Tactics

New Years Eve… Social Media Style

2009-12-30T18:07:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve for most of us is a fun holiday to spend with friends, family and … brands? Companies both large and small have traditionally used this holiday as a platform to generate another round of media coverage before the year’s end. However, this year’s branded festivities are bringing a slightly new twist, focused on social media sharing as opposed to traditional news pick up.

Here are some neat campaigns going on this New Year’s Eve:

Nivea Kiss Platform – I heard about this campaign, not from a new article, not from a blog post, but through a text message from a girl friend – “Watch for me on NBC!” People strive for fame, and they like sharing those moments with others. Nivea recognized this human condition and cashed in.
Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. – If there’s one company that has a passionate fan base, it’s Red Bull. They could post a viral video of a potato (drinking Red Bull, of course) and it would generate viral buzz. Yet, the company has again confronted a pre-existing record by challenging athlete Travis Pastrana to break the record for car jumping on New Year’s Eve. It will be interesting to see if the brand sees as much viral buzz during the event as it saw in the weeks leading up.
New Year’s Eve Worldwide Webcast – In case you can’t make it to Times Square this year… wait, what am I talking about, you CAN make it to Times Square this year! The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment are bring Times Square festivities to your living room. Though the campaign doesn’t appear to be branded at first sight, a quick glance at the page’s sponsors shows otherwise.
Ustream Broadcasts New Years Eve Worldwide – In case Times Square isn’t your thing (or maybe its “so last year” and you’d prefer to travel to Beijing, instead) Ustream (disclosure: A Zeno Group client) is bringing national ball drop ceremonies to your computer screen this year.

What innovative NYE campaigns did you see this year?

Cross-posted in the Zeno Digital Team Stream

What have I been up to?

2009-01-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I've been fairly MIA the past two months, but not without good reason, I assure you! And definitely not absent from blogging. In fact, I've been blogging more than ever!

I suppose now is a good time to introduce my new blog to you all - Westbound Boarder. The blog is about boardsports, and its exclusively for women who ride (though we don't discriminate against men who'd like to read, too!) It is a project shared by a good friend and myself, and our hope down the road is to grow this into more of a support group and resource for women who snowboard.

This project has been a great way for me to step out of my PR shoes and see the other side of things - what it's like being pitched, what things affect traffic numbers, etc. - and it has really helped me understand the agenda of bloggers I work with on a daily basis. I've also been learning a lot about the technical side of things, which has been helpful just in simple conversation. And its a great way to combine my two hobbies - boardsports and blogging.

My goal with this blog (aka, my somewhat abandoned PR blog) is to completely rebrand and import to wordpress/self-host, now that I know a bit more about the platform and process.

Another blogging-related project I'm involved with is the Social 7 - a weekly video podcast conversation on the week's top 7 stories in social media and marketing. Starting by two coworkers and myself, it has been a fun project, and is helping build our brand as social media experts in the PR industry. Definitely check it out!

Until then, I'll try to post when I can until I have a chance to develop my snazzy new wordpress blog :)

Local Blogs Take The Stage

2008-12-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted in the Zeno Group blog, Acropolis.

A few months ago, Los Angeles Magazine announced that downtown LA was named the “third bloggiest neighborhood” in the US. That’s a pretty cool claim to fame, if you ask me, but I have noticed that as local dailies die out, readers are turning to local blogs to get their news (or perhaps local dailies are dying out because people find more value in local blogs.)

Whatever the case, I moved to LA not too long ago and one of my favorite things about this city is the number of great local blogs. (I mean, West Linn, OR = cool, but newsworthy? Not so much, unless you count the occasional “a couple was caught being intimate on the baseball field” type stories – yes, that really was printed in the West Linn Tidings, and a friend of mine has the clipping hanging on her fridge if you’d like proof.) From LA Observed to LAist and a bunch of others, it is not hard to see why both print-affiliated and citizen journalists alike in LA are trading in their pens for Apples.

In fact, our dependence on local blogs has forced local dailies to hop on the blogging bandwagon as well, with most local papers having at least one (if not, several) affiliate blogs. This is smart for a number of different reasons:

Local blogs are rapidly growing in both readership and sheer numbers;
Blogs foster a two-way dialogue, whereas print publications are only one-sided;
Blogs support the ‘eco-friendly’ direction our society is headed (aka, green is trendy);
Blogs enable the 24-hour news cycle our now ‘always on’ society craves, especially during times of crisis (check out LA Now’s 24/7 coverage of the LA fires, for example);
Blogs allow local dailies to push out their content in a variety of different ways (RSS, e-mail and Twitter, for example) instead of just via subscription.

A few weeks ago, Steve Rubel predicted that by 2014, we will see the end of tangible media as we know it. And that’s a modest prediction in comparison to MediaWeek, who foresees the fall of many local dailies by 2010. My first though was, “No way! Where would our credible news come from?!” But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that, yeah, maybe tangible media will die out in theory, but the big (smart) dailies will never go away; they will simply switch their focus online.

Barack the Vote: Social Media and the Internet in the 2008 Presidential Election

2008-12-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, my colleague Alex and I had the opportunity to attend the Election 2008 conference at the University of Southern California. The two panels we sat in on were entitled “Challenges for the New Administration and the Two Parties: POLITICO Editors and Reporters Look to the Future” and “Technology in Politics: How Campaigns Use the Internet to Talk to Voters.” Though the first was extremely interesting from a political perspective, the latter (and its focus on digital media) is what interested me most.

Over the past year, it was evident that online technology and social media played an integral role in the 2008 Presidential election, with some even claiming that the Internet won Barack Obama the election. Though I don’t personally agree with that bold claim, Obama’s use of the Internet and social media to mobilize and directly connect with supporters certainly helped.

What Obama Did Right

During the 2008 Election, Obama used social media in ways no other candidate ever has. Obama had a Facebook fan page with more than 3.2 million fans (Michelle also has her very own fan page), and a Facebook application with 164,551 subscribers. He had a MySpace page with more than 1 million friends. He even created his own social network, MyBarackObama.com. Some 3.2 million supporters donated to the Obama campaign through an excellent, well-maintained Web site. He had a Twitter account and tweeted frequently, ultimately becoming the single most followed entity on Twitter. His campaign launched an iPhone application (something that panelist Becki Donatelli admitted the McCain campaign was quite jealous of). He even announced his pick of Vice President via text message. Yes, now President-elect Barack Obama has made social media part of his everyday life (even post-election, when he took his weekly address online.)

It is clearly evident that times are changing - not only in Presidential campaigning, but in our overall media consumption habits as well. I credit Obama for thinking a few steps ahead of the rest, being the first Presidential candidate to launch a truly integrated campaign (and get it right). As one of the panelists on the above mentioned Election 2008 technology panel stated - Obama didn’t invent the technology; he simply perfected it.

What McCain Missed

Though some attribute McCain’s loss to his lack of engagement with technology, personally I don’t think it was his lack of using the technology (he did, after all, have a Facebook fan page, a MySpace page, and a Twitter account, to name a few); it was more a matter of his objective (which, unlike Obama seemed to be a means to an end instead an end itself). We heard it in nearly every public speech and interview made - “McCain has the experience” - and along with his experience in office, he also has more experience campaigning, even being directly involved in the 2000 race for the Republican Presidential nomination against George W. Bush. Though he lost the race, he did learn a lot about campaigning in the process, taking those lessons and applying them to the race in 2008. However, McCain seemed to have taken the wrong lesson out of 2000, focusing more on the end result (ie, media relations and generating positive press coverage) and not enough on connecting directly with supporters.

Obama, on the other hand, brought excitement to the grassroots approach. To him, it was important to go straight to the people, not the media, and the Internet served as a key player in helping him do so.

Will TV ads (and traditional media) become obsolete?

The recent hype around Obama’s use of online and social technologies makes this question seem more real then ever - will TV ads become obsolete in future elections, being replaced solely by online initiatives? While some think yes, a few of the panelists surfaced an interesting perspective - offline ads help drive people online.

Take a look at the sheer numbers - TV ads are not becoming irrelevant anytime soon, and candidates are still focusing heavily on paid advertising (in addition to his online initiatives, Obama also bought half-hour primetime segments on CBS and NBC less than a week before the general election, for example). TV ads may be diminishing in importance, but it will be a long time before they completely go away. However, the panelists pointed out that now, we are seeing more of an online/offline plan. Online and social technology and traditional media serve completely different purposes - the Internet is used to activate the base and raise funds, then the money raised is being used to get people sitting at home on their couches to go online. It is now vital to synchronize both and integrate into one solid campaign.

Looking ahead to 2012/16

During the conference, one panelist made the bold claim that by 2016, campaigns will no longer exist in brick and mortar buildings; instead, they will exist solely online. Though traditional advertising will still play a dire role in campaigns, social media will become increasingly important to candidates seeking election as it becomes more mainstream. Due to both advances in technology and a growing number of media outlets for people to choose from, it will become vital for candidates to have a short, buttoned-up message.

Moving forward, Presidential candidates won’t be the only ones to use social media in campaigns; candidates at the local level will begin to jump on board as well. Campaigning via social media is cheaper, more effective, and easier to mobilize a core group of constituents to act.

Last, technological advances like TiVo and XM Radio have empowered consumers to choose what information they want to receive. Often, the casual constituent (or as Joel Benenson calls them, the “Up-for-Grabs” voter) doesn’t hear political messages via TV and radio ads; they hear about them through YouTube videos or e-mails and SMS videos forwarded by their friends. It is now important for candidates to broadcast their message across as many different channels, in as many different ways as possible to reach that casual constituent.

Search for Social Media

2008-11-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted in the Zeno Group blog, Acropolis.

As a member of the Zeno Group Digital Lifestyle team, I feel that it is my duty to help engrain social media into our everyday PR lifestyle. So, for this past week’s Zeno LA “Happy Half-Hour Friday,” it was my turn to put my party-planner hat on, creating our first ever Social Media Scavenger Hunt! I think the digital lifestyle team was a little more excited about this than, say, our business manager, but overall the event was a great success.

The scavenger hunt featured several different social networking tools (Facebook, Digg and Twitter, to name a few) and called for participants to not only learn about them, but take the extra step and interact with each other using these tools. For example:

Sign into Twitter and create a Tweet using the #ZenoLA hashtag.
Now, respond to one Tweet that another Zeno LA employee posted.
Post an insightful comment on one of your favorite PR blogs. Which blog did you choose to comment on?

Of course, this was not meant to be a full training on all the social media tools available, but rather a fun way to expose the office to some of the new tools and apps available. (For example, most PR professionals know about Twitter, but many might not be aware of the long – and growing – list of apps that are available for it).

