suggestions will be taken on board in our forward planning.

Community Stall at Coolalinga Markets

Last weekend AAco’s General Manager, Northern Australia Beef, Stewart Cruden, met local community members at the Coolalinga Markets. Many questions were asked on a range of issues including water treatment, how cattle will be managed and potential odour sources. Because of the importance of these questions, we have included additional information in this update.

Water

All waste water will be treated on site before being used for irrigation of fodder production crops. The 600 hectare property is currently used for fodder cropping and cattle grazing.

The process for treatment includes:

All solids are removed from the waste water streams before treatment. This is a key aspect to successful effluent treatment.
Waste water is first treated for 14 days in an anaerobic pond. The pond capacity is 15 ML and will be covered to enhance the biological process and stop odours.
Waste water is then moved to an aerobic treatment pond with a capacity of 20 ML, for a further 20 days treatment.
Water then moves to a large holding dam (160 ML). At this stage the water is treated to an approved standard for irrigating the land. It does contain traces of nitrogen and phosphate.
The treated irrigation water is mixed with rain water collected in holding dams (200 ML) in concentrations (water balance) suitable for controlled irrigation for pasture production.
The Environmental Monitoring Program which includes soils, pasture and effluent water will ensure the control of hydraulic and nutrients balance, for the crops being irrigated.

There will be careful monitoring of ground water throughout the site and beyond to measure quality. This also includes ground water coming into the site.

Cattle Management

Around 50-100 cattle will be allowed to graze on the property as a means of keeping vegetation under control in areas that cannot be cropped for fodder. Currently up to 1000 cattle are free-range grazing on the property. The wetland area on the property will be fenced off so that cattle cannot reach it as this area will be managed as a conservation zone.

Cattle for meat production will be held in holding yards (not feeding yards) immediately adjacent to the facility. The plan is to bring cattle into the yards on the day or day before they are to be processed. The cattle yards are on hard stand to reduce dust and for “dry cleaning” management practices. The manure will be collected and composted, further improving the raw waste water quality that needs to be treated. The holding capacity is up to 2000 cattle but average hold numbers will be around 1000 cattle at a time.

Halal Processing

AAco has confirmed that the plant will be Halal. There are a number of requirements to meet this standard, including the employment of two qualified Halal slaughtermen on each shift. Cattle will be electrically stunned as is best-practice animal welfare management.

Vehicle Movements

All vehicle movements to and from the proposed facility will be via the Stuart Highway. No access is required from other local roads. Truck movements will be limited to “sociable” hours – likely to be from around 6am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 5pm on Sundays. We are discussing these times with local neighbours. All roads and driveways within the site will be sealed and speed will be controlled to limit noise.

No Plans for Worker Accommodation

There are no plans to house workers on site during either construction or operations. For the construction, we are planning to contract work to Northern Territory companies. Our preference during the operational stage is to employ local people, as this will give us a more stable and committed workforce. A training program will be necessary to help us achieve this.

Composting

Compost at the site will consist of paunch content and manure. This will be held in a compost pile at least 1km from the closest boundary. Current best practice dictates the compost heap should be 100m from the closest boundary. We will be using best-practice management to minimise odours from the pile.

The pile will be occasionally turned and this is the time when odours may occur. However, we will be undertaking this task when prevailing breezes are able to carry any smells away from nearby properties and at times that will least affect residents and recreational activity.

Jobs

A number of people have asked how they can get jobs at the facility. If the project goes ahead, we will be posting this information on our website.

Stay Up to Date

If you would like to receive regular updates on the facility as we progress through the approvals process, please join our email list by visiting our website at http://www.aacont.com.au or phoning our information line on 8941 9161.

Alice Springs Getting Smart with Water during National Water Week

2011-10-17T17:03:00.001+09:30

It’s National Water Week this week and through Alice Water Smart, there has been a tidal surge of activity to help Alice Springs businesses and residents save water.

Alice Water Smart is a two year project that will help Alice Springs reduce its water use by 1600 million litres per year, equivalent to two months average water supply.

Power and Water Manager Sustainable Development Water Services, Mark Wiltshire said, “Alice Springs has a finite underground water source in Alice, so together through the Alice Water Smart project we can help to protect our water source into the future.”

“Everyone can start by doing one less laundry wash per day, or get a leaking tap fixed or installing smart irrigators in your garden.”

“National Water Week is a fantastic opportunity for residents and businesses to find out more at our lunchtime display stand at the Alice Plaza Shopping Centre.”

Already, through Tourism NT, 19 large tourist accommodation properties have completed water efficiency audits, and other large commercial businesses such as the Alice Springs airport and the hospital are working with Alice Water Smart to develop their water saving plans.

Water efficiency consultants are ramping up to conduct hundreds of home and business consultations to offer practical advice and financial rebates to help people save water in their homes and gardens.

The Alice Water Smart Homes and Businesses project team is also looking for homeowners who consider their garden to be water smart. People can nominate for their garden to be a showcase to others in the community in future public open days.

Power and water's Leak Detection Van has been out identifying leaks saving potentially 300 Megalitres per year.

The Alice Springs Town Council is preparing to install smart irrigation technology in over 70 local parks and ovals.

“The average Alice Springs person uses 564 litres per person per day in their home which makes us among the highest water users in Australia, and Alice Water Smart provides a great opportunity to save water through all the incentives and rebates on offer.”, says Mark Wiltshire.

“Many of us believe our water supply will last forever, as it is drawn from the ancient Amadeus basin. However our water is precious and must be used wisely. Alice Water Smart aims to preserve our finite groundwater source and secure the long term sustainability of Alice Springs.”

For more information on Alice Water Smart visit www.alicewatersmart.com.au or call 8951 7315.
Who is involved in Alice Water Smart?

Funding of $7.5 million is being provided under the National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns, a key component of the Australian Government’s long-term Water for the Future initiative. This was matched by Power and Water Corporation with contributions from consortium members, including the Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport; Alice Springs Town Council; Arid Lands Environment Centre and Tourism NT.

Beat the Christmas rush at the Waterfront Craft Fair

2011-10-12T12:26:00.000+09:30

The final Waterfront Craft Fair for 2011 will be held this Friday, 14 October from 2 – 8pm.

With over 30 stalls of beautifully crafted and handmade jewellery, glass ware, macramé, soaps, garden ornaments and clothing the Craft Fair is a wonderful diversion to the build-up and a great opportunity to get ready for Christmas.

Shine Gifts offers Darwinites the chance to get in early for Christmas gifts and trinkets with a wonderful display of Christmas decorations and gifts, including freshwater pearls, opals, bohemian crystal, glassware, lamps and art.

Designed in the Territory, Slappa Thongs are made from recycled foam, they come in a range of colours and are a great addition to the Territory wardrobe. Why not buy two pairs, one for everyday wear and one for going out!

Miranda’s handmade clay flowers are exquisitely crafted and ever-lasting, a wonderful gift for someone who loves orchids and exotic flowers.

New to the Waterfront Craft Fair is Batchelor Bees locally produced honey, come and meet Ian and tempt your taste buds.

Pure Selection is offering a range of all natural mozzi and midgie repellants in tropical strength and ultra sensitive, a must in the current Territory climate.

Ropes, Rags, Baskets and Bags provides the perfect solution to the ban on plastic bags with wonderful handbags and tote bags ready for any shopping excursion.

For those who are feeling the pressure of end of year stresses, or working too hard, visit the magical hands of Tony’s Healing or look into the cards of Linda Tate’s tarot readings.

Local musician and singer, Brooke Barnett will perform soulful jazz accompanied by Kadek Hobman on keyboard from 4pm.

The Darwin Waterfront Craft Fair offers something for everyone.

NT Social Media Statistics for September Quarter

2011-10-04T10:08:00.002+09:30

The growth of LinkedIn throughout the Territory continues to outstrip that of Facebook although still has a long way to reach the same number of users, according to statistics compiled for the September quarter by Creative Territory.

LinkedIn Northern Territory membership grew 18 per cent over the past three months. If this growth rate continues, LinkedIn will have almost 17,000 members in the NT a year from now.

Facebook membership also continues to grow, with now 72,240 members in the NT. Growth across the Territory was 4 per cent in the three months to 30 September, with biggest growth in Tennant Creek at 12.8 per cent. Around 46 per cent of people in Darwin and Katherine are on Facebook, with a total Territorian Facebook population of around 33 per cent.

Facebook

Tennant Creek and Nhulunbuy led the growth in Facebook members this quarter, up 12.8 and 7.8 per cent respectively. The number of members in Alice Springs recovered from dip in August to reach 10,260 members.

Source: These statistics were sourced using Facebook’s advertising tool, setting parameters for state and town and includes all age groups. Be aware that while Facebook works hard to understand the true demographics of its users as its advertising model depends on it, it still relies on individual account owners to name their home town. Many users do not.

LinkedIn

Around 4.4 per cent of Territorians in major centres are now connected via LinkedIn, with Nhulunbuy continuing to lead the pack.

Source: These figures were prepared by using LinkedIn’s advanced search tool. We searched for accounts within 80km of each major centre in the Northern Territory. Tennant Creek is not shown in this table, as our search did not reveal any users. Again, we need to remember that account holders self-identify their location and research shows a large number of people never visit their profile again after the initial rush of excitement.

Twitter

We have to wonder about the accuracy of search tools when Twitter numbers remain exactly the same as the previous month at 642 members. Instead, here is a snapshot of where Territory Twitter users live.

Sherwin Iron appoints new Chairman

2011-09-28T07:57:00.000+09:30

Well-known Territorian Barry Coulter has been appointed Chairman of Sherwin Iron Limited (ASX: SHD) effective 1 October 2011.

Mr Coulter, a former NT Cabinet Minister who has lived in the Northern Territory for 35 years, replaces Mr Terence Smith, who is retiring after five years as Chairman.

Mr Coulter was appointed to the Board of Sherwin in July this year and will oversee the relocation of the Sherwin head office from Perth to Darwin as the Roper River Iron Ore Project moves closer to production.

Mr Coulter has been a Chairman of public, private and government corporations including AirNorth, International All Sports and Darwin Port Corporation.

He was a member of the Northern Territory Parliament for 16 years and served as Deputy Chief Minister,
Treasurer and Minister for Mines and Energy. He spearheaded the Darwin to Adelaide railway project for 13 years.

Mr Coulter thanked Mr Smith for his contribution to the company, saying his leadership had seen Sherwin Iron develop the Roper River Iron Ore Project to potentially become a world-class development.

Darwin local wins state award for cyclone communication

2011-09-22T16:31:00.001+09:30

Creative Territory Director Tracy Jones won a state award for excellence at the Northern Territory Public Relations Institute Association (PRIA) Awards last night.

The crisis-communication expert took out the Corporate Social Responsibility category for improving communication in cyclones and other natural disasters in the NT.

Tracy, who has more than 20 years experience in crisis and emergency communication, gathered a body of research which led to the development of a community website and social media plug-in called EmergencyNT.

She said the work was borne in the aftermath of Cyclone Carlos, which hit Darwin without warning in February and brought down thousands of trees, flooded homes and blacked out power.

“At Creative Territory, we saw the community was confused by the mass of information being put out by various sources including government, emergency services, private business and the community.

“People were asking basic questions such as, ‘are the buses running, should I go to work, will my house flood and should I go to an evacuation centre?’. We participated in the conversation and undertook research on how it could be improved in the future.”

The research found only 54 per cent of people felt fully informed about the storm and 95.5 per cent would prefer a single online source for information.

Creative Territory has made the EmergencyNT tools available free of charge and shared the concept of a Twittercue, a set of pre-packaged words added to a media release, that enables Tweeters to accurately tweet a media release.

The Darwin boutique agency shared their findings with more than 250 businesses and public relations professionals to inform best practice and improve communication before, during and after an emergency.

“Cyclone Carlos taught us a lesson, not only about communicating in a crisis but also about our own social responsibility to our community,” Tracy said.

The 2011 State Award for Excellence is Tracy’s eleventh Northern Territory PRIA award.

AAco Food Processing Facility proposal moves to next stage

2011-09-22T07:15:00.001+09:30

Australian Agricultural Company Limited (AAco) today announced it is moving to the next stage of proving the potential to build a state-of-the art food processing facility at Livingstone Valley 50km south of Darwin.

The proposed facility would create around 230 jobs during construction and 270 ongoing jobs, with a capacity to process up to 1,000 cattle per day for export to markets in the US, Europe and Asia.

Producing manufactured boxed beef, hides and rendered products, the facility would become one of the largest employers in Darwin’s rural area and generate new industries in the Top End.

Community consultation has begun today and approval applications are being prepared for submission to the Northern Territory Government by the end of the month. A final board decision to proceed is contingent on a number of factors including planning approvals, Government support, carbon farming initiatives and project viability.

AAco is seeking Australian and Northern Territory Government support in the form of upgrades to public infrastructure which would both facilitate this project and also be available to broader industry and the community.

Subject to government approvals and government infrastructure funding being granted, the Board will be in a position to consider the appropriate capital structure and to ultimately consider project endorsement. Construction could commence in early 2012 and commissioning by the end of next year.

“A project of this size and scope means upgrades to or new infrastructure such as roads, transport facilities, essential utilities and community services,” AAco Northern Territory General Manager, Northern Australian Beef, Stewart Cruden said.

“AAco has calculated a need for 134 new refrigerated container points at the Port of Darwin, new railway sidings, improved rail crossings and upgrades to electricity, water, gas and telecommunications access.

“There is a need for new local community facilities including health, child care and training services.

“We are looking to further discussions on how the public infrastructure can be provided as we work through our due diligence process.”

Mr Cruden said the company’s intention was to create an alternate market for AAco and all Northern Australian cattle producers.

“The only markets for cattle at present are via live export or transport to southern processing facilities. Both mean long journeys for cattle and result in significant transport costs and carcase weight loss,” Mr Cruden said.

“While this facility will not completely replace these options, it will open up new opportunities and markets for cattle producers.”

As a state-of-the-art facility, the project will employ the latest in processing, compliance, traceability, data capture, animal welfare and environmental technologies, including a commitment to a low carbon footprint and to recycle virtually all waste on site.

Vista Gold Australia invites local community to have their say

2011-09-16T15:58:00.000+09:30

Vista Gold Australia will hold a number of community information sessions regarding the Mt Todd Gold Project, 50 kms north-west of Katherine, starting next week.

Ray Iacono, Managing Director Vista Gold Australia says that the information sessions will enable Vista Gold to update the community on their progress to date and provide opportunities for the public to comment on aspects of the project.

“To date, we have received very positive feedback from the community based on their support for the potential local and regional economic benefits. We encourage the communities of Katherine and Pine Creek to participate in these information sessions so that we have a clear understanding of the issues that are important to them,” Mr Iacono said.

Vista Gold has engaged independent consultant, GHD Pty Ltd, to undertake an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to identify potential environmental, social, transport, accommodation, cultural and economic impacts associated with reopening and operating the gold mine.

“The EIS will recommend ways to reduce or remove potential negative impacts and enhance potential positive impacts from the mine project.”

The community information sessions will be held on:

• Saturday 24 September, 9am – 12 noon, at the Woolworths Shopping centre, Katherine

• Monday 26 September, 6.30pm – 8.30pm, at the Pine Creek Community Hall

• Tuesday 27 September, 7.30am at the Katherine Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast

Since acquiring the Mt Todd project in 2006, Vista Gold has taken an orderly, methodical and conservative approach to determine the future of the site.

