PR 191

Semester's end

2007-06-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

The semester is done, and this blog is on hiatus. But here's one last shot of the PR 191 crew, taken on the last day of class.

OK, I had to do it.

2007-05-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

As seen on thesuperficial.com, Paris Hilton has been spotted walking around town carrying a copy of "The Holy Bible" and "The Power of Now" as an effort to clean up her image a bit. (In case you've forgotten, she faces 23 days of jail time for driving with a suspended license. She got her sentence cut in half for good behavior. i.e. showing up to her court date on time.) Does her publicist really think that shoving religion and a New York Times bestseller into her hands will make the public forget all about the Paris we used to know?

I guess it's a cheap way to try to change your image, but...you definitely get what you pay for. If anything, this stunt will get the TV newsmagazines and tabloids talking about how unbelievable it is that Paris is a) religious and b) literate.

Who Will be the Next American Idol?

2007-05-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight the votes are tallied and this season's American Idol will be crowned. American Idol is in its sixth season and ratings continue to reflect the shows phenomenal success. According to Nielsen, Idol is at the top of the prime time ratings for yet another season. The shows unparalleled success has drawn in hundreds of advertisers and sponsors, including Coke and Ford. The show has also created a PR buzz.

All of the shows contestants do hundreds of interviews and some do advertisements. They are promoting the show, products, and most importantly themselves. Media coverage of this show is constant and so a smart contestant who knows anything about PR knows that they need to idolize (no pun intended) their time in the spotlight to promote their image.

Successful Idol contestants include Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Taylor Hicks, Fantasia Barrino, Ruben Studdard, and Kelly Clarkson. These contestants marketed themselves well and have continued on to have very successful singing careers.

Ocean's 13 Cast Raises Money for Darfur

2007-05-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ocean's 13, a second sequel to the rat pack classic, Ocean's 11 made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last week, but that is not why its cast is getting so much publicity. The Ocean's 13 cast, which includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Don Cheadle are working towards raising money and awareness for the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

Cheadle recently co-authored the book Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond. Cheadle admits that getting media coverage of the crisis in Darfur is an uphill battle. The use of the upcoming Ocean's 13 release has been a way to gain publicity on the issue. Cheadle has gained the support of his co-stars and with this powerhouse team of actors behind the Darfur project progress is being made.

Over 9 million dollars have been raised already, with a $1 million contribution from Stephen Spielberg. The charity effort is proving to have benefits for everyone. The Darfur crisis is finally getting some of the attention it deserves and the movie's stars are getting good publicity because media coverage is showing their campaigning efforts to help with this worthy case. The Ocean's 13 cast is making good use of their time in the spotlight.

What do PR and Accounting Have in Common?

2007-05-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

What do PR and Accounting share in common? This may seem like one of those riddles that doesn't seem to have an answer. Although public relations and accounting may seem to be on completely different ends of the career spectrum they offer one common benefit to college graduates who go into these fields. They both allow you to work in a field that you may be passionate about. For example, if you played football in college, you can find a job working with any of the hundred professional teams that all have communications, public relations, of media relations departments. Accountants can do the same, but their jobs just don't seem as interesting (maybe I'm a little bias).

This freedom to find a job with a team, company, person, or organization that you are passionate about is almost exclusive to PR graduates. PR professionals are needed in all kinds of businesses. A person with a passion for animals could work with the SPCA. A person who is concerned about the environment could work for a non-profit environmental group. The possibilities are endless.

So when entering the work force, search for a position that allows you to incorporate the things you know and care about. It will make work much more enjoyable.

Jerry Seinfeld Makes a Buzz

2007-05-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

At this year's Cannes Film Festival Jerry Seinfeld answered questions about what he has been doing since his "Seinfeld" days and created some big "buzz" in the process. Jerry has returned to the scene to promote his latest project, a movie titled, "Bee Movie." This is a DreamWorks film thought up by Seinfeld and directed by Stephen Spielberg. With such a successful animation production team, legendary director, and hilarious comedian behind the film you wouldn't think outlandish publicity stunts would be necessary to create buzz, but Jerry wasn't taking any chances.

On the morning of May 17, Jerry Seinfeld suited up in a giant bee costume and was attached to a guy wire. He then proceeded to fly hundreds of yards from the top of the Carlton Hotel onto the pier. Below, Co-star Chris Rock was doing play by play commentary. The two comedians engaged in comedic banter before Jerry made his final landing.

Jerry landed unharmed and apparently unembarrassed. He claimed, "No desperation here, just good advertising." He also said, [If there's] anything I hate its publicity that smacks of any kind of desperation." Apparently Jerry doesn't view his flying bee stunt as desperate, just clever. I agree. At a film festival, reporters are forced to choose between event and films and many of them passed up other events to watch Jerry fly in a bright yellow and black bumblebee suit.

The film is scheduled to premiere on November 2. Guest appearances include Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, Chris Rock, and Ray Liotta.

To read more about this film and Jerry's publicity stunt go to time.com.

It's all starting to make sense now.

2007-05-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

Over the semester, the blog assignment was very hard for me. It was always something i forgot about and ended up skipping a few. But it was good to learn how to write 'real' blogs rather than the fake ones on Myspace. It is good to show just how much the PR industry is changing and how soon-to-be PR professionals need to adapt to these changes. It has also been great to read the various types of blogs. The ones that focused on celebrity gossip as well as the ones that gave us great tips for blogging in the future.

Overall, it was a great way to learn from one another as well as create self-learning skills. I've learned how technological the world is getting from the other side of the spectrum. Actually creating virtual news is a lot harder than just reaping the benefits from it.

PR 191...

2007-05-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

This class blog has been an interesting look into what interests my fellow classmates. Some blogged about politics, some celebrity gossip (ok, more than some. and sometimes even I.), and some stuck just to public relations topics. Most posts were well written and all exhibited each students personal writing style.
I think this blog is a good exercise for public relations students because the face of public relations is changing. It is keeping up with technological advances and requires its practitioners to do the same. Blogs are becoming more and more common and people in the pr field must realize that they play a part in shaping public opinion...which can be both good and bad.
Hell, people in pr even have to keep up with that pesky little wikipedia site. The times they are a'changing.

Paging Karl Rove...

2007-05-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

This Salon article asks the questions that are on many Americans' minds. Regardless of how you feel about the Bush presidency, I posit that Karl Rove, senior political advisor to the president is a public relations genius. Rove's ruthless PR tactics enabled the administration to stay afloat for six years, albeit by a narrow majority. I appreciate how this article highlights those tactics, both as a citizen and as a future public relations practitoner.

Final thoughts on PR 191

2007-05-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

PR 191 opened my eyes on new topic. I did not pay attention to blog from before. Following a blog during the semester was challenging and made me realize that this is the new trend in business. Blogging is becoming more important than ever, even businesses use it to polish their company’s image like in “Sun” case.

But, the problem resides in who is behind the blog? Who is writing the blog?
We saw in Walmart case that Walmart hired secretly people to start blogging in its favor. Blogging can confront unethical problem.

Overall PR 191 was a challenging class, looking back, I feel that I learnt a lot of valuable information whether in doing position paper, annual report, a direct mail package or blogging.

PR class

2007-05-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

This class has placed a new perspective on my future role in public realtions. I have learned many useful tools that I will look back and rely on as a PR practitioner. Who knew the strong effects of a position paper, as well as the aspect of writing a blog every week?

The lessons we have learned are skills that will encompas us to succeed in the business world.

One skill that has lead us into the heart of public relations is blogging. Blogging has become one of the most used and useful tools to the public relations field. It has become a source of marketing, persuasion, and good publicity. As a blogger I have learned to browse other bloggers for news and current events. Blogging is another way to market yourself to future employers. It can be a useful way to market your skills in creative writing as wewll as your professionalism.

This class has helped spin a simple internet tool into a wonderful way to speak your mind about a certain topic. I was very happy to learn a new skill that is becoming more and more useful in public relations.

Reflection On Our PR 191 Class

2007-05-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

Before this class, I had never understood what a blog was or how to create one. In addition, I never saw myself ever posting any. PR 191 has taught me a lot in regards to the "new" media and the popularity of online technology.
Blogging has seriously taken over the traditional media, as more and more people are able to connect with each other through blogs. They are so easily accessible and easy to post, something that scares me a little. Unlike anything else, anyone can read your blogs and hear what you say.
Let me just say, I was surprised when posting my blog regarding Blogger and Podcaster Magazine. It was shocking to find that the magazine's publisher, himself, posted a comment in reaction to what I wrote. Interesting how easily accessible any blog can be!
Realizing the astonishing effects of the "new" media, I see myself maybe utilizing it in the future. It may affect my career plan, who knows. It might benefit me, even though I never had a liking to it. But reality is reality. Sooner or later, blogging, podcasting, vlogging, and any of this online "new" media will one day be the dominating media in society.

Shrek & McDonald

2007-05-15T00:54:00.000-07:00

Since Shrek the Third is coming soon, McDonald cross-over Shrek a series of product. Firstly, McDonald products 4 edition of Shrek glasses, consumer can buy it with any food purchase. Clearly. the target audience (TA) for this collection is kids and supporter of Shrek.

To broader the TA, McDonald has new burger, Ranch BLT with innovative slogan, "Feed your inner Ogre". Definitely, the word "Ogre" can enhance loyalty of Shrek's fans.

To arouse TA interest, it also designed a game of Shrek on its website, I tried to play, it is pretty good. Check it out: http://shrek.mcdonalds.com/mcd/shrek.html

Changing PR

2007-05-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

There have been many transitions in the way the media transmits their news. We have newspapers, internet and radio. Within the media we also have so many new forms of communication that can often overwhelm the content of our messages and instead concentrate on how fast and how concise people can deliver their messages.
The truth is we live in a fast paced world that depends on technology on a daily basis. As time passes more technological advancements that facilitate the way we live our lives. It is important to keep up with these innovations because it is precisely these new podcasts, blogs and web-pages that will become, or have already become, the new way to communicate. This will inevitably affect our career, but the best thing we can do is stay knowledgeable in technology and open-minded to new forms of communication.
Public Relations is very much part of this transition. It's important to know how to blog. It is quickly becoming part of many major organizations as is designing a web-page. It is a difficult task but it is not necessary to become an expert. One can familiarize themselves with the basics skills needed to contribute to this new media.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

2007-05-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

This semester has been a particularly trying one, but the information and skills i have picked up this semester have been some of the most useful. This is especially true thanks to PR 191. The activities we did in this class have forced me to explore PR resources and tactics that I was completely unfamiliar with. One of these tools is blogs.