Broadening the scope of this post a bit, we are entering into an era where it is important for everyone in PR to at least be familiar with the basic social media and networking tools. By now, many PR professionals are aware of the ‘biggies’ (i.e., what they should pay attention to), but many have not taken the time to actually learn about and understand them (let alone start using them). Simply creating a Twitter ID and tweeting once or twice isn’t enough anymore; smart PR people should take it one step further and engage with the community on a regular basis, especially if it’s something that might make sense for a client down the road. At the same time, it’s okay to focus your attention on a select number of tools after you’ve explored all of the options. If you try Friendster but realize, “hey, maybe this one isn’t for me,” that’s okay! At least you took the time to figure it out.

On a different note, I encourage you to implement a social media scavenger hunt in your own office and share the results in the comments section below!

Let's Hear It for the Women

2008-11-17T09:23:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted in the Zeno Group blog, Acropolis.

Whenever I was asked the question “Who would you most like to have lunch with” in elementary school essays, my default answer was Steven Spielberg (what 10-year-old child aspires to have lunch with a popular film director over Jonathan Taylor Thomas, I do not know, but apparently I did). Fifteen years later, if you asked my now more grown-up and professional self the same question, I’d have to say Google’s Marissa Mayer. Hands Down.

On Tuesday, FastCompany’s Saabira Chaudhuri published an article on the “Most Influential Women in Web 2.0” (which, of course, includes Ms. Mayer). Though the article picked up a lot of heat throughout the blogosphere, with some calling the author “sexist” for not also including men, I believe it’s about time women are recognized for their great achievements in Web 2.0.

From Arianna Huffington who created what is now the most popular blog on the Web, Huffington Post, to Ning’s Gina Bianchini, the outstanding women featured in this article have all made great strides online during a time when women are finally beginning to put the “housewife in the kitchen” stereotype behind them. Truth be told, it can be fairly intimidating competing and interacting with the “big boys” online. These women offer great advice, such as “you need to stick your neck out there and just do it in order to be successful.” (Cyan Banister).

In a traditionally male-dominated industry, it is nice to read about and celebrate the achievements of women who have made great strides in the online environment. As Marissa recommends, it’s important for women to find a company that fosters “an environment where people will invest in you.” I’ve found this to be so true and important to my growth as a digital media professional. For me, with Google and Marissa as examples, nothing is impossible.

Photo Credit: dfarber on Flickr

This is TOO Cute!

2008-11-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

I just had to share this picture with you all :) (If you own a doxie, like me, you will likely find it extra funny). Enjoy!

SO Social... 2.0 Style

2008-11-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

I just created a profile on Savvy Auntie, an online social network specifically for Aunties. I suppose this now gives me bragging rights for my adorable niece and nephew (pictured below - I tried relentlessly to talk my sister into creating her own blog this past weekend, but she just 'didn't get the point, when there's Facebook...')

This is one of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of niche networks popping up all over the Web. The common trend of our generation has been to join as many of these communities as applicable in efforts to stay connected, build relationships, learn, and offer advice & peer counsel. Wait, back up. For centuries, people have always longed to belong to communities, joining groups and associations for essentially the same reasons. Web 2.0 simply offers these niche groups the tools to bring activities online. So does that mean the offline community no longer exists? No way, but it can have more members and communication methods than ever before.

Other niche networks I belong to... How about you?

PR Open Mic - A fabulous online community for PR students and professionals.
MyRagan - An online community for communicators.
LinkedIn - Is this really 'niche' anymore?
BlogHer - A social community for female bloggers.
LiveMocha - Online community for language learners.
Action Profiles - Community for boarders (snow, skate, surf, etc..) Good for connecting riders with sponsors, or riders with boarding buddies.
Yelp - My favorite online reviews site.

And the cuties? They're below :)

This Is Great

2008-11-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

A bit of humor to jump start your Friday afternoon :) Classic commentary on our generation, although I think it's already a bit outdated (I mean, come on; where's the blackberry?!)

Photo curteosy of www.ohmygoodness.com

Great Job Hunt Advice

2008-11-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

Really great post from one of my former classmates on how to build your network prior to the job hunt. Her advice helped her land a job at a fab agency within one week of moving to a new city!

History in the Making

2008-11-04T22:26:00.000-08:00

8.5 years ago, our country nearly encountered a global crisis. In the face of Y2K, many people truly believed the end of the world was just a few weeks away. I, on the other hand, wanted to do something great. Yes; I wanted to be the very first person this century to do something. After days of contemplating, I finally decided upon my infamous task: I decided that I would be the first person in America to flush a toilet.

Looking back through history, our country is characterized by a fear of the unknown. The unknown that, 'hey, maybe the world isn't flat,' to 'hm.. do you think consumers are finally sick of us shouting?'

Tonight, another unknown event went down in history; the election of Barak Obama as President. As much as I'd like to say, 'woo hoo! This cat-fight election is finally over!' I'll leave it at my take-aways from Y2K that seemed oh so long ago: Yes; change is scary. But in times of change, one thing remains constant - change brings about a world of opportunity. Americans found an opportunity to explore the world, from one end and right back home again. Web 2.0 allowed companies the opportunity to personally connect with consumers, instead of shouting at them. And Barak Obama? He has the opportunity to turn this country around, if only we remain optimistic.

And Y2K? Well, that made me a legend ;) Will you be the first to flush a toilet in this new age?

Could the Collapse of the Magazine Industry be Upon Us?

2008-10-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

I may have put my foot in my mouth when I wrote this post... because, just a few days later, I read this in the Huffington Post. Yes, it's true, Radar Magazine and Radar Online have folded. Though the magazine seems to have steady readership, both in print and online, and was even nominated for a National Magazine Award, it failed to meet financial expectations. The print version of the magazine will be discontinued, while it's online counterpart is being sold to AMI and will likely exist as somewhat of a TMZ-type site.

I still hold true to my claim that magazines offer the depth of coverage that blogs simply can't provide and thus won't completely abandon print in favor of fancy, interactive Web sites anytime soon, however with a 9.5% drop in magazine ad revenue this past year, investors are begining to lose faith that the industry will remain monetizable.

While I personally hope that magazines continue to stay afloat, this is proof that advertisers are begining to follow customers' desire to go digital and looking to spend more of their dollars online. In this industry and amidst Web 2.0, the magazines that will win are the ones who can show advertisers that print offers true value that digital sites can not.

In the Changing Media Landscape, Will Magazines Become Extinct?

2008-10-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Following last week's Politics 2008 event, PRSA posted a great summary of the Keynote Roundtable discussion, entitled, "The Changing Face of News: The Power, The Influence and the Challenge of the Future."

In recent conversations, many have cited increasing online readership and decreasing revenue as evidence of the fall of print... but what about the magazine industry? (In fact, the above noted PRSA article mentions an interesting point: During the panel, Time magazine's Richard Stengel has become "a digital publication that puts out a weekly print publication" in efforts to adapt to new media.)

As more readers turn to the Web to get their daily dose of news, one might expect that magazines would be forced to adapt too. However, Graydon Carter, editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair noted that magazines and the new digital news are nearly completely separate industries. He said, "The one thing a monthly magazine can do is be slower and tell a story because there is so much information and everything's so fast, that if you compete with the notions of speed or immediacy or just information, you lose to the Internet." Interesting, but a great way of viewing the situation.

Looking at my own media consumption, I realized that I, too, use new and traditional media for different purposes - I like receiving up-to-date news via my RSS, and I like the opinionated slant some bloggers take, but nothing will ever take the place of a good "old-fashioned" eight page spread in Newsweek. Fear not, my friends - magazines are here to stay.

The Power of Web 2.0

2008-10-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

My Blog Action Day post from the ZENO Group blog, Acropolis:

Today is Blog Action Day, a day where thousands of bloggers worldwide will come together and write about poverty. We all know poverty is a big problem. Here in Santa Monica, for example, 277 people were considered homeless at the turn of the new year. 277 – That’s huge in comparison to Santa Monica’s relatively small size (pop: 87,212). While providing a real solution to poverty is critical, what inspires me is the way the event organizers are engaging the blogosphere in efforts to bring this pressing issue to the masses.

As we continue to evaluate the reach and effectiveness of non-traditional media outlets, many clients still put their faith in the traditional. We continually ask ourselves which is better – a small hit in The Wall Street Journal or a story in TechCrunch? Most would prefer The WSJ, largely because the reach is predictable and measurable, so blogger relations programs tend to be the first thing cut out of PR plans as budgets tighten. But another question to ask is, can bloggers act as a means to an end, instead of just an end in themselves? Last year’s Blogger Awareness Day proved YES, as the campaign was picked up in traditional outlets such as BBC, Reuters, FOX, Sydney Morning Herald, and Kathimerini Greece on an international scale – a reach far beyond expectations with relatively little financial investment. That’s the power of social media for you. And this year’s event, with 11,438 bloggers participating, is expected to generate a minimum of 12,437,788 impressions based on RSS numbers. By comparison, an article in USA Today would generate 2,284,219 impressions, but with nearly 13 million people reading about it on the Web, well, what traditional outlet wouldn’t want to tag along?

It is interesting to look at how social marketing has evolved throughout history, and how social media is feeding into this evolution. I can only think of a similar campaign that might have been initiated 10 years back – Smart PR person instigates Poverty Awareness day. Savvy PR staff organizes an event and writes a press release. Desperately-wanting-to-get-hired interns rigorously pitch the event to mainstream media outlets. Poverty Awareness Day garners international coverage and is a huge success. 700 more smart PR people catch on and do the same…

This campaign, however, is innovative, largely because it hasn’t been done before, and it has the potential to be more effective taking into account the discussion element (something traditional media lacks). Kudos to the organizers for taking an innovative approach to poverty; this truly showcases the power Web 2.0 has to reach the masses.

Paris is... Painting the White House 'Pink'?!

2008-10-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've all heard about McCain and Obama's new competitor. That's right, Paris Hilton takes the stand and is now in the running for President... or for "Fake President," that is. Her fake campaign is not what I would call sincere, and obviously just her way of retailating McCain's recent commercials, but the PR side of me questions her motives in 'running' - to gain publicity for Obama, or for herself... or to bring more young people to the poles, if I dare ask?

Despite my, well, less-than-love (if you will) for Paris, she does make some good fake points in her fake press interview - "Nowadays sound bytes, not sound policy, determine our country's course" she boasts. Hm... I suppose there is some good truth to that statement, especially looking at how recent media coverage is affecting poll results and political chatter.

On a broader note, there's been a slew of celebs jumping on the political bandwagon - Leo and camp, and P. Diddy for starters. I'm interested to see how the combination of celebrities and their use of social media will affect this year's general election, especially amongst young voters. Oh, and Paris? Can't wait to hear more about your "FoPo" plan; you've got my vote.

Now, one last video to leave you with - "Does Celebrity Endorsements Matter in Politics" (Please don't fault me for bad grammar, it was contextual!) :) What do you think?

