Not Your Parents/Grandparents NATO

The final destination…

Our study tour concluded with a trip to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters. The visit was extremely organized with every minute planned out, including the coffee and bathroom breaks. After the shakedown from security, we were given specific instructions to walk 400 feet down the sidewalk, make a right at the end of the fence, through the second door, where were met by a representative, who ushered us directly to the Martino conference room. We met with three different NATO personnel over the course of 2 ½ hours that presented very well rehearsed canned responses, at least until the question and answer portion of the program.

The breakdown…

Our first speaker, Allison Hart’s official title, is the Information Officer for the U. S. and Canada, Engagements Section of the Public Diplomacy Division. She was responsible for everything linked to public diplomacy. In layman’s terms, she did everything a press officer does except she only talks to groups, for groups and never the press. Ms. Hart gave us the history of NATO, which I was already aware; however my take-away from her part of the presentation was that NATO consider themselves a political military organization. People usually consider the military side but not the political, when everything starts with politics. I was also unaware that NATO was a consensus-based organization, every decision made is due to consensus, meaning everyone has to agree even if the agreement is to disagree. I related our visit to NATO to our Communication for Multinational Corporation (MNC) class (COM 7500), last semester. NATO is a MNC of 28 sovereign nations who are all housed in Brussels. All are expatriates of their respective countries.

Tony White, Press Officer, Press and Media Section – Public Diplomacy Division, was next. While Allison provided the bird’s eye view of NATO as a multinational corporation, Tony provided information of the communication-specific job of a NATO press officer. He said the number objective of their department was to protect the alliance. The second and third objectives include building the capabilities (army, navy, air force) and alliance, and building partnerships with other nations (forming new alliances). The office of public diplomacy is the biggest department responsible for speeches, press notes, preparing the secretary general for press conferences, which includes but is not limited to, building the political and media environment, what does the country he/she is visiting provide for NATO, the top three issues facing that visiting country, and how the secretary general can proactively push NATO.

Oana Lungescu, NATO spokesperson, was the highlight of the visit. She arrived late to our meeting because her meeting with the secretary general and ambassador of Japan ran over. This meant, no coffee or bathroom break, but it was well worth it. Oana is basically the right-hand of the secretary general. She is the first woman and former journalist to hold this position. Being a former journalist and BBC-Brussels correspondent, servers her well. She was a very down to earth, straight shooter, who knows how to talk to the press in their language. Ms. Lungescu is very active in social media. She gets the information from the source and is then responsible for debriefing the press offices of each of the 28 nations. The challenge is to get the public and press the right information, to be the first out with the truth, so the information she provides needs to b clear and represent the views of NATO as an organization.

Au revoir Brussels…

I was extremely pleased with the study tour. I believe the trip to Brussels tied everything we learned in class over the course of the last year. We learned about cultural sensitivity, multinational corporations, international public relations, and overall global communication, which is what the program is all about. I will be returning to Brussels is the near future; I may even call it home one day.

UPS: From Atlanta to Belgium

Our journey took us to the Atlanta based company UPS’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) headquarters. We met with the thinker and talker of the public relations team. Jim Daniell, the thinker, was a UK native and had been with UPS for four years. Carsten Helssen, the talker and manager, had been with UPS over 26 years. As with every presentation on this study tour, we were taken on a historical tour of the corporation. Since we are from the world headquarters of UPS, most of us were familiar with their origin, but were not aware of the development of their international reach. It was interesting to learn that UPS did not travel outside of the US until 1976.

The site we visited was not an operations center (that is located in Colon Germany) but the regional headquarters where the communications department is housed. The team consists on a total of 18 communication professionals with 5 dedicated to public relations. They work with all factions of the company. Carsten described their position as being sandwiched between the corporate office and local offices with the responsibility of ensuring there is always one voice; that both sides communicate the same message.

The UPS mantra is think global, act local. In addition to my explanation on a previous post, this also means they follows the rules and regulations of the host country where they conduct business. This also includes their relationship with the media. The public relations department has several media targets that are ranked in order from most to least important; national and business press, newswires, regional publications, logistics trades, vertical press (fashion/healthcare publications), broadcast media (TV and radio), and social media. Carsten told us generally the press in the Northern European markets are skeptical of/cynical towards “big business” and there is a difference in the press by country in approach and expectation, including language. They stressed that not speaking the same language can greatly hinder building trust.