In November 2010, The Northern Territory Government renewed its agreement with Vista Gold for the care and maintenance of the site, demonstrating both the Government’s and Vista Gold’s commitment to assessing the feasibility of developing the site.

With an improvement in the gold price, Vista Gold Australia is working towards getting the site back to production, with approvals and permits expected to be in place during 2012.

-ends-

Twittercue:

#Vista Gold 2 hold community info sessions in Katherine & Pine Creek re Mt Todd Gold Mine Project #topend http://www.mttodd.com.au/news

A fresh start for Katherine Youth

2011-09-16T14:48:00.001+09:30

Mission Australia is giving young people in Katherine a fresh approach to living healthy with a community garden.

The project aims to reconnect Katherine and surrounding communities’ youth with nature and sustainable food production.

Mission Australia Youth Services Coordinator Ruth Cardier said, “The project provides a positive environment of learning and alternative recreational activities for local youth.

“We created the garden in Mission Australia’s Katherine Office Car Park. We turned a space that was a weed infested wasteland into a vibrant veggie patch.

“There are over 50 youth aged 10 to 16 years who have participated in the project so far. They come in small groups of five to eight a few times a week.”

The community garden started five months ago in collaboration with the Katherine’s Department of Health (DOH) and Katherine High School.

DOH nutritionist Kate Robertson has taught the teenagers in the project ways of living healthy and how to cook food using produce from the garden.

Katherine High School is helping the participants make the step from community garden project to the school’s Horticultural Program by providing space for Mission Australia to extend their program onto the grounds of the High School.

“We are really trying to help more youth re-engage with high school and getting them interested in gardening is just another way,” said Ms Cardier.

“The youth love watering the plants and enjoy planting and eating the garden produce.

“We had our first veggie harvest of eggplants recently, which we cooked up, under the guidance of Kate, in an eggplant and pasta dish.”

Young people in the project are from Katherine, Kalano, Binjari and Rockhole communities.

The Community Garden is growing corn, silverbeet, tomatoes, peas, beans, squash, watermelons, a variety of herbs and lots more.

“We incorporated the ideas from the young people of what they would like us to grow.”

For more information or how to get involved in the project please contact Ruth cardierr@missionaustralia.com.au

@missionaust gives a fresh start to Katherine Youth with a community #garden project http://tiny.cc/sklk4 #topend

***Ends***

Media Contact: Anita Brabham on 89419169

Photo caption: Rockhole Youth enjoy fruits of Mission Australia’s Community Garden From left to right: Joyce Herbert, Victoria Pamkal, Samantha Brown, Brittany Barroway, Tyronia Miliyan and Nikita Andrews.

Social Media Growth Continues in the NT

2011-09-10T12:43:00.003+09:30

Social media participation in the Northern Territory continues to grow, particularly the number of Territorians now connecting via LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has seen a massive 12.4 per cent growth in the two months from 30 June to
31 August, up from 8277 to 9303 members. If this growth rate continues, we could see more than 16,000 members in the NT by this time next year.

Facebook achieved just 3.3 per cent growth over the same period, up from 69,620 members to 71,900.

This growth is mirrored in a recent recruitment campaign we implemented on behalf of a client, which saw a much higher response rate from LinkedIn advertising compared with Facebook.

Twitter remains notoriously difficult to measure but even so appears to have achieved less than 1 per cent growth.

Facebook

Katherine and Batchelor led the growth in Facebook members, up 5.3 and 10.3 per cent respectively. The number of members in Alice Springs actually decreased.

The percentage of population on Facebook is now 32.7 per cent, with a much higher usage in Darwin at 45.2 per cent and Katherine at 46.3 per cent.

	June	July	August
All NT	69,620	70,000	71,900
Darwin	50,240	50,320	51,580
Alice Springs	10,060	10,160	9,840
Katherine	2,640	2,700	2,780
Nhulunbuy	1,280	1,280	1,280
Tennant Creek	780	800	860
Batchelor	NA	NA	60
Other	4,620	4,740	5,560

Source: These statistics were sourced using Facebook’s advertising tool, setting parameters for state and town and includes all age groups. Be aware that while Facebook works hard to understand the true demographics of its users as its advertising model depends on it, it still relies on individual account owners to name their home town. Many users do not.

LinkedIn

Just over 4 per cent of Territorians in major centres are now connected via LinkedIn, with Nhulunbuy continuing to lead the pack with a whopping 12.8 per cent of residents holding an account, up from 11 per cent in June.

	June	July	August
All major centres	8,177	8,768	9,303
Darwin	6,219	6,533	6,923
Alice Springs	1,344	1,415	1513
Katherine	252	269	282
Nhulunbuy	462	486	536
Batchelor	NA	65	49

Source: These figures were prepared by using LinkedIn’s advanced search tool. We searched for accounts within 80km of each major centre in the Northern Territory. Tennant Creek is not shown in this table, as our search did not reveal any users. Again, we need to remember that account holders self-identify their location and research shows a large number of people never visit their profile again after the initial rush of excitement.

Twitter

Twitter remains difficult to measure, and our analysis showed less than 1 per cent growth over the two-month period.

	June	July	August
Estimated users	598*	612	642

Please note we have adjusted our estimate downward for the month of June based on using a more advanced search process through TweetAdder.

New partnership to help Indigenous job seekers check into the hospitality industry

2011-09-07T09:07:00.000+09:30

Leading Australian employment service Mission Australia is teaming up with IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) on an innovative new program to help boost Indigenous employment in Australia’s hospitality industry.

Mission Australia Employment Solutions Project Manager Natalie Therese said the new joint Indigenous Employment Program (IEP) aims to help tackle Indigenous unemployment by placing 60 Indigenous job seekers in roles within IHG’s InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels across Australia within the next twelve months.

There are four IHG hotels participating in the Northern Territory: the Holiday Inn Esplanade Darwin, Holiday Inn Darwin, Crowne Plaza Darwin and Crowne Plaza Alice Springs.

The initiative funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations is the first nation-wide IEP partnership Mission Australia has entered into, following the success of a number of local IEPs in individual states.

“This partnership is about opening doors and creating opportunities for Indigenous Australians to get a start in the hospitality industry,” Ms Therese said.

“According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate among Indigenous Australians last year was more than three times higher than that of non-Indigenous Australians.

“Across the country right now, Mission Australia has more than 3,700 Indigenous people registered as active job seekers.

“We see this nation-wide IEP as a step in the right direction towards tackling Indigenous unemployment right across Australia and we’re delighted to be working with one of the world’s leading hotel chains to do so.”

According to IHG chief operating officer Australasia, Bruce McKenzie, the Mission Australia initiative sets an example of the level of commitment required to create more education, employment and career opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

“We set a clear target of ensuring at least three percent of our Australian workforce is made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within three years, when we introduced the hospitality industry’s first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) late last year. Our partnership with Mission Australia will help us make tangible progress toward realising that commitment.

“We know from experience that the real impact in closing the gap in opportunities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians happens at a community level. Working alongside Mission Australia, we’ll be providing sustainable training, education, employment and career opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their communities across the Country.

“It’s initiatives like this that will make the strongest impact in the ongoing call for sustainable opportunities for indigenous Australians. We can’t wait to get started,” Bruce said.

Ms Therese said Mission Australia will be working with IHG’s hotels to help place the right people in the right roles – targeting both job seekers registered with Mission Australia Employment Solutions services, as well as those who express an interest through their local community.

“Mission Australia will screen potential candidates and provide them with work ready training ahead of an interview with the local hotel,” she said.

“Successful candidates will then be signed up for a traineeship with IHG to achieve a Certificate III in Hospitality Operations, with training to be provided by leading training organisation Untamed Group.

“Mentors will also be assigned to the candidates to help them succeed in their new job and manage the challenges of their traineeship.

“This is about providing lasting employment opportunities for Indigenous job seekers, and helping to build a fairer Australia.”

Mission Australia Employment Solutions’ Nathalie Therese is in the NT until Friday, 9 September and is available for interview.

Mission Australia Employment Solutions is one of Australia’s largest providers of the Federal Government’s Job Services Australia (JSA) program, and in 2010 assisted more than 50,000 Australians into long-term employment.

For further information on the IEP and Mission Australia Employment Solutions, please contact Mission Australia on 13 11 24.

Media Contacts:

Mission Australia: Jeannette Button (08) 8941 9169 or 0407 727 080

IHG: Nicole Campbell (02) 9264 4411 or 0423 965 025

Special week raises literacy and numeracy awareness

2011-08-30T14:26:00.001+09:30

This week has been declared National Literacy and Numeracy Week by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Scott Wassman, Katherine Regional Service Manager of Mission Australia says the week highlights how central literacy and numeracy is to be successful in everyday life.

“Poor literacy and numeracy skills are one of the many barriers to jobseekers in finding long term employment,” Mr Wassman said.

Mission Australia operates the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program in Katherine. It provides training in speaking, listening, reading and maths to adult students to help them achieve their goals whether it is pathways to sustainable employment, further study or even the skills to obtain their drivers license.

“We currently have over 30 students in Katherine participating in the program” he said.

“The program is individually tailored to each student’s need. We assist them in making a plan that helps them achieve their goals of employment, further education or overcoming other challenges affecting learning outcomes that they may face,” he said.

“For example, we noticed about three weeks ago one of our newest students Moses fiercely squinting in class. We quickly got him a consultation with a local optometrist who fitted him with his first ever prescription glasses”.

Local Member Willem Westra Van Holthe said this type of program was vital to the community.

“Reading and writing are often taken for granted but unfortunately these essential skills are not shared. These skills form the foundation from which so many aspects of our lives are formed,” said Mr Westra Van Holthe.

Mission Australia is one of the national leading providers of support services and training to jobseekers. Nationally Mission Australia has helped 1847 participants through the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program to equip them with the fundamental literacy and numeracy skills they need for life.

The program is available through Mission Australia in New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia and is free to all eligible students.

The initiative is in partnership with Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).

Twittercue: @missionaust highlights #Katherine #topend program during National Literacy and Numeracy week http://tiny.cc/8m42x #nlnw2011
Ends...

Media Contact: Anita Brabham 89419169

Call for Mt Todd Environmental Impact Statement

2011-08-26T11:45:00.001+09:30

Vista Gold Corp. welcomes the release of the Draft Guidelines for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Mt Todd Gold Project.

Company President and Chief Operating Officer, Mr Frederick Earnest said the release of the guidelines was a major milestone in the process of their assessment of the site as a producing gold mine.

“We are encouraged by the potential of the Mt Todd site and are currently conducting a definitive feasibility study to determine if the property can be re-opened.”

The “brownfield” site is located approximately 50km north of Katherine and 250 km south of Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia. The mine tenement is approximately 160,800ha.

Over the past five years, Vista Gold has taken an orderly, methodical and conservative approach to determine the future of the site.

In November 2010, The Northern Territory Government renewed its agreement with Vista Gold for the care and maintenance of the site, demonstrating both the Government’s and Vista Gold’s commitment to assessing the feasibility of developing the site.

The Northern Territory Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage, Karl Hampton MLA recently determined the requirement for an EIS under the Environmental Assessment Act.

The Draft EIS Guidelines will be available from Saturday, 27 August 2011 for public comment until Monday, 12 September 2011 from:

http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/environment/assessment/register/index.html

Members of the public wishing to gain more information on the site may contact Vista Gold through the Mt Todd project website at mttodd.com.au

“We are working closely with authorities and are committed to managing this site in an environmentally sound manner,” Mr Earnest said.

-ends-

Twittercue: Vista #Gold Corp. welcomes release of Draft EIS Guidelines for the Mt Todd Gold Project. #mining #resources #topend http://bit.ly/qahfLD

Media enquiries: Jeannette Button +618 89419169, +61 407 727 080

Mission Australia Employer Awards recognise commitment to local job seekers

2011-08-26T11:24:00.002+09:30

Employers in the Palmerston and Casuarina areas are being encouraged to enter Mission Australia Employment Solutions’ inaugural Employer Awards aimed at recognising businesses for their contribution to transforming lives by giving someone a job.

The awards are open to all local employers using Mission Australia Employment Solutions services and who have placed a Mission Australia job seeker in the last 12 months.

Mission Australia Employment Solutions has sites in Palmerston and Casuarina.

The Palmerston and Casuarina area winners will be announced in October and will qualify for the national award to be announced in November. The national winner will be recognised at a gala dinner and will receive a $5000 prize to be used for business development.

Mission Australia Employment Solutions’ spokesperson, Janine Ashmore, said the awards were about recognising businesses that had helped local job seekers overcome unemployment by giving them a start on the path to a permanent career.

“Any employer who gives an unemployed person a chance – particularly someone who’s been out of work for a while – deserves an award,” said Ms Ashmore.

“But some employers have really gone to amazing lengths to give our job seekers a start and we want to recognise those efforts through our 2011 Employer Awards.

“The more significant a contribution to tackling unemployment – the stronger the commitment to helping a job seeker or job seekers turn their lives around – the better chance an employer has of taking away the local prize and going through to the national finals.

“We live in uncertain economic times. The costs of doing business seem to be spiralling upwards. Demonstrating the ability to think long-term and employ local job seekers in order to grow your business and support the community – despite the challenges – takes a lot of commitment. We want to recognise those efforts through our award,” said Ms Ashmore.

To enter the awards, businesses must have used the services of Mission Australia Employment Solutions and placed a Mission Australia job seeker in a position in the last 12 months.

Employers can nominate themselves or be entered by a third party. Applications for the awards can either be obtained from a local Mission Australia Employment Solutions office or via: http://www.employmentsolutions.com.au/. Nominations close Friday, 30 September.

Does ur work use @missionaust #employment solutions and are u in #darNT Enter in the Employer Awards http://tiny.cc/0t6dy #topend

Media contact:

Jeannette Button (08) 8941969 or 0407 727 080

Timor-Leste takes to the skies

2011-07-25T16:42:00.002+09:30

The President of Timor-Leste, His Excellency Dr. Jose Ramos Horta, announced today the launch of the island nation’s own international airline Timor Air.

“It gives me the greatest of pleasure to launch our own airline and, with it, the commencement of daily full service international flights between Timor-Leste and Australia,” the President said.

“These flights will fulfil a long-held desire of the Timorese people to have broader travel options and, more importantly, a choice of airlines which now includes our own carrier.”

The Timor Air daily flights will operate between the Timor-Leste capital Dili and Darwin in Australia.

The new airline is the initiative of Jeremias (Jerry) Desousa, a Timorese refugee from Timor-Leste during the civil war of 1975, in collaboration with well-established New Zealand and Australian carrier Vincent Aviation.

The President said that the establishment of the new airline and its contribution to his nation’s economy could not be overstated.

“The benefits to our commerce, trade, industry and indeed, the pride in our social development are immeasurable,” the President said.

“The creation of Timor Air provides national brand recognition vital to the promotion of our position within the international community. It is an all important ingredient in stimulating the development of our economy, society and national identity.”

The administration headquarters of the airline will be based in Dili with Vincent Aviation providing the technical expertise and training to ensure ongoing employment, self-sufficiency and, above all, the development of a viable tourism industry where profits will remain with the East Timorese people.

Timor Air already employs Timorese cabin crew, customer relations and ground staff, and will provide ongoing and expanding training and employment opportunities for Timorese people interested in the aviation and travel sectors.