By creating a class blog, all of us have been forced to explore the world of blogging and what it means from a PR standpoint. What I have discovered is that blogging might be one of the most useful resources a PR professional can use. This is because it allows a message to reach a large audience for free. Isn't that the ultimate goal of most PR efforts; to get the message out there without paying for it? It seems to me that blogging might be the future of PR. Blogs have already gained a huge reader base and most companies and public officials have used blogs at one point or another. I don't see an end in sight for blogs. The possiblities seem endless.

As a Public Relations major hoping to break into the field sometime in the next few years, it is going to be important for me to take advantage of these relatively new types of media, which includes such things as blogs and podcasts. Surviving without using these tools seems almost impossible.

Steve Rubel may be onto something here...

2007-05-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

If blogging is the new medium for reaching audiences, why not tell them what you're going to blog about and when you're going to do it? Print media has used the editorial calendar to inform advertisers about upcoming editorial and special sections. PR guru Steve Rubel has decided to do it on his blog, too. It will be interesting to see if it draws advertisers, or marks a trend in blogging, since he's the Me2revolution man.

Reflections on PR 191

2007-05-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Weekly blogging is a challege for me. Thankfully, there were several PR flaps this semester to cover, but finding new and interesting material to post proved harder than I expected. New media is the future we face as PR students today. I am thankful that this class taught me more about it. That said, I think I'm going to take MCOM 163 in the fall, because I feel like I need to learn more!

I appreciated our time spent on direct mail and design. It was very fun putting words to the things I had inuited about fonts and design principles, in the past. Learning inDesign is high on my list of priorities, now.

I also really enjoyed getting to know my fellow classmates. You're all a bunch of great people and I look forward to networking and getting to know each other in the future. Thanks also to Prof. McCune for encouraging us and spurring us on toward our best effort.

Final Blog

2007-05-14T00:40:00.000-07:00

I’ll start off by saying that this has been a class that has taught me a significant amount of information regarding the world of public relations. It seemed at times, as if I was actually working for a PR agency. Regarding blogs, I have to admit that I finally know what they are all about. I remember that in previous classes blogs were mentioned, nevertheless, I never really knew what they were. This class not only defined what blogging is, but also gave us the opportunity of actually write and comment blogs.

I have realized that blogs are a very important and significant form of communication in the world of PR. I have also learned that they can help, as well as harm. Therefore, being aware of the impact that the blogs have in the world of PR is essential.

In addition, I believe that blogginng is a new phenomenon that will be with me through out my career. I don’t think it will affect me. I’m not an expert at blogging, however, I think I got the hang of it. The impact the it id having in the world of public relations is so intense that I am very much encouraged to become if not an expert a close-to-being and expert blogger.

Final Thoughts...

2007-05-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

I am a Marketing major and a PR minor. So I'm not really looking to get into a full blown PR position. But I have to say I have learned a lot this past year and I think it has helped me and could help me in my business career.

Blogs and other new media are not only changing the practice of PR, but I think it is changing everything. It changes the way we communicate as a society and it changes buisness. It's a new way to get a message or opinion across. Or simply, it's a way to let your feelings out. In either case, people are reading blogs. As we all know, it can even lead to new opportunities.

So i think that we as a society, have to adapt, just like any other new technology, we have to adapt to it and incorporate it into our daily lives.

So I just want to say that this semester in PR 191 has been a blast because I have learned so many new things that I haven't ever known before. Dreamweaver, direct mail, position paper, blogs and brochures are some example.

Good luck to everyone on their endeavors and have a GREAT summer!

Vaccine's future murky for Merck?

2007-05-13T23:28:00.000-07:00

A recent Los Angeles Times article discusses the results of a study that suggest Merck's human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine only protects against one or two strains of the virus. HPV is known to cause cervical and other cancers in women.

By early 2007, many states created legislation for mandatory vaccination for teenage girls, igniting a national debate. The ramifications of these statues in addition to the efficacy of the vaccination, are ripe grounds for public relations practitioners and lobbyists.

Merck, having weathered the inital round of scrutiny, is again positioning itself as one of several vaccines designed to prevent HPV.

What I've Learned

2007-05-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal. My first semester here at San Jose State was last Fall as a transfer student. I took PR 99 and the entire semester all I did was question why I chose Public Relations as a major. For the life of me I could not figure out what had attracted me to the profession.

Now, about nine months later as I near the completion of my second semester here, my mind is at ease. With classes like PR 192, PR 191 and even Intro to Marketing I am beginning to realize why I am here. I love what I have chosen to do and although it may have taken some time to realize, I am happy that I stuck it out.

I wasn't sure what to expect at the beginning of this semester, but I now know that I have learned far more than I could have possibly expected or anticipated.

Let me share my insights...
1. Appreciate the ease of use of In-Design - Although it seems complicated and the first time using it can be confusing, it has now become my new best friend (figuratively speaking, of course)
2. The databases from King Library are essential - King Library offers SJSU students access to databases like Lexis-Nexis and Academic Search Premiere, both of which are extremely helpful in finding accurate and informative research information.
3. Don't take guest speakers for granted - guest speakers in class are the easiest way to get started on networking. Take initiative, show interest and, most importantly, stand out.
4. Get involved - unfortunately I may have waited too long for this one, but it is important to get involved in the organizations that are associated with your profession. Organizations like the PRSSA will not only look good on your resume but will also do wonders for your networking and also get you the information you may want, if not need, for your future. The PRSSA has guest speakers at every meeting, usually from different areas of PR. These professionals will allow you to network and help you decide which area of public relations is right for you.

I must say that this semester has been exhausting, endless and hard, but it has helped me learn that I am doing what I love and I am enjoying every minute of it. I may be hard, it may be tiring, and it may be the longest 16 weeks of school so far, but they have also been the most eye opening, life changing, and fun 16 weeks of school I have experienced thus far.

Reflection

2007-05-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Over the semester I have become more aware of PR issues by reading PR blogs and reading the news. It is interesting to see the different ways that companies have decided to deal with certain issues, if they even deal with them at all.

Blogs seem to be crucial in the success of some companies. It is a way to communicate with the public in a faster, cheaper and more efficient way. A company can find out what people think of their brand, image or reputation with the simple click of a button. They are able to see if the messages they are trying to convey are being received in the same way.

I am still trying to figure out what area of PR that I want to get into, so it has not necessarily changed my carrer plans, but it has definitely opened my eyes to new possiblities. It has also made me more aware of what is going on with the web and how to be a part of it. I will definitely pay closer attention to blogs and what they have to say.

Can GM reclaim their title against Toyota?

2007-05-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

General Motors has been the leader in sales for automobiles for nearly 76 years, however it was recently surpassed by Toyota.

In hopes of reclaiming the title as a global industry leader, GM Chairman-CEO Rick Wagoner made the announcement that they wantsto make a shift from newspaper ads to advertorials. An advertorial is advertisement but is passed off as an editorial.

In short GM wants to pay for public space. In the age of blogging and online media, is a newspaper advertorial really going to be effective enough to reclaim their title and demote Toyota?

Don't Blame Paris, Blame Mintz.

2007-05-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

From the sex tape scandal, to her non-undergarment wearing partying, to her dim-wiited antics on Simple Life, Paris Hilton has not had a very good image for being in the public eye. Granted that she is ultimately the one responsible for her actions, it is the fault of her publicist for making her image the tabloid feast it is today.

Elliot Mintz, Hilton's publicist, is not a rookie to the entertainment world. He has also held clients such as Bob Dylan and Christie Brinkley. However, how could can a publicist be when you inform your client that it is ok for her to drive to work when it is against the law? I mean, the bad girl image has definetly given Paris her time in the spotlight but now those 45 days in jail are really gonna hurt her image even more, if that'd even possible.

Now that Mintz has been let go of his role as Paris' publicist even though it was for a 'dumb' reason, it was completely necessary and this is why: "Mintz, declined to comment".

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

Little known fact: the United States began celebrating Mother's Day about 150 years ago, when Julia Ward Howe (author of the lyrics to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic") organized the day to encourage peace. She believed that mother's suffered from the loss of human life more harshly than other people.

So while conspiracies about Hallmark inventing Valentine's Day may be true, they did not have a hand in the popularization of Mother's Day. Though they are certainly reaping the benefits.

This may be an angle they could use in to try to down-play the perception of the company as a holiday creator.

Also...make sure you call your mother.

Metro Fountain Blues Festival

2007-05-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the grand finale of the Metro Fountain Blues Festival at San Jose State.

Various artists performed throughout the day, with Buddy Guy, a blues legend, as the grand finale.

Buddy Guy was amazing--naturally. But what else was amazing was learning that San Jose hosts the largest blues festival in the country--The Metro Fountain Blues Festival. Little ol' San Jose has yet another claim to fame, and since an SJSU alum is the main organizer, and the event is held on campus and presented by the Associated Students, SJSU gets some of the spotlight too.

The festival is free, though a $5 donation is suggested to keep the concerts free in the future.

There was also a raffle to win a guitar (like the one in
the picture) autographed by Buddy Guy. Some lucky sap won who wasn't even there to claim his awesome prize.

The Metro Fountain Blues Festival is a sure-fire way to have a good time, listen to good music and see what San Jose and SJSU have to offer. Free concerts are a great way to get positive news coverage and enhance your organization's image...as long as there aren't any riots. Woodstock 99 anyone?

Tom Wants to Help!

2007-05-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

Three years later and the myspace phenomenon is still as big as ever. Not only has myspace become a huge network connection and a way to promote up and coming events, but myspace has know taken on the role of becoming an awareness tool.

