This week we were asked to list the top 10 things we learned in our PR concentration, this top 10 list will not be as hilarious as Letterman's but I do believe it will be more useful.
10) I wish I had known about the whole portfolio thing when I was first accepted into the MSCM program. It really would have helped me.
9) Know your audience. In order to have a successful event or campaign you need to know who your target audience is and then you need to figure out how to appeal to them.
8) How to write a proper PSA. It needs to be short and sweet and give all he appropriate information at the same time.
7) How to put together a GOOD campaign book. It is a lot more intricate than one might think.
6) When dealing with outside vendors always have a written agreement between yourself and and them, that does not make you liable if anything goes wrong. We learned this during Ladies Lawn Night...enough said.
5) Design skills. Take Desktop publishing and other design classes this just helps you be more well rounded and while your at it you should also take web design, it never hurts and it's a fun class.
4) You may not like blogging or tweeting, but if our going to be in PR you need to learn how to use it. In my upcoming internship I have already been told that I will have to keep up with both of those things. Plus it is a great way to network!
3) Working well with others. I know it sounds like something your kindergarten teacher would grade you on but it is still true. Most of the time you will be working with other people and you will not always see eye to eye. The key is to compromise and pick your battles.
2) How to write a GOOD press release. This is something every PR professional will do regularly and you need to make sure it's a good one.
1) Meet your deadlines. I know there are extenuating circumstances that can happen. With me it is usually freak computer accidents, but you need to meet your deadlines, back up your documents, make sure your power point will run on a PC and a Mac, etc.
Those are my top 10,
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Amex is still keepin It real...
It is no secret that in order to be a successful company in today's world you have to be socially responsible. American Express, like so many other companies, has created there own socially responsible campaign called The Members Project.
American Express was founded in 1850 as an express mail company that forwarded freights and valuables. the company quickly expanded to selling money orders and travelers cheques. In the early 1920s American Express entered the travel business and charter the first around the world cruse in 1922. Today American express is most know for it's credit card than anything else.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth I. Chenault, stated in the 2008 CSR report that "We strive to be good citizens and neighbors wherever we do business. We help strengthen our communities by funding philanthropic efforts such as cultural heritage and historic preservation, as well as actively encouraging community service and volunteerism. We are also dedicated to protecting the environment by helping to conserve natural resources, reducing carbon emissions and building a focus on sustainability into our everyday operations."
The Members Project started in 2007 for American Express cardholders to get involved in a "chance to join a community that's passionate about making a positive change in the world." The members project was not the first time American Express showed interest in corporate social responsibility. The company has had a public responsibility committee as apart of their four executive committees since the late 1970s. The first Public Responsibility Report was published in 1980 and published again in 1990. The reports were used to analyze what people in the community, as well as their customers viewed as important projects in the community. Today the Members Projects takes this original idea one step further and asks their card holders to submit their own ideas on how American Express can help in the world. The 2008 Members project winner was Jay Smith. He submitted the idea for Alzheimer's Disease: Early Detection Matters when his wife was diagnosed with the disease too late. Early diagnoses for this disease can keep people significantly slow down the the development of the disease. The four runners up also recieved money for their cause. The causes included "Help 100,000 children thrive in the Classroom," "Loans that Change Lives," "Saving the Lives of Malnourished Children" and "Feeding 1 million children Daily."
American Express is also a founding member of Product (RED), an international campaign founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver to help raise money to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. American Express donates 1% of every American Express red credit card transactions to the (RED) campaign. In the first 18 months the partners of (RED) were able to raise $45 million for HIV/AIDS relief in Africa.
American Express also helps out locally with Historic Preservation. In 1983 American express ran the first ever cause related marketing campaign to raise money to restore the Statue of Liberty and reopen it to the public. American Express has continued to help preserve historic sites all around the world through it's partnership with The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the World Monuments Fund. These organizations not only help preserve and protect historic sites but also help to promote tourism to these sites. In 2006 American Express and the World Monuments Fund announced 6 special initiatives:
Iraq's Cultural Heritage works to help preserve historic sites in Iraq that are not only apart of Iraq's history but human history, that is why they are working closely with local communities to help protect the sites from looters and the scars of war.
European Fine Interiors is a program managed by WMF Europe that helps conserve the architectural interiors of historic sites throughout Europe.
Jewish Heritage Program was founded in 1988 to help preserve historic Synagogues, cemeteries and other historic Jewish sites throughout Europe.
Modernism is a project that the WMF started in the past 10 years to help protect buildings and architecture from the 20 century. WMF believes that hese modern structure deserve just as much care as historic structes because they are apart of our history as well.
Sustainable Tourism is the main project hat American Express and WMF work on togeather. They are dedicated to promoting tourism to hisoric sites around the world as well as manitaining culturally and envriomentally responible tourism. Sustainability tourism also helps create hundreds of job and increases local economeys while maintaining and sometimes improving the Environment around them.
http://tinyurl.com/ylhdbwt
American Express was founded in 1850 as an express mail company that forwarded freights and valuables. the company quickly expanded to selling money orders and travelers cheques. In the early 1920s American Express entered the travel business and charter the first around the world cruse in 1922. Today American express is most know for it's credit card than anything else.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth I. Chenault, stated in the 2008 CSR report that "We strive to be good citizens and neighbors wherever we do business. We help strengthen our communities by funding philanthropic efforts such as cultural heritage and historic preservation, as well as actively encouraging community service and volunteerism. We are also dedicated to protecting the environment by helping to conserve natural resources, reducing carbon emissions and building a focus on sustainability into our everyday operations."
