Best Career's of 2011: PR Specialist

U.S. New's.com named Public Relations Specialist as one of the top 50 careers to havein 2011. Over the next decade, PR specialists are predicted to have a strong growth as well as succesful careers. According to the labor department, employement of PR is expected to increase by more than 66,000 jobs (24 percent) between 2008 and 2018. So, for everyone graduating within the next few years you have a very positive future. One of the most well known PR Specialist is Robert Gibb's press secretary for the President Barack Obama. "This is one job that demands confidence for success, and an extroverted personality doesnt hurt."

The article discusses the money, upward mobility, activity level, stress level, education and preparation as well as real advice from real people in the PR Specialist field. This article is a great brief of what to expect when working in the PR field. It gives a great overview and summary and I beleive it is very accurate.

The list also includes, accountant, financial advisor and sales manager.

usnews.com

The Importance of Opinion Leaders

While doing research for my Public Relations plan, I came across this interesting blog that discusses the importance of opinion leaders. Allie Tam, a guest blogger for an HIV campaign traveled to Madagascar to set up and HIV prevention project. Since her project is in Africa, she needs to understand the different laws, cultures and traditions so that she does not upset the locals. She must set up meetings with various opinion leaders such as Chef Region (the regional Chief), the government official responsible for overseeing all public activities,Chef Fokontanies in the 6 urban villages that we will be implementing the maternal HIV prevention project and many more. By speaking to these opinion leaders, Allie able to let them know how the project will work as to not interrupt their traditions and lifestyles.

"The Chefs will have a key role in the smooth running of the project, as they will support us identifying suitable women to attend our antenatal group and the launch of our project to the community."

"Our next visits will be to partner organizations to introduce the project and establish ways of supporting each other’s objectives, sharing information resources and monitoring data. Other meetings will be with the Presidents of the Women’s Associations that have been chosen to partake in our peer group educator training course and other health professionals such as local midwives, specialist doctors and sexual health workers that could assist with our training and service referral process."

"Activities cannot start until these courtesy visits have been paid and would cause an uncomfortable disruption to the traditions of fomba if they were. These visits can take time, but are vital to the overall success of any community-based project in south east Madagascar."

This article is a great example of what we have recently talked about in Prin/Prac class, Chapter 19 International Public Relations. The many challenges that one would face when working internationally such as languages, laws and culture.

Site: http://www.staying-alive.org/en/2010/10/azafady-opinion-leaders-needed/

Adidas PR in China

I came across this article that deals with public relations in China. I found it very interesting that so much of what we talk about in our PR classes is brought up not only in the real world but in other countries. Back in 1984 the Chinese Women’s Volleyball Team (CWVT) had great success at the Olympics, but since then has lost its popularity players performances decreased. Adidas is a CWVT sponsor and a partner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This PR plan aimed to make Chinese children ages 14 through 24 see volleyball again as an entertaining and exciting game. It was clear that digital media would be effective in reaching their target public because there are over 18 million high school students using the internet. Chinese youth is greatly influenced by star players and sports icons. The PR team decided to create an online blog which would create dialogue between star players and the fans. They also promoted viral films that made volleyball seem edgy and dangerous and there was also a volleyball chant competition that adidas sponsored which allowed for youth involvement. Research showed that the target audience increased by 16% in just a couple months. This was a successful campaign which furthered the point that networking and social media are crucial in the PR field.

http://www.ogilvypr.com/en/case-study/adidas

PR for the homeless

After reading the WashingtonPost today, I came across this story about a man who is homeless and uses facebook as a tool in his campaign to help others who are homeless as well. He posts links to articles about poverty and help for the disadvantaged, how to give during the holiday season, and other information he feels to be very helpful.

The article, though a bit lengthy for a news article, is a great read in how Eric Sheptock used facebook and twitter to be an advocate for homeless people. Though he has no official job title, I found him to be a great public relations advocate.