UPS has three brand ambassadors each with equal importance. The drivers are the first level and are considered the grass roots of the organization. They are trained and know how to establish and maintain the “proper” relationships with the customers. Next is employee communication. UPS employees talk to the customers and provide exemplary service. UPS keeps employees abreast of everything that happens within the company, positive or negative, so they are well informed. The third and last level is public relations. They described their job as making sure the public is aware of what they do. UPS is very big on being involved and giving back to the community. When that happens, the public relations department sends out the information to the media, who then disseminates the information to the public at large.

I was particularly interested in the newest global initiative of healthcare for UPS’s future endeavors. As health communications is my area of focus, I wanted to know more. UPS works with pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies to ship prescriptions around the world. Carsten allowed one of my colleagues to take his healthcare sales kit with her, and offered to mail another to me. I exchanged cards with him during one of my side conversations, that I have become infamous for during this trip, to inquire about their needs and what they were looking for in a candidate. While learning, we are also networking. Although that is not my area of focus, I will definitely pass on the information to my colleagues and my program, should someone wish to pursue an opportunity. At the end of our visit, Carsten gave me his UPS lapel pin and gave us all pens and a UPS truck!

I left knowing much more about the company, information that could not be obtained simply by looking on the website. We had the unique opportunity to meet with people this week who are working in the field we will be employed before or upon graduation. I’m glad that I chose this study tour as my summer international experience. I have gained a lot of insight and perspective on operations outside of the US.

What’s The Big IdeaL?

“The customer is not a moron, she is your wife…”
I woke up this morning with great excitement and anticipation to meet with the firms today. Particularly to gain the private sector perspective of communicating in Belgium. We met with a public relations firm and advertising agency that also handles public relations. The overarching theme of today’s messages was active listening. Both firms stressed the importance listening to your customer and your own instincts. They also both quoted David Ogilvy “the customer is not a moron, she is your wife” noting that campaigns need to be accessible; the customer/target audience need to understand the message, otherwise your campaign will fail. The first stop was Ogilvy, so there was no surprise quoting their own founder; however, the second firm was a competitor of Ogilvy. I guess it goes to show, a great philosophy is universal no matter where it originated.

Ogilvy…
As a public relations major during my undergraduate studies, I knew Ogilvy and their well respected reputation in the industry. In listening Ann Maes, managing director and of head of public relations at Ogilvy, the business structure of the different offices operate much like a franchise model. She has worked in the industry in offices all over the world and they all seem to operate independently under the Ogilvy umbrella. Ann stated her firm is not a typical, traditional/classical communications firm. The Ogilvy motto is to do something that is unexpected.

Think global, act local…
The term that we learned in our survey for global communication class to describe operating locally under a global company is “glocal”. In the same class we discussed the big ideal. Since consumers are bombarded with messages, there is a challenge to make the client’s particular product stand out. The big ideal should be at the center of everything. It’s the overlap of the cultural tension (that thing that is something everyone in that shared culture believe) and the brand itself(the essence of the brand). The big ideal is what drives the campaign.

As we learned in the government sector meetings, the French and Dutch should be treated as separate customers when designing a public relations campaign. The audiences and cultures greatly differ. The northern Belgians speak Dutch and relate to everything in Holland, UK, and Scandinavian countries. They were described as a straight forward, to the point, less is more culture. Conversely the southern Belgians, who speak French, are very connected to France. This culture was described as fuzzy and requiring more words. Our host remarked the text that was used for the Dutch would need to double in size in order to present the same message to the French.

Saatchi and Saatchi…
Saatchi and Saatchi was the advertising agency we visited. We met with the Yves Van Landghern, CEO of the organization. He mirrored a lot of the same information offered in the first meeting with Ogilivy in terms of knowing your client and listening. We were also given a brief history of how technology and traditional market segmentation and how they have evolved. Yves believes as the world becomes flatter (Thomas Friedman) and we are more “a la cart”, it becomes increasingly more difficult to pin people to a particular culture because people borrow a little from each culture. As a result, Yves stressed the importance of research to uncover those different groups.

