Growers are at the heart of leading grain organisation CBH's operations, which was a key consideration when designing their new-look 2011 annual report.

We developed a confident design featuring bold typography, engaging photography and bright colour accents for emphasis. The design employs layers of information, using key highlight sections to support the in-depth data. Dynamic summaries and diagrams also provides the reader with information quickly and easily.

Over the course of our eight-year working relationship with CBH we have worked hard to strike the right balance between revitalising the brand and delivering consistent visual messages. The 2011 annual report is a great example of successfully refreshing the look and feel of the organisation whilst maintaining the integrity of the iconic Western Australian brand.

The result was a vibrant report the spoke directly to the people that matter most to CBH, their growers.

When our client Solco Ltd was appointed by Lorentz - a global leader in solar operated pump systems - as the exclusive distributor of their products in Australia, they asked us to develop a website to promote the products locally.

We built the website using the Umbraco Content Management System (CMS) featuring a secure login area to allow dealers access to secure documents and an online product catalogue and reference gallery. The website also features a search tool that references Google maps, allowing the user to make direct enquiries through a customised online form.

Our user-friendly CMS allows Lorentz to update their web content in-house and even crop and upload new images to ensure users can view new products as they come into stock.

Each year WA Business News shines a light on WA's up and coming business leaders at the 40under40 Awards. We have sponsored this important event for eight years, providing media and communications support in the lead up to and after the glamorous gala awards dinner held in February.

Clarity Director Kellie Croxon is one of the judges for the Awards which attracts applicants from across WA.

An exciting new crop of winners emerged this year, including Corentin Laumaillé, owner of Jean-Pierre Sancho bakery in the Perth CBD and Rebecca Cody, Principal of Methodist Ladies College in Claremont. This year's First Among Equals overall winner was Grey Egerton-Warburton from Hartleys.

We achieved a range of media coverage for this years' winners, promoting their respective companies, their individual achievements and also the awards.

We encourage our clients to support young entrepreneurs and business stars by nominating them for the 2013 awards. Visit the website www.40under40.com.au to learn more about how you can get involved.

We're encouraging our clients to make the trip to the historic Midland Railway Workshops to see Divergence: Photographs from Elsewhere - a monumental showcase of contemporary photography presented by FORM and FotoFreo.

Featuring the work of over 60 artists from 15 different countries, the adventurous exhibition depicts highly divergent worlds, from the industrial landscape of the English Midlands, to playfully kitsch images of Russia and intimate moments of domestic life in India.

The visiting Indian photographers will also travel to the Pilbara for a week, sourcing inspiration for an upcoming exhibition, which will become part of the long-term cultural development program, The Pilbara Project.

The Pilbara Project, driven by cultural organisation FORM, is backed by the ongoing support of Principal Partner BHP Billiton.

We have provided media support for the launch exhibition and will provide ongoing assistance as the photographers hit the road later this year.

For more information visit: http://www.midlandatelier.com/

The data is drawn from the Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (CEMS) on the top of each kiln, which is transferred through the process control systems to the reporting software, before being passed to the website as a live feed. The information is then presented in easy-to-read graphs.

This is a critical part of our ongoing work with Cockburn Cement aimed at maintaining open communication with local residents and building the trust of their community. To our knowledge it is the most transparent emissions data available from a WA company.

If you haven't already, click here to visit the Cockburn community website and view the CEMS data live.

With the international race to break the world land speed record heating up, we helped the BBC to get the inside word on the Aussie campaign from motor legend Rosco McGlashan.

A BBC crew flew into Perth to spend a day at Aussie Invader HQ learning the ins and outs of his supersonic rocket-powered car, Aussie Invader 5R. Rosco's team of motoring and engineering professionals provided the BBC with expert insights into the science of breaking the land speed record and travelling at mind-blowing speeds.

The rocket-car will be the most powerful ever built with 200,000 hp and 62,000 lbs of thrust, capable of travelling from 0 - 1000 mph in 20 seconds. At that speed Rosco will travel faster than a bullet fired from a handgun, and break the sound barrier by one and a half times.

We are providing media relations and social media support for the team as they prepare for the testing phase and record attempt in 2013. We have also been increasing the team's engagement with their many fans (and key competitors) through strategic social media activity.

With 13 million visits to Facebook a month and 11 million visits to YouTube, social media should already play an active role in your communications activities. The challenge is to make your efforts credible and meaningful. We have the tools and expertise to make the social media world simple and integrate it with your traditional communications activities. We can also help measure the effectiveness of your journey into social media.

2. Reputation is linked to ranking.

There are now several hundred million Google enquiries each and every day. Search engines provide answers to almost all our questions. So isn't it imperative that your business is highly ranked for queries linked directly and indirectly to your core operations? Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) will help drive stakeholders to your website. It's not that costly or difficult, but it is vital.

