For a second year, CASACOM worked with the Chaire de l’UQAM and SQPRP to develop a survey on the use of social media by Quebec public relations professionals. A press release was issued, and all results are available at www.crpcm.uqam.ca.

Here are three facts I would like to bring to your attention:

• Good news! Social media is progressing on all fronts. Eighty (80) percent of public relations and communications professionals always, frequently, or occasionally incorporate it in their communication plans-great progress compared to last year’s result (56%).

• Emergency! Despite this progress, 57% of professionals say they lack training to properly advise their clients in this area. Social media training has become the issue of the day, and it is essential that professionals receive Web 2.0 training and updates.

• Challenge! Despite clients’ increasing openness to social media, many hesitate to integrate it in their communication plans. The two reasons cited are loss of communication control (39%) and insufficient resources (26%). This resistance is normal, since social media has truly revolutionized how information is organized and communicated. I am confident that resistance to social media will decrease as organizations learn to manage it and recognize the advantages.

To learn more about social media and Web 2.0, feel free to contact us or look at my presentations on the subject.

Where are you at with social media?

A new tradition was launched at CASACOM. We commissioned our latest recruit to convey our wishes for the New Year. This charming little task has befallen on Maria.

As CASACOM, Maria is young, talented, dynamic and, in addition, trilingual. Moreover, her life has deeply inspired our New Year message. On October 16th, Maria received a great demonstration of love. Her sweetheart, the lucky man who has been sharing her life for the past six years, proposed to her. Needless to say that her overwhelming joy and happiness were communicable the next day at the office…

So who better than Maria, whose laughter is contagious and so pretty, to convey our wishes? She kindly agreed to be our star of the day. As can be seen in the video, pictures and even in the bloopers, we had a lot of fun during the making of the 2010 wishes.
Through Maria, the CASACOM team wishes you and your loved ones, what will make 2010 an unforgettable year “Love, lots of love!”

A recent CASACOM campaign for Hyundai’s Clean Air Commitment definitely did not go unnoticed. After observing journalists’ clear interest for this news story, Influence Communication posted the following comments on Twitter:

Journalists who covered the news story the day before wanted to learn more. La Presse wrote : “According to the calculations of Influence Communication, Hyundai took up 1.06% of Quebec media coverage on Wednesday compared with 0.19% in Canada. If Hyundai had paid for this amount advertising, it would have spent $440,467.” [...] “For comparison purposes, one of the most lucrative campaigns over the past few years was the hiring of Céline Dion as spokesperson for Air Canada. The airline received 24 hours of media coverage worth about $175,000 in Quebec alone.”

This campaign was a resounding success with the Quebec media. All major daily newspapers, several radio stations and Web sites, as well as the daily news programs on Radio-Canada, RDI, CBC and CTV talked about the Clean Air Commitment program.

This example shows how Twitter can be a resource not only to relay pure information but also to effectively position experts with mass media.

CASACOM recently orchestrated the announcement of a major voice services agreement between Tata Communications and British Telecom (BT)-two of the world’s largest voice and IP service providers-together with the inhouse teams of its client Tata Communications.

BT telephone booth

The press release went around the world in just minutes. In addition to the hundreds of media mentions generated, the project was characterized by countless, stimulating discussions between contributors posted in London, Mumbai, New York, and Montreal. The announcement was made simultaneously to all target audiences of both companies. Our role consisted of getting the word out to all Tata Communications employees, suppliers, and partners, as well as to the business media and telecommunications trade publications.

Through the five-year agreement, Tata Communications will become BT’s primary supplier of International Direct Dial (IDD) and other voice termination services outside BT’s own footprint countries and BT will become Tata Communication’s main distribution channel for its IDD traffic into the UK, expanding into other markets across Europe as the relationship matures.

By providing each party with access to additional capacity and flexibility, the relationship will allow BT and Tata Communications to benefit from each others’ strengths as they develop and grow their businesses in their respective markets.

The resounding success of the effort can be measured by the hundreds of articles published around the world-including several in Montreal-and the sincere satisfaction expressed by our client.

The Wall Street Journal 06. 25. 2009

National Post 06. 26. 2009

The Gazette 06. 26. 2009

La Presse Affaires 06.26. 2009

Marie-Josée Gagnon, president and founder of CASACOM, was appointed president of Alliance des cabinets de relations publiques du Québec as of June 17, 2009. ACRPQ is an association of the most important experts in Quebec’s public relations consulting industry.

During the general assembly held in Montreal, Marie-Josée Gagnon thanked ACRPQ members for their trust and stressed “François Morin’s leadership and exceptional involvement” over the last years.

“In the months to come, we will continue to promote the public relations firm’s work in the public and private sectors,” says Marie-Josée. “Furthermore, we will work to increase recognition of the A+ accreditation, a seal of approval exclusive to ACRPQ members which guarantees the highest industry standards.”

If you wish to learn more about this news, please click here: an interview with Nicolas Ritoux of Marketingmag.ca (in French).

About ACRPQ
Founded in 1998, ACRPQ brings together the majority of public relations firms in Quebec. Its mission is to ensure quality services and compliance with ethical standards while promoting the development of the profession. Its 13 members hold the A+ quality accreditation, which is awarded after a rigorous review by the Chair in Public Relations and Marketing Communication at UQAM. By promoting the public relations consulting industry, ACRPQ members apply the highest quality standards to both professional and business practices. ACRPQ demonstrates its leadership by recognizing and respecting the principles of integrity and accountability that underlie the commercial and professional practices of Quebec public relations firms. ACRPQ also works with governments and other bodies to address issues affecting the public relations consulting industry in Quebec, in the best interest of professionals in the field.