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Company Profile
www.hotwireprc.com
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
1
OUR CLIENT PARTNERS
H
otwirePRC’sclientbaseandservicefootprintpast
andpresent,spansacrosstheAfricancontinent.
VA LU E F O R YO U R M O N E Y !
Moving Forward
RICHMARK
FSG
www.africa-union.org
Limited
We Care
Management Consultants
HOTWIRE ACCOLADES
• 5thyearrunningbest
overalldesigncompanyfor
PublishedAccounts–PWC
be part of the conversation
LEADERSHIP EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Barclays Bank of Botswana Limited
2
Hotwirisms
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
• DiamondAwardsP.M.R.
2ndyearinarow
WHAT’S INSIDE...
4
8
10
18
2 Wall of Fame...Our
Previous & Current Clients
8 Nomophobia - Minha
Paixaon
14 Hot air Ballooning
101
20 Social Media - Keeping up
with the Times
4 Introduction to Hotwirism
& The ViRi Philosophy
10 Pop Bottles - Not all Bottles
of Wine are Born Equal.
16 This is the Greatest
Invention since Sliced Bread
22 You Need to get it
Right
6 Services we Offer...
12 The ABCs of
Hotwirism
18 The Humble Promise of a
Single Pula
23 Tweet, Tweet,
Little Birdy
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
3
THE VIRI IN THE VELVET GLOVE
H
owdoessomethingas‘soft’asanorganisation’svaluesbecomethe‘ironfistintheglove?’...Oneoftenhears
theoccasionalCEOdeclare,“Hereatxyzenterprisesweliveourvalues”…Whatdoesthatactuallymean?So
theylive“Honesty”ortheylive“ClientCentric”?BesidesthisbeingapoorexampleoftheEnglishlanguage
inuse,theymissthepoint.Itisnotwhatwesaywedobutratherwhatwedothatmatters.Wedon’tliveour
valuesatHotwire...We are our values.Ourvaluesdefinewhoweare.
InthefollowingpagesweunpackwhatthismeanstotheclientsweserviceacrossAfrica.WesharewithyouourViRiand
howitistheverylifebloodthatpumpsthroughourveins.WithoutourViRiwewouldbewithoutourMojo…withoutour
Mojotheworldwouldbeaverydullplaceindeed.
Thatironfistinthevelvetglovespeakstowhatweare…Afirmwithafirmfoundation.Wearenotlimpwristed.Thatiron
fistinthevelvetglovespeakstowhatweare...Afirmfoundation.Wearenotlimpwristednordowegeteasilyswayedto
follow“popularconvention.”WebelievethatallowingourVIRItoworkwillgiveustherightsolutionforclient.OurMojo
isstrong…now thatisGroovyBaby.
OUR VALUES: ViRi
VALUE
Always
wo
investm rth the
ent you
make.
INTEGRITY
nents
sty, propo
e
n
o
h
t,
s
u
Tr
kept
ption and
u
r
r
o
c
ti
n
a
of
promises.
RELEVANCE
Unique service provision
and well rounded socially
appropriate professional
advice.
ATION
INNOV
ered
nchart
in u
will
sness
s
e
l
r
a
inking
h
t
Fe
w
e
ry. N
ox!
territo Forget the b
!
be sold
4
Hotwirisms
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
These Values are the DNA of our Business.
They are our signature, our mark of quality. If
it has not been ViRi-fied it will not be done by
us... That is our Philosophy... Our Promise.
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
5
SERVICES WE OFFER...
PUBLIC RELATIONS
H
Hotwirehasaccesstoabroadrange
ofresearchbothaboutourlocaland
internationalmediatrends.Thisallows
ustoformstrategiesthatarepractical,
innovativeandtargetedtoourclients’
specificneeds.
otwireoperatesin
themercurialfieldof
publicopinion.We
helpmanageand
shapeaclient’spublic
perception.Weworkatshapingthe
oftenunpredictablefieldofpublic
conversationonourclients’behalf
throughdifferentapproaches.
Corporatecommunicationsaswell
aspublicaffairsarealsoareasthat
Hotwirehasextensiveexpertise
in.ShapingtheCEO’smessage
fordisseminationtotherestofa
company’sworkforcerequiresadeft
handsincethemessagehastobe
understoodbyoneandall.Hotwireis
thatdefthand.
Thefirstplacetostartisusually
throughlistening,reallylisteningto
ourclients.Throughlisteningwegain
anunderstandingandanappreciation
ofourclients,theirbusinessand
objectives.
CLIENT SERVICING
C
lientServiceshasbeen
oneofthoseprofessions
thathavebeenanalltoo
willingpincushionfortall
tales.AtHotwirewepoke
theneedleatthefollowingbubble
mythsaboutourClientServicing:
• AccountExecutivesare
nothingbutglorifiedmessengers
withenoughgreymattertoconvey
messagesfromclienttoagency
withnovalueorinnovationadded.
Blondes.
• AccountExecutivesarehired
tolookpretty,stretchasmileand
besheathedingaudyattireoftena
sizetoosmall.Groupies.
6
Hotwirisms
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
• MostAccountExecutivesarein
thatprofessionbydefaultinstead
ofchoice,thusthelimpwristed
wavesandgeneralairbrushed
conductthatlayersthegnawing
inadequacy.Fakers.
