Quorum Speech: Measuring New Horizons, ESG, Social License to Operate and Public Relations in 2022

Perth Media spoke this week about modern, and critical, Public Relations. Thank you to Quorum for the invitation to present the Thought Leadership piece, detailing some of the PR disasters of the past 10 years.

The mining industry’s reputation has been tarnished by Rio Tinto’s destruction of Juukan Gorge rock shelters, in Western Australia, on 24 May 2020.

Interestingly, a quick survey of the room (this week) found 18 of the 36 people, were recorded as being ‘less favourable’ to Rio Tinto, post Juukan Gorge, and 18 of 36 were also ‘less favourable’ towards the whole Australian mining industry, post Juukan Gorge. The other people in the room declined to vote. No one was recorded as being more favourable or neutral to Rio Tinto and the whole Australian mining industry, post Juukan Gorge.

Rio Tinto’s website reported: “In allowing the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters to occur, we fell far short of our values as a company and breached the trust placed in us by the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we operate. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the destruction of a site of such exceptional cultural significance never happens again, to earn back the trust that has been lost, and to re-establish our leadership in communities and social performance.”

ESG was recently ranked by EY (the consultants) as the number 1 risk to the mining industry. - Cate Rocchi, Managing Director Perth Media.

Perth Media Testimonial: Public Relations Campaign for Advanced Energy Resources on Refurbished Wind Turbines ‘Results Speak for Themselves’

On 19 June 2019, Perth Media ran a campaign on behalf of Advanced Energy Resources (AER).

Founded in 2006, AER is a WA electricity generator and retailer focused on supplying 100% renewable energy to its customers by 2025. Construction of its 3.5MW wind, solar and battery project will power GMA Garnet’s wet plant operations 40km south of Kalbarri in WA, a region of generally weak electricity network coverage.

On Perth Media’s successful media campaign, AER business development manager Steve Wall said: “When we announced our Australian-first 3.5MW Wind/Solar/Battery hybrid project to supply a mine in the Mid-West, we were determined to gain maximum exposure for our success.

“Cate and her team worked quickly and enthusiastically to ensure our story was embraced by a large number of industry, regional and general media outlets – including requests for interviews.”

Funding of $3 million by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the Federal Government’s renewable energy programs manager, furthers its Advancing Renewables Program by commercially trialling AER’s back-to-back inverter technology. This, and the use of refurbished turbines, is a world first.

“Perth Media displayed a good understanding of AER’s business and the renewable energy industry in WA. The results spoke for themselves.” - Steve Wall, business development manager of Advanced Energy Resources.

Bryah Resources Testimonial for Perth Media: 'Management Well Prepared for Live Interviews'

Picture by Jess Wyld Photography, Perth Media recommended photographer.

'Cate Rocchi at Perth Media has been engaged by Bryah Resources since prior to its listing on ASX in 2017. 

'We have found Cate to be a dynamic and enthusiastic advocate for our company across all media channels. Cate’s extensive network of media contacts has allowed us to receive a huge amount of mainstream media coverage in what is a very difficult and crowded marketplace. This would not have been possible had we not had her promoting our story.  She has also been very helpful in getting management trained and well prepared for live media interviews. We are delighted that we have Perth Media managing our Public Relations.'

Neil Marston, MD of Bryah Resources (ASX:BYH)

Thanks Neil!

Interviews secured included publications such as Miningnews.net, Paydirt, The West Australian, WA Business News, and ABC Radio.

Hong Kong Mines & Money Take Homes: Karratha tipped to be Global Mining City; Quant Funds Using AI to Trade ASX; Upping China IQ; and Claims Investors Using Lie Detectors on Conference Calls

Small event, but some big fish showed and Perth Media will return in 2019.

HK Mines and Money 2018 Top Take Homes: Karratha is predicted to be one of world’s key mining cities; massive global quant funds using AI to trade in the milliseconds after ASX announcements go up; some traders are sending in drones to check on minesite activity and then shorting the stocks; others are monitoring companies with google earth and algorithms linked to social media to pick up emotive responses to companies; and many investors are switching on lie detectors on their smartphones to gather information on company leaders.

While not as many attendees as the last time I attended in 2010, speakers were excellent.

1.     Karratha and Pilbara to Rocket. Heavyweight international investors raved about the potential wealth development in the Pilbara, Western Australia. Many were making a real attempt to increase their own Pilbara knowledge, especially in the wake of China’s One Belt One Road expansion policies. Netherlands-based Willem Middelkoop, founder and chief investment officer of the Commodity Discovery Fund, says Karratha will be a major regional mining city in future. Keith Spence (Canada-based Global Mining Capital Corp) also has WA companies with Pilbara assets firmly in his sights.