The proud moment realized…
I asked both firms what campaigns were most impactful. Ann was most proud of the Maes beer campaign. It started out as a grass roots campaign through word of mouth, then online through social media (Twitter and FaceBook). This particular campaign was in the making for over three years. This was an extremely successful campaign that resulted in increased sales with loyal Jupiler consumers switching their buying behavior to Maes reinvented formula. Ann stated that a campaign could be developed as quickly as a day to many years.

Yves was most proud of the European Council’s anti-smoking campaign. I find it amusing that anyone in Europe is interested in anti-smoking since nearly everyone smokes; however, with other some EU countries banning smoking in bars and restaurants, the campaign is fitting. The campaign’s tag line was “Ex-smokers are unstoppable” highlighting benefits of a smoke-free life, such as exercising, vacationing, and having children. Another layer of the multi-year campaign was the “Quit Smoking with Barca”campaign. The EU partnered with FC Barcelona featuring famous football (soccer in the US) players also highlighting the benefits of quitting smoking. Participants were offered personalized email messages with tips for successfully quitting, exercising, and diet in addition to words of encouragement.

Parting words of wisdom…
Ann Maes’ parting words for our group of aspiring communication professionals was to have a life/work balance. She wants us to obtain a nice job to retreat to when the family life may be hectic, but to have a great family to turn to when the job gets hectic. She advised us to have a hobby and to read, travel and discover the world.

Yves Van Landghern advice was from a work perspective. He warned to not be your own client. For example, if your firm is working on an anti-smoking campaign, it is not necessary to ban smoking in your office. The client/firm relationship should always be separate.

Both presenters were colorful, down to earth, and entertaining as well as informative. I enjoyed both places immensely. I appreciated the honesty and transparency. I have already received and accepted the LinkedIn requests. Ann said it was nice to meet me and that she liked my spark. Who knows, maybe she’ll be a future employer.

Brussels, the Information Supermarket

Prior to coming to Belgium we were required to research the country in addition to the places we were touring as a group. I visited the European Union’s website to look up information and thought I was well prepared for my visit and thought I had a pretty good grasp on their role. I thought the EU was a technological dinosaur. But I was mistaken.

After going through security, we were greeted with a “hallow” and a big smile by our tour guide Dominique, who remarked that she was excited to host the American students because we were friendly and always smiling. She had very high energy which started our tour on a positive note. We met in the atrium which also doubled as a meeting room, fully equipped with the technology for a full blown press conference, that can host over 600 journalists at one time.

The revolving door…
The EU has rotating presidents that change every six months. Ireland is the current president. Although this may seem frequent, it allows each of the 27 member states, soon to be 28 in July, a chance to lead as well as follow. Believe it or not, the UN rotates every month. The member states are comprised of representatives from each of the countries that make up the EU. These 27 delegates are like 27 different presidents (similar to President Obama).

Press and Public Relations…
The EU has a full staffed press department much like that of the White House. They are actually the second largest press agency to the White House. The Head of Press, Office for the Council told us the core function of the EU Council of Ministries are meetings and support. The role is to impartially communicate decisions that are made from the member states to the rest of the EU, physically organize press conferences/press briefings, distribute press releases, run audio and visual of the Council, and oversee media monitoring.

The EU Council is involved in every social media account; however, they have recently taken an active role in strategically using those platforms to reach target audiences. Twitter and Facebook are the most popular social media platforms utilized by the Belgian journalists. Because he sees the value in social media, the head of press informed our group that he hired a social media officer to drive the initiative of strategic social media and has charged her with encouraging other officers by offering tips to use these tools in managing their constituents. The Council is about sharing best practices. The belief is that even if there is small following, Twitter can be used to promote dialogue and foster two-way communication. Since the EU requires delegates know both French and English they should tweet in both languages. Currently they only tweet in English.

