Hughes blog post: The Intern’s view - experiencing the real thing

‘The power to influence action and opinion’- the first lesson of my internship at Hughes PR.

For four years I have called The University of Adelaide home. As great as the years of skimming through textbooks, cramming for exams and sleeping through 8:00 am lectures were, I can now see myself moving on to greater and more exciting things.

Hughes PR has given me the fantastic opportunity to experience Public Relations from a perspective tertiary education cannot replicate. I can now safely say regurgitating 500 words on the intricacies of Pavlov’s dog will not help me with life after Uni.

Experiencing active engagement with genuine clients who desire PR and marketing assistance has been phenomenal. It perplexes me that internships are still not deemed compulsory for my university course. I have collaborated with fantastic people and learnt more than I ever imagined.

I happily propelled myself into two weeks of writing, filming, attended new product launch meetings, social media training sessions and general public relations discussions with the team. I also assisted in developing case studies and blogs for organisations, such as the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Each activity reiterated the importance of possessing a vibrant PR and communications strategy. That successful PR could not only be used to add value to our clients businesses, but it also dramatically improves the effectiveness of their communication efforts and enhances their organisation’s reputation.

PR is far more than crisis control – one of my pet peeves is the public perception of PR being the simple management of ‘when things go wrong’. A successful PR strategy must encompass the continuous monitoring and adjusting of public opinion in order to avoid a crisis and ensure optimum operation. PR is a multi-platform tactic in which one must adopt the strengths of social media, print media and promotional material.

I struggle to highlight a stand-alone high-point of my time at Hughes PR – whether it was having coffee with extravagant South Australian billionaires or accidentally procuring a ticket to the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) annual Christmas party for drinks with the Boss, I thoroughly enjoyed it all.

The Hughes PR staff have been extremely welcoming and made me feel like an important part of their team. I am certain the invaluable skills and knowledge I have secured at Hughes PR will assist me well into my future career.

Hughes PR Senior Consultant Kieran Hall, Tom Fitzgerald, Aaron Richards and Hughes PR Managing Director Tim Hughes at the Gilbert Street Hotel for the PRIA Christmas event.

- Tom Fitzgerald