Thetwoforemostcomplaints
againstagenciesbymarketing/
commsdirectorsisthatagencies
don’t‘Understandmybusiness’and
‘Idon’tseemtogetVALUEadded
strategicthinking.’AtHotwire,our
accountexecutivesaretrainedtobe
strategicthinkerscapableofdelivering
RELEVANTinsightstoaclient’sbrand
problem.
Andsometimesbecause‘thereisno
hurryinAfrica’oftenclientswillcall
in(breathingheavily)thatsuchand
suchworkisrequiredinFlashGordon
superquicktime.Ourresponse?We
answerwithINTERGRITY,‘Ifyouwant
qualityworkyouwillhavetoallowfor
thenecessarytime.’
BeINNOVATIVEandsavethedayby
doinga...,b…,c.Nopointinfooling
aclientthatyouareGandalf.Butif
yougetacauldronandladletomix
inallwehavesaidyouwillcomeup
withfouringredientsforfailsafeClient
Servicingmuti–VALUE,INTERGRITY,
RELEVANCEandINNOVATION.
200
com 5: Appl
ann puter e
iTun ounced
es 5
W
CREATIVE
henwasthelast
timeyoupickedup
anannualreport
fromaBotswana
Company?Did
yourJawmetaphorically(ifnot
actually)drop?Whenwasthelast
timeyousawabillboardthatmade
youslowdownyourcaralittle?
Whataboutthatcatchyradiojingle
thatjustwon’tleaveyourmind?
Everwonderedwheretheyallcome
from…orwhocreatedthem?Thereis
aplace,adesignstudioreally,called
HotwireCreativewheregreatworkis
madedaily.
VIRI EVENTS
I
t’snotrocketscience!Iamsure
thatyouhaveheardthatsaidabout
eventingatsomepointortheother.
And,itstrue.However,onlyavery
smallpercentageofusactually
arerocketscientists.Thevastmajority
oftheworkingpopulacehavetheir
fieldofexpertiseinsomeothermore
ordinarysectorofemployment.
Whatwecansayisthatwhileitsnot
rocketscienceeventingiscertainlya
challengingandextremelyrewarding
vocation.Notethatwesayavocation
andnotajobbecauseyouneedto
havesomethingalittlespecialtodo
whatwedo(oratleasttodowhatwe
dowell).
Sohowdowemanagetodowhat
wedowellatWired?Itisreallyquite
simple,wedoit
right!Whatyou
havetorealiseisthe
previoussentence
carriesamyriadof
tasks,milestones
anddeadlines
alllubricatedby
communicationand
attentiontodetail.
Thatisourrecipeand
weuseitwhenever
weputeventstogetherforaclient.We
aresopassionateaboutthiswayof
doingbusinessthatwehaveevengiven
itaname–theViRi!
Becausethisdepartmenttendstosee
thingsvisually,manygreatimages
andsometimesepicconceptswill
comefromthem.ResistingtheUsual
isamatterofcoursefortheCreative,
butadeadlineshapesthatresistance
intoamind-blowingworkdelivered
ontime.
Thesameprideaclientfeelswhen
theyopenapaperandseetheir
messageproperlypresented,isthe
sameprideourCreativesfeelwith
everyjobtheycomplete.
TheViRiisourmantraforgetting
thingsdone.Whatdoesitmean?To
allofusatHotwire
itmeansensuring
thatanythingwedo
meetskeyminimum
standards(fromour
experienceweall
knowthatminimum
hereisvery,very
high.Sowhena
clientcomestous
andsays“Ineedto
haveaneventthat
willhavepeopletalkingwellafter
theyhavegonehome,”wesay–“let’s
ViRifyaneventforyou.”
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
7
NOMOPHOBIA – MY PASSION…
Inourquesttoruletheworld,wellokmaybenottheworld,asyet,Hotwirehasopenedup
anofficeinMaputo.ThisisajointventurewithMagnaCarta–oneofSouthAfrica’sleading
PublicRelationsconsultancies.WebelieveHotwireMagnaCarta,astheconsultancyiscalled,
willbeabletoaddvaluetoclientsinthatmarket,throughtheexperiencegarneredfrom
otherAfricanmarkets.Theconsultancywillbringfreshperspectivesandknowledgetothe
Mozambiquemarketthatwilladdvaluetoourclients.
N
o-mo-fo-bia(doinglês
Nomophobia/NoMobile):ummedo
exagerado,inexplicável
eilógicoficarsemum
dispositivomóvel,fontedeenergia,ou
áreadeserviço.
Aiesta-eudisseisso,eutenho
ataquesdeansiedadequandoeunão
tenhoomeutelefone.Équasecomo
estarnú.Sim,apósdesabafareusintomemuitomelhor.Ostelefonesmóveis
têmrevolucionadoamaneiracomo
noscomunicamosetambémcomo
obtemosinformações.
Estapaixãoéalimentadapelofacto
deque,dos1bilhãodepessoasque
vivememÁfrica,500milhõestêmum
telefonecelular.ApesardeÁfricanão
8
Hotwirisms
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
terparticipadoemváriasrevoluções
tecnológicas,otelefonemóvelestá
navanguardadacomunicaçãoneste
continente.Écompreensívelquevocê
fiquenervososeoseucelularestiver
foradevistaporumminuto-você
podeperderomais
recenteescândalode
Hollywoodou(Deus
meperdoe)ochute
deChuckNorris
últimacasaredonda.
