Chic Shades

Monday in class, Victoria and Mary Lois presented their Media Kit for Chic Shades and announced the launch of their newest line-Sustainable Shades. Victoria and Mary Lois started the presentation with enthusiasm and excitement. They really caught my attention and kept me engaged throughout the entirety of the presentation.

Image taken from Flickr Creative Commons

In addition, their visuals were fantastic. The website looked extremely professional and had any and all information related to Chic Shades. The Prezi was also a nice way to introduce the concept and a new for the product- especially in Texas.

I feel the actual packaging of the Media Kit could have been more appealing, like the website and prezi,  but the contents were good and it was a great idea to include a pair of shades.Also, the event was a great idea! Trading in an old pair of sunglasses for a cuter pair is such a good concept that corresponds directly to the product being launched but could have had more information about giveaways and attractions at the event.

Overall, Mary Lois and Victoria did a great job presenting their Media Kit. Since summer is a week away, I wish I could get a pair of Chic Shades!

Capitol of Texas Beautification Association Media Kit

Last Wednesday, Caroline, Issa and myself presented our Media Kit as our final group presentation. We decided to make a non-profit organization and came up with the Capitol of Texas Beautification Association. Our non-profit focuses on building community gardens in Austin, TX. A community garden is any piece of land gardened by a group of people.

Capitol of Texas Beautification Association's Media Kit Packaging

Our media kit packaging consisted of a pot and gardening supplies with the idea that this is a gardening starter kit complete with anything you may need to get involved at the community garden. Check out our blog for more information. The media kit includes: packages of seeds, gardening tools, a flower to plant, and a folder with all of our non-profit’s information, such as:

• Company history and mission
• FAQ’s
• List of publics and non-profit supporters
• Media contact information
• Press release for our “Garden Breaking” party

I think my group functioned great together as a team. Caroline, Issa and I divided up the work equally and we presented well as a team. The only thing I wish we had done better as was possibly coming up with a better system as to how the members of the community garden received their produce. We could have thought more about the logistics of the actual organization rather than the media kit, but overall I feel we did a great job as a team in the short amount of time we had to present on the first day.

Peace. Love. Plants.

Tips From Edelman

The other week, my public relations class took visited the Edelman PR office in downtown Austin, TX. Edelman is a leading independent global PR firm with offices in 53 cities and 3,400 employees worldwide. Edelman was also named Advertising Age’s top-ranked PR firm of the decade and ranks as number one as best place to work.

Want to be a PR pro? Here are some tips from three Edelman employees, Reid Schwartz, Melissa Miller, and Kim Tillinghast, that I found to be the most helpful:

• Have a strong resume free from typos
• Just because you haven’t had any PR related jobs, doesn’t mean you don’t have the experience. The skills needs from PR can be pulled from other experiences. Think clubs, organizations, campus jobs.
• Paying attention to detail is key.
• Have a professional email address.
• Know the audience that you are pitching to.
• Be aware of your public image on Facebook.
• Confidence is key. Instill confidence in your clients, so they have confidence in you.

In addition to these tips, we asked the Edelman employees where they see the future of PR. They responded that the press release will become obsolete and more pitches will be done online through email in the future.

Overall, I thought the Edelman visit was extremely beneficial to understanding what a typical day is like in the life of PR pro. Use these tips to master your own PR skills and find success in PR.

The Magical World of Entertainments and Sports PR-Featuring Donna DeBerry

Last Tuesday, I had the opportunity to host a public relations professional who has extensive knowledge and expertise in the field of entertainment and sports PR, one of the most difficult fields of sports to get into.

Donna DeBerry, the former 1st Vice President of Diversity for Nike, spoke at the final Leadership in Athletics Speaker Series, Co-Hosted by the St. Edward’s PRSSA chapter.

Flier from the Leadership in Athletics Speaker Series Co-Hosted by PRSSA

After gaining experience, traveling, creating segments for the Oprah Winfrey show, and working for the USA basketball team,  Donna began her own company. Donna is currently the CEO of a full-service branding agency, Brand Inclusion, that aids in helping individuals, businesses, and corporations brand themselves for their intended audience.

Coming from a sports background, Donna spoke to over 60 St. Edward’s students with passion and excitement. Donna also gave 10 tips to success in relation to a team:

1. Be Optimistic, it will motivate your team members.
2. Offer aid to a fellow team member.
3. Show your dedication, come early, leave late, ask for constructive criticism.
4. Take responsibility for your actions, learn from your mistakes.
5. Make the team your priority, look at the team as a whole
6. Learn from your experiences.
7. Work on your communication skills, know your purpose and your message.
8. Listen, Listen, Listen, credibility diminishes when you don’t listen.
9. Be assertive, as a leader you must speak up because if not, then who will
10. Manage your stress, set examples for your team members.

Donna spent a large amount of time answering questions from students and faculty about her experience as a PR professional. When asked how has social media changed how she works, Donna replied that it has made her work easier. She can communicate with her international clients and it has allowed her company to assist her global clients much more efficiently. She also warned about using Facebook and mentioned that HR departments check potential employee’s Facebook accounts and other social media accounts, such as Twitter, to measure their character.