The Members Project started in 2007 for American Express cardholders to get involved in a "chance to join a community that's passionate about making a positive change in the world." The members project was not the first time American Express showed interest in corporate social responsibility. The company has had a public responsibility committee as apart of their four executive committees since the late 1970s. The first Public Responsibility Report was published in 1980 and published again in 1990. The reports were used to analyze what people in the community, as well as their customers viewed as important projects in the community. Today the Members Projects takes this original idea one step further and asks their card holders to submit their own ideas on how American Express can help in the world. The 2008 Members project winner was Jay Smith. He submitted the idea for Alzheimer's Disease: Early Detection Matters when his wife was diagnosed with the disease too late. Early diagnoses for this disease can keep people significantly slow down the the development of the disease. The four runners up also recieved money for their cause. The causes included "Help 100,000 children thrive in the Classroom," "Loans that Change Lives," "Saving the Lives of Malnourished Children" and "Feeding 1 million children Daily."
American Express is also a founding member of Product (RED), an international campaign founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver to help raise money to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. American Express donates 1% of every American Express red credit card transactions to the (RED) campaign. In the first 18 months the partners of (RED) were able to raise $45 million for HIV/AIDS relief in Africa.
American Express also helps out locally with Historic Preservation. In 1983 American express ran the first ever cause related marketing campaign to raise money to restore the Statue of Liberty and reopen it to the public. American Express has continued to help preserve historic sites all around the world through it's partnership with The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the World Monuments Fund. These organizations not only help preserve and protect historic sites but also help to promote tourism to these sites. In 2006 American Express and the World Monuments Fund announced 6 special initiatives:
- Climate Change
- Iraq's Cultural Heritage
- European Fine Interiors
- Jewish Heritage Program
- Modernism
- Sustainable Heritage
Iraq's Cultural Heritage works to help preserve historic sites in Iraq that are not only apart of Iraq's history but human history, that is why they are working closely with local communities to help protect the sites from looters and the scars of war.
European Fine Interiors is a program managed by WMF Europe that helps conserve the architectural interiors of historic sites throughout Europe.
Jewish Heritage Program was founded in 1988 to help preserve historic Synagogues, cemeteries and other historic Jewish sites throughout Europe.
Modernism is a project that the WMF started in the past 10 years to help protect buildings and architecture from the 20 century. WMF believes that hese modern structure deserve just as much care as historic structes because they are apart of our history as well.
Sustainable Tourism is the main project hat American Express and WMF work on togeather. They are dedicated to promoting tourism to hisoric sites around the world as well as manitaining culturally and envriomentally responible tourism. Sustainability tourism also helps create hundreds of job and increases local economeys while maintaining and sometimes improving the Environment around them.
http://tinyurl.com/ylhdbwt
Thursday, November 19, 2009
This past week our PRSSA chapter won it's first national competition! Not only did we win but we took home first and second place. Ladies Lawn Night, which I was apart of, took home the first place prize. Heather, Lauren, Katie and I are ecstatic with the results because we put all of our efforts into this one project. This is the first time we have done a PR campaign, not as a class but in small groups. We nurtureed this project from the very beginning and it paid off.
We could not of done it without the help our of friends and families, whom we had to call in a few favors from. It was an incredably rewarding experience to see all our hard work pay off in the end. I can't wait to feel this rewarded again as I enter the business world.
We could not of done it without the help our of friends and families, whom we had to call in a few favors from. It was an incredably rewarding experience to see all our hard work pay off in the end. I can't wait to feel this rewarded again as I enter the business world.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
PR Portfolio...so glad that's over
As a senior Mass Communications major everyone is required to turn in a senior portfolio. This is total H.E. double hockey sticks on all of us. The portfolio consists of all of our best work we have done throughout our college career and if that work is not good enough, then we don't pass our senior exit exam. And if you don't pass that, well you can guess what happens. My senior portfolio was due this past Monday and I hope that it will be good enough.
I incorporated three major projects I have done throughout the past two and a half years into my portfolio. The first is the work I did for habitat for Humanity, the second was my senior campaign Ladies Lawn Night and the third was GCSU Sustainability Council work. All of these projects were done as either a part of a class or as a Praticum (an on campus internship). At GCSU the professors not only teach you how to write a press release, do a time line, and write a PSA but they make you put all of that stuff to use through there classrooms or practicums. We get real world experience before ever even leave our campus. This experience is something that interviewers have been the most impressed with, they always ask me questions about what I have done with these different projects and leave the usual, boring questions, at the door. I am happy that I chose to come to this school and be a Mass Communication major because I know i am getting a good education and lots of experience.
I incorporated three major projects I have done throughout the past two and a half years into my portfolio. The first is the work I did for habitat for Humanity, the second was my senior campaign Ladies Lawn Night and the third was GCSU Sustainability Council work. All of these projects were done as either a part of a class or as a Praticum (an on campus internship). At GCSU the professors not only teach you how to write a press release, do a time line, and write a PSA but they make you put all of that stuff to use through there classrooms or practicums. We get real world experience before ever even leave our campus. This experience is something that interviewers have been the most impressed with, they always ask me questions about what I have done with these different projects and leave the usual, boring questions, at the door. I am happy that I chose to come to this school and be a Mass Communication major because I know i am getting a good education and lots of experience.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
PR Day
As a college student who is currently interviewing for internships PR Day speakers offered some great advice. Dress code is key for the job you are interviewing for. Always dress professional when going to an interview, even if the place you are interviewing at is a casual work environment. It is always better to be over dressed than under (but ladies leave your stilettos at home). Research the company and job (if possible) you will be interviewing for. Try to answer all questions in a professional manner as well as portraying what you want them to remember about you.
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