Cell Phones Find Their Niche

I recently read an article on Buzzle about cell phones. The article suggested that cell phones have established a teenage market.

Teenagers, as technology savvy individuals, love cell phones. For one, they've really become affordable. Companies offer so many deals now, there's a plan and phone for everyone. Also, new phones have so many extra capabilities. They can be used for so much more than just calling. Modern technology allows people to browse the Web, e-mail people, play music and so much more right from their phone.

Like I said before, teenagers pride themselves on being technologically savvy. By adding all of these new features to cell phones, they really appeal to teens. Teens like to be the first one to own something new, so each time a new feature premieres more teens want it. Plus, the phones' new affordability really seals the deal for teens and their parents.

Cell phones have really found their niche in the teenage market. I think cell phone
companies can make the most of their marketing and advertising dollars by focusing on the teenage market.

Alec Baldwin's Lackluster Apology

It seems that Alec has fallen into the trap that many celebrities fall into when they get caught with their pants down. He apologized, but it was unbelievable at best.

He recently went on "The View" to publicly apologize for leaving his daughter a nasty message, which was leaked to the media. No matter what the situation, there is no excuse for that kind of parenting or rather lack of parenting.

Two media professionals expressed their opinions of the apology in a Boston Herald article. One, a publicist named Howard Rubenstein , doesn't agree with Baldwin's blame game strategy. He said, "He ought to keep repeating, 'I did wrong,' and then I think it would sound credible."

I completely agree with Rubenstein's opinion. The action was wrong, he admits that. The problem is that he "apologizes" and then proceeds to blame everyone else, including the media and his ex-wife. His apology became absurd when he vowed to give up acting and devote himself to the cause of parental alienation.

Apologies only work if the public believes that the person is sincere. The only way to gain credibility is to apologize and accept responsibility. Don't make any excuses or the public won't believe that you truly know what you did was wrong.

More of the Pet Food Scandal

It is reported that FDA agents searched a facility thought to be involved in the recent contamination of pet food yesterday.

Both Menu Foods and ChemNutra (which may have supplied the contaminated ingredient to Menu Foods) seem to be cooperating with the FDA by supplying the agency with records and complying with searches. However, they're involved in a kind of blame game. In fact Menu Foods is suing ChemNutra for supplying them with contaminated products. Menu Foods claims that ChemNutra sent them products with certificates assuring Menu Foods that the products were up to their standards. However, their products were contaminated.

While it is important to know whether ChemNutra misled Menu Foods or not, I don't think that it's good PR for Menu Foods to be involved in a public blame game. It seems like the company is simply trying to shirk responsibility. I feel that it would be much more beneficial for the company to show the public what it plans to do to prevent this tragedy from happening again. Menu Foods should hold an open meeting to discuss prevention tactics, like Tylenol did when pills were poisoned and caused several deaths.

The Job Interview

I went on a second round job interview today. It went really well, except for one major thing. Based on my first interview and their Web site, I thought that the job was for event planning and promotions. That is not the case. It turns out that the job is sales (and on top of that commission-based sales for the first month).

There is nothing wrong with sales jobs or even commission-bases sales jobs, but I know they're not for me. I wish that I would have known exactly what the job was before I wasted an entire day on an interview for a job that I'm not interested in.

So the moral of the story is: Ask tons of questions on your first interview. Leave no stone unturned or topic unaddressed.

I'm going to look at the positive aspects of this situation. Everything is a learning experience. At least I gained some more interview experience and now hopefully I will be more prepared when I go on a job interview that I'm actually very interested in.

Robby Bubble, Champagne for...Kids?

Robby Bubble is a non-alcoholic, sparkling beverage sold in liquor stores. It is marketed to kids. Its label is colorful with cartoon characters and its slogan is even "Celebrate like the grown-ups."

This product has especially upset a particular group, Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The Calgary president of MADD stated her concern about the drink. She feels that although the drink itself is non-alcholic it promotes drinking behaviors. She said, "Do we want to give them something, although it's non-alcoholic, and have them party like an adult?" in an article for CBC News.

I completely understand MADD's position. I think the Web site for the drink promotes an unhealthy attitude toward drinking. Although the drink is non-alcoholic it still presents itself as an alcoholic drink and it may encourage kids to try the real thing.

Darrell Weinbren, president of Robby Bubble, denied that the product was meant to encourage children to drink. He said, "There wasn't any intention from our point of view to encourage kids to drink alcohol. It was just a matter of trying to find something that would meet a family celebration with something for their kids."