SegundoaFundação
Praekeltnuma
visãogeraldocenáriodatecnologia
móvelemÁfrica,comestatísticase
factossobreostelefonescelulares
emÁfrica,esteslevaramapenasum
anoparachegaraumpúblico-alvo
de50milhões.Istoéemcomparação
comaTVquelevou13,aRádio21,
aInternet7eoFacebook2anos.
De100milhõesdepessoasquetêm
acessoàinternet,50%delasusam
seuscelularesparaoacessoàrede.
Agora,quemnãoseriaviciadonoseu
telefonemóvelcom
todososWhatsapps,
BlackBerry
Messenger(BBM),
acessoaoTwitter
eFacebookem
seucelularetantas
outrasaplicações.
Ocelulardá-lheacessoainformações
emtemporealsobrequalquerassunto
-mesmosevocêestivermonitorando
apenasasmídiassociais.Ocelular
tambémtemoutrasaplicações
práticasparaváriosnegócios,tais
comoo“pethate”–SMS’scomerciais
epublicidadenocelularquese
apresentaenquantovocêesperaqueo
telefoneseconecte.
Umdesenvolvimentorecenteem
algumascompanhiasaéreasemÁfrica,
équevocêestáautorizadoatero
seutelemóvelnomodo“in-flight”
duranteovôo.Asrestriçõesdoseu
usoestáaserreduzidoacadadia
paratornaracomunicaçãomaisfácil.
ComoCharltonHestondisseumavez
sobreodireitodeportararmas“Eulhe
dareiaminhaarmaquandoerguê-la
deminhasmãosinoperantesfrias”.É
exatamentecomoeumesintosobre
omeucelular.Esperaaí,ondeestáo
meuBB...
HOTWIRE HAPPENINGS
n
Joh r
e
p
e
: Po ies, ov le
5
0
20 l II d peop
Pau illion the
rn
4 m el to o mou
trav ican t
Vat
him
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY GIVES YOU A HEADACHE AT THE
END OF THE DAY. AT HOTWIRE OUR PHILOSOPHY IS COINED
AROUND, WORKING HARD AND PLAYING EVEN HARDER.
BE IT AN ACTIVATION, A STAFF RETREAT OF A CLIENT EVENT,
HOTWIRE WILL CRANK UP THE HEAT TO THE EVENT!
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
9
POP BOTTLES
M
anypeopleknowwhat
goodwineis…orthey
liketothinktheydo.
Youmightseethem
putonashowafter
orderingapriceybottleofvino-they
willdotheswirl,sniff,sipandspit
orswallowthing.Thingisthereare
manybooksandwebsitesthatteach
thatlittleceremony.Andreallyit
doesn’tchangewhatyouorderedin
yourbottle.PublicRelationsisalittle
bitlikethat,likea
bottleofwineto
beexact.Butnot
allbottlesofwine
arebornequal.
Thefirstthing
aboutHotwireisthatanysipofPR
fromourvineyardisprettydamn
good,evenifwedosaysoourselves.
The(open)secretofHotwire’s
stunningvintagesisabalanceof
Value,Integrity,Relevanceand
Innovation.Popabottleandpourout
asmallmeasure.
FirstlyholdupaglassofHotwire’s
PRtothelight.Swirltheglassgently
takinginthesparkleandclarityof
bestpractices.Nowbringthatglass
toyournoseandsniffthatbouquet
oftrust;afragranceofkeptpromises
10
Hotwirisms
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
be, r
u
t
u
: Yo popula
5
0
20 most ing
the o shar unded
vide site, fo
web
even,withthedistinctiveundertones
ofintegrity.
Theproofreallyisinthepudding
howeverinthiscaseinsteadofa
nibble…tilttheglassalittleandtake
asip.LetthetastegoSouth,East,
WestandNorthinthemouth.You
maynoteasilyidentifyitatfirst,but
intheendyouwillfindthatthisis
theunmistakabletasteofRelevance.
Youarenowtastingaprofessional,
well-roundedservice
thatbalanceswith
anythingyoumay
haveonyourplate.
Goahead…smack
yourlips.
Now…drinkasmuchasyoulikeor
canafford…But,youknow,Hotwire
supportsresponsibledrinking.Soyou
willneverreallybeservedasingle
dropmorethanyourbusinessneeds.
Restassuredyouwillneverloseyour
headorwakeupthenextmorning
withregrets.Aswithmanyagreat
vintage,Hotwireoffersonlyan
experienceofground-breakingideas
andnewthinking.Youontheother
hand,willonlyhaveafearlessnessto
engagewhatfuturechallengesmay
comewithaclearhead.
OUT OF THE PROVERBIAL BOX
T
o launch their new Mad Men
Collection, Banana Republic
teamed up with Virgin
America to host a runway
show on a flight from NYC to LA. The
luxury US clothing brand capitalised
on the cultural behemoth that is the
Mad Men TV franchise and developed
a PR stunt to rival all others. Models walked at 30,000 feet in
the air, while the media sipped on
mimosas and snacked on lobster
rolls. It is perhaps one of the best
examples of the way public relations
practitioners strive to step out of the
proverbial box and come up with
something that is not only innovative,
but which genuinely prompts you to
sit back and think, “Huh.” That’s it,
a loss for words and a PR tactic so
effective it has media live-tweeting
their excitement
about the experience
whilst simultaneously
trying to get their
jaws up off the floor.