Timor Air will operate Saab 340 aircraft, with the first service between Darwin and Dili return scheduled for 25th July 2011.

Bookings can be made on the Timor Air and Vincent Aviation websites, through Harvey World Travel and Flight Centre in Australia, or with GSA Sagres Travel in Dili.

Media enquiries: Domonique Young on 8941 9169 or 0433 447 255

Twittercue: #TimorLeste takes to the skies as Pres. Jose Ramos Horta announced the launch of Timor Air in #DarwinNT today http://tiny.cc/4zu10 #topend

Weatherman part of Craft Fair fun

2011-07-19T11:17:00.001+09:30

Crafty and creative stallholders will take over the Darwin Waterfront this Friday when it welcomes over 2300 passengers from across the country and New Zealand. The Sun Princess Cruise Passenger Ship will dock at Fort Hill Wharf after travelling from Perth, Bali and the Kimberley Coast.

The Waterfront is holding a Craft Fair that will kick off at 9am along the Wharf 1 podium off Kitchener Drive.

The Fair will display handmade wares of local designers from jewellery, to leather accessories and organic skin care products to children’s clothes.

Television personality Monte Dwyer, The Today Show's ex-weatherman turned author, videographer and musician, will be in on the action too. Dwyer will be offering his range of Red in the Centre travel books and DVDs, which showcase stories and characters from right across the country.

“My books are about the people I meet as I travel the country as a working journalist, from the nutters and nudists to the sinners and saints, and all the usual suspects in-between.

“I started my television career in Darwin and it's always been supportive of creativity, so I’m delighted to be part of the Craft Fair.”

The Craft Fair will start at 9am on Friday 22 July and wrap up at 2pm.

Twittercue: Craft Fair @Darwinwaterfront Fri 22 July 9am to 2pm. Come explore the creative talents of #Topend #DarwinNT designers and artists

Ends...

Media enquiries: Jeannette Button on 89419169

Alice Springs residents urged to save water with new plan

2011-07-12T09:57:00.000+09:30

A new water plan urging residents to save water is being launched today for the desert town of Alice Springs.

Alice Water Smart was launched by Senator Don Farrell, Parliamentary Secretary for Urban Water & Sustainability.

The plan aims to reduce Alice Springs’ water use by 1600 million litres per year, equivalent to two months average water supply.

Power and Water Corporation General Manager Water Services Steve McKenzie said the plan is unique to Australia.

"Alice Water Smart is a comprehensive water saving program that gets individuals, homes and businesses to work in tandem to establish a water wise future"

"Everyone, from individuals to big business is being asked to reduce their water."

"Over the last 40 years more than half the volume of the Sydney Harbour (250,000 million litres) has been extracted from the Alice Springs bore field."

"Per household, Alice Springs residents use approximately 1,500 litres per day, which is the equivalent of 166 buckets of water."

"For the future sustainability of our groundwater supply we must preserve our water, and we are asking Alice Springs residents to become more aware of their water use and to develop water wise habits."

"In Alice approximately 65 per cent of household water use goes on to gardens, that is about 1,000 litres per day."

The Alice Water Smart consortium, led by Power and Water Corporation, comprises The Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sports (NRETAS), Arid Lands Environment Centre, Alice Springs Town Council and Tourism NT.

The $15 million Alice Water Smart Plan will include projects like home and business water audits, an expanded rebate scheme, smart irrigation for parks and ovals, improved water management and increased recycling, and installation of smart meters to allow homes and businesses to monitor water use, as outlined below:

• Reuse: Existing water reuse infrastructure will receive a $6.5 million upgraded to improve quality and increase quantity of treated wastewater to offset the use of potable water for irrigation, allowing some large water users to use recycled water for irrigation and horticulture.

• Rebates and retrofits: Funding for rebates on water-saving household items will increase from $200,000 to $1.5m. This includes water efficient shower heads, toilets, washing machines, pool covers and efficient garden products.

• Reticulation: Water pressure varies with topographical variability in Alice Springs, this, combined with the desert climatic extremes, places water infrastructure under demand so $2 million will be used to facilitate a system of better pressure management.

• Metering: Smart water meters, which allow customers to monitor their water use and help identify leaks and high water use activities, will be rolled out.

• Parks and ovals: With $1.2 million Alice Springs Town Council will install more of the telemetric irrigation control systems, which monitor weather conditions such as rainfall and humidity to irrigate efficiently. The systems can also detect leaks and shut off supply to the affected line.

• Accommodation: With $210,000 through Tourism NT, accommodation providers will be offered water audits to identify water savings. Visitors to Alice are increasingly motivated by being environmentally aware and responsible. This will aid decision making to visit by those responsible travellers and also improve experience in terms of their environmental footprint.

• Homes and Businesses: A range of household and businesses water audits to provide them with more choice in developing appropriate water saving options.

Funding of $7.5 million is being provided under the National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns, a key component of the Australian Government’s long-term Water for the Future initiative.

This was matched by Power and Water Corporation with contributions from consortium members.

For more information visit http://www.alicewatersmart.com.au/

Twittercue: @AliceWaterSmart launch today, the new plan urges #alicesprings to save water http://tiny.cc/awslaunch #aws #green

Ends…

Media enquiries:

Laurelle Halford from Creative Territory on 0417 222 211 or

Lorraine Hook from Power and Water Corporation on 0401 117 599

Pine Gap installs 40 household solar systems

2011-07-04T09:48:00.001+09:30

The number of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) solar systems in Alice Springs has increased by around ten per cent with the installation of 40 systems on Pine Gap staff housing.

Each system is two kilowatts in size and together they will produce 130,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is the entire annual consumption of around 15 average Alice Springs homes.

Alice Solar City has been working with the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap (JDFPG) to help increase energy efficiency of staff housing around Alice Springs.

Margaret Larkin, Deputy Chief of the JDFPG said "It is a goal of the Joint Defence Facility Pine Pap to make a contribution to protecting the environment through energy, water and other conversation measures.”

“Increasing our energy efficiency through the use of solar energy will assist the Facility to achieve this goal”.

“The solar installations will save approximately $25,000 per year off the combined annual electricity bills of our residences.”

Alice Solar City General Manager Sam Latz says, “The 40 PV systems represent increased household energy efficiency for 10% of JDFPG’s housing stock and we congratulate them on this contribution to sustainability in Alice Springs.”

“I would like challenge the Alice Springs community to match this level of 10% of all Alice Springs homes generating electricity from the sun”.

Pine Gap resident Edward said, "It is satisfying to know that I am living in a home that benefits from solar energy while supporting the objectives of the local Alice Solar City program”.

The number of household solar PV systems has increased from two to just over 500 since Alice Springs became a solar city in March 2008.

Twittercue: Pine Gap residents install 40 household Solar Power systems to increase their energy efficiency http://tiny.cc/2n8h0 #sustainable #alice

Ends……

For media enquiries please contact Laurelle Halford from Creative Territory on 0417 222 211 or (08) 8952 9412 or laurelle@creativeterritory.com
About Alice Solar City

The Alice Springs Solar City Consortium is led by the Alice Springs Town Council and includes broad community support from the Northern Territory Government, Power and Water Corporation, Tangentyere Council, the Northern Territory Chamber of Commerce, the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre and the Arid Lands Environment Centre. Funding sources include the Australian Government, the Northern Territory Government, Power and Water Corporation, and Alice Springs Town Council.

5 ways to improve your Twittercue to get your message out

2011-06-19T13:36:00.001+09:30

By Tracy Jones

Since I wrote about the Twittercue back in April, we’ve seen an amazing take-up of this idea by social media-savvy PR professionals. (read the original post)

A Google search of the term “twittercue” pulls down more than 2400 results, a far cry from the first time we searched the term and got just 12. Our blog posts have been tweeted hundreds of times by converts and about 10 other blogs have carried posts on the topic.

Thanks everyone for spreading the word, although we’re still working on getting Wikipedia to accept Twittercue as a new term.

From watching the words spread, we’ve picked up a few more suggestions on how to make a Twittercue work better for you:

Tweet your own Twittercue. PRs who do are more likely to see their post retweeted, sometimes hundreds of times.
Keep your Twittercue to 120 characters or less, otherwise Tweeps have to edit your original post before retweeting. Remember: you want them to Tweet your exact words.
Make sure you have a link back to your online media release so people can get the full story.
If you are writing a Twittercue in an emergency situation, make sure your tweet is self-explanatory. People don’t always switch between Twitter and a web page if they are on their smart phone in the aftermath of an earthquake.
Add appropriate hashtags.

We’d love to hear about your experience with Twittercues and find out if they have been successful for you, so please post your comments to allow us to pass your success on to others.

Twittercue: 5 ways to improve your Twittercue to get your message out #PRtips #socialmedia http://tiny.cc/e1csq

Darwin woman honored as a Queensland Disaster Hero

2011-06-06T16:52:00.001+09:30

A Darwin businesswoman is being honored as a Queensland Disaster Hero by Premier Anna Bligh in Rockhampton tonight.

Accountant Rosemary Campbell went to the aid of her former home town Theodore, which was devastated by the floods in December and January.

The partner of Darwin firm Merit Partners established the Theodore Flood Recovery Appeal, raising $320,000 to date and giving a helping hand to local residents and businesses.

Rosemary said while the award recognised the many people who donated to the appeal in cash and in kind.

“The floods devastated many parts of Queensland and I wanted to do something to help my old home town,” she said.

“With the support of people across Australia, we’ve been able to help Theodore come back to life.”

Theodore was completely evacuated as the flood waters rose, with few in the town escaping the devastation. Virtually every business went under, thousands of hectares of crops were destroyed and residents were forced to come home to a sea of mud.

Using Facebook to promote the appeal across Australia, the Theodore Flood Recovery Trust used an innovative approach to help the town. Much of the money raised was given to local residents as vouchers that could only be redeemed in local businesses.

“Our goal was to maximise the benefit to all of Theodore, helping both residents and businesses and keeping the money in the town. Without a viable business community, Theodore would suffer a double blow from the floods,” Rosemary said.

To donate to the appeal visit: http://tiny.cc/3uwuh

Twittercue: #DarwinNT woman Rosemary Campbell honored as QLD Disaster Hero. #topend #qldfloods http://tiny.cc/rcheromedal

5 steps to engagement through social media

2011-06-03T08:29:00.003+09:30

By Tracy Jones

If you’re thinking about getting into social media, you need to employ the principle of MATES – Monitor, Act, Talk, Engage and Sustain.

We’ve coined the term MATES because it emphasises what communicators know to be the most powerful aspect of social media – its ability to engage in meaningful conversations rather than just mindless promotion.

These five steps will help you get started.

MONITOR: Start your social media journey by looking at what others are already saying and doing in the social media sphere. Google like crazy. Do some searches in Twitter. You may be surprised what others are already saying about you, your brand, your products and your competitors.

ACT: Take the plunge and set up some accounts. Start with Facebook and Twitter then add to your armory as you get more comfortable.

TALK: Now it’s time to say something. Start small by retweeting or sharing what others are saying. You’ll get bolder as you go along by adding your own original content and thoughts. Share your knowledge and expertise with your friends and followers. The most influential participants give something of themselves to their audiences.

ENGAGE: Now it’s time to become a real participant. Comment on other people’s posts. Reply to people who talk to you or about you. Say thanks to those who pass your posts along.

SUSTAIN: Now you’re in the space you need to participate at a sustainable level. Have a strategy for how often and when you will be posting and commenting. Dedicate resources to the task. Make it part of your job, not just a tack-on at the end of the day that is quickly forgotten when things get busy.

Creative Territory offers a mentoring package to help executives get social online. The package includes an analysis of your business and personal needs, setting up your accounts, three hours of coaching at your desk and three months of ongoing support and mentoring. Contact tracy@creativeterritory.com to find out more.

Twittercue: 5 steps to engagement through social media. #PR #socialmedia http://tiny.cc/esguk

Alice Springs Electricity tariff trial closed to new participants

2011-06-02T16:53:00.001+09:30

Participation in an Alice Solar City trial which aims to shift the time of day residents use electricity, has been snapped up by over 370 residents - exceeding the program’s target.
“The Cost Reflective Tariff (CRT) trial is now at capacity and is closed to new participants”, said Sam Latz, Alice Solar City’s Acting General Manager.

Under the CRT trial, participating householders have moved from being charged a flat rate for their electricity consumption, to a peak / off-peak pricing structure instead.

This means their power costs more during peak periods (9am – 6pm Monday to Friday) and less in off-peak periods (6pm – 9am), encouraging them to ‘shift’ their power use, which in turn aims to reduce the peak load on the town’s generators.

“By reducing the peak loads on our electricity network, we can help defer expensive investments in increased capacity, and reduce pressure on electricity prices”, said Sam Latz.
“We have seen CRT customers shift their power use for things like putting on their pool pump or a load of washing in the evening, turning off unneeded appliances during the day, and being mindful of when they use the booster on their hot water system.”

“Alice Solar City will now focus on monitoring the consumption patterns of CRT trial participants, producing results that will inform future energy policy.”

“Our target was to have 350 customers in the CRT trial, and we are pleased that residents have been so keen to get involved. In addition to those involved in the CRT trial, 275 extra customers who installed rooftop solar with Alice Solar City are automatically put on CRT.”

“This is a total of 645 residents participating, and Alice Springs is one of the few places in the country where this sort of technology is being trialed.”

All CRT participants have also been given an In-house Display. By touching the portable LCD screen, householders can see their overall electricity consumption, a breakdown of their peak and off peak electricity use and CO2 emissions by day, week or month and power costs for the current month.

“Normally, the only feedback or information we get about our electricity consumption is once every 3 months when we get our electricity bill. This technology instead gives information in real time to householders.”

“The In-house Display allows them to become smarter with their energy use by giving them live information about their electricity consumption and helping them to make more informed decisions about when they choose to use their electricity.”

The Alice Solar City project is part of the Australian Government's Solar Cities initiative, which is helping change the way we think about and use energy. Trials involving governments, industry, businesses and residents across Australia are helping create a new energy future for Australian communities.

Twittercue: Participation in Alice Springs electricity tariff trials exceeds expectations & is now closed to new participants http://tiny.cc/516j4 #alicesprings #topend

Ends….

For media enquiries please contact Laurelle Halford from Creative Territory on 0417 222 211 or (08) 8952 9412 or laurelle@creativeterritory.com

About Alice Solar City

The Alice Springs Solar City Consortium is led by the Alice Springs Town Council and includes broad community support from the Northern Territory Government, Power and Water Corporation, Tangentyere Council, the Northern Territory Chamber of Commerce, the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre and the Arid Lands Environment Centre. Funding sources include the Australian Government, the Northern Territory Government, Power and Water Corporation, and Alice Springs Town Council.

7 tips for communicating when the electricity goes out

2011-05-20T08:38:00.001+09:30

By Tracy Jones

Anyone who has ever been through a natural disaster will tell you that one of the first things to go is the electricity.

While mobile phone towers amazingly kept working following recent cyclones, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis across the world, power went out for prolonged periods.

For communicators used to having all the latest tools at our disposal, planning for how to get messages across in a blackout is critical.

Here are 7 tips to help:

1. Rely on radio.

Even if people don’t have battery-powered radios, the one in their car probably still works. Use radio stations to get important messages out.