The Euro Crisis…
We also learned that only 17 of the 27 EU members state’s currency is the Euro. There is a not only a challenge in the EU with verbal and written communication but also financial communication. The reason for this segregated currency and hesitancy to convert to a universal EU currency is due to the north/south divide. The financially stable countries in the north do not want to incur the debt of the weaker economies in the south. Although the EU does not share the same currency, there was an asymmetric shock as a result of the euro and debt crises. Asymmetric shock does not directly effect the group because of the different economic structures and business models between the different member states that share the same currency but has an indirect effect.

As we learned in COM 7600….
When listening to the presentation on how the delegates of the EU create policy, I thought about transculturation. Each of these members states come together to make decisions that will, at some point, turn into policy. While they are serving as delegates they need a common ground to make decisions. These delegates speak different languages, have different customs, policies, traditions, economic structures, and business models; however, they are able to speak the language of compromise in their workgroups.

Next week, we will be visiting multinational corporations. Now that we have completed the government and non-profit sector, I am interesting in hearing the for-profit communication strategies and challenges. I can’t believe we have already completed our first week of this summer international experience!

An American in Belgium

An American in Belgium
I know I said the visit to IPC was my favorite place to date, but that was yesterday, today I really enjoyed our visit to the US Embassy. I realized that the trip has developed in a very logical pattern; each day’s itinerary has built upon the previous day. Just to recap, we began with the historical perspective of the dominant cultures of Belgium beginning with the French then the Flemish. Next we learned how technology, communication and relationship management affect media and communication from the Belgium perspective. Today’s visit to the US European Media Hub and the Office of Public Diplomacy divisions of the US Embassy provided the same information as the previous day’s tour, but from the US perspective within Europe and US perspective within Belgium. I could directly relate the US embassy visit to our international public relations class from last fall.

COM 7300: International Public Relations…
I am currently pursuing a career in public relations with a concentration in health communication; however, I was very intrigued by today’s presentation in public diplomacy. The public diplomacy officer (PDO) and public information (PIO) or public affairs officers (PAO) are very similar to public relations professionals. The only difference is the PDO, PIO and PAO’s client is the government, and public relations professionals can work for the public or private sector. Both pubic relations and public diplomacy are responsible for wearing multiple hats and could be responsible for coordinating events, media training, speech writing, handling social media, and press relations and publicity in addition to crisis and cultural communication.

Our class on international public relations covered both public relations in the public, private, and government sectors from an international perspective; however, we did not discuss public diplomacy officers specifically and their responsibilities. It was interesting to learn about the challenges they face, both positive and negative when dealing with the US Ambassador. PDOs need to adapt to the agenda of the appointed or selected ambassador while still maintaining the focus on long-term relations between the US the respective country.

US Belgium relations…
Prior to this visit, I was not aware of the interconnectivity between the United States and Belgium. The relationship was compared to an invisible bridge where the information can flow freely and openly to and from both sides. There are several cities in the US named after Belgium cities (i.e.: Antwerp, OH, Brussels, NY) and there are over 500 affiliates of US companies operating in Belgium. Pre-depression Herbert Hoover established Commission Relief Belgium (CRB) that provided aid to Belgians to keep them from starving. The Hoover story is no longer taught as a part of Belgium history, so the US Office of Public Diplomacy is in the process of preparing an updated packets for the Belgian schools. We were also provided with a public relations gie-away: a glossy reference book that tells the US Belgium history that were were allowed to keep. Overall the visit was both informative and eye-opening. Since Belgium relies so heavily on traditional media, I am interested to see how the younger generations embrace of technology will change the current landscape and how they will adapt.

Communication Technology in Belgium

The Culmination of COM 7600…
At any time there are anywhere between 1,000 to 1,500 foreign correspondents in Brussels, Belgium. The Residence Palace-International Press Centre (IPC) provides office space, a small studio, transmission space, a make-up room, or private rooms for sensitive issues (such as crisis communication on a product recall) for average reporters to CEOs of major multinational corporations. Even Prince Philip visited the facility last month. The IPC has also been known to double as a temporary living quarters, in rare occasions, when a reporter has lost a contract and had no place to live.

This state-of- the-art facility is a journalists haven. They have everything to meet the needs of any communications professional, whether journalists or foreign correspondent. The IPC is also a has conference space, full equipped with individual microphones located in the seating along with translators. IPC has 15 satellites located on the roof that can transmit to or receive information from anywhere in the world. Most major new stations have presence in Brussels, with the exception of American-based news stations such as CNN and Fox. CNN has chosen London as their hub and only travel to Brussels if there is a major or breaking news.