Recently when checking my myspace account Tom, the creator of myspace, posted a bulletin asking everyone to add this profile to their friends and place it on their top friends to help find Madeline. Madeline, a three year old girl, was abducted from her apartment bedroom in Portugal.

Myspace is yet another outlet to spread the word on situations like this. It gives reward as well as contact information and is a great way to send out a mass message since myspace recently hit over one million accounts.

Could myspace be yet another PR tool? It reaches tons of people, blogs are used, bulletins and reminders can be posted. Myspace seems to be taking over the world.

The Publicist

2007-05-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have always admired Elliot Mintz, the publicist of Paris Hilton. He had shielded her from the comments by other people. He had a really tough job but he did it incredibly good. However, no matter how good he is, Paris will still be going to jail for 45 days.

It’s an old axiom in PR that you have to love your client and you got the feeling that Mintz did. He was willing to stretch language to its farthest reaches to spin Paris as a little Miss Understood Heiress. See GlossLip for Mintz’s greatest hits.

It is Paris' over fault for ignoring the law. She shouldn't blame Mintz and should be thankful for what he did for her so far!

Source: PR Blog News

Blog Sets Online World Record!

2007-05-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Urban Outfitters, a clothing store, sets the record for having the LONGEST bottom scroll bar ever. Its blogs highlights the 23 windows of content it serves for its fans. The blog has done a great job of appealing to its nationwide audience and at the same time, making a very local connection.

Readers can search posts related to the store nearest to them and learn about store promotions and events. Urban Outfitters have been trying to become "cool" in each of the markets in which its stores are located. In this sense, I think that they are providing some sort of value to potential clients because it doesn't really have anything to do with the clothes it sells.

All in all, I think the blog is a very great way for Urban Outfitters to connect with its customers.

P.S. And the unusual LONG scroll bar won't hurt either.

Again Moore in Trouble

2007-05-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

Treasury Department is investigating Micheal Moore, the Academy Award-Winning filmmaker’s trip to Cuba for possible violations of the U.S. trade embargo restricting travel to Cuba.
Moore, took along with him about 10 ailing workers from the Ground Zero rescue effort in Manhattan for treatment in Cuba, and to help him in his upcoming health-care documentary “Sicko.”
After receiving the letter, the first thing Moore did is to place his documentary “Sicko” in a safe place outside the country so the government won’t get hold of it before the scheduled airing on May 19 in Cannes Film Festival.
What kind of surprise Moore has for the world now? We shall know soon.
Read more

Got Good Karma?

2007-05-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

The Ad Council and the Federal Voting Assistance Program are sponsoring a new campaign to encourage individuals between the ages of 18 to 24 years, to get out and vote in upcoming elections, entitled Get Good Karma.

The site targets the 18 to 24 demographic because according to U.S. Census Bureau reports, this group is the least likely to vote on election day.

With its cute, fluffy, almost anime style it's entertaining and eye catching. Hopefully, it will encourage young people to vote and become more civic-minded.

Wasteful families leave on TVs and lights

2007-05-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Nearly half of households waste electricity by leaving their televisions on with no one watching, a Friends of the Earth survey has found. I think 5 things to do to save energy:

1. Turn off your computer when you are away for a long time
2. A void using standby mode on household appliances
3. Turn off lights when you don't need them
4. Switch off the power when you are not watching TV
5. Avoid using air conditioners as far as possible

HKSAR Government should have a year-long public relations campaign to advocate the publics.

"Blogger and Podcaster Magazine" Is Getting Some Heat

2007-05-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

As known from a previous blog, a new magazine is out: the Blogger and Podcaster Magazine. With online technology becoming such a widespread form of media, it's no wonder why someone would come up with the idea of creating a magazine about blogging and podcasting. But after its launch, the magazine has been receiving some critisism. Kevin Dugan, director of marketing communications for FRCH Design Worldwide, discusses about the irony of the new magazine. In his article, "The Ironic Hypocrisy of Blogger & Podcaster Magazine", he states that, "the industry that regularly chastises mainstream media for not adapting to social media now has a print media vehicle. All the while, this industry eagerly charts mainstream media's death along with the plain, old-fashioned news release." It is a little hypocrtical to say how old-fashioned mainstream media is, only to, in the end, use it to publicize your own publication. But the magazine may have its use to it. What do you guys think about the Blogger and Podcaster Magazine?

Biotherm

2007-05-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

I received a bad news last week!!

Last week, I went shopping at Macys since I wanted to buy some skincare product. When I stopped at Biotherm counter and looked for the day cream that I wanted, the sales lady told me that Biotherm is going to leave the US and Canada market after this month.

Omg~ It's a really bad news for me since I am its supporter. Also, it made me to think that is it beacsue the sales volume is not good here. However, Biotherm does great PR work in Hong Kong market, it chooses right celebrity, organize excellence PR events etc.

Guys, please feel free to comment about Biotherm's PR work here.

Social media meetup

2007-05-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

John Furrier, founder and CEO of PodTech.net, will speak at the next Third Thursday meetup on May 17 in Palo Alto. His topic: The Newsroom of the Future.

With the arrival of social media, both media companies and businesses are rethinking the way they manage news-gathering and distribution. But how do businesses manage that well-known mainstay -- the "pressroom" at industry events and conferences? Furrier will talk about how smart companies are reinventing the pressroom with state-of-the-art technologies, combined with social intelligence.

Third Thursday is a meetup for Bay Area PR and marketing folks who are interested in sharing and learning about the practical applications of social media in business. It's co-sponsored by the Social Media Club and the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR), and held on the third Thursday of the month.

Seating is limited at this event, and you have to be a member (or the guest of a member) to attend. If you're interested, please let me know ASAP and I'll add you as my guest.

Strategy of Online Dating Sites

2007-05-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

I came across with an old news about how online dating sites used strategy to keep the subscription of their customers. These sites promoted their services with fake ads and they had their employees pretend regular subscribers to flirt with their members. Being a quite conservative person, I always think that it's unsafe to find a partner online. Not only is it hard to find true love, many people in these sites are giving fake information. To me, it's horrible that even the online dating companies themselves are cheating their members in this way. I really don't like the virtual world in the internet that much. I can't imagine what I will feel if I was fallen in love with someone met in dating sites and ended up realizing he was the employer of the dating site.

What surprised me the most is that the two big dating companies, yahoo and match.com, were being sued for cheating their members. For more detailed news, go here.

Promoting Spidey

2007-05-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

After smashing Sandman and Venom, Spider-Man has also blasted worldwide box-office records. According to studio estimates, "Spider-Man 3" took in a record $148 million in the United States in its opening weekend, breaking the previous all-time high of $135.6 million set last summer by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

With $59.3 million on opening day Friday, "Spider-Man 3" also broke the single-day box-office record in the United States, which has also been held by "Dead Man's Chest," with $55.8 million on its first day.

Sony Pictures, the studio behind the "Spider-Man" franchise, also reported Saturday that the movie took in an additional $45 million overseas on Friday for a worldwide total of $104 million, a record for single-day grosses globally. "That's why they call him the amazing Spider-Man," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "Just five years ago, these are numbers we thought we'd never see."

Along with Spidermans cult following the promotions behind "Spidey" are all over the web. With his own Myspace, Official Web Page, a Developers Blog, and "Spidey's Web" (a website dedicated to the new Spiderman 3 videogame) there is more then enough 411 about the film and game to get someone not interested in comic movies excited to see the film. All of the websites are very interactive, and all about the fans! Check it out!

PR's future

2007-05-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

If you are in public relations then you understand that if the message is lost..all is lost. As PR students we learn everyday how communication and targeted audience is a major part of our job. Well I'm here to tell you that video is the future. PR has used video releases and satellite media for some time now, but the new trend is online video. Since the explosion of users on You Tube browsers now prefer online video. People love video...reading is alright but nothing grabs the attention and holds on to it like a great video. I once heard someone say a picture is worth thousands words...but I'm here to say that a video is worth a thousand pictures and a million words...

2007-05-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

Hey folks...just thought I would spice up the blog a tad bit and ask the question....a question most people hate or lets say dislike answering. "Who are you voting for in the Presidential Elections" (sorry for all you Bush fans)..Well if you still haven't decided then here's some food for thought. Presidential runner Mitt Romney recently released an Ad campaign on his views but mostly on himself and how "right" he is for the job. I personally don't know who I am voting for but after seeing his commercials..I kinda have an idea it may not be him...after the long commercials I'm confused where he stands. He co-founded a significant investment firm. He led an overhaul of a corrupt Olympic committee. He served as a Republican Governor of a notoriously Democratic state. He is the son of a well-known pol who served as Governor of Michigan and ran for President. He is a Mormon. He has flip-flopped positions on three GOP issues: abortion, gay marriage and stem-cell research.

I have one piece of advice for Mr. Romney...KISS (keep it simple silly) if the audience doesn't receive the message clearly then the messenger hasn't done his job...

Sarkozy For a Change

2007-05-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

Finally, the French people said their word. They elected Sarkozy hoping for some serious interior reformation in the country.
Sarkozy, son of Hungarian immigrant promised to lower the unemployment rate and to be tough on crime and control immigration.
Sarkozy announced after his election, his support to USA even though some opinions may contradict.
Will the American – French relations witness closer ties than ever?
Days to come will decide.

Paris Hilton is going to jail

2007-05-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

Paris Hilton, the 26 year-old hotel heiress is sentenced to 45 days of jail time.

Hilton is set to start her sentence on June 5th of this summer. The incident that apparently spurred on prosecutors occurred Jan. 22, when Hilton was cited for speeding in her Bentley, a violation of her no-plea on the DUI case, and for driving with a suspended license.

Paris is a walking PR case. The 6th season of The Simple Life is favorably watched, her CD released late last summer, the sex tape, and her notorious partying habits make her a strong figure in the celebrity world. She is constantly in trouble, or constantly at the hotest L.A. nightclubs.