To read the article, click below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/12/AR2010121203509.html?sid=ST2010121203831

9 Reasons to Hire a Public Relations Firm

When searching through the Public Relations Forms website, I found this posting which I found to be very true. It discusses nine reasons why company's should hire a PR Firm.

9 Reasons to Hire a Public Relations Firm

1. Tweet Me

One of the reasons that public relations has been validated so emphatically by the business community is the rapidly evolving nature of communications itself.

In a word: Digital.

The “What” (information) may essentially be the same, but the “How” keeps changing. Companies today need a combination of communications counselor, navigator and interpreter to do it right.

Today’s public relations firms have the expertise and experience to help clients maximize social media platforms such as blogs, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and many more social media networks.

2. Ever Ready

Monitoring the conversations taking place about your company and preparedness to act on negative or potentially damaging news can be a daunting task along with one’s everyday job. Firms provide a critical perspective for their clients, keeping them abreast of all manner of news and chatter, advising them on the best ways to respond, or in some cases to simply listen.

The new tools/platforms, specifically the power of search engines, have also upped the ante when it comes to reputation. Consider the public relations implications of this quote, taken from a 2007 Wired article, “Google is not a search engine, but a reputation management system.” Others have posited that we are indeed moving from the Information Age to theReputation Age. A 2007 article in Business Week showed how public relations could effectively measure, and help support and guard, reputation.

The stakes have never been higher for companies that must perform in a virtual fishbowl. Public relations firms as an extension of the clients’ staff are ever ready to offer the kind of client service that achieves agreed-upon outcomes.

3. Objective Expertise: Today’s sophisticated public relations firms can offer a wide variety of specialized expertise – market intelligence that can be difficult to bring in house. Public relations firms are some of the specialized consultants that provide critical outside perspective.

From crisis managers to corporate reputation experts who know how to mitigate risk, today’s public relations firms objectively counsel all types of organizations across the full spectrum of communications programs.

Objectivity is an important part of providing smart public relations counsel. Businesses profit from having not only the expert advice of its public relations firm to call upon, but also their unvarnished and experienced outsiders’ perspective.

4. Stakeholder Engagement and Influence: Who you know is important, but so too is the “diplomacy of interaction.” Public Relations firms can significantly bolster a company’s ability to engage key stakeholders such as employees, online influencers, community leaders, shareholders and public officials, counsel that includes -- but goes far beyond -- how to speak to the media. And depending on need, many firms today have global reach.

Public relations firms excel in researching, identifying and communicating with the online and offline ‘influencers’ who are important to a business’s success.

5. Storytellers: Public relations firm have a legacy of integrating the voice of the customer into communications.. Voice of the customer (VOC) is an important concept today and PR practitioners are highly suited for gathering customer input and reflecting their stories in their true voices. Trained as professional advocates, the ability to persuade through clear explanation is at the top of the hierarchy of skills PR firms offer their clients, while also helping to identify the most appropriate spokesperson for the task.

“In all this clutter and fragmentation, it falls to public relations professionals to lead companies into this conversation between consumers, mainstream media, employees, analysts, investors, bloggers and competitors around brands.”

-- -- Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP (speech: “Public Relations: The Story Behind a Remarkable Renaissance,” IPR dinner, November, 2008)

Public relations firms provide their clients’ third party credibility from “earned” media – the classic strength of public relations vs. other marketing functions – is more highly valued as marketing noise increases, the credibility that public relations and editorial provide cuts through the clutter.

Agency personnel are expert content creators who author Web sites, speeches, bylines, position papers, op-eds, brochures, Q&As and, of course, press materials.

6. Creative Platforms: Whether it’s figuring out the most appropriate message to present to the media, or developing a comprehensive communications strategy, clients want the best idea, period.

Creativity often inspires and informs the communications strategies proposed by public relations firms. This flow naturally to the tactics implemented in public relations campaigns, such as events, web design, experiential marketing, collateral material, and the always-important media relations.