Passengers, for their
part, are eager to get off the plane and
into the nearest Banana Republic outlet
they can find.
Most organisations in Botswana may
not have the budget to commandeer
and brand a massive plane. They may
not be willing to shell out the small
fortune such an endeavour would
require, and yet that does not really
matter. What is truly impressive about
the Banana Republic-Virgin America
effort is that they found a way to start
a buzz. They got people talking about
something that is
not even that new to
begin with – this is
not the first Mad Men
capsule collection
from the brand. It
is, however, entirely relevant given
that this is the month in which Mad
Men makes its long awaited return to
American television sets.
new and interesting ways to get an
idea out and get the message across. It
is something different and something
wildly creative, and yet at once
maintains the image and reputation of
the brand. There’s a reason tactics such as this
speak to the creative minds at Hotwire.
It’s satisfying to see like-minded
creativity out there. This is especially
as the very values inherent in this
tactic are values that make up the core
philosophy of Hotwire, what we call
our ViRi values: value, innovation,
relevance and integrity. At the very
same time, it is an idea so novel that it
begs the question, “what box?”
What they have done is assure the rest
of the PR world that, there are in fact
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
11
THE ABCS OF HOTWIRISM
O
n its own, the word
pretty much brings up
visions of car theft.
Hotwiring a car is
always a resultant of an
absent key, for whatever reason, thus
the intervention is needed to close
the circuit and start the dormant car.
Hotwiring a car is absolutely illegal
without the permission of the owner,
but on account of an unavailable key,
owners themselves are sometimes wise
to sanction it. However, with security
features in the latest cars making it
increasingly more difficult to hotwire
the cars, most of what’s left of it is the
metaphor, meaning to manoeuvre a
way to a specific end.
One thing is for certain though,
whether literally or figuratively,
hotwiring is no accident. To get the
desired effect one has to follow a series
of calculated steps leading up to the
result. It has if you may, a formula. This
puts together the variables, prescribed
by the context, in a certain way to get
a winning answer. Failing which that
end result will prove to be very elusive.
12
Hotwirisms
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Thus not every Tom, Dick and
Harry can hotwire a vehicle. Like
soccer and chess some are born
with it, and some study for it, but in
the end only a few are considered
‘talented’ at it. It requires a little je
ne sais quoi and if you will, artistry.
Similarly, Public Relations and the
management of public perception, is
a talent that comes to us naturally. It
is an understated process that brings
to focus an obvious and anticipated
result; a practice that now courses
through our veins. Over the years we
have grown to be the masters of this
sought after trade the way only we
know how. We call this Hotwirism.
So if you have a feeling that your
stakeholder relationships are stationary
or that you are not arriving at your
envisioned public perception, it
may be time to call Hotwire. If all
the accolades on our walls and the
trophies on our mantels are anything
to go by, then we are by all means the
right man for the job.
“Over the years we
have grown to be
the masters of this
sought after trade
the way only we
know how. We call
this Hotwirism.”
2005
Elba : Moham
awarradei is ad
Peac ded No
b
e Pri
ze le
In games of love and public speaking...
Ingamesofloveandpublicspeaking,howyouspeakisasimportantaswhatyousay.We’veallheardthestereotyped
situationofawomanupsetwithherpartner:“it’snotwhatyousaid;it’showyousaidit.”Well,she’snotthatfar
off.AsaPRpractitioner,you’regiventheresponsibilitytospeakonbehalfofyourclient;todosoinamannerthat
maintainstheirreputationandintegrity,aswellasyourown.Fartoooften,inanefforttogetclients’messages
acrossasquicklyaspossibleandtoalltherightpeople,howthatmessagereadsisenoughtotarnishitall.Toneis
everything;sayit,butsayitwell.
hot-wahyuhr
Atermusedinauto-mechanicsthatreferstostartingtheengine(ofanautomobile,forexample)withoutakey,by
bypassingtheignitionswitchthusshort-circuitingtheignitionsystem.
AtHotwire,weprideourselvesintheabilitytohotwirerelationsbetweenaclientandanyoftheirstakeholdersin
ordertodevelop,nurtureandmaintainrelationships.Wehotwirerelationships.Withanassortmentofplayersand
factorsusuallyinvolvedinthesuccessofanindividualorcorporation,ittakesanexperttoknowwhattherightcolour
combinationistogetadesiredeffect.After6yearsintheindustry,thisprocesscomestousnaturally.
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
13
HOT AIR BALLOONING 101
Amanisflyinginahotairballoonandrealizesheislost.Hereduces
heightandspotsamandownbelow.Helowerstheballoonfurtherand
shouts,“Excuseme,canyoutellmewhereIam?”
Themanbelowsays:“Yes.You’reinahotairballoon,hovering30feet
abovethisfield.”
“YoumustworkinInformationTechnology,”saystheballoonist.
“Ido”repliestheman.“Howdidyouknow?”
“Well,”saystheballoonist,“Everythingyouhavetoldmeistechnically
correct,butit’snousetoanyone.”
Themanbelowsays,“Youmustworkinbusiness.”
“Ido,”repliestheballoonist,“buthowdidyouknow?”
“Well,”saystheman,“Youdon’tknowwhereyouare,orwhereyou’re
going,butyouexpectmetobeabletohelp.You’reinthesameposition
youwerebeforewemet,butnowit’smyfault.”