The one piece of advice that I will walk away with from Donna is when she was asked how she balances family and work. Donna replied that its not a balancing act, its a choice. I feel like I have been trying extra hard to balance multiple areas in my life and compromising others in the process. Maybe what I need to do is actually choose among my priorities which one is the most important.

Overall, I learned a great deal from Donna and her tips to become successful. If you attended Donna’s presentation at the Leadership Speaker Series, what is the single most important thing you took away from her talk?

#Journchat

*Screen shot taken from the Learning Communication blog*

Tonight I participated in #Journchat, a digital chat on Twitter craeted by PR professional Sarah Evans. PR professionals, students, and journalists joined the chat this evening to discuss the theme that revolved around incentivizing journalism via page views and other topics. So, lets get down to the juicy details! Here are the first two questions that stirred up #Journchat followers this evening:

• Question 1: Would page view bonuses give journalists the incentive to think and write more digitally?
• Question 2: Would page view incentives shape the content of stories?

At first I was unsure if I understood the question, but after I read the linked article, it made more sense. The reaction from the participants of the chat was mixed. Many felt that page views were overrated and thought that they were not an accurate measurement. Many followers also felt that journalism is not a popularity contest and giving bonuses on the basis of page views would create journalism stories based only on entertainment. Other followers of the chat commented that stories can’t be made to go viral, it just happens. Therefore, there needs to be quality writing over writing solely on the basis of popularity. My thought was that better graphics and layout could create more page views, but overall the journalist cannot control page views. Publicists and public relations professionals should be in charge of page views not journalists.

I enjoyed the assignment to follow #Journchat on Twitter and actively participate as a public relations student. The chat was interesting and quick paced. I felt I could answer most of the questions now having a basic knowledge of Twitter, public relations, and social media in general. I enjoyed being able to converse with fellow students and PR professionals about current events happening in the world of journalism and PR. I think it would be interesting if Ragan Communication put on a chat about the PR Daily articles. I would love to hear what other people in the field of communication felt about the top articles of the day. Overall, I enjoyed my experience with #Journchat and am interested in joining other chats on Twitter in the future.

I <3 PR

 

*Photo taken from Flickr Creative Commons*

Yes, I said it. I love PR. Now let me preface this blog post by saying that I have always been the type of person that likes everything. When I first got to St. Edward’s it took me a year to determine that Communication was going to be my major. I experimented with Poli Sci and Psychology  and after I took those courses I took my first Intro. to Comm class-I knew I had found my niche.

Now we all know that the Comm major is just about broad enough to do anything you want! Which makes it difficult for people like me to pick what I what to do in the future because I want to do everything. Needless to say from the title of this blog, I believe I have found my calling in Public Relations.

PR encompasses everything  I like to do: write, organize, plan ahead, plan proactively, keeping busy, researching the latest stories and tools available, and event planning. This year, I plan the Leadership Speaker Series and bring multiple speakers on campus for students. This involves all aspects of marketing through email blasts, social media like Facebook, and notifying teachers and department heads through email. I put up fliers, table and then host the event. This use of event planning in combination with marketing has helped me make a connection as to what PR is. It’s a combination of all the things I love to do!

Learning about PR so far this semester has helped me visualize my future and the types of jobs I will be interested in when I graduate. My favorite aspect of PR has been learning about PR’s tools and tactics such as news releases, open houses, receptions, news conferences, fundraisers, displays, and sponsorships.  I’m also excited to get involved with PRSSA and find a PR internship!

Streaming LIVE From Hurricane Alex

After viewing the amazingly intricate and bright conversation prism in class I recognized a tool that I had actually heard about but wanted to learn more. This summer I was first exposed to Ustream from my boyfriend who had downloaded the Ustream app on his Android phone. He and I were in South Padre the week that Hurricane Alex hit the island and used the new tool to document our adventures in the middle of the hurricane live to our friends.

*Taken from MediaNewsOne's photostream at Flickr Creative Commons*

• What?
  Ustream is the newest live interactive broadcast platform. Anyone with an internet connection and a camera can post live videos for friends and family to view from anywhere! 
  Examples of Ustream broadcasts include:
  -major political events
  -concerts
  -conferences
  -movie premieres
  -talk shows
  -sporting events
  -personal milestones

• When was Ustream launched?

  Ustream was launched in March 2007 by founders John Ham and Brad Hunstable who joined with Gyula Feher who wanted to create a service that would allow service men to communicate with their families and friends live, all at once.

• How do you use Ustream? The concept is simple:
  1. Create a login through Ustream.com or use your current Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo, or OpenID account.
  2. Then download the application with a compatible cell phone.
  3. Turn the settings on your phone to live
  4. Hit record and the video being taken will be streamed live on Ustream.com/(your_username)

Overall, I am very impressed by Ustream and inspired from the reason it was formed. My personal experience with this tool has shown me the benefits of communicating with loved ones long distance. Now I will have to remember this tool over the summer!