Vroom Vroom into 2014

Hello, my fellow PR-ites!

During New Year’s Eve, SOUL Society Group simultaneously organized an exclusive media relations project entitled Vroom Vroom into 2014, which is a round trip experiential tour of SOUL Society Group parties on New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2013.

A special bus was chartered for 27 specially invited guests on a party route which began at SOULed OUT Sri Harts for a Viva Mexico New Year’s Eve party. SOULed Out Sri Harts created a festive atmosphere filled with vibrant colours as Jarabe dancers mingled with the crowd along with Le Rumba ‘Mariachi’ strolling band serenading the diners. A variety of games together with the mandatory piñata also added to the merry making.

Later, the Vroom Vroom into 2014 group meander to SOULed OUT Ampang’s Moonsplash New Year’s Eve party for pre-dinner drinks. Guests enjoyed a wet and wild time at SOULed OUT Ampang as it transformed into an urban beach to greet the New Year. The band Acoustic Fourplay dialed it up with summer tunes, while DJ Kay takes over the countdown at midnight.

After SOULed Out Ampang, the VVIP coach drop by Tujo where the Vroom Vroom into 2014 group reveled in the ambience of a colourful Mad Hatter party which featured a plethora of weird and wonderful hats worn by guests that was a sight to behold. DJ Cassie D took to the decks to sending all into a flurry on the dance floor before champagnes are popped to celebrate the New Year.

Hopped on again to be hurtled to WIP’s Kamasutra New Year’s Eve Party for after-dinner drinks set in an enthralling and sensual ambience. The outlet was resplendent in gold and accented by splashes of vivid blues and greens. Minglers were adorned in exotic finery that epitomised the sensuality that is Kamasutra and perform hedonistic moves that will delight.

The final stop was SOULed OUT Sri Harts for a countdown to behold filled with fireworks galore!

SOUL Society Group offered radio broadcasters, Traxx FM and FM two pairs of tickets for this unique experience and another three pairs of tickets to the SOUL Society Group’s New Year’s Eve parties as prizes for contest were held over their broadcast. The SOUL Society Group also invited the print media representatives and treated them generously at the experiential tour. In return, they have scored media coverage for their festive parties.

So much play, and so much work, has led to the success of this project and a fruitful start the New Year.

May this year be better than the last, Happy New Year 2014! J

Warmest and Heartiest Regards,
Diane

NOTE: This was originally posted on my own blog (an honest mistake) on the 27th of February 2014, here. Hence, my dear readers, I assure you that my posts have been up, on a weekly, if not, regular basis.

A very mad, Mad Hatter

Hello, my fellow beautiful and talented PR professionals!

After a day-off on Christmas Day, we were immediately back on our feet, finalising plans required for the themed events held at Souled Out, WIP, Tujo and an exclusive bus tour for journalists. I was assigned to run Tujo’s Mad Hatter theme on the eve of New Year’s.

The Mad Hatter New Year’s Eve concept is a continuation of the colourful A Christmas Playground event. The additional element to the A Christmas Playground concept is the outrageous hats for Tujo’s décor and wait staff. The Mad Hatter theme reinforces Tujo’s concept as being the location to Eat, Play & Live, as it will create brand perception to customers that Tujo is a trendy venue to wine and dine at, regardless of the festive seasons celebrated in Malaysia.

The Mad Hatter decorations consisted of deck of cards hung up vertically with strings, vines accompanied by colourful lanterns, Cheshire cat drawn up on the chalkboards at the venue, lollipop centerpieces and This Way, That Way signs.

Several discussions were held among the SOUL Society Group to finalize the New Year’s Eve menu and entertainment, whilst we update the outstanding tasks on the checklist and event order.

The food menu proposed by the SOUL Society kitchen was a buffet dinner consisting of creative spins on the festive food, such as, red seafood spaghetti, colourful coleslaw, chocolate mushrooms, purple burgers and multi-coloured desserts. While the drinks to be featured at the event comprised of unique cocktails using tea as base ingredient and other fruity cocktails with champagne. The entertainment for the Mad Hatter event include fringe performers dressed in the Alice in the Wonderland inspired costumes to meet-and-greet guests and a special DJ set by Cassie D.

In terms of publicizing the event, the SOUL Society Group distributed E-flyers to our in-house and sponsors database, SMS blast to SOUL Society database, Facebook feeds and invites, venue posters, plasma screen digital promo, pre- and post-coverage from the media.

The sponsorship and branding was executed via cash sponsorship, special event trade orders and brands support, in return for SOUL Society Group publicity towards the event by incorporating sponsor’s brand logo in its marketing and PR collaterals.

Similar to the A Christmas Playground, I was assigned to oversee the overall proceedings of the Mad Hatter event including, the décor, operations, buffet lines, reservation lists and cover after 10pm.

The concept for the night purports to entice the above 18 year old age groups, as SOUL Society Group closed the kitchen and put emphasis on the beverage menu. Moreover, the entertainment for the night only featured two DJ sets, intended to attract a night club audience.