My New Job!

2008-10-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

After a long few weeks, application after application, interview after interview (and plenty of "You're a great candidate, but we're just not hiring"s) I am excited to announce that I am finally employed! I interviewed a few different places and received a coupe of different offers, but ultimately decided to go with a small firm called Zeno Group (owned by Edelman). I was very attracted to the small agency environment, intelligent employees, and creative work they generate for clients; and their stellar work in Web 2.0 was icing on the cake. But the best part? The LA office is 4 blocks walking from the Santa Monica pier ;) My first day with the firm was Wednesday, and I love it so far! I'm an AE in their Digital Lifestyle Group, so moving forward I'll be doing mostly digital campaigns for a variety of different consumer and tech. clients.

I'll keep you all posted :) Oh, and check out Zeno Group's blog, Acropolis, located here. Another good one to check out: The Digital Deep, written by my new colleague, Nick.

PS: Thanks to everyone who helped and supported me throughout my job search; couldn't have done it without you!

Social Surfing

2008-09-16T10:13:00.001-07:00

The past few weeks, I have been trying to learn how to surf (no, not the Web... like, the actual sport.) But I'm really bad at it (like, really bad), so after a few failed attempts I finally did a YouTube search for videos on "how to surf." Through my search, I came up with this series of viral videos by Florida Surf Lessons. Not only were the videos very informative, but the series is an example of a company that really understands both it's consumer-base and the power of viral video campaigns.

If you think about surfing, what age group comes to mind? Well, aside from the occasional 60-year-old going through a mid-life crisis, the majority of people looking to take surf lessons is likely the younger age group... the group that is most engaged in social media. So naturally, a viral video campaign would work well for a surf shop. And the 'how to' format of the videos are great for anyone who is just starting out. The videos are short, sweet and to the point, and at the beginning of each segment the instructor says his name, company, location and Web address. Obviously a viral marketing tactic created by the company, but very tactfully used.

UPDATE: So I spent the day surfing yesterday in Santa Monica, and I used the advice from these videos - they worked! I actually caught waves! I am now an enthusiast :)

Bake Your Network From Scratch

2008-09-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

As we begin the long transition from college into the professional world, the number one thing we are told is build your network, build your network, BUILD YOUR NETWORK! (OK, we get it already!) But what if, a few years down the road, we decide that the place we built our network isn't quite right?

OK, take me for example: I attended college in Oregon and was actively involved in PRSSA, PRSA and AHPR, attending meetings and conferences on a regular basis. Through these organizations I was able to build a solid network in Oregon throughout college, so when it came time for me to look for jobs in Portland all I had to do was call up a few of the people I had networked with! Landing a great job seemed almost too easy...

But job-hunting in LA has been a bit frustrating for me, largely because I haven't had a chance to build a network down here. Sad, but true, that our resumes are worthless unless we can get them in front of the right people. And that usually takes knowing someone. Aka, networking. While job hunting in LA over the past month, I have picked up a few good techniques to build a network... from scratch.

Join a local PRSA chapter as soon as you arrive in your new town. Begin attending meetings, and let it be known that you are an excellent candidate on the prowl.
Pick up the phone. Call companies you are interested in and ask to set up a time for an informational interview. Most companies, even if they aren't hiring, won't say no. And if you wow them during the interview, any smart company will try to make room for you.
If the prior fails, try turning to social media. More and more companies are begining to use social media to find qualified candidates, and if you are active in the social space it could work to your advantage. I found several jobs I applied for through LinkedIn, and I even spent some time browsing LinkedIn Exec. resumes to surface good companies in the area.
Start your own blog. As more clients are beginning to ask their agency counterparts for social media guidance, having a knowledge of social media is a huge value that young professionals can bring to an agency environment. And there is no better way to showcase your knowledge than by blogging about it.
Ask former coworkers, friends - anyone - if they know someone in PR and if they wouldn't mind sharing the person's contact info. with you. For example, my roommate (who has nothing to do with PR) mentioned she knows a guy in PR, and two days later I had an interview! I never would have even thought to ask her, so sometimes the least likely people can have the best connections.
Last but not least... Building a network from scratch is hard work, and it takes some time. Don't expect to move somewhere and get a job right away, but definitely do all you can to build your network prior to relocating.

For the Pros or All Age-Olds?

2008-09-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was spending some time blogging, my roommate came into the kitchen (yes, I write in the kitchen) and our conversation went something like this:

My RM: "Whatcha doing?"

Me: "Writing in my blog."

My RM: "Blog? What's that?" (It took all my strength to not respond Really?! Did you not grow up in the 21st century?!)

Me: "Well, a blog is like..."

My RM: (Looks over my shoulder) "Oh my gosh, are you writing about smart people stuff?! You nerd!"

RM exits scene to the left.

For those of us who work in tech. PR - or PR in general for that matter - social media such as Web blogs and Twitter have become second nature. Example: I used to get my daily news from television, and maybe the occasional newspaper (when I felt like sifting through one ;) ). But now I get nearly all my news sent straight to my RSS feed and Google Reader. Social media has, in a sense, become part of my daily routine. I wake up, check my Google Reader, then my facebook, head to work (ok, well let's pretend like I actually have a job for this post), start up my computer, sift through my target influential blogs for news that may have posted over night, send a good-morning e-mail to the analyst whose blog post I particularly enjoyed reading, jot down a few morning thoughts into my own blog, IM a coworker (whose desk is likely not more than 20 feet away) in search of a 10am coffee break buddy, respond to a tweet StaceyPR posted about her "manic Monday morning," open up a pitch saved in SkyDrive I had been working on from home the night before, add a few more things to my "To Do" Google widget... Oh my gosh I could go on forever, and it's not even noon! But then again, if you're reading this, you probably have already had a day similar to mine.

But reflecting upon my pre-PR days, I can only barely remember a much different schedule (which probably actually included picking up a copy of the Register-Guard, since I didn't have cable, throwing rocks at tweeters, and poking my crushes in person). So could it be that the PR and tech-savvy are just ahead of the times?

On the contraire, could it just be that social media is so ingrained in our lives that we don't even think twice? Could it be that when people, like my roommate, visit sites like LAist and MSNBC, they don't realize that they're looking at blogs? I went to college just as social media was beginning to emerge (ah, I remember the article I wrote for the PRSSA newsletter once upon a time entitled, plain and simple, "What's a blog?" I barely even knew what I was writing about at that point in time! Oh, and does anyone remember the first facebook, where the wall was just a solid block with text?! Come on, don't make me feel too old...) Fast-forward three years, where 1 in 4 online Americans, according to Forrester Research, read blogs, social media and many social apps have become mainstream for many (particularly those younger than my age group). But they still have a long way to go before they become the norm for everyone. Aka, those 3 out of every 4 Americans who don't read blogs. Heck, I just helped my grandma set up an e-mail address!

Anyway, I feel like I'm running around in circles right now, but now that you've heard my thoughts, what do you think? Are blogs and other social apps becoming mainstream? Or are they still only for the PRos?

**A third alternative - Maybe I just need to give my "behind the times" roommate a lesson or two in blogging :)

PR and Politics

2008-09-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a weekend of sightseeing in Washington DC, which I think merits some sort of political PR post, wouldn't you agree?

This was my first trip out to see the East Coast (well, unless you count the PRSSA National Conference in Miami or the 10 hours I spent on layover in the Phili airport) and I have to say, I was quite impressed! Traveling Europe inspired me to want to see more of my own country, and what better place to start than DC? It was nice to spend some time in our nation's capital, doing some sightseeing, etc. (although, I have to say, the White House was quite a bit smaller than I had originally anticipated). But all in all, seeing the great monuments and learning a bit about the history helped me find a renewed faith in my country, and I was inspired to immerse myself in politics once again (it was, after all, my minor).

As I mentioned in an earlier post, while in France I was surprised at how interested and engaged in politics everyone seemed to be. Our dinner conversations centered around questions on my views toward certain American policy issues, or the political agenda of Nicolas Sarkozy. Even most of the young people I met fired off political questions. But of course, when I mentioned I was American many people would immediately bring up Barak Obama... the celebrity.

This election sure has been an interesting one, and more hyped than any I can ever remember (which, granted, account for maybe 2 past Presidential elections...) Whatever happened to fair and balanced political news coverage? (um, take last night's VMA show for example?) Now a days, while most people can ramble on about Hillary's 'incredible' fashion sense or the exact size of Palin's cinnamon-roll bun, if you ask someone about Obama's main platform points you're likely to hear something along the lines of, "um, change?" The media is so drawn to the drama in elections that they fail to provide the American public with an accurate view of the issues our potential leaders stand for and how they will use their time in office. And as a consequence, the Paris vs. Nicole-esque media coverage is pulling, not only GOP and Dems, but also like parties apart instead of uniting us as a nation.

But to a second degree, I don't completely fault the media. This is what we want to see and hear about, right?

If the candidates want to really connect with the people in the upcoming election, they need to break through the media hype and show constituents what they're really about. Meaning, their publicists need to work overtime.

That Was Easy...

2008-08-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

I love this commercial. Staples did a great job poking fun at a current issue - in this case, the gas crisis.

Random fact - For Christmas a few years ago, someone gave me an easy button :) I've never tried it at Staples, but it definitely didn't do me justice during the after-Christmas sales rush :/ Great marketing ploy, though!

Vote in PRWeek's Blog Competition!

2008-08-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

Every new professional has at least a couple of highlights in his/her first year of work experience. A great compliment from a client, a stellar presentation, an outstanding hit in BusinessWeek (or in the Wichita Eagle if you're really ambitious). :) Well, I have a career highlight of my own to share, and it comes in the form of an e-mail sent to the EVP of my account:

From: Frank Shaw

Subject: This is cool

Body: www.prtactics.blogspot.com

Wait a minute. Back up. Did Frank Shaw really find my blog... and say it was cool?!

Anyway, starstruck awe aside, working at WE I was inspired by someone new on almost a daily basis. But no one inspired me more than Frank. Smart guy, great speaker, fantastic leader, and... great blog!

PRWeek is holding a competition to honor the outstanding PR blog, and Frank's blog, Glass House, made it to the quarterfinals. As a young professional, I enjoy reading Frank's blog because he discusses everything PR, from politics to the evolving media landscape and nature of the PR practitioner. This week, Glass House is up against Rohit Bhargava (also a great blog), so make sure you go vote!

PRSA meets Media Relations

2008-08-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

I really hate to admit this - I've been a member of PRSA for nearly a year and haven't been to a single meeting. Not that I haven't wanted to go to meetings, because I have. In fact, while working at WE I asked my manager nearly every week, "so there's this meeting next week, and it would require me to take a bit of an extended lunch break..." but for some reason or another, something always came up on the day of the meeting (we all know how PR agencies work...)