The “earned” media aspect of public relations – unlike the “paid for” placement of other marketing disciplines – has to meet a very high, built-in standard. It must pass through the skeptical filter of producers and reporters before it can reach the public. Producers, reporters and bloggers evaluate each public relations tactic and pitch, then decide whether it’s important, interesting and – ultimately – newsworthy to their audience.

That’s a very high bar. But it forces the public relations firm practitioner to continually hone the communications relevance of every marketing public relations campaign, public affairs initiative and crisis response.

7. Speed to Market: Public relations firms are built for speed and are conditioned to work in the 24/7 Information Age. Just as they were configured to work with traditional media’s deadlines and requirements back in the day, today’s firms have incorporated the ethos – and the dialect - of the digital age into their workplace culture.

8. It makes financial sense: In relationship to the cost of doing business, public relations is extremely cost effective. For organizations to develop in-house specialization, the cost can be prohibitively expensive; firms which represent a myriad of client industries, geographies and cultures are able cross-pollinate ideas providing richer thinking that can be tapped as needed. Public relations firms are also able to provide peak-load capacity, which can scale up or down as programs ebb and flow.

9. The risk of inaction: The market has never been more fluid, information has never moved so fast, nor reached so many people who form and test their perceptions more quickly than ever. When it comes to communications in general, and implementing a public relations strategy specifically, doing nothing is often not an option for any serious business or organization. Today’s public relations firms work at the highest level of strategic consultation throughout the organization down to the critical ‘tactical’ work in the trenches and online, making sure the client is prepared and competitive.

All of these reasons go straight to what is using in a successful PR campaign. In most campaigns you need to be put your information in the digital world to get a larger audience engaged. You need objectives that you know are timely, attainable, ambitious, and with a goal attached. You need to be able to voice your campaign. You need creative platforms/tactics in disseminating the campaign. Are you need to do all of this in a timely manor (aka creating a calendar with dates that you will execute your campaign)

Should Shape have apologized?

Roughly a month ago, Shape Magazine was highly criticized for placing a 'homewrecker' on the cover of their magazine.Country singer LeAnn Rimes was the cover of the October issue just months after the media discovered her affair with married actor Eddie Cibrian.

After receiving complaints from people who were subscribed to the magazine, editor-in-chief Valerie Latona issued an apology email to those who complained. Part of the email read as follows:

“You are all in good company (why I’m emailing you all together) as you all agree Shape has made a terrible mistake in putting LeAnn Rimes on the cover,” ... “Please know that putting her on the cover was not meant to put a husband-stealer on a pedestal – but to show (through her story) how we are all human."

The article was meant to read as how working out strongly helped LeAnne Rimes get through a tough time in her life. Isn't that what the magazine is about? Using working out as an answer in living a healthy life style? With this in mind, I feel as though the editor-in-chief should not have apologized. They did no wrong in publishing a story about how someone enjoyed working out.

Or maybe a better solution was to think this all through BEFORE running/publishing the story.....Maybe then Shape magazine wouldn't have found themselves in a PR CRISIS.

The Importance of Public Relations

Recently in my Mass Comm Theory class there was a debate between some students of whether or not Public Relations is necessary. One side of the argument was that people/organizations should be able to speak for themselves and take responsibility for their own actions. One student believed that the PR field will not be around in the future.

During this debate I was reminded of a lawyer in a court case. If PR is not useful/appropriate it could be argued that lawyers are doing the same thing only in a different scenario.

PR is important for many reasons. For one thing, not everybody is able to communicate with the public effectively. A PR professional accomplishes their primary objective when they successfully create, change, or reinforce opinion through persuasion.

Not only are communication skills important, but PR professionals have to be able to manage, market, and control individuals and organizations.

If anything, I think the PR field will continue to grow in the future because there are so many different aspects involved and a variety of job opportunities to choose from.