2. Make every message self-contained.

People relying on their mobile phone for the internet don’t switch between Twitter, Facebook and the web during a crisis. They tend to stick with one application. There’s nothing worse than a Tweet that only tells you to “check our website for the latest update”. See our post on Twittercues for some hints on better tweeting.

3. Stay charged

Always keep your mobile and your laptop fully charged.

4. Host your website in another city.

Or at least make sure your local provider is really, really ready for any risk.

5. Use blogs and twitter to feed your content.

You can use blogs and twitter to feed content onto your website and facebook accounts. That way if everything else fails you can easily upload content via your mobile phone.

6. Have a back-up email account

If your own business server goes down, a back up Gmail or hotmail account will see you through a crisis.

7. Remember the old tools

Once upon a time we relied on pen and paper and talking to each other. They still work.

Twittercue: 7 tips for communicating when the electricity goes out. #prtips #crisiscomms http://tiny.cc/7tipspower

Are you a PR professional planning a visit to the NT, Australia?

2011-05-17T14:27:00.003+09:30

PRIA is looking for potential workshop speakers for events in Darwin and Alice Springs.

If you are a PR professional planning to visit Australia's tropical north, the Public Relations Institute of Australia's Northern Territory branch would love to hear from you.

The PRIA is always looking for guest speakers for their various workshops and seminars, although they work on a very limited budget.

So if you are heading our way and would love to give back to your professional community, please let us know by leaving a comment on this post or sending us an email tracy@creativeterritory.com

Twittercue: Searching for PR pros planning to visit #Darwin or #AliceSprings in #Australia. http://tiny.cc/ntvisit

Codes key to clever campaigns

2011-05-06T17:29:00.005+09:30

By Anita Brabham & Domonique Young

About a month ago we came across a presentation from PSFK on mobile tagging and were excited about its potential as a PR and marketing tool. Like so many other innovations, it slipped our mind until we heard a radio segment on the Australian Communication Exchange using the new technology to engage with deaf and hearing impaired people at museums.

For anyone who isn’t in the know, mobile tagging is a barcode, quick response code (QR code) or Microsoft tag that links to extra information about the tagged item via Smartphone technology. Everything from street signs to coffee cups can be coded. All you need to do is take a picture of the code with your phone to access extra information about the item or image. It’s a bit like a hyperlink that links the real world with the digital world.

To see this best at work (and ogle at the endless PR and marketing opportunities this app has), visit the National Sports Museum which transcribed museum audio talks tours into Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and consequently into mobile tags, or Auslan Smart, revolutionising the museum experience for the deaf and hearing impaired. Auslan Smart is the first of its kind in Australia.

In Spain, the postal authority Correos and mobile marketing company Macanudos joined forces to code postal stamps. Take a picture of the QR code with your phone and you were given destination info about Alhambra of the Granada region, or whatever landmark was on the stamp.

Another fine example was New York City Parks. They used mobile tagging at community events to celebrate Arbor Day and add another dimension to the works on display in Central Park. Magma Agency embedded old photographs, scenes from iconic films and music clips from Orchestras who’d played at the park in years past with mobile tags. Each work featured a small tree, which Magma dubbed ‘parknodes’ that housed the barcode. A digital map of the parknodes was plotted, a Facebook page set up and voila, a successful marketing campaign was born. If you’re interested, check out Magma’s video for more.

Like any effective PR and marketing strategy you need to give consumers a reason to take action and interact with you. While at first people might engage with this technology because it like sounds fun, truly effective strategists and marketers should understand their audience and deliver the info they would want.

The possibilities of mobile tagging are endless. Imagine magazines, print ads, tourist displays, books and music linked to extra juicy info or goss? Watch this space, because we think the technology will be used more and more in the future. Oh, and did we say it's currently free to create mobile tags (we don’t think this will last)? To start cracking codes on all your favourite products, simply visit your Smartphone app store and download a QR code reader application.

Twittercue
Mobile codes create clever campaigns. http://bit.ly/ju3jTd #PR #apps

Sustainable Living House Warms Up for Winter

2011-05-04T09:25:00.002+09:30

The onset of winter will see new energy efficient technology put to the test at the Alice Springs Sustainable Living House, which has a public open day this Saturday.
A new solar air heating system, installed during winter last year has already proved its worth with the resident of the house, Maggie Turnbull.

“After the roof was painted white, and with the colder than normal temperatures last year, we noticed the house felt quite a bit cooler than in previous years.”

“The new solar heating system has been doing its job already this year by providing warm, fresh air to the house, helping to reduce the need to use other heating systems.”

The system uses a roof mounted solar panel to heat fresh air, and then pumps that heated air into the house.

It works best on sunny days, and as the typical winter’s day in Alice is cool but sunny, this type of technology is well suited to Alice Springs.

“Permanently closing the old vents in the ceiling has further helped to keep the warmer air in, and along with our solar hot water system, rooftop solar system, low energy lighting and other energy efficient measures, our overall energy bill should be just a fraction of an average Alice Springs home”, said Ms Turnbull.

Alice Solar City are monitoring the before and after temperatures at the house to assess how effective the solar air heating system is.

Some of the other energy efficient measures installed by Alice Solar City include an external colourbond ‘skin’ and adjustable shading.

Visitors can see how much energy the house is using and generating via an LCD in-house display.

DesertSMART COOLmob has fitted out the house with the latest off-the-shelf water efficient products, including a new 4.3/5 litre dual flush toilet, new tap fittings, showerhead and washing machine, and a clever rainwater tank that delivers water straight to the solar hot water system.

A ‘Water Wise’ booklet which shows simple and effective ways to lower your water use, including information on greywater systems and native gardens, will be available.

The Sustainable Living House is open from 1pm to 4pm this Saturday at 68 Kurrajong Drive.

Twittercue:
Alice Springs Sustainable Living House puts new energy efficient technology to the test. Open Day this Saturday 1-4pm 68 Kurrajong Drv http://tiny.cc/tlzba #Alice Springs #Sustainable #Green

Ends……

For media enquiries please contact Laurelle Halford from Creative Territory on 0417 222 211 or (08) 8952 9412 or laurelle@creativeterritory.com

About Alice Solar City
The Alice Springs Solar City Consortium is led by the Alice Springs Town Council and includes broad community support from the Northern Territory Government, Power and Water Corporation, Tangentyere Council, the Northern Territory Chamber of Commerce, the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre and the Arid Lands Environment Centre. Funding sources include the Australian Government, the Northern Territory Government, Power and Water Corporation, and Alice Springs Town Council.

The Language of Creatives: Our Simple Glossary

2011-04-19T13:42:00.001+09:30

What do all those words that creative people use mean? We often have to help our clients get through the industry jargon, so we created this simple glossary of commonly-used words.

AUTHORISATION TAG: During election periods, some advertising and marketing materials is required to be properly authorized under the Electoral Act and officers should inform themselves of these as serious penalties apply for breach of the legislation.

AIS: Aboriginal Interpreter Service. A Northern Territory Government service that provides interpreter and translator services throughout the Northern Territory. Visit www.nt.gov.au/ais

BLEED: An extension of colour beyond the edge of the artwork so that once your artwork is trimmed you get clean colour all the way to the edge of the page. ‘No bleed’ means that the artwork is the exact same size as the finished printout. If artwork with no bleed is printed on a colour copier or office printer there will be a white margin around the outside.

CAD APPROVAL: TV commercials receive classifications just like all other television programming. The classification tells the stations at what times they can air the commercial. For example, PG-rated commercials cannot be played during G-rated programs. When a TV commercial has been rated and approved by CAD it receives a CAD approval number. TV stations need to know what the CAD approval number is before they can air a commercial. Production houses will generally coordinate the CAD approval process on behalf of their clients. For more information about CAD approval visit www.freetv.com.au/Content_Common/pg-CAD-About-CAD-Numbers.seo

CMYK: See Process Colour.

COLLATERAL: Collateral, or promotional collateral, is all the printed promotional and information resources associated with a campaign. For example, a campaign about teenage binge drinking might include the following collateral: posters, A4 fact sheets, wallet-sized cards with emergency services contact phone numbers and a pull-up banner. Radio and TV commercials are not classified as collateral.

GSM: The weight of paper. Standard copier paper is 80GSM. Lower numbers indicate lighter, thinner paper and higher numbers indicate thicker paper or card. Different paper brands measure GSM differently so whenever possible ask your printer to provide a paper sample to confirm the weight. When you get printing quotes, check the GSM specified to make sure you are happy with it. GSM should not be confused with coating. Coatings include matt, satin and gloss.

HEX: Short for Hexadecimal colours, Hex is a formula for web-based colours and is represented by a series of 7 digits, such as #000000 (the formula for black) or #FF69B4 (hot pink). There are certain colours recognised as being “web safe” and able to be replicated accurately on most web browsers. You should ask your designer to recommend web safe colours if this is important to you.

IMAGERY: The photos and pictures included in campaign artwork. Does not include logos and graphics.

KEY NUMBER: An identification number allocated to every TV or radio commercial produced. Production houses provide key numbers for their commercials. The key number is supplied to TV or radio stations to a) help them identify the commercial in their system and b) confirm that they are playing the correct advertisement. Each time an advertisement is updated, the key number will change. The new key number will ensure that the stations are playing the correct version of the commercial. It is good practice to allocate key numbers to all commercials, including print and online.

LOADING: This is an extra amount charged on top of a standard advertising placement cost for placement in a preferred location. Some examples of preferred locations that will incur additional costs include:

Press: Front page, early general news (generally pages two to nine), or right hand page
Radio: Just before or after the news, playing the commercial at a specified time or at exactly the same time each day. Also, different times of the day cost different amounts. Breakfast (6:00 am – 9:00 am) and drive (4:00 pm – 6:00 pm) are generally more expensive.
TV: Just before or after a specific program, playing the commercial at a specified time or at exactly the same time each day. It also costs more to air your commercial during popular, highly-rated programs.

MEDIA SCHEDULE: A plan identifying when a TV or radio commercial will be played (including dates, times, programs and channels) and when a press advertisement will appear in the newspaper or magazine (including date, loading and schedule). The media schedule may or may not also include a breakdown of costs.

OFFLINE EDITS: Early editing to a TV commercial before any of the special effects have been applied and before the sound has been added and edited.

ONLINE EDITS: Edits to a TV commercial that has been finalised and is ready to go to air. Edits at the online stage take more time and resources because the sound and special effects need to be updated to match any changes to the commercial’s footage.

PANTONE: A brand name for a colour matching system that is recognised throughout the world. The Pantone colour system provides an accurate way of ensuring the colour you want is replicated time and time again. You will often see Pantone colour represented by the letters PMS and a unique number. There are several different Pantone systems available, the most common being coated (C) and uncoated (U). Examples include PMS289C or PMS 1345U. Pantone provides formulas for both spot colour and process colour. See also RGB, Hex, Spot and Process Colour.

PAPER SIZES: There are standard paper sizes used world-wide. All paper sizes in the A-series (A5, A4, A3 etc.) are based on a standard ratio. Each smaller size is created by halving the preceding size. For example, A4 equals half of A3. You can find out more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_sizes#The_international_standard:_ISO_216. DL is not part of the A-series standard paper sizing. It is roughly the size of a business envelope, or exactly one third the size of an A4 page.

PRINT-READY ARTWORK: Graphic design files that have been set up ready to be professionally printed. Files are only supplied as print-ready files when they are ready to be supplied to the printer. They will often be a larger file size because all the pictures will be crisp and clear with higher resolution for professional printing. Print-ready files will also include bleed marks, crop marks and trim marks.

PROCESS COLOUR: Also called CMYK colour or four-colour. Files set up as process colour go through the printing press four times. Each time a new colour is added – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and blacK. This allows the output of every possible colour combination. You need to use process colour if your artwork includes colour photos or pictures. See also RGB, Spot Colour, Pantone and Hex.

PRODUCTION HOUSE: A company that produces TV or radio commercials, videos, DVDs and other audio visual materials. A production house has the facilities to create an audio-visual tool from start to finish including filming, sound recording, editing, adding graphics, outputting final files to CD or DVD, arranging CAD approval and sending (Adstreaming) commercials to TV stations. Production houses generally do not write scripts, advise on media schedules or channels or book media placement.

RGB: RGB is a formula used for screen-based graphics. It refers to the relative saturation of Red Green and Blue in the colour and is expressed as a series of three numbers, such as RGB 176:214:138. HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) is also sometimes used, although RGB is regarded as the industry standard. RGB colours cannot be used for printing. See also Process Colour, Spot Colour, Pantone and Hex.

SCRIPTWRITER: A professional with experience writing scripts for TV, radio or DVD. A scriptwriter will have experience writing scripts that are suited to being read aloud and scripts that will fit within tight timeframes if required.

SPEND: Commonly used to refer to ‘media spend’ – how much of the budget has been allocated for playing the commercial on radio or television or placing the advertisement in newspapers or magazines.

SPOT COLOUR: A single colour that is created using one ink, dye or paint. Can include shades but only as a percent opacity of the original colour. Collateral produced with one spot colour can only include white and the spot colour. Newspaper ads produced with one spot colour generally include black, white and the spot colour. Printing in spot colour used to be cheaper than printing in process colour however that is not longer always the case.

STORYBOARDS: A series of pictures with captions underneath each picture. The pictures are sequential and tell a story. Storyboards are used for developing TV commercials. The storyboard will outline the visual concept, the script and may include notes about special effects, sound and music.

STYLE GUIDE: A document that outlines rules for producing documents. A style guide will generally include rules for using the logo, specific fonts for use, rules for grammar, capitalisation, acceptable abbreviations and more. Many organisations have their own style guide. If you don’t, use the Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, commonly known as the Commonwealth Style Guide.

TALENT: Any individual whose voice or person appears in photographs or filmed footage used in a campaign or kept on file for potential future use.

TALENT RELEASE: A legally approved form signed by talent authorising the use of their voice or images or film of their person. Talent release forms must also clearly outline any restrictions for the use of the image or voice. Children under the age of 18 years must have their talent release signed by a parent or guardian.

TVC: TV commercial.

VOICEOVER: A voice recording in a TV commercial that is played over an image and is spoken by a person who is not seen on the screen.

Watch out in coming weeks for our other glossaries: The Language of the Media and The Language of Social Media.

Easter family fun at the Waterfront

2011-04-15T17:06:00.000+09:30

twittercue Easter family fun day @DarwinWaterfront Sat 23 April http://tiny.cc/8ph3w #TopEnd #DarwinNT #Easter

Keep the kids entertained this Easter with plenty of family fun and a visit from the Easter bunny, on Saturday 23 April at the Darwin Waterfront.
The Waterfront will take on a carnival-type atmosphere with activities by Corrugated Iron, games by ‘Life.Be in it’, balloon twisters, face painting, a live DJ and chocolate Easter eggs for all the children.

More than $1000 in prizes is up for grabs at the free family fun day, including accommodation for two staying at the Medina Grand and Vibe Hotels and a family dinner aboard the Charles Darwin.

Kids can meet the Easter Bunny, visit Bunny’s burrow and get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny.

Let the kids get a bit wet and wild on the waterslide and play on the jumping castles. ‘Life.Be in it’ will be running fun and easy kid’s exercise games to get everyone active. Top End youth arts organisation Corrugated Iron will be there and will get the kids involved in plenty of fun and challenging activities.

Easter at the Waterfront will get underway at 10am and finish at 2pm. So hop towards the waterfront this Easter.

