One Tip to Scoring Your First Job

As this semester comes to an end, I have a lot to look forward to in the weeks to come. This semester has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get to where I am today. One of the most rewarding semesters has led me to know more about my future career in public relations as well as graduation.

            As I step into the next phase of my life, I already know the difficulty of finding a job in any career field. Thanks to PR daily, I now know how to better my chances of getting into my career field of choice. One of the many things my professors have told me to do while looking and applying for jobs is to network in order to get my foot in the door, and that is one of the few tips PR Daily has stated in this article.

            Networking is one of the most important things a public relations professional should have under their belt before entering their career. It is also important to network in order to find a job. While networking can be a challenge for some, it is important to be confident while meeting new people. Showing that you have confidence in who you are makes others feel they can be confident in referring you to a position at their place of work.

            It’s not all about the people you meet; it’s also about how you maintain those relationships over time. No matter if you’re in a job now or searching for one, keeping the relationships you have made can be beneficial in the future. I like to think about the importance of networking and relationships with others for jobs, as being just as important it is to network and maintain a relationship with a reporter in our careers as public relations consultants. If you happen to quit your job, but you’ve maintained a relationship with a reporter, that relationship may transfer over to the next job you get.

            Applying to jobs now is much more of a networking game than it used to be. No one should rely on sending a resume and a cover letter in over the Internet hoping to gain an interview. According to my nonprofit’s professor, companies receive one hundred to a thousand resumes for just one job opening. It’s important to stand out from the crowd with an impeccable cover letter and resume, but it’s more beneficial if you have a connection within the company because it is more likely you will receive an interview.

            As I have been thinking about putting my resume and cover letter out there, I should remind myself that I am not alone in this process. Many of us have large support systems that may be able to help us network with someone who can steer us in the correct direction in finding our first job. So take time to meet up with a professor who may have information on people who are looking for students to fill a new position at their company. Professors are a great start in networking. Act as if the professor is your reporter that you want to take with you into your next career move, they may be able to help you out more than you know.    

Becoming More Ethical Over Time J:4470

Prior to my ethics class this semester, I was unaware how my morals and values could transfer into my career in public relations. Throughout the class, it became clearer to me about how to act ethically in a sticky situation and how to apply my morals and values to my career.

In a world where many see the media as unethical, this class has taught me how to make better decisions to change how the public views our work. On the first day of class, my professor asked us to question what value we believed was most important to us. I found that there is no right answer to this question and that all values are important in making ethical decisions in our careers as advertisers and public relations consultants. I also found that when everyone has a different moral code, it can sometimes be hard to come to a decision on what is right or wrong in a difficult situation.

Throughout the class, we learned how to apply classical ethical theories to sticky situations that corporations faced throughout the years. We closely analyzed how each decision that a corporation made was either ethical or not. By applying these ethical theories to these cases, I began to learn how to apply ethical theories to my future career as a public relations consultant. Not only did it teach me how to apply ethical theories in the work place, but it also taught me how to work cohesively within a group. Working within a group made it tough to agree on what ethical theories applied where sometimes, but it was fun trying to come to an agreement that everyone was okay with.

Not only did this class teach us how to become more ethical in our decisions, we were also pushed to become better writers. Every lesson on the correct usage of  “they’re”, “their”, and “there” will stick with me as I grow to become a better writer in my career. Not only will this lesson stick with me forever, but so will all of my professors little tricks for using apostrophes correctly. I will never forget the day my group received a zero for using an apostrophe incorrectly. In order to make up for it, she actually made us write a professional apology, as we might have to do if we make a major mistake with a client in the future. It was a great learning experience for my group and me.

As I entered this class four months ago, I was fearful of my professor. I had heard so many rumors that she was a tough grader and hard to please. I always found myself trying harder to get her approval, and for that I am also thankful because she pushed me to become a more thorough writer over time. I also thought that ethics would be boring, but she made it interesting by applying things we were actually interested in. Her ongoing joke throughout the semester was, “I can only keep this class interested if we’re talking about food or sex.” It’s funny to think college kids can only focus in a class when these two things are applied, but it’s true. I believe it’s important to apply humor to subjects that would otherwise be dry and boring. By making the class fun and interesting, this semester flew by. I truly had a great time in our ethics class and will always try to apply the things I’ve learned to my future career and my life. 

How to Reach One Million J:4460

Recently, the Humane Society of America’s Facebook page reached 1,000,000 “likes”. According to an article on the PR Daily’s website, the Humane Society hit 1,000,000 “likes” in November, four years after the launch of the Facebook page. There is a lot that can be learned from such a successful story.

            It’s important for every organization and company to have a social media presence, but it’s even more important how they use their online presence to their advantage. Utilizing every aspect of a social media site is also important. I will use Facebook and Twitter for my examples of using social media sites correctly for organizations and companies.

            There are many ways to keep followers and friends engaged using Twitter and Facebook. According to the Humane Society’s success story about reaching 1,000,000 “likes”, they constantly kept their followers in the know. The Humane Society would comment back to users’ comments on their page or they would post information or inspirational stories to their Facebook page to keep their followers interested.

            In a world where people have the choice to “friend” or “defriend” you, it is important to keep them interested in what you have to say on your Facebook and Twitter pages. One example of a poor use of Facebook is when three people walked onto a balcony in an apartment complex in Denton and it fell to the ground. Many people tried using the complex’s Facebook page to gather information about what had happened. Instead of using the opportunity to respond to their concerned “friends”, they deleted their Facebook page. This caused uproar of concern from the residents of the apartment complex who had questions that were never answered. The apartment complex had the right to pull down the page, but they should have considered rebuilding their reputation with their followers before pulling the site down.

Here are a few tips for organizations/companies to keep in mind to keep their Facebook users and Twitter followers engaged.

