The New Rules of Marketing and Public Relations

By Brittany Atwood

Originally this book was started on David Meerman Scott’s personal blog about marketing and public relations. In January 2006, he published an e-book and since it’s debut has been downloaded over 200,000 times. This is clear evidence that we are in a time where the Internet is a major form of communicating.

The New Rules of Marketing and Public Relations is not a book solely written by Scott. The book contains comments and suggestions that he received on his blogs as he wrote chapter by chapter as a blog. He used these suggestions as a way to make his findings more effective.

According to David Meerman Scott, corporate blogs are emerging as one of the most effective ways for different types of businesses to tell their stories directly to the public. Audiences are hesitant when viewing traditional forms of advertising such as print but with a good blog companies can showcase their abilities to go above and beyond what is needed of them.

In the old days, companies could only communicate through the expensive forms of advertising. However, blogging in today’s time changes the rules. We all know from experience that not only is it hard to get people’s attention but it is also hard to keep their attention. Blogging allows you to focus on getting the right message to the people at the right time.

Scott talks about the Internet in terms of people not just another form of technology. He discusses the ramifications of the web needed to pertain to the average person. He uses a variety of case studies throughout his book that makes the information more real. I think real life examples are important to showcase in terms of Scott’s views.

Taking Public Relations Global

By: Ashley Mistretta


I decided to talk about global PR. As everyone probably already knows, international communication is increasing for public relation practitioners. This is a great opportunity for companies and organizations to be able to use technology to its highest potential. People who are PR practitioners now have the capability to help their companies build relationships over seas. One company I found online is called LEWIS PR. This is a global public relations firm that works with leading brands and in a very busy industry all across the world. This company has successfully learned how to take a brand and communicate it effectively all over the world.

Global public relation organizations do need to have a consistent message, but that does not mean the same message is sent to all the countries involved. The practitioner needs to cultivate a message that is molded to appeal to the target audience. This is an important piece of information to grasp. Not all regions are homogenous, and organizations have to try and work around this fact. One way of communicating a message could be alright in some parts of the world, where as, it could be an entirely offensive way to communicate in another. It is vital to research and know about the country and its culture.

Although this idea of global PR is mostly a positive aspect, these practitioners need to understand how to communicate with other cultures. It can be a tricky situation because certain countries could be offended by specific means of communication. Global organizations need to be able to comprehend that, certain gestures and words could be odious in different places. In order for global PR to succeed, practitioners need to recognize and respect other cultures ways of communicating. This will allow a good interaction between companies in opposite countries.

Other things to think about with global PR are to remember the challenges when it comes to logistics, language and culture. There are also time differences to think about as well. There are many issues to think about when taking an organization global, but once the motion is in set, there are many benefits that outweigh the risks. With the great use of technology, people and organizations are able to learn faster, communicate quicker and adapt to other cultures.

Social Networking and Public Relations

By Leah Packard

For the last blog assignment, I interviewed Whittney Beech, the public relations manager and First Fidelity Bank in Oklahoma City. Throughout the interview, she brought up the importance of social media and the future of public relations so I have decided to expand on this issue.

Social media is everywhere now; there is a social networking site for just about everything out there. Every career field has its own site for those in the field or students planning on joining the field. Colleges have their own sites and so do sororities and fraternities. And of course you can't leave out the giant-sized facebook.

However, not only are public relations practioners using their own sites like www.onlinepr.ning.com but they are using sites like facebook to monitor and participate in conversations about the companies or brands they represent. There are many blog stories I found about the importance of practioners engaging in social networking, like this story with tips about making the most of your online networking time, or this website completely dedicated to the future of public relations and marketing.

The upcoming class of consumers will be more tech-savvy than any before. They have access to the internet practically everywhere they go on social networking sites more so than any other besides yahoo and google.

Not only are practioners engaging with other social networking users but they are paying for advertising space. But not just any advertising space, this advertising can be tailored to a very specific audience based on what type of information the user reveals in their profiles.

Social networking is a huge part of life today and will only grow in the future. Public relations practioners know how valuable understanding social networking is and will continue to integrate it within their campaigns.

Many Yearbooks Incorporate Technology

Many Yearbooks Incorporate Technology

By Christie Gunn

Upon conducting research into college yearbook market trends for their client Sooner yearbook, Innovative PR, a public relations capstone group, found that many yearbooks are incorporating DVDs and CD-ROMs to combat poor sales.

College yearbook sales are dwindling across the country leaving many yearbooks to fight to stay in production. Yearbooks’ biggest competitors are social-networking Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace. These social networks can offer personalized, interactive content and provide instant gratification whereas printed yearbooks are static and generalized to the entire student body. In addition, students must pay for yearbooks in advance and wait months to receive them, unlike social networking sites that update instantly.

In order to keep up with growth in technological competition, several yearbooks have adopted supplemental pieces such as DVDs and CD-ROMs. The University of Texas’s Cactus yearbook comes with a DVD that includes content from the student newspaper and television station. In 1997, Marquette University canceled production of its yearbook entirely in favor of a CD-ROM version. The new format will include audio recordings from each senior to accompany their picture, video slide shows of campus events, footage of commencement and even music from local bands. “The editors say the digital publication will do things that yearbooks have never been able to do before.”

Other yearbook advisers like Ms. Widmer at Northwest Missouri State see the risks of solely using electronic formats for yearbooks. She said, “In 30 years you're not going to be able to do anything with [a DVD or CD-ROM yearbook] except use it as a coaster.” Librarians at Marquette echoed the sentiment, pointing out that electronic yearbooks may fail to accomplish a yearbook’s basic mission of preserving memories and records for the future.

Innovative PR will distribute surveys to continue researching if students at the University of Oklahoma would like to see their yearbook incorporate more technology, such as a supplemental DVD or CD-ROM.