Now Paris's Hiltons PR strategy is avoidance. Her publicist, Dan Flores, is the mastermind behind her crazy life. Flores has recently pulled Paris from numerous appearances. She was set to appear on: Live! with Regis & Kelly, TRL Live, CBS and the Late Show with David Letterman. However, her recent DUI charge has silenced her and kept her in celebrity hiding.

Fox officials are upset that Klores has steadfastly refused to take their calls about the situation, while their show The Simple Life is begining to air.

Letterman has begun to half-heartedly attack Flores for "his incompetence." He is offended that Paris is not allowed to come on his show.

"He's some kind of PR guy, and I believe for a time, lost his license to practice PR in this country, and he was running all his PR operations out of Mexico," Letterman joked on his show Monday night.

While Paris is painting her nails in jail, Flores will need the time to rethink Paris' public relations tactics for Hollywood.

Good news!!

2007-05-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

According to Dennis Spring of Spring Associates, who just released the 11th annual “Official PR Salary & Bonus Report,” he stated that this is the year of fat bonuses and pumped up salaries for PR pros on both the agency and corporate side.

“We haven’t seen this kind of full employment in PR since the dot com boom,” Spring told PRBlogNews. “Agencies are getting new business and growing existing business. The pace accelerated in the last quarter of ‘06 and it is continuing through this year. Now that business has been good for a couple of years the benefits are filtering down to employees.”

According to the report, there was a huge jump in the bonuses last year even though the base salaries on the agency side declined and corporate communications salaries increased slightly

“The PR business always lags the economy by about a year,” explained Spring. “The dot com boom bred caution into the market but this economy has legs. With full employment and business booming across the board it is harder to find and retain good people. You get into negotiations with candidates, and there is a sense of urgency from the agency or corporation. A lot of activity in this market.”

For more information click here

Source: PR Blog News

New Camel Brand Targeting Women

2007-05-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

Camel, a popular cigarette company, released a new brand of cigarettes in February targeting women. This new brand is called Camel No. 9, a brand that advertises being "Light and Luscious" and has a packaging that reminds people of perfume boxes. But with a new brand comes new controversy. Some are getting mad over Camel No. 9, remarking that it's only purpose is to attract new consumers that are mainly young female teens or young women in their 20's. According to MSNBC, spokesman David Howard said this new brand was only meant "for women who were asking for a product that better reflected their taste preferences and style" and "to connect with women adult smokers", not other consumers.
According to NPR, many are angered by this new brand because of it's advertising strategies. People see it as aggressive advertising since R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company even held lavish parties targeting women. The company held"event[s] promot[ing]...a girls' night out, where women can sample cigarettes, get massages, have their hair styled and take home gift bags that include makeup and jewelry."
The company may say that the brand is meant to target women who already smoke, but through its aggressive advertising, who knows if it will, in the end, intentionally target young non-smoking women, too.

A Magazine about Pocasting and Blogging

2007-05-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

As the name indicates, Blogger and Podcaster, a new type of magazine about podcast and blogging is going to appear in print market this month. The major contents will focus on news, feature and tips on how to express our voice, exchange information and skills on how to expand business through different platform available on the Internet. As podcast and blogging are becoming one of the major tools for our everyday life communication, it is beneficial for companies to target their audiences and communicate with customers.

- Jasmine

Take a Lesson in PR from China

2007-05-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

I came across an article in Newsweek that I thought was really interesting. It was mainly about China learning the value of good PR and is beating the United States at its own game. It went further to discuss how PR is increasingly blending with international politics.

For example, early this month, Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Russia for a three-day visit. This is remarkable because not too long ago, Chinese leaders rarely left home. Now, Russia has declared 2007 the "Year of China," and plans to hold hundreds of China related business, educational and sport events in the upcoming months. In addition, Hu along with Russian President Vladimir Putin both pledged to build a series of cooperative energy projects.

A major public opinion poll last year found that most ordinary Russians now think China has "a positive impact on the world" and the United States has a negative one. We have to stop and really think of how others around the world now view the United States before we get a really tarnished image that may not be salvageable.

I'll leave you with one quote that really stuck out when reading the article:

"Ordinary people across the planet now view China more warmly than they do the United States. Polls taken by the Program on International Policy Attitudes and the BBC show that majorities of people in most countries today consider China to be a more positive influence and less of a threat to international peace than the United States is."

Conversation Marketing

2007-05-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

Marketers are finding themselves in an increasingly frantic race to get people talking about their brands. Consumer can be any number of things—sometimes all at once. And that fact is driving marketers, businesspeople, and brand managers crazy. Consumers are producers, users, participants, members of niche communities, or even critics capable of effectively mobilizing others. The article proposes marketers become "conversation architects." Communities are forming around popular social platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, Ning, Twitter—the. These platforms facilitate conversation and this is where marketers should begin their conversations about products or organizations. Marketers, businesses, and designers must have an intimate understanding of how these platforms are evolving and influencing human behavior. There has to be an in-depth understanding of why some us of love to incorporate these services in our digital lives. They need to be taken seriously in this evolving world.

Lying to get a job?

2007-05-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

We are all about to go into the career world looking for our first job. However, does that mean we are going to have to lie on our resumes before anyone hires us?

It has become more and more common to lie on your resume. Human resource surveys show consistently that more than a third of people have lied on their resume or "enhanced" it in some way in order to get the job http://jobs.aol.com/article/_a/resume-indiscretions-remain-widespread/20070430123309990001?ncid=AOLCOMMjobsDYNLprim0001.

Even though it is unethical, some companies need to take the blame as well. If the background checks they were doing were thorough, then some of these people would get caught and the rates might decrease. In 2004 a report by the Government Accountability Office found that 463 government workers had lied on their resumes and were not caught. This makes me a little nervous that our own government can not do a thorough background check.

Lying on a resume is not something new. We have seen many CEO's, football coaches, government officials and the dean of admissions for MIT all get caught for lying, or embellishing, their resume and losing their jobs. It can be a message to all of us: DON'T LIE.

Germany Galcier Is Melting

2007-04-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

According to ZUGSPITZE, Germany (Reuters), the glacier is melting despite the Herculean efforts to save it.
Frank Huber, the manager of cable car and skiing operations on the 2,962-meter peak in the northern Alps is very sad that the glacier is melting and he can’t do anything for it.
He regrets that his children may not see it and enjoyed it as he did when he was little boy.
Scientists blame it on global warming and on the change in the climate.
What do you think? Should the weather be blamed for the melting glacier?

Thailand Plans a PR Campaign

2007-04-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

In order to enhance and improve their image aboard, Thailand decided to hire a US public relation agency. They decided to launch the campaign in order to help improve the country's image after last year's military coup. The prime minister of Thailand said that the country will spend roughly $600,000 dollars on the three month campaign. However the foreign minister spokesperson said that the country will only spend $ 165,000 on the three month campaign. The prime minister mentioned that although the campaign is not judge, something is better than nothing.
I agree with him, but I believe instead of acting so fast t the bad publicity(U.S. pharmaceutical industry attacked Thailand in an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal last week), they should better plan their campaign, ensuring more funds. They want their international image to improve, but can this really happen with the size of this campaign? And with such limited funding?
To read the full article click here:
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1910558.htm

Cisco Visit

2007-04-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

I would also like to thank Carol Welsh for coming into our class last Monday. Since I was a child, Apple Computer was the main name in my household. In fact, there is a picture of me on my dad's lap at about age 2, banging on the keyboard of a very mid-80's Macintosh computer.

When I first heard the controversy of the 'iPhone,' I automatically sided with Apple. Knowing very little about the argument, it is easy to assume that Apple had every right to utilize the 'i' for the purpose of naming their product. After all, as tradition goes, most electronics manufactured by Apple, have an 'i' at the start of the very simple title.

However, after researching and reading through Cisco's VERY opinionated literature, it was interesting to see the over half of the controversy...have an opportunity to play 'devil's advocate,' if you will. I found it very ironic that Cisco had claimed the name of the new device so early on, and yet Apple used it regardless.

I simply thought hearing the other side of the story from a Cisco representative, was a very unique PR tool and a useful one for us students to hear, if for no other reason than listening to an already credible company defend their product.

I will still purchase the Apple iPhone® in late June, when it is scheduled to launch.

And I am very excited about it.

Second Life and Public Relations

2007-04-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

The "Virtue Life" Tech Special Report done by the BusinessWeek was out on April 27, 2007 envisions a totally immersive 3-D web that offers a rich panorama of experience to rival our physical lives.

Many experiments are being done on the "Second Life." Companies realized the beneficial B-to-B applications - virtual meetings, showrooms, presentations.

Gartner says the 80% of active Internet users will have a virtual life by the end of 2011.

For a hint of where this is going in Public Relations, check out Business Communicators of Second Life - about “how to communicate and participate in 3-D environments” and ”how to use and create 360-degree content for new online spaces and the emerging 3D web.” How do you create a word-of-mouth program for avatars? How do you mesh the virtual with the physical for a truly mashed up PR program?

PR Source: PR Blog News

More on PR analysis

2007-04-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Carol Welsh of Cisco Systems for coming in to our class this week to talk about PR assessment and analysis.

A student in Rob Barlow's section of PR 191 asked Welsh to recommend a book on public relations analysis. She wrote:

"I did some digging and have found Don Stacks' book. It was published in 2002, but the concepts are very current. Also below are some of the 'professional' reviews of the book, courtesy of Amazon."

Primer of Public Relations Research
by Don W. Stacks (2002)

"This book will undoubtedly make a major contribution to public relations research education. Its clarity and breadth of scope make it equally appropriate for undergraduates preparing to enter the job market, graduate students in master's or doctoral programs, and working professionals seeking greater research application ability. Unusually well written and easy to understand, the book serves the multiple knowledge needs that we confront in public relations education."--Melvin L. Sharpe, College of Communication, Information, and Media, Ball State University

"Many public relations practitioners avoid using research in their day-to-day work. There are several excuses: good research takes time and money; some practitioners want to avoid accountability for what they do and how they do it; and the way many of us learned research methods in college made the subject seem boring, difficult, and tedious. In this book, Don Stacks shoots down nearly every excuse for not using research, showing how it can be accessible, affordable, and even fun. In his usual engaging style, Stacks gives practitioners a better understanding of what research is and how it can help them."--John W. Felton, President and CEO, Institute for Public Relations

It sounds like an excellent resource.

