Humour: the Canadian way

Humour is a funny little subject as its subjectivity makes it hard to define. Each and every person has their own views on what they find funny and what they don’t. What might make one people break out into hysterics may cause another to turn away in disgust.

As challenging as humour is to define, 85% of Canadians believe there is an identifiable Canadian sense of humour. I was reading an article entitile, The Comedy Network’s 2nd Annual April Fools Day poll reveals the state of humour in Canada, that uncovers some of our country’s views and values in relation to comedy.

Canadians consider themselves to be funny people. The typical Canadian sense of humour is dry, we tend to poke fun at ourselves, there is a mass audience for gross-out humour and of course, we have a tendency to make fun of Americans. Because humour is so widely accepted across our nation we see humour being used in a variety of ways to spread an assortment of messages.

Recently in class, we carried out a similar discussion about our views on humour and its varying degrees of appropriateness. The concept for the discussion was brought about through the examination of the Sleeve Sneeze campaign put on by Toronto Public Health. The campaign was created to assist the Canadian population with changing their sneeze culture to one that helps reduce the spread of germs.

Through our discussion we concluded that when used tactfully, humour can be a great tool to help spread a message. Perhaps we came to this conclusion because of our inherit nature as Canadians to enjoy a good joke, but mainly, we agreed that humour plays on different emotions and can in fact improve a brands message.

According to Ed Robinson, President and General Manager of The Comedy Network, “…humour is important to Canadians and our identity…it helps define who we are.” This statement is true on the individual level as well as the corporate, brand level. Understanding someone’s sense of humour can tell you a lot about that person, and the same is true for a brand. Exposing brand values through humour can help people relate to the brand as it assists in creating a mutual relationship.

There are upsides and downsides to using humour in a public relations campaign. The upsides include such benefits as; humour helps diffuse a negative situation, it gives your brand personality, it creates a buzz that gets people talking, humour can be attention grabbing and it helps make your campaign memorable as people remember stuff they think is funny.

The downside of using humour in a campaign is that humour is subjective, what is funny to one is not to another. Some may find your humour offensive or inappropriate and may in fact turn people off the brand. When creating a humourous campaign you should consider how the joke will hold up to translation into different cultures and languages to avoid awkward messages.

One of my classmates said it best when he stated, “using humour is a high risk, high reward scenario.” We continued to discuss that when using humour in a campaign, you should proceed with caution. It is advised to test the campaign first on a focus group to gauge reaction. Most of all, the humour used in a campaign should be supported by a real news angle, establishing it as a valid and smart take on the message.

Interview with Carol Panasiuk

As a to gain insight into the public relations industry I recently conducted an online interview with the Senior Vice President of Cohn & Wolfe, Carol Panasiuk.

Here is what I unfolded;

How does a typical day (if you have any typical days) play out at Cohn & Wolfe? What are your main responsibilities?

Carol Panasiuk - My main responsibilities are providing strategic communications counsel to a wide range of clients, helping them to achieve their business objectives through communications. I also have responsibilities for new business development (bringing new clients into the firm) and developing resources and tools for the three Cohn & Wolfe offices across Canada.


How did you acquire your position? How did you get introduced into the field of public relations?

CP - I dropped out of university after two years (although I did go back and finish my undergrad degree at night and in the summers) and took Humber’s Public Relations degree program. I did an internship at Burson-Marsteller in Toronto. I was hired full time after the internship and stayed for ten years, leaving as a Vice President when I moved to our sister company, Cohn & Wolfe and founding the first Canadian office of that agency. I was introduced into public relations when I met a number of people who worked in the field and then did some aptitude tests that steered me in that direction and led me to take the Humber program.


What are some of your major achievements within that organization?

CP - Founding the agency, making it into one of the top ten agencies in Canada, working on three acquisitions, creating a award winning work for our clients, working for some the best companies in Canada, seeing Cohn & Wolfe staff grow their skill sets and achieve great things.


What are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of the job?