1. If a user asks/comments on the organization’s Facebook page, comment back even if it is just to say “Thank you.” Users’ appreciate businesses more if they make their Facebook pages personal.
2. Place photos/videos on the Facebook page. Studies have shown that video’s engage users 6 times more than a text status.
3. I have learned recently there are three appeals to use when trying to persuade a person to do something, whether it be “liking” a Facebook page or asking a person to donate money. The three appeals are: Ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos is using credibility to persuade a user to do something. Pathos is using an emotional appeal to persuade someone to do something. Logos is the use of logic to persuade someone to do something. In order to engage users, use these three appeals to gain their attention on an organization’s/company’s Facebook or Twitter page.

It is always important to continuously engage users to gain their “likes” or “follows”. They are more likely to use the products an organization or company has if they feel the company is more personal. Every organization has the opportunity to be as successful as The Humane Society of America if they follow these tips while using social media sites. 

Privacy and Libel in Social Media j:4470

Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn can offer great coverage for organizations and companies worldwide. They not only offer exposure for these outlets, they also offer great publicity and capabilities for the little man like you and me.

            Unfortunately, in this day and age where everything can be found on the Internet, social media sites need to be careful about how they use personal information to gain a profit. I recently watched a show from MSNBC called “The Facebook Obsession”. It discussed everything from how people can meet their long-lost family members to how advertisers use Facebook to gather information to better reach their target audiences.

            Five years ago, I had no idea Facebook would be able to do the things it can today. I also had no qualms about inputting my personal information onto a website where I believed all of my information could be set to private. Years ago, Facebook was a closed site and only people using the website could find you. You could also hide yourself from other users if you wished. Now, Facebook has collaborated with advertisers to allow them to find their target audiences more easily. 

            Since the start of the site in 2004, Facebook has been caught a number of times breaching the privacy of their users. The most recent was in October of 2010 when they released statements acknowledging that they had breached their users privacy. For a website that has such a large amount of users’ personal information, they should know better. According to an article written by The Wall Street Journal, Facebook’s ability to give advertisers its users’ information was a breach of the users’ privacy. Internet tracking companies were even finding people who had placed their privacy settings on high.

            According to the show, “The Facebook Obsession”, advertisers can type in information for an ideal consumer and Facebook will show them who would most likely purchase the advertiser’s product. Once the advertiser has selected the ideal target market, the advertisement they choose will go directly to the targeted consumer’s Facebook page. Of course users have the right to choose whether or not they click on the ad, but the fact advertisers have this capability is wrong.

            Not only is privacy an issue with social media sites, libel is a problem as well. According to my ethics class, libel is defamation of an individual. “A defamatory statement is one that holds a person up to public hatred, ridicule, or scorn” and is usually written. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are vulnerable to allowing people to defame others because these sites have status and comment capabilities. In an article from the New York Times, a small town in Missouri resorted to using a website to discuss people’s personal business. Apparently, the website was clamored with negative posts from an anonymous source about the citizens of the small town. Although the posts were meant to cause harm to those they were intended for, not all defamatory statements are written to cause harm. Sometimes cruel things can be said about a person, but the writer may not intend to harm the person’s reputation. Unfortunately, even if one doesn’t mean to cause harm to another, the repercussions can be damaging.

            One teacher lost her job for using Facebook to complain about how much she disliked working for the school district she was apart of. According to the episode, “The Facebook Obsession”, she had no idea how the school found out about her complaints. In a world where everyone thinks what they have to say is important or funny, Facebook can be a terrible place to write personal opinions. I always remember my mom telling me, “words will come back to get you in the end,” and now I truly believe her. Nothing is safe on the Internet and we should always be aware of that when we update our status or comment on a friend’s wall. 

Crisis Management is Possible j:4460

In the midst of the Penn State Scandal, many organizations are rethinking how they work with the media. The Second Mile, Jerry Sandusky’s organization, is reportedly close to shutting it’s doors for good. During this time, it is important they acknowledge the media’s questions and answer them truthfully in order for them to rebuild their reputation. This scandal has caused a major public relations crisis and has allowed future public relations consultants to learn how to work in similar situations when working for a nonprofit.

            In my recent nonprofits class, we learned many ways to react in a situation such as this. Here are a few tips that public relations consultants should keep in mind when dealing with their clients, both before a crisis even happens and during a crisis.

1.     Before a crisis, there should be a well-developed crisis management team that should include: an attorney, a spokesperson, and a public relations consultant

2.     As soon as the team has been developed, they should create a plan in case of an emergency. The plan should include the organizations policies, procedures and guidelines when it’s faced with a crisis.

3.     After appointing a spokesperson, someone should teach the spokesperson how to handle the media. They should also prepare the spokesperson with scenarios they may face when the organization is in trouble.

4.     During a crisis, the spokesperson should be the face of the organization. The spokesperson, again, should be aware of the organizations policies, procedures and guidelines when talking to the media.

5.     If an organization is faced with a scandal such as what is happening to The Second Mile, public relations consultants and the spokesperson should always be truthful and let the media know that they care for the victims affected by the situation.

As seen in many crisis situations, organizations and companies rarely express their care for the victims and, instead, blame them for the situation rather than taking the blame for the company. An example is the Firestone Tire/ Ford Explorer situation of 2000. During the crisis, both Firestone and Ford blamed the victims rather than themselves for the cause of the exploding tires and rollovers that occurred.

Public relations practitioners should always be prepared for a crisis to occur no matter for whom they are working with. Correct crisis management is possible. If a company or organization handles a situation and the media correctly from the beginning, a crisis can be avoided. An example of this is the contaminated Similac situation of 2010. Abbott Laboratories immediately recalled the affected product and took $100 million in lost revenue rather than avoiding the recall altogether and creating a scandal that could have damaged their reputation.

It has been seen many times where an organization or company does not handle a situation correctly and overall harms their reputation. As seen in the Penn State Scandal, the Second Mile may have to close their doors for not reacting to the situation when they first knew about Sandusky’s child abuse prior to the recent investigation. If they had let the media and the public know that they were aware of the situation and that they cared for the victims affected by the situation, they may have been able to keep their reputation as an organization that cares for children in need.  