The IPC consider themselves the epicenter of European news. This title is well deserved because they are have direct fibre optic connections to most of the political institutions, due to their central location, and can receive and transmit information in seconds through the IPC subsidiary Vidoehouse. The facility for the next European Union’s President is currently being constructed at the end of wing A of the Residence Palace. Although IPC is a federal state institution, they do not censor or promote the government’s agenda. There is no Belgium governmental influence. European states can share information with the press in one location. There is even construction to build a train line under the building so clients can get from their facility to anywhere in Brussels without leaving the building.

It was refreshing to learn about the openness and trust between the government and the press. The IPC are advocates of the journalists and freely share information. This is very different from the US where the journalist-government relationships is more adversarial. The IPC create free tailor made information packets for reporters and journalists working remotely through presscentre.org (a service of IPC). The IPC integrates with the Belga Press Agency who uploads and distributes press releases and news stories free of charge, unlike PR Newswire that provides these services for a fee.

Parliamentariam – The European Parliament’s Visitors Centre…

We entered the Parliamentariam and were met by slight confusion. Everyone had a purse or pack, but for some reason, one of our professors was singled out and was asked to secure their bag in a locker because packs were not allowed in the museum. I believe this professor reminded the guard of someone who was either mean or rude to him in the past and he decided to exercise his authority; however the minor delay of tour did not hinder our visit, but offered another conversation topic for dinner later that evening.

While waiting for our professor, we were all given a device that resembled an iPod touch and an earpiece that would provide information about the different exhibits, during our self guided tour. The devices were available in over 20 different languages. In our communication technology class last semester, we discussed the different ways technology can be utilized in technology. Our professor talked about using Google specs. The glasses work the same as the iPod expect you wear the device over your eyes and can access information through your glasses versus a hand-held device.

I toured the museum at my leisure, as we were allowed on our own, with instructions to meet back at a designated location within 2 hours. I took down some information about the history of the European Union, their function, and their relevance and significance in Europe. I did not know the EU won the Nobel Piece Prize in 2012 for their “contribution for over six decades to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy, and human rights in Europe.” I feel much more informed for our actual visit to the EU Council of Ministries on Friday.

The Flemish Perspective of a Divided Country

Today we met with the director of journalism at a local state university. She began her presentation with the quote “there is no such thing as Belgium media.” Imagine my surprise and amazement when hearing this statement since we came to the university to learn about Belgium media. I listened intently to hear this statement clarified or, at the very least, justified. What she later explained was that there was no national media. Each media outlet radio, print, or television, was segregated by community (i.e.: Dutch, French, or German).

The overarching themes between yesterday and today’s presentations were that of a divided country. The entire country is segregated with no interest in integration. Yesterday we were offered the French perspective which did not reflect any other ethnicity in a positive light. Today’s presentation was not as “in your face” but we could definitively discern the sides were divided and did not particularly care for each other. This information was uncovered by the in depth analysis we performed prior to visiting Belgium. However, I was taken aback seeing it in action; the blatant, apparent dislike for one another.

Although the tension was apparent, the lecture was insightful and interactive. The professor provided detailed information on all media outlets from the Dutch, French and German perspectives; however, I will highlight the newspaper since the readership is drastically different from the United States. I was surprised to learn that although we were told journalism sustained a 10% decrease over the last several years, people in Belgium prefer reading a newspaper in hard copy versus online. The newspapers were divided between quality (straight, unbiased news) and popular newspapers (tabloid). Het Nieuwsblad, a popular newspaper, sells 300,000 copies daily which is 65% of population, most have subscriptions, (versus buying a single copy), and 50% of subscribers have never read the newspaper on line, although an online version is offered. They have no national newspaper, only regional and local papers.

The three official languages of Belgium are French, Dutch, and German. In Belgium most citizens speak both French and Dutch; however, French is spoken more often. There are over 800 foreign correspondents in Belgium, who we learned, tend to rely on French media versus the Flemish (Dutch) media for their international news. In response, the Flemish government financed the only English-version newspaper, Flanders Today, to target the international community as English is “la lingua franca.” The goal of the Flemish government is to shift some of that French reliance to Flemish.

