Asia's Leading Business Conference

Strategic Press & Media Management in Crisis Situations Conference 2009 May 11 - 13

By Lee Yew Meng

Despite being a regional media hub, Singapore has been relatively slow - at least on the part of Singapore corporations -  in embracing social media.

Corporate Singapore still rely on the traditional media - the newspapers, radio, TV, magazines and news wire services - for their daily dose of hard news and lifestyle/social information. 

While US companies are tapping the potential of the social media like FaceBook and Twitter to reach out to the Generation Y crowd, Singapore companies have yet to exploit this new online social networking opportunity.

At the recent "Strategic Press and Media Management in Crisis Situations Conference" here, some speakers highlighted instances of US companies being hit by crises after unsavory pictures of their retail operations appeared on FaceBook. And  such  negative information had spread like wild fire on Twitter. The CEOs concerned had to go to the social media to resolve the matter.

There are also other speakers such as Mr Dinesh Singh, Group Account and Marketing Director of ZoMedia, who shared with his audience on how to integrate new and traditional media to successfully deliver their brand message to their targeted audience.

He was also the chairperson of the second day of  the conference.

From Left: Mr Anand Joseph and Mr Lee Yew Meng (Stratagem Consultants)
with Mr Dinesh Singh (ZoMedia)

As a participant at the conference, I find it an eye-opener to observe that much has been done in other countries to engage the new media. But in  Singapore, it is still the traditional media -- with their online platforms -- that CEOs turned to address  issues  on their companies' operations. 

My conference topic was on Engaging, Developing and Maintaining Harmonious Relations with the Media in Singapore.

I have the privilege of working with the daily newspapers, a radio news station, a new wire agency and several magazines and thus know at first hand on how to effectively engage them.

There are distinct ways of  reaching out and getting the desired publicity for clients with each of the media. I  shared with the conference participants, some of whom are Malaysia and Brunei, the do's and dont's of working with the media and how to successfully pitch story ideas to news and business editors.

Other topics discussed at the conference include Creating Trust and Understanding Through Effective Use of Social Media Networks during Crisis Situation; How To Use New Media Strategies To Your Advantage; and  Turning Negative Press and Media Coverage to Your Advantage - Controversy May Be Good For You.

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