3. Take an active approach to issues management.

The lessons learnt from the GFC surely indicate that we need to be prepared for issues coming upon us suddenly. We workshop issues with clients, provide insights, undertake research and scenario planning to help prepare companies for any eventuality.

Click here to download the 2012 PR Survival Tips fact sheet.

We're encouraging our clients to visit spaced: art out of place - an exhibition by WA arts organisation IASKA, presented in partnership with the Fremantle Arts Centre and the 2012 Perth Festival.

In recent months we've been busy raising IASKA's profile through metropolitan and regional media ahead of the public opening of spaced at Fremantle Arts Centre this Friday 3 February at 6:30pm.

spaced is the culmination of two-years of residencies in 16 remote WA communities, involving 21 local and international artists. The imaginative and diverse body of work includes sculpture, photography, painting, installation and multimedia and explores the relationship between globalisation and local identity.

As well as media support, we've provided advice and assistance to secure future funding and a range of strategic stakeholder engagement activities to ensure IASKA can continue to coordinate groundbreaking exhibitions.

If you plan on coming along to the public opening, please RSVP to contact@claritycommunications.com.au

WA developer Centauri Property Group (Centauri) has launched its plans for a 650-room hotel opposite the Port Hedland International Airport. We helped Centauri gain substantial media coverage for the five storey, five star resort-style hotel. It will be part of the substantial accommodation and tourism site The Landing, and will provide Port Hedland with a significant long-term accommodation boost.

The Landing will also house 240 apartments in a number of two storey blocks and adjoins the existing Port Tourist Park and BP Truckstop, which are also part of Centauri's operations.

The Landing will create substantial accommodation infrastructure to initially support the rapid growth in the mining sector, but also help develop a sustainable Port Hedland tourism industry in the longer term.

We've had significant involvement in the project over the past year, with our Design Team creating a sophisticated, eye-catching branding concept for both The Landing and the Port Tourist Park.

We've been working in partnership with the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research on a large online project to design a new website and content management system for the organisation and its many divisions. As part of this work, our Digital Team has already launched a series of subsites for various groups within the Institute.

The most recent of these subsites to launch is for Rett Syndrome, which provides information on this rare condition and opportunities for people to participate in research. The other subsites include:

Autism
Aboriginal Health
Alcohol and Pregnancy

Each subsite has been tailored to meet the specific needs of each group. For example, the Rett Syndrome subsite required a Google translate function and the Aboriginal Health subsite required a custom order form.  All content on these subsites is editable using the Umbraco Content Management System.

The Institute is an independent, not-for-profit organisation with strong affiliations with Western Australia's children's hospital and all the major universities.

We're proud to be acknowledged by the Institute as a Scholarship Partner.

We've been working with Cockburn Cement to help them better connect with the communities surrounding the Munster plant.  We've put a range of communication tools in place for engaging local stakeholders, with the latest being Environs magazine, in hardcopy and an online flipbook.

The first edition of this annual magazine focuses on introducing the specialists who run Munster. It also explains the latest improvements underway at the site. Environs is distributed to interested residents in the area and is available to read online as an electronic flipbook that we have created.

Environs joins the community website, Cockburn Catchup e-newsletter and regular community forums as a key part of maintaining open communications with their communities.

To gain an understanding of the readers' response to the publication and inform future communications Clarity is also undertaking an online readership survey and analysing community feedback.

Azzura Gelati wishes to introduce you to Miss Tartufo, created by Clarity as the living, breathing embodiment of the Azzura brand.

Azzura is an award winning, Perth-based icecream maker supplying customers across WA.

The vivacious Miss Tartufo has just touched down from Italy for the summer and will be travelling around Perth and Fremantle in her eye-catching caravan, bringing Azzura products to everyone she meets. The caravan has been branded by Clarity specifically with a retro feel and is proving a huge hit with customers.

Among the many treats Miss Tartufo has on offer - including desserts, sorbets and gelati - are four indulgent flavours from Azzura's new premium retail range: Blossom Nougat, Chocolate Truffle, Buttered Peanut and Vanilla Bean.

Previously ice-cream aficionados could only get their Azzura fix at their favourite cafés and restaurants. The exciting new range means you will be able to enjoy Azzura gelati in the comfort of your own home, whenever the mood strikes.

Clarity has also completed vibrant new packaging for this range, which will be launched in the very near future. The refreshing new look product is set to leap from supermarket freezers into the arms of ice cream lovers everywhere, so be prepared!

Congratulations to Steve Touhey from the Western Australian Football Commission (WAFC) who won a $300 voucher for lunch or dinner at Rockpool Bar and Grill. We hope you enjoy the visit.

