Working with EU media (Macedonian experience)

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Working with EU media(Macedonian experience)

• Valentin Nešovski
• Head of Sector for Information and European
  Affairs Training

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• TWO AIMS TWO APPROACHES
• Goals
• Ultimate goal to change the perception about
  Macedonia
• Aims
• - presenting Macedonias reforms and the
  harmonization with EU standards as well as
  promoting our culture, values and uniqueness
• - establishing new image about Macedonia
  branding
• APPROACHES
• - working with commercial sections of the media
• - cooperation with journalists

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• Working with media commercial sections
• State administration efforts
• CNN campaign
• Several other video-presentations produced mainly
  by private PR companies randomly used by State
  administration as promotional material
• promotional materials, brochures printed material
  on the market or produced by some state
  institutions and occasionally distributed abroad

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• Working with journalists in the EU media
• - Macedonias weak spot
• - However we are good in using the Internet as a
  mean of communication
• good web site
• regularly updated sometimes within minutes after
  an event in the Secretariat
• bombarding the foreign media especially
  correspondents with fresh information
• Weakness information delivered only about the
  activities of SEP
• -allegedly biased information
• -it is not face to face communication
• Strengths
• -Fast information
• -Comprehensive information
• -you are reaching wide public

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• Working with journalists from the traditional
  media such as Newspapers, TV or radio stations so
  far has been done rarely and mainly upon their
  request
• What we need?
• - Proactive rather than reactive policy
• - Finding modules on how to attract the attention
  of the journalists from the EU media
• In this case, domestic work and achievements as a
  foundation for better branding are crucial
• Example The Irish miracle was a brand created
  by the media but only after they have achieved
  success

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• Lessons learnt
• We should not be clumsy, we should be tactful, we
  should rather be coax (patient effort, to
  persuade gently but persistently)
• We should sell cognition, knowledge or awareness
  about our arrival which is time consuming, and at
  the same time we should be fast.
• We should sell same message constantly time and
  time again