T
heabovescenariopaintsa
perfectpictureofwhatour
jobentails.Withsomuch
informationflyingaround
usinthe21stcentury,one
neverknowswheretogettheright
informationfortheirspecificpurpose.
Theworldhasturnedintoaglobal
village,withsocialnetworkingsites,
emails,andcellularphonesallputting
allkindsofcredibleandnon-credible
dataliterallyatourfingertips.Ourjob
istogettailor-madesolutionstothe
14
Hotwirisms
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
rightpeopleattherighttime,ensuring
thatourclientsneverfindthemselves
lost.Wecallthefollowingprinciples
theVIRI;forValue,Innovation,
RelevanceandInnovation.Theseare
ourguidetoprovidingqualityservice
andattainingsuperiorresults.
Value.Whilealotofcompanies
getbywithgivingtheirclientswhat
theyneed,companiesthatbecome
successfularethosethattheclients
cannotdowithout.Thesecompanies
Theysay“integrity
withoutknowledge
isuseless,but
knowledgewithout
integrityisdownrightdangerous.”
havefoundawaytoingrainthemselves
intotheirclients’DNA,byofferinga
servicethatanyothercandowithan
extraordinaryapproachortheodd
‘x-factor.’Wegotheextramileforour
clients;thisistherealvalueformoney.
Integrity.Thebestcombinationone
cansellinthecorporateworldisa
mixtureofknowledgeandintegrity.
Theysayintegritywithoutknowledge
isuseless,butknowledgewithout
integrityisdown-rightdangerous.
h
.W. Bus
G
:
5
0
0
2
urated
is inaug nd time
2
for the president
as 43rd SA
of the U
Go Tsamaya ke go bona
Travel,
itissaid,broadens
themind.Whetheryou
findouthowfaryoucanwalkin
adayonahikingholiday;orhow
muchyoucandrinkatastagpartyin
someoutofthewaybeach.Thereare
lessonstobepickedupconsciouslyor
mostprobably,unconsciously.
InthetypeofworkHotwiredoes
onadailybasis,therearealways
newlessonsbeinglearnt.Being
engagedbyaclientfora
CommonsayingsatHotwireareyou
mustneverEVERcheataclient,and
alwayskeeptoyourword.Integrity
guaranteesalongandtrustworthy
relationshipbetweentwopartiesas
noneeverfeelshoodwinked.Asfaras
buildingandmaintainingrelationships
areconcerned,integritywillalwaysbe
yourbestally.
Relevance.Intoday’sdogeatdog
world,wherethingschangeeveryday
andwhatwenttodayisnotguaranteed
togotomorrow,organisationslargeor
smalllearnhowtoswimortheysink.
Withrecessionsinourrecentpast,and
aloomingdoubledip,thelastthings
companieswantistocarryexcess
baggage.Costcuttingmeasuresare
dictatingwekeeponlywhatweneed;
whatisrelevant.Hotwireensuresthat
wearewhattheclientneedsinevery
situationtheycouldfindthemselvesin,
goodorbad.
Innovation.Whenweallthinkalike,
thennooneisactuallythinking.We
arejusttransferringorrecyclingideas.
TechnologicalgiantssuchasApple
andBlackberryarealwaysfinding
waysofdoingthingsbetter,thus
theyleadandindustryfollows.We
shouldbeincrediblyfamiliarwithour
industryandproductsanduptodate
withthelatestindustrytrendsand
developments,andensurethatour
clientsarealwaysaheadofthepack
jobisalwaysa
journey.Therequiredtasks
mayremainthesameandthe
outcomesexpectedsimilar,however
ifthereisasimplerwaytogettherewe
willfindit.Notonlywillwefindit,we
willmakeitblowup(inthathiphopway)
withoutbeingblingblingaboutitthough.
Weachieveallthisthroughoffering
valuetemperedwithIntegrityand
Relevance,whichinitselfisalready
aninnovation.
withcuttingedgeideas.
Sothenexttimeyoufindyourselflost
inahotairballoonconsidergiving
Hotwireacallandrestassuredyou
willnottogetaloadofhotair.Witha
combinationofalltheaboveprinciples,
ourmodelofbusinesswillalways
ensurethatyougetthebestsolutionno
matterwhatumm....situation,youfind
yourselfin.
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
15
“THIS IS THE
GREATEST INVENTION
SINCE SLICED BREAD.”
T
his quote is occasionally heard when an innovative gadget is created and
proves successful. Have you ever considered the story behind the quote?
In 1912, Otto Frederick Rohwedder started working on his bread slicer.
He then optimistically presented it to bakers. He was turned down, the bakers
believed that slicing the bread would cause it to go stale fast. Rohwedder then
decided to use metal hat pins to try and hold up the bread together in hope of it
not going bad. That did not work.
In 1927 a fire destroyed his blueprints and prototype. Rohwedder did not waste
time wallowing in self pity, instead he built a new and better bread slicer which
not only could slice bread but also wrapped it. This revolutionary invention
changed the scene of the world.
People make a common mistake of defining innovation as creativity. Creativity
is the generation of an idea. Innovation however is the process of causing that
idea to come to life. Rohwedder’s bread slicer only became an innovation
when he fostered, assessed and implemented his idea. He in a nutshell defines
INNOVATION.
THE TABLE IS REALLY CROWDED …
The table is really crowded, so whatever you are bringing to it better be good. In
the fast-paced game of PR, new ideas abound; everyone has their “great idea.”