CP - Running a business is always challenging - - e.g. making sure there is a return for the owners of the firm. Rewarding: seeing Cohn & Wolfe team members succeed.


What is the corporate culture of Cohn & Wolfe? Can you comment on the organizations approach to doing business?

CP - Cohn & Wolfe is a entrepreneurial firm that is willing to try new things in order to achieve results for our clients. The team as a “can do / whatever it takes” attitude that forges real partnerships with our clients.


Are you a member of any clubs, organizations or professional associations?

CP - I’m a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society (and have my accreditation). I sit on the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms. I also sit on the President’s Advisory Council of Victoria University, University of Toronto.


What has the benefit of such an association been to you?

CP - Primarily networking and industry knowledge


What kinds of previous work and education experience do you have?

CP - I’ve always worked in public relations and on the agency side - - it’s the best if you like a fast pace, lots of variety and you like to learn a lot about a wide range of industries and businesses. I went back to school after ten years of working and got my MBA at the Rotman School of Management at U of T.


How has PR changed since you first entered the field? How have you responded?

CP - Things move much more quickly with the impact of instant news and communications…in terms of response – you just adapt and plunge into new technologies – don’t look back!


Do you have a personal philosophy?

CP - At any given time in your career ask yourself three questions: Are you learning? Are you making enough money? Are you having any fun? If you say yes to two out of three then you’re in good shape.


What advice would you give a new graduate entering into this industry?

CP - Be prepared to work hard, take initiative and be serious. Business isn’t about having fun – although it is fun.

On the wire

Everything is connected to everything else, and this point was driven home just the other day when Lisa Davis, Senior Marketing Manager of Marketwire stopped the college to chat with my PR class.

Marketwire is a full-service newswire and communications service. It distributes news and information globally through both traditional and new media methods.

Lisa’s visit highlighted just how connected the communications world is, and has to be. It is services like this that explain how news can travel so fast and how people can locate those who can best help spread their message. There is an online tool called MediaHub, which assists PR practitioners with finding journalists that would be interested in their targeted message. This developed communications network allows for more efficiency.

The workplace is evolving and changing, just as the tools within it. Lisa’s visit emphasized just how important it is to stay on top of the evolutions to continue to be successful and informed.

To recylce or not to recycle

Tim Horton's is a daily ritual for many of us Canadians. Over the years he have learned to trust and love the brand. And why wouldn't we as the chain focuses on maintaining high-quality, fresh products for good value delivered by great service.

When I think of Tim Horton's, I think of community involvement, fair prices and comfort. It wasn't until recently and as a result of my case studies class that I began to shift my focus on our beloved Tim's. (At least my perception of their packaging -more specifically, the cups)

I always thought that the cups you got from Tim Horton's were in fact recyclable, but it turns out that they are not. I couldn't tell you how many times I have put one of these cups into a recycling bin, thinking I was helping keep my own waste out of a landfill.

I was reading a news release from the company, entitled, Tim Horton's expands Toronto recycling program, issued on November 03, 2008 . The main point of the release was to announce the installation of recycling bins both inside and outside of Toronto stores. These bins would then be taken to Turtle Island Recycling where the waste would be processed for recycling with the potential for remanufacturing into new products like roofing paper or cardboard boxes.

There were a couple points I found interesting about this release. The first was that Tim Horton's did not already have recycling bins in and out of their stores to begin with, I mean, what decade are we living in. I applaud Tim Horton's for encouraging the reduce and reuse ideas through offering discounts to those who bring in reusable travel mugs. But I can't believe that I never noticed it before, in such an environmentally sensitive age that we are living in, one of our own Canadian legends was not supporting the concept of recycling.

The next would be that this was a Toronto initiative, meaning, what about the hundreds of other stores across the country, what should we do about all the non-recyclable products there? I strongly support the fact that these stores should have recycle bins, but what about the products themselves. These recycling bins would be more beneficial if Tim Horton's products could be put into any recycle bin, not just ones headed towards Turtle Island.