The turnout was more than satisfactory, as the performance measures, including sales analysis, far exceeded SOUL Society Group’s forecast.

The night was filled with friends and families reminiscing and creating wonderful memories for the final few hours of 2013, accompanied by great food, drinks and music.

Hence, I would love to do the honors and say;

Cheerio 2013, and Hello 2014!
HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL J

Best Wishes,
Diane

Had myself a merry Tujo Christmas

Hello my fellow communications magnates!

Soon after the SOUL Society Charity Bazaar held on the 15^th of December 2013, the SOUL Society team and I were onto our next three projects for Christmas, New Year’s and an exclusive bus tour for journalists. The primary focus under my management was Tujo for its “A Christmas Playground” held on the 24^th of December 2013.

“A Christmas Playground” theme reinforces Tujo’s concept of a playground and tagline “Let’s eat, live & play”, as it experiences its first festive celebration. The merriment and colourful connotations of a playground also supplements the Christmas season.

The “A Christmas Playground” theme centered on fuchsia, cyan and lime green colours. Tujo’s décor set for the theme included giant lollipops, Christmas trees, Christmas ornaments hanging from Modo Chandeliers and railings, reindeers, lighted balls in the lawn and colourful wreath at entrances.

Several meetings were held among the SOUL Society Group to discuss on the Christmas menu and entertainment, whilst we update the outstanding tasks on the checklist and event order. The food and beverage menu proposed by the SOUL Society kitchen was required to gain approval from senior management before it was transferred to SOUL Society studio for design and print. The entertainment for the event was managed by one of the senior managers with my assistance on the liaison department. The entertainers included were elves and santarinas to meet-and-greet guests, live band performance by Acoustic Fourplay and a resident DJ set after 10pm.

The publicity scope of the event consisted of E-flyers to SOUL Society and sponsors database, SMS blast to SOUL Society database, Facebook feeds and invites, venue posters, plasma screen digital promo, pre- and post-coverage from the media.

The sponsorship bracket was also covered by Tujo’s “A Christmas Playground” event, as we received cash sponsorship, special event trade orders and brands support, in return for SOUL Society Group publicity for the event via incorporating sponsor’s brand logo in its marketing and PR collaterals.

As I was the key person in charge of the event, I went to Tujo early on the eve of Christmas to oversee the décor, operations, band setup, reservation lists for the buffet, drink coupons entitlements and brief all staff on the event agenda from 7pm till midnight.

The fundamental feature running the “A Christmas Playground” event I found, include teamwork and sensible judgment in queuing the subsequent task on the event order. The buffet was opened at 7.30pm, while Acoustic Fourplay played three 45-minutes set followed by the countdown gimmick before Christmas. We blew whistles two minutes before 12am and pop three bottles of champagne while our fringe acts, such as the elves and santarinas, dance at the DJ deck for the countdown.

Overall, it was all work and a lot of play, simultaneously.
“A Christmas Playground” with loved ones supporting the Tujo event climaxed my Christmas with a bang.

Merry belated Christmas!

Diane

Walking the talk of our jargon, CSR

Hello again, to all my bright and shiny PR fellows across the globe!

This time around, I would like to share my grueling, but highly satisfactory experience running the SOUL Society Charity Bazaar 2013.

Since its establishment in 1996, SOUL Society recognizes the significance of CSR and giving back to the community on an annual basis. The past years have seen SOUL Society organize a Charity Walk, Street Carnivals and Men Auctions. Its past beneficiaries include PS The Children, Chow Kids, Rumah Nur Salam, Pertiwi Soup Kitchen and Alzheimer Disease Foundation Malaysia.

As for its 2013 CSR program, they decided to organize a charity bazaar from 10am till 6pm, on the 15^th of December 2013 at WIP in Bangsar Shopping Centre. I believe the date of its program has been strategically-planned as large amounts of retail consumption generally occur during the year-end as many Malaysians celebrate Christmas and New Year’s. The beneficiary for its 2013 CSR program is HOSPIS Malaysia, who is a charitable organization that offers professional Palliative Care to patients suffering from life-limiting illness.

The SOUL Society’s pace is astonishingly fast for an in-house company, even for my role as an intern. I rapidly picked up responsibilities on a daily basis and began to feel the high pressure of the SOUL Society operations by day three.

Approximately two weeks in advance of the SOUL Society charity bazaar, I undertook vast liaison tasks internally and externally. SOUL Society had to send out emails and follow-up via direct line, to gain approval from management of Bangsar Shopping Centre to carry out SOUL Society's movement to publicize its charity bazaar. Upon approval, I liaised with the SOUL Society Studio for visuals, to distribute them before the weekend to enable SOUL Society to create awareness among the public based at the Bangsar area, particularly the Bangsar Shopping Centre’s weekend crowd. 

SOUL Society distributed eight directional signs, 24 labels for vendors’ brand names, five buntings to be placed at frequently-visited areas at the shopping centre and 5000 flyers to SOUL Society outlets and Bangsar Shopping Centre. Additionally, SOUL Society also distributed hardcopy newsletters and donation boxes on behalf of its beneficiary HOSPIS Malaysia.

