On the Record: RSVP Communications' Celine Cheung

With the belief in the saying that “everyone has his or her own working style”, Celine Cheung (pictured), account director, RSVP Communications, said creativity and individual personality are essential elements to be successful in public relations.  

In fact, this doesn’t come out of the blue as PR takes a lot of passion and patience in problem solving and overcoming challenges. The hardest part of the job Cheung recalled was handling relationships with different people, where she needed to always think quick on her feet and gauge the situations.

Find out more about Cheung's journey in public relations thus far and who inspires her. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Describe your management style

I am result-oriented, I focus on the outcomes and achieves them. As a typical Sagittarius, I believe that everyone has and should have his/her own working styles, which I completely respect and encourage. I believe creativity and individual personality are very important in this industry. Therefore, I celebrate and welcome diversity.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What was your first PR gig?

A simple PR job for toy’s brand which involved press release and media coverage10 years ago. We have since evolved into FMCG.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Why a career in PR?

As a Sagittarius, I like new challenges and discover new things. Which is what PR being all about. This industry requires problem-solving skills, passion, and taking the initiative.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Who was the mentor who most influenced you and why?

My first boss, Una Lau from Sino Group, was a tough lady. She taught me to never give up. She was also the first person to acknowledge my creativity, which inspired me to continue on this journey.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Your biggest blunder in your career? How did you resolve it?

Knocking on wood, I can say that I have never blundered. I pride myself on being methodical and reliable. I always triple-check everything.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Harshest thing said to you in your career?

A fortune teller told me at the beginning of my career that I wouldn’t be successful. The moral of this story is that, don’t be suspicious, and you don’t have to believe in everything that people tell you. In this industry, you need to see it for yourself.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Harshest thing you have said to someone?

There was one time, one of my colleagues made a huge mistake, that was entirely avoidable. They spent a lot of time and effort, and wrote a press release for a client that was filled with typo and misinformation. I was furious because I had to rewrite the whole thing under a tight schedule. I was raging at that time, and I asked them whether they had finished university, and if they could read at all!

Thinking back, it was a bit harsh. HAHA. It’s because I see great potential in them, and it pains me to see that they’re not realising them. But I want to add, that they are still working for me, and we still joke about this incident. Tough love. I must say, I give them tough love.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What is the hardest part about your job?

The hardest part of the job is handling relationships with different people. There isn’t a “one-true” formula because the dynamics are different. You need to think quick on your feet and gauge the situations.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Biggest misconception about PR?

People think it’s easy, they think you can thrive in this industry as long as you are sociable and presentable. This is a misconception that they think it is not a skillful and professional role. Actually, you need excellent time management, problem solving and communications skills. You must be able to work under high-pressure. Also, a tremendous amount of patience.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: How do you measure your own personal success?

Personally, I measure success based on how much I am able to utilise my skills, experience and influence to contribute to the society and helping the people in need. As Peter Parker’s (Spiderman) uncle once said, “With great power, comes great responsibility”.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: One thing you would say to a newbie in the PR industry?

Prepare to get your hands dirty.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: One thing you hate most about the PR industry?

I honestly don’t think I hate anything about the PR industry. If I must pick one, I think it would be that sometimes navigating between networks and people can be exhausting. The gossip between different agencies can also be draining If you let them get to you.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Have you ever wanted to try starting up your own PR firm? Why/Why not?

I didn’t plan to start RSVP 15 years ago. It was fate that gently nudged me into this industry. It was fate that gently nudged me into this industry. I started with events only 15 years ago, I didn’t expect that it would grow into today’s RSVP. I switched to PR after my first baby because I thought I needed more time to recover from childbirth.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: How has PR evolved over the last five years?

It’s getting more and more important these days. It has become one of the most crucial tools under marketing. Whereas advertising has decreased in importance. Advertising has always been one-dimensional which is not enough these days. Audience these days wants a genuine connection with the products or celebrities. 

PR allows them to be more personal, it’s multi-faceted. There are VIP days, joint ventures, KOL and Micro-influencers sharing. People nowadays rely on word of mouth.

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