I suppose I would like to see Tim Horton's take a more proactive appraoch than a reactive one. Undoubtably, one of the main reason Toronto store initiated these recycling bins was in reaction to the city's plan to crack down on wasteful packaging. I was reading an article in the Globe and Mail that details this further.

I give credit to Tim Horton's for making an effort, and they do make many efforts to better our society and our environment. However, when is this Canadian company that is striving towards environmental leadership going to develop cup technology that reflects the planets cries for more recyclables and less garbage. The problem isn't putting bins into the stores, it is the fact that they aren't investing time and money into changing their product.

I'm being a bit harsh perhaps, as I am just learning that these cups are not in fact recyclable. And there are other companies out there who don't do half as much for the environment or society as Tim Horton's does. But when is the right time to make a change? They are addressing the recycling issue to a degree, but are failing to start at the root of the problem.

I love my Tim Horton's, truly I do, and my point is that so do millions of others. Tim Horton's earns 1.9 billion in revenue a year. It is about time they stop neglecting the issue of waste production themselves and start producing 100% recyclable products.

Can a tobacco company be a responsible company?

Being a “smoker” myself I have knowledge of the different products on the market, but until recently I have been unaware of the various initiatives Imperial Tobacco Canada have been undertaking. The approach the company has taken to incorporate corporate social responsibly as a top priority is quite interesting.

Many feel that because the products that a tobacco company produces are harmful to ones health, they are then in turn an irresponsible company.

However, I feel that these efforts are legitimate and important for the development of our society. If Imperial was not doing anything to better society or raise awareness of the risks involved in consuming their products, than the claims that tobacco companies are all 'bad' would hold up.

Yet, Imperial Tobacco has not denied the controversy associated with their products and has clearly published the risks involved in consuming them. As a consumer of tobacco, I must assume responsibility for my actions; as a company that supplies these products, Imperial must evolve from simply supplying information concerning their products and their effects, to assuming a higher level of social responsibility for producing these products.

Business is business, but I feel Imperial is attempting to look at the bigger picture, the production of tobacco products is not going to stop, so why not begin to develop initiatives that will benefit our society’s health and stability.

I respect the fact that Imperial has dedicated time and resources into investigating youth prevention, reduction and elimination of illicit trade, and harm reduction in relation to tobacco consumption. Say what you will about cigarettes, but any company that puts forth legitimate efforts to raise awareness of social issues and find solutions to those issues should be acknowledged.

Imperial Tobacco can establish themselves as a responsible company by following through with these initiatives and in the future launching more programs as other issues surrounding their products arise.

It is interesting that people will balk at a tobacco company's efforts to establish themselves as a responsible company. I believe in choice, and with that being said, I feel people have the right to choose their own lifestyle.

Today I choose to smoke, tomorrow I could choose to drink alcohol, skip my workout, skydive or eat MacDonald’s, and I question the difference as anyone of these decisions has some sort of risk associated with it.

The fact that these products or services are out there is no longer the issue because they are not going away, it is up to me as a consumer to decide what type of risk I wish to take to fulfill my day. It is up to Imperial to decide whether they wish to include corporate social responsibility into their business practices and research, the fact that they do is a suitable start.

"Trick-or-Treat" for United Way

One of the many benefits of being a public relations student is our involvement in event planning, management and execution. A fine example of this perk would be our class’s recent efforts in a campus wide United Way Fundraiser campaign. We designed and carried out a Halloween-themed event that raised $1,200 for the organization.

The public relations program has previous involvement with the United Way, involvement that has created several successful fundraising events in the past. Due to this prior relationship the program and the organization have developed, we were once again approached by the United Way to tackle another fundraiser event. As part of our Public Relations for Non-Profit Organizations course, our class began the process of deciding what type of event we wished to initiate.