How to Neogiate during a Job Interview

In yesterdays case studies class we learned some invaluable tips about how to neogiate during a job interview to make sure you get the most out of your job and salary. Professor Shelton covered some of the basics that any college student should know when going on the hunt for their very first job.

• First and foremost everyone always wants to know is how much should they expect to make and what to say to that question if an employer asks how much do you expect to make? $35,000 is the average first year salary that a college graduate in PR should expect to make. Now if an employer ever asks you the question " How much do you want to make" Professor Shelton gave us some invaluable advice never answer it, or say neogotiable, but do not give a actual amount.


• We also discussed what a 401K is. We learned that is it important to know what your benefits are and whether or not the company offers a 401K retirement plan is. The best plan is one that matches you. For example if you put 5% of your paycheck into your retirement plan and then your company does the same so therefore 10% of your money is really going into the plan. You also, want to know whether or not your plan is vested and when does it become vested. Majority of companies become vested after one year which means that after one year the money in your fund is yours.


• It is important that you also ask how often do you get paid because there are several different ways that a company can pay whether it be biweekly, bimonthly, monthly, etc. Looking at the package that they offer you is important as well. The package is the number of days off, number of vacation days and sick days. Also, do they roll over and can you bank them or at the end of the year do you lose what days you do not use.

• Lastly, you need to look into the health care package they are offering and whether or not you are going to opt into this plan. When looking at the health care package you need to see what your premiums and deductibles/co pays are going to be. This is important to understand because part of you health care costs will be left up to you majority of companies do not cover all of your insurance. Therefore, the remaining costs are deducted out of you salary before you even receive your paycheck. In addition you will want to know when your benefits will kick in and what are their offers for vision and dental. An important note is if they offer the dental you want to take the dental.

Remember these are only the basics you want to remember when in that job interview, it is still important to go and do your own research and make a list of the questions that you want answered during the interview.

In Family Court, a Reckoning for Gibson's Erratic Career

In the recent article, In Family Court, a Reckoning for Gibson's Erratic Career, the NYTimes discussed the future of Mel Gibson's career.. That is, if he even has one.

For those of you who are unaware, Mel Gibson was recently dropped by his agency and banished from appearing in an upcoming movie "The Hangover Part II" because of recordings that emerged on the web of him ranting in racist terms at his wife, Ms. Grigorieva.

But my only question is, what do these allegations have to do with his ability to produce films or star in movies?

Taking his career into account, let's rewind to movies such as "Braveheart", "A Passion of the Christ", and "Leathal Weapon". All of these films were directed by Mel Gibson. Would these films have been any less successful had they been produced today after the allegations of his wife? I do not believe so.

Mel Gibson, who is now in family court fighting for legal rights for his year old daughter now has to defend himself to a family law judge who has more power than he may believe. The film industry seems to be waiting on the legal system's decision of Mel Gibson before releasing two films he stars in. Being safe much?

The media has decided because he is on trial with his wife, his career and ability to produce films should be on trial as well. Now, does that seem very fair? You decide.

Press Agent Ronni Chasen Murdered

So maybe I didn't know the full story of what happened when I discussed this in class Friday, but I wasn't too far from the truth.

Early Tuesday morning, November 16, Press Agent Ronni Chasen (left) was shot five times in the chest while driving, crashing her Mercedes-Benz into a pole. It is assumed she was on her way home from the premier of Burlesque in LA.

Bryan Alexander and Lindsay Powers of Hollywoodreporter.com report:

A Beverly Hills Police spokesperson tells THR: "On November 16th 2010 at approximately 12:28 a.m. Beverly Hills police officers received info regarding shots that were heard in the area of Sunset and Whittier, shortly after a collision was reported in the same area. Units arrived and discovered a newer black Mercedes Benz E-350 involved in a solo crash to the light pole. The lone female occupant was located in the vehicle with apparent multiple gunshot wounds to her chest. Beverly Hills paramedics transported the victim to a local hospital where she was later pronounced deceased. The investigation is in the preliminary stages and no further information is available at this time. At this time there is no suspect, info or motive for this crime."