Penn State’s Scandal: A PR Professionals Nightmare J:4460

On Saturday November 6, 2011, former coach of Penn State University, Jerry Sandusky, was arrested with charges of child abuse. For 15 years he molested and abused children. This was shocking to everyone, except for five men who had worked with Sandusky prior to his arrest. These five men include: Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Graham Spanier, Mike McQueary, and Joe Paterno.

According to the grand jury report, Mike McQueary witnessed Sandusky performing sexual acts on a ten-year-old boy in the shower at the Lasch Football Building. After McQueary witnessed the horrendous acts, he went to his father for advice. The next day McQueary divulged what he had seen to Coach Paterno. Paterno then went to Tim Curley, Penn State’s Athletic Director. A week went by and McQueary was asked to tell the Senior VP of Penn State, Gary Schultz, what he had seen in the locker room that evening.

The most shocking detail: All of these men who claim to be honest, never went to the police with what they knew. This of course backfired on them this past week. On November 7, 2011, both Tim Curley and Gary Schultz stepped down from their positions at Penn State University. After these two men stepped down President of Penn State, Graham Spanier, made a huge mistake by making this comment:

“The allegations about a former coach are troubling, and it is appropriate that they be investigated thoroughly. Protecting children requires the utmost vigilance.”

“With regard to the other presentments, I wish to say that Tim Curley and Gary Schultz have my unconditional support. I have known and worked daily with Tim and Gary for more than 16 year. I have complete confidence in how they have handled the allegations about a former University employee.”

            Spanier failed to make any mention of how terrible he felt for the victims of Sandusky’s fifteen-year rampage. The only thing that this statement tells me is that he cares for what happens to his friends at this time, which is terrible for a president of a university’s image. As a public relations professional in the making, I would have recommended that he showed support for the victims and that Penn State was deeply sorry for what had been happening to them throughout the years.

            On Wednesday November 9, 2011 all hell broke loose at Penn State University. Both Joe Paterno and Graham Spanier were fired from their positions at Penn State. Many students were upset because of Joe Paterno’s firing and caused a riot on the Penn State campus. I believe that both of these men had it coming to them. As of this moment, no one really knows what Paterno knew after McQueary brought the disturbing news of Sandusky’s dealings that night. As for Spanier, after making that distasteful comment and sticking with his friends instead of showing sympathy for the victims, he had it coming to him. McQueary was the last to be asked to resign from his position at Penn State University as of today.  

            As a public relations professional in the making, I would have to agree with the board of trustees for firing all of these men. They knew too much and did far too little to get the ball rolling on sending Sandusky to prison years ago. If they had done the right thing and had alerted the authorities when they had a chance, they might still have their jobs today.

Sources:

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/9978.aspx

http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment-1.pdf

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/07/tim-curley-george-schultz-penn-state-abuse-scandal-resign_n_1079093.html 

The Ethics and Values of Public Relations J:4470

On the first day of class, my professor handed out an in-class assignment listing a multitude of values. Each classmate was asked to circle ten values they felt were the most important to them. After our ten values were circled, the professor then asked us to scratch out five, then 3, and then 1. As each of the values I felt were most important to me were being deduced down to one, it became morally harder to make a decision on which value I cherished the most about myself. The values of integrity, honesty, and loyalty were the hardest to scratch off the list. I finally reduced my moral code down to a single word: Self-respect. This word rang true to everything I prided myself to be. Everything I do, I try to respect myself in all decisions I make on a daily basis.

As a public relations professional in the making, I know that I will face ethical dilemmas in the work place and I know I will try and respect myself as I make the ethically correct decision for each one I face. I will not only take self-respect with me wherever I go, I will also stay tried and true to the PRSA Code of Ethics. There are three values that I will also try and carry with me throughout my professional career: Honesty, loyalty, and independence.

The PRSA Code of Ethics states honesty as “adhering to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public.” I believe “honesty is the best policy” to adhere to in any workplace. When working with clients to disseminate their message to the public, public relations professionals must always ask themselves if they are being honest in all aspects of their work, including their portrayal of the client to the public.

Loyalty and self-respect go hand-in-hand when it comes to my set of morals and values. It is also on the PRSA Code of Ethics statement of professional values. It states loyalty as being “faithful to those we represent, while honoring our obligation to serve the public interest.” It will always be in the best interest of public relations professionals to be loyal to their client as well as the consumer of the material they provide. Without loyalty to our clients, there would be no loyalty from the public. Our best interest is always the interest of our clients, and staying true to them is the only way to go.

I have always thought myself to be a strong and independent woman. I have always taken the fall for my wrong-doings and will continue to do so in my career. It doesn’t surprise me that the PRSA Code of Ethics takes independence into account as a professional value either. It states independence as “providing objective counsel to those we represent” and being “accountable for our actions.” Public relations professionals should always strive for being accountable. If a public relations consultant finds himself or herself in a bind, it is always important for them to remember that they are accountable for all that they do. Although we may work together as a team, every individual is accountable for their actions and should never forget this as they work hard for their clients and employers.

Alongside these values, there are principles that I identify with as well. As one must be honest, loyal, and accountable, they must also build trust with the public. Under the PRSA Code of Provisions it states that it is important to disclose information. The core principle states “open communication fosters informed decision making in a democratic society.” The intent is “to build trust with the public by revealing all information needed for responsible decision making.” It is always important to be honest and truthful in order to build public trust. Without the trust of the public, clients would not have consumers to serve and we, as public relations professionals, wouldn’t have clients to serve. This never-ending cycle would be detrimental to all parties involved. I will always remain truthful and honest in everything I write and distribute to the public. The public can be harsh, but as long as clients and public relations professionals disclose all information to the public it will build a lifetime of trust no one can afford to lose.

It is important for me to be loyal, honest, and accountable in all aspects of my life. If I am being loyal and honest to my friends, I will build their trust and have them for a lifetime. These embedded morals and values will always be with me throughout my career as well. I want to treat my clients with loyalty and honesty and build their trust in me as a public relations professional. I also believe in being honest and loyal to myself, and if I lie in my career I am only harming my respect for myself. 

