Get on Board YOLO's Ridiculously Tasty & Healthy Meals and Rev Up for Red Bull Racing Team's F1 Night Race

This August, we're back in the fast lane in more ways than one! We're excited to share two new partners on board with Bask Communications - YOLO and Red Bull Singapore! 

YOLO is a dynamic, fast, casual takeaway outlet that puts the fun back into healthy eating, and allows you to #EATYOURGOALS with the launch of its flexible and ridiculously tasty daily meal plan combos. The halal-certified brand places an emphasis on good, cooked food that warms the belly along with the reinvention of scrumptious dishes close to our heart, enjoy the familiar tastes of Asian dishes including Miso Salmon, Peranakan Veggie Curry and Coconut Chicken, as well as Western alternatives like Salmon Quinoa Pancake and Beef Steak. Our team loves the food at YOLO but don't just listen to us! Halalfoodhunt and The Halal Food Blog both gave the daily meal plans a go last week with tons of hilarious puns and banters, so go check out what they have to say on their Instagram.

Gearing up for the Singapore Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing has appointed Bask Communications on a project-basis to manage the public relations programme for the Red Bull Racing Team. Following last year's crazily viral Dan and Max Speaks Singlish video, they are back again with a twist. This year, fans stand a chance to win meet and greet sessions with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen as well as Red Bull Racing merchandise when they correctly guess the words the boys are attempting. Will the boys "catch no ball" again this time round? Head on over Red Bull's Facebook Page to check out the video and join in the race! 

We are marking the beginning of August with not just exciting wins and work to look forward to, but also our first and newest team member, Madihah Hamid. She joins Bask Communications as a PR Coordinator, and this little fire cracker has been rocking the media scene since the age of 14. 

If you're interested to know what we are up to, or how we can work together, get in touch with us at hello@baskcomm.com!

Do Start-Ups Need A PR Agency?

Own a start-up? Looking for PR? Do you need PR? Why? 

When start-up companies think about public relations services, they think press releases, BBC, CNBC, Bloomberg, Straits Times, Business Times etc. Frequently, this "ah-ha, I need to find a PR agency" moment also comes at a time when the team is hunting for investment dollars.

While coverage on mainstream media lends credibility to businesses and helps in pitches for funding, there are steps that all businesses have to go through before landing that front page news or getting into the hot seat. 

1. Build Your Credibility

If this is your team's first bootstrap start-up, it is important to recognise that probably, nobody knows you. Just like how an employee has to prove his capabilities to the bosses to gain recognition, the same applies in the media industry. Journalists want to speak to thought leaders, change makers, industry shapers and shakers. We need case studies, statistics, surveys, expansion plans, projected revenue numbers, market share numbers. Numbers numbers numbers.

Facts, or it's fiction. 

2. Question What Makes You Newsworthy?

As a PR agency, we want to pitch stories that interest journalists. With the start-up world getting increasingly competitive, journalists have also become more selective in their stories. Some of the key questions to ask yourself as a business owner would be:

• How is your product or service different from the rest of the market? 
• Start-ups are usually spearheaded by passionate innovators finding a solution to existing problems. Is your business solving a problem or helping to create new demand? 
• If your business has already launched, are your numbers strong enough to make the media (and start-up community) sit up? If not, what are your plans? 

I've met businesses who believe that their technology is so exciting that journalists will be crazy not to feature them, in spite of the fact that they are adapted from existing models and technologies in the market. They are so passionate about what they do and failed to see those who might think otherwise.

3. Set Your Objectives, and Know Why You Want a PR Partner

Marketing and PR goes hand in hand. You may need to spend some time on marketing, SEO, social media advertising and engagement to build your customer base before PR comes in for the big bang. Set the objectives clear at the start among all parties to know what you want to achieve with the different pillars, including PR. 

If you are looking for someone to instruct, hire an in-house communications executive. If you are hiring an agency, respect their professional knowledge and work together as a team. You know your business inside out, and we know how the media works. 

So, what's your story? 

Can brands stay committed to sustainable practices, or are we looking at mere PR stunts?

Green is the New Black has successfully concluded its third edition over the last weekend. Hot off the trails, we are here to discuss some of the questions raised during the festival including how the rising consciousness towards sustainable practices has impacted the consumer market, and if it has become a mere publicity stunt for brands to leverage on?

