Month: May 2017

Honner is thrilled to be nominated again for Public Relations Company of the Year in Financial Standard’s annual MAX Awards after taking out the title last year.

Inspired by our nomination, we thought it timely to reflect on what this year’s award winners can do to avoid those famous awards-season gaffes.

1.    Prepare to bow out gracefully

Blunders don’t get much bigger than announcing the wrong winner and there were plenty of red faces (and a PR nightmare for PWC) when La La Land was wrongly named Best Picture at this year’s Oscars. And it’s not the first major awards season cock-up – there have been similar occurrences at the Miss Universe and Australia’s Next Top Model ceremonies.

So what happens if you are in the middle of your well-rehearsed speech only to have your precious gong snatched away? Smile, congratulate the real winner, make a hasty exit and, unlike Miss Universe, save the tears for later.

2.    Be ready for technical issues

A raft of technical issues can occur during awards season, as Jimmy Fallon found at this year’s Golden Globes when his teleprompter went down seconds into the live broadcast.

What’s a seasoned host to do but improvise? “Cut to Justin Timberlake and he’ll… just wink at me or something,” he quipped.

If technology fails while you are on-stage, make like Fallon and have a joke or two up your sleeve to fill in time until things get up and running again.

3.    Avoid being overconfident

It’s great to be confident but history has shown that overconfidence can leave you with egg on your face. Take actress Rosalind Russell, who walked into the 1947 Academy Awards assuming her Best Actress Oscar was in the bag. Russell stood up before the winner was even announced, only to lose out to Loretta Young.

Or think back to Sally Field’s much-parodied acceptance speech, when she announced: “I can’t deny the fact that you like me right now, you like me!”

So if you are fortunate enough to receive a gong, how can you avoid similar gaffes? Accept the award graciously and remember to thank the people who nominated you, invited you and the team who contributed to your success, so everyone leaves the event feeling great about the evening.

Help Honner win!

Now we are on the other side of the awards fence we need your help to take out the title of Public Relations Company of the Year! Please vote for us here: WWW.FINANCIALSTANDARD.COM.AU/VOTING

We appreciate your support.

The Honner team

The annual 2017 ASFA Budget Luncheon in Sydney today held the general consensus that Scott Morrison has learned lessons of Treasurer’s past and delivered a political-savvy Federal Budget, even if it lacks in long term vision.

Finance and Economics Commentator Michael Pascoe framed the budget as responding to the five key areas that nearly lost the Coalition the last election:

1. Attack: Mediscare. Response: Created the Mediscare Guarantee Fund
2. Attack: Education. Response: Unveiled Gonski 2.0
3. Attack: One Nation and the minor parties. Response: 457 changes; tightening to immigration;
4. Attack: Housing affordability. Response: A number of announcements, though still tinkering at the edges
5. Attack: Bank Royal commission. Response: A Bank tax; register for bank executives; and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority

AMP Chief Economist Shane Oliver refuted the good versus bad debt debate that the Government has been pushing stating: “At the end of the day debt is debt and we have a deficit problem… the Government is relying on annual revenue growth of 6.7% p.a to get the budget back into Surplus by 2020/21 and I just don’t think we are going to get there.”

Looking at the good, the bad and the really bad of the Budget papers, Urbis Chief Economist Nicki Hutley, said there was a lot to like in the Budget – NDIS funding; Gonski education package; Childcare reform; medical research grants; and action to address housing affordability. However, bank bashing, cuts to foreign aid; no action on climate change; a demerit system for welfare; and no long term vision for Australia all squarely fall in the bad and really bad bucket.

ASFA CEO Dr Martin Fahy summed up the key take outs for the Superannuation sector:

• Contributions into super for downsizers is a positive measure but on past experience may not be used by large numbers
• Salary sacrificing for housing deposit may actually help engagement with younger members
• Continued Capital Gains tax relief for fund mergers a positive but could go further/longer
• Care will need to be taken in transferring statutory powers of the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal to the newly formed Australian Financial Complaints Authority