Ends…

For more information or interviews please call Anita Brabham on 08 89419169 or email anita@creativeterritory.com

*Please tweet our twittercue

Is your media release Twitter ready?

2011-04-06T16:33:00.006+09:30

If you’ve ever played Telephone, you know how easy it is for a simple message to lose its meaning.

Sending out a media release is like playing this childhood game. Very few journalists will ever replay it the way you want and the essential message can be lost as people reword and rework your beautifully crafted prose into just a few short sentences.

That’s just the name of the game in public relations, but the advent of social media has made the job even harder. Thousands of citizen journalists are now reinterpreting your media release into less than 140 characters.

A recent example was an announcement from the Northern Territory Government in Australia during Cyclone Carlos allowing non-essential public servants with child-caring responsibilities to take personal leave if they could not get alternate care arrangements for their children. Employees should check with their supervisor if they were not sure if they were regarded as “essential”.

The tweets from those spreading the word looked something like this:

Non-essential public servants urged to stay at home due to #TCcarlos

The result? Hundreds of public servants with and without children stayed at home without ever contacting their supervisor.

It’s hardly the fault of the multitudes who retweeted this message, but it is a great example of how a message can lose its full meaning very quickly.

At Creative Territory, we’ve seen hundreds of original media releases, stories and blogs get mangled as well-meaning tweeters try to make sense of what the writer was trying to say and rebroadcast it in a tiny package.

So what can PR professionals do to make it easier for others to pass their message on?

We’ve recently created the “Twittercue”– the practice of adding a set of words to the bottom of media releases that enable tweeters to pass on your message without distorting the meaning.

So if I was writing a media release for the situation above, I would add the following to the bottom of the release:

Twittercue: NTG non-essent staff who need 2 care 4 kids may take prsnl leave. Chck with supervisor #TCcarlos http://tiny.cc/3pdeaz

Some tips for writing a great Twittercue:

Forget the flowery language – concentrate on the facts
Use an appropriate hashtag
Include a url pointing to the full copy of the media release
Keep it to 120 characters in total to allow for unedited retweeting
Don’t be afraid to use abbreviations – speak the language of your Tweeps.

Twittercue for this release: Is your media release Twitter ready? http://tiny.cc/twittercue #PR #SM #twitter

Young Territorians wanted for national survey

2011-04-05T11:11:00.001+09:30

To coincide with National Youth Week, Mission Australia is calling on young Territorians to help highlight important issues in their lives by having their say in the charity’s 2011 National Survey of Young Australians – the nation’s largest annual report on the views, concerns and values of young people between the ages of 11-24.

In launching the 2011 survey, Mission Australia’s NT Director, Phillip Leslie, said it gave young people a voice across a range of issues with the information being used to help community groups and governments plan and develop youth services.

“Mission Australia’s annual youth survey is a ‘temperature check’ on what young people are feeling, what issues concern them, what they think are the main challenges facing the nation and how optimistic they are about the future,” Mr Leslie said.

“Responses to the survey help governments, youth agencies and ourselves improve and develop programs and strategies that are shaped by the voices of young people themselves.”

Last year’s survey tested the views of close to 1,500 young Territorians (50,000 young people nationally – its biggest group since the survey began in 2002) between the ages of 11-24 (87.9 per cent aged 11-19).

When asked to rank their personal concerns from 15 issues body image was ranked most frequently in the top three by 30.5 per cent of NT respondents, followed by alcohol at 27.6 per cent and family conflict at 26.5 per cent.

For the first time the survey asked young people for their unprompted views on the most important issues facing Australia.

Heading NT responses was environment with 49.9 per cent ranking it as a ‘top three’ issue followed by alcohol and drugs (39.2 per cent). Environment was the major issue for all age groups and for both males and females in the NT.

“Young people’s concerns can be quite volatile – moving around from year to year – and they differ between age groups so it’s important we conduct this survey annually, with as many participants as possible, to obtain an accurate picture.

“The range of concerns - from stress to depression, suicide and body image – also suggest young people are facing increased challenges as they make the transition from adolescence to adulthood,” Mr Leslie said.

Mission Australia’s 2011 National Survey of Young Australians can be completed online at www.mayouthsurvey.com.au. It is also available at all Mission Australia services, secondary schools, TAFE facilities and libraries nationwide.

The survey closes on Friday, 29 July with the results to be published later in the year.

Debut performer wins Urban Quest

2011-04-05T11:08:00.001+09:30

It may have been his first ever live performance on the big stage, but that didn’t stop Tevita Moala from singing his way to Urban Quest success over the weekend.

The 16 year old Darwin High School student outperformed 10 other finalists to win the Mission Australia talent competition at the Darwin Entertainment Centre on Saturday night.

The singing pianist brought many in the sold-out crowd to tears with his rendition of John Legend’s I won’t complain.

The young Kiwi national introduced the gospel song as a dedication to a friend in New Zealand who suffers from Muscular Dystrophy.

Guest judge Deni Hines described Moala’s touching performance as better than that of John Legend’s.

“I want it on CD, cause I’d buy it now,” the soul songstress said.

An overwhelmed Moala was lost for words at the win, scoring for himself 12 months mentoring from Music NT, cash and studio recording time.

“My friend Jeanie entered me in the competition, so if it weren’t for her I wouldn’t be here now,” Moala said.

“I was really nervous - this is the first time I’ve done something like this - but I just felt the music and am so happy.”

The Michael Buble and Temptations fan will now put his winnings to work as he pursues his musical dreams.

Jack and Sam Weaver and Peter Rautoka were equal runners-up in the competition, which raised funds for youth homeless across the Top End.

Australian pop idol Mark Holden awarded all three acts a “touchdown”, as well as 13 year old Shiane Hawke with her collaboration of Amazing Grace and Duffy’s Mercy.

Beatboxer Kane Bishop was awarded Best Composition of the night.

Mission Australia Operations Manager Brad McIver said the night was a huge success and lifted the profile of youth homelessness.

“We exceeded our expectations for Urban Quest and the money raised will support us to develop new accommodation for homeless youth in the NT and expand our current services and programs,” Mr McIver said.

“Every little bit helps and if we can make a difference in one of the 5000 homeless Territory kids lives, then that’s what this event was all about.”

Urban Quest will become an annual fundraiser on the Mission Australia NT calendar.

Tough call at Urban Quest semi finals

2011-03-30T12:39:00.001+09:30

Eleven acts are through to the Urban Quest Finals Concert on Saturday night after the judges struggled to choose just ten.

Former Australian Idol judge Mark Holden delivered three touch downs through the 20 performances including opening rock duo Jack and Sam Weaver.

More than 1000 people turned out to support the young performers, aged between 11 and 18, at Casuarina Square.

The youngest finalist Kaiyah Chadwick, who’s in Year 6 at Marrara Christian College, wowed the audience with her rendition of Halleluja without backing music, while beatboxer Kane Bishop reverberated through the crowd.

Mark Holden will now work with the young singers in mentoring workshops to polish their performances ahead of the big night.

“It’s fantastic being up here,” Mark Holden said.

“But what I really looking forward to is working with each of the finalists and improving their performance.”

Urban Quest, organised by Mission Australia, hopes to raise awareness of youth homelessness in the Top End and expand homeless accommodation services.

In the Territory, up to 5000 people are homeless and more than one quarter are young people aged between 12 and 18 years.

The Urban Quest Finals Concert, which includes a performance by Deni Hines, starts at 7pm at the Darwin Entertainment Centre this Saturday, 2 April.

Tickets cost $17.50 per person or $50 per family of four, with all proceeds supporting Mission Australia to develop homeless services for young Territorians.

The 11 Urban Quest Finalists are:

Kaiyah Chadwich, 11, Leanyer

Peter Rautoke, 17, Palmerston

Casey Glennon, 16, Malak

Shaine Hawke, 13, Stuart Park

Gabrielle Wright, 16, Palmerston

Jianynne Anastacio, 16, Katherine

Tevita Moala, 16, Darwin

Kane Bishop, 15, Darwin

Leighton Kay-Mick, 13, Karama

John Micairan, 18 Palmerston & Flyod McDonald, 18, Karama

Sam & Jack Weaver, 17 & 14, Wagaman

For more on each of the performers visit facebook.com/MissionAust. To purchase tickets to the Urban Quest Finals Concert visit www.darwinentertainment.com.au.

Internet and radio leading sources of information in a crisis

2011-03-26T11:23:00.000+09:30

The internet has emerged as the leading source of information during cyclone Carlos with radio a close second, a survey has recently found.

The survey, conducted by Darwin PR agency Creative Territory after Cyclone Carlos last month, found 75 per cent of people turned to the internet for information and that even more would do so in the future.

The rise of mobile internet devices including smart phones and iPads, means people use the internet and social media to get information even during power blackouts.

Creative Territory managing director Tracy Jones said social media and the internet have sped up the news cycle as well as allowing people to participate in discussions.

“Traditional media outlets that do not extend their offering into social media are in danger of lagging behind,” she said.

“ABC and the NT News did this really well dutring Cyclone Carlos and were rewarded with a high level of trust among residents."

The survey was conducted among 227 people in the weeks following the cyclone and found:

People who felt the least informed were less likely to listen to ABC Radio and Internet and more likely to watch TV.
People who followed Twitter felt the most informed.
People who lost telephone services felt the least informed.
In the future, people would switch to radio if they lost power for extended periods, although a large number of people would remain connected to the internet and social media via mobile devices.

Tracy said the survey offered lessons to responders in future emergencies.

The survey results will be presented at a forum hosted by the Public Relations Institute of Australia and the Australian Marketing Institute in Darwin this week. The even will also feature experts from the Bureau of Meteorology, NT Police, ABC and Darwin International Airport.

When: Thursday 31 March, 12noon to 2pm

Where: Vibe Hotel, 7 Kitchener Drive, Darwin Waterfront NT

Cost: PRIA and AMI members $45

Non-members $55

Teens to battle for a Mark Holden 'touch down'

2011-03-24T14:26:00.000+09:30

Twenty teens as young as eleven will battle for a top ten finish at the Urban Quest semi final at Casuarina Square next week.

The singers hope to impress guest judge Mark Holden and local celebrity radio host Amanda Pernechele for a spot in the Urban Quest Finals Concert on 2 April.

The acts include a brother duo from Wagaman, Palmerston hip hop pair and two singers from Katherine.

The event, sponsored by Mission Australia, hopes to raise awareness of youth homelessness in the Top End.

The Urban Quest semi final gets underway at 3:30pm at Casuarina Square on Tuesday, 29 March. The public are encouraged to attend.

The semi finalists are:

Kaiyah Chadwich, 11, Leanyer

Peter Rautoke, 17, Palmerston

Casey Glennon, 16, Malak

Shaine Hawke, 13, Stuart Park

Taylor Fishlock, 18, Katherine

Rebekah Ainslie, 16, Darwin

Kimberly Harding, 16 Darwin

Jason Woodward, 15, Palmerston

Gabrielle Wright, 16, Palmerston

Jianynne Anastacio, 16, Katherine

Tevita Moala, 16, Darwin

Kane Bishop, 15, Darwin

Veronica Maxwell, 17, Palmerston

Jessica Pickworth, 18, Litchfield Park

Leighton Kay-Mick, 13, Karama

Katheryn Pickworth, 18, Stuart Park

John Micairan, 18 Palmerston & Flyod McDonald, 18, Karama

Sam & Jack Weaver, 17 & 14, Wagaman

For more on each of the performers visit facebook.com/MissionAust.

Desert water plan to save water in Alice Springs

2011-03-23T09:12:00.000+09:30

The desert town of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory will soon lead the way in water conservation.
Alice residents are being urged to cut water use through a $15 million plan that aims to drive smarter, more efficient use of water in homes, businesses, parks and gardens.

The Alice Water Plan project involves education, audits and infrastructure development to cut water use by 1600 million litres per year.

The Alice Water Plan consortium, led by Power and Water Corporation, comprises Arid Lands Environment Centre, COOLMob, Alice Springs Town Council, Tourism NT and the Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport (NRETAS).

Power and Water Corporation project sponsor Alan Whyte said the aim is to harness the environmental consciousness already shown by Alice Springs residents through Alice Solar City.

“The people of Alice Springs have already shown they are energy champions. We now want to add water to their environmental efforts,” Mr Whyte said.

“Reducing our water consumption through small achievable measures will help conserve this precious resource and allow our town to grow in a sustainable manner.”

The program will increase water recycling, provide additional rebates and retrofits for customers and encourage the installation of smart water meters to allow Alice residents to monitor their water use.

Funding of $7.5 million was provided by the Australian Government’s long-term Water for the Future initiative, through National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns.

This was matched by the NT Government through Power and Water Corporation and additional funding from Tourism NT, $100 000, Alice Springs Town Council $ 300 000 and NRETAS.

The $15 million project has been put together by the consortium and includes:

• Water audits for homes and businesses

• Smart meters that help people understand their own water use and make changes

• An $8.5 million infrastructure project that would allow some large water users to use recycled water

• A $2 million project to regulate water pressure and reduce leaks

• A $1.2 million project to reduce water use in parks and gardens using smart technologies, and

• A program to reduce water use in hotels and other tourist accommodation.

The project is expected to be officially launched in May.

Top End talent hunt begins

2011-03-09T17:27:00.001+09:30

Top End talent hunt begins

The hunt for the Top End’s best young talent will get underway today with the heats of Mission Australia’s Urban Quest.

Urban Quest kicks off at schools across Palmerston and Tiwi Islands at 3:30pm for artists under 19 years across vocal, street, rap and beatboxing categories.

The competition will raise much needed funds for Mission Australia to develop accommodation for homeless young Territorians.

The heats are the first step for contestants vying for a spot in the Urban Quest Finals Concert, which opens National Youth Week in Darwin.

Australian pop idols Mark Holden and Deni Hines will team up with local celebrity radio host Amanda Pernechele to judge the Finals Concert on 2 April at the Darwin Entertainment Centre.

Ten acts will go through to the finals concert and experience a workshop with Holden ahead of the big night.

The concert includes a guest performance by Deni Hines and local hip hop group DT3.

Competition details:

· 9 March heats at Tiwi Island College, Sanderson Middle School, Palmerston Library at 3:30pm

· 10 March heats at CDU Training Centre, Katherine at 3:30pm

· 11 March heats at Maningrida Community

· 19 March heats at Malak Theatre, Palmerston Library and Browns Mart Theatre at 2pm

· 29 March semi finals at Casuarina Square at 3:30pm

· 2 April Urban Quest Finals Concert at Darwin Entertainment Centre at 7pm

For more information, entry forms or to donate visit www.missionaustralia.com.au or facebook.com/missionaust.

2000 Energy Audits to mark Alice Solar City birthday

2011-03-09T15:49:00.000+09:30

Two thousand homeowners in Alice Springs have now undertaken a home energy audit, just as Alice Solar City celebrates its third birthday tomorrow.

Senior auditor with Alice Solar City, Lyndon Hodges, recently completed the 2000th energy audit in an uncanny coincidence as the project turns three.

“Alice Springs residents and business owners should be recognised and congratulated for their contribution to reducing the town’s energy use over the past three years”, says Brian Elmer, General Manager of Alice Solar City.

Since the project’s launch in March 2008, just over 2000 local residents and over 100 local businesses have joined the program, each receiving an energy audit, tailored advice and access to financial incentives to reduce their consumption and lower their bills.

