JCPR: Now that's what I call Consumer PR

As I write this blog I am approaching my last few days at JCPR so it feels rather fitting to explain to all you new prospective grads what JC is all about and why you’ll enjoy your rotation as much as I have!
Monday the 6th of September began with one rather nervous grad and around 60-70 very confident, competitive and loud JCPR-ers. However, I immediately felt welcome with a great line manager and a lively pod! And I hadn’t even been introduced to the Xbox team!
JCPR boasts a variety of huge and exciting clients, most of which I have been lucky enough to work on. This includes  Xbox, Starbucks, Unilever Dig, Shell, Sporting Bet, Manchester City FC and Johnson&Johnson. With big clients come creative and ambitious teams which JC seems to have in abundance. If you want groundbreaking campaigns which test the safety nets and media contacts which other PR firms would dream of, JCPR is second to none.
As a grad, my role at JC really varies, as does how the different teams function. My first week was definitely one of the most exciting with the Xbox Halo: Reach launch (www.bungie.net). Cue photo call sell ins, celeb invites and working at the VIP launch in the Green Room. Jameela Jamil informing me that I look like Joss Stone wasn’t quite what I was after though!
The second week saw the senior bods at Unilever (www.unilever.co.uk) descend to our offices for a ‘PR 101′ session concerning the ongoing evolution of the world of PR in terms of public engagement and social media – understanding and engaging a community is becoming increasingly imperative whether in the form of twitter or facebook, or forums and bloggers. Gaining the opportunity to listen to Edelman’s David Brain and Jackie Cooper was both inspiring and incredibly informative.
From the suits and boots of Unilever came the sporting action of the JCPR Away Day. All the team were shuffled onto a coach buzzing with excitement as if we were all on a school trip, off to the surprise exotic destination of… Roehampton! Here I was soon to realise just how fun and competitive JCPR are!
So from sports to coffee. Starbucks (www.starbucks.co.uk) gave me my first media meeting with an Editor at Fabulous magazine at a bespoke coffee tasting with a Starbucks coffee ambassador. A great insight into how to really gauge what a journalist is working on/looking for and how your client can match those characteristics. An opportunity to further build a rapport with the journalist and achieve fantastic coverage.
My friends often ask me, what do you actually do Mary and what is PR? To be honest a day in JCPR sums it up – in a nutshell it’s all about creativity and communication, whether with your team, journalists, online communities, clients or even celebrities! 
So all that is left to say is a massive thank you to the JCPR group for making my time here incredibly informative, beneficial and great fun! Roll on Gleedelman!
Find out more at www.jcpr.com