I also understand the company's position. In theory, I see no harm in giving kids a non-alcoholic beverage at a family party, so they can feel like a part of the fun. However, I feel that this action may support the idea that you need to have a drink to enjoy yourself at a party.

This product could use a complete advertising and PR revamp. First of all, it should not only be sold in liquor stores. If the Robby Bubble was sold in a regular grocery store, it may not be perceived as such a blatant tribute to alcohol for kids. Mainly I think that the Web site and advertisements should not include the phrase "Celebrate like the grown-ups" and include kids dancing around uncontrollably with champagne glasses. It's an unhealthy and frankly scary image. If Robby Bubble doesn't want to give the wrong impression, it shouldn't look like it's promoting alcohol to kids.

Currently, only one chain of stores in Alberta stocks Robby Bubble, but sales are disappointing and it probably won't place any more orders.

The Presentation is Over!! Yay!!

I'm so excited! Finally, all our hard work has paid off and we're done with our Home Depot Foundation campaign.

It was a lot of hard work, a lot of long days and nights, but it all paid off. The presentation went really well I think. The representative seemed to really like our plans and suggestions and we got the thumbs up from Dr. Russell, so that's always a good thing.

I would not consider myself a fantastic public speaker, but I got through it and that is the most important thing. My only suggestion to others who don't feel like public speaking is their forte is practice, practice, practice. I can't tell you how many times I went over my part of the presentation. I recited it in the shower, in front of my mirror, with my suit on, in my car and just about anywhere you can think of. I'm sure the people of Athens thought that I was a crazy person because for about three days all I did was go around talking to myself, but it was all worth it.

I couldn't have asked for a better team to work with on this project. I've done more than a few group projects in my college career and my campaigns team was the best by far. We all got along fabulously and everyone pulled their weight. I'm actually going to miss hanging out with everyone. I love my campaigns team members!

This campaigns class has been a wonderful experience. My team and I worked hard, but we came up with an amazing campaign that we are really proud of.

PR Campaigns Rules my World

I can sum up my whole week in one word: CAMPAIGNS. Our final pitch to The Home Depot Foundation is on Monday morning.

Although, we are making amazing progress, it's very time consuming. We've pretty much camped out in a lab all weekend long.

However, the good news is that it will all be over by Monday, just in time to continue on with a test, a report and two job interviews (both which involve travel). The end of the semester is going to be very crazy, but that's ok. It will all get done and it will be over soon.

It's a good thing I get along with my campaigns team or all this work would be completely miserable. We work so closely together for long periods of time and we still don't want to kill each other. Working on group projects are so much more enjoyable when you have a good team.

Earth Day and Good PR Efforts

Earth Day is just around the corner and therefore it's great to see a story like this one: "Pledge a change to make Earth Day special."

Although there's no way to know for sure, I think this story was the direct result of a press release. When I get bogged down in all my classwork I often forget about the good things PR can accomplish. This story is packed with tips that everyone can use to reduce the damage they cause to the environment. The suggested changes and impacts are simple and actually made me think about what I can do to help. If it made me think, I bet it also made other people think.

I'm sure I'm a little bit more susceptible to environmental causes right now since my PR campaigns client is The Home Depot Foundation. Currently, my team and I are busy planning, writing and creating a complete public relations plan. I can only hope that some of our efforts make it as far and reach as many people as this article. This story was published in The Charlotte Observer and was linked to on Netscape.

This story generated a total of 50 votes and 17 comments on Netscape. Although not all of those comments are favorable, at least the story is generating some attention. One comment even expressed the writer's desire to become an environmental lawyer so that he could do his part to help the environment.

Ford's New Form of Advertising

Ford Motor Co. recently asked its employees to be an active part of the company's advertising. Mark Fields, Ford Americas group's president, asked Ford employees to highlight the perks of the company and its automobiles to friends, family and the media.

While some marketing professionals are skeptical about Ford's plan, I remain optimistic. Professor of marketing at the University of Detroit, Michael Bernacchi, feels that although this new advertising plan is a good idea, it will not solve Ford's bigger problems. I understand and even agree with Bernacchi's point, but I think that this plan will be a good starting point for Ford.

Fields doesn't stop his plan at word-of-mouth. He wants Ford to continue to keep its employees informed of continuing improvements among its automobiles. That desire alone is evident of Ford's bigger plans to make necessary changes to its products and gain its lost market share.

Ford's word-of-mouth plan may seem a little weak, but it could be the beginning of Ford's turnaround. It just as easily could be a total failure, but I believe that if Ford continues on this current path of positive word-of-mouth and product improvement then they could greatly improve their business.