Over 400 solar power systems have been installed on homes and businesses, and almost 600 solar hot water systems have been installed.

Just under $5 million in funding has been provided to homes and business to assist with the cost of installation measures to cut down their energy use.

“With Alice Solar City reaching the half way point of its scheduled life, our particular focus for 2011 will be on working with our existing residential and commercial participants to assess what actual savings and changes in behaviour they have been able to achieve”, said Brian Elmer.

“As part of that process, we will shortly be offering follow-up audits for our customers, which will help them to better understand their energy consumption patterns and find out other ways to reduce their bills.”

“By the end of the project we will have a good understanding of just how much energy the town has saved.”

Also completed as part of the Solar City project are two large iconic projects at Crowne Plaza and Alice Springs Airport, with two more underway at the new Alice Springs Aquatic Centre and the Uterne Solar Farm on the southern outskirts of town.

For media enquiries please contact Laurelle Halford from Creative Territory on 0417 222 211 or (08) 8952 9412 or laurelle@creativeterritory.com

About Alice Solar City: The Alice Springs Solar City Consortium is led by the Alice Springs Town Council and includes broad community support from the Northern Territory Government, Power and Water Corporation, Tangentyere Council, the Northern Territory Chamber of Commerce, the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre and the Arid Lands Environment Centre. Funding sources include the Australian Government, the Northern Territory Government, Power and Water Corporation, and Alice Springs Town Council.

Singers will battle to help the homeless

2011-02-21T09:55:00.001+09:30

Mark Holden and Deni Hines will touch down in the Top End in a bid to get a roof over homeless young people’s heads in Darwin and Palmerston.

The Australian pop idols will be in town to guest judge Mission Australia’s Urban Quest, a fundraising talent competition that aims to increase awareness about local youth homelessness.

Holden and Hines will team up with local celebrity radio host Amanda Pernechele to judge the finals concert on 2 April at the Darwin Entertainment Centre.

Mission Australia Operations Manager Brad McIver said the event will address an emerging problem in Darwin and Palmerston.

“The majority of young homeless people are fending for themselves and sleep out in improvised dwellings or shack in with friends, acquaintances and really anywhere they can,” Mr McIver said.

“Urban Quest will help generate funds to support the development of accommodation for them through event participation, public donation and finals concert tickets.”

In the Territory, up to 5000 people are homeless and more than one quarter are young people aged between 12 and 18 years.

Urban Quest is open to solo acts and groups aged between 10 and 19 years across vocal, street, rap and beatboxing categories.

Heats will be held at schools in Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine and the Tiwi Islands with Mark Holden to judge the semi finals at Casuarina Square on 29 March.

Ten acts will go through to the finals concert and experience a workshop with Holden ahead of the big night at the Darwin Entertainment Centre on 2 April.

The concert opens National Youth Week in Darwin and includes a guest performance by Deni Hines.

Competition details:

· Entry closes 1 March

· Heats at Tiwi Island College on 9 March

Maningrida Community 11 March

Darwin High School, Sanderson Middle School, Palmerston Library and Katherine High School on 9 March at 3:30pm

Malak Theatre, Palmerston Library and Browns Mart Theatre on 19 March at 2pm

· Semi finals at Casuarina Square on 29 March at 3:30pm

· Urban Quest finals concert at Darwin Entertainment Centre on 2 April at 7pm

For more information, entry forms and to donate visit www.missionaustralia.com.au or facebook.com/missionaust.

Darwin Symphony Orchestra launches into 2011

2011-02-18T12:03:00.000+09:30

The great masters, Australian composers and pop rock are just some of the treats Darwin Symphony Orchestra will be offering in its push to entice the broader community to sample its musical delicacies in 2011.

DSO Chief Conductor, Dr Leif Sundstrup says that the 2011 program promises to deliver a vibrant and engaging program which will resonate with audiences across the Territory.

“We would love all Territorians to be part of the DSO experience. Be it the ‘classics’ of orchestral repertoire, creative collaborations between the orchestra and local artists or our first ever pop rock concert. We will open the wonders of our musical mastery to the broader Territory community,” said Dr Sundstrup.

DSO Chairman, Kevin Davis AM said he is equally excited about the DSO season.

“It is wonderful to see the DSO performing another free outdoor concert in the Amphitheatre. In 2006, the DSO performed with the Australian Ballet to over 9,000 people.”

“The orchestra will also tour to Alice Springs in September, stage a number of fun and affordable family concerts and the much loved Masters Series of classical works,” Mr Davis said.

The DSO is comprised of more than 60 volunteer players, a professional concertmaster and other principal players. The pro-am community orchestra is recognised for taking its music to isolated communities in the Territory which rarely have the opportunity to experience a live symphony orchestra as well regular concert appearances in Darwin.

“This year’s program has been developed to connect with our audiences and challenge our musicians. All Australian works have been carefully selected or commissioned with both the orchestral musicians and community audiences in mind.”

“We want to nurture the relationship between local and remote audiences and Australian composers. All Master Series performances, Darwin Festival collaborations and our NT tour will include works written by Australian composers. We want to offer something for everyone,” said Dr Sundstrup.

The DSO 2011 program is available at www.dso.org.au

The Northern Territory’s iconic Darwin Symphony Orchestra will launch its 2011 program this afternoon at 5.30pm at a function hosted by the Minister for the Arts, Gerry McCarthy at Parliament House.

Media enquiries:
Jeannette Button 8941 9169

Local TIO staff and consultants assessing cyclone damage

2011-02-17T18:14:00.000+09:30

TIO has deployed a team of local staff and consultants to help assess cyclone and flood damage from Cyclone Carlos.

CEO Richard Harding said extra help has been brought in from local experts to field the large number of potential claims.

“It’s important that we get people to the damage spots as quickly as possible, but it’s even more important that people secure their homes and belongings,” Mr Harding said.

“People will not be jeopardising their insurance cover if they take action to protect their homes and safety before assessors can get to them.

“We’ve had a large number of calls from customers, so we are asking people to be patient as we quickly work through all claims.”

To 3pm today about 200 claims have been lodged for damage valued at around $1 million, but it is still early days. Most claims have been for damage to buildings and contents while a small number have been for vehicles.

"We know a number of customers have had flood damage and I want to assure them that their TIO policy does cover them,” Mr Harding said.

“At TIO flood cover means flood cover.”

This is the text of a media release from TIO
For further information please contact:
Chris Thiel Head of Corporate Relations,
Telephone: 8946 2651, Mobile: 0407216650

TIO Working to Assess Cyclone and Flood Damage

2011-02-17T12:27:00.001+09:30

Media release from TIO

TIO assessors are working in the community to assess claims as ex-Cyclone Carlos moves away from Darwin.

Chief Executive Richard Harding said the full picture on damage is not yet clear as calls continue to come into the claims centre.

"We've obviously had a high volume of calls, so we are asking our customers to be patient as we work through the claims," he said.

"The good news is that we have not seen widespread severe damage to personal property across the city and rural areas.

“As at 11am this morning, we have received around 140 claims at an estimated value of $700 000, but it is still early days and we expect to hear from more customers.

“Around 95 per cent of the claims have been for damage to building and contents, with the remaining being for vehicle damage.

"We know a number of customers have had flood damage and I want to assure them that their TIO policy does cover them. At TIO flood cover means flood cover.

"We have also seen some damage to cars and other property from fallen trees as well as water damage.

hope to have more information later today about the number of claims and the extent of the damage."

For further information please contact:
Chris Thiel Head of Corporate Relations
Telephone: 8946 2651
Mobile: 0407216650

Follow Cyclone Carlos Progress With Us

2011-02-16T16:13:00.000+09:30

Creative Territory is making it easier for clients and friends to find out what is happening in Darwin as Tropical Cyclone Carlos lashes our city and its surrounds.

Our home page features a live feed of Twitter posts about the cyclone while are consultants have been busy twittering their own experiences of the cyclone.

We also established the hashtag #NTcyclones2011 to help sort through the twitter feed, which was the leading source for information leading up to the naming of the cyclone this morning.

Our team has been out and about taking photos and gathering stories from people around the city, and we'll post them here as they become available.

To follow our coverage of Cyclone Carlos, visit our website.

Creative Territory specialises is crisis and recovery communication. As well as providing strategic counsel to executives in times of crisis, we undertake crisis planning for organisations and have developed a a crisis communication training package featuring real scenarios on iPad consoles.

Read more about our workshop and how to book in for one here.

TIO says Top Enders should prepare for cyclone threat

2011-02-16T09:03:00.000+09:30

Territorians have been reminded that it is too late to buy or update insurance policies for the current cyclone threat, but it is not too late to take other precautions.

TIO General Manager Insurance Michael Hoare said most insurers required cover or policy changes to be in place at least 72 hours before an extreme weather event.

Mr Hoare said TIO’s call centre had been busy with calls from people in the Top End looking to update their cover.

“Unfortunately, we are not able to do so for this event, although people have been taking the opportunity to update their cover for future events,” Mr Hoare said.

“Customers are also seeking reassurance that they are covered for cyclone, flood and storm surge. In the case of TIO, they are automatically covered but people insured elsewhere should check their policies carefully.”

Mr Hoare advised Territorians to prepare their homes and families by:

Having a personal disaster plan for their family, including where to go and what to do in the case of storm surge or flooding
Preparing an emergency kit with portable radio, fresh batteries, nonperishable food, water and enclosed footwear. Don’t forget special medical or baby needs.
Secure loose items and plan how to protect personal belongings, photographs and documents.
Care for friends and neighbours.

For further information please contact:

Chris Thiel, TIO Head of Corporate Relations

Telephone: 8946 2651 Mobile: 0407216650

New GPS iPhone application to guide self-drive tourists in Outback Australia

2011-02-03T10:48:00.000+09:30

A guided tour through the ancient landscape of Outback Australia is now possible through modern technology with a new iPhone application, which triggers precise GPS points and a map without the need for mobile phone or internet coverage.

Launched today in Alice Springs by DIY Tourguide, the first iPhone application for the Northern Territory offers detailed, location aware audio commentary over a distance of more than 100km and will give self-drive tourists a new appreciation of the region as they travel.

The West MacDonnell Ranges Self-drive Audio Tour departs from Alice Springs and travels through the West MacDonnell National Park, bringing to life stories of early pioneers, Aboriginal culture, flora, fauna, history, geology and more, in areas where there is no mobile or internet access.

DIY Tourguide, who already offer CD and MP3 audio guides between Alice Springs and Uluru, and the West MacDonnell Ranges, have developed the GPS triggered tour and technology to reach the tech-savvy tourist.

Laurelle Halford, Director of DIY Tourguide says that lack of mobile phone and internet coverage in regional Australia no longer needs to be a barrier to accessing latest technology.

“Many tech-savvy tourists are already using GPS guided iPhone applications in cities and towns around the world, but over a smaller area.”

“We wanted to better entertain self-drive tourists and help them to interpret the landscape in precise locations, where they might otherwise see an empty, barren place.”

The app plays audio commentary at predetermined GPS points with the driver’s current position moving along on a map, and is packed with 80 minutes of fascinating information, travel suggestions, and an image gallery.

“The technology is not just unique in its ability to work without mobile or internet access coverage, but it is designed to optimise sample GPS locations to maximise better life of the iPhone over long distances.”

The app, also available for iPad, allows the tour audio to be played anywhere in the world, meaning tourists can re-live and enjoy their trip when they return home.
DIY Tourguide is also developing new tour routes in Outback Australia, and are translating tours into French, German and Italian to give international self-drive tourists a fresh experience of Outback Australia.

Both the iPhone and iPad applications are now available through Apple’s iTunes store. For more information visit http://www.diytourguide.com.au/

Theodore Recovery Appeal tops $50,000

2011-01-24T12:20:00.000+09:30

The appeal to raise money for the people of Theodore impacted by recent floods has now topped $50,000.

Supported by Creative Territory and our friends at Merit Partners in Darwin, the appeal is providing a double bonus for residents and businesses in the small community west of Rockhampton.

All cash is being converted into vouchers that can only be redeemed at local businesses. This means all the money raised will stay in Theodore.

Creative Territory managing director Tracy Jones said while there were thousands of people in need across Australia from these devastating floods, supporting the people of Theodore is a way of making a tangible connection with a single community.

"It's great to read the posts on the Facebook site from Theodore residents who are starting to put their lives back together and to see their strength and humour come through in their photos and stories," Tracy said.

You can support the people of Theodore through their Facebook page or by visiting their Theodore Rebuilds website.

Creative Territory urges support for flooded Theodore

2011-01-06T17:10:00.000+09:30

The small town of Theodore is just one of many Queensland communities devastated by floods, and Creative Territory has joined the push to help this community recover.

Creative Territory is providing support to the Theodore Flood Recovery Appeal and is urging its colleagues and friends to do the same.

Managing Director Tracy Jones said there were dozens of towns that needed support, but Theodore is the former home town of business associated Rosemary Campbell from Merit Partners.

“Rosemary asked if we could help out her old home town, where some of her family still lives,” Tracy said.

“There are so many tragic stories of people who have lost everything and we thought this was one way we could help some of those people more directly.

“I know there are a lot of appeals out there at the moment, but putting our focus on one town really makes it personal for our team.”

To date, the appeal has raised over $11,000 in cash as well as dozens of offers of in-kind help including donations of clothing, school books, toys, furniture and even help to clean up.

Creative Territory has established a Facebook site for the appeal and you can access it at this address: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=hp#!/pages/Theodore-Recovery-Appeal/172433992794714

Is spin really a bad thing - or does it just have a bad reputation?

2010-11-02T08:53:00.001+09:30

By Tracy Jones

As a public relations professional, I’m often accused of being a “spin doctor”. Many of those who use the term do so in a disparaging way, coming from a view that all spin is “bad” and designed to mislead the audience.

But is that right? Is spin in itself a bad thing?

Consider this example:

• From one point of view: You work as a licensing inspector at the motor vehicle registry. You implement rules that make it harder for me to get a license and register my car. Your work costs me time and money.

• And from another: I work as a licensing inspector at the motor vehicle registry. I implement rules that ensure drivers and vehicles on our roads are safe. My work saves lives.

So which is spin and which is the truth?

The fact is, they’re both. Both these points of view tell the facts as they are. But they are overlaid with context that gives meaning to those facts. In the case of a licensed driver, the additional context is that rules and regulations do make it harder to get yourself and your car on the road. As an inspector, you know the job you do contributes to safer roads.

So spin is simply the telling of the truth from the context of your own position. You add meaning to the bare facts by putting them into context. And let’s face it, each of us tells the truth from our own viewpoint.

So why has “spin” attained such a bad reputation? And when is spin wrong?

• When it is designed to hurt or defame
• When it deliberately misleads or omits important parts of the truth
• When it is a lie.

There are ways to ensure your public relations consultant does not take you down the path of unethical spin doctoring.

Choose a professional who is a member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia or related world-wide professional body. They are bound by a Code of Ethics that prohibits them from such behaviour. And the Code is enforceable through the institute.

When choosing a consultancy, check they are a member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia’s Registered Consultancies Group. Not only are these consultancies bound by an additional Code of Conduct, their Managers are also required to ensure all employees act in an ethical manner.

*****************

Tracy Jones is the principal of Creative Territory, a Registered Consultancy Group member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia. She is a Fellow of the institute, a former National President and currently serves on the national board.