Barbie Goes Online

2007-04-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

With technology advancing ever so quickly, it's no wonder Mattel Inc.'s Barbie decided to start a website of their own. After sales declined for the Barbie line by 21% the first quarter, Mattel Inc. decided to create BarbieGirls.com, a website that combines preteen girls' interests of dolls and the Internet. On the website, girls can either create their own fashion, shop in malls, or dress their dolls. Mattel created this website in hope that it will increase their sales, since it seems more kids want to play online more than they want to play with toys.
Technology is becoming more important everyday, especially the Internet. For Mattel, creating this website is a good move because nowadays, everything's been moving online. With the Internet becoming the new medium, it won't be too far when all marketing will be online.

Orioles PR stunt

2007-04-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

Pitcher Curt Schilling of the Baltimore Orioles has caused a stir in the world of baseball and PR. The controversy began when the team played the Red Sox in a 2004 game.

The pitcher had what looked like a bloody sock on his foot. The pitcher claimed it was from loose stiches he recieved on his ankle. But now the truth is revealed. The sock was actually painted.

The charge that Schilling faked the bloody sock has been made before, including in GQ magazine, which cited an anonymous Red Sox player as its source.

"It (the sock) was painted,"Gary Thorne said to analyst Jim Palmer during the broadcast. "It was painted. Doug Mirabelli confessed up to it after. It was all for PR (public relations)."

Later in the broadcast, Thorne, who also works for ESPN, confirmed Mirabelli told him of the "painted sock" in a earlier conversation. However, later Mirabelli told The Boston Globe that Thorne’s quote was a "straight lie."

However, Schilling has denied the claims about the sock being painted. He reported that he had surgery on the same ankle after the Orioles losing season to repair torn ligaments.

It may take DNA experts to finally settle the rumors surrounding Curt Schilling famous bloody sock.

A publicity stunt? Or just false information? Well either way people became interested in the Orioles for the rest of that season. The bloody sock is still talked about to this day. Bloody or paint, eveyone is interested and watching them.

Green Marketing

2007-04-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

British Gas has launched a major new business division called British Gas New Energy designed to provide households and businesses with a wide range of low carbon products and services.
Alongside offering customers green energy tariffs and carbon offsets certified by the EU and the UN, the new business will also offer a wide range of services designed to improve the energy efficiency of customers' buildings.
In particular the company has pledged to only install A-rated high efficiency boilers, continue to develop its insulation installation programme, and also provide installation of both solar panels for heating water and photovoltaic cells.
British Gas said it had also inked an agreement with six local authorities that will see customers buying solar panels costing from £4,300 will qualify for a discount on their council tax of up to £500. The company said it hopes that other councils will also sign up to the new scheme.
In this case study, we found that green marketing is becoming trend, it is especially important to those businesses which may cause some pollution. Therefore, we can easy to find campaign in the same field of British Gas, like www.shell.com. All they are attempting to do is gain the goodwill from consumer.

Press Release Tying to Make Money

2007-04-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

Just two days after the VT massacre, a company called US Netcom tried to make money from it.

With the dead unburied and many injured students still recovering, US Netcom claimed that they sold something that could have prevented the whole thing, and at a low price! Can you believe that? The press release was distributed on April 18. Here's a part of it:

"For $1 per student per year, services such as AllCall Notification could have provided VT with a method of crisis control capable of reaching every student far faster than email. It should have been in place as part of the school's emergency preparedness plan...There is a tragic lesson for every educator of every school-age student: AllCall or other notification services can save lives."

I'm sure these notification systems are helpful and really do save lives. And I'm sure many schools already have them in place. But you have to seriously wonder about a company that would figure the publicity upside is worth more than the anger and pain it creates by issuing this sales pitch RIGHT after an unfortunate tragedy like the one at Virginia Tech.

Teacher Fired for Mock student shootings

2007-04-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

A professor was having a discussion with his students about the Virginia Tech shootings and pointed to some students and said "pow". The discussion also included gun control and controling violence with violence http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/professor-fired-after-mock-student/20070424002309990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001.

The following Friday he received a letter from the college stating that he was fired. It seems like the college, which is a Catholic liberal arts college, did not want any negative publicity for what the professor did and took action immediately.

Now the college is getting some heat for firing the professor and not allowing free discussion. One student said that the discussion was not offensive and the professor was simply illustrating a point during the discussion.

Was the college right in firing him?

Target: Out of this World Ads

2007-04-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

Target has installed some animated commercials at subway stations in several cities including San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

As you can see from the YouTube video above, their commercials are pretty cool and reminiscent of old Super 8 movies with the quick, jumpy pictures and no sound. Nice.

Target outspends Wal-Mart in marketing by about $100 million (according to 2004 figures from Ad Age). It shows when seeing creative applications like these.

Wal-Mart is also pushing ahead with its marketing. The much-maligned retailer is girding up its in-store TV network to serve up more content and, of course, ads (not just its own). According to USA Today, Wal-Mart TV has more than 125,000 screens in about 3,100 of Wal-Mart's 4,022 U.S. stores and a potential audience of more than 127 million shoppers per week.

Yeah, according to WWD, 84 percent of the U.S. population visits one of the retailer's stores each year. Wal-Mart wants to entertain them so they might stay awhile and make their stores much more than just a shopping destination.

Target has to be creative considering those numbers. Target has to outspend to reach all of the customers they know will wind up shopping a Wal-Mart at one point or another. Does that sound odd? Consider this—the top 10 retailers reported $488 billion in 2004 sales. Wal-Mart sales made up more than half of this number, with $285 billion. These numbers make Target’s marketing accomplishments that much more impressive.

So, what will the next chapter in the story bring consumers?

Video Resumes

2007-04-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

Career Builder is now offering job seekers the choice to post video highlights to their resumes. Thanks to computer technology, Web 2.0 makes it possible with more increasing capabilities and decreasing costs.

These video resumes can initially be seen as a good thing to make your resume unique and different. But you have to be careful. In the midst of trying to make your video edgy and authentic, you don't want your videos to resemble videos seen on shows like America's Funniest Home Videos.

So these video resumes can add a touch to a resume, but just remember to think twice before posting your video and make sure you aim for a polished finished product so you don't kill your chance of an employer skipping past your resume.

TERRIBLE E-MAIL MISTAKE

2007-04-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

The Golden State Warriors bring about the second public relations scandal by a professional team in the Bay Area in the last year. An article on cbs5.com says that the public relations manager of the team, Eric Govan, was fired Wednesday for sending out an email titled “Ghetto Prom”, to his entire media distribution team. The email included 17 pictures depicting students outfits, and making racial related comments. Gavan apologized for his action, and claimed that it had all been a terrible accident since he had initially indented to send the pictures to his wife. The teams president Robert Rowell on the other hand, made it clear that the comments and action of Gavan did not represent the values and beliefs of the Golden State Warriors. We’ll see what issues arise from this incident. I’m sure that the people depicted in the pictures are not at all happy.This is another example of how emails can get people in some serious trouble. This is definitely a mistake that Gavan is probably still regretting.
To read the entire article click here:
http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_032213221.html

Cause-related marketing

2007-04-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

When I saw these signs in the Aveda story window in the mall the other day, I was reminded of Myra, Lina and Gabriela's presentation on cause-related marketing.

My question to you is this: Do you think this cause is a good match for Aveda? Do you think this campaign is likely to win customer loyalty or new customers for the company? Why or why not?

The campaign is also featured on the Aveda website. Check it out and leave me a comment telling me what you think.

The Connection with Customers - Store Magazine

2007-04-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

H & M is a success fashion retail business that has loyal fans around the world. People line up and wait outside the store for the opening day in major cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago etc. Of course, the company spends thousands billions of dollar in advertising both in print and television, however, one of the key strategies is to build the connection with customers. The usage of a store magazine functions like a newsletter, which allows customer to know more about the company’s prospective, service, product, and most importantly, to build a positive image of the company. For instance, the H & M magazine includes fashion news like catwalk news in Europe and up-to-date fashion guides, which highlight the unique fashion style and reinforce the fashion trend with the company.
For more information, please go to:
http://www.hm.com/us/

- Jasmine

Wal-Mart did it again

2007-04-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Wal-Mart cut down the price of a top brand name—the 42-in. Panasonic high-definition TV—by $500, to $1,294. Wal-Mart’s low prices policy has caused many electronic stores to suffer. In fact, Circuit City after closing down 70 stores, they laid off 3,400 employees and put its 800 Canadian stores on the block on March 28. ff 3,400 employees and put its 800 Canadian stores on the block. Tweeter Home Entertainment Group is closing 49 of its 153 stores and dismissed 650 workers and Dallas-based CompUSA is closing 126 of its 229 stores.
Is it good PR for Wal-Mart? Of course, it is. But, how about the other businesses?
I believe that Wal-Mart is giving other businesses more causes to hate the giant retailers and to seek its destruction.
What do you think?

Read More

Advertising vs Public Relations

2007-04-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

Since I am studying advertising and public relations in this semester, I want to share my opinion on the differences between advertising and public relations to all of you. After reading the article in this website, I sum up some points and list them out as below.

1. Free or paid?

Advertising company needs to pay for the space of an ad no matter it's on the newspaper, magazines or tv. For the main duty of a PR, he/she needs to get free publicity for a coporation.

2. Content control

A successful ad must be creative so that the audience would memorize the product or service the ad tries to sell. Therefore, advertising company can freely control the content of an ad. Yet, PR company cannot control how the media presents the information.

3. Promoting/ publishing duration

An ad can be used as long as you want once you pay for it. Generally, a press release can only be submitted once.

4. Credibility

Even though how impressive or creative an ad can be, the basic function of an ad is to sell a product or serivce. This feeling is something that the audience can always feel whenever they see an ad. When the audience are reading a press release of a corporation, they are more likely to think the information is trustworthy.

