adminNutritionists and health specialists say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Society and labourers say the most productive time for any work is early in the morning. And those who speak in riddles say a cock’s crow is louder in the morning than any other time.Such is the richness of the morning and its breakfast qualities. And now the corporate world and business community have also warmed up to the morning appeal; hence they now have breakfast meetings to negotiate big business, discuss corporate identity, organisational ownership, and corporate image and reputation.
Previously; appointments and get-together gatherings from social, political up to business frames used to be dominated by lunch hours but now breakfast meetings are the real deal. Breakfast meetings have literally taken over from lunch hour meetings.
The big question, however, is why breakfast meetings have suddenly become popular? And the corporate world’s Public Relations (PR) curiosity will conclude that breakfast meetings have become an increasing popular PR tool for any progressive organisation.
Yes, breakfast meetings are a powerful PR tool because they bear an umbrella appeal of information and educative dissemination for the industry.
PR practitioners use breakfast meetings to provide information and to educate their publics who include the clients and stakeholders about their entities.
In as much as breakfast meetings are topical in focus, PR personnel use this opportunity to disseminate critical organisational information and also educate a coterie of clients from known customers to prospective consumers or business partners.
Breakfast meetings have been a critical PR tool for organisations because they bring improved and concentrated interaction among publics and stakeholders.
Since these get-together gatherings are arranged in the morning, it is no longer just interaction among business people but specific and particular concentration is prioritised.
It is different from lunch hour meetings where stakeholders are weighed down by the day’s work at the office before embarking on a labour-strained afternoon symposium.
These early-to-rise meetings bring a “Morning dew character” or “first fruits” element where everyone’s energy is utilised sufficiently before being spent at the office.
The Government has often used these breakfast meetings during the National Budget preparations.
Top companies like Econet, Zimplats, Delta, Old Mutual Mimosa, Unki Mines, Zimpapers among others, have also warmed up to these meetings to enhance their organisational operations.
PR, as a practice, is very strategic and breakfast meetings carry with them this strategic appeal.
Why strategic? Organisations make sure that their corporate identity, image, reputation and organisational ownership is not tempered with but are spruced-up on such gatherings. They maximise their publicity on breakfast meetings allowing participants to query anything about their entity.
Breakfast meetings actually offer an immediate organisational self-introspection or refresher appeal which makes the entity know its mirror image, current image and corporate image vis-a-vis its wish or visionary image going forward. Old Mutual used these breakfast meetings to sell their CABS new identity.
This self-introspection also gives an idea in terms of the organisational appeal to its publics usually measured by growth in popularity or lack of it in attendance.
And because breakfast meetings are strategic, it means that they also come with creative convenience. Creativity is a PR quality that resonates well for the industry.
Breakfast meetings bring to the fore the urgency and colour of creativity. Organisations, through their PR practitioners are forced into impromptu programmes in the name of breakfast meetings.
And as such PR practitioners have got to be prepared all the time and have creative convenience.
For instance, breakfast meetings’ topics or themes have to appeal to both the participants and facilitators.
This therefore calls for PR practitioners to be on their toes when it comes to the quality of creativity.
Dull breakfast meetings only help to scare away publics, investors and the industry itself from one’s organisation.
PR is always endowed in current and live topical all-round news that have a bearing on the organisation’s health functionality.
This is what makes breakfast meetings soar higher than any other organisational gatherings. They prioritise current and live topics that are gripping the corporate world.
Recently, the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Relations (ZIPR) was advertising their breakfast meeting on the topic — The combined power of traditional media and social media to reach your stakeholders.
Technology and social media have become prominent guests in the industry and it is thus critical for the industry’s PR departments to be alert and aware of such contemporary media presence and how it can be used to enhance organisational image and reputation.
Breakfast meetings have the aura of current and live activities and this is what organisations want to maximise on to enhance and promote their corporate identity, bringing in new information on corporate publications. Hence current and live industrial topical issues make breakfast meetings attractive.
Business market research in terms of change in behaviour, varied tastes, market traits and new trends have also made breakfast meetings soar in popularity for organisations.
One of public relations qualities is research and analysis. And breakfast meetings have become a PR tool because of this research quality.
Marketing personnel in organisations have sought to do market research looking at behaviour, tastes and traits of their clients.
While they have so many marketing tools and channels to do this they have often worked with PR practitioners in organisations who have the expertise to organise events so that a platform is created to promote the organisational image and reputation in all facets.
Breakfast meetings are also platforms to test brands and new products’ appeal to the world.
Previously, lunch hours and cocktails have hogged the limelight but with liquidity, convenience, time and critical concentration span challenges hovering in the industry — the corporate world has recently warmed up to the “morning dew” or “first fruits” charm of breakfast meetings which have brought dynamism to their work schedules for primed productivity.
Breakfast meetings have thus become an increasingly, popular and growing PR tool in the industry.
This article was written by the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Relations. For feedback, comments please email [email protected]
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