2.     Investors Switching on Smart Phones with Lie Detectors/Drones Checking Minesite Activity. Frank Holmes, US Global Investors, was a standout speaker. He claims 70 per cent of stock trades now are done by quantitative funds (quants) using algorithms and artificial intelligence. Where once banks and big institutions focused on building teams of traditional finance analysts, things had rapidly changed. Claims were made that Vanguard, for example, has 50 people working on AI. Data collection is cheaper, easier and more efficient than ever. Fund managers are also switching on lie detectors on their smart phones when they took conference calls from MDs of mining companies, some investors targeting stocks to short were sending in drones over minesites to check real activity. One trader used google earth to monitor car parks of US department store Sears to check if company announcements accurately reflected actual visitors to stores. IE they counted the cars remotely. Some superb tips on how to strategically link your real time communications strategy to a rising stock price, in a fast-changing world. But you will have to sign up Perth Media to learn more about that! The quants are trading in milliseconds using emotive algorithms. While it was clear some knew much of this already, some miners in the room were bemused. ‘Don’t be intimidated by it, but you have to know what is going on,' Holmes said.

3.     6 Minute Pitches. Holmes again. He bluntly advised: if you want millennials to invest in mining, make your pitches efficient and concise in 6 minutes. No one wants to hear hour-long explanations of maps. If pitches didn’t improve and trading wasn’t made easier, the mining (particularly juniors) will continue to lose investment to easily-tradeable cryptocurrencies.

4.     Beware of letting risk adverse lawyers crush your press release. Your company’s narrative is crucial. If overly cautiously, your stock will fall, says Holmes.

5.     One Belt One Road. Rather than a resurrection of the single ancient Silk Road, this is more like a big octopus. It is a policy that is like many tentacles of many roads, leading to many joint projects in various countries, particularly Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Australia. There are many many more regions that have been earmarked by central Beijing for supply of raw materials for mega infrastructure such as bridges and rail networks. Jay Roberge, of Tehanna Capital, advises all, to seriously upgrade your China IQ. Last year the first cargo train went non stop from China to London, and don’t forget that China has put environmental protection at the top of the list of priorities. That policy will impact on decision making. All speaking agreed One Belt One Road will mean long-term huge demand for iron ore for steel.

6.     Intellectual Capital is Gold. Rick Rule (Sprott US Holdings), another heavyweight, reminded younger, less burnt investors, to follow intellectual capital and look less at the physical asset and the mineralization of the juniors, but more at the entrepreneurial leadership. ‘That strategy has served me very well over time,’ he said.

After being burnt from investing in California, he says: ‘the most dangerous politician is the one closest to you.’ He prefers tier 1 deposits in tier 3 countries to tier 3 deposits in tier 1 countries.  And don't forget. ‘Investors are not rational,’ Rule said.

- Cate Rocchi, Perth Media CEO

In Hong Kong last week, Perth Media organised media interviews for our client Australian Vanadium with Bloomberg, S&P Global, and Financial Times (London). Do you need some media assistance? Please get in touch.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-09/vanadium-batteries-need-elon-musk-moment-to-kick-start-market

Perth Media CEO Cate Rocchi with S&P Global reporter Tracy Yang, in Hong Kong, last week.

Perth Media Blogging with Denmark Chamber of Commerce Next Week

Perth Media blogging workshop next week is on track, organised by Denmark Chamber of Commerce, 22 have booked. Thanks to Liz Jack, Anna Boaden and Claudia Simpson at the Denmark Chamber of Commerce and Jody Ovenden at Celestine Retreat for her encouraging support.

Looking forward to assisting writing skills and developing grassroots expertise.

Perth Media creative and digital consultant, Andal Shreedaran, is also presenting her 'Future of Content' Research, remotely.

Case Study: Small Business Captivate On Hold (global tech company based in Perth, Western Australia)

Graphic by Nic van Straalen, Perth Media

People often ask – what does a media company do?

Primarily Perth Media, responds to its client’s needs. All small business are on tight budgets and have different strengths, and we always try to offer real value for money and complement our client’s own areas of expertise. If the team in-house are good writers, then our team may focus on graphics or PR, for example. Or, if the client already has great media connections, our team may set up social media scheduling, content calendars and begin a video blog schedule or write a series of press releases to assist in-house PR.

