Jill Osorio, GolinHarris, Sydney

Johanna Osorio has three things on her mind: PR, food and golf.

To the casual observer, these three interests may seem unrelated. But they all come together at GolinHarris in Sydney.

In her eight years of agency experience, Osorio has grown into a skilled public relations practitioner with a plate full of corporate, consumer and food-and-beverage clients.

Greater regulation of Australia’s food-and-beverage industry in recent years has created a demand for just the kind of expertise Osorio has acquired and brought to bear for her clients in Australia.

“Currently, the Australian market is undergoing heavy food regulation due to obesity,” said Osorio. She explained that many Australians support a movement to change the way food companies market their products, particularly to children.

These changes are the topic of legislation in Canberra (Australia's capital city) and conference room discussions in the country's food companies. With consumer advocacy groups now raising their voices—launching interactive websites where consumers can rank products on healthiness—Osorio’s challenge has been to find new ways of positioning clients.

“We’re finding in the context of this environment, big food companies want to know what people are saying about their products,” Osorio said.

For people’s favorite chocolate bars and soft drinks, she insists that transparency trumps spin.

“It all comes down to transparency and protecting choice. We’re positioning products from an occasion perspective—something parents can control, such as when kids should eat it.”

She explained that most of GH’s clients are makers of healthy food products, such as Uncle Toby’s, the Nestle-owned manufacturer of oats cereal, snack bars and other iconic Australian products.

Osorio, who grew up eating Uncle Toby’s products, said “It’s refreshing to work with a product with such great brand equity.”

She and the Sydney team recently implemented a campaign to raise awareness of the cholesterol-lowering benefits of Uncle Toby’s Oats. This included extensive media coverage of a 100-year-old man who attributed his longevity and great health to eating oats every day of his life. She reports that coverage is ongoing and has included TV, radio and print.

Even though the food industry is now facing tighter regulations, Osorio believes that the presence of advocacy groups presents the opportunity to rethink traditional PR strategies. Now, she is interacting with these types of groups and their supporters prior to product launches, enlisting their support for clients’ brands.

“We’re now being called upon as a strategic partner when the product is being designed,” reported Osorio. “Doing long-term positioning for various companies is a much more holistic campaign approach. We’re not just there to do media relations but to be their partner.”

According to Osorio, what sets globally networked firms like GH apart from Australia’s many boutique agencies is the ability to serve clients as a strategic partner with in-depth market understanding and access to regional resources. It also results in a fulfilling sense of team work.

“Having come from another international agency, I really enjoy the connection between all the offices at GolinHarris,” she said.

No matter how much she may love the job, even devoted PR experts need a break. For Osorio, that means teeing off at a golf course twice a week.

When asked if she has ever “leveraged” her hobby—as corporate executives sometimes do when they network with clients, writing off the greens fees—Osorio seemed surprised.

“No, but that gives me an idea,” she joked.

Clearly, Osorio is devoted to her job—and her industry-acquired experience in the food-and-beverage field is an invaluable asset for some of GH’s best-known clients in Australia.