What Future Public Relations Consultants Really Need to Know J:4460

Four years ago when I stepped into the public relations major at the University of North Texas, I had no idea what I was getting in to. During my first public relations class, my professor asked us what we thought of when we entered into our major. He jokingly taunted us with our thoughts of Samantha Jones from Sex and the City as our image of what public relations professionals do. To be honest, I thought I was walking into a career filled with fabulous parties and scandal. Boy, was I wrong.

Today, I am well aware that Samantha Jones was a hysterical caricature of a public relations professional gone wrong. As public relations consultants, we deal with parties and scandal, but in a whole different light than what Samantha Jones made it out to be. When I walked into that class four years ago, I was innocent to what a press release was or what public relations even was. Now I know every aspect of a press release and then some. So here are a few tips for those of you interested in public relations because of the faulty ideas the media has put into your heads.

1) If you continuously think the media is lying to you, you’re wrong. A public relations professional takes time to research and fact check every press release or story they give to a reporter before it is ever released to the public.

2) If you are continuously grammatically incorrect, pick up an AP Stylebook and read it cover to cover until you get it right. I’ve heard it too many times from my professors about the mistake of using “their” when “they’re” or “there” was needed. Get it right the first time and you won’t get a headache from all of red lines on your papers yelling at you about the difference of each.  Once you get into the real world, your client or employer might release from a project over such a mix up.

3) Learn what a communications plan is. Learn the difference between a tactic, strategy, and objective. I have recently been searching the Internet for a job and this is one of the many requirements under the job title and of great importance to future clientele. 

4) If you think Facebook is a place to fool around and meet friends, you’re right on some level (but not really). Get in the habit of being professional in your statuses and profile pictures. Public relations professionals use each social media outlet for professional purposes with all of their clients. Clients do not want a status that hasn’t been premeditated with all of the correct punctuation and spelling. This goes back to the AP Stylebook. Read it and weep. The AP Stylebook will be a major part of your life as a writer in the public relations field.

5) If you don’t like people than this is the wrong field for you. As a public relations consultant, you will deal with the likes of many different personalities and characters in your day-to-day career. Relationships and networking is key when it comes to being a public relations professional. Without relationships with journalists or your clients, you are doomed to fail.

Samantha Jones is an awesome character for a television show, but don’t walk in to your first public relations class thinking you’re going to be the next her. This is not a profession that is laughable. As public relations professionals, we take serious pride in what we do for our clients. It is important that you understand that before anything else. 

The Tactic a PR Professional Should Never Fear J:4460

In a world where journalists rely on public relations consultants for newsworthy stories, public relations consultants must build well-working relationships with reporters. Public relations consultants must use a multitude of strategies in order to actually do this. Sometimes public relations consultants do not do their due-diligence to build these connections, which can ultimately harm the news stories public relations consultants would like to provide to the public.

One of the strategies most public relations consultants fail to acknowledge is researching the reporter’s previous works. PR consultants must do this in order to know if a reporter would be interested in a possible story the public relations professional may have. If a public relations consultant calls a reporter with a story that the reporter doesn’t usually do work on, they could ultimately blacklist that public relations consultant. This would ultimately harm the client the public relations professional is doing work for.

Also, many public relations professionals fail to recognize the importance of getting to know the reporter. Public relations professionals must do this in order to build a well-rounded relationship with the reporter. Once a relationship with a reporter is made, the work of a public relations consultant can be made easier. If a reporter likes what the public relations consultant has to offer, sometimes the reporter will end up calling the public relations professional for more stories. In turn, this will bring better business to the client the public relations consultant works for.

There is one thing that many public relations consultants should always do: Never rely on an email to build a relationship with a reporter. If a public relations consultant has an awe-inspiring story about their client, they should 1) research the reporter thoroughly and 2) pick up the phone and actually make the connection with the reporter. Once the public relations consultant has contacted the reporter by phone, sometimes the reporter may have more questions about the story. The phone pitch is a very important tactic the public relations consultant must utilize and become comfortable with doing.

One of the biggest no-no’s in the field is calling a reporter or media outlet to check and see if they have received the press release that was sent through email. This is very frowned upon when trying to build a relationship with a reporter in the public relations field. It is quite obvious the media outlet or reporter has received the email, but if they do not feel that the story is for them then they’re obviously not going to follow up on the story. Public relations consultants should always start with who they are, which client they are working for, and what story they have for that reporter for the day. If the public relations consultant is thorough in pitching the story through email, they should have no problem pitching the story to the reporter over the phone.

If you think telephone pitching is not for you, then you have chosen the wrong field to work in. It is important to pick up the phone and make the initial connection with the reporter. Always remember to research the reporters work and always be prepared with the story you’re interested in pitching. Knowing all of the facts about the event or product will make pitching the story through the phone a much simpler task, rather than a hassle or something that you fear to do.

As public relations consultants, we rely on reporters to get our stories about our clients to the public. We should always be trying to network with them and always trying to build a deeper connection with them. 

The Differences Between Advertisers and PR Professionals J:4460

Recently, I have been asked to collaborate with advertising majors on a project for a class. This project consists mainly of a written assignment about advertisement flubs in the past. As I have been working closely with these advertising majors to write this assignment, I have noticed something very unsettling. These advertising majors are having issues writing a simple paper. So I’ve decided to wander into the differences between advertisers and public relations consultants.

Advertisers and public relations consultants alike must be able to get straight to the point when it comes to writing advertisements or press releases. Although, we both must get to the point immediately, advertisers have a different way of going about it. As I have noticed, each of my advertising group mates know how to get to the point but have no idea about how to expand on their thoughts.

Maybe it’s because advertisers write a brief amount of information about how a product works or what a product is, while public relations practitioners have to research a product and write something for a product’s launch. These are not the only differences between advertisers and public relations consultants.

