2300 Blog 2

Article- http://kdpaine.blogs.com/kdpaines_pr_m/2009/08/the-ultimate-consequences-of-measuring-the-wrong-thing.html

Katie from KDPaine’s PR Measurement Blog wrote an article called, “The ultimate consequences of measuring the wrong thing.” It discussed the current movement of organizations and their PR bussing employees to protests against health care reform and other national topics. Katie said that these actions take a blow at corporate and PR’s credibility. Shows such as the Rachel Maddow show expose the organizations and ruin the mass effect the companies were trying to create. When finding out that the random gathering of protesters turns out to be not so random they can no longer be a representation of the public’s feelings and political standings. The PR people are kidding themselves if they think this tactic works.

Katie claims the organizations are measuring the wrong thing. They believe that by having a large gathering and press coverage the Ad Value Equivalent (AVE) would be that of the purchased ad space. The issue here is good coverage v. bad coverage. As PR professionals, bad coverage is a nightmare but that is exactly what these companies are creating for themselves in the long run. They try to manipulate the nation’s opinions in the dark. When the light is turned on the company loses credit. It would be better to run an ad that promotes unassociated citizens to take a stand themselves. These organizations are getting themselves in way over their heads.

-Melanie Fenn

2300 Blog 1

A PRWeek article titled, “More findings from Forrester Research,” discussed its new findings about mobile outreach. These are the findings:

· Of young single adults and couples 87% are online and 55% access the internet from their phones.

· The average American spends 8hrs a week on the Internet while young adults spend 10.

· 76% of young families own a game console, 72% of older families

The study was supported by Ruder Finn Innovations Studios who said the reason for the research was to look at the intent of online usage.

This is a perfect example of a PR related study. Organizations already know that people are online. They are not trying to promote being online. The valuable information is where people are going online. Who are they talking to? What do they search? Where do they spend their majority of time online? This information can then be used to promote a product, service or idea. The internet is overwhelmed with ads and promotions. That is because it is a quick and effective way to reach a mass audience. The hard part is making the information appealing is some way so it isn’t looked over or closed out of. By knowing what interests the majority of people online, or a specific demographic, the promotions can be tweaked in order to appeal to the audience. This explains why the study was about intent instead of amount of online usage.

Article-

http://thecycle.prweekblogs.com/

-Melanie Fenn

Final Press Release One: Announcement

Press Release One: Announcement

SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2009
Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV)
851 N. Main St., Logan UT 84321
661-772-7537

SOCIAL MEDIA CLUB OPENS IN CACHE VALLEY
Club welcomes members who are interested in social networking.

Logan, Utah- Social Media Club of Cache Valley is an organization for anyone interested in social media. The president is Preston Parker who formed the group with two other members after going to a Social Media Club meeting in Salt Lake City. SMCCV includes six board members and 26 total members. They meet the second Thursday of every month and discuss aspects of social media.

The purpose of SMCCV is to educate people about social media, its use, discuss social media issues and create a group of like minded individuals to support each other. Parker said, “Utilizing social networking can create job opportunities, adds to society, gets a person or organization known, and allows people to benefit from each other's expertise.” The popularity of social media continues to sky rocket. As of August 2009 social media networks replaced pornography as the number one online activity.

The next meeting is September 10th at 6:30p.m. at Club New York. The guest speaker will be Loralee Choate. Choate is a nationally recognized blogger. Her blog lead to a meeting with White House adviser Valerie Jarrett to discuss health care. Choate also recently made a guest appearance on the local KVNU talk show, “For the People.” Other club meetings include topics such as how to use twitter and how to manage an online reputation. The public is welcome at the free meetings.

SMCCV welcomes donations. All donations are tax deductible.

SMCCV was formed in June of 2009. It is a chapter of the national Social Media Club formed in 2006. The local chapter’s website is http://www.smccv.net.

