True Priorities

True Priorities
By Annie Bowen

Throughout college I would occasionally stop and really force myself to consider my future career and the industry/type of job I want to pursue. During this, I would ask myself certain questions like: How much money do I want to make? What is the right balance between time with family and job responsibilities? What type of impact do I want my job to have on society?

Eventually I would get overwhelmed thinking about all of the possibilities. As I near graduation, however, my true priorities begin to emerge. Although I know careers paths are organic and always adapting, there are certain aspects of my dream career that remain constant.

For instance, it is vital that I work for an organization that provides some benefit to society. This could be the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure or another non-profit organization that supports an important cause (like a blood bank or children’s hospital). Second, I want a job that allows for a wide variety of responsibilities such as event planning, writing, design, presenting and developing strategies for both the long and short terms.

I do realize that pursuing a career in the non-profit sector generally means a smaller salary than in other public relations careers (such as financial/stockholder relations), but I genuinely believe that the benefits of contributing to a non-profit organization will outweigh the fiscal disparity.

I also realize that there are numerous obstacles to being hired for a non-profit job, especially since I want to stay close to the Oklahoma City area. My goal, since I will be graduating in December 2008, is to spend as much time as I can researching potential organizations as well as networking whenever possible.

Image available at http://www.wish.org/

"OU Nightly:" Promoting news consumption to children

"OU Nightly:" Promoting news consumption to children
By Annie Bowen

Situated at the end of a long hallway in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma students work diligently for hours each weekday to produce the nightly news broadcast “OU Nightly.”

“OU Nightly” covers news and events relevant to the OU campus and Norman area, as well as national news and weather. Despite the specific focus on the OU and Norman communities, however, many students and Norman residents are unaware of its existence and/or details about the program, such as when it airs.

One of the publics we are targeting in our campaign to promote “OU Nightly” is Norman parents of elementary-aged children. We plan to publicize the general details of “OU Nightly,” while also relaying the idea that “OU Nightly” is concerned with Norman children and the community.

The main messaging and strategy we developed for this public is a focus on encouraging children to begin to follow the news at an early age, and educating parents about how to speak with their children about the news.

We found a considerable amount of research about the media consumption habits of children and young people. For example, a 2007 Pew Research Center study found that close to 61% of parents (with children in kindergarten through senior year of high school) encourage their children to consume news content, such as reading the newspaper or watching the news. Despite this, however, only 6% of children currently follow news about national and international issues very closely. In fact, “the vast majority don't follow the news too closely or at all.” Other studies also indicate that fewer young people are watching the television.

Further, we found that parents are seeking guidance in regard to how to dialogue with children about the violence they witness on the news each night. As part of our campaign, we will provide sources like the PBS Web site that contain information about how to speak openly with children about events on the news.

Overall, we reasoned that, through a relationship centered around their children, we could provide Norman parents with useful information about news consumption, encourage a new generation of media consumers and also promote our client to its target publics.

Image available at http://jmc.ou.edu/Pulse/broadcast_students.html

Pharmaceutical companies sick from bad PR

Pharmaceutical companies sick from bad PR
By Annie Bowen

We’ve all seen them – clever and compelling advertisements in magazines, on television and online about the latest medicine for diseases like fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome and numerous others. Despite these well-crafted commercials, however, the pharmaceutical companies that research, manufacture and promote these drugs are currently struggling with some very bad public relations issues. In essence, pharmaceutical companies are facing negative press because they are seen as untrustworthy, giant corporations that hide significant health risks and invent illnesses in the quest for more profit.

First, it is important to note that by “currently” I am referring to roughly the last five years, and that unfavorable public relations issues for pharmaceutical companies have been occurring steadily over the years. The issues that pharmaceutical companies face can be, for the most part, divided into two categories. The first is when drugs that are successful at preventing/combating an illness are then linked to potentially causing other health issues, such as increasing risk of heart attack. The second is when drugs are marketed for certain illnesses that some physicians and experts believe do not truly exist.

In 2004 Pfizer’s arthritis drug Celebrex, although advertised as one of the safest drugs on the market, was said to present an increased risk for heart attack. As well, in September of the same year, it was reported that Merck’s Vioxx posed similar heart attack and stroke risks.

Findings such as these cause many problems for the pharmaceutical companies. For one, trust in the company is drastically lessened. In the case of Pfizer, investigations suggest that the company did not attempt to study the drug thoroughly enough to find the cardiovascular risks before it was released. In fact, Pfizer has even been accused of failing to publicize important study data on the drug. In addition to the decrease in trust, Merck faced billions of dollars in legal liabilities and a decrease in its stock price because of bad press about its drug.

More recently, the New York Times ran a story that covered another drug controversy involving Pfizer. This time, its drug Lyrica was criticized because it is advertised to treat fibromyalgia, a condition that supposedly causes chronic pain. Some doctors and medical experts, however, do not believe that fibromyalgia is even a legitimate disease.

So, what public relations lessons can we learn from all this? First and foremost, pharmaceutical companies must understand that their primary asset is trust. Doctors must trust the company and its products in order to prescribe them, and the public must trust so that they will be comfortable if and when their doctor does prescribe these drugs. When stories are being published that your organization withheld important safety concerns, this significantly impacts the level of trust; and as we all know, trust is something that cannot easily be regained once lost.

Second, I think that pharmaceutical companies must be proactive in combating the image that they are solely aimed at boosting their stock price and/or gaining profit. Community and non-profit involvement, such as donating medication to local shelters and overseas efforts, would help the public to look more favorably upon the companies.

These same principles apply, generally, to our client "OU Nightly." Credibility is of large importance for news programs, since the audience must trust that the news being covered is done accurately and fairly. Second, partnering with non-profit organizations helps to foster an image of being involved in the community, which is crucial for news programs so that they become relevant to the community in which they operate.

Want to read more?

Pfizer's Celebrex could face PR problems
Pfizer's Funk

Image located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vioxx