They may well all be great, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they all stand out.
Not only must the idea be relevant, but it must be achievable. More than that, it
must be so ground-breaking that when the table is crowded and about to topple
to the ground, your brilliant innovation is the only one left standing strong and
the only one that is truly unforgettable.
16
Hotwirisms
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
ane ted
c
i
r
a
r
Hu evast S
:
U
d
05
20 trina f the rom
Ka ch o ast f the le,
mu lf Co na to and
Gu uisia Panh ands
Lo rida hous
Flo ling t
kil
BE RELEVENT!!
H
asanybodyever
askedyouwhythe
skywasblue?How
didyougoabout
answeringthem?Did
yougivealongwindedanalogy,
andstarttalkingaboutRayleigh
scattering?Didyoustarttalking
aboutthewavelengths,gas
moleculesandhorizons?What
ifthepersonwhoaskedyouwas
only8yearsold?Howwouldyou
answerthem?
Peopleingeneral,almostifnotalways
forgetthetargetaudiencetheyaredirecting
theirmessageto.Foraneightyearolditwouldbedifficultforthemto
understandRaleighscatteringandgasmolecules.
AtHotwirewetakethetimetorationalise,howarelativelyunimportantmatterto
oneindividual,canclearlyberelevanttoanotherindividual.Ifyoufailtoidentifythe
targetaudienceofyourclientyouloserelevancytosomethingthatisofgreatrelevance
totheclient.
Asaconsultancyagencywehavetodeciphermatter,issuesandproblemspresentedtous.We
thenfindsolutionsandpresenttheminthesimplestwaythatwouldbenefitboththeclientandtheir
targetaudience.
Alwaysrememberto
BE RELEVANT orriskbeingirrelevant!
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
17
THE HUMBLE PROMISE
OF A SINGLE PULA
W
holeentirenations
havefallen
becauseofthe
promiseinherent
inasinglenoteof
anycurrency.Takethenowextinct
ZimbabweDollar,lastseenadorning
billboardsinSouthAfricaandwinning
advertisingawardsasaresult.Ifitwas
onlyoneZimDollarthatwasnottrust
worthy,maybeZimbabwewouldbea
differentsortofnewsstory.
Whatkeepsanycurrencygoingisa
complexsetofpromises.Evenyouare
anunwittingsubscribertothesesame
promises.Forinstanceyougotowork
foracertainamountoftime,andthat
timeismeasuredincurrency.Thisisso
thatthisvaluecanbegivenastandard
unitofmeasurement.Simplyput,the
moretime(orvalue)youputinshould
equaltomorecurrencyinyourwallet.
PublicRelationsisprettymuchthe
samething,acurrency.PRtakes
thosecomplexsetsofpromisesand
18
Hotwirisms
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
sharesthemwithallyourstakeholders
accordingtohowmuchtheyneed.
Betheyemployees,investors,general
public,regulatorsandsoon.Theyare
allworthsomethingtoyourbusiness
asmuchasyourbusinessisworth
somethingtothem.
Beingconsciousofthevariousfactors
thatgovernthistrustandvalue,and
innovativelyaddressingthesestandards
iswhatsetsHotwireapart.Hotwire
givesandmaintainsvaluethrough
PR;aservicethatisoftentimesas
intangibleastheactualvalueofaPula.
Soinasmuchasyoubelieveinthe
humblepromiseofasinglePula,
Hotwireistheretohelpkeepthat
promise.Afterallnoonewouldliketo
discoverthattheyarecarryingawallet
fullofliars.
WHAT DOES VALUE
MEAN TO YOU?
The I’s of the VIRI
“Allthatisvaluableinhumansocietydependsuponthe
opportunityfordevelopmentaccordedtheindividual.”
AlbertEistein
Thisisthefirstdrawingmy5year
olddaughterdidwhenshewent
toelementaryschool.Ihavesince
frameditandnowithangsinpride
inourlivingroom.Tomeandmy
husbanditisveryvaluable...
ThispaintingbyJacksonPollock-
No.5,isoneofthemostexpensive
paintingsevertobesold.Itfetched
astaggeringsumof$140millionin
2006atauctiontoawealthyadmirer,
DavidMartinez.
ToDavid,thispieceisveryvaluable...
TheMonaLisapaintingisoneofthe
mostfamousandmostcelebrated
piecesofalltime.LeonardoDaVinci
issaidtohavebeencommissioned
byagentlemannamedFrancessodel
Giocondotopaintaportraitofhis
dearwife.ToGiocondothispainting
ofhiswifeisvaluable...
...Just as these pictures are special to their owners, we understand that some things are special
to particular clients. Though it may not be understandable to others, we however take the time
to understand our client’s needs and desires. We add relevance and Value to what our client’s
desire!
Soundslikealineoutofancient
Egyptianmythologyright?
Youmaysayit’sjustanI,and
there’snothingspecialaboutit.
Well,atHotwirewewouldhumbly
begtodiffer.TheIisaveryspecial
lettertous,andnotonlybecause
welovetheplayontheword(Iand
eye),andthatitalsodoublesasa
pronoun.
TheI’sareattheheartandend
ofwhatwebelievein.Our
beliefsystemiscalledtheVIRI,
anacronymforValue,Integrity,
RelevanceandInnovation.