 In the case of Mark Horwood (CEO of Captivate On Hold; former head of the Truffle Producers of Western Australia and one-time truffle farmer), it has been all about flexibility and being proactive. Perth Media support has promoted the truffle industry (in WA Business News, The Australian, many regional papers and ABC radio); achieved PR that resulted in the sale of Mark’s own truffle farm; established a long-term dialogue with key global tech reporters and media experts in the tech space for Captivate On Hold; brought home some excellent media results (WA Business and ABC radio); and facilitated a seamless, professional, consistent social media presence, including blogs, podcasts, content calendars, graphics and twitter/facebook campaigns.

Here is a testimonial from Mark Horwood, CEO of Captivate On Hold, for Perth Media. Captivate On Hold provides On Hold products for callers waiting on the telephone, one recently-launched is Interactive On Hold. Most of Captivate On Hold's clients are international, and the firm has an office in South Africa, as well as Perth.

‘Our small business needed a good PR consultancy to expand into global markets from a domestic Perth-based Australian company. None of the ‘big PR firms’ wanted to help as our budget was limited. I met Cate Rocchi through my then chair role of the Truffle Producers of Western Australia in the regional truffle capital of Australia – Manjimup.

Cate was energetic and positive and wanted to help. Her background was PR in agribusiness so we got on well. When time pressures dictated the sale of my profitable truffiere, I appointed Cate to assist with the PR to sell a high-priced property in a depressed market. She was brilliant, we had TV, radio and press articles about the property sale. Agents expected to take one year to sell – it sold in a week, full price cash. A well-orchestrated campaign by Perth Media paid off for me.

From there, my business appointed Perth Media to do another seemingly impossible task, make a 30-year business to look like a global corporation – on a budget.

Cate and her team have struggled to do everything needed within the meagre budget we provided. They achieved some amazing results in social media, improved our corporate presentation no end and have set the scene for the global expansion we requested from them.

Personally, Cate is an energetic woman whose effervescence leads greatness. Her business has grown dramatically with ours and the other clients she has taken on. I recommend Perth Media.’

Perth Media has designed a tailored monthly package for Captivate On Hold, please contact us for more details on 0428431699 today.

Digital Consumer Law: Testimonials, the ACCC and How to Avoid Your Brand Being Skewered by Unethical Marketing

'Carefully constructed brands and reputations built over decades can be skewered by court action overnight', Cate Rocchi, CEO of Perth Media

BY CATE ROCCHI, CEO PERTH MEDIA

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s legal action against Perth-based Aveling Homes last month sent a clear message – website testimonials are not just ‘advertising’ and digital content must be authentic and accurate.

Content creation should be informative and engaging but, most importantly, responsible. It cannot mislead. If it does, the consequences are severe. Carefully constructed brands and reputations, built over decades, can be skewered by court action overnight.

Commenting generally on the legal issues involved, Clare Pope – partner at Squire Patton Boggs in Perth – said: “There are a number of concerns with companies producing fabricated testimonials online, not least of which is the reputational damage which is suffered once this kind of thing comes to light.”

She said such behaviour was unethical and most likely to be illegal under the Australian consumer law, Competition and Consumer Act Cth (2010) (CCA).

Pope explains the CCA establishes a single national law for consumer protection and imposes statutory obligations on suppliers and manufacturers of goods and services which include prohibitions on false representations in relation to the supply of goods. It prohibits conduct that is likely to mislead or deceive. 

The CCA has also introduced some new prohibitions relating to false or misleading representations, not included in earlier Australian consumer laws.  These include prohibitions on false or misleading representations, regarding goods or services, that purports to be a testimonial by a person.

Ms Pope said these relatively new offences were clearly intended to capture the development and proliferation of review and testimonial websites. 

“There are various ways in which reviews and testimonials could mislead consumers, and the ACCC isn’t just interested in fabricated testimonials produced by, or on instruction by, the company itself (for example paying someone to write the review or testimonial), but reviews written by competitors also come within the ambit of the ACCC’s scope to protect consumers,” she said.

With regards to Aveling Homes, the ACCC is seeking declarations, pecuniary penalties, injunctions, corrective notices, a compliance program, findings of fact and costs.

Perth Media’s writers produce authentic, high-quality and thoroughly researched content – including case studies and testimonials – to accurately portray your company’s services, stories and track record.

Our work is not overly enthusiastic marketing, it is grounded and focused on facts, and your company’s unique products and narratives.