Responsibility

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Be heard and not seen?

May 14, 2009 in BondBuzz, BondPR, Business, Marketing, Media, Podcast, Politics, Reputation, Responsibility, Social Media, Technology by Tom Burgess | No comments

I think podcasts are great, listen to what you want when you want, especially when you can’t effectively be doing anything else like travelling to work/meetings, exercising, walking the dog and so on. That’s got to be an hour or so a day for most people. It is not intrusive and often much more inspiring than listing to the radio. Ok, listening to Bruce Springsteen fires me up but there are so many great podcasts out there especially in our field of marketing/PR/communications. But companies/organisation/governments are still not sure where to start or some think it is a great idea, yes, but why? It was similar with blogging, companies thought they had a have blog but not sure why, now it has settled done a bit! So first, you need to work out who and what you want talk to, what message to you want to send, who do you want to influence.

So we thought we would help here, to get you started Bond-i has set up its new Bondcast service, driven by our very own Neville Hobson, who has got to be one of the most experienced podcasters on the planet, having presented a show called “For Immediate Release” for four years and also co-written the definitive book on Podcasting. Corporate podcasting should be an integral part of any organization’s PR mix, it’s a valuable medium for communicating your message to a targeted audience - whether that’s customers, prospective staff, media or other key influencers. So listen up, podcast your message……now, you may be heard and eventually seen by the people you want to influence.

Playing for Change

May 8, 2009 in BondBuzz, BondPR, Media, One World, Politics, Press for Peace, Responsibility by Tom Burgess | No comments

No matter who you are, no matter where you go in your life at some point you are going to need somebody to stand by you. We are one world. Here is a moving performance of street musicians around the world playing the classic “Stand By Me”, produced and coordinated by the organization Playing for Change: Peace Through Music. Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did, and may it inspire you. Listen here

Who knew that naming your dog could cause such a cultural divide?

February 3, 2009 in Marketing, Media, PR, Politics, Reputation, Responsibility by Helen Bannigan | No comments

We’ve had our beloved chocolate lab for 8 years now and I only just recently learned from a random Muslim cab driver in Paris that her name is highly offensive and insulting to Islam.

And that made me think about how much our choice of words matter.  Hidden meanings can communicate a message completely different from that which we wish to convey.  As a PR person, I ensure our client’s message is received in the way it was intended, and help to “translate” the words to diverse cultures outside of the client’s comfort zone.

And yet here I was, making a mess of naming our furry friend and insulting a number of my not-so-furry friends in the process.

I originally chose the name Aisha because I love the song by Algerian Rai artist, Khaled, called Aicha. I’ve always been attracted to Arabic culture, fascinated by the Islamic religion, and when living in Paris I fostered very close and dear friendships with some wonderful Muslim people.  Naming my dog Aisha was – in my mind -  a show of respect and honor, as our family pet is very much a revered part of the family.

When a Muslim friend of mine expressed her surprise, saying I shouldn’t name my dog Aisha because it’s a girl’s name, not a dog’s name.  I thought it’s just because it was a little silly, the equivalent of naming a dog Tom or Susan.

What I didn’t know was that it’s relatively unheard of for Muslims to even have a dog as a family pet.  Canines are considered not just unclean but downright vile and contaminated.  It is said that angels do not enter a house which contains a dog.  Calling someone “a dog”, while odd in Western culture, is amongst the worst insults you can give to someone (up there with throwing your shoes at someone’s head ).

Not only that, but Aisha was the favorite wife of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad’s, and referred to as the “Mother of all Believers”. Amongst the most prominent of Muhammad’s wives, Aisha became an educated spokesperson for the teachings of the Prophet and has been revered as a role model by millions of women.

 Had it not been for that lovely Parisian taxi driver, I never would have known how offensive my innocent act was perceived in the very culture I was intending to honor.

A useful reminder of stuff I already know (but apparently need to be reminded of!):

Know your audience. Know the cultural translation of the words you chose to use.

Words matter.

Ana aasif !

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The new age of responsibility

October 14, 2008 in Business, Responsibility by Tom Burgess | 1 comment

Lets not spend time thinking how bad it will get, lets be positive and think how we can make the most of the tough situation and make it better.

One lesson that this financial crisis has taught us is that we are in this together and we are interdependent not independent. We are not nation fighting nation, not one religion imposing on another, but one world together.

The last chapter in the age of irresponsibility has been written and it is time for a new style of business and cooperation where we build on each others strengths, support each other weaknesses and unite in confidence and determination.

With many banks soon to be under common ownership, it is clear that governments will not let the system fail and the investors must now move forward  with confidence so that we minimise the drop in business both nationally and internationally and rebuild a sound future for the world. Then we can focus on the really important issues like reducing poverty and disease, protecting our environment  and reducing conflicts. We only have one world and one life so let us try to live it in peace and shared responsibility.