LookingintotheI’s;Integrityand
Innovation,weareboundtosee
howtheseformasolidpartofwho
weare.AtHotwire,wecontinue
togiveourclientsthemosttrend
settingsolutionswithguaranteed
credibility,atnoextraeffort.
InnovationandIntegrityformone
halfofhowwedothings,which
hasovertheyearsbecomeaway
oflifeforus.Afterall,theI’sare
watching!
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
19
SOCIAL MEDIA –
KEEPING UP WITH THE
TIMES
T
heemergenceof
socialmediaisrapidly
changingthemediaand
communicationslandscape
worldwide.Communication
hasbeenturnedintointeractive
dialogue.Communicationshave
becomesignificantlyshorterand
morefrequentthanduringtheeraof
theletter.Anincreasingnumberof
organisationsaretakingfulladvantage
oftheseplatformswithamazing
resultswhichincludebuildingtheir
reputationandmostimportantly
thebottomline–increasingsales.
Successhasnotbeenuniform.
Socialmediaisnotasilverbulletfor
yourcommunicationsissues.What
howeverisafactisthatnothavinga
socialmediaplatformcanrenderyou
extinct.
OldSpice,theAmericanbrand
ofmalegroomingproducts(we
rememberthem,granddadused
tocallitparfum)wasabletouse
socialmediatotheiradvantagewith
incrediblesuccess.Inabidtoget
consumerstostopusingwhatthey
called‘ladyscented’bodywash,
theyranacampaignthemedon‘the
man,yourmancouldsmelllike’.It
wasdevelopedfromtheinsightthat
mostdecisions
inhouseholdson
thepurchasing
ofbodywash,
weremadebythe
women.Theyhad
toappealtothem,
andthementoo,
toinfluencethese
purchasingdecisionstofavourOld
Spicebodywash.
OldSpicethenputtogethera
campaignthatincludedtraditional
mediabutwasmainly
basedonsocialmedia.
Thecampaignhad
aFacebookaccount
20
Hotwirisms
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
whichwaslinkedtotheTwitter
account,theYoutubechanneland
thewebsite.Thissocialmediabased
campaignwasabletoattractover5.9
millionYouTubeviewsonthefirst
day.Thiswasmorethanthenumber
ofpeoplewhohadwatchedPresident
BarackObama’svictoryspeechafter
24hours.Italsoachievedanincrease
ofover2700%ofthebrand’sTwitter
following.Traffictotheirwebsitealso
grewbyatleast
300%.
SalesofOld
Spicebodywash
grewbyover
107%duringthe
campaign.Thisis
testamenttothe
powerofsocialmediaintermsofthe
bottomline.Post-campaign,theOld
Spicebrandchannelwasratedthealltimenumberonemostviewedbrand
channelonYoutube.
Somescepticsarealsoquicktopoint
outhowsocialmediacandamagethe
reputationofthebrand.
Allwecansayis,asErikQualman,
authorofSocialnomics:Howsocial
mediatransformsthewayweliveand
dobusinesssaid,“Wedonothave
achoiceonwhetherwedosocial
media,thequestionishowwellwe
doit.”
STEP INTO THE FUTURE…
Tips on
Relevance...
Wedon’tseeourselvesas
suppliers,butrathertrusted
advisors.Tobuildthistrust
amongstourclientsweneedtobe
credible,reliableandhavesome
intimacywiththeclients(No,not
thattype–mindoutofthegutter
people).
SohowdowedoitatHotwire?
DISCOVER
• We
–
findoutmoreaboutourclient’s
businessandotherpersonal
issuesthataffecttheirwork.
If you are not on Twitter, Facebook, and/or LinkedIn – do you exist?
ThePublicRelationsSocietyofAmericadefinesPublicRelationsas-“astrategic
communicationprocessthatbuildsmutuallybeneficialrelationshipsbetween
organizationsandtheirpublics.”Sowhatbetterwaytocommunicatewithyour
publicthanthroughamediumthatcaptivatesthem?
Socialmediaallowswhatwouldhavebeenjustadverts,togoastepfurther
byallowingtheinteractionbetweenthepartiesthatarecommunicating.This
interactionpresentstheopportunityfororganisationstotapintothebillionsof
peopleonsocialmedia,whoareatthedisposaloftheirbrands.Organisations
canengagewiththem,andmakethembrandambassadors.
INSPIRE
• We
–show
ourclientsweknowwhatwe
aretalkingabout.
COLLABORATE–
• We
thereisno“i”inteam,so
togetherwecandomore
CO-CREATE
–we
• We
showtheclientthatwecame
upwiththesolutionwith
them;theyshouldnotfeelleft
out.
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
21
TWEET, TWEET,
LITTLE BIRDY
M
yfavouriteuncleis
somewhatofanold
fuddy-duddy.I’mfairly
certainhehasnoidea
whatsoeveraboutwhat
Idoforaliving,orthathewouldeven
consideritarealjob.Overtheyears,
we’vedevelopedaplayfulrelationship
inwhichIalwaysjumpatthechance
toprovemypointandchallengehis
many“youkidsthesedays”comments.
Alotofthesemomentscentrearound
theideaofsocialmedia,aconcepthe
refusestobelieveexistswithanyform
ofcredibility.
