Melanie Mokken is a long-term member at Hub Australia, and Markets Transformation Manager at the Rainforest Alliance.
As the only team member based in Australia, Melanie has grown her professional and social networks throughout her membership at Hub Australia, basing herself in Hub Hyde Park and making the most of Hub’s events, networking opportunities, and dedicated Community Leads.
When it came time for the Rainforest Alliance’s PR strategy to expand, Melanie chose to look within Hub’s community to help her achieve her goals.
What was your aim in your recent PR campaign and partnership?
My focus is market development and awareness building for the Rainforest Alliance brand and seal, working across Australia and New Zealand to get more companies like major supermarkets and local as well as international brands to join the Rainforest Alliance.
How did you find your partners for this goal?
At the end of last year, I received some budget to help me accomplish this with a PR team, and my first step was to reach out to my Community Lead at Hub.
Theresa connected me with three public relations agencies that are based here at Hub Hyde Park, and I chatted to each to discuss the project and proposal and chose The Public Relations Agency to partner with moving forward.
How has your relationship with The Public Relations Agency developed?
We have a super collaborative relationship, which is great to be a part of when I’m the only one from my team here.
We first really focused on getting them up to speed with who Rainforest Alliance is, our message, how we communicate, and who we want to communicate to with different tone and messaging.
We spent time making that foundation, and they had some really great inputs that helped us to break through the media congestion with COVID, New Zealand elections, and everything else that has happened in the last few months.
The Public Relations Agency recommended conducting a consumer study that would give us some interesting insights, facts, and figures about Australia’s behavior, and attitudes towards sustainable consumption.
Once we had that great data, we developed a media release, and then the agency did their magic, reaching out to everyone and distributing the release which helped us get some amazing interview opportunities and reach new audiences.
The Public Relations Agency were great when we were preparing our messaging, and they organised media training for me with one of their contacts in Hub, so I could make the most of the interviews and go in with confidence.
How did you find working with an agency based in Hub?
Being the only one of my team in Australia, it can be quite difficult working alone and having a time difference. I really enjoy being able to call Lindsay or Emma from The Public Relations Agency to have a chat, or meeting up in the café to do a quick debrief.
If I were to need another agency or partner in the future, I would definitely check who else is working in Hub first.
Workspaces?
