Reflection on Mandela Day

 

Mandela Day Reflections: Giving Back at Bara Hospital as a PR Student

As a Public Relations (PR) student at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), Mandela Day holds a special meaning for me. It’s not just a day on the calendar—it’s a reminder of how powerful giving back can be, even in small acts. This year, I was privileged to spend my 67 minutes at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (Bara Hospital) in Soweto, as part of UJ’s Community Engagement volunteer programme.

Prepping for Mandela Day: Content Creation with Purpose

My Mandela Day journey started even before the day itself. The night before, I found myself reflecting on Nelson Mandela’s legacy, searching for inspiring words he once shared. I wanted to create a meaningful post that not only honoured Madiba’s values but also shared my intention of spending the day at Bara Hospital. I designed a Mandela Day poster and early the next morning, posted it on LinkedIn. For me, this was more than just content—it was a way to raise awareness about the importance of community service and invite others to reflect on how they could give back.

Arriving at Bara: Team Spirit and Purpose

The day officially began when I reported to campus, signed the attendance forms, and joined my fellow volunteers as we boarded the bus to Bara Hospital. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the hospital staff. In true South African spirit, we sang songs together to kick-start the day, creating a sense of unity among volunteers and hospital staff alike.

Roles were assigned, and I was part of the team tasked with picking up litter around the hospital premises. While performing this duty, I also took on a personal responsibility—capturing content. As a PR student, I understand the importance of visual storytelling. Documenting these moments through photos and videos allows us to share these impactful experiences with a wider audience and highlight the value of community engagement.

Moments of Joy: Music and Hope

One of the most touching moments of the day was when a foundation visited the hospital to sing for patients and staff. We joined them in singing uplifting church songs. It was heartwarming to see how music brought smiles and hope to people who were going through difficult times. This simple act of singing together turned out to be a powerful form of emotional support for those in the hospital.

Conversations and Connections

Later, while waiting for our bus back to campus, we had informal discussions with fellow students about our Work Integrated Learning (WIL) placements. It was insightful to hear how everyone was progressing in different organisations, and it reminded me of how important networking and shared experiences are in the PR industry.

Before we left, the foundation that had been singing earlier called us to witness the handing out of appreciation certificates to hospital workers. It was a beautiful gesture of gratitude that reminded me of the importance of recognising those who serve tirelessly in our communities. We ended the day with some cake and refreshments, which added a sweet note to a meaningful day.

Capturing Content the PR Way

When it comes to content creation, I always pay close attention to good angles and natural lighting. After capturing photos and videos, I use editing apps like CapCut to polish the content and add catchy captions. Timing is everything in content sharing. I usually post during lunch breaks, in the evenings when people are home, or early mornings to maximise engagement. This is something I’ve learned from observing audience behaviour and studying digital media trends as part of my PR course.

Final Reflections: The Bigger Picture

The goal of Mandela Day is simple yet profound—to encourage people to spend 67 minutes doing something positive for others. From a PR perspective, days like these are not just about being physically present but about using our skills to amplify the message of community upliftment. By volunteering, creating content, and sharing these experiences online, we extend the reach of Mandela’s legacy and inspire others to act.

For me, this Mandela Day was a blend of learning, giving, and professional growth. It reinforced the importance of community engagement in PR and reminded me why I chose this career path—to tell meaningful stories that have the power to bring people together.

Influencer marketing

How influencer marketing has changed how brands  market 

 

As we know that we have people that are called “ influencers” that are well know especially on social media platforms because they post content that people enjoy and want to see, they normally have 1K followers and above. They use platforms like instagram, facebook, youtube and tiktok. Let’s look at how they’ve changed!

 

Influencers have changed how brand market their products/ services, they make collaborations with brands. Basically, the promote businesses services and products. We were used to having brands launching fashion shows where they would have models modelling to showcase their products or what the business offers. We can all agree that not everyone affords to attend these fashion shows which results in decline in sales because only few people know about what the business offers. This depends on the brand and who their target audience are.

 

Time went by, we are now having influencers who advertise products using social media platforms, this has changed how brands market. Brands do not have to waste a lot of money launching fashion shows they can just get 3 or 5 well known people who will advertise their products on social media. Products are getting out of stock because people want to look like these influencers, and they trust them. 

 

So, what happens is that brands give these influencers products to advertise because they know that people will want to buy these products because of the influencer's recommendations. Influencers make marketing look fun and interesting, they make “GRWM and unbox with me” videos to get people’s attention. Brands use influencers because they know that the brands message or product reaches the right people. All of the above helps the brand to gain more customers.

 

Challenges:

- It can be difficult to find customers that will buy products that you’re selling.

- There are a lot of similar products already in the market, so it can be hard to comb people to buy your staff specifically.

- Adapting into new trends can also be challenging 

 

Opportunities:

- The brands social media platform may gain a lot of followers.

- Influencers that work for your brand may become brands ambassador.

- Influencer marketing helps the brand to taps in new audiences.

 

Let’s make an example of Esihle Mkosana who advertise different products in one video, she has over 180 views on this video showing she washes her face using different products. 

 

 

Social media influence

 

Social media influence on Public Relations professionals 

We can all agree that social media has a huge influence on our lives but for now, let’s look at the impact of social media on public relations professionals.

Social media has an important role in public relations. Public relations professionals and the brand can communicate with their customers on a variety of channels like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. It allows customers to “like, comment and share “ which can help the brand grow. Communicating with customers on social is quick and effective, but only if the brand/ company responds quickly and effectively as the complaints are visible to everyone. Social media benefits both the business and customers, as the business gets to read through the comments and monitor their engagement with customers and customers get to engage with the organization about everything they’d like to see or know.

According to Larry Weber (2009), as stated by Wright and Hinson ( 2009), “ The communications world is dramatically moving in a digital direction and those who understand this transformation will communicate much more effectively than those who do not”. Social media allows people to interact in a creative manner. Social media has created many ways of being creative as Public Relations professionals, as they have to upload content to keep customers updated. PRPs have to constantly think “out of the box” and be creative. 

Social media influence has made PRPs grow in online marketing, and it has helped many brands/ companies to achieve their goals. Social media allow brands to connect a million people, using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn make brands prioritise their customers and engage with them frequently. Brands do have to spend a lot on traditional media. The Coca-Cola name campaign, that campaign is one of the successful campaigns because it was spread through social media.  Putting people’s names on the bottles made Coca-Cola gain people’s attention, and that was posted on all social media platforms using #ShareACoke. 

Opportunities:

- Social media do not need a huge budget to be seen as a success, if Public relations professionals follow the strategy, and the audience finds the posts interesting then the engagement will follow in a huge way.

-Public Relations professionals have the opportunity to reach a large audience on social media and also show people/make people understand the business.

Challenges:

- Competitors can easily take over the company if the company is not active on social media platforms.

-Public relations professionals may use social media in a wrong way or upload content that people won’t understand, that would result in customers being against the company.