The PR of TV news: Part 1: AIG

So, for the past couple days, I'm sure you all have heard about the big bad AIG and how they are giving these enormous bonuses and all this bailout money. Well I definitely have. It has been on CNN for at least 70% of a 24 hour day for the past week (by my calculations). Now, of course this is supposed to be news, but is it Public Relations?
I say this because All of this outrage over bonuses was basically created by cable news media. They told us that we should be upset about this, according to the highest estimates 212 million dollars, but not upset about the 120 BILLION+ the company has already received and the billions more they are scheduled to receive soon. If that's not PR, I don't know what is. My question to you is, why demonize AIG for this fraction of the money that is somehow going into the wrong hands, as if the other 99+ percent of the bailout money has been used in the "right" way by the company?

Mandla Deskins

Quiznos or Subway?

Hey everyone! Okay, so we all know Subway’s very catchy $5 foot-long promotion. It gets stuck in my head every time I hear it. Anyway, Subway’s competitor, Quiznos, is trying to take that same idea that Subway came up with but instead they are offering a $4 12-inch sub. Not only are they trying to give you a better deal but they are also trying to use a comically suggestive sex theme in their commercials with phrases such as, “Say it sexy” and “Put it in me”. The reason why I brought this up, even though this may be more on the advertising side than public relations, is do you think that they should have just came up with a totally different tactic? Quiznos has always been behind Subway in sales. Quiznos Chief Marketing Officer Rebecca Steinfort said, “Our main competition is Subway, which is an 800-pound gorilla. We may be 200 pounds, but they're 800.” My thing is, when it comes to their strategy of selling $4 12-inch subs or any of their sandwiches is that I feel that they are trying to be too much like Subway. I feel that they aren’t being original. Also if you’ve noticed, their recent advertisements have had something to do with Subway, such as their past ad of Quiznos beats Subway 4 to 1. I feel that they are concentrating too much on what Subway is doing and they aren’t making a distinguishable brand for themselves. It’s difficult for Quiznos to free itself from the shadow of Subway when they keep comparing themselves to Subway. When I see commercials for Quiznos, really all I think about is Subway. Maybe I’m just biased because I worked at Subway in high school. I don’t know. So, what do you guys think?

Talk to you soon!

Kiah

What's Skills do we Need

As PR students it is very important that we are well rounded. When I say well rounded I mean in terms of being proficient in all areas of media. I know that there are several areas that I can use to make myself marketable including graphic design. I do believe that graphic design is one of the most important components to making yourself marketable in today’s communication field. After a few internship interviews last week I realized that a common link was, all of the interviewers wanted to know what my experience in graphic design consisted of. Each interviewer was interested in what design software I was proficient in as well as what specific publications I had made using those publications. What aspects do you think are the most important for PR students to be proficient in?

Too Attached

So I hope everybody had a wonderful spring break. I went to Miami and I had a really good time. The only downfall that I had was that I took my laptop with me so I could try and be productive on some of my off time but instead my computer decided to break on me. I have no idea how it broke. The man at best buy tried to explain it to me what the problem was but basically told me they couldn't help me with my issue. Anyways, I can no longer turn it on and I'm feeling out of my element. I'm realizing that I am way too attached to my laptop. It is just a Dell laptop but I feel that I am missing a leg or an arm. While not being able to use my computer I've realized I've become way too dependent on it and I sometimes don't know how to do some of the simple things without a computer. Maybe it's because a lot of my work is on there but that's not even my main concern. I just like being able to have access to MY computer, not the schools or my roommates. So you're probably wondering why I'm telling you this. Well the thing is, I wanted to know if I'm the only one who feels like their missing a major part of their life when they don't have their laptop. If you have never lost or broken your computer try and think of yourself without it. I don't know, maybe I'm just too attached.

Kiah

Making a World of Difference

Have you ever though about how much of an impact that you can make by practicing PR? I was thinking about this very topic yesterday while I was being asked to save a stranger's life. There was not literally a stranger sitting in front of me asking for help. Instead there were two women asking if I would join the national bone marrow donor registry list. I later found out that there was going to be a two day drive held on campus to add donors to the list. Prior to speaking to these women I was not aware of the upcoming drive. That made me think what a world of difference a great PR team could make to aid in this cause.
PR is not always about getting celebrity clients the best press or creating positive images for multi-million dollar companies. PR is no different from any other profession it is truly about helping people. Now I’m not saying that only PR people that work for non-profit organizations are worthy of praise but instead I am reminding all of us myself included that it is always important to give back and use your professional talents to impact your community and the world. We all have the gift of getting people's attention and persuading them towards certain things. Let's make sure that at some point we use these gifts to help others. How do you think we can use our PR talent’s to help save the world?

-Nicole Jackson

PR and your next job interview

So, if you have been following my blog, like I'm sure all of you do, then you would have read my post about personal PR. If you didn't here's a recap. Personal PR is how you present yourself to the publics you come into contact with. Now, in my original post, I went over the general topic, but since so many people I know are having so much trouble getting a job, I figure that now is as good a time as any to give some pointers, from a PR perspective.
Now, there are a couple common mistakes that I often see, when people tell me how the job search is going. They are normally a combination of these factors, appearance, confidence, perception among hiring managers, and likability. Now, as PR students and professionals, we know that all of these things are based in opinions of interested publics, something that PR should be able to sway. So I'll go through these one by one and explain how, from a PR perspective, I can help you get a job.

1. Appearance- When applying for a job among a sea of qualified applicants, I find that managers have to find other things to make their decisions for them. A major one is appearance. But not just when you go to interview, from the moment you step in the building to drop off an application or apply for the job, you should understand the environment and dress to create the desired reaction from that building.

2. Confidence- Another thing that I often hear about is that soft voice, of the unsure tone when asking about information. Who wants to hire someone who can't even express themselves in a audible tone? What public would want to here what they are saying?

3. Perception among hiring managers- This one is a little overlap from the first two, but it is so important that it needed its own mention. When you go in for the interview or to inquire about the position, it is crucial that you leave a tailored footprint in the mind of the manager, something that can give you the edge over other applicants.

4. likability- Above all the others, this one, I think, is most important. Though they might be managers or owners and very rich, people are still people. They have feelings and let their feelings guide their actions more than we may think. Being liked by those in the office when you inquire about the job or during the interview or when you are shaking hands, is a very powerful tool. A warm person can relate on a special level and get things that maybe they shouldn't.

Alas, these are my tips, feel free to add your own and tell me what you think. Thanks.

Responsibility is the Key

I vowed that I would not feed into the Chris Brown and Rihanna situation however I can't stay silent any longer. This clearly was a case of domestic abuse that will forever haunt both individuals. My question is who else will this situation haunt? I can pretty much bet that many of the "fans" of both Chris Brown and Rihanna will be haunted as well. They will be haunted because they truly consider Chris Brown and Rihanna to be their role models. They consider them to be individuals to look up to.
Who should be blamed for this phenomenon? I say it is the media's responsibility to not only present balanced stories but to also present a balance of individuals as well. It is no secret that the media gives the people what they want but whatever happened to responsible journalism. An issue that is very serious has been glamorized. Have we become so desensitized that even the indiscretions of celebrities are looked at as exciting events?
I urge everyone who is a journalist to seriously examine yourself and what you believe in. As journalist it is imperative that we take more responsibility for what we put out and how it can affect others. As journalists we have got to become more resonsible and we must make sure that we are adhering to our various codes of ethics.
-Nicole Jackson