PRSP Grand Prix Champs!
Written by Elissa Cirio
3rd-year UPM Organizational Communication students champion in the recently concluded Public Relations Society of the Philippines’ (PRSP) Grand Prix Hack Sprint Edition 2022. Reena Amon, Charlette Inao, and Jia Jarin were officially awarded this March 11, 2022, following their victory last February. The three triumphed against other prominent Philippine universities in the first-ever online version of the competition.
The PRSP Grand Prix is an annual national competition wherein different university representatives compete and pitch their PR campaign to an esteemed panel The event is composed of three phases:
Phase 1 Nationwide Selection, university representatives (1 team of 3 members per school) submit a position paper to qualify. This year the topic provided by the Platinum Sponsor for the competition – Jobstreet Philippines, was “The Great Resignation.”
Phase 2 Hack Sprint, the finalists, then are given limited time to plan and present their PR pitch.
Phase 3 Pitch Proper, participants then face a panel of industry professionals to judge the PR plan they have designed.
This grueling and time-bound process was indeed challenging for all the participants. We caught up with Reena, Lette, and Jia and learned their journey towards achieving victory.
We asked how OrCom could help them compete nationally in the PRSP Grand Prix; they replied that the course was able to equip them with knowledge and skills that the course prioritizes in its curriculum to carry them through the competition.
OrCom is truly a hidden treasure because the classes we took, especially PR with Sir Barry, allowed us to showcase honor and excellence in the competition. The course helped us pitch our campaign with confidence because we knew we were equipped with the necessary skills and big-picture mindset from previous class projects.
– Jia Jarin
Ever since I stepped into my first class as a freshie, OrCom ingrained in me what it takes to be a competent communicator. To indirectly quote Miss Morada during one of our synchronous sessions — everyone can read and write, yet OrCom is our advantage to do it well. Our communication plan is the product of training from both virtual and face-to-face classes (shoutout to OrCom 105 with Sir Barry!). From that, our team was able to deliver our message clearly and with confidence.
– Reena Amon
We never would have been more prepared to compete in a national PR competition; this is all thanks to OrCom. Speech and writing courses aided us in making use of very precise language, theory classes helped us develop effective campaign strategies and tactics, and application classes trained us how to execute communication plans and PR campaigns. My appreciation for all these courses increased significantly because of how helpful they were! – Lette Inao
– Lette Inao
Though they also faced challenges – from the topic given to designing their PR plan, they were able to overcome this challenge through knowing their purpose and keeping in synergy with one another.
The Great Resignation itself was a challenge: there was a fine line between romanticizing the struggles and sparking a genuine movement. Putting ourselves in the shoes of both our target publics and company stakeholders was the key to finding the balance and making sure they all have a seat at the table. The issue is close to our hearts; I believe our proactiveness and passion were what drove us to create a campaign that would really promote a person’s freedom to choose what they want in life without invalidating what companies are looking for.
– Jia Jarin
Insight development is the most challenging task, as it the “heart” of any communication plan and what I consider the most rewarding step. Our team devoted days to insight development and with the help of our coach, we were able to reach our “AHA!” moment and set our plan into action. A campaign that speaks the same language as its audience (in our case, job seekers) will reach many hearts.
– Reena Amon
The greatest challenge was having to push ourselves to grow and outdo our previous performances. While OrCom classes have been extremely successful in teaching us the foundations, a national competition forced us to translate our learnings into significantly more advanced outcomes. Because we had to operate on an entirely different level, there was no room for the slightest bit of complacency. We needed to take hash criticisms constructively, produce impressive results within such a short time limit, be extremely flexible and prepared for worst-case scenarios, and be open to revisions no matter how attached we were to previous works. It was indeed a very humbling experience, and it made us get a glimpse of how even more difficult the real world can be.
– Lette Inao
Lastly, they gave advice for future OrCom students and PR practitioners as they pursue PR for good.
Quoting sir barry- “you’re only as good as your last campaign.” to all aspiring Orcom students and as someone who aspires to be a PR practitioner in the future, this is the challenge we have to take: to always strive to be better. It takes great humility and skill to use our achievements as merely a jumpstart to do bigger, grander things.
– Jia Jarin
Detach from the notion that PR is for “cover-up stories.” With Public Relations, we are able to tell worthwhile stories and create valuable relationships with stakeholders.
– Reena Amon
Always go back to the main purpose of PR: to build long-lasting relationships. This is no different from the relationships we build with our families, friends, or significant others. We effectively make use of communication in order to strengthen the bonds we have with the connections we hold dear. This will only ever be achieved if we do make campaigns and communication plans in good faith, and never with ill intentions.
– Lette Inao
These three phenomenal women are indeed the pride of OrCom. Pitching for OrCom 105: Public Relations as a course is hard enough, but bringing it to a national arena makes them an inspiration. Their accomplishments motivate future OrCom students to pursue and use PR for good.