In 1993 Chasen was named senior vice president of worldwide publicity at MGM. She also worked for Rogers & Cowans.

For the full story, click here.

I was shocked when I saw this story covered for a few minutes on the 11 oclock news the other night.

It's a scary world out there...its darkness seeps through, even through the brightest stars of Hollywood.

Pawtucket Red Sox Internships!

The Pawtucket Red Sox, Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, are currently in search of 6-7 interns to begin work in January/February 2011. These internships are designed to offer marketing/Public relations students the opportunity to garner significant experience with a premier minor league baseball team by managing a public outreach campaign from January – May 2011. For more information check out full details by clicking HERE or visit RWU Hawks Hunt Job ID#5708. APPLICATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 29TH!!

Young Professionals need to Develop Credibility and Influence in Social Media

I learn in school constantly about being an active consumer of media and participating in the use of social media by using Facebook, Twitter and blogging about what I am reading and learning that is occurring in the news and in the PR realm. My Professor constantly tells us to be consumers of the media to build credibility for ourselves and show that we are active social media users.

In a recent article I read on ComPRhension, they discussed the importance of knowing social media as a young professional, especially given that many PR professionals now have been thrown social media and are trying to grasps its use and importance for their clients, without having the knowledge of which sites are more popular for their target publics and what social media should be used for.

Yet, the other side is simply this despite young professionals grasp on social media some of the old standard rules still apply, this is that quite simply that you need to develop credibility and influence. Developing this can be as simple as retweeting tweets because it is important to maintain the idea of two-way communication in social media just like within traditional media. According to the article only 1 in every 300 Tweets are retweeted. Now if you look at the number of people on Twitter that number does not seem so bad, but the simple fact is as young professionals we need to make sure that we are engaging and forming those relationships now with credible journalists and media outlets.

It is important to remember just having a lot of followers does not matter it is the content of the information that you are putting out their and who is recognizing that. This is what will get you notice in social media by journalist not your number of followers. In short it is the social media in the PR world use the same concept as with traditional media maintaining credibility and understanding the news will help you develop influence and respect.

Taking Command of Your Messages-Greg Radner

Looking on PRSA.org, I found this article regarding the DC conference this year and message control. It's an interesting account by Greg Radner, head, PR Services, Thomson Reuters. This short article is applies to what Comm 300 is learning now - developing and delivering messages.

With more than 30 sessions related to social media management at this year’s PRSA 2010 International Conference in D.C., it is clear that figuring out social technologies is a priority for public relations professionals, even if it takes them out of their comfort zone. Public relations is about controlling your message, but trying to take control in a communal environment is often a losing battle.

The Conference provided a perfect case study when Mickey Mouse made a surprise appearance to promote next year’s Conference location of Orlando, FL. Shortly after the session, an e-mail was distributed to the PRSA blogging crew asking us not to use images of Mickey in our blog posts. It was to prevent unauthorized commercial use of the image, but it got me thinking about control of content in the age of real-time news. Armed with cell phone cameras, images of Mickey had already been shared through Twitter and other social networks across the Web by many of the non-blogging attendees.

As Charlene Li suggested in her Tuesday morning keynote address, PR professionals need to learn how to “give up control but still be in command.” To that point, I spoke with many attendees who stopped by the Thomson Reuters booth with questions on how they can better manage the monitoring and measurement of their communications once they are released into the marketplace. It’s an issue that is top of mind across the industry, and the exhibit hall was filled with providers offering solutions to help address this need.

Today’s tools allow PR professionals to listen to and participate in the conversation, rather than trying to tame the message. Here, knowledge is power and the social sphere provides a rich river of gold. These tools allow for real-time monitoring of the online conversation and employ measurement tools that can extract market sentiment and opinions from the discussions. So, while you cannot always control the message, you can listen in on how your message is being received and use that information to respond as necessary.