Acoupleofdaysago,hewaswatching
thesocceronTV.Thecamerapanned
totheannouncers,displayingtheir
namesontothescreen,immediately
beneaththeirfaces.Rightbelowthat,
believeitornot,weretheirtwitter
handles!He
maynotknow
whattheymean,buthenoticed.Afew
nightslater,aswesatbeforethatvery
TV,SkyNewskindlyhelpedmegetone
moreonmydearestunclebybringing
ontheirsocialmediacorrespondent.
EvenSkyNewsunderstandsthe
relevanceof
socialmedia.
Game,set,
match.
Mypoint
here?In
today’sworldofhigh-speedInternet,
smartphones,andthealmightyforce
thatisGoogle,socialmediaisa
forcetobereckonedwith.Public
Relationsspecialistsknowthisalltoo
well.PRpractitionersareveryoften
theonesleadingthewayinthesocial
space,fromconsultingwithclientsto
strategizingaspartofanin-housePR
team.
Certainly,thePRindustryhascome
alongwaysinceIvyLee,considered
theFatherofPublicRelations,sentout
thefirstpressreleasein1906.
Withtime,ithasbecome
theprimarymethodof
22
Hotwirisms
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
disseminating“good”industrynewsand
servingasamethodofdamagecontrol.
Intheageofviralvideos,Facebook,
Twitter,andvariousothersocial
mediaplatforms,however,itiseasyto
questiontherelevanceofpressreleases.
Ifthe
traditional
mediaoutlet
isthoughtto
befading,
then,really,
whybother?
Usingsocialmediaplatformsinorderto
disseminateinformationisnotwithout
itsflaws.Whatitdoes,however,isbring
PRtacticssuchasthepressreleaseinto
thenewmillenniumwithembedded
multimediaandeasydistribution
throughvariouschannels.With
companiesacrossthecountryjoining
inonthesocialmediarevolution,
themarriagebetweensocialmedia
andPublicRelationsismorethan
promising.Bothareaboutcreatingand
fosteringrelationships,andsoitonly
makessensethattheyworktogether.
“Therewillalwaysbethose,likemy
dearuncle,whoaredraggingtheir
feetintothenewera.Inafewshort
years,thoughevenhewillprobably
betweetingoffhisiPhoneaboutthe
benefitsofPRasarealandcredible
industrywhilstcomplainingabout
thenewFacebooklayouts.”Intruth,
thesocialmediarevolutiondoesnot
changethecorevalues,integrities,
responsibilitiesandgoodPRpractices
thatgreatPRpractitionershavebeen
doingsincethedaysofIvyLee;infact,
ithasthepowertobringcorporate
giantsevenclosertotheirclients.
YOU NEED TO
GET IT RIGHT …
D
on’tyoueverthinkfor
onesecondthatsocial
mediaispredictable,
becauseit’snot!
RecentlyStandardBankinSouth
Africa(@StandardBankGrp)
announcedonTwitterthatitwould
bereportingFirstNationalBank
SouthAfrica(@rbjacobs)tothe
SouthAfricanAdvertisingStandards
Authorityforfalseadvertising.The
storytheytriedtoselltotheirclients
andFNB’swasthattheyhadtaken
thisdecisionwiththebestinterestsof
theconsumersatheart.
Whatanobleidea,onewouldhave
thought,untiltheFNBclientsand
otherconsumerscamedownhard
onStandardBankcondemningthe
move.Thisalsoresultedin#Tweeple
divertingfromtheissueandthen
thrashingoutwhatproblemstheyhad
withStandardBankinstead.Without
liftingafinger,FNBhadmanagedto
shiftattentionfromtheoriginalissue
thatreallystartedthediscussion–the
falseadvertising,anddivertitbackto
itscompetitor.
Howdidtheymanagetoachievethis?
Bysimplybeingrelevantandintouch
withtheirclientsonTwitter.Through
thevariousinteractionstheyhave
re
twi in
o
5: H hed y
200 stablis . Toda
is e swana rket
Bot a ma
it is der
lea
managed
withtheclients,theyhavemanaged
with them,
tocreatearelationshipwiththem,
makingthemfeelimportantandapart
ofafamily.Whenyour#Tweeplefeel
liketheyarepartofthefamily,then
youknowyouhavehitthesweetspot.
Besidesbeingrelevantandknowing
yourpeople,itisimportantinsocial
medianevertoassumewhatreaction
youwillget,andhenceyoushould
alwaysplantofail,ratherthanfailto
plan.Yourcome-backstrategyhasto
besolid.
Messagingisalsokey–decide
carefullywhatyousayonTwitter,
especiallyifyouareabigbrandor
apublicfigure.Youneedtoengage
withandunderstandyour#Tweeple.
Inthatwayyouwillknowwhatwill
beagoodhitoracompletemiss.
Ifyoudohoweverfindyourselfin
a#Twar,tweetsaregenerallytoo
shorttoproperlyexpressyourselfand
engageoncomplexissues;thesimpler
thebetter.
Theruleofthumbthoughis,ifyour
competitorsaredoingwellonline
oronanyotherplatform,learnfrom
them,andcreatenewideastomove
yourbusinessforward.
Definitions
Ok,forallthosewhoarenotintheknowlet’saddsomevaluetoyourlivesby
educatingyou:
#Twar–Twitterwar(beingattackedontwitter)
#Tweeple-usersofTwitter
@StandardBankGrp–officialStandardBankhandleonTwitter
@rbjacobs–officialFNBSouthAfricaAccountonTwitter
Handle–TwitterUsername
THE DNA IS IN OUR VALUES
Hotwirisms
23