The process began with a roundtable brainstorming sessions. Each and every classmate was encouraged to spout off ideas that could be transformed into a theme for the campaign. Our professor, Kerry Ramsay, was the scribe and she made sure that all ideas were recorded. The point being that, in the beginning we couldn’t afford to discount any ideas, as who was to say where an idea could take us. We tossed around a multitude of exciting concepts and brilliant ideas that comprised our master list. Eventually, we exhausted our individual concepts and moved into the reflection stage. Individually, we were to all review our favourite suggestions, we were to sleep on our thoughts and bring back our digested feelings back to the roundtable under a more practical light.

We moved through the reflection stage quickly, as we all seemed to agree on keeping our event simple and timely. Keeping our theme suitable to the season led us to the decision to incorporate Halloween. After some more brainstorming under the seasonal inspiration, we dreamt up, “Trick-or-Treat” for the United Way. Now that the theme had been constructed, we moved from conception into the planning stages.

The date for our event, Tuesday October 28, 2008, was predetermined by Kerry and the Organization. As it turned, that week was full of other United Way focused fundraising efforts which made it feel appropriate, as if we were a part of something larger than our own endeavours.

Up to this point we had decided that for $2 a donor would get the chance to trick-or-treat for United Way, providing them with an opportunity to win a prize or at least the satisfaction of donating to a great cause. Due to the fact that the date (October 28, 2008) and location (Loyalist Campus) were already decided upon, our class moved onto things like promotions, collecting materials, finding sponsors to donate prizes and the overall logistics of the event as none of these things had been worked out yet.

Each and every one of us in the program are different, we all have our strengths, our weaknesses and our original characteristics that make us the diverse group that we are. Kerry knew from the beginning that she could not just assign us tasks and expect that they would all get finished in a satisfactory way. She was aware that not all of us had much or any event exposure in the past and wanted to make this as much of a learning experience as well. So she took an approach that seemed to work extremely well, she asked for volunteers to begin the event planning process. Once a volunteer piped up, she then paired that person with another who was interested in accomplishing the task.

We had groups tackle public service announcements, news releases, media interviews, mass e-mail construction, promotions, poster and banner creation to name a few. Individually, we were all expected to use our resources and/or charm to get out into the community and collect prizes for the event. Over the weeks prior to the fundraiser we returned to our roundtable discussions to hash out logistical points, i.e. how we were going to create a trick-or-treat experience, where were we to get candy and bags from, who wants to do what and our plan of attack to collect donations. As a team we worked out the details and all stepped up at different times to ensure we had resources and accomplished all necessary tasks. It soon came time to switch our mentalities from preparation to execution.

Before we knew it, October 28th was here. We all arrived at 7:30 in the am, some of us decked out in costumes, others sporting Untied Way t-shirts. We paired up, leaving two classmates in headquarters to take on the role of accountants, prize managers and decorators. The rest of us spread out through the campus to unfold awareness of the organization with the goal of $1,000 in mind to offer them at the end of the day.

Some of us remained stationary, we had tables set up in the pub and in the cafeteria, and others roamed hitting up students and faculty campus wide. Students and faculty were greeted inside the front doors by the smiling faces of myself and Kyle Mackenzie, we spread the vibes through the warming sounds of his guitar, silly jingles and positive messages accepting donations of any size. Our team also included a princess, a matador, a tigress, Waldo and more.

Our costumes shaped an incredible presence throughout the school which created a buzz that motivated the Loyalist community to donate generously. We energetically promoted United Way and our trick-or-treat game until 2 pm when our grand total of $1,200 was announced; amazing for a group of twenty in less than five hours.

As a group we felt very proud of our contributions to the United Way. Even though our bodies felt a little drained at the end, we were still full off positive energy. Our class felt rewarded and excited about what our next endeavors in event management might be.

It's all about who you know

Turning myself into a media student enabled me to attend Media Mash Up last night. This was the first year Loyalist has put on such an event and with the great turn out it received, I am sure there will be more to follow.