Now that I am starting fresh in LA, however, I finally attended my first meeting tonight! A PRSA Young Professionals meeting. Topic = "The Perfect Pitch." I was surprised at how nicely this meeting was put together. There were three speakers - an SAE from The Rogers Group, an SAE from GolinHarris, and the communications director for the Vice Provost at USC. It was arranged as a panel discussion, and a YP board member moderated the conversation.

Now, I know we've heard all the pitching tips a million times over, but I personally think that young PR professionals can't get enough advice from the media experts. Every PR Pro has a different take on pitching and has developed his or her own, unique style over the years. (And hey, the last thing any of us wants is to have an e-mail we wrote end up in the Bad Pitch Blog.)

Some interesting pieces of advice the professionals shared during the meeting...

Best to send an e-mail first, then follow up with a phone call. But make sure you leave at least 24 hours between contact attempts! And never call from an unavailable number.
Direct mail is so out. But sometimes (on occasion) a handwritten note can have a nice impact.
The FIRST question you should always ask is - "Are you on deadline?" If so, make sure to ask what time is best to call back.
Jot down the 3 points you want to get across during the conversation.
Make sure you fully understand the pitch before you call.
Put some thought into your subject line, and don't begin with "press release" or "media alert" - you are only wasting space.
Never send a press release to a blogger.
And of course, the number one rule we all should know - Do your research before you pitch! Does the reporter have a blog? What is he/she interested in? Will he/she actually write? Etc..

Now my call to action for all you young professionals out there: Join this group! Go to these meetings! They will be well worth your time, weather you have a job or not.

PS: If you have a good media relations tip to share, leave a comment!

Generation Divides

2008-08-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon I went to Torrance to have lunch with my grandma, and she said something that was just too cute not to share. While telling me about my uncle's great new job, she said, "And they bought him a car, and a gas card, and a blueberry!" A blueberry?! Oh grandma...

What I've been up to... And where I've been

2008-08-11T14:11:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog,

OK, don't say it... I know I haven't written in 2 months (I'm sorry!), but did you really expect me to blog in Europe?! OK, well, we have a lot of catching up to do! Where do I begin?

As you know, I moved to LA (LOVE it so far!) then went to Europe for a few weeks. How can I even put Europe into words? Or into one single blog entry, anyway. I'll try my best, and take a few excerpts from my e-mails back to my family (they haven't quite caught onto blogging yet).

I began my trip in Italy to visit my friend Shannon who had been living in Brescia for the past 9 months (although she has since moved back home due to shady Italian politics). We travelled around a bit together and saw so many amazing things, including The Palio in Siena (amazing!) and a few nearby countries.

But what I was most excited for was France. Several years ago I had a French Exchange student named Elen live with me for about a month, and I have always wanted to go to France and visit her. I took the train from Italy to Grenoble, where she had just finished up school, and we drove across the country a few days later to Vannes, in Brittany (the upper-west coast of France).

We got into Vannes around 8pm, just in time for dinner! We spent some time chatting with her family, then sat down for dinner around 9. For dinner, Elen's mom brought out cheese, a huge salad, and several types of finger foods. I was thinking, 'OK, this isn't so bad, not too full.' Then after we were done and the table was cleared, she brought out MORE food, this time our own personal huge bowls of seafood in this amazing creme sauce and a side dish of rice. After this was cleared, she brought out the cheese, a plate of about 10 different kinds, and bread. Then came the desert, then the fruit, and last but not least, the coffee and the chocolate. The meal lasted 3 hours and was a time for the family to sit and talk. I was thinking this was just a special occasion for Elen's return home, but nope, pretty much every meal (even lunch and breakfast) followed this template. After dinner, a nice family + Andrea walk through the town (which was so cute!) then finally bed around 2.

One difference I noticed about France versus the US is that the pace of life is so much slower. Elen said to me many years ago that it is funny how people pass each other in the halls on their way to class and say, 'hi, how are you?' but don't even stop to chat. I now understand her observation, because when people stop to chat in France, they have an actual conversation. Life moves leisurely and the French enjoy every moment of it.

Along the same lines, the French work ethic is also much different. Whereas many Americans live to work, the French work to live, and they enjoy every minute of their 6-8 week government supported vacation. (In fact, at first I thought that the French didn't work at all, until I realized that the country was just beginning a 3 week vacation.) Every time I mentioned that most Americans get 2 weeks vacation at best, jaws dropped around the room.

I was also surprised how interested in politics young people are in France. The first thing anyone said to me when I mentioned I was American was, 'America? Ah, Barak Obama!' And of course the political questions would follow. So much for immersing myself in French politics during my stay!

After a few days in Brittany, Elen and I headed to Paris to stay with her friend Magalie for a few nights, then with her brother for a few days in the suburbs. Paris, of course, was amazing. We saw all the sights, and even took a sight-seeing boat trip along the river. On Bastille Day, we went to Elen's brother's friend's house, which had an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower, to watch the fireworks.

I could go on for hours, but I'll spare you the time and end with only one Paris paragraph. :)

When I returned home, I spent a few days battling a 103.1 degree fever and a horrible stomachache. But on a more optimistic note, I was glad the fever didn't come a few days sooner!

Now that I am back in the US (and finally well) and have had a few weeks to settle into my new city and visit with old friends and family members, I have focused the majority of my attention to the job search. I have to admit, the time off has been nice, and well-deserved, but I don't know how much longer I'll be able to last without a job! (Financially, obviously... but I'm bored!) I'll keep you updated as the search continues, but for now...

What Happens When MySpace Meets Facebook?

2008-06-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

The war between social networks... Ha, this is great. Maybe this guy wouldn't be so overwhelmed if he used data portability ;)

Looking Back, and Moving On

2008-06-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

I am going to begin this blog post by sharing a little disclaimer about myself: I'm not good with good-byes. I never have been. Not when I moved to Oregon. Not when I graduated high school. And not when I left my cozy life in Eugene to make it in the big kid world. This may have been part of the reason why this decision was such a hard one to make.

But I have come to realize throughout the years that change is a good thing (as Obama would say.) Which now, brings me to the good news: I have made a big decision in my life; a big change - to leave my job at Waggener Edstrom and move to the foreign land of Los Angeles. For me, this decision was bitter sweet. Waggener was the perfect job in every regard. I liked what I did, the benefits were great, and I worked with so many intelligent, friendly, supportive people. I loved going to work each day... but I needed something more. Well, maybe not more; but different.

Rewind. I'll catch all you irregular readers up from the beginning. I graduated college nearly one year ago (so hard to believe it has already been a year!) and began an internship with Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, a medium-sized international PR agency based in Portland and Bellevue, 2 days after I graduated. I never thought I would like tech. PR, but in my nearly one year's time at Waggener I learned to love it. I worked on the online services business and was hired on full time 3 months later as an AC of Analyst Relations for OSB (what's AR you ask? I'll explain later :)). I worked there for nearly a year and have grown so much as a PR (and AR) professional in that short amount of time.

Well, today was my last day at Waggener; needless to say I am going to miss it. But I am also so excited for my life ahead in LA. It takes a lot to up and move away from everything you've ever known, no job in hand and absolutely no plan, but I am so proud of myself for taking the first step. During my time at WaggEd, I've learned several things:

Starting out at a PR agency is one of the best routes a young PR professional can take
Not too big, not too small; medium-sized agencies are just right
"Publicly-held" does not mean better. In fact, I'd argue the opposite
It is important to find an internship where you are more than just the 'copy girl'
But it is also important to realize that you still have a lot to learn
Vacation days are there for a reason
If you take the time to plot out your goals, any respectable manager will listen; and advocate
Coffee twice a day does not necessarily mean you need it
You don't always have to love your product; you just have to pretend to like it more than the enemy
To do lits and outlook calendars are money
Speaking of money...
Google is always the enemy
It's good to take advantage of professional development opportunities
If you ask your mom what her current ETA is, she will laugh at you
Whoever said 'if you don't start drinking coffee in college, you never will' is a LIAR
There IS a such thing as work-life balance
Change = opportunity

So now, the advice part (because what would a blog post be without a few words of wisdom?) Life is short. Figure out what you want to do, and find a way to get there. But it's okay to take your time. Hmm... That's all I got for now.

I'd like to share a quote from a quote book a colleague gave me before I left: "I have always wanted an adventurous life. It took a long time to realize that I was the only one who could make an adventurous life happen to me" - Richard Bach. So, to end this novel of a post - here's to all that I have left behind, and all that I have to look forward to as I pick out a new color and begin writing the next chapter of my life.

(and yes, I WILL post any and all celebrity sightings from here on out!! Check out my new blog soon; it's still a work in progress :))

Which Videos Gain Traction on YouTube...

2008-06-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

...and which ones tank?

This is a question social markerters ask themselves daily. Or in simpler terms - How can we use YouTube to get the word out about our products? Hold up, back up. How can we get potential customers to watch the videos we create? There we go, that's the bigger question.

I had never really thought that hard about it, until a friend sent me this video (below).

Seems simple, right? Well, in just a few short months, these two "daft bodies" girls became Internet legends. Their YouTube video has received over 4.2 million views, turning these ordinary females into real life celebrities - literally. Since this video premiered, they created a MySpace fan page and have 6,599 friends, have seen numerous copy-cats (Bart Simpson included!), and have even starred in a Weezer music video. YouTube has transformed these average people into stars. (Side note: crazy that social media can have this kind of impact).

But what made this video stick? Personally, I didn't think it was very funny. But it is different. It's outside the box (ha, or inside, depending on how you look at it :)) It's random, and people like random. It's funny, and it's just a little bit out there.

I'm no expert by any means, but I've noticed a few kinds of videos make it on YouTube: The funny, the random, the outrageous, and the occasional 'how to.' If you try to throw overt advertisements into peoples' faces, no one will watch. Embrace originality, and you've got it made. Now only to come up with the idea...

BOOK REPORT: Groundswell

2008-05-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

Forrester analyst Charlene Li, along with colleague Josh Bernoff, recently published their book Groundswell. I finished reading the book a few weeks ago and thought I would share my recap with you all (great book, btw!)

The book focuses on how companies can connect with consumers and drive sales and positive perception using social media tactics. Charlene and Josh define the groundswell as, “A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations.” Using several case studies to back up their findings, Charlene and Josh claim that businesses that understand the groundswell will have the opportunity to live, and even thrive, in a web 2.0 environment.

In the book, Charlene and Josh introduce the “social technographics” profile – a tool that businesses can use to measure the online activity of their core consumer base to determine best tactics for participating in the groundswell. The tool divides consumers into six categories – creators, critics, collectors, joiners, spectators, and inactives – and determines what percent of a company’s consumer base falls into each category. After a company determines how its consumer base interacts with the groundswell, it can begin to assess how to get involved. Companies can interact with the groundswell in 5 ways – listening, talking, energizing, supporting and embracing – and the social technographics profile of its consumers can help a company determine which way would best accomplish their objective.

