How does Strategic Communication inform a career in PR?

In late 2023, Master of Strategic Communication student Jennifer Hutchings was awarded (alongside her team) Bronze at the Golden Target Awards. 

Run by the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA), the Golden Target Awards "are Australia’s longest-running and most prestigious industry awards for PR and Communications professionals." The awards praise the best of "strategic and creative thinking, executional excellence, and the high achieving people, teams and agencies across the nation transforming businesses, brands, and reputations."

Jen spoke to us about her award-winning project, how her studies came in useful for her work, and what's next in her career.

Could you tell us about the project and the PRIA Golden Target Awards?

The Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) is the national industry body for public relations and communication professionals. The PRIA Golden Target Awards are Australia’s longest-running and most prestigious public relations and communications industry awards. 

My team won the bronze award in the Digital, Social and/or Content Campaign category for ‘Design your Harbour Park’. Harbour Park is almost two hectares of public space in Barangaroo, on Sydney Harbour waterfront. In 2022 we consulted with the community through an interactive digital engagement tool ‘Design your Harbour Park’ which allowed them to design their own park, picking their favourite park features and activities. This game was available online and on touchscreens in a pop-up shipping container in Barangaroo. Almost 1,500 people played the game and 8,500 people viewed the game, creating huge awareness about the park. The results of the engagement helped inform the brief for the Harbour Park design competition.

How does your Master of Strategic Communication help your work?

These studies have directly impacted my work. Influence in a Digital World was one of my favourite subjects. It helped me understand how powerful and influential digital communication can be for community and stakeholder engagement. My team take a digital-first communication approach across our work and actively look for opportunities to be more innovative in our communications. The recent Harbour Park project may not have had global reach using traditional consultation and communication methods and formats.

Understanding and Engaging Audiences was another subject that has influenced my way of thinking when executing projects. My team analyse data and stakeholder feedback to help understand their interests, needs, concerns and communication preferences to enable us to develop evidence-based strategic communication.

What sort of projects would you like to work on in the future?

In the future, I want to focus on being more strategic rather than just operational. Also, continue to build my skills as an expert in this area while continually learning and being challenged.

I enjoy working on big, public-facing infrastructure projects, which gives me opportunities to think creatively and find innovative ways to communicate. I love that my children will get to enjoy Harbour Park one day and know that all the communication and engagement activities I’ve done over the past couple of years contribute to this amazing outcome.

What would you tell someone to pursue strategic comms as a career? 

• Be proactive, listen and learn from others more experienced in the field.

• Understand and research your audiences and find different and creative ways to engage with them.

• Measure and evaluate your success.

• Jump in with both feet and don’t be afraid to make mistakes – just learn from them!