International Men’s Health Week June 10-16 – ‘Health Snapshots’
Australian men have a higher death rate and lower life expectancy than Australian women. It’s a sobering statistic and one that International Men’s Health Week aims to address as it returns this year with a new theme – Health Snapshots. It will be a week of awareness and focus on the issues and opportunities faced…
What ‘The Great Gatsby’ can teach us about PR
Team VIVA! recently attended the opening night of The Great Gatsby at a local Sydney cinema and inspired by an article we read, What ‘The Great Gatsby’ can teach us about PR, we have come up with our own analysis of what lessons the acclaimed 1920s novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald may hold for PR…
Q & A with the great Mr Microsoft
Recently, billionaire and philanthropist, Bill Gates, featured on ABC’s Q&A, which was broadcast live from the University of New South Wales. 900 people attended the live Q&A session to see, and hear from, the founder of Microsoft and one of the world’s most generous philanthropists through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Foundation is…
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate
It’s a hotly debated topic at the moment – to vaccinate or not to vaccinate your children? As a small and reportedly increasing group of vocal parents continue to question the efficacy of vaccines and whether their potential risks outweigh their benefits, public confidence in immunisation appears to be eroding. Many of these “conscientious vaccine…
Team VIVA! expands
VIVA! Communications wishes to announce the introduction of a new member to the VIVA! crew. VIVA! Principal, Kirsten Bruce, gave birth to Tristan Hugo Robert on Friday, May 17 at 3.56pm, weighing in at 3.63kgs and 51.5cm long. Kirsten’s family is thrilled to have welcomed their first son into the world, who joins older siblings,…
Eight popular Medical Myths busted!
In our job as professional communicators, we take pride in educating the public on health issues and the best possible treatments available. As part of most campaigns there’s an element of debunking medical myths and dealing with contradictions. Sometimes old-wives’ tales don’t stack up that well against medical facts, but they can be more persistent…
Supporting Kiss Goodbye to MS this May
May marks Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness month and there have been plenty of events taking place across the country to support the tens of thousands of Australians affected by the disease and raise money to fund research into a cure. During May, Australians have been encouraged to wear red lipstick and clothing and share the…
International Food Revolution Day
He is funny, he is British and he is a wiz in the kitchen! You guessed it, it’s Jamie Oliver. Today is Food Revolution Day, the culmination of Jamie Oliver’s campaign to educate people on good food choices and fresh produce. This year the event is taking place across 72 nations, from Australia to America…
The Budget 2013 impact on health and pharma
Yesterday’s Budget contained some major health measures – good for some, not so good for others. Media commentators have hailed it as everything from ‘sensible’ and ‘weird,’ to ‘brave,’ and ‘dignified.’ Whichever way you look at it, it’s a budget from a Government which is highly unlikely to remain in power beyond the September 2013…
PRIA introduces PR accreditation
In a bid to raise the standards of the PR industry, the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) is developing its own industry accreditation program. While PRIA has a long-standing history of accrediting university PR programs, there has not previously been a standard of accreditation for individual PR professionals. “We have a code of ethics…