Among the key items of feedback were:

• We were surprised by how many of our clients knew about one or two of our services, but not much about the others. There was interest in some of our PR services from clients who have primarily used design and digital to date. So it seems we have some communicating to do.
• People were least aware of our research and survey experience, which is proving of growing use to a number of clients who are seeking to better manage their reputation in the community. Many people also wanted information on how we undertake government relations work for our clients.
• Most clients saw it as an advantage to them that we provided a one-stop shop service when and if they needed it.
• Most clients felt we had a great team of smart professionals. Many people told us they could sense the friendly atmosphere and the willingness of our team members to help them. This was great feedback because it is a people-business.
• Our team rated most highly on their ability to listen to and address our client's issues, meet client deadlines and be trusted with client projects.
• A number of people made the point that while we weren't the cheapest service available in Perth, they felt they got value for money because we delivered on our commitments and they could trust our team.

As the survey was anonymous we can't answer people's questions directly, so please contact us on the email below or via your usual Clarity contact if you want to know more about our consultancy or our work in your sector.

Your feedback enables us to do an even better job of building brands and raising reputations.

Thanks again from the Clarity team. If you want to discuss anything to do with Clarity contact anthony.hasluck@claritycommunications.com.au

Umbraco software is continually updated and the latest version 4.7 contains a great image editing and publishing tool that will make it even easier for clients to publish photos (or the parts that they like) on their website.

Our Digital Team has been hard at work applying their knowledge and creativity to host of new websites that have recently gone live. Check them out below:

Port Bouvard Limited

South West Development Commission Annual Report Subsite

Global Advanced Metals (Japanese version)

Future Newman

The Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) had a successful launch at Matilda Bay Restaurant in WA to announce their partnership with BHP Billiton. Clarity helped AIEF and BHP Billiton promote this leading Indigenous scholarship program through a strategic media campaign.

The historic 10-year partnership will see 70 Indigenous students in WA receive secondary education scholarships to some of the State's top schools. Over half of these students will be from the Pilbara.

Under the partnership, BHP Billiton has committed A$4.3 million which AIEF will match with support from the Federal Government. BHP Billiton Iron Ore President Ian Ashby addressed the crowd, explaining the Company's commitment to creating a brighter future for Indigenous students.

Clarity was successful in achieving a wide range of national, metropolitan, regional and Indigenous media coverage for the event, including features in the Australian Financial Review and The West Australian.

The Serco campaign (see adverts above and below) is profiling the key services that the company has been providing in Western Australia for the past 16 years by allowing employees to tell stories about their roles at the company.

The campaign also features Serco's latest contract to provide non-clinical services at the new Fiona Stanley Hospital when it opens in 2014. The contract was signed on 30 July, 2011 with the State Government.

With a wide range of services now operating in Western Australia; more than 1000 employees; a new State office in the Perth CBD; and a requirement to recruit several thousand people over the next few years - Serco decided it was time to introduce itself to the rest of Western Australia.

Clarity devised the integrated print advertising and YouTube campaign as a means of both promoting the company's brand and giving this diverse company a strong public personality.

Your feedback is welcome, so click here to send us an email with any comments or just tell your Clarity contact.

The adverts on this page have been featured in The West Australian, WA Business News and Community News and all promote a link to a Serco channel on YouTube with video of the same employees telling their unscripted story.

Serco's operations in Western Australia featured in the campaign are:

• Transperth ticketing and information service
• Great Southern Rail, operators of the Indian Pacific train
• Immigration Services
• DMS Maritime - HMAS Stirling operations
• Fiona Stanley Hospital non-clinical services
• Medical and Dental
• Acacia Prison

• Court Security and Custodial Services

We are now providing templated sub-sites that are highly visual and easy to navigate so organisations can show snapshots of their Annual Report in a format that is easy for readers to understand and navigate, including text, diagrams and video.

The sub-site can be built within your existing Umbraco CMS website or as a stand-alone closely connected with an existing website. Once built and provided to you, the sub-site is easily updated for all future reports. It's also a great archive tool as you can access and download PDF versions of past reports.

For more information, get in touch with Eliza.

The editor upgrades for Clarity Mail Manager are providing much greater functionality for our clients across all their email templates.

Among the changes are a new vertical layout making it easier to see content while you edit, the ability to add alternative text to any image, and improved social media capabilities. The best way to find out what's improved is to view the changes.

Watch this video to see the improvements in action

To discuss how this improves your Clarity Mail Manager or to find out more about this important communications tool, contact Eliza.

Clarity clients are not alone in using the globally renowned Umbraco Content Management System (CMS), with the number of websites driven by this system now approaching 100,000.

This open-source CMS is being constantly improved and the latest Umbraco upgrade is now out.  The new version 4.7 includes some handy improvements, including:

•    Better support for newer browsers like Firefox, Internet Explorer 9 and Chrome
•    Better intuition when you're updating or adding to your website
•    More add-ons, like photo galleries, blogs, forums, event calendars
•    Greater search capabilities

To discuss whether to upgrade your CMS to 4.7 or for further information on Umbraco websites, have a chat to Eliza.