Media Mash Up was designed to mix up the the different media programs with the intention to reflect just how intertwined technologies and medias have become. The event created an opportunity for staff and students of these different programs to meet and mingle. After all, it isn't always about what you do, but who you know!

The concept for the event was shaped by three Loyalist Professors (Kerry Ramsay, Cathy Goddard and Joe Callahan) who agreed on the importance of bridging the gap between the media programs. The night was sponsored by Apple, Sony, Future Shop, Japan Camera, Huff's Estates and Loyalist College. Scott Moore, Executive Director of CBC Television Sports attended as a guest speaker; he talked about CBC's coverage of the Beijing Olympics. There was a light buffet and some incredible live student talent showcased. All of this for only $5 - it truly was incredible.

As a member of the school of Media, our PR class had to help ensure this event was a success. In the early stages of preparation our class got creative by painting banners and brainstorming possible entertainment options. We got our fair share of sales experience through selling tickets and lessons in effective promotions when the event sold out. The night of the event we gained much insight into event management as we assisted with the set up and had roles in ensuring the event ran smoothly. As students came through the doors, one of my classmates took tickets, there were two of us who handed out name tags and explanations for our duo game, another passed out raffle tickets. Inside the guest received a hand stamp and were greeted by our Master Greeter. We had bodies manning the prizes tables and throughout the night guests were entertained by the sweet sounds of our very own Kyle Mackenzie. Everywhere I looked I could see PR students functioning as event organizers and entertainers. Cheers to everyone on a great night.

It should be stated that all programs from the school of media were represented, I may have been focused on the PR students, but without the rest of the medias present there would have been no mash up!

Let's communicate

The more I learn about public relations, the more I am uncovering about our society's reliance on and infatuation with digital communication and uses of social medias.

I am of an age that would suggest I have grown up with various social media channels - however it seems, I missed the boat. I lived in a home with a computer, but it was never the centre of my entertainment or learning environment. I used e-mail only when I left the country and my opinions on the internet came with skepticism of the unknown. I have an interest in technology and can see the purpose it serves, but I also love the tranquility of life without it. It is funny to think that using a computer was not a part of my daily life just over three yeas ago. What is interesting is that there is no turning back.

Coming back to school meant not only changing my lifestyle, but gaining exposure to digital resources and media outlets, and then actually using them as a functioning tool. My early experiences with digital technology were ones of confusion and frustration. Realizing it's importance, I quickly adapted, learning as much as I could. It is easy to get a hate on for technology, but it isn't smart to deny yourself the know how. There is no denying it, technology in all of it's many forms and functions has forever changed the way we communicate and the only way to survive in the social and business world is to be able to manipulate it to serve your purpose. One of the biggest purposes I have noticed these technologies being used for is networking.

I would consider myself a social being, but I didn't realize how technically I was slipping behind socially. I do not have the internet, I was not on facebook, I didn't have a myspace page and I was uneducated about other social medias. Yet all of these things were quite important to those around me, they all had a functioning purpose in my fellow classmates daily lives. So what did I do to keep up - I signed up for facebook. At first it was entertaining - I was connecting with people that were geographically far away, communicating with friends and family easily and could access a variety of opinions on numerous topics. Then, something shifted, and facebook started to make me feel claustrophobic, as it was allowing me to find people and gain insight into their current lives - it was also allowing people to do the same to me. I felt so exposed. I should put it out there that I still currently have a facebook page. I can't deny it's value as a communication tool just yet. I am however, uneasy about the idea of people thinking they can figure me out from what they can find on the internet.

My feelings stemmed back to my initial views of the internet - skepticism. There is so much good information out there, but there is so much false fact floating around too. I found that facebook, like msn or myspace as a communication tool works best when the people you are talking to already have an understanding of how you naturally speak. Words have so many meanings, phrases can be said sarcastically, seriously or jokingly; written communication leaves so much open for interpretation, especially when used via the internet at rapid speeds. It is however, the wave of the now and the future. I also found that most people didn't have any problem interpreting one another; this form of communication was foreign to me, but not at all to others. I wasn't used to posting thoughts, feelings, activities or photos online but the majority of our society is. (As you can see by this blog, I am challenging my levels of comfort!)