Throughout the book, Charlene and Josh emphasize the importance of prioritizing consumers when engaging the groundswell. As in traditional marketing, “shouting” at consumers no longer works – conversations do. As such, the consumer (not the product) should be the priority and focus of a company’s involvement. Consumers in the groundswell value honesty and transparency, and they value the ability to have a voice. Before establishing groundswell tactics, companies need to learn to give up control of the brand message and let consumers drive the conversation.

Charlene and Josh offer the following recommendations, among others, to companies looking to build out a social media plan:

Keep your objective in mind
Remember that the groundswell is about person-to-person activies
Listen, then talk
Devote enough time to maintain and follow up on your strategy
Be transparent and honest
Converse, don't shout

Charlene and Josh see the future of the groundswell as more ubiquitous, and they see mobile playing a much larger role in serving as the primary connection device. They claim that companies will not only want, but need to participate in the groundswell in order to survive.

One thing that struck me about the book is that Charlene and Josh note that not many agencies are in a place to be able to advise clients on social media tactics. They call out Edelman's Me2Revolution as being a good example. As young PR professionals it is important for us to be able to catch on to new trends and advise clients appropriately. As social media becomes more ingrained in every day agency operations, it will be increasingly important for us young professionals to stay up-to-date on recent developments in the feild.

General recos aside though, you can start educating yourself by picking up a copy of Groundswell. Highly recommended! Charlene and Josh also have a great blog too you can check out if you have a few moments of spare time.

Consumers Tweet What?!

2008-04-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

Very interesting blog post by Forrester’s Josh Bernoff today on Summize and TweetScan. Both tools allow you to search Twitter for certain key words and find tweets that correlate. My first thought as a PR person? What a great way to track what people are saying about my product!

As young PR pros, it is important for us to keep tabs on emerging consumer voices via social media to listen to what they are saying about the products and companies we represent. The tools mentioned in Josh’s blog post allow us to do so; to easily find what people are saying on Twitter.

Josh also has some interesting recommendations on how we can take action and respond to consumers via Twitter, in a very “non-creepy” sort of way (I hope). This is what he has to say:

If your product is just getting started or has a tight niche audience, then it's valuable to respond to many of your customers, with an @yourtwitterhandle type reply. This can have a "voice from the sky" quality so open the conversation carefully, e.g. "Saw your tweet, hope you are enjoying our product, tweet back if you have questions." For customers having problems that you can solve, this may be a great way to turn a detractor into a fan (if you can solve the problem, of course).

Just another way social media enables us to establish and maintain a positive relationship with our consumer base.

(BTW, I still hold firm on my prior claim that we shouldn't tweet pitches at reporters) :)

Be Careful What You Tweet

2008-04-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

Read this post on BusinessWeek by Stephan Baker a few weeks ago and found it interesting to hear a journalist’s perspective on a PR person’s intent to pitch via Twitter. Here’s the pitch:

Saw your Twitter post this morning about The Last Time. Love that song. I’m also a big fan of Dead Flowers.
Anyway, thought this story about businesses integrating voice into their every day apps might work for your blog. For me, what particularly stands out about voice integration is that it helps drive usage and makes of applications more effective, especially those that are hard for employees to adopt (i.e. CRM modules)…

The journalist’s reaction? Well, he “liked” the pitch enough to blog about it, so I’m guessing his reaction wasn’t so great.

Lesson learned? Twitter is a unique emerging microtrend, however I don’t think we are quite ready to use it as an avenue for pitching. Believe it or not, journalists are people too – and they have an uncannning ability to smell fake, even through e-mail. What struck me about this pitch was not that the pitching PR pro used a twitter post as means to establish a connection between the reporters’ interests and his/her product; it was his/her lack of sincerity.

When cultivating relationships with reporters, it is important for PR professionals to be sincere. In other words, focus on the relationship, not “what can this reporter do for me now.” The real benefit will be seen in the long term.

So where does Twitter fit in? At this point, Twitter should be used only to build and grow relationships with reporters and NOT as a pitching tool. Through Twitter, I can find that Charlene Li created an audio version of her book. Or that Scobleizer likes toolbars, especially this one. Or that Nate Elliot likes the new Live Search features. Or that Rafe Needleman is canceling his eFax account. (Oh wait, update: he is sticking with it for another few months until his subscription runs out).

Maybe once you have that relationship established, hey go for it. Pitch via twitter. But until then it would be wise to leave twitter to the tweeters.

Green my Launch Please

2008-04-24T17:59:00.001-07:00

Another Earth Day has come and gone, and as expected countless companies, such as Coke, Home Depot and UPS, pounced on the ‘Go Green’ PR opp to increase public perception – and profit. Interesting observation – As companies filed for green-themed trademarks in preparation for the big launch day, the number of applications received by the US Trademark Office skyrocketed last year. According to Advertising Age, applications containing the word “green” more than doubled from 2006 to 2007; from 1,100 in 2006 to 2,400 in 2007. But green wasn’t the only word buzzing around consumer products. The word “eco” generated an increase in 900 applicants from 2006 – 2007, and the word “friendly” grew by 88%. Looks as if green caught flame fast!

Earlier on, I questioned the intent of companies who are reaching out to eco-conscious consumers, and it sounds as if I am not the only one who doubts the authenticity of companies’ efforts. Following Earth Day, several blogs began to pop up taking a skeptical outlook on companies’ intents to align green product launches with Earth Day. The general consensus? As consumers are beginning to distinguish marketing speak from real green efforts, businesses that are looking to break through the increased green messaging must prove their authenticity. This PRWeek states it best:

“As consumers are bombarded with more green messages, they are becoming wearier - and more critical - of what those eco-wrapped packages contain and who's
behind them.”

News flash to marketers – consumers are brighter than you think, and they are beginning to think to themselves, “you know, maybe Company X’s efforts to support the environment aren’t legit.”

BrandWeek provides an interesting take on the Green trend, recommending that companies should focus on green in a broader context:

“These days it seems like every brand manager wants his or her brand to be
green. Green is a microtrend that actually falls under the umbrella of the
larger, more strategic macrotrend: conscience.”

BrandWeek defines a macrotrend as “a fundamental, societal shift that influences consumer attitudes over a long period of time.” I like the outlook this article takes because it challenges marketing and PR professionals to deemphasize their focus on the “latest trend” and realign their attention on the bigger picture. So, instead of responding to consumer trends reactively, how can PR professionals get ahead of consumers and actually create the next trend, finding the next big microtrend within the overarching macrotrend? Something to think about.

When Trends Become Process

2008-04-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

In the public relations industry, specific and measurable trends phase in and out. Those trends are deemed the “next big thing” that PR agency professionals should focus their attention on and learn about so that they can provide “smart” recommendations to clients. Currently, agencies are focused on incorporating social media and digital strategy tactics into PR plans – in my opinion these are the two big “PR trends” that agency personnel should be focused on. In other words, web 2.0.

Yesterday in class, my Strategic Communications professor briefly posed a thought-provoking speculation – It is only a matter of time before these new “trends” become strategic processes. Hm, interesting. Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about how only 10% of agencies are in a position to advise clients on digital strategies? Well, that’s great if the agency you work for lies in that 10% (I suppose you could consider yourself an innovator) but the other 90% is beginning to catch on. Somewhere down the road that 90% will realize their clients also want to incorporate digital tactics into their PR plans. So they will start doing it too; and soon enough 100% of PR agencies will be adequately prepared to advise clients on digital strategies. That is the point where the next big trend becomes part of everyday process.

Do you remember the days when e-mail was just beginning to catch on? (OK, I must admit, I do remember these days, but barely. In fact, I believe I was in the fourth grade, still living in California, when my dad brought home our very first computer. It was a huge ol’ thing with a black screen that typed simple white letters. I believe we had e-mail then?) Side comments aside, I don’t think there’s a single agency practitioner who can imagine working without e-mail. This concept that was such a huge trend way back when is now engrained into our everyday corporate lives. And I also believe that Web 2.0 will head down that road someday as well. Perhaps we aren’t quite ready to make it part of our everyday process, but it will happen. Eventually.

Just Take It With You

2008-04-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

To kick off class this morning, Deb went around the room and had each of us do the typical, name, place, bio, etc., but she also asked us to answer the question “In your opinion, what is the best invention?” I said e-mail :) but I noticed something interesting as we went around the room – nearly every person answered the question with an item that allows for greater portability. Some of the best inventions that were mentioned – the iphone, the laptop computer, the portable coffee mug, drive through restaurants…

Looking back 20, 15, even 10 years ago, the kind of portability we have today was something that was only imagined; strived for. What is it about being constantly ‘on the go’ that electrifies the American population?

I have a friend who studied in Greece and she noted the biggest thing that differentiates the Greek from the American population is how slow-paced it is. Dinners would last 4 hours. Classes were few and far between and homework was less strenuous. The Greeks did not try to pack 10 different activities into the time it would take to complete one. In class, when we were discussing the portable coffee cup, someone pointed out that European cars don’t even have cup holders! So why do we try to pack as much as we can and do as many things as possible into as little time as possible, always on the go? And with the creation of the iphone and other advanced portable technologies, where is our society headed down the road? Let me know your thoughts.

Continuing Education

2008-04-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

Working in the technology PR realm, one (myself, at one point, included) might think that we often don’t receive the opportunity to exercise the “creative muscle” of the brain. Well, now I beg to differ. In fact, I believe that it is extremely important to incorporate creativity into the traditional office environment no matter what kind of PR or marketing you are doing. Which is why I signed up to take a course entitled “strategic creativity” at the UO Turnbull Center, taught by advertising professor Deb Morrison.

Yeah, it means getting up early on a Saturday morning; it means having to stay home and do homework on a Friday night; but so far the class has been well worth my time. This morning we discussed the elements of creativity and how it is embedded into different types of office environments – and how these different environments can produce a creative “roadblock.” Interesting stuff. I’m excited for next week when we begin to delve deeper into the creative process.

Looking at the bigger picture – I think it’s extremely important for young professionals, and even not-so-young professionals, to take every opportunity they can to continue their education, whether it be a class, workshop or even a new book. Public relations is a profession that is constantly changing and there are always new ways to look at everyday situations with a fresh perspective. However, it requires a bit of effort on the practitioner’s part. It involves asking – “What are the areas I need to concentrate on? Where can I grow and expand my skill set, networking aside?” For me, the answer was strategic creativity. How about you?

Focus Your Efforts

2008-04-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

I recently had a current graduating senior ask me this question via LinkedIn, and I thought I would share a variation of my response with you all:

"How many jobs can I expect to apply to? Many or a few?"