As SOUL Society were scheduled to fill in four stalls at the charity bazaar as represented by Souled Out and WIP, they had to finalized their food and beverage menu, revised its portions and prices appropriate for the event. I liaised with the kitchen staff to propose a menu suited for a bazaar and the marketing department to weigh its cost and proposed price, to estimate the prospective profits to be directed to HOSPIS Malaysia.

It is worth noting there were several meetings held with the director of SOUL Society, to obtain direction and feedback for improvements to the tactics utilized to gain public awareness and engagement leading up to the charity bazaar. The director stressed the importance of adopting new media into SOUL Society’s current tactics in the implementation of strategies toward its goal to raise funds for HOSPIS Malaysia. She underscored the shift of consumers moving into social media channels to obtain local and international news, its public engagement advantage to create long-term mutual relationships.

The SOUL Society enabled me to administer and monitor posts on Facebook to create awareness and engagement with its public via two-way symmetrical communication and mutual understanding with its audience. The SOUL Society marketing department briefed me on the FAQs of their social media and encouraged me to put up casual posts on daily activities as opposed to constantly advertising and marketing its upcoming events and promotions to its Facebook audiences. This illustrates that SOUL Society’s acknowledgement to the PR aspects necessary to connect and build lasting relationships with its consumers, rather than viewing them as target audiences pressured to consume their products and services.

I was enthused to hear from the director of SOUL Society on her personal requests to draft her a two minute speech, follow-up on poster requests for the chief editor of Women’s Weekly, follow-up on her sponsorship requests via direct-line, text messaging and emails, in which I manage to gather 10 sponsors for the Raffle Draw prizes including a Juicy Couture tote worth RM 850, five sets of Pialla Wellness facial + body treatment worth RM 970 each, three sets of Celeste beauty treatments worth RM 2000 each, and a Raymond Choon haircut + treatment worth RM 788.

Within a week of preparation for the SOUL Society charity bazaar, I am already struggling to keep my head above the water, digesting knowledge on how SOUL Society operates, adjusting theory to practice and fitting myself into their organizational culture, representing their brand, image and reputation.

Till I write to you again,

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2014, in advance!

Warmest Regards,

Diane

Who is SOUL Society?

Hello to all past, present and future PR leaders worldwide!

I am Diane, a Curtin University (Bentley) student who is currently back in Malaysia, going an extra mile juggling work and play with loved ones, my career and family, this merry season.

What a way to end the year!

I am no multitasking guru, but it is a path I chose to enter the fast-paced public relations realm. We have been warned timelessly about the tight deadlines, high pressure demands from clients, and workload that only piles up as the days go by. Fortunately, at the end of the road are the fruits of our efforts which money cannot buy, the rewarding experience, the novel PR knowledge and witnessing the evolution of new tactics and strategies utilized by various companies globally.

From my external and personal perspective, Soul Society has always been brand of admiration and recognition in Malaysia which began as a small neighbourhood café in 1996. As word spread about the home-style cuisine and warm hospitality of its first SOULed OUT outlet, its brand rapidly grew to become the icon of suburban Kuala Lumpur where “everyone knows your name”.

With its quirky logo, SOULed OUT is today a household name and much-loved destination in Desa Sri Hartamas that draws patrons from near and far. While the eatery has had several makeovers in her menu, decor and manpower over the years, her mission remains…..to give patrons an experience that’s “as good as a hug” with the good food, good price, good service offering.

In 2011, SOUL Society launched a new branch under its first brand outlet name at the Ampang area, which carries its same original concept of brand, image and reputation.

SOUL Society had its eye on a specific location for many years, till it became available in November 2008. Opportunity only knocks once, SOUL Society grabbed it without hesitation and began its third outlet. Previously, WIP stood for Work in Progress which entailed an ambience of temporariness as constructions and refurbishments to the outlet were underway. Later in the same year, they rebranded WIP to Whipped Into Place, which has become a firm favorite amongst the dining scene in the prestigious neighborhood of Bangsar.

In 2013, SOUL Society rebranded its outlet called 789 established in 2012, which represent an iconic lifestyle destination for the KL chic, paving the way for exciting new concepts in the art of socialising and dining to Tujo Bar-sserie & Grill. Its new face is the place to enjoy the simple pleasures in life with good friends over good food, drinks and have loads of laughs, for the young at heart, going by the tagline to “Eat, Live & Play”.

As for my first day at SOUL Society which began on the 3^rd of December 2013, I was immediately assigned to study SOUL Society’s background, fact sheets, website, social media and upcoming events, namely, SOUL Society Charity Bazaar 2013, A Christmas Playground party and Mad Hatter New Year’s Eve party.

From my observation, SOUL Society is undergoing a slight shortage of staff as many of its staff have taken annual leave in the year-end and its marketing executive recently left a vacancy. Hence, I anticipate that I would have to fill an extra pair of shoes, taking on additional marketing-related tasks as my learning journey begins at SOUL Society.

Till I write to you soon.

Cheerio for now!

Warmest Regards,
Diane