For starters, it is important for businesses to recognise that the green and sustainable movement is beyond just a passing fad. Educated consumers are now more committed than ever to asking questions to understand what they are consuming, along with the lifestyle and types of businesses that they are enabling. An eco-conscious or ethical fashionista may question who made the clothes and how the fabric is produced; a cafe owner may raise questions about their food supply chains. The Field’s Beneath Cafe in London is a prime example of a business who made a change upon understanding the implications of the dairy industry, replacing dairy with plant-based milk after watching “Dairy is Scary” by Erin Janus on Youtube,

The growing consciousness on sustainability and ethics is one that is hard to ignore. Businesses and brands are making changes from the bottom up based on expected consumer demands. After all, it represents a huge business opportunity as shoppers tend to be willing to pay more for ethically-produced or eco-friendly products.  High street brands like ASOS, H&M and Zara have introduced green capsule collections; hotels are incorporating more sustainable efforts such as using dispenser as opposed to mini toiletries bottles in their guests rooms. As a participant at the Ethics talk on Saturday rightly pointed out, how do we distinguish such initiatives as a proper commitment than just a PR stunt for press coverage? 

The key word: continuity. 

The continuity that we are looking at for sustainable efforts is the same one that we are looking at with corporate social responsibility work. If a brand is creating one-off news to ride the wave of sustainability or giving back, one might get the press coverage but what makes it any different from a publicity stunt? Consumers are smart. We are looking at supporting brands who are committed to their causes with a focus be it green energy, organic farming, buy one give one and more. The continuity of such efforts injects trust to the brand image, and also serves as a motivation for employees to see it built into their company mission and values.

Consumers and press are looking to see how companies who have implemented such initiatives continue to grow their programmes to do more for the causes they support. Not all such initiatives are going to get press coverage every year. If the number of coverage garnered is the only KPI for such initiatives, will companies still continue with such programmes or fail to see the value in what they are doing? 

Take for example, a fashion brand who has been associated with poor supply chain regulations decides to introduce fair wage and the exclusive use of green materials across board, it is going to be exciting news within the fashion industry. However, to carry on conversations, we would like to see the company continue to innovate, open mentorship programs to fashion schools to educate and encourage the next generation of designers on the importance of fair trade and sustainable practices, or even partake in creating new technologies etc that would impact greater change. 

At the end of the day, it is important for brands to question themselves on WHY they are embarking on such initiatives. When a business is sincere in making a change, good stories naturally come out of it and these will be stories that are strong, timeless, with the ability to inspire and make a difference.

Hello from Bask Communications!

There are over 200 communications agencies in Singapore, so what sets Bask Communications apart? 

For starters, we believe that there is a lot more to public relations than traditional media pitches. In this fast-paced age of the internet and high mobile penetration, gone are the days where the ways of consuming news and information are limited to the broadsheets, magazines and broadcast media. Undoubtedly, mainstream media remains indispensable in shaping public opinions and shaking the industries. However, brands today also have the unprecedented access to connect directly with consumers in real-time through self publishing brand content and social media engagement. The need to be at once reactive and proactive has never been as pivotal as it is today.

Bask Communications is founded and led by Ng Lay Peng, a public relations specialist with over seven years of agency experience, and two PR awards under her belt. She has worked with clients in the fashion, luxury, lifestyle and F&B industries, including notable brands like RIMOWA, Samsonite, Larry Jewelry, Range Rover, Buona Terra, Ki-sho, iROO and Bio-Oil. With Bask Communications, Lay Peng is looking to embark on fresh approaches to communications work across PR, content development, social media management and marketing collaborations.

It has been 6 months since we landed our first client, Ms Kara Bensley, founder of Australian high street fashion e-commerce The WYLD Shop. Since then, we have had the opportunity to work on tech start-up Activpass, social enterprise Love Action Project, as well as lifestyle show Pet Expo 2017.

We cannot thank our clients enough for joining us on this exciting journey. Working in communications is something that we love and yes, we still get excited grabbing the morning's papers and seeing our clients' news featured! In the years to come, we hope to be the agency that supports independent brands, designers, businesses and social enterprises taking the step to break into the market or grow, and help them continue to bask in the spotlight. 

Interested to find out more about Bask Communications and our services? Drop us a note at hello@baskcomm.com or give us a call at +65 9237 7316.