Currently, in my public relations course I am being reminded just how much digital communication is taking over. The speed at which information can be shared is incredible, and the only way to keep up with these social changes is to adapt to these methods of communication. As I have been learning, so have most industries; more and more businesses are aware of this evolving form of communication and working out ways to keep up. All the PR professionals that I have had the pleasure of meeting this year emphasize the importance of media monitoring. They not only have their own media outlets; e-mail, podcasts, webinars, blogs, vlogs, websites etc. but they are paying attention the the social media outlets to stay in tune with their consumers and clients. Whether is be for information or opinion gathering, research or investigation, these social media channels are frequently being viewed. They have become an efficient way to spread and gather information, while simultaneously linking people and opinions together. Public relations is about connecting people; digital communication seems to be a perfect fit for such an industry.

As great as this digital communication wave is for businesses, personally it still makes me a bit uneasy. As stated above, business are constantly monitoring the media, but they aren't just doing it for market research. I read an article in My Career Magazine; it informed me that employers are searching out these social media channels as a method of selection in their hiring process. They are viewing profiles and opinions of potential employees trying to perceive an image of that person. We may not have anything to hide you say, but remember how easy it is for information to be misinterpreted. Looks like my fears about facebook are coming true. We are always being watched and profiled, even more so in this day and age where information and opinions move faster than we do.

Oh public relations, what exactly are you?

Trying to define PR quickly became the first challenge of my new program. Tourism was broad enough, there are many avenues and sectors within that one industry alone. PR however, has a way of finding itself involved with every industry. How do you define that? It quickly became evident that there were going to be a multitude of descriptions for such a uniquely diverse function. Below please find a couple quotes to assist in the definition process.


“The three main elements of public relations are practically as old as society: informing people, persuading people and integrating people with people. Of course, the means and methods of accomplishing these ends have changed as society has changed.” – Edward Bernays, 1952


"Public relations is the management function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or an organization with the public interest, and plans and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and patience." - PR News


"Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other." - The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)


In my words, public relations is the relationship and image building that occurs between an organization and it's publics. It includes the communication responsible for maintaining those relationships while effectively utilizing different techniques, tools and media channels to do so.


The more I disect these definitions, the more I realize why I did infact end up in this program. It is all about networking, it's continually changing and for every action there is a purpose.

Oh public relations, I think I'm starting to like you...

Getting here

Two years ago I made the decision to come back to school. After much searching and pondering I made the decision to attend the Tourism Marketing and Promotions program at Loyalist College in Belleville. I love to travel, I spend much time traveling, so I figured tourism would be a good fit and Belleville seemed like a suitable destination. The program itself was useful as well as interesting, providing me with insight into many aspects of the tourism industry. My faculty, classmates and roommates were all exceptional people who offered me a wealth of knowledge and expereince. However, by the end of the program, I was searching again. Not because there was a shortage of jobs or opportunities, but because I still had a hunger to learn more about myself and possible career paths. Plus, over the two years, I uncovered a certain kind of love/hate relationship between myself and the tourism industry. Without downplaying the incredible aspects of travel and global accessibility, I became quite turned off by the varying amounts of exploitation and overconsumption of our planet's fruits and flavours. It turned out, that my passion for travel runs deep and true but so does my concern for this planet's health. Feeling slightly unsure where I should go next or how to balance my desire and distaste for tourism, I found myself searching for my next path. Then one presented itself. At a time where the need to make a choice was becoming immediate, I sat in on a presentation about the Loyalist PR program. I was intrigued, Public Relations seemed to be everything and everywhere, which was perfect for an opportunist like myself. After tossing and turning about what to do next, I signed up. So here I am, enrolled in a Public Relations program, trying to figure out how to make this program work for me.