Getting a job is tough, especially in today's economy where jobs are far and few and entry-levels are a dime a dozen. Therefore, it's only natural for you to want to apply for as many jobs as possible in hopes to at least snag one of them. However, I believe that this philosophy will only buy you a whole lot of stress for nothing.

Focus Your Efforts
Instead of applying to 30, 40, even 50 companies, I would recommend making a list of the companies you really want to work for and putting them in order of preference. Next, take your top 5 or 6 companies and only apply to those. I know this sounds scary (by nature, we want security) but just hear me out.

After you select the top few companies you want to apply to, focus your efforts on only those companies by following some of these general tips:

Thoroughly research each company on your list. Visit their Web site. Familiarize yourself with their mission statement. Research their case studies and know their clients. Do an Internet search for key leadership figures and read their blogs/LinkedIn profiles/etc. Basically, spend some time learning the in and outs of each company you apply for so you are educated going into the interview.
Tailor your cover letters and resumes to fit each company you are applying for. This might be a no brainer, but you'd be surprised at how many people send out a generic cover letter with the classic format. Instead, try looking at some of the skills the job requires and mention in your cover letter that you would be the perfect fit for the job because you have the skills necessary, then provide examples. Companies will be impressed you took the time to do this.
After you send your cover letter and resume, follow up. Give HR a quick call to see if they received your information and if they are interested in bringing you in for an interview.
Browse LinkedIn/Personal blogs/PRSA directories or ask around to find a contact within the firm. If you find someone, e-mail this person and ask about the company. Tell them you are interested in applying and ask if they would be willing to pass your resume along to HR. This may sound odd, but many professionals remember what it was like to be in your shoes and are willing to help out. Plus, several companies offer incentives to employees who recommend job candidates who are then hired ;)

Could you imagine doing all this if you applied to 50 different companies?! If you focus your efforts, you will stand out above all of the other job candidates who do apply to 50+ companies during their internship and job searches; the job candidates who don’t take the time to do the above. And, if the worst happens and you don’t get hired by one of your top few companies, simply make a new list and start the process over.

Additionally, if you do apply to 50+ companies, you might run into the problem where you get a few job offers – number 46 and 49 on your list perhaps. But the company you really want to work for is still making a decision. Shoot, now what? If you focus your efforts on your top few prospects, hopefully this will never happen :)

Coke Steps up their Green Efforts

2008-04-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, this is quite the new PR stunt for good ol' Coca-Cola. Who would have ever thought of making T-shirts out of plastic bottles? Coca-cola of course. Coke is yet another commonly criticized company that is stepping in to paint the world green by using recycled bottles to create a new clothing line for sale in Wal-Mart stores. Although I'm not sure how sincere Coca-Cola's efforts really are with this announcement, it's a great move and I give major kudos to Coke for thinking outside the box to jump on the green train. All in all, I think it will be a good way for the company to combat some of the criticism they have recently received in press surrounding their environmentally unfriendly practices, particularly appealing to the growing eco-friendly audience. Way to go Coke.

Now my only question to you is - Do you think Coke's new clothing line will actually gain traction in the fashion world? Would you sport a T-shirt made solely from recycled bottles?

My second question (okay so I guess the above wasn't my "only") - Why do you think Coke chose to sell their new line at Wal-Mart? Seems a bit contradictory to me, but nonetheless a good target fashion-wise.

*QUIZ* - How many cliche phrases did I use in the above blog post? Lol, too easy!

Dear Blog

2008-04-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I have not posted this week. I broke my right arm and it has been rather hard to type. Plus, it has been busy at work. I know, excuses, excuses; I promise to feed you a new post next week.

Sincerely,
Your keeper

GUEST POST: How to Respond to a Bossy Person

2008-03-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

In my efforts to give you all a well-rounded insight into the professional/PR world, I have asked several friends and colleagues to write guest posts for Tactics.

This week’s featured guest blogger is Karen LaVoie. Karen is a successful acting instr u c t o r and life c oach with more than 18 and 10 years experience in each role, respectively. In addition, she is a published author with her book Life Absolutes: THEE Instruction Manual for L.I.F .E. I have known Karen for many years and she is always a joy to be around, with a positive, motivating and uplifting personality. In the below post, Karen shares tips on how to deal with bossy people, a topic she addressed on AM Northwest just a few days ago. Chances are, if you settle for a career in the corporate world, you will encounter at least one of these people throughout your years as a professional (and only one if you are lucky). Karen’s tips below will help you better prepare to deal difficult people should you encounter them.

How to Respond to a Bossy, Controlling, Button Pushing Person

Karen LaVoie

Are you in a working or personal relationship with a person who is bossy, controlling or a button pusher?

First understand that when you fight a thing it fights you back! So to argue with that person will not resolve the situation. The best option is to defuse it. How do you defuse this type of person? Answer: By not letting them get to you.

That is right. When you let them get to you, you are giving them your power, also known as your energy. Let’s revisit the Laws of Life. What you put out you get back and more of it. So when you fight with the bossy, controlling or button pushing person they fight back even more! By now you have probably already figured this out.

So, you might be thinking, by not fighting with them, then I am giving in. I am being wiped. No, that is not what I am suggesting. What I am suggesting is this:

The key factor to remember with bossy, controlling or button pushing people is they are not happy with themselves. The Laws of Life say give that person compassion. Give them kindness every chance you get! YOU catch more flies with Honey! And be happy you are a happy person and like your life. You like who you are. It is obviously that person does not, when they are taking out their aggression on you by bossing you around. Perhaps they just want some attention…LOVE.

Make sure you are a good listener. We all know what it feels like when a person does not listen to us. It is frustrating. Repeat back what they have told you so they feel reassured you will complete the tasked asked to do or responsibility requested.

Understand your boss does deserve respect. Are you letting your EGO get in the way? Like it or not, they are your boss.

Do you respect yourself? When a person does not have good self-esteem they become a target for bossy, controlling, button pushing people!! Is this you? Perhaps you are surrounded by bossy people as a lesson to take charge of your low self-esteem issues. Please get help. I am more than happy to coach people.

Attempt to understand the person. First ask yourself, is it valid what the bossy person is telling you to do? If it is, then do it and tell your EGO to be quiet. Your EGO loves to have conflict; it is the only way it feels alive. Perhaps the person is under a deadline that is being passed on to you, so empathize…giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Now, you say it is not valid what the bossy person is saying. Then there are options. Explain to them your position on what you are being told in a calm, assertive manner and clear mind….that means free of all anger and frustration. One must keep a level head; otherwise, the bossy person wins. Should this option not work…

Ask the difficult person plenty of questions so you are clear on why they are so frustrated and taking it out on you. Explain to them you want to be a part of the solution and are willing to work with them once you understand the full picture.

You can stay in the relationship you are in and tell yourself that person does not deserve your energy; therefore, I will stay calm and do what I am asked for the sake of my job, the relationship and/or my self-worth.

Perhaps it is your perception that the person is bossy or controlling. Hear them as a friend and you might hear them differently. This is especially true in the parent – child relationship and spouses.

You can choose to move on. Pure and simple. Make sure you are not part of the problem and running from your own issues and right into another job or relationship with the same type of “problem.”

Last but not least…avoid bossy, controlling, button pushing people whenever possible. Sometimes the EGO wants to tango with that person for the QUICK FIX…check in with yourself.
*****

FYI, check out this site for more great tips from Karen on how to work less and play more.

Finding a mentor

2008-03-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

One of the most valuable things you can do after graduation is find a mentor to help offer career advice. However, Tim O'Brien claims in an article that many young professionals step into the relationship unclear on what they want to get out of it.

In a nutshell, Tim claims that many mentees are so focused on the short term (for example, 'help me find a job now') that they lose sight of the long-term benefits a mentor can bring to them.

A mentor can be an invaluable resource, helping to guide you along your career path and sharing useful tips along the way. Tim shares the below tips to help young professionals establish fair expectations of what a mentor/mentee relationship should look like:

Mentoring is different from a job search. Job hunting is necessary to land that first or second job, but it's short term by nature. Mentoring is all about long-term professional development.
View a mentor as someone who can do great things to help you if you invest yourself, just as a good mentor does, in the relationship.
Earn your mentor's trust and respect by proving yourself through your work ethic and attitude.
Don't make initial introductions via e-mail. Call. Then meet.
Make a solid relationship with your mentor the only objective, but do not confuse mentoring with therapy or socializing. Keep it professional.
Pepper your mentor with every question that comes to mind. Be sensitive when making requests, but don't fear to ask at the right time. At the same time, don't put deadlines on when you expect the mentor to do something for you. That's always his or her prerogative.

I would also add that, to get the most out of the relationship, you must be open, honest and willing to take constructive feedback. You should also be proactive about the feedback you want to receive. For example, if there is something specific you want to discuss send your mentor an e-mail ahead of time and say “I would like to discuss…” so that they are accurately prepared for the conversation. Along the same lines, it is always helpful to send an agenda beforehand.

If you don't know the person you are asking to be your mentor, I would recommend sending them a quick e-mail introducing yourself and how you are connected to them. Then explain that you are looking for a mentor to help you along your career path and offer to buy them a cup of coffee to get acquainted.

Last little tip (and this is just my personal preference) – If you and your mentor meet for coffee or lunch, it would be a kind gesture to pick up the tab. Remember, your mentor is taking time out of their schedule to meet with you; it is always kind to return the favor.

Where to look for a mentor

So now you know what a mentor, how do you go about finding one? Below I have listed a few places you can start looking:

PRSA - If you are a PRSSA or PRSA member, most chapters offer a mentorship program you can sign up for. It is fairly simple; you just sign up on the local PRSA Web site and fill out a few short questions, and voila! PRSA does the pairing for you! If your local PRSA chapter doesn’t offer a formal mentorship program, look and see if they at least have a directory of names, or perhaps try sending the chapter president a quick e-mail asking if he/she knows of anyone who would make a good mentor.
Your College Alumni Association/Alumni Directory - Many colleges and Universities have a directory of people and some even have formal mentorship programs as well. Again, this takes being proactive on your part, but most people are more than willing to help out a fellow alum.
Your Company – If you are already employed, many companies have a mentorship program that you can sign up for to get paired with another mentor from within your company. However, if your company doesn't have a program like this in place, simply ask your manager or a coworker if they know of someone who would be a good mentor.

If all else fails, ask around. Chances are if you ask your old professors, parents, neighbors or family friends, they will know someone who would be willing to mentor you. A year ago my dad was talking to patient of his about his daughter who was studying PR - turns out she owned a boutique PR agency in Portland and was looking for interns! I sent her my resume and 3 days later I had a month long internship to keep me busy during Winter break.