All the Racist Comments

Lately it seems that every time I watch the news another celebrity is making a racist comment. In my opinion, there's not much public relations can do to help anyone in that situation.

Public apologies are the most immediate and necessary form of damage control, but that can only do so much. Frankly, once someone makes such a patently offensive comment, they face a long hard road to forgiveness, if it is even possible.

Most recently, Don Imus, a radio host, referred to the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" (news story). This one comment resulted in disaster for Imus and his career. MSNBC quickly cancelled the simulcast of his show. Officials from NBC News didn't want to compromise the station's values and therefore decided cancellation was the only option. Also, many corporations withdrew their advertising dollars from "Imus in the Morning." Although the show hasn't been cancelled, its near future looks pretty grim.

I would think that celebrities would learn to censor themselves after all of the recent racist scandals (such as Mel Gibson and Michael Richards). However, since that doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon, it seems there will always be a job market for celebrity public relations. Those brave souls who enter celebrity PR definitely have their work cut out for them.

Interview with a Media Professional

As I've said before, I interned at News 12 in Augusta last summer
in the promotions department. I recently conducted an e-mail interview
with my old boss. Bonita is the promotions director at News 12 and My 12 TV.

Here are the questions and responses from the interview:

As promotions director for a news station, what are some of your
daily activities?

My daily activities change constantly because things get added each day.
The things that I have to make sure our department handles are: the daily logs have to be filled with promos and public service announcements. This has to be done by a deadline and is a very tedious task. I have to make sure our events that we are sponsoring are getting what we promised in our proposal and that involves checking to make sure the promo is running, the news covers the event, and it is on the
website or linked. I have lots of ongoing duties from pulling contest winners, submitting payroll, submitting purchase orders and any paper work that is required by corporate. If breaking news occurs I have the task of prioritizing tasks for my already busy staff. We have to react to news as well as get our current duties completed. If an employee is having difficulties I am the go to person to help solve any work related problem.

How is working in promotions at News 12 different from any previous
marketing or promotions experience you may have?

Marketing a television station is not a routine type of job...this industry is always on ready. We are always expected to react and promote ourselves. This job is fast paced and can easily burn you out if you don't pace yourself. Some other marketing jobs are fast paced but not so minute to minute deadline. News can get old fast so we have to react fast. My other marketing job that I can compare to my current job was at an agency and it was a group of producers and we had our projects as far as 6 months out. That was a more work at your own pace kind of job and of course it was a smaller group of people and the atmosphere was not as
stressful.

Do you ever use any types of media other than TV promos/PSAs to
promote News 12 and its events? If so, what?

Yes we use magazines, newspaper, radio, billboards, and any other
mediums that we target for whatever we are promoting.

What is the most successful campaign or sponsored event News 12 has
produced? How did you measure its success?

Our Time To SCare event is one of our most successful event. It is a
Halloween event for inner city kids and it is well attended because the parents need a safe and friendly environment and we provide that along with great entertainment. The event continues to grow in attendance and it makes all of our sponsors happy and that in turn makes us happy.

What kind of promotional materials or media did you employ for this
campaign or event?

We promote on our own air, we use radio and we submit the event to newspapers and magazines for publication in October events...and of course the best promotion is word of mouth and it definitely works for this event in that community.

In your opinion, what is the most successful way to promote a
sponsored event or community activity?

The most successful way to promote a sponsored event is give the
promotion enough time for people to see it and/or hear about it. My rule of thumb is..."it takes people a week to see something is going on and another week for them to comprehend it", so with that said, we usually promote an event at least 2 weeks of promotion. Also giving viewers the benefit of knowing what the event is for, and making the event something the average person would want to support. How does it benefit the attendee whether it is giveaways, supporting a great cause, etc.

Do you have any advice for upcoming professionals interested in the
news promotion field?

Just be flexible and able to adapt to a fast paced environment. Detail
oriented and organizational skills are a must. Writing and editing skills are much needed but can be developed within the job, but it is good to have some writing know how, especially for news promotion. Don't come into this industry to get rich...it is known as the "all flash and no cash" industry. Although there are some people making good cash but it is not a guarantee.

PR's Bad Rap

Every time I tell someone what my major is I get the same response: "oh...spin." That's what everyone thinks public relations is...spin. In fact, when I went to my cell phone company to get a new phone plan the salesman asked me what my major was right away. When I told him I was a PR major he said, "Oh, so you're going to be the master of spin?" I just laughed and refuted the accusation, but it annoyed me a little bit.

