The Cameleon Of Careers
Public relations is very broad and allows for a practitioner to have a wide range of choices when deciding which aspect of the field they wish to enter. Although I am not one-hundred percent sure where I will end up after I graduate, my dream job would lead me to California. There, I would use my public relations skills and knowledge to become an event promoter for different clubs and clients. This is a competitive part of the public relations industry and would take a lot of discipline and networking to be successful in, especially in California where people like me are a dime a dozen. It seems everyone moves there for life in the fast lane, and is never really as successful as the next person. If I eventually got tired of life on the west coast, which I’m sure I would, I would also like to try living in Chicago or New York for a little while. That’s another exciting thing about the range of work public relations professionals can do--they can work almost anywhere the choose. One of the most interesting parts of what I’m learning to do is networking. I really enjoy meeting new people and seeing where that might lead me. Meeting new people is inevitable when you do almost anything public relations related, and you never know who you might be talking with next. This keeps you on your toes and trains you to always be prepared and at your best. I guess what I’m saying is that although my dream job is not exactly set in stone, that’s okay, because I’ve chosen a profession that is as adaptable as I want to make it.
Showing posts with label AJ Franks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AJ Franks. Show all posts
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
A Bump In the Road
A BUMP IN THE ROAD
Raising awareness without a specific call to action.
Public relations is a field that many people don’t understand. They believe that anyone can do what a public relations professional does without any skill or training. Well, clearly they have not taken a campaigns class or attempted to provide a campaign for a non-profit organization. It’s hard to find the right balance between doing what you think is beneficial from a public relations perspective and doing what the client feels to be beneficial from their standpoint. That’s the position our group is currently in with our client, Center For Children and Families, Inc., (CCFI).
We have a wonderful organization for which we are currently developing a public relations campaign to attract more media coverage for their events. CCFI is a non-profit organization that helps many different individuals throughout the Norman, Okla. community. Last year they helped nearly 10,000 clients and are, to date, at capacity for taking on new ones. Receiving more clients might not be possible at this time for CCFI, because they are helping as many individuals as their resources will allow.
CCFI is a branch of the United Way Foundation. They are currently in a “blackout” period due to United Way policy. This means that they are not allowed to ask for dollar donations of any amount until otherwise specified by United Way. (I believe the blackout period will end sometime in November).
This is where our campaigns group hit a small bump. We have been asked to attract positive attention to CCFI from caring individuals in our community. This is doable. However, what will be their call to action? Once these people have heard of and are familiar with our organization, what will they do with their new knowledge? After speaking with Communications Specialist, Whitney Russell, we decided that it would still be beneficial to raise awareness of CCFI throughout Norman in order to build future groundwork in working with our great community. It may not be easy to raise awareness without asking for a specific call to action from our target audience, but whoever said the real world of public relations was easy?
Raising awareness without a specific call to action.
Public relations is a field that many people don’t understand. They believe that anyone can do what a public relations professional does without any skill or training. Well, clearly they have not taken a campaigns class or attempted to provide a campaign for a non-profit organization. It’s hard to find the right balance between doing what you think is beneficial from a public relations perspective and doing what the client feels to be beneficial from their standpoint. That’s the position our group is currently in with our client, Center For Children and Families, Inc., (CCFI).
We have a wonderful organization for which we are currently developing a public relations campaign to attract more media coverage for their events. CCFI is a non-profit organization that helps many different individuals throughout the Norman, Okla. community. Last year they helped nearly 10,000 clients and are, to date, at capacity for taking on new ones. Receiving more clients might not be possible at this time for CCFI, because they are helping as many individuals as their resources will allow.
CCFI is a branch of the United Way Foundation. They are currently in a “blackout” period due to United Way policy. This means that they are not allowed to ask for dollar donations of any amount until otherwise specified by United Way. (I believe the blackout period will end sometime in November).
This is where our campaigns group hit a small bump. We have been asked to attract positive attention to CCFI from caring individuals in our community. This is doable. However, what will be their call to action? Once these people have heard of and are familiar with our organization, what will they do with their new knowledge? After speaking with Communications Specialist, Whitney Russell, we decided that it would still be beneficial to raise awareness of CCFI throughout Norman in order to build future groundwork in working with our great community. It may not be easy to raise awareness without asking for a specific call to action from our target audience, but whoever said the real world of public relations was easy?
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Where Was the PR? Miss Teen South Carolina's Attempt at Redemption
Where Was the PR? Miss Teen South Carolina’s Attempt at Redemption
A few days ago in the Miss Teen USA pageant, a very confused Miss Teen South Carolina, Caitlin Upton, stumbled through what she thought to be an adequate answer to a fairly simple question: “Why can nearly 1/5 of Americans not locate the United States on a map?” After rambling about nothing of relevance for almost a minute, it seemed the wannabe beauty queen would have done better to just stand there and smile. When her turn was finally over, America was left almost as confused by her answer as she seemed to be by the question.
On August 28, the bumbling beauty got a chance to redeem herself on the Today Show. However, the second time around may not have been her saving grace, either. The question undoubtedly took Caitlin off-guard--she described it as “overwhelming.” Her follow-up response to the same question consisted of her mainly talking about her friends and their knowledge of geography. This made me conclude that in the reality outside of beauty pageants and scripted reality television shows, most of us are not typically allowed a do-over.
This, to me, is where strategic public relations should have entered the contest. No doubt Ms. Upton was coached before her second, on-camera interview, but I can’t help but think her coach left her high and dry on the field. In this specific instance, Upton’s rep should have been doing the type of public relations dealing with the minimization of damage to her image. In order to save her from the “dumb blonde” stereotype, her rep should have prepared her a little more for her second battle. By attempting to redeem herself, Caitlin may have ended up damaging her reputation further. Most individuals are not given the privilege of a re-do, but Caitlin Upton was. It’s too bad for her that she did not maximize this to her advantage. If you’re ever lucky enough to get a second chance in public relations, make it count.
http://www.javno.com/slike/slike_3/r1/g2007/m08/x36149191048482137.jpg
A few days ago in the Miss Teen USA pageant, a very confused Miss Teen South Carolina, Caitlin Upton, stumbled through what she thought to be an adequate answer to a fairly simple question: “Why can nearly 1/5 of Americans not locate the United States on a map?” After rambling about nothing of relevance for almost a minute, it seemed the wannabe beauty queen would have done better to just stand there and smile. When her turn was finally over, America was left almost as confused by her answer as she seemed to be by the question.
On August 28, the bumbling beauty got a chance to redeem herself on the Today Show. However, the second time around may not have been her saving grace, either. The question undoubtedly took Caitlin off-guard--she described it as “overwhelming.” Her follow-up response to the same question consisted of her mainly talking about her friends and their knowledge of geography. This made me conclude that in the reality outside of beauty pageants and scripted reality television shows, most of us are not typically allowed a do-over.
This, to me, is where strategic public relations should have entered the contest. No doubt Ms. Upton was coached before her second, on-camera interview, but I can’t help but think her coach left her high and dry on the field. In this specific instance, Upton’s rep should have been doing the type of public relations dealing with the minimization of damage to her image. In order to save her from the “dumb blonde” stereotype, her rep should have prepared her a little more for her second battle. By attempting to redeem herself, Caitlin may have ended up damaging her reputation further. Most individuals are not given the privilege of a re-do, but Caitlin Upton was. It’s too bad for her that she did not maximize this to her advantage. If you’re ever lucky enough to get a second chance in public relations, make it count.
http://www.javno.com/slike/slike_3/r1/g2007/m08/x36149191048482137.jpg
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