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.