We, as public relations consultants, have to get our clients free press, while advertisers have the budget to advertise anywhere they’d like. Our clients pay us to get them free press, while advertisers are paid by our clients to advertise their products as efficiently as possible. Advertisers also have the luxury to run their advertisements for as long as their budget will allow them to, while the media will only accept a press release once.

The media expect public relations consultants to have new material every time we want to publicize something, whether it’s an event or a press release about the advertisers new product. I believe it is because the media relies so heavily on advertising that they give advertisers so much leeway when it comes to their advertisements.

While public relations consultants have to be careful about how they promote a product or an event to the public, advertisers can use anything from puppies to sex to sell their products. This also delves heavily into the ethics and morals of the media. The media expects public relations professionals to give uncontroversial material, while advertisers can be as controversial as they’d like. If they’re advertisements stir controversy in a community, they may have to pull the ads but they will still profit off of the negative coverage that we as public relations professionals or journalists give them.

Throughout time, advertisers have been able to become more racy while us as public relations professionals have always had to stick to our ethical and moral values in a situation. Although advertisers are able to get by with scandal, we’re the ones who get to write about it. This is why we learn about how to delve more in depth into our stories and our work while advertisers are trying to cut to the chase without any explanation. They cut to the chase in their line of work to hook more people onto their products, while public relations professionals are pressed with questions about why the advertiser/client chose to do something a certain way. But I guess, without advertisers we wouldn’t have a line of work and without us there wouldn’t be someone to tell their story. 

The Youth of Today Will Always Affect Our Tomorrow J:4460

In an ever-changing world of technological advances, the public relations field has had to evolve with it. According to PRSA, public relations is defined as “help[ing] an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” (http://www.prsa.org/AboutPRSA/PublicRelationsDefined/) As our publics change their ways of educating themselves, we, as public relations consultants must stay tuned to how they are doing it.

            In a video released by Mashable as the Youtube Video of the Day, a one-year-old child plays with a magazine like it’s an iPad. (http://mashable.com/2011/10/13/baby-magazine-ipad/) Now you are wondering how this video involves us as public relations professionals. As the video shows, a child cannot discern a magazine from an electronic. This child is a representative of our future and how we must evolve to keep them (our publics) in the know.

Children today are more concerned with technology than ever before. This means that as public relations professionals we must change our ways of doing our job. Public relations tools are now converting to online rather than the customary tools that would have usually been sent through traditional mail. Newsletter’s can now be sent to our publics through their email address as opposed to traditional mail as it was in the past.

The ways in which we contact journalists and the media have also changed as technology continues to expand. Now, pitches and media releases can be sent to journalists and the media through e-mail as well, instead of faxing them to people on our client media list.

            Mailers and brochures, I feel are a thing in the past. They can help market our clients, but when everything is converting to online it doesn’t make much sense to use old marketing strategies to reach our publics. For example, if a person is interested in finding out more information about an organization they can visit the organizations website, rather than fiddling with traditional mailers or brochures that they receive in their mailbox.

            As technology continues to expand, there will be more ways of communicating with our publics than there are now. More and more magazines, newspapers, and books are converting from paper to online. As they continue to convert their products online, we will have to learn to convert our information to keep up with our publics as well. Today, we are focusing more on social media, online opinion editorials and newspapers, rather than the traditional methods public relations consultants used to employ. We have social media releases to reach our publics through outlets such as Facebook and Twitter as well as the traditional press release that we send to our contacts. We also have the ability to inform the media of our organizations events through email, rather than sticking to the traditional phone pitch.

            Throughout time, public relations consultants have had to continue to educate themselves on new technological advances in society. I believe that we will have to continue to learn how to inform our publics in this ever-expanding market. If our children are continuing to stray away from traditional media, our thoughts and practices are going to have to sway that way as well.

Steve Jobs: Inspiring Passion and Innovation Even After His Death J:4460

On Wednesday October 5, 2011, the world lost a creative genius and one of the best advertisers of our time. Steve Jobs, the brains behind Apple products such as the iPhone, iPad, and iTunes, suffered from pancreatic cancer for eight years. He could be considered the most known spokesperson on the planet to this day.

Although losing him is a sad time for Apple, there are some people out there benefiting from his death. One person created a malware page on Facebook soliciting to people ignorant enough to believe Apple would give away free iPads in memory of Steve Jobs death. Once the link was clicked, the person would be sent to a survey that they would have to complete in order to receive their free computer. According to All Facebook, 15,000 people completed the survey allowing the spammer to profit off of the death of Steve Jobs. (http://www.allfacebook.com/warning-facebook-malware-alludes-to-steve-jobs-2011-10)

It is not all unhappy news though. According to the online news site, Taxi, the news stirred emotions through blogs, tweets, and Facebook posts. The most astonishing news, there was a record of 10,000 tweets per second commemorating the creative genius. Not only were there a massive amount of tweets on Twitter feeds, there happened to be 13,284 blog posts about the breaking news of losing another creative and innovative mind. Let’s just consider that these numbers are growing by the day now. (http://www.designtaxi.com/news/350748/Steve-Jobs-Death-Breaks-Twitter-Record/?page=2)

Steve Jobs was a true inspiration to our generation. It has also been made clear that a great spokesperson can really define a brand. It is possible that without Steve Jobs there would be no Apple, which would have ruined the technological generation that we are today. He was truly passionate about what he was doing and has inspired many to go on and pursue their passions.

In the advertising/public relations world that we live in, we must take into account how huge brands define themselves and motivate our clients to do the same. We must encourage our clients that they must be passionate about what they are selling, because without passion no one will buy the product. Passion is not just something to motivate more sales for our clients; it’s also something that public relations consultants and advertisers must have. We must be able to find what we’re passionate about or else we can’t write the best content for our clients.

In a passionless world we must find our niche, grab onto it, and never let go. Steve Jobs has really put into perspective the importance of passion and desire to build something you truly believe in. The world has really lost someone who will never be forgotten, because his products will always be growing and making our generation into better people.  Steve Jobs was full of strength in order to be fighting cancer and still be able promoting a product he believed in. As advertisers, journalists, and public relations consultants, we need to find our strength to continue fighting for what we believe in and make an impact on the world just as Steve Jobs did into his last days. 