Our optional, but encouraged, group trip…..

The first part of the tour was pretty typical. The walls were adorned with photos of dead people who were important to the overall story which told the history of the Royal Palace. We herded from room to room, and floor to floor, took some photos, read the captions, you know the usual boring stuff. There were a ton of steps and by the end of the day, my feet, hips, buns and thighs ached with fatigue. And did I mention it was also warm in those rooms? Just when I was about to request the return of my 5 euro, we ventured down to the basement to view the old palace of Brussels at Coudenberg. We had to punch in a secret three digit code to unlock the secret behind a security door.

The temperature was very cool. This did not even seem part of the same museum. There were was en entire second palace underneath the first palace. We spent two hours in Coudenberg, home to “governor-generals of the Low Countries, who represented the sovereigns, the Hapsburgs of Spain and Austria”. The princes and princesses were loyal servants to the emperor or king with their primary responsibility being the upkeep of their palace and promoting the arts. We saw the chapel, Hoosstraeten House, Rue Isabella, Aula Magna, and an exhibition room full of art and culture. One cohort member remarked she could feel the spirit of Leopold the I (Belgium’s first ruler).

Give Them The Finger..A Lesson in Belgium History

Today we were given a history of Brussels lesson during a three-hour walking tour of central Belgium by a Belgium native. He was very spirited which made the tour interesting. We were originally scheduled to meet in the classroom at a university then take a tour of the facility, but this method was much more exciting and engaging.

The backstory…
During our first semester as graduate students at Kennesaw State University, our cohort studied various cultures. We learned only certain symbols have universal meaning where others carried different meanings for different cultures. For example, the ok sign in our culture is offensive in the Indian culture. I bring this up because our tour guide, when making certain points, use a finger that is offensive in our culture that may not have been in the Belgian culture versus gesturing with open hands or his index finger. Perhaps in Belgium, a finger is just a finger and carries no meaning. I don’t think anyone in our study tour was personally offended, but it made me aware that I really need to make sure I am culturally sensitive while abroad or in the US when working and communicating with various cultures. There were other were a few other instances of unintentional cultural insensitivity, however; our group did not take it personally.

Ok, back to the history lesson…
There were several interesting stories offered during our tour. Our guide was not only well versed in Belgium history, but very passionate about the subject matter he presented to our cohort. Belgium has a very rich and dynamic history. I could bore you with the traditional history, but you get that on your own if you Google Belgium history. I chose a different approach. I will condense the information to a few of my takeaways that I found interesting that were told in a story form by our tour guide, and may not be so well known by the average person (or at least not to me).

The chocolate…

Belgium is known for their beer and chocolate, which are commonly known facts. Our guide told the us story of the luxury chocolatier, Jean Neuhaus. Neuhaus was a pharmacist by trade who covered his medicine with chocolate to make it more palatable. Chocolate with almonds were offered to the poor because it gave strength to the people. Louise Agostini, Neuhas’s wife, was the inventor of the balloting box. She created this elegant box that people still use today, because she was trying to keep her chocolates from being crushed. Neither Neuhaus or Agostini patented their inventions, so everyone in Belgium reproduced, although they still get the credit.

We were told this story outside of the Galleries St. Hubert mall. This mall was the first indoor mall built in Europe.

The Grand Place….
The main marketplace, and center of Belgium, was Grand Place. It was filled with tourists, school children, locals, street vendors, stores, and performers. The buildings were very ornate and beautiful. Our guide told us the center of the city forms a pentagram and the homes were built to represent the trade of wealthy families. The baker were the most wealthy with the largest homes. The architecture was extremely detailed.

We learned the Grand Place was destroyed by Napoleon during the Battle of Waterloo and the only part of the city hall building that survived was the cathedral. When it was rebuilt, it was done in phases and the right and left sides are different. In the picture, can you tell the difference?

We stood in front of the building where the novel, Les Miserables, turned stage play then adopted to a move, was written. The tour was extremely insightful and left me wanting to know more. I really enjoyed our guide and his insight. I can’t wait for day two!