Although I realize that I'm just a lowly student and I have pretty limited experience in actual PR, but the experience that I do have seems to tell me the opposite of what everyone else thinks. I have never pulled a PR stunt or tried to spin anything. I don't think I could even if I wanted to. None of my professors have ever taught me how to put spin on a bad situation with a client. In fact, the only thing my professors have told me about spin is that it's not the way PR should be done. As upcoming PR professionals several of my professors have challenged my classmates and me to raise the reputation of PR professionals everywhere. Although I plan to do everything I can to accomplish this task, it just saddens me that it has to be done.

I'm sure there are plenty of bad PR practitioners. After all, the reputation had to come from somewhere. However, I think and sincerely hope that the new generation of PR professionals are determined to do it right and change the currently ugly face of PR.

I know there are plenty of other people in public relations who feel the same way, like John Wagner, who recently posted on his blog about PR's bad reputation. Everyone in the PR industry needs to operate in an ethical manner and work hard to show the country that our industry is more than just spin. We need to combat feelings like this.

New Media vs. Old Media

I recently read a blog post entitled "We only have a finite amount of time on our hands" that discussed the weight of You Tube and other new types of media on the world today. Basically, it said that there just aren't enough hours in the day to see everything. With all the new entertainment and information choices, the older forms of media are suffering a downfall.

Believe me, I understand the time constraints that most of us live under. Between school, work, job searching, spending time with friends and family and everything else there just never seems to be enough time in the day. However, no matter how busy I am I always seem to find time to do something that I enjoy. I will find a way to do something for myself, even if I just sit down and watch TV for half an hour or surf the Internet for awhile. I think it's important, not just to me, but to a lot of people. That's why I think there will be room for the new media options without completely wiping out the old ones. People can take some time and listen to podcasts and watch You Tube, but I bet they won't give up their favorite TV show in favor of them. I know I wouldn't.

While I agree that these new types of media pose some competition for the older types, I think variety is good. New technology is great. It's important to be able to get your information from several different sources. However, I do not think that these new types of media will edge out TV, newspapers and radio shows.

Also, TV allows you to multitask. People can do almost anything while watching TV. They can make dinner, do homework, clean, etc. while having the TV on for entertainment or background noise. But it would be much harder to do those things while surfing the Internet or watching You Tube.

The Job Search Rears its Ugly Head

The whole idea of job searching started to overwhelm me a little today, so I decided to do some online searching for tips, ideas, job postings and anything else that might be helpful. Lucky for me it didn't take long until I came across this amazing Web site, All About Public Relations. This site's title says it all. It has everything, including job postings, interview tips, general information on different types of PR and just about anything you could ever want to know about public relations. As my job searching progresses I plan to use this site frequently.

Cori McKeever, a PR practitioner at one of America's largest healthcare PR agencies, gives practical advice for upcoming graduates on the site. She mentioned one thing in particular that struck me as incredibly important and I realized that I need to work on this aspect the most. She said that PR professionals, especially at entry level, need to be confident but not cocky. While I would not consider myself cocky, I have trouble portraying myself as confident. Even at my internship last summer I had trouble expressing my opinions and as a result I missed out on valuable experiences.

So far my job search progress has mainly consisted of working on my resume (to make it the best that it can possibly be) and researching a few companies and PR agencies in places I would consider living. It's hard to juggle school, work and job searching. I'm sure it will become more and more time consuming as the semester goes on and I get closer to graduation, but it's just one of those things you have to do. Besides, if I'm planning on becoming a PR professional I need to get used to a busy lifestyle.

This is Me

My name is Whitney and this is my first experience as a blogger. I'm a senior PR major at the University of Georgia. Since I'm graduating in May I am currently job searching amongst all of my other school and extra curricular tasks.

I created this blog as an assignment for my PR Campaigns class, which is the capstone course for public relations majors. In addition to this blogging project we will complete an entire PR campaign plan for a client throughout this semester in this course. I am the assistant account executive for my team and our client is the Home Depot Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting urban forestry and afforddable housing in communities.

I am also involved in a couple of other projects and organizations around campus. I am part of Creative Consultants, a student run PR firm. My team's client is the American Cancer Society and we are currently working to organize a skin cancer awareness campaign on campus. I am also on the PR Committee for Relay for Life and we are working to promote the Relay for Life event and all of the fundraisers that are connected with it. We are also working to do some fundraising of our own.

This post is just a brief overview of me and some of my activities. I plan to use this blog to discuss many aspects of PR as well as any relevant PR experience I encounter in my classes, activities and life in general.