Maybe Hiding Your Money Under the Mattress Isn’t Such a Bad Idea After All J:4460

“Swipe…”

“Swipe…”

“Swipe…”

“Cha ching…”

“Cha ching…”

“Cha ching…”

What is that sound? It’s not only the sound of advertisers making money; it’s the sound of consumers swiping their debit cards at cash registers all over America. It will soon be the sound of Bank of America profiting off of users who make daily transactions with their debit cards monthly.

According to an article released by Reuters today, Bank of America will begin charging debit card users a monthly fee of $5 starting next year. (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/29/us-bankofamerica-debit-idUSTRE78S4GQ20110929) Isn’t there something wrong with that? Consumers who use their debit cards not only to spend money without using cash are now going to have to pay to use their cards for a fee? There has to be something wrong with that.

Honestly, I’m a Bank of America debit card user and I’m even worried about being charged a fee to use it. Why should I be charged for money to be used that I store in their bank? It’s egoism at its best! There is no way that this is in the best interest of their consumer.

According to the same Reuters article, banks are looking for a way to increase profits in the dead-end economy. It is not fair that consumers who stand by Bank of America are going to be charged for using plastic the bank has given them to access their money.

Consumers will feel the effects using the cards to purchase items from stores, but will not feel it if they choose to access money from a Bank of America ATM. So if Bank of America isn’t charging us to take our money out of the bank at ATM’s, why are they charging us a fee at all?

I believe that Bank of America will begin to feel consumer backlash when the fee is put into place at the beginning of next year. Consumers are not going to want to be charged to access their money in an economy where they barely can afford groceries or the light bill. Consumers also don’t want the inconvenience of going to an ATM every time they need to access their money.

Bank of America did not handle the release of this information well. According to the article, Bank of America is taking advantage of their consumers. The consumers had little to no say in whether or not a fee would be acceptable. Can you hear the crisis management team running to Bank of America’s side in this situation? I can guarantee you that as soon as consumers begin to hear about the fee, Bank of America will surely be at the hands of their crisis management team trying to find a way out of what they started.

As a public relations major and a Bank of America consumer, they did not handle this situation well in the slightest bit. They should have come to an agreement with their consumers before even thinking about placing a fee on the use of debit cards. If I were their public relations consultant or on their crisis management team, I wouldn’t be sleeping at night until what I felt was best for the consumer was happening.

As public relations consultants, things about our clients will be leaked to the public the same way that it happened with Bank of America now. We, as their link to the media and the consumer, are going to have to grab the reins and make it right for both the client and the consumer.

Banks shouldn’t be profiting off of their consumer, unless the consumer is taking a loan out or starting an account with them. As their costumers, we have the right to our money and we shouldn’t be at their hand to use it. In an economy like this, I can assure you Bank of America will be the one feeling the hurt more than a $5 fee is worth to them in the long run. 

Reebok’s Blunder is Another Man’s Ethical Treasure J:4470

Advertisers and public relations consultants are faced with ethical decision making everyday. This doesn’t mean that they make the best decision for the benefit of society when they are faced with the choice between right and wrong.

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that states a decision is made for the greater good of society; this creates most rules, regulations and laws that society abides by today. Most advertisers are held to these rules and regulations in order to be seen as honorary by society, but some advertisers do not obey this theory in order to make a profit.

When Reebok made the decision to create and sell shoes that were intended to benefit the consumer by giving them better looking legs, they did not think to make sure that this product actually did what it said it could do. According to the FTC, it was never proven that the EasyTone sneakers would actually provide consumers the results that Reebok claimed the shoes would give. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/28/reebok-settlement-toning-sneakers_n_985141.html)

With this case, we are able to see that Reebok didn’t abide by the rules and regulations set by the FTC to make sure that the product would produce the results that were supposed to be given to the consumer while wearing the shoe. Reebok ended up profiting off of their consumer, because the buyer believed the shoes would produce the results that Reebok said would happen upon purchasing their product.

It is here that we can say that Reebok was abiding by the theory of egoism. Egoism is the ethical theory that a decision is made for the benefit of one’s self-interest and not for the greater good of society. In this case, Reebok put the shoes on the market to make a profit, which benefited the company, and the decision they made was NOT for the greater good of society.

In the end, Reebok is paying for their decision big time. They have agreed to a $25 million settlement with their consumers. This is the part where the theory of utilitarianism is taking place. Reebok promised something to their consumer that was never proven true. The company believed it was in their best interest to keep their mouths shut to make millions off of their lies. It wasn’t until the FTC stepped in to shed light on Reebok’s blunder and give the consumers what they deserved, the truth. Now that Reebok is paying for their egotistical decision to make money instead of giving the consumer a solid product, they are doing what is best for the greater good of society and giving the money back to those who were disappointed in the product.

Everyone has a set of morals and values. When they step into the workplace those morals and values are occasionally left on the doorstep and decisions are made at the expense of the consumer. It is unfortunate that we have come into a society where there is no trust, when less than 50 years ago our grandparents were allowing the milkman to come into their houses and leave without stealing anything. Leave the door open in today’s society for the milkman and he’d probably steal our plasma TVs and our high-end computers without a second thought.

In ethics, we are to believe that everyone has their own moral code that they live by, but sometimes when I see how advertisers pull the wool over our eyes to make a profit I begin to question if this is true. We should be able to trust that the products that companies design are made in our best interest and not theirs. It is unfortunate that in our society today we cannot make our judgment of a service or product off of what the commercials advertise them to be. We have to wait until the FTC comes to our aid to open our eyes and see that we’ve been duped.

I honestly don’t think that I could morally produce a product that doesn’t do what I say it’s going to do. Our families don’t make dinner and say, “this is the best damn dinner you’re going to eat” and it winds up tasting like garbage, they mean it when they say it that they’ve produced an honor worthy product. I will not put my morals aside for any company that says to lie or deface our consumers, its just not ethically right. 