Simplicity is complex

2008-03-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Who knew Twitter is an art, science and social network all in one? Alex Iskold offers advice to readers on how you can "kill a Friday night" on Twitter in his post 5 Ways To Have Fun with Twitter When You're Bored.

Another interesting post on the ups and downs of microblogging. I found a particular interest in the story of how a professor, Parry, noticed that Twitter brought his classroom closer together.

On a different note but along the same lines, Forrester's Josh Bernoff (social media guru and coauthor of the upcoming book "Groundswell") posted an interesting blog entry detailing how blogging can have a different objective based on different audiences you are trying to reach, using his 5 blogs as a case study throughout. Although I don't have time to write a complete analysis, I thought this quote was interesting (but please read the full post for context):

"To begin with, know that I define myself as a writer, a communicator, and an analyst -- not a blogger. Calling someone a blogger in a few years will be like calling them an emailer now -- it will be just another form of communication. So even with these five blogs, it's not because I'm some sort of tech-addicted whiz-kid -- far from it. It's because writing is what I do, and I use them to accomplish different goals."

It's all about Digital

2008-03-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

Are PR agency professionals ready to provide clients strategic council when it comes to incorporating digital tactics into PR plans? Michael Bush doesn’t think so, in an article he posted in AdvertisingAge this morning.

Peppercom’s Stephen Cody says that PR agencies “are not in a firsthand position to counsel clients” on digital topics – and that only about 10% of PR agencies are doing this according to a recent survey of PR News readers. I feel privileged to work for an agency that’s in that 10% bracket.

Remember a while back when we talked about how more people are spending more time online these days? Well, it’s not only consumers I was talking about – it’s everyone. Baby Boomers, Gen Yers, and reporters alike, everyone is going online. In other words, no matter what target audience you are trying to reach, it is essential to always ask yourself, “what digital components can I include to spice up this PR plan? How can I show clients I know how to reach this audience in new and different ways?” Chances are if you are thinking outside the box, you’ll come up with something that works, whether it’s a YouTube ‘how to’ video to reach the curious, a digital press release to reach the reporter or a simple blog post to touch the masses.

Tom Nicholson, IconNicholson CEO, says that “digital channels are less about advertising and more about engagement.” Translation? Digital PR tactics should not be thrown at Web surfers (banner ads? They’ll ignore them. Facebook ads? Those too.) Instead, they should involve them, like Victoria’s Secret did with its Pink Web brand (aka, it’s not just a brand, VS Pink is an online community). Now that’s pretty cool, and totally targeted toward the primary audience.

A Tip for the Young Pros
Those of you who are still in school might be reading this thinking; “I don’t work for an agency yet, what the heck has this got to do with me?!” The answer is everything. Digital is where we are headed, and if you want to have a competitive advantage over other job hunters it is a good idea to know what’s up in the digital world. In other words, if you have a knowledge of the digital and online space, PR firms in that 90% "I don't know a thing about digital" category will absolutely want to hire you - the young talent who can bring a fresh, digital perspective to the agency.

My advice? Take a digital design course, create a blog, research what PR firms are doing to reach their audiences via digital means. And recognize that PR is about more than just the press release. It’s about keeping a keen eye on new and evolving trends in your designated space and always being one step ahead. And digital is the next trend to watch out for.

From 'me' to 'we'

2008-03-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

In his blog post this morning on Forrester's Marketing blog, analyst Jeremiah Owyang made an interesting observation about the evolving role of social media in our society and how it is "moving from 'me' to 'we'".

At SXSW, an annual music and media conference in Austin, Jeremiah noticed that, while Twitter emerged as a useful communication tool last year, this year it served as "one of the most prominent and power shifting tools of the festival." He says:

Twitter, a communication tool to track sessions, parties, and events. Perhaps in a pure social manner, Twitter became the glue of the dozens of friends that were spread out over the city at parties, to find out where friends are and people you want to meet, people were actively tweeting where they were. In many cases (myself included) it was a way to let people know where the happenings were, and to constantly keep a pulse on what the masses were up to. More than one person expressed to me that they were overwhelmed by the dozen or so tracks simultaneously, but were able to monitor through twitter, meebo, and from blogs.

Wow, that is pretty neat. Social media, Twitter included, is playing a much more prominent role in the communication methods of the tech-savvy. It is enabling us with the tools we need to have a two-way dialogue with friends, loved-ones and even pure strangers who hold a common interest.

However, the social media concept still has a long way to go in obtaining mass participation, as there are so many people who have yet to catch on to this phenomonon. Why did Twitter emerge as a valuable communication tool at SXSW? Probably because the event brought together a group of the most technologically-advanced people in the nation. In other words, these people were not representative of the entire population; in fact, probably just a tiny percentage point.

To put this in perspective, I might consider my mom's involvement in social media. She works with disabled youth in the school district. She has a facebook profile, but rarely uses it (oh but trust me, she uses it much more than most moms I know. I guess I would consider my mom pretty 'hip' for a baby-boomer). She uses e-mail, and she even tested out IM for a while before giving up completely. But then I ask myself why. Why is the rest of the world so behind the times in this growing social trend?

My mom probably doesn't use Facebook because none of her friends use facebook. She doesn't use IM because she doesn't know anyone else who does. She doesn't blog because she doesn't have anyone who will read it. She doesn't tweet because she simply doesn't see the point.

Social communities via social media is where we are headed, however if our society does evolve to embrace this trend we must evolve together. Yes, there is a select group of people focused on bringing social media to life, but for the rest of us, social media is still largely focused on the me.

This is why you should never run in flip-flops

2008-03-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

OK, so I know this story doesn’t quite merit an entire blog post, but I just had to share.

A fellow colleague and I made a goal to go running on our lunch breaks a few times per week, so we thought we’d start today.

I was super excited to get out of the office for a bit, which rarely happens, so we agreed to change real quick then meet outside for our first run together. I hurried down to my car to grab my running cloths... only to find that I forgot my running shoes! Silly me… But I was determined to go on this run, so I noticed a pair of flip-flops in my trunk and decided, “hey, these’ll do.” (You can only imagine my colleague’s reaction when I showed up at our meeting location wearing my running cloths and a pair of flip-flops.) Of course she laughed at me for a second, but I assured her I would be fine as long as we jog slowly, so we embarked on the first leg of our run.

I was doing great in the flip-flops, and after about the first 3 minutes of our run my colleague asked, “how are your flip-flops working out? Are you sure you’re okay to run in them?” I responded with, “Of course, they’re actually really comfortable. These are working great!” Apparently I forgot to bring my slab of wood with me because 3 steps later the shoe on my right foot snapped in half. Whoops.

I hobbled for a second before we decided we should probably end our run (did we really have a choice? I guess I could have gone bare-foot.) Fortunately, we had run in a big loop so we were right behind the office when my shoe mishap occurred. The only thing separating us from the office was a small grass field. I proceeded to hop across the field when, on my very first hop, my left foot sank into about 6 inches of mud. I finished running across the mud (it was either that or backtrack across the rocky road we came on – big ouch!) and straggled back into the office - muddy, shoeless, and definitely not relaxed. Looks like we are off to a great running start!

Moral of the story? Don’t run on your lunch breaks, but if you do, wear running shoes.

If you like social networking...

2008-03-11T10:20:00.001-07:00

Then you'd love this fun little tool! It's an online Q and A forum where members can ask questions and post answers to others, vote on their favorite answers, and accrue points for amount of activity. There is a list of "superstars," or people who have accrued the most points (Lisa-007, the top Live Q and A superstar, has accrued 10456 points just this month!) In a nutshell, this service is like a mini online community. Lips even posted the question, "Has something been happening here? I haven't been able to sign in for 20 hours!!!! I missed you!"

So if you have a burning question you would like to get others' opinions on, go try out this service and join the conversation. Tell me what you think!

Tip for Young Bloggers: Find Your Niche

2008-03-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

Do you want to create your own public blog, but just have no idea know where to start? This is something I struggled with when I first started my own blog – I didn’t have a solid direction of where I wanted to go with my ideas. I knew I wanted to have a blog, and one that related to PR since that is my main area of expertise (heck, I spend 40+ hours per week doing it, might as well blog about it), but other than that I really didn’t have a clue as to what I wanted to write. After my first few posts, I began to lose interest fast. Blogging started to feel more like a chore as opposed to something I liked to do. Why? Because I didn’t have any direction in my writing or where I wanted to go with my blog or who I wanted to see it.

After taking a break from blogging I began to reevaluate my goals and asses what I wanted to get out of it. Then it dawned on me – I needed to find something about PR I was interested in, something I could provide a fresh but interesting perspective on, and *stick to it*.

So what about me? I like PR, and I like giving advice. Ok, so… how do I combine the two? In other words, what’s my niche? There are plenty of blogs that provide advice to young professionals from an expert perspective. I am by no means an expert, so what do I have that sets me apart? Answer? I AM a young professional, and who better to share PR experiences with PR students and young professionals than someone who can relate?

There we go. I FOUND it. So what's my advice for you soon-to-be bloggers?

Find Your Niche

It seems simple, right? I mean, that was my original intent. I was just so focused on writing posts from an expert perspective (which I obviously am not) that I lost sight of my unique characteristics – the fact that I am a new professional on my first PR journey. See, there are dozens of blogs that provide expert advice to young PR people, but not many that provide advice as they are currently learning it. (You would have thought this would be a no brainer – duh, have a target audience! And yes, this does apply even to blogs.)

Stick To It

Once you find something you are interested in, make sure you constantly revisit the topic in your posts. An analyst blog I read for work daily and have really come to enjoy, The Kelsey Group blog, is a great example. Kelsey Group analysts write on topics that relate to local (national products that are localized, such as the yellow pages online, national advertisers that go local, and local search). Their blog posts explore a wide range of topics but always come back and revisit one, central question - "what about local?" This is important, one, because readers can always know what to expect, and two, because it helps give the blog posts a direction to follow. How can I apply this tip to my blog? Well, since we decided that I will have a PR blog focused toward young professionals, each post I write will always ask the question "how does this topic apply to the new professional?"

Develop Your Own, Unique Voice
This is perhaps one of the most important pieces of advice. Blogs are meant to be conversational (which is probably why they are the most trusted source of information out there), therefore you should speak as if you are having a conversation with someone. Aka, if you aren't an expert on the topic you are writing, don't pretend to be. If you don't always speak using a report-writing tone, then don't. Remember how you learned to write in Writing 101? Remember how your teachers told you to have a thesis and always take out the likes, ums and totallys? Well you can throw all that out the window. Your blog should be unique and reflect your own personal style.

So, now that you have found something you are interested in and want to blog about, make sure that you always tie your posts back to your topic and target audience, stick to it, and develop your own voice. Happy blogging!

