2020 has been a roller coaster ride to say the least. You think you got on the kiddie ride and the next thing you know, you’re hanging upside down in the middle of the sky.

We took a break at the end of 2019 because it was time to reconsider what is the role of communications today as the lines blur between all the different platforms and media that we have today. We are living in the Information Age. We have more access to news and information than ever before in the history of mankind. For marketers, this is an endless chase for the next big thing.

At the beginning of humanity as we know it, civilisations wrote on slabs of stones, scrolls, and whichever tools that existed in their time. Many more depended on the oratory transfer of information. It took years and years for new inventions to emerge and for mediums to evolve. In the last century, new technologies have resulted in change happening at break-neck speed.

How do we cut through the noise when it feels like there’s barely any time at all to learn the ropes of the next “big” medium. First there was the “archaic” age of MSN and IRC, and now, there’s not just YouTube, Instagram and Facebook but also TikTok, Twitch, Bigo and who knows what’s coming next?

It’s a common perception that consumers’ attention spend is shortening but we don’t look deep enough for the common denominator behind the rise of new social media platforms. Consumers are looking away from curated, systematic type of content that glamourises the mundane. They are looking for spontaneity and authentic content that resonates.

In recent times, we noticed that brands that bring from their authentic self, cares and speak “like a human” to their audience have bridged better and stronger relationships with customers than those that still maintain a “corporate speak”.

With the end of the pandemic nowhere in sight, companies have to put in more thought and consider switching gears in the content that they are putting out there. If most of your customers are worried about their livelihood, would it still make sense to repeatedly put out messages to buy or spend money, or would it be more prudent to put out more content that helps and support? How do you show that you are a business that cares so that when the bad times are over, they remember you stood by them and return with more support than ever.

We can’t say for sure we know how PR, and communication as a whole will evolve to become in the near future but what we can say is that language, as we know it, will become more like you and me.

It has been a while since you last heard from us on this space. 2018 was an absolute whirlwind where we had the opportunity to dip our toes into so many interesting projects. Some of the highlights for us were definitely Huang Clan’s Chinese New Year celebration with our migrant worker friends, the Ultimate Grit Challenge 2018 with Love Action Project and Dun & Bradstree, tthe first Neymar Jr’s Five in Singapore, as well as SPARK Fest 2018!

My personal favourite moment though? Sharing the stage with the Red Bull Product of Europe team at PR Awards 2018 where we won the Best Use of Broadcast/Video (Silver) and the Most Creative PR Stunt (Bronze).

In 2019, we are looking forward to a bigger and better year! We will be adding more services at Bask Communications including Internal Communications, Graphic Design, Events Planning, Website Design and LinkedIn Management.

Here’s to a fabulous 2019! Stay golden!

Hi everyone, I am Revinesh and I’m currently an intern at Bask Communications. Internships are pretty enriching in terms of skills and experience. As a marketing undergrad, I decided to challenge myself by taking up a second internship in a different field - public relations. I was excited about the opportunities that the internship had to offer, along with the start-up environment and learning directly from Lay Peng, the founder of Bask Communications.

In the past five months, there have been many key moments that will remain with me, ranging from hosting the media tour for a large scale event at PetExpo 2018 to the opportunity to work on SPARK Fest 2018: Asia’s 1st Sexual Wellness Festival.

For the former, I have to admit to being very nervous even though we had thoroughly prepared ourselves prior to the event. However, as time went by and with the opportunities to chat with the media from the start of the registration through to the tour, I gained confidence in becoming a media host, answering questions and making conversations. The simple “thank you” from the media at the end of the event made all the efforts worth it.

As a guy, I must admit that it felt a bit strange to be working on a sexual wellness festival but I stepped into this project with an open mind. In the lead up to the event, we held numerous media interviews together with Erin Chen, Founder of SPARK Fest Asia. It was then when I truly understood the purpose of the festival and was inspired that we are working directly with the game changers trying to #breakthewall to normalise conversations about sex in Asia. Through our project with SPARK Fest Asia, it opened my eyes to the world of sexual wellness, and I was surprised to see how people can be open-minded about the topic when they are encouraged to talk about it.

It’s back to university in July, but here are so key learnings I’ve made in my internship so far.

1) Do not be afraid to ask questions

Asking questions provides clarity on tasks, prevent avoidable mistakes (and a waste of time), and a guide on how to accomplish it. In the PR industry, every piece of information is crucial to writing an accurate press release which will reach the eyes of both the press and public. Asking questions helped me to explore different ways of completing a task. For example, I was tasked to come up with a proposal for a client. Initially, I had mixed feelings of excitement and confusion as it was one of my first few tasks and I was unsure of what information to include or exclude. However, taking a step to ask has allowed me to tailor the solutions according to the client’s needs.

2) Step up to the plate

The responsibility of an intern goes beyond assisting your colleagues. It involves taking charge of certain situations and making decisions on the spot. Even when conducting media drops, the process of logistical arrangements and media interaction has allowed me to explore alternative perspectives in handling different situations.

3) Multitasking becomes a part of you

In the PR Industry, you have to be updated on what’s happening out there while managing our clients as well. One moment, you could be writing an email to a client, another moment you could be on the phone talking to another. Therefore, learn to set priorities according to deadlines and hone the ability to multitask.

Overall, this has been fulfilling and as promised by Lay Peng, no two days are the same. It has definitely opened my eyes to the world of public relations.