Taking Crisis Communication training to a new level with iPad

2010-10-27T08:20:00.004+09:30

What do you do when the media is hammering at your door for a comment and all you want to do is hide? How will blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media networks make your job harder? And is it possible to talk yourself out of trouble?

These are questions Darwin based public relations agency Creative Territory is helping local companies answer through its new crisis communication workshops using iPads.

Recovery was developed by Creative Territory to help organisations work through the steps of a crisis without actually getting their fingers burned.

Creative Territory Managing Director Tracy Jones says the new training module is like a create your own adventure for crisis communication.

“We put participants through a simulated crisis with the iPad, allowing them to make choices about how to deal with the communication challenges that come along,” she said.

Recovery uses expert facilitators and iPad-based consoles to provide a safe environment in which participants can learn about how a crisis develops, grows and can be managed.

Drawing on Creative Territory’s extensive experience in dealing with major issues and crises here in the Territory, Recovery is the only crisis communication simulation that takes the special needs of the Territory into account.

It is an Australian first, using an iPad interface to take you through a crisis scenario, the end of which is determined by the decisions you make along the way.

For more information on Recovery contact Tracy at Creative Territory on 8941 9169.

Tracy Jones honored with President's Award

2010-10-26T11:16:00.000+09:30

Creative Territory Managing Director Tracy Jones was honoured with the President's Award at the annual Public Relations Institute of Australia Golden Target awards last night.

The awards were announced in conjunction with the National Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) annual conference, which is being held in Darwin for the first time this week.

The President's Award recognises outstanding service to the PRIA and its President.

Tracy has been a member of the National Board of the PRIA since 2004 and is the current National Treasurer. She served for two years as National President until 2009.

For more information about the Golden Target Awards winners, see
http://www.pria.com.au/blog/id/996

Creative Territory's Jeannette Button honoured by PRIA

2010-10-24T09:54:00.000+09:30

Creative Territory’s Jeannette Button will be inducted as a fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia tonight.

Fellowship is one of the highest honours bestowed on a member of the institute.

The induction ceremony comes just days after Jeannette was elected President of the NT Division of the PRIA.

Creative Territory’s managing director Tracy Jones said the team was proud of Jeannette’s achievements and wish her well as she now carries out duties at a national level.

“Jeannette is one of the Territory’s most senior and experienced public relations professionals and a role model for others,” Tracy said.

“She has chaired the National Conference Committee that arranged this week’s PRIA national conference, which is being held in Darwin for the first time."

Solar campaigns win PR awards

2010-10-22T10:33:00.000+09:30

Campaigns to encourage Alice Springs residents to sign up to solar power have been honoured with State Awards for Excellence by the Public Relations Institute of Australia presented in Darwin last night.

The campaigns for Alice Solar City were planned and implemented by Creative Territory.

“Alice Solar City is changing the way central Australian residents live and work by harnessing the power of the sun,” Creative Territory Managing Director Tracy Jones said.

“It’s a great initiative and we’re proud to have been part of its success.”

Tracy and Laurelle Halford won a Gold award for the overall Energy Champions campaign. Laurelle also won a Highly Commended award for 100 Days of Solar, a campaign to convince 100 Alice Springs residents to install hot water systems in 100 days.

“Alice Solar City was Creative Territory’s very first client when we started four-and-half years ago, so these awards are special to us,” Tracy said.

Tracy also congratulated other Northern Territory award winners, the Michels Warren Munday team for the campaign Support NT Caught on behalf of the NT Seafood Council and Eleanor Sheppard from the Department of Education and Training for Recruiting Quality Teachers to Deliver Quality Education.

All NT award winners go into the national Golden Target Awards to be announced in Darwin next week.

GRIND Youth Website Wins Internet Best Practice Award

2010-10-19T16:39:00.000+09:30

Darwin City Council’s youth website GRIND has won the 2010 Australia and New Zealand Internet Best Practice Awards in the Best Youth Initiative category. GRIND was also a finalist in the Best Access Initiative Category.

GRIND has many purposes. It aims to be a positive website that is genuinely "by youth for youth". It provides a supported vehicle for a youth voice, promotes the positive contribution that young people make in our community, provides an outlet for youth culture and expression and debunks the negative stereotypes so often portrayed in mainstream media of young people.

GRIND, one of Council’s key projects, presents and coordinates diverse activities such as large scale music gigs, skills workshops and youth community consultations.

The entire production of GRIND from running team meetings, design of the site, editing, interviewing and administration is undertaken by the GRIND youth team with support from Council's Youth Services. All decisions relating to the running and production of the website are made by the GRIND youth team. Visit the site: http://www.grindonline.com.au/

“I would like to congratulate those involved in the GRIND website, one of Council’s key youth projects. Too often these days, young people receive bad press – GRIND is an excellent way to showcase and demonstrate to the Darwin community and on a national level just how vibrant, creative and active these young people are,” Lord Mayor Graeme Saywer.

This recognition continues to showcase Council's excellence in providing high quality websites. In August Darwin City Council’s website scored the highest rating in an independent website usability study by 600 people of Australia’s capital city council websites.

Why every retail and hospitality business needs to get on to Foursquare

2010-10-14T11:05:00.000+09:30

By Tracy Jones

There’s a revolution going on in the social media world that will change the way retail and hospitality businesses interact with the public – Foursquare.

And anyone who thinks they can ignore this platform like all other social media networks should think again – your business is probably already on it.

Foursquare is essentially a tool that allows people to mark places on an electronic map and post comments about them. Using mobile phones, users can “check in” to these places and share their views with the world.

The places people tend to mark are shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels and entertainment and tourist venues.

What makes Foursquare different from other social networks is its ability to locate nearby places and tell you in full detail what other people think of them – good and bad.

Here’s how it works. If you stand in the middle of Smith Street Mall and log into Foursquare using your mobile phone, the application brings up a list of places nearby including cafes, apartments, hotels and bars.

Now click on the “Tips” and you’ll get a list of what people think about these places. Here are a couple of real examples (without the names of the venues):

• “The banana spring rolls are tremendous.”
• “Not a fan of the prices here.”
• “One of the best restaurants in Darwin.”
• “Try the rice noodle soup with crispy chicken … delish.”
• “Girl at the front desk is rude.”
• “Avoid this place like it’s on fire.”

My bet is that 90 per cent of the Darwin businesses listed on Foursquare now have no idea they are there, let alone what people are saying about them.

If you’re not convinced about the value of being on Foursquare yet, here are four good reasons you should reconsider:

1. Go viral: If one person checks in to your business, they share the news with 50 or more friends on Facebook and Twitter. If 10 people check in, that’s 500. You can do the maths…

2. Get honest customer feedback: If someone checks in and loves your steak burger, you’ll find out straight away, along with all their friends. Conversely, if someone hates your schnitzel, everyone will find out. But at least you can do something about it.

3. Offer special discounts to people nearby: You can check out Foursquare places that are close to you and see if they have any special offers for anyone who checks in. Curve Café at Darwin Waterfront offers a “buy a drink and get a drink for a friend” for every second check-in. Worth a visit.

4. Reward your loyal customers: Get a loyalty program without the expensive set-up costs. Offer a free meal for every 10th check-in to your business. It’s easier to keep existing customers than to find new ones.

Students on track to complete house construction in just three days

2010-10-06T14:14:00.001+09:30

After one day on the job young construction trainees at Marrara Christian College are on track to build a house in just three days.

Students from the College’s Fabrication and Construction Trade Training Centre – which includes 65 per cent Indigenous students – have installed the walls, floors and roof trusses on the revolutionary wooden flat-pack house.

Marrara Christian College Trade Training Centre Manager Richard Hart said the shell of the house will be complete at the end of day two.

“Today the students will concentrate on completing the ceiling and start on installing some windows,” Mr Hart said.

“The wiring and plumbing is underway and will also be finished before the day is out.”

The quick build home uses a unique panelised building system by Carter Holt Harvey which allows a home to be constructed on site by trainee construction workers under supervision and is perfect for remote communities where labour and accommodation costs can be high.

“With this new panelised building system, we can build a house from the ground to lock-up in just three to five days using construction trainees under the supervision of qualified tradesmen,” Mr Hart said.

Members of the public are invited to watch the house under construction.

The home is under construction at the training centre at the school in Amy Johnson Avenue. Visitors should follow the signs to the centre from the school entrance.

Facebook evangelism: Vatican uses social media to reach a modern congregation

2010-09-30T11:32:00.011+09:30

Pope2You online TV, a Vatican Facebook app, YouTube channel and an iPhone app signal the bold entrance of the Vatican into the world of social media.

Monsignor Paul Tighe, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications will be in Darwin this month to talk to public relations professionals from around Australia about the opportunities the World Wide Web and social media has presented to the Catholic Church.

“We recognise that a church that does not communicate ceases to be a church,” said Monsignor Tighe.

“Many young people today are not turning to traditional media like newspapers and magazines any more for information and entertainment.”

“They are looking to a different media culture and this is our effort to ensure that the Church is present in that communications culture.”

At www.pope2you.net you can watch videos of the Pope’s latest homilies and speeches or watch a live feed of activity in St Peter’s Square via satellite.

The Pope’s Facebook application gives Catholics the chance to ‘meet the Pope on Facebook’ and send virtual cards with messages from the Pope to their friends.

“New technologies mean that priests have the possibility to reach people that maybe traditionally they wouldn’t have been able to reach,” said Monsignor Tighe, live to camera on another Catholic video sharing website, all.gloria.tv.

All.gloria.tv shares videos from Catholics around the world, from the Pope himself to US President Barrack Obama. The site even offers an online dating service for Catholics.

“The priest is, at the heart of his vocation, a communicator,” said Monsignor Tighe.

"Communication of the Gospel must be at heart of the ministry of a priest and I am pleased to work in the Council that has a mandate to harness the potential of the media - new and old - as a means of evangelisation."

Monsignor Tighe will be speaking at the 2010 Public Relations Institute of Australia National Conference at the Darwin Convention Centre along with representatives from Virgin Galactic, James Hardie and BBC Australia.

PRIA National President Robina Xavier said the Vatican presentation fits perfectly with this years’ conference theme, PR in a Different Space.

“All of the conference keynotes, workshops and panel discussions will inspire and encourage participants to do what they do best in a different space or from a new perspective,” Ms Xavier said.

The conference includes eight keynote addresses and forty speakers over nine streams in a line-up that promises to get public relations and communication professionals ‘all hot under the collar’, according to Ms Xavier.

“There’ll be case studies including that from Jessica Watson’s Manager Andrew Fraser on her round the world voyage and the BBC’s Louise Alley on bringing Top Gear to Australia.

The 2010 Conference program includes a Gala Dinner and the 2010 Golden Target Awards Ceremony that celebrates PR campaign best practice at a national level.

- - -ends - -

Media are welcome to attend all events at the conference at the Darwin Convention Centre from 25 to 26 October 2010.

For more information on the PRIA Conference visit http://www.acevents.com.au/pria2010/.

To arrange an interview, or to attend one of the keynote addresses, please contact:

Janelle Rees at Creative Territory on 8941 9169 or at janelle@creativeterritory.com.

Taking Crisis Communication training to a new level with iPad

2010-09-13T17:04:00.002+09:30

For some time Creative Territory has been offering workshops about communicating in a crisis. With our extensive experience in handling crises in the Northern Territory in particular, we’ve developed a good understanding of how communication can make or break your reputation when things go wrong.

But in delivering our training, something has always been missing – the consequences. Most crisis training includes some type of scenario exercise, but they are virtually all linear. The scenario plays out the same regardless of what people decide in the workshop itself. While they promote discussion, there are no consequences for choosing the right or the wrong path.

For six months we’ve been working on a way to get some real interactivity into the mix, so people could make choices along the way and see the consequences of those choices.

Thanks to the iPad, and a lot of work scenario planning, we’ve developed a way. And the feedback has been amazing. See Recovery in action with a free demo at this link.

Here are some comments from our first workshop, held in Alice Springs last week:

“We’ve only been going for two minutes and I’m already more engaged in this than I have ever been in a workshop before.”

“The iPad delivery is cool. We were all sitting there waiting for our turn to play.”

“At first I wanted a whiteboard to write everything down on, but then I realised we didn’t need one.”

“It’s great that there are consequences for what you decide. It makes it more real.”

We’ve called our new workshops Recovery, because we teach our clients that this is where your decisions need to be leading whenever you are faced with a real or potential crisis. The decisions you make and the things you say in the heat of the moment can have a lasting impact on your reputation and bottom line.

Recovery is presently undergoing trials in the Northern Territory and Queensland, with plans to launch it in Darwin in October.

International and Galactic Speakers Announced

2010-08-18T16:40:00.001+09:30

Stephen Attenborough, Head of Astronaut Relations for Virgin Galactic, has been announced as one of the keynote speakers for the 2010 Public Relations Institute of Australia National Conference.

Other speakers announced for the conference include:

- Sean O’Sullivan, Public Relations Manager of James Hardie

- Andrew Fraser, Managing Director of 5 Oceans Media (media campaign manager for Jessica Watson’s solo around the world voyage)

- Jeff Bullas, Founder of JeffBullas.com

- Anne Gregory, Board Member of the Global Alliance of PR and Communication Management

To find out more about these and more than 40 other speakers visit http://www.acevents.com.au/pria2010

Is your advertising dollar buying you new business?

2010-08-09T12:10:00.000+09:30

Advertising can be one of the most expensive elements of marketing your business. It can be highly effective, but the return on your investment will vary widely depending on your business, product and audience targeted.

The Benefits

• It is highly visible and seen/ heard by a lot of people
• It reaches customers who don’t already know about you
• Imparts new information to those who do (such as special offers and discounts)
• If done well, can have high recall
• Places you into people’s consciousness, even if they don’t need your services right now.

The Pitfalls

• It can be expensive to make the ad and then run it (depending on the media chosen)
• It will not reach people who are not watching and listening to the place where your ad is.

Is advertising for my business?

Before you consider advertising, you need to have a thorough understanding of your target audience and what they watch, read and consume. Try asking some of your existing customers where they heard about you. Have they seen any of your latest advertising? What magazines do they read? What radio stations do they listen to and when? What other advertising have they noticed?

Which advertising works best?

There is no easy answer to this question. It really depends on where your customers are at. But some media is better at some things than others, as shown below. We've used examples of Northern Territory media to demonstrate.

Newspapers: Examples include the NT News, Darwin and Palmerston Sun, Centralian Advocate and regional weeklies such as the Katherine Times, Territory Regional Weekly and Eylandt Echo. Newspapers have a short shelf life but high circulation. Depending on the publication, they can be really cheap to advertise in. You pay more for Saturdays and Sundays, colour and specified pages. Be aware that public notices cost more per column centimeter than regular advertising and the ad size is smaller. At the same time, public notices offer highly qualified traffic – people looking in the cars section are actually looking for cars. Newspapers are best for imparting lots of information. Design and layout of your ad will be an additional cost of between $100-$500 depending on size and style.

Magazines: Examples include Darwin Life, Resident, Intensity, fishing magazines and Top End Arts. Magazines generally have a longer shelf life, which means your ad is seen for a long time. Most magazines are also directed as specific target audiences, so readers are better qualified. Some magazines also offer complimentary editorial if you buy advertising. Design and layout of your ad will be an additional cost of between $400-$1500 depending on size and style.