What does Hank Hill have to do with PR, god dangit? J:4460

Recently, in my journalism ethics class, we learned about the “Beech-Nut” scandal of 1982.  This case involved Beech-Nut, a company that distributed apple juice for babies to stores. During this case, Beech-Nut claimed that they stopped distributing apple juice to stores because they found out that the apple juice was really sugar water. Unfortunately, they did not remove all of the apple juice from the shelves of stores and were still profiting off of their mistake, which is obviously unethical.

During my regular Monday night routine, where all I watch is My 27, I came across a very familiar scene. Familiar in the sense that it sounded just like the Beech-Nut scandal of ’82. Which leads me to the show I was watching – King of the Hill from season 6 episode 16. This episode was titled Beer and Loathing.

Anyone who has ever seen an episode of King of the Hill is aware of Hank Hill’s favorite past-time: Drinking beer in the ally with the guys. During this episode, Peggy is hired on at Alamo’s beer factory and while she is there she begins to notice some very funny things happening. Of course, Peggy is one of the Espanola telemarketers hired on and is expected to speak to citizens of Mexico who have come in contact with Alamo Beer. Throughout the episode, Peggy begins to realize that something weird is going on with Alamo Beer in Mexico. (Apparently a little bit of soap seeped into the beer and was making everyone sick.) Like corporations in America today, and 20 years ago I might add, Alamo Beer’s CEO did not want to recall the product even after knowing that the product was not what they promised their consumers.

If this were a real suit, like the Beech-Nut case, everyone in charge of Alamo Beer who was aware of the situation would be going to jail. Of course, Peggy saves the day in the end of the episode when she sneaks the unsanitary beer into the CEO’s office and he gets sick from it. This, as usual, woke up the chairmen of the board and they recalled the entire product in both Mexico and the United States.

Now as unethical as it would have been to not recall the product, this is the time to ask what does this have to do with PR and the media? In cases such as these, what are the repercussions for the public relations consultant? And how are they supposed to react for their clients when put into a similar situation? As public relations specialists all know, we are supposed to defend our clients and their actions. Unfortunately, we are going to be faced with difficult situations and tough decisions are going to have to be made.

Again, as they are our clients, we do not have the right to be biased based on the decisions that they have made or towards the situations they have gotten themselves into. So what are we supposed to do when we’re faced with these situations? How do we inform the media about our clients’ idiotic decisions without threatening the organization or companies image? In times when we are faced with these difficult questions and decisions, we must think back to our roots. I’m talking about our journalistic roots and the ability to make moral and ethical decisions.

They (the company) need us (public relations consultants) to maintain strong heads as we face a terrified audience when we expose the companies’ wrong doings. They also need us to be able to organize a way to make it right, whether it is organizing a recall of a product or explaining what our organization is going to do for the consumers of the product to make sure that little to no harm is done towards the organization or our consumers. As PR consultants, we cannot run from everything our clients do wrong, and if we would, well lets be honest here, we wouldn’t be trying to become public relations consultants in the first place now would we? We need to do everything that is expected of us from our client, because that is what we promise to do (defend them) in times of crisis. 

Should Companies Profit Off of Negative Coverage? J:4460

Should Companies Profit Off of Negative Coverage?

In the media today, companies will do anything to get coverage of their products or services. Over the summer, Summers Eve released a series of advertisements that could have been considered racist. This eventually stirred up controversy with the users of their product. Although the ads were controversial and were eventually taken down, Summers Eve still received coverage because of the controversy that had arisen during the ads.

It is probable that even though the ads were controversial and had to be taken down that Summers Eve was still able to turnover product and make a profit from the negative coverage. The ads may have been raunchy, but Summers Eve still profited from the negative coverage of the product. How ethical is it that a company or an organization can promise that their product will do something that it won’t or target certain stereotypes in their advertisements? Sounds unethical to me.

In an article released by PRSA this past week, they discuss the “Ethical Perils of Paying for Positive Media Coverage.” (http://prsay.prsa.org/index.php/2011/09/13/paying-for-media-coverage/) But what happens when the company doesn’t have to pay for the coverage in the slight? Plenty of companies have made mistakes in their product launches and advertisements and still profited off of the negative spin. How ethical is it to be able to produce a controversial ad, have it taken out of the media, and still be able to profit off of their mistake? Could it be possible that companies brand their products in a negative way that they would turn over more product in doing so, rather than spinning the product in a positive light? I believe that it is very possible. 

As PR professionals, we must have the capability of stopping a client from advertising their product in a negative light. No one should profit off of a racist advertisement, even if they claim that they didn’t think that the ad was racist. As PR professionals, we are the link between our client and the consumer. Any negative coverage the client receives, we are the ones that has to spin it. Companies who do this do not realize that there are repercussions of releasing negative advertisements, even advertisements that promise to do something that the product will not do. If the client receives negative coverage, we, as public relations professionals, have to take the heat and defend the client.

Unfortunately, it is both public relations professionals and advertisers who must make the decision whether or not the advertisement or article that is about to be released is ethical. Clients expect us to be able to foresee whether or not an advertisement or news release will receive negative coverage or if the advertisement/news release could hurt the company’s image. We should be able to decide whether or not a certain race could be harmed by an advertisement or product release. We should also be able to make the decision of releasing the advertisement or product release if it is racy, raunchy, etc. Our clients deserve the best coverage, even if they could profit off of negative coverage. Come on guys, it just doesn’t look good for a company to have stereotypical or racist advertisements as their whole campaign. We, as public relations professionals, should have known better and said, “Hell no, I’m not going to write a product release on this stereotypical advertisement where people may be offended!”   

Animals in need, we're here to help! J:3410

Animals in need, we’re here to help!

Growing up in a household with different types of animals has given me the ability to care for things other than myself. We have housed anything from snakes to rabbits to cats to dogs. Growing up in this type of environment has made me very passionate about helping animals in need.