Last September, we collaborated with Singaporean photographer and videographer Justin Fernando to produce Dan & Max: How NOT to Open a Durian. This month, we are going behind the lenses to chat with the man himself.

1. Tell us more about yourself

I've been working in this industry for the past nine years and spent most of my career working in production houses. Last year, I've decided to venture solo and it's been a pleasure partnering with Bask Communications to produce photography and videography for clients like Biconi, YOLO Group, Forest Adventure and Red Bull Singapore. 

I'm one of those lucky ones who get to do what I love for a living. Being able to get behind the lens, capture moments and watch everything comes to life putting the footage, graphics and music together during post-production has always been one of the most exciting things. 

Check out more of Justin's work on Instagram (@juggalofernando).

2. In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for video content for social media marketing. Can you please share with us three pointers for brand owners to keep in mind when developing video content. 

Yes, there has been an influx in the need for video content for social media. It has become the fastest way to reach audiences and get the message across in the most timely fashion. Although the lifespan of these videos has been drastically cut short, maybe a week tops, before it becomes ancient news. In order to stay ahead, businesses tend to want numerous short clips to be dished out weekly rather than a single 2-3 min video.

On a personal level, the art of cinematography has been compromised in this social media world. Now, when I shoot content, I have to switch my mindset from, "does this look good?" to "does this look good when its cropped to 1:1 for social". There are so many details lost in the visuals. Thus, finding that balance is always a challenge for me.

Brand owners looking to develop video content, here are some of my tips:

• As always, less is more. Trying to squeeze everything into a 1:1 frame and still keeping it within 30s -45s tend to lead to information overload. Keep it clean and simple. Remember that your audience wants to be engaged within the first few seconds before skipping onto the next thing on their feed.
  

• You cannot please everyone on the internet. There is no one formula that makes people on social media happy. So as much as you and your team may think it is a great marketing video, be prepared for some weird comments arising online.
  

• Following trends online can be tempting. Viral videos are great but trends online do not last long. Either get on the bandwagon fast or move on to something else. It's not a good thing creating something that by the time it gets approved and gets online, becomes old news.

3. What's the pros and cons of engaging a professional photographer and videographer vs. doing it yourself? 

With videography and photography making becoming so "easy", doing it yourself can look like the best option. However, if you have a little budget, do hire. This gives you the creative freedom to think about what you want rather than having to think of all the technical details AND your brand guidelines in mind.

4. What kind of photography / videography do you best enjoy? 

I love taking people. When I travel, that is how I remember the places, through my lens of the wonderful people I meet. For videography it would have to be documentaries. Telling stories of real people that my audience can resonate with is the most intimate connection you can have with someone watching your work.

5. Any photographers / videographers that you particularly look up to?

Phillip Bloom has always been an inspiration to me. Although Christopher Doyle would be my fav, Phillip Bloom was the godfather of DSLR film making to me. He made cinematic film making attainable for someone like me back then. Joey Lawrence is a photographer that I highly admire as well.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is embroiled neck-deep in possibly one of the most amusing (for us at least)  PR crisis of our time. While we are pretty sure that the team is more than prepared to answer questions with regards to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it is quite another ball game altogether to explain social media, and basically the internet, to an assembly of politicians who do not understand how it works, does not provide one enough time to answer, and also waste a good quarter of the time giving a shout-out to family and friends just to “prove” that they know social media. 

Hatch: "How do you sustain a business model in which users don't pay for your service?"
Zuckerberg: "Senator, we run ads" *smiles*
Hatch: "I see. That's great." https://t.co/1PQ3joAtC8

— Daniella Diaz (@DaniellaMicaela) April 10, 2018

We’ve been following the live hearing broadcasted on Facebook, and here are our top three takeaways from Zuckerberg: 

1) Taking responsibility for the mistakes
Zuckerberg did not shy away from taking responsibility for the company’s failure in protecting consumers’ data privacy, and this was recognised and applauded by more than one congressman. In a crisis, it can be a knee-jerk reaction to take flight or shirk responsibilities. In owning up to the gaps in the social media giant's security protocols, announcing the team’s work in progress to strengthen security and informing affected account holders, Zuckerberg is taking the first step in albeit a long journey to win back users’ trust.

2) Staying cool, calm and collected
His robotic veneer may be the butt of countless jokes and memes, but we all know it’s no easy task staying composed and coherent facing hundreds of ill-informed personnel trying to take you down. With dozens of cameras broadcasting you live around the world, every misstep has immediate repercussions. Zuckerberg managed incredibly well in clarifying questions and providing answers that are clear and concise to prevent misquotes. He doesn’t shy away from admitting if he doesn’t know answers to questions and makes immediate corrections to inaccurate answers when available.

3) Respecting the time and place

CEO Mark Zuckerberg dons suit, apologizes to Congress over massive Facebook breach https://t.co/UHMSlCxbzJ pic.twitter.com/Fha221uIWU

— The Japan Times (@japantimes) April 10, 2018

Mark Zuckerberg donning a suit and tie actually made news around the world. It’s a sign of respect towards the Congress and an acknowledgment towards the gravity of the situation. Had Zuckerberg showed up in his regular t-shirt and jeans, the Congress would likely feel rather displeased and slighted. Zuckerberg respectfully addresses each person by their official title and patiently answers each question, even if it means educating the Congress on technology.

One can never overprepare in the face of a crisis, and it is clear from the folder of notes that the team had strived to cover all grounds and possible questions that may arise. 

Even in good times, companies and brands should anticipate possible challenges instead of leaving it too late to react.