Radio: Examples include HOT 100, MIXFM, Territory FM, KIKFM, Larrakia Radio, 8HA and Sun FM. Each individual advertisement on radio is relatively cheap, so you run a lot of ads. Set a budget and ask the radio station to design a campaign for you. Production of your ad will be an additional cost of between $100-$1000 depending on style, voiceover, music and sound effects used.

Television: Examples include Channel Nine, Southern Cross, Imparja and Channel Ten Digital. Television advertising can be expensive, but ask your salesman to work to a Budget. Less watched shows can be much cheaper to advertise in, along with morning and daytime timeslots. Production costs vary wildly – from as little as a couple of hundreds of dollars to over $100,000. Most businesses can make a simple but effective advertisement for $1000-$3000. Beware of special approvals needed for TV advertising and allow plenty of time for production.

Online: Examples include news websites like www.ntnews.com.au, Facebook and Google AdWords. Online advertising is cheap to produce and run. With improvements in targeting, they can also bring you very qualified inquiries. First consider whether your audience is online.

Free Not for Profit Workshops a Great Success

2010-07-29T17:16:00.007+09:30

Creative Territory's free workshops for not-for-profit groups have been a great success, with around 100 people attending 14 workshops in Darwin and Alice Springs over the past five months.

Director Tracy Jones said delivering the workshops to attendees was a privilege.

"Not-for-profit groups are able to deliver PR campaigns on a shoestring with passion for their fuel," she said.

"It has been great to work with so many dedicated and inspiring people."

Details about the new workshop series will be released soon.

Book this week for the national public relations conference in Darwin

2010-07-29T11:54:00.000+09:30

The national conference of the Public Relations Institute of Australia is being held in Darwin in October with the theme PR in a Different Space.

With early bird prices expiring 30 July, now is the time to get online and book your space.

Go to http://www.pria.com.au to book your spot now!

12 Ways to Improve Your Profits

2010-06-30T11:13:00.000+09:30

By Janelle Rees

Over the past few months at Creative Territory we’ve downed our blogging pens while we’ve been busy developing the Marketing Health Check – a 12 point checklist to help local businesses pinpoint simple and cost-effective ways to turn their marketing dollars into increased profits. Here’s a sneak peak from Section One of the marketing health check:

TARGET AUDIENCE

Who is your target audience? Consider:

- Primary audience (most important)

- Secondary audience (not as important)

- Stakeholders (industry bodies, the media, Government, other local businesses)

Understanding your target audience is critical for ensuring your marketing activities reach people who are actually interested in the products and services you have to offer.

There are three different audiences to consider:

Your primary audience: This is your most important audience. These customers are your bread and butter, the types of people you do business with every day.

These are the people you need to make sure your marketing is reaching.

Your secondary audience: This audience is not as important as your primary audience. These are people who might not personally be interested in your products or services, but might mention them to a friend, discuss your business in a social setting or influence other people to use your business.

Your stakeholders: These are the groups or individuals who are not necessarily customers, but who are affected by your business or who have an effect on your business. This includes groups such as the body corporate in your office building, your landlord, your local council, residents who live in the vicinity of your business and more.

Why is your target audience important?

If you don’t understand who your target audience is your marketing efforts cannot be guaranteed to reach them. On the other hand, if you have a clear understanding of who you want to reach the best way to reach them will quickly become obvious.

For example, it if you are a provider of after-school care services you would not want to advertise on television during the day. Why? Because your target audience, working parents, are at work and not at home watching television.

A more effective marketing activity might be to place an advertisement in the school newsletter. Your target audience is parents of students in the location you provide after-school care. An effective way to reach those specific parents is through their child’s school.

How do I know who my target audience is?

When you are identifying your target audience, think about gender, age, geographic location, income level, preferred leisure activities, their profession, their media activities (do they read magazine? Watch particular TV programs? Are there certain times of the day they listen to the radio?) and anything else you know about them.

It can be helpful to think of a specific individual who has all the characteristics of someone in your target audience.

Did you find this helpful or know someone who would? To access the complete Marketing Health Check including a worksheet to help you identify the characteristics of your target audience contact us today. We’ll arrange a time to meet with you to go through the health check in detail and provide advice specific to your business.

Creative Territory

think outside the circle

T: 08 8941 9169

E: darwin@creativeterritory.com

Author’s corrections – how can you slash your agency bill?

2010-04-20T15:33:00.001+09:30

By Tracy Jones

One of the most hated terms in the marketing and public relations world is “author’s corrections”. We hate charging for them, our clients hate paying for them and our designers hate doing them.

Having got that off my chest, I’ll admit that they’re an inevitable and necessary part of our business. But there are ways to make them far less painful for everyone involved.

What are author’s corrections?

Author’s corrections are changes made to the instructions, the scope of the project, the text or the photos you have supplied after work has commenced.

Examples:

Your agency writes a radio script. You request changes. They make the changes and you sign off on the script. This will not incur author’s corrections. However, if you continue to change the script, you may be charged additional costs. If you change the script after your agency has produced the commercial, the costs will obviously be much higher.

Your agency designs a poster. You like the design but want the logo and heading bigger. The agency makes the changes and sends it back to you. At this stage you have not been charged author’s corrections. You approve the second design, but then ask the agency to replace two of the images and change the words in the heading. This may incur author’s corrections because you have made changes to the original instructions.

Why do they cost so much?

It seems simple on the surface to change one or two words. Unfortunately, in many cases this can be a time consuming process. For example:

• If you change the words in a 30 second radio commercial script, you might make the commercial longer than the original 30 seconds. We will need to test the new script to see if it fits in the timeframe and may need to edit other sections of the commercial to reduce the length.

• Graphic design files are very large. That’s what makes them such high quality once they are printed. These large files take time to load and also to save changes. By the time a designer locates the file (which is often stored off the server on a disk because of its size), loads the file, works on the changes, saves it and creates a low resolution copy for you to view, it can take up to 30 minutes to make a minor change. That’s why we ask you to send through all author’s corrections in one go if possible.

• If you add new words to a brochure that has already been laid out, you can push words onto a new line and make the document longer than it was previously. This can bump photos out of place and make columns spill over onto new pages. Once we’ve added the new words we need to check the document to make sure that hasn’t happened. If it has happened, we need to take the time to fix it.

How can I reduce the costs?

• Make sure your text, headings and image choices are approved before you send it to your agency.

• For projects that require design, filming or audio, organise approvals before your agency proceeds to the production stage. It is much easier to change a word in a text document than to reshoot a TV commercial.

• If your agency is working in a text document, consider updating the document yourself rather than marking it up and sending it to the agency. That way you won’t be paying for the agency to make the changes.

• When you receive a draft make sure everyone provides their changes at the same time. Send all the changes through to your agency at the same time. It costs more for the agency to change five words on five separate occasions than to change all five at the same time.

• If your agency sends through something that you are not 100% happy with, tell them what you like about it and what you don’t like about it. This will make it easier for them to get it right.

Most importantly, if you are worried about author’s corrections talk to your agency about it. Any good agency will be happy to provide advice on how to keep costs down.

Don’t just blog it – think about it.

2009-10-20T07:26:00.000+09:30

I recently read a blog that suggested PR agencies were not practicing what they preach because only a quarter of them had blogs.

As a PR agency with a blog, you might expect me to agree with this line of thinking. But I don’t.

Blogging is just ONE strategy that a PR agency – or anyone else for that matter – may use to communicate with its target audience. Others include Yellow Pages, advertising, networking, media, newsletters, e-newsletters, website … shall I go on with my list?

My own agency has a blog but we don’t use Yellow Pages or hard copy newsletters. I know of other agencies that do use newsletters and advertising but not blogs. We each choose the right tools for our product and our audience.

Similarly, we strongly recommend that some of our clients use Facebook but not others. We recommend TV advertising for some campaigns but not others.

Not every tool is appropriate in every circumstance and blogging is no different. So how do you choose?

I always start with the same questions:

· What do you want to achieve?
· What are your key messages?
· Who do you need to talk to?
· What will push their buttons?

Don’t waste your money on activities that won’t achieve your goals. Put your time and energy into ones that will.

It's time to fight the spin.

2009-10-14T10:58:00.005+09:30

By Tracy Jones

There’s nothing like a bit of “spin” to excite the media and the Opposition.

But is the Government’s investment in public relations really throwing money down the drain as today’s Northern Territory News suggests?

The News revealed $9 million of taxpayer money was being spent in marketing and communication units across Government.

When the uninformed call marketing and communications professionals “Spin Doctors” and question our value to society, we need to remind them of the difference these disciplines make to everyday lives.

Imagine where we would be if no-one ever “spun” the horror of AIDS?

I remember when AIDS first came to light in the eighties and the panic and uncertainty that took hold as people began to realise there was a new and vicious disease emerging in the world.

While the medical community fought the disease with research and pills, another weapon was unleashed - public relations.

The "Grim Reaper" advertising was highly controversial. People were shocked by the rawness of the message. But it did work. It made us sit up and think. And take notice. And act.

Yes, AIDS remains a terrible disease and - like most diseases that take hold - seems to be taking the worst toll in developing communities without access to the medical assistance, the drugs and (dare I say) the public relations channels of more affluent countries. PR did make a difference - a big difference - to the impact of AIDS in our community.

Every single day the Government sends us messages about issues we need to know about.

Just this week we’ve been informed about the availability of dozens of jobs, free dietary advice for healthy living, free business events, how to save energy, a car park closure, how to become a foster parent, joining the Youth Round Table, volunteering to help out at the museum and ways to get into home ownership if I am on a low income. And that’s just in the NT News.

That doesn’t count the websites, newsletters, meetings, mailouts and direct contact undertaken by Government every day.

Government has a duty to inform its citizens about these issues. It has a responsibility to undertake social marketing in the areas of community health and welfare, road safety and substance abuse. It’s hardly surprising that the Department of Health and Families is the biggest spender in this regard – I’d be affronted if they were not.

Marketing and public relations play an important part in our community. These activities raise money for important medical research, convince us to donate blood, warn us about the risks of travelling to certain countries, show us why we should report suspected child abuse and help us make choices that will change our lives.

One of the key roles that often comes under attack is that of the press secretary. But let’s not undervalue the role of the press secretary in helping Ministers and Opposition members contribute to public debate. And seriously …. I’d love to see how newsrooms would get their stories without the work of the much-maligned media minder.

There’s no doubt there are some questionable pieces of “marketing” that make us wonder about the appropriateness of Government spending our money on them. Rather than tarring all PR and marketing activity with the same well-spun brush, it would be far better to question the value of individual activities.

Delivering a winning presentation

2009-09-15T13:40:00.008+09:30

By Janelle Rees

Want some hints on how to deliver that winning pitch or presentation? Click here to listen to Creative Territory General Manager Jeannette Button discuss the art of delivering a successful presentation in an interview with the Australian Business Arts Foundation.

Leadership and Mentoring

2009-09-03T12:41:00.001+09:30

By Tracy Jones

When we think of great leaders and mentors, we often look at CEOs and presidents, prime ministers and chairmen. The people we regard as mentors tend to be our bosses – people in a position of power who we admire.

There's no doubt that these people often make great role models, but you’ll often find even more valuable mentors in unexpected places. Have a good look around at the people who have made an impact on you and how you work. There’s a good chance that while some will be employers, others will be colleagues, friends, employees and acquaintances.

Great leaders are not necessarily those who have reached the position of manager or CEO. Great leaders are those who demonstrate the qualities of leadership in their everyday work.

Leaders and mentors have many qualities – vision, empathy, confidence, passion and the ability to motivate and inspire others. You may see other qualities in leaders around you.

I hear a lot about the need for public relations professionals to have a seat at the "top table". My own view is that need to make our own seat at that table.

You don't have to be the CEO to be a leader. And you don’t need an invitation to provide great advice to those who need it.

As members of the Public Relations Institute of Australia, we have already demonstrated our commitment to our profession. The next step is to show leadership to our colleagues both within and outside of the PRIA.

And don't only look up for inspiration. Once you open your eyes you can find great mentors all around you.

As published in the PRIA National Newsletter September 2009.
Tracy is national president of the PRIA

High ethical standards critcal for financial PR

2009-08-04T12:46:00.002+09:30

By Tracy Jones

Never is the need for high professional and ethical standards brought into sharper focus than in the field of financial and investor public relations.

We've all heard spectacular stories of losses from unscrupulous operators - or even just incompetent ones - who were responsible for individuals losing their life savings or worse.

The role of public relations professionals in avoiding such disasters should not be underestimated - we have a unique role as strategic counsel to convince executives to operate in an open, transparent and honest way. I'm not suggesting for a minute that we can somehow stop people losing money. What we can do, though, is contribute to an environment of transparency.

I've never met a public relations professional who advocates the "cover up" as the best way to deal with a scandal. Ethical professionals are strong advocates for honesty over deception, for transparency over misrepresentation and for facts over spin.

Those of us working in the financial and investor relations sector need to keep ethics top of mind as we go about advising our executives and clients. It may not always be the easiest route - but it is the one that will ensure that reputations, credibility and respect stay intact.

As published in the Public Relations Instsitute of Australia (PRIA) National Newsletter September 2009.
Tracy is national president of the PRIA.

Measure to prove your worth

2009-07-03T12:55:00.002+09:30

By Tracy Jones

What's the difference between a PR practitioner and a PR professional? It's all in the numbers.

A practitioner delivers tactics and counts their success in terms of outputs. How many media releases did I issue? How many words did I write?

A professional delivers strategy and measures their success in terms of outcomes. What difference did this make? What behaviours have been changed?

Understanding our objectives and measuring our achievements is key to delivering value as PR professionals. So why do so many of us not do it?

Money, tools, time and desire are all cited as reasons. We can't afford it. We don't need to know. It's too late. We don't have the tools.

None of these excuses are valid. We do have the tools, they don't cost a fortune and you can start using them today.

Being a professional rather than just a practitioner should be the goal of all of us in public relations. So start measuring your performance and prove your worth.

As published in the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) National Newsletter September 2009.
Tracy is national president of the PRIA.

Ethical behaviour based on truth, trust and honesty

2009-06-03T12:49:00.003+09:30

As members of a profession, we sign up to a Code of Ethics that helps shape our behaviour.

The Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) Code of Ethics was first developed at the birth of the PRIA 60 years ago and, despite updating over the years, remains largely unchanged. We have modernised, clarified, added, subtracted and added again, but the essentials have remained intact.

This reason for this is simple - ethical behaviour is based on a basic set of beliefs centred on truth, trust and honesty.

Each profession, association or occupation may add its own set of values around specifics. For example, we have clauses that relate to remuneration and journalists have clauses relating to revealing sources. At the heart, though, are the basics - truth, trust and honesty.

I use these three values as the key to my own ethical behaviour, then overlay them with the PRIA’s Code of Ethics along with the guidance provided by the Practice Notes put together by the College of Fellows.

In the end, find a simple test to judge yourself by. Here is mine:

Is it true?
Is it fair?
Is it honest?
Is it misleading?
Will it do unnecessary harm?
Is it aligned to my own moral values?
Would I be happy for my mother to know I did it?
Would my children be proud of me for doing it?

Ethical behaviour is not a mantra to be framed and forgotten but a set of values that can help guide your practice and development.

As published in the PRIA National Newsletter September 2009.
Tracy is national president of the PRIA.