The World's 50 Most Powerful Blogs

2008-03-10T11:11:00.001-07:00

Great post in The Guardian today on the world's 50 most popular blogs and descriptions of what each covers. Below, I have listed out the top 10 but if you would like to read the full article (which you should, because as PR professionals it is our job to know the media landscape, which now includes the blogosphere, inside and out) you can find it here.

Top 10
1. The Huffington Post
2. Boing Boing
3. Techcrunch
4. Kottke
5. Dooce
6. Perezhilton
7. Talkingpointsmemo
8. Icanhascheezburger
9. Beppe Grillo
10. Gawker

One last word: I was surprised at how many of these blogs were international. Perhaps my awe stems from the fact that I am simply naive, but it raised a good flag for me that I should begin to research and evaluate the media landscape in other countries to see what others are reading. I also found it interesting that Perezhilton ranked #6 in the world. Don't get me wrong, definitely a great blog, but I think it says something about where the interest of our culture lies :)

The Generation That's Simply Misunderstood

2008-03-07T15:59:00.000-08:00

After reading Kelli’s blog post in her blog PRos in Training (one of my favs!) and the somewhat defensive responses from 3 of her students, I felt compelled to also join the conversation.

In his article Getting To Know Gen Why, Marshall Goldsmith marks us as the “What’s in it for me” generation. My initial reaction to Mr. Goldsmith’s article was, naturally, one of disappointment. After all, I am a proud Gen Y’er and I believe we are hard-working, compassionate and eager to learn as ever. It always disappoints me when people are quick to classify the younger generation as lazy, immoral, and disrespectful, because obviously there are exceptions to every stereotype.

However, through his rant about the kids who “don't want to pay their dues, play by the rules, or give their best to any project unless they are sure it will get them a promotion, a raise, or some kind of recognition;” I admit that some of his points are spot on.

We Gen Y’ers have been raised in a society where “anything is possible.” Therefore, it is hard when we graduate from college and immediately find ourselves in, as Alexandra Levit best describes it in her book They Don’t Teach Corporate in College, a ‘quarterlife crisis.’ (aka, the realization that, “hmm, maybe not quite everything is possible… yet”) We graduate from college with a kick-a** degree and a few professional internships under our belt, only to find ourselves thinking, “now what?”

Eileen’s blog response to Mr. Goldsmith’s article points out that our generation is more hard-working, active and dedicated than ever, but perhaps that’s one of the qualities Mr. Goldsmith’s slightly negative opinion stems from. We are hard working, we are busy, we are determined – and that’s why we believe that we deserve better. In other words, we don’t quite fit into the corporate hierarchy. “I mean, come on, I graduated top of my class with 3 majors and 2 minors, not to mention the 4 internships I held and 7 student groups I was a part of… Why should I have to start from the bottom?!” We have dreams, goals and life plans, and it is quite the reality check to graduate and move onto that amazing job… at the bottom of the totem pole.

But is that necessarily a bad thing for corporate America? This is where my opinion differs from Mr. Goldsmith’s. Yes, it’s probably true that the typical college graduate is more likely to do their time for 6 months then move on to the next best job. Although I personally chose to follow the typical Baby Boomer approach to my first job (which I am quite content with; I was one of the lucky ones to land a great job), I believe that it is important for recent college graduates to dip around a bit and see what else is out there. (Plus, as an employer, you'll find that these entry level employees will have a well-rounded perspective to bring to your company). I had several internships throughout college before I settled into my current company, and I’m very glad I did because I believe I learned important, vital skills at each and every one of them. When Mr. Goldsmith says that managers will need to change their approach when dealing with Gen Y direct reports, he is correct. My manager, for example, does a great job of this. She constantly asks what my goals are and makes sure that I am working on projects I feel I will benefit and learn from, while offering constructive feedback along the way. As a result, I am continually growing and learning, and although I do get stuck with the occasional media list every now and then, I am more apt to do a good job because I know that her ultimate goal is to make sure that I am always growing. If managers enter into an “I’m your boss, you do what I say, and oh, by the way, get over yourself” relationship with their direct reports, then yes, they will be “toast.”

So perhaps we Gen Y-ers are just misunderstood. I once asked during a 401K training how long we had to be with the company to be 100% vested, and I cannot tell you how many awkward stares, gasps and open jaws the question received from the room full of baby boomers. Hey, I was just askin’!

Let’s face it – times are changing. Are we lazy? No, we’re just bored and we come into jobs expecting to use the high-level skills we learned in our PR campaigns and planning classes… only to find we’re doing the media lists. Do we want recognition? Yes, but not because we want more money or ‘the next big promotion.’ We want to know that our work on the team is truly valued because we genuinely care about the well-being of our companies and clients. Will we bolt for the next job when we’re not happy? Probably. But not because we’re not happy, but because it’s one step closer to the job of our dreams.

So, what is my advice to my generation? Reach for your dreams (trust me, I’m a big advocate!) but don’t get ahead of yourself. You might have a fresh perspective to bring to a company with your pretty college degree and knowledge of new media, but you’re not going to start out as the company’s VP. If you pay your dues and prove yourself as an entry-level employee, trust me, you will be noticed and become one step closer to reaching your dream.

The Online BOOM

2008-03-05T14:12:00.001-08:00

Interesting data from eMarketer that found not only that more people are spending time online, but also that people are spending more time online.

From the article: "According to the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future, on average US Internet users spent 15.3 hours a week online last year, and that is up from 8.9 hours in 2006."

Wow, that's a lot of time! Proof that PR professionals should consider using online tactics to connect with target audiences.

The USC study also breaks down time spent online into specific demographic categories. For example, "children ages 8 to 14 are online nearly two hours a day, and 45% of young adults ages 18 to 24 spend three or more hours a day online... By contrast, African Americans represent nearly 13% of the general population, but make up just 11.2% of the online population, and Hispanics (who can be of any race) are about 15% of the general population compared to just 10.4% of the online one."

When deciding whether or not to incorporate social media and online PR tactics into your PR plan, it is important to first take a step back and consider your target audience. It might be tempting to add these fancy online tactics to show clients we "get" Web 2.0 and are ahead of the curve, or because "PR is trending that way," but it is equally important to know when not to use these tactics. For example, with USC's study in mind, it might not be the best idea to use online tactics as means to engage with the African American audience, whereas if you are targeting the young adult audience it would be a fantastic addition.

When the past comes back to haunt you

2008-03-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

A reminder to us that our past times can have serious consequences. Just something to think about as we're planning to enter the corporate world.

Should you be LinkedIn?

2008-02-13T08:03:00.000-08:00

Good blog post in the Kelsey Group blog on the uses and benefits of LinkedIn. The author, Michael Taylor, points out the growing significance of LinkedIn.

In a nutshell, Michael describes LinkedIn as "a powerful and growing business network that recently reported topping the 17 million-member mark, making it one of the world’s largest business networks on the Internet. With a large base of business-focused members, finding ways to share vendors and service providers seems like a natural extension with the possibility of enhancing its revenue generation and profitability."

What really struck me as interesting about Michael's post, though, is that he points out ways that business professionals can use the service to create their own professional networks.

In fact, in another blog post I recently read on Pro PR, the author writes, "I do not hire entry level people without looking at their blog, following their twitter stream and checking their Facebook presence. I want a sense of who they are over time, not just when they are in my office. I want to know what they think on the issues they care about and how they express themselves. I want to see whether and how they connect with others. And I can find out all those things from their social media presence."

This post really put the first blog into perspective for me. It is interesting to think that now even employers (not just already established business networks) are even catching on to the Social Media phenomenon. In a sense, they are creating new networks, thus opening up a realm of possibilities for new business professionals and making it easier to build professional networks.

My take away from these LinkedIn posts? Definitely a good idea to get involved in the social media conversation - start your own blog, update your Twitter, and definitely register for LinkedIn. It's not enough, though, to simply create a profile. You must also get involved, and stay involved. In a sense, don't forget to join the conversation. Tips from me later :)

Side note, feel free to visit my professional network:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/andreanowack

My blog... REINTRODUCED!

2008-02-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

August 22… August 23… February 12?! In my very first summer of blogging I have already broken the first cardinal rule – Update your blog Promptly and FREQUENTLY! You would think that as a PR student born in the age of Web 2.0, I would have my blog on the top of my radar. My bad :) (I blame it on the “oh so busy” holiday season) BUT, I have many great topics in mind and many fabulous stories to share, so you can consider this post the “reintroduction” of my blog (which will hopefully have a new, much more interesting title shortly!) and I give you my sincere resolution to post more often. I will give you a full update on the Fabulous Life of Andrea shortly!

My First Big Project!

2007-08-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

It was a big week for me at work! Which may be a reason for my lack of posts recently (sorry! I'll try to post more often!) Anyway, I helped own a project this week - a mobile partnership announcement - and let me just say that it was quite the experience! Although I can't disclose full details of the project, I did learn a few things along the way:

Communication with your team and other players is key. You must be clear and lay out exactally what you want them to do. Then, you just need to let trust take it from there.
You must also communicate well with clients.
Work fast and respond quickly. In PR land, you could extrapolate this point to fit just about any project you are working on.
Be prepared to answer lots of questions.
Send out reminders or other useful tid bits of information to people who are helping you work on the project.

First week on the job

2007-06-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! First of all, welcome to my blog! Throughout the course of my entries in this blog, I will detail my experience in the professional public relations community and offer tips to PR students on how to best prepare for a PR career.

But first, let me go back a step and introduce myself. My name is Andrea and I recently graduated (Saturday, to be exact!) from the University of Oregon with a Journalism: Public Relations and Electronic Media degree. I jumped right into an internship with Waggener Edstrom Worldwide in Portland, OR the Monday after I graduated. I now (as of three days ago!) intern for the Microsoft Online Strategic Business team, which deals mostly with MSN, and so far, I love it! Here at Wagged, employees get complimentary coffee, soda and… Ritz crackers. Of course, some of the most obvious benefits to working for a high tech PR firm.

I was a bit nervous to enter into the realm of technology public relations, but even after the first few days on the job, I have come to find that it is actually a lot of fun! I was afraid that the “tech talk” would be completely over my head, but I am quickly catching on. In yesterday morning’s conference call, for example, the Microsoft OSB team kept referring to “Luda.” I thought this was just another acronym I would have to add to my list of things I don’t know, only to find out later that “Luda” equals “Ludacris,” a well-known rap artist. Go figure that the youngest member of the team is the one who is least up on her pop culture.

Here at Wagged, they definitely throw you right into things and keep you busy. But I am catching on pretty quickly. I feel that my education at the UO really prepared me to encounter the challenges and work load I have faced here and will face in the future. My first day, my manager asked me if I knew what a blog was and, duh! I finally feel like the four years I spent working my bu** off to pay attention in school and get good grades has paid off.

That’s it for now. I will continue to post articles as I learn relevant tools that might be useful to the aspiring PR professional or random thoughts I have throughout the day.