Arrival at the Generator Hostel, not a nightclub
Wednesday 28 October
It's half-term so the 07.29 from Truro to London Paddington is packed - standing room only. Fortunately, with a little forward planning we've managed to secure seats for everyone so it's time for a little shut-eye before we arrive in London at 12.30hrs. After battling our way down to the Bakerloo Line, it's a hop, skip and jump to Russell Square where we pile in to the Generator Hostel. Sadly for any students wishing to glam up prior to our first appointment, we're unable to get into our rooms before 14.00hrs so we dump our bags and whizz down to South Kensington to visit London's most prestigious boutique PR agency, Halpern PR.
Located in the King's Road, Halpern's beautiful premises never fail to impress, and neither does their presentation. Covering some of the basics of PR such as reputation management, and offering insights into many of Halpern's high-end luxury clients, the whistle-stop visit ends with a quick tour of the stock room.
A veritable Aladdin's cave of delights, the basement area houses many of next season's fashion trends kept exclusively for use of the long lead glossy magazine fashion pages. Fortunately they permit us a quick snap, before we're off out, pounding the pavement again.
Charlotte's thoughts on Halpern:
Halpern PR has been running for 15 years and specialises in fashion, beauty, interiors, events management and celebrity PR. This was our first stop on the London Study Visit and after an exhausting journey everyone was exited and intrigued as we had little idea what to expect.
As we stepped into the offices, recognisable publications stood out from the walls: Vogue, GQ and various newspapers all screaming out celebrity status. First impressions are important and Halpern definitely delivered, with its glamorous surroundings and glamorous people.
We were shown into a plush conference room, modern with a posh feel. Before the presentation started, we briefly meet Jenny Halpern the agency founder. Jenny began her PR career working in-house for the designer Joseph for 3 years before setting up Halpern PR in 1993 at the age of 23. We meet other members of the mainly female team, one of whom, (agency health and beauty team director, Kate), gave a presentation on Halpern and the types of PR the agency is involved with. Their clients include Molton Brown and Miss Sixty.
Halpern gave a good definition of PR (acknowledging that there are many different definitions): “PR is a way of managing your reputation” and “The act of communicating what you are to the public.” They clearly explained coverage output statistics, short lead and long lead media and the differences between national, regional, broadcast, trade and online coverage.
Probably the most exiting aspect of visiting Halpern was the basement. Here they stock clothes, bags, shoes and a vast amount of sunglasses. These then get distributed to the celebrities who will wear the products to help promote the client. This is where Halpern helps clients make money and gain status, although the staff acknowledged that problems occasionally arise when the celebrities with the wrong profile call up asking for clothes to wear to events. You have to remember who your clients are and who the audiences are that will see or buy the products. Few clients at Halpern would be happy to see a Big Brother has been in their new clothing line!
Magdalena's thoughts on Halpern:
After an exhausting journey and no time to refresh ourselves, we went straight to Halpern PR. As soon as we walked in, the interior of the agency looked very exclusive and it felt like it had a special atmosphere. The walls were lined with pictures of campaigns which looked very impressive.
The agency has existed for nearly 16 years. It specializes in lifestyle, especially Fashion, Beauty,Interior and Consumer Brand PR. They have strong team of 50 people,mainly woman. One of them, Lucy, conducted a presentation about Halpern and its domains.
They have such an achievement to their client list and celebrities. The company,which describes itself as strategic, creative and connected, has worked for well-known brands like Molton Brown, Tiffany&Co and Sloggi. They are admired for professionalism, commitment and passion.
Halpern knows that budget is not the only way to cooperate with famous people. It is all about who they know. If you want to be a good,successful PR-person ,invest in a good mobile phone and save your contact details with journalists, celebrities and other partners!
Kate said exactly this, what I wanted to hear: “In PR work, there is no routine. You will be surprised because every day is different.” During the presentation we also discovered that it is not only a job in the office. You go for overseas trips with journalists, you have meetings, one day Los Angeles, the next New York. This is what excites the most! I am sure it will motivate us to study hard with such a promising perspectives for the future.
After the presentation we were taken to an underground world of the latest fashions, which is Halpern basement. It seemed like a paradise, particularly for the girls. All the shelves looked so glamorous with leather handbags,sunglasses,shoes and lingerie. We weren't allow to be there to long due to the secret nature of the new trends!
Halpern made a very positive impression in every respect. It helped us to understand more what Public Relations is about and opened our eyes for the future. Owing to this visit we realized if this is what we want or not. And if it is,they offered us the opportunity to apply for work placements during the holidays which will provide us with experiences and let us take a bite of the PR world.
UCF students in the Halpern stock room - lots of lovely stuff!
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