Media Contact: Melanie Fenn
Fenn.melanie@gmail.com

-END-

Draft Press Release 1:Announcement

Press Release 1: Announcement
SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2009
Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV)
851 N. Main St., Logan UT 84321
661-772-7537
SOCIAL MEDIA CLUB OPENS IN CACHE VALLEY
Club welcomes members who are interested in social networking.
Social Media Club of Cache Valley is an organization for those who love social media. The president is Preston Parker who formed the group with two other members after going to a Social Media Club meeting in Salt Lake City. There are now six board members and 26 total members. They get together every other Thursday and discuss aspects of social media.
The purpose of SMCCV is to educate people about social media in use and create a group of like minded individuals to support each other and discuss social media issues.
The next meeting is September 10th at 6:30p.m. at Club New York. The guest speaker will be Loralee Choate who was recently heard on the local talk show, “For the People.”
SMCCV was formed in June of 2009.
Media Contact: Melanie Fenn
Fenn.melanie@gmail.com

2310- United Breaks Guitars

In today’s social media anyone can have a voice as long as it is packaged in an appealing manner such as a catchy tune or funny pictures. Many times only the publisher’s family or friends pay attention but sometimes a video can become viral and reach people around the world. These videos can actually make a difference or change. “United Breaks Guitars,” is a viral YouTube video that made a change.

Dave Carroll is a member of a Canadian music group called Sons of Maxwell. While traveling in the United States on United Airlines they personally witnessed their guitars being thrown by United baggage men outside the aircraft. Carroll later discovered that his guitar had been badly damaged. After nine months of trying to speak to customer service to be compensated for his losses Carroll was told that he would not be helped. As a musician Carroll found another means and decided to write three songs and post videos of them on YouTube. The first was a funny clip called, “United Breaks Guitars.” Within a few days the clip became viral and millions viewed it. This caused United’s stocks to drop and bad publicity for the airline. The next video Carroll released focused on Mrs. Irweg, an United employee. As a result United donated $3,000 to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at Carroll’s request.

This is an example of how social media can be used in a good way. Where other methods of communication fail an opinion can still be heard. As a result United became aware of some of their public relations problems as well as some employee discrepancies. I would not have wanted to be one of United’s public relations personnel during this time. With the internet companies no longer have to watch what is said about them in mass media but also on networks like Facebook and YouTube. These can be even more detrimental because these writers do not have to be held factually accountable. Public relations have to monitor continuously so they can stop lies and fix true problems before they become world wide as these videos did. For people like Carroll social media can be a great pedestal to share truth but for others it is a place where lies can be spread. As long as it is appealing people will watch and listen.

Carroll’s videos were very appealing. The music was upbeat and quite good. He had his band behind him in sombrero’s and wearing mustaches. Baggage men not only threw guitars but also bashed them with hammers. The words were well written and comical. Carroll knew how to appeal to a younger audience, the kind of audience who would pass the video on to their friends. It is important to know how to manipulate material as Carroll did if it is to spread and make a difference.

This video proves how important it is to know the workings of social networks and media for every organization. It can be used to quickly dissolve information and has a powerful impact. Way to go Carroll!

-Melanie Fenn

2310 - Letter to Cousin

Dear Cousin,

I am writing in response to your questions about what public relations is and what public relations professionals write about. The Princeton Review said, “A public relations specialist is an image shaper. Their job is to generate positive publicity for their client and enhance their reputation.” (http://www.princetonreview.com/careers.aspx?cid=171) Being and “image shaper” public relations professionals work closely with media outlets and advertising or marketing to get information to publics. Professionals also gather information from their publics in order to give feedback to their clients and create partnerships. These publics can be employees of the client’s company, customers, the community, groups of interest and the general public.

Public relations professionals can work in many different institutions. Public Relations Society of America said, “Public relations serves a wide variety of institutions in society such as businesses, trade unions, government agencies, voluntary associates, foundations, hospitals, schools, colleges and religious institutions.” (http://www.prsa.org/aboutUs/officialStatement.html) Professionals can choose an institution that caters to their interests or can work at a public relations firm where companies hire the firm for specific events or needs.

The style of writing for public relations is like that of other journalists, short, informative and to the point. Writing for public relations also includes reports, brochures, audits, press releases, newsletters, editorials, announcements and speeches. Each has a specific format that helps the audience understand the message. Writing is an important skill in order to practice public relations. It and other forms of successful communication create a successful public relations practitioner.

In conclusion the PRSA has adopted the following definition of public relations, “Public relations helps an organization and it public adapt mutually to each other.” (http://www.prsa.org) If you have any more questions or concerns feel free to contact me.

-Melanie Fenn

Hello to a New School Year

This blog will be used for my Into to Public Relations and Writing for Public Relations classes this semester. I'm excited to start my senior year of college and hopefully post new and exciting posts.
-Melanie