5. Target audience

The only target audience of an ad is the any possible and potential customers of a specific product or service. Besides having this common audience, another target audience of PR is the editors of a newspaper or magazine since they are the people who decide to publish the press release or not.

Blogging goes crazy after Virginia Tech shootings

2007-04-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

The tragedy at Virginia Tech this past week has caused bloggers to spark into a frenzy. Bloggers have now come forward with their experiences and aspects of the story- including many Virginia Tech bloogers who turned to their computers as the event unraveled.

Some bloggers write about people who were killed in the shooting, including a professor who was a Holocaust survivor who threw himself in front of the shooter to save his students. Others write about their Alma Mater VT.

Many are lashing out at the response of their school, and the intense invasion of the media onto the Virginia Tech school campus. But the most commented-on blogs are from the VT students who were live-blogging on Monday here and here and here. Students also reportedly used social networks like Facebook and MySpace and other messaging technologies like Twitter.

Blogging has become such a force in the PR world, but this horrible tragedy has turned us to realize that blogs are often valuable and very versitile. The fact that these blogs have offered more information than most news stations has caused people to turn to the Virginia Tech bloggers for information and their current feelings.

Blogging is the current outlet that these students have, and they are utilizing it in every way. The massacre will go down in history as the worst campus shooting of all time, and the blogosphere will ensure that it’s not soon forgotten.

Second Life

2007-04-21T01:29:00.000-07:00

Adam Broitman, director of emerging and creative strategy at Morpheus Media, is organizing a reality mashup that has two central cross-currents: Buddahead playing live at The Canal Room which will be streamed live to Morpheum Sim on Second Life. Morpheum Sim on Second Life will be streamed back live to the plasma screens at The Canal Room. So Buddahead is here, there, back again, real time in simultaneous realities.

Check out the video of the Buddahead “Broken” video:

The PR strategies are now integrated with Second Life initiatives. It is at the beginning stage and is believed that it will be a great potential for the market.

Sources: PR Blog News

The Importance of Crisis Communications

2007-04-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

The horror that unfolded at Virginia Tech feels like an inappropriate topic for blogs, but everyone is affected by this tragedy. Reading and watching the news sheds light on an all too familiar pattern. As the whole story emerges, the conversations around this tragedy help us all in many ways. More specifically, it offers insight on how communications professionals can prepare other organizations for a crisis and also, to remind us the necessity and importance of this preparation.

I realize that preparing for a crisis and living the crisis are quite different. But if you don't prepare, then you are that much worse off.

Wal Mart Goes Green

2007-04-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Wal Mart, known for its number of appearances in the news for bad image, tries a new approach in regaining a better look and respect for their company.
The company is now trying to go green by finding better ways to conserve energy and save the environment. According to MSNBC, these methods include telling their suppliers to use less packaging, making their gass-guzzling trucks more efficient, and having new stores use energy conservation ideas.
In addition, Wal Mart lauched a huge national ad campaign promoting their new environmentally friendly products. These products include organic cotton clothes, low-energy light bulbs, and organic food.
Wal Mart's new idea for a new image is an obvious public relations step to gain better business and the usual environmentalist customers they never thought they could get. By trying this approach, they are able to target a completely new audience and create an image that will hopefully make their old one disappear.

A misunderstanding?

2007-04-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night, Simon Cowell supposedly rolled his eyes when contestant Chris Richardson gave his condolences to the families and students at Virginia Tech. Many people were outraged http://www.tmz.com/2007/04/18/simon-says-i-wasnt-listening-im-horrified/.

Simon was not even aware of the issue until after the show. When he heard about it, he immediately issued a statement saying, "I couldn't hear what Chris had said. I was talking to Paula. My reaction (rolling my eyes) was to what he had said previously, that singing nasally is a form of singing."

Later in the show, Simon spoke for all three judges and said that their hearts went out to the families and students at Virginia Tech. In this particular case, I believe Simon. The judges frequently talk to each other while the contestants are talking to Ryan Seacrest on the stage. During this great tragedy, I really don't think Cowell would be dumb enough to roll his eyes. But then again, anything is possible....

1400 Year-old Family Business Absorbed

2007-04-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

It's a sad day for Kongo Gumi. Reduced financial giving at Buddhist temples, coupled with a recession in the early 1990s irreperably harmed the business.

The keys to the company's impressive run? A mix of conservatism and flexibility, according to the company's former president Masakazu Kongo. Public relations, as an industry is in its infancy. Can the industry withstand the test of time? Here's a list of what we're up against.

2007-04-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by sending my love and care for those families of the V-tech victims....(moment of silence)

As touchy and monstrous as it is everyone has heard of the recent shootings at Virginia Tech. Sadly what they have not heard was that the New York Times and Inside Edition are trying to make a profit on it. In recent news Ken Wheaton of AdAge pointed out that both the New York Times and Inside Edition have purchased sponsored links on the search term "Virginia Shooting" with Google. There is also evidence that Time Magazine and The Washington Post have bought ads too, on Yahoo and Google. Personally this is border line wrong. How would the families of the victims feel if they knew about this? Would they approve? When does business cross the line?

What do YOU think?

To Make Your Freelance Writing As A Business

2007-04-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Flexible working hours, "stress-free" working atmosphere and lots of holidays are most people's dream about their jobs. If you are one of those and you like writing, you can make your dream come true. Freelance writing, if you start it wisely, can be a very good business. I read an article on Start your freelance writing business. I agree with the author so much. It is true that people whoever decided to be a freelance writer are one step ahead of those who just only talk about what they want but never take action.

In the article, the author suggests people to do some research on how to start the business in advance. Besides, it is also important to have a business plan. There are many books and websites which people can find a lot of useful information.

Apart from the above preparations, I think that having a business card is also crucial in starting a business. Even though you are only a freelance writer but not a businessman, once you treat it as a business, you will need a business card if you are looking for success. A business card make people more professional. Beside all the basic information like name, address, phone, fax and email, remember to put a website address on the name card so that people can access to your website where they can find your background information and writing samples. Website is the fastest way to help spread and promote your business.

Don't Do It.

2007-04-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

The authors of The Bad Pitch Blog have made a point to strongly urge professionals in the pr business, or in the business of making pitches, to not attach pitches to national tragedies. His warning comes with the horrific shooting at Virginia Tech and is not only timely, but is also just good advice.
The blog's author says that people and companies who are helping the Virginia Tech students recover are doing so because it is the right thing to do, and not because it is a publicity opportunity.
Perhaps it is just my cynicism, but I think that the blog's author has it wrong. I think that what ultimately drives companies to help victims, needy families etc, is that it is the right thing to do...but these companies have press people who are telling them "this will be great for our image!" So, I find it hard to believe that the benefits of aiding needy people don't factor into a company's decision to do so.

Introduction to Second Life

2007-04-17T19:02:00.001-07:00

This video explains how Second Life, a new virtual world works and how companies in our real life take advantages from it. For instance, companies can use it to find out the potential of a new product in its market and to see if innovative ideas can be adopted in the real world.

Check it and have fun!

-Jasmine

The Various Styles of Blogging

2007-04-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

Looking at the Ogilvy blog pages, I came across an insightful blog regarding the various styles of blogging. Rohit Bhargava, vice president of interactive marketing for Ogilvy Public Relations, created the "25 Basic Styles of Blogging", explaining the different styles that exist and what each one is like. Since we participate in blogging for PR 191, I found the information very useful.
For example, he goes into detail regarding the different types, which include insight blogging, piggyback blogging, review blogging, event blogging, and live blogging. Live blogging seemed the most interesting to me as it shows how advance technology is nowadays and how important it is in our lives. Live blogging is "blogging at a fast pace about something in real time as it happens." It also involves posting through "mobile blogging." This makes it so that blogging is easily accessible and something that will be everywhere.
Another interesting style was insight blogging, which is considered one of the most difficult styles of blogging because it involves "sharing insights, original ideas, and commentary" on a certain topic. That means unlike every other blog, you have to come up with your own idea of what to talk about, rather than what has been said or in the news.
So the next time you visit different blog sites, study the various styles there are out there. Blogging is more complex than one would think!

Crisis Communication

2007-04-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

April 16, 2007 - there is a shooter happening on campus in Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In the disaster, at least 33 people are dead in what may be the biggest mass shooting in modern American history. It was a really shocking news to the world and it is also a crisis for the university. However, the principal of the university did not show their care to this event. And he did not try to communicate with the media well. Until now, he did not clarify who is the dead or the injured. To be a better communicator, I think he should show his care to the injured or the family of the dead. Second, he should react to the disaster in a proactive way. Before talking to the media, he should get all the statistic of the dead or the injured including their age, gender or nationality. Even though he hasn't known the informaiton, he has to promise to the media that as long as he has the relevant information, he will provide the information that the media wants.

Blogging Can Lead to New Opportunities

2007-04-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

I came across a story from the April 10th edition of the Wall Street Journal. It was a story about How Blogging Can Help You Get a New Job. It has a long, I mean, a long list of PR bloggers that have got new jobs simply from blogging. They also point out which social media skills have helped them make that transition happen.

I thought this was really interesting for those of you who do blog regularly. I have to admit that before this class, I never really ever blogged before. Now, I am more comfortably blogging and actually enjoy it.

But just note that if you are currently working for a company as a blogger, you might want to be careful not to publish anything that hints that you are planning to leave your company. If that is the case, you might suddenly find yourself without a job.

2007-04-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard...listen up...In recent drama news as I would like to call it...Don Imus has been dropped from his MSNBC show. Wondering who Don Imus is? Well lets say in a "nice" way he's that potty mouth man everyone has been talking about. Don Imus direct quote " "Let me tell you, I'll bet you I've slept in a house with more black children who were not related to me than you have." NYT is considered dull compared to his recent slip up on Rutgers Women Basketball team. If you analyze Imus past antics then you wouldn't be surprised. Imus has a thing for racist and sexist remarks. In releasing his latest quote his lost his job, but not because of what he said but because advertisers like Staples, GM, Bigelow Tea and Procter & Gamble decided they didn’t want to be associated with a personality who would be so callous as to pick on over-achieving college girls. So the moral of the story is that you can almost say anything just as long as you don't piss off your advertisers.