There’s a rich vein of information out there, so get out your tools and start mining it.

While I wasn't at the DC Conference, I'm curious to find out if those who were there thought about the use of Mickey Mouse to promote next years conference. Did you think of the implications of distributing Mickey Mouse's trademark across social networking platforms? In a world where everything exciting, new, fun, engaging, etc. is immediately shared via texts, blogs, tweets, status updates, messages, and other outlets, I think it's quite the task to share a message while hoping it's imagery or logos to not be subsequently reproduced. Mickey Mouse had no choice but to be subjected to picture-taking. Almost every technological device can capture an image - phones, computers, cameras - is it realistic to expect people not to share his surprise arrival? If there is anything to come away with from this experience, it's from Charlene Li's aforementioned keynote address:

"PR professionals need to learn how to “give up control but still be in command.”

Kik, The New AIM for Smartphones

First, there was AIM, ADIDO and Yahoo!Messenger then we had Myspace. iChat and Skype came along with the inventions of the webcam. Now we all Skype, iChat, Google chat and use Facebook online to interact with our peers, families, friends and professionals. Now there is Kik Messenger is this just a fad or the next big thing like AIM was or Skype is.

Now what is Kik messenger, it is free-real time text messenger. Now it allows you to create a screen name or a username, depending on what you like to call it and chat back and forth between your friends on cell phones. Yet what makes it any different than texting between you and your friends? It is suppose to be quicker and more social than traditional SMS texting. Kik currently supports the Blackberry, Android, and iPhone.

It is apparently a fad that is quickly catching on Kik has had to upgrade their servers to handle the amount of people downloading their new application twice now. They ended up with a million users in just 15 days. Now as you log onto Facebook you see your friends updating their statuses with their Kik usernames. It is safe to say the only real determining factor of the success of Kik is how long will it last or will it just disappear when the next app for the smartphone comes out.

Networking 101

Some interesting information I found on the PRSSA job center page about the myths and truths about networking.

What is it?

A supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.

What can people do for you?

• Offer you a job/internship, now or in the future.
• Introduce you to someone else who is hiring.
• Give you information about other companies/agencies that have openings.
  

Myths and Realities

Myth: You should only network with people who can help you get a job.

Reality: Don't set limits-think broadly-people may know someone else who can help you get a job or internship.

Myth: You need to know the "right" people to network effectively.

Reality: It's up to YOU to create the connections that will eventually help you.

Myth: Strangers resent you asking for help with your job/internship search.

Reality: If you approach people properly and make reasonable requests, they will most likely help.

Create a Network List of Contacts

Think of your list in the shape of a pyramid, broken down into levels.

Level One
These are people you are comfortable approaching for names and other requests. These are your friends, neighbors and relatives with whom you have regular contact. This level consists of about 10-15 people.

Level Two
These are your colleagues and acquaintances that you see occasionally. These people know you and are willing to help you-you may deal with them on a professional level (i.e. your doctor).

Level Three
This is the toughest level. These are strangers-people you have yet to meet. You have heard about them from someone in level one or two, or you found his/her name in a directory (i.e. The Blue Book) or a newspaper.

Now that you have organized your networking contacts into levels, it's time to put them into a database.

Network Database

This should include:

• Name
  
• Title
  
• Company
  
• Business address
  
• Home address
  
• Phone number
  
• Fax number
  
• E-mail address
  

It would also be helpful for you to explain:

• Nature of this connection (i.e. met at PRSSA National Conference Career Expo)
  
• Names of other people or companies they gave you
  
• Priority-how valuable is this person to you?
  
• Comments-record meetings you may have had, any letters you may have sent, etc.
  

Example

Here is an example of what you can say to a potential network contact:

"Hi, my name is_______ and I got your name from _________. For the past ____ years I have been studying at _______. During that time I've had the opportunity to develop my PR skills in the areas of ________. I will be graduating in ________ and am looking for _______.

Be articulate, speak naturally and have confidence.