Currently we have two cats that we rescued from the shelters many years ago. During this time, I have grown a deep love for the animal shelters that rescue animals from euthanasia located in kill shelters. I have made it a point to go to the local Denton animal shelter weekly to play with the homeless cats and dogs, because each and everyone of them deserves love and attention.

The non-profit I am passionate about is the SPCA. This organization provides care and loving homes to animals in need. They also provide a place for spaying and neutering for cats and dogs to limit the spread of homeless animals.

Not only do they provide care and love to animals, they also provide programs and services to educate the public about the animals they adopt. These programs are beneficial to those who are about to bring in a new family member to their household.

In 2010, the local SPCA of Texas rescued 857 animals and adopted out 5,408 animals to loving homes. Also in 2010, they spayed and neutered over 16,000 animals. They also educated over 13,000 people with their education services.

When these animals have no one to care or look out for them, the SPCA and other shelters are there to find them loving homes. No animal should ever live in fear of their owners or should ever be thrown out into the streets. I feel that with the SPCA, someone is there to look out for those who are abandoned and need someone to care for them. 

Social Networking Inhibiting Our Ability to Live J:4460

Social Networking Inhibiting Our Ability to Live

It is truly amazing to me that the world of social media has changed everything. When I was a child I played outside with friends and spent time with my family, but now that social media has come along it has completely changed the importance of real socialization for younger generations including our own.

Anyone who owns a facebook or a twitter knows that they spend way too much time being consumed by what other people have to say on the Internet. It is highly frustrating to see that friendships have turned into things I’d like to call “Web-ships.” Web-ships are friends who only talk on the Internet, make promises to hang out, yet can never escape from the computer or phone applications long enough to actually do so.

I know social networks are important, but why are they? Does it grow one’s self-esteem to see that one person has commented on their page or mentioned them in a tweet? It’s a little sick to think that it might.

I get that without social media, we might not get to stay in touch with people we knew long ago, but isn’t it hazardous to stay in the past? Doesn’t this inhibit our abilities to actually socialize with real people face-to-face on a daily basis? I think this is a huge possibility. As a society, we’re so caught up with what our friends are doing on the Internet that we inhibit ourselves to actually get out there and do things ourselves, to meet new people, to actually experience new things.

Unfortunately, even if one is to leave the comfort of the Internet at home, they have the ability to tweet and facebook anywhere they’re located by using their cell phones. I continuously see friends at social gatherings texting, tweeting, and facebooking to their hearts content. Some stand in corners to go back to the comfort of their Internet web-ships while all of their friends sit around mingling. I can’t even count the numerous times I’ve been invited to go out with someone, but the entire time we’re out they tend to their social networking needs rather than tending to our real friendship.

One of my favorite examples of social networking inhibiting someone’s day-to-day life is the Toyota Venza commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUGmcb3mhLM) where the woman complains about how her parents only have 19 friends on facebook. The ironic part of the commercial is that her parents are actually out with real friends while the daughter is stuck at home on facebook. It’s a prime example of how society is too into their Internet lives rather than their real life to get out there and experience new things. 

Don’t get me wrong; social networking can be of some importance if it actually sparks a real friendship off of the Internet. I think as a society, we need to put down our phones, iPads, computers and step into doing real things like hanging out with real people, or going to a park, or going to a movie. We need to step out of our comfort zones and actually experience our lives, because the truth is, we only get to live once. Why waste it pining over what your ex-boyfriend said to their new girlfriend on Facebook? Or reading 5 million reviews about the new restaurant that just opened down the street? Just get up, close the computer, and go!  

The Need for Ethics in the Media J:4470

The Need for Ethics in the Media

Everyday, society is bombarded by the media. From social media to the news, beginning journalists to the pro’s face ethical decisions when discussing issues with the public. In a field where journalists must make the right decision everyday does not mean that they will or do. As journalists begin to approach a story, they must think of how the information they write will affect the public.

In an earlier journalism class, we watched a story where journalists did not make the right ethical decision when spreading a story to the public. We are told, as growing journalists, to never dip as low as taking pictures of a dead body for an article or to ever use something that may disrespect a grieving family in a news story.

In February 2001, Karla Gutierrez swerved into a Miami canal. As the car was sinking, she called 911 Emergency for help. During this time the dispatcher did not know where the car was located to send help. Inevitably the car sank and Gutierrez drowned. The last words she ever spoke were with the dispatcher who could not explain to Gutierrez how to get out of the car.

Once the story was in the hands of journalists, there was a decision they had to make: to use or not to use the 911 call as part of their story? Unfortunately, multiple journalists made the wrong decision that day in playing the 911 call in their story. In the time they had to choose whether or not to use the call as part of their story, they should have known that it would disrespect the grieving family.

Although they made the wrong decision that day, it truly shows the importance of having morals when deciding what to do with a piece of information such as the 911 call. This is where the ethical decision not to use this piece of information should have come into play, which is why there is a very high need for ethics in the media.

Unfortunately, journalists still make these mistakes. These mistakes may not happen very often, but they still happen on occasion. Because journalists are in the spotlight all of the time, I believe there needs to be an ethic’s course that journalists must take every few years. In times where stories are pressing to be released, journalists must be able to make the correct decision with information they know.

These courses would put a journalist in a time crunch to make a quick decision between right and wrong. During these courses, journalists would be told the consequences of the decision they chose. Throughout the course, journalists would then be able to decipher right and wrong in seconds and what happened with Gutierrez’s case would never happen.

When I turn on the news, I do not want the gruesome parts of a story. I do not want to see a picture of a dead body or hear the last words of a man who is about to die. I’m not saying I want the news to smell of roses or have the beauty of a butterfly, I’m saying I’d like it to be a little bit more censored than what journalists do nowadays.

Society has been so desensitized to the media; there is no way to decipher if what they are watching has been chosen ethically or morally from the medium that is putting the information out there. I believe it is the responsibility of the media to choose rightly from the very beginning, so there is never a question of whether or not what they have done is ethical or not. To make a right or wrong decision is around us constantly, we just need the knowledge and skill to choose right over wrong.