What do you think?

ETHICS IN THE TECH WORLD

2007-04-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

I came across a very interesting report about the ethical scandals being caused by tech companies. The article states that more than 75 technical companies have revealed ethical violations in recent months. This is astonishing given the fact that there are passionate customers behind all these companies. However, although many tech companies are having pr problems, their shareholders don’t seem to be bothered. For example, Shares of Take-Two have doubled since the company revealed a Fraudulent results on an accounting investigation in July. There are many other tech companies who have revealed similar accounting problems, however the their stock hits are not being affected. I guess people are too concerned about making money, and don’t seem to worry about the ethical consequences. Another great example is Yahoo’s input with doing business in China where the government s and monitors Internet use for signs of rebellion. Yahoo simply says that China should feel grateful of having restricted internet access because “limited” is better than “nothing”.
This is an interesting article…if you want to read more:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20070411/tc_usatoday/techcompaniescaughtinwebofethicsissues

Mass Shooting on Virginia Tech Campus

2007-04-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Just a few hours ago, an assailant, who is believed to have acted alone, went on a shooting rampage across the Virginia Tech campus. He started his rampage in one of the dorm buildings and then moved across campus to an engineering building where the majority of his shooting occurred. There was a two hour period between his initial attack in the dorm building and his shooting in the engineering building. Emergency response personnel arrived on campus shortly after the first 911 call was made from the dorm building. Although police officials responded quickly to the first call, they were unable to stop the assailant before he shot dozens more students. According to CNN, the current count on fatalities is at 32, with many more students injured.

The news media has been covering this incident all morning long and it seems that their coverage will continue on for days if not weeks or months. Obviously, the main priority of all people involved in this tragedy is to find answers to who was behind these murders and what was the motive behind the shootings. The next priority for all Virginia Tech administrators and city police officials is to start a PR campaign that promotes the idea that Virginia Tech is making strides to make the campus a safe place. The news media's extensive coverage on this tragedy is going to make damage control a necessity. Campus officials are going to need to make press releases, set up news conferences, and make television or radio appearances in order to get their messages out to the effected publics. They will need to focus on the positive actions they have taken to help those harmed by this event, such as setting up counselling services. They will also have to try and convince students and the parents of Virginia Tech students that the school is not a dangerous place to be. Sugar-coating over this situation is not going to be possible, so crisis PR tactics are going to need to be used.

For up to date information on this situation check out CNN.com

One person, one ticket

2007-04-16T01:07:00.000-07:00

Beijing Olympic tickets went on sale in the Chinese capital on the basis of one ticket per person.
"Limiting tickets to one per person is a problem for sure, but there are just too many of us Chinese," said Wang Wei, secretary general of the Beijing Organising Committee.
"We've taken this policy to ensure many more people can watch the games." he added.
More than 7 million tickets will be available to the public, 75% of the tickets will be reserved for the Chinese people.
Tickets will be sold via the internet and at 1,000 branches of the Bank of China.
Officials are hoping to make $140m from tickets sales.
The Olympic Games will begin on 8 August 2008.

Tips On Advertising

2007-04-15T23:54:00.000-07:00

Today I want to share some ideas about advetising. I am taking a course on advertising copywriting and I always need to think of headlines for products. In the article How to write a great slogan for your business, the author thinks that the headline or slogan of an ad should stand out its USP(unique selling proposition) in a way the audience will only choose the particular product but not other competitors'. I think it's really true. Of course I am not that great enough to think of an outstanding and well-known slogan like "Just do it", but I want to share some of my opinion on making a good slogan.

First of all, a slogan should be short. Good slogan or headline is not really compulsory to be short. David Ogilvy, the father of advertising, once made a very famous and successful long headline for the ad of Rolls Royce: At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this new Rolls Royce comes from the electric clock. Yet, how many slogans can people remember if every one is long like that? Therefore, I think the most important criteria to create an effective slogan is to make it short so that the audience can remember it easily.

Next, the slogan should, like I mentioned in the first paragraph, emphasize the USP which is the thing to differentiate the specific brand. Therefore, the slogan should bring out the character of the product so as to set apart from the competitors.

Last but not least, I think it is also essential to create rhythm and rhyme in the slogan, which is something I always love to do for my headlines. Again, it is not a must to do so. But you can make your slogan a lot easier to remember. When the audience has a great memory of your slogan, your ad is more likely to reach success.

Here's to Number 42

2007-04-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago the number 42 was retired by all Major League Baseball teams to honor the one and only Jackie Robinson. Today marked the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the day that Robinson broke the color barrier and stepped onto a professional baseball field. In his honor, there was a huge celebration at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles near his home in Pasadena. Although his number has been retired from professional baseball, his number was worn today by over 200 players and coaches throughout the league to help celebrate his momentous achievement and honor his memory.

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson stepped onto the field with the then Brooklyn Dodgers to become the first professional baseball player of color. Robinson helped the Dodgers to beat San Diego 9 - 3. According to Bud Selig, the commissioner of the MLB, 'Jackie was an American hero and the ultimate barrier-breaker. Threats to his life were commonplace. Yet Jackie took everything hate-mongers had to offer him. Not only is he a baseball Hall of Famer, he's a Hall of Famer for all-time.'

The "Twitter" Does What?

2007-04-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

The "twitter" has many critics but this article offers support to the "twitter" and its usefulness. "Twitter" is an online community available at anytime anywhere. This article argues that there are benefits to the "twitter." It can make existing professional relationships stronger and more intimate. It allows people to connect and stay in touch without actually talking to one another. The "twitter" gets questions answered from a network of people in a non-intrusive way. It also expands your network and allows for business contacts. It can promote blogs and increase awareness and support of issues and events. It also allows for family and friends to coordinate availability, so that you don't bother or interrupt anyone.

While this article is overtly positive, many believe that the "twitter" communities will soon be non-existent to exist because every convenience they offer can be addressed by other means. Also with few people adopting the "twitter" lifestyle the communities are less effective because they need people watching and participating to garner great effects and networking.

Integrating online PR with other media

2007-04-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

Online media are communications tools. They join hundreds of communications tools in use. Online media allow: multimedia, push and interactive communication, speed of delivery, wide choices in formatting and presentation, localized and international reach, timely and timeless, and a variety of technologies.

According to the post "Integrating Online PR" on Horton: Online PR , "when other corporate media are integrated and directed toward a specific result, online public relations should integrate with them. When other corporate media are not directed toward a specific result, online public relations activities need not integrate with them."

Online PR can be used as a supplementary medium to reach target audiences. As shown above, the online media allows a great variety of uses. Therefore, it is important to know when to integrate online PR with other media for greater and better results.

Will you hire her?

2007-04-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Spacey Gracey points out "Hiring A Blogger For Their Soical Networking Skills". She did a great job in the video: nice voice, useful content and professional tone.

Enjoy it~

Imus- A PR Crisis

2007-04-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

Imus created an uproar last week when he called the women's Rutgers basketball team a bunch of "nappy-headed hos". It created a mini crisis management situation for Imus, CBS and MSNBC.

A variety of groups wanted Imus to be fired for his racist comments. Their wish came true http://news.aol.com/entertainment/articles/_a/cbs-fires-don-imus-from-radio-show/20070411183809990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001. In an attempt to deal with the situation, MSNBC dropped his show and his sponsors canceled their contracts with him soon after. Imus was put on probation and it was just released today that CBS has decided to fire Imus.

CBS took action in a timely and efficient manner which is part of dealing with a crisis. Although Imus may not hear the end of it, CBS appears to be in the clear.

REI Undestands Good PR

2007-04-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

REI is the outdoor retail chain and they know how to keep their customers happy. They offer store membership to everyone who comes through the store. It is a lifetime membership and REI charges only a one-time $15 during sign-up. The best part is that this includes a 10% refund on all your purchases at the end of the year. If you don't want to use it toward a purchase at a REI, you can turn it in for cash!

But REI doesn't stop there. They give back to the community by supporting local efforts to preserve the lands that outdoor people love. For example, they have partnered up with efforts to improve local trails. Not only do they make contributions, but store employees get together in groups and do the work themselves!

My best friend believes that by having one of these programs in place, they have made her a lifetime customer. Protecting trails may be one of her reasons, but it could also be that by December, she's already going to receive over $60.

Social media meetup

2007-04-12T00:14:00.000-07:00

How Storytelling is (Still) Critical to Communications in the Blogosphere -- that's the topic of the next Third Thursday meetup, a group which focuses on social media in marketing and public relations.

Guest speakers include Elisa Camahort, a co-founder of BlogHer, and marketing exec Kathy Klotz-Guest. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 19, in Palo Alto. For details, see me...or check out the group's meetup web page.

$60.6 BILLION spent on Direct Mail in 2006!

2007-04-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

After learning about direct mail techniques in class, I found a brief from the Center for Media Research showing an investment of $60.6 billion on direct mail in 2006. That is a 7.5% increase from the year before.
The brief states that though there will be growth in direct mail investment over the next two years, it will not be as large of an increase as this past year. New trends in direct mail techniques, such as marketing consolidation, are listed in the brief, as well as some strategies in direct mail R-O-I (return on investment). I highly recommend a quick look over of the brief- however the main thing that it is missing is detail on actual R-O-I from the $60.6 BILLION invested in direct mail in 2006.

Las Vegas-One Big PR Frenzy!

2007-04-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

During my spring break vacation, I was able to spend some quality time in one of the nation's most popular vacation spots, Las Vegas. With PR fresh in my mind from the previous week of school, I picked up on a few interesting public relations techniques in Las Vegas that I thought were both useful and pointless, but that caught my attention nonetheless.

Promoters:
To begin with, PR representatives and promoters are swarming Las Vegas. While walking the strip, my girlfriends and I were stopped every 50 feet or so, and were summoned to listen to a long soliloquy about what clubs were popular for that particular evening. We met several promoters and while they shoved their homemade business cards and fliers into our hands, they would tell us excruciatingly long stories, usually including all of the 5 W's regarding the club for the evening. I found this to be an interesting, attention getting and information-providing technique. I also found it to be somewhat annoying and quickly, all of the clubs began to sound exactly the same, and nearly each club verbally 'bashed' the other 6 we had already heard about.

Fliers:
Most of these fliers that were forcefully shoved into our hands and purses were colorful, full of information, and made the holder of the flier to feel as though they were V.I.P., which is an honor in Las Vegas apparently. Each flier was similar to the ones we had received before in that they were smooth, shiny, usually had a picture of a scantily clad young lady in an awkward, suggestive pose, and seemed to promote some type of deal for the evening. "2 for 1 Kamakazi Shots" and "Ladies Get In For Free" were examples of these bargain deals. We tourists politely took the fliers and later discarded them in the hotel trash can, but I appreciated the gesture and informative technique anyway.

Billboards:
It seems as though every major hotel in Las Vegas has a large, popular club inside of it. For example, Cesar's Palace Hotel and Casino has a club called 'Pure,' the Bellagio Hotel and Casino has a club called 'Light,' and Treasure Island Hotel and Casino has a club called 'Tangerine.' Why all of these clubs only contain one word in their title, I will never understand. The public relations techniques used outside of the hotel, however, are fantastic. These billboards glow, light up, change colors, contain sound effects and much more. I was amazed and surprisingly, found myself attracted to the signs and wanting to go to the club advertised! Even I could peg it for a PR stunt, but was fooled enough to want to attend!

Altogether, I found Las Vegas to be as fabulous as it is advertised to be. I would tell you more about my vacation but as the television commercial states, "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas."

Racial Slurs Cause a Stir

2007-04-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

CBS radio and MSNBC both announced today that they will be suspending radio show host Don Imus due to some racial slurs he made on his show last week. When talking about the Rutger's University women's basketball team (which has 8 African American team members) he said, "that's some rough girls from Rutger's. Man, they got tattoos..." Bernard McGuirk, a producer, chimed in by saying, "Some hardcore hos." Imus then responded with, "that's some nappy-headed hos there, I'm going to tell you that." The "nappy-headed hos," comment was met with some harsh criticism from African American community leaders, including Al Sharpton.

In an attempt to do some damage control, Imus has made several public apologies including an appearance on Al Sharpton's syndicated radio show. Imus has admitted that this was a joke that went, "way too far."

It is clear that Imus' image has been severally damaged by his remarks and the images of both CBS radio and MSNBC are also in jeopardy. Many people outraged by Imus' comments believe that in order for CBS and MSNBC to prove they are intolerant of racial comments, they need to fire Imus. Both CBS and MSNBC are feeling pressure to end Imus' radio career, but both networks have decided that a suspension is a proper form of punishment. Imus' has made promises to change his program's discourse and MSNBC has stated that, "our future relationship with Imus is contingent on his ability to live up to his word."

Imus has learned the hard way that it is important to think before you speak and he is going to need to make huge changes to his program if he is going to better his public image. One public relations tactic that he is doing successfully is his proactive approach to doing interviews and making numerous public apologies, but it is going to take a lot more than that to undo this mess.

Are We Addicted to the Virtual World

2007-04-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

In the age of information, various technologies allow us to do more different things than the old time. For instance, we can simply upload video to YouTube to broadcast and express ourselves; we can use cell phone to check and reply e-mail instantly; we can subscribe different shows from Podcast and get the most up-to-date information automatically.
However, how many of you have ever thought about the problem lead by all this new inventions? In his article, "The Hyperconnected. We're addicted to data, and new inventions like Twitter and the iPhone will only make it worse," Grossman suggests that people in this centuries are becoming addicted to Internet application unconsciously. Here is an example: After a train comes out from the underground, the first thing all the passengers will do is to take out all kinds of the mobile devices and check e-mail or up-to-date news/ information immediately.
Today's technology companies seem to recognize that this trend is getting more serious and new inventions continuously fulfill our desires, such as the ongoing improvement of mobile devices, Google and Earthlink cover free wireless service in more cities and even suburban areas. Although these things seem improving our lives and draw people close too each other, it is time for us to step back and think about this question: the closeness of the virtual world may lead to the disconnection of things that are surrounding us in our real life, which may also prevent us from developing our own thoughts individually.

To learn more, please click here.

- Jas

Effective PR Campaings for Small Businesses

2007-04-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

I came across an article published in Business Week about the importance of PR in small businesses. Small business owners are often limited in their marketing budget, therefore conducting public-relations campaigns is a cost-efficient and often effective way to find new customers and boost a quality reputation, according to the article.

When deciding whether to invest in advertising or PR for a small business, the answer is simple; There are times when businesses spend a lot on advertising and get nothing in return. Nevertheless, when people read articles, they take them more seriously, since they are not directly coming from the business, but written by a third party.

The article recommends for small business owners to start investing in PR after the word of mouth has done its course. They can start with the small, local press and pitch an article on their business, what makes you unique and interesting, why you started the company, and what it is that you do. The article recommend that as they approach reporters and editors, emphasize the things that differentiate you from other local business owners. This is a good way to begin.

The truth of the matter is that small businesses that don’t have a large amount of marketing or advertising budget can well off get results from performing a PR campaign, and get significant results.

Shada unites Iraq

2007-04-09T00:30:00.000-07:00

Shada Hassoun, 25, Iraqi singer won the popular pan-Arab TV talent show. Her victory united the Iraqis and made them forget about the war and the instability in their beloved country for few moments.
Shada was a contestant in Star Academy Middle East, an Arab version of the French show Star Academy produced by Dutch company Endemol.
Shada’s trip to the success lasted four long months, where she was in Beirut, away of her family and her friends. However, she developed in Lebanon new friends and gained the love of thousand fans.
The success of Shada Hassoun is a message to the world that Iraq doesn’t mean only war. Iraqi people deserve to live and enjoy life to its full.
Could Shada’s success reflect a different world’s view of Iraq.
Could her success generate good PR for her hurt country?
Can her singing bring peace to Iraq?
Read more

No longer the diamond of the sea

2007-04-09T00:28:00.000-07:00

The news of the cruise liner, "The Sea Diamond", sinking was astonishing for the global public to hear. While it is was hard to fathom an incident like this to happen in such a technological age it did and we are recovering from it.

I checked out the Louis Cruise Lines website and this is all i found. Three consecutive posts the day of the accident, and since April 4, 2007 nothing else has been posted. While the issue cannot be the main focus of the business (or their profits will sink) it should be more elaborately explained and updated until all questions are answered. Starting with the still two missing passengers, exactly how it happened (from their point of view, not a news broadcasters) and an idea of how they will prevent a situation like this from reoccurring.

Did Louis Cruise Lines deal with the accident correctly? You be the judge.

It's about time.

2007-04-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

Disney has recently decided to allow same-sex couples to exchange vows in front of Cinderella's Castle and partake in its Fairy Tale Wedding program. A spokesperson for the Disney Parks and Resorts said that Disney wants everyone who goes there to feel welcome and respected. How nice.

The company said that it changed its policy after being contacted by a gay couple who wished to use their wedding services. Hard for me to believe that this couple was the FIRST.

Nonetheless, Disney has made the right move. Not only in changing their policy, but also in making a public statement about the change. Certainly there are some groups who strongly oppose this change, but I think it is safe to say that this will earn Disney mostly, if not exclusively, good press.

Sanjaya...a form of persuasive PR?

2007-04-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

Some people love Sanjaya Malakar....Simon and others do not. Is he ruining the heart of American Idol? Does his hair keep him in the runnings? Is this a PR stunt?

It's no suprise that millions of preteen girls have fallen in love with American Idol's Sanjaya. He seems sweet, innocent and always suprises us with his crazy hair. Some are amazed that he's gotten so far in the competition. People are getting a big kick out of voting for him. Howard Stern is fueling the fire, the radio talk host has been suporting votefortheworst.com, a web site that encourages people to support Sanjaya.

What is controversy about what's keeping Sanjaya on the show? The attention has extended to his hair, which is styled in wacky ways every show. He knows that his hair causes reactions. But is it his hair or his voice that is keeping him on the show?

Well, even if he does't end up the next American Idol, he maybe already a winner. He will likely get a record deal, and has already been approached by Suave hair products.

Is this a small form if persuasive PR? I believe so, he is keeping the audience entertained and attentive becuase of his hair and personality. I believe this guy has the right idea. He may not have the best voice, but he sure has an agenda that is keeping him in the game.

To Infinity and Beyond

2007-04-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

If you have ever wanted to travel into space—it’s possible now. You don’t have to be an astronaut. You don’t have to work at NASA. You don’t even have to be a smart. The only thing you need is MONEY!

Space tourism appears to be the newest fad among the rich and posh. With the latest traveler to space being the well-to-do fiancé of Martha Stewart, I am beginning to wonder how astronauts and others working at NASA feel about the ability of just about anyone to travel to space if they are willing to pay enough money.

According to HowStuffWorks.com, ‘tickets are going for a mere $20 million for a one-week stay in space.’ The same website also notes that within the last ten years several reports have been publishing noting that the ‘space tourism’ industry could, potentially, be worth billions of dollars.

The idea that anyone with enough money can travel to space has led to the creation of space tourism companies.

This is an insane industry and goes to show that clearly money CAN buy anything!!!

Richard Edelman's interview

2007-04-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Richard Edelman, the CEO of the world’s largest independent public relations firm, was interviewed by the PR Blog News. His firm has nearly $325 million in net fees last year.
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Edelman started a blog called 6AM in the year 2004. In the blog, he wrote his personal imprint on the firm. The blog was a huge success and Edelman net fees grew nearly 24% last year, three times the rate of the number two independent, Ruder Finn.

However, the success came with a great deal of criticism. His drive to spread the mantra of the “horizontal conversation” through its many practices and 46 offices worldwide has been hampered by persistent questions about its tactics and operations.

In the interview, he will take a thumping in the April 2 story on Wal-Mart in the New Yorker to cover his tactics and strategies. To read more about his interview, click here.