Job Hunting

At GCSU, all graduating Seniors take a Senior Seminar class to make the last of our preperations before we dive into the real world of business and working. As an assignment, we wrote a paper on jobs that were currently available in the market that interested us and researched how much we would be paid if we worked them. I was extremely interested by several of my findings.

Several of the jobs were at companies like Newell Rubbermaid, Kaiser Permanente and 4entertainmentjobs.com. The position titles included "Marketing Communications Leader," "Public Relations associates," and "Public Relations Manager." All three of the aforementioned were entry level jobs, but still sounded like they had alot to offer in terms of actually putting my Public Relations experience to use.

I also found an opening at Jezebel Magazine. Jezebel Magazine works closely with the Entertainment scene in Atlanta and that is the type of Public Relations job I would eventually like to find.

In the end, it is hard to believe in just a few short months, I will be heading out into the real world to work. I guess it's time to start making preperations now! And I guess that's what Senior Seminar is for, too.

PR In Action

To capture PR In Action, I showed one of my classmates and fellow MSCM majors Lauren Gilbert doing PR related to the school radio station, WGUR, that she works for.

A lot of times when people think or PR they think Events, Events, Events, but they don't think about EVERYTHING that goes into them. I've learned more and more about it since I started the major and there's so much more to it than anyone realizes.

Basically, any event is heavily PR as is the planning process, but one of the other most important parts is communication with the public to get them there to make the event a success. That is what I captured in my video. A small part of PR, but a major part nonetheless.

Where will I end up in PR? Lindsay Lohan's Agent, perhaps? (Case Study)

"Friday night, it's getting late, your friends are buggin' because they want to be out doing something before the night is over. Who do they turn to?? YOU!! You've always got a plan, always got people to call, always got places to go. Heck, Bud Light should make a Real Man of Genius commercial about you... Mr. After Hours Event Coordinator."

Today, I had an interesting conversation with my Public Relations teacher where we discussed what type of PR jobs would be a good fit for me in the future. She told me that she thinks the best fit for me would be something that changes every day. I think that this is true. I enjoy change and new experiences and think that I would thrive in a job that is fast paced.

One thing I know about myself is that I am always taking care of people. With my group of friends, I am the coordinator. This is not out of the ordinary for someone like me studying Public Relations but I always set everything up, keep people posted, and organize whatever we are doing. That is why when I saw the T-shirt shown above, I had to buy it – it is so me!

This very PR-esque trait about me, however, combined with my love for all things Entertainment is the reason I think I would be great in Entertainment PR. With the media’s huge involvement in the daily life of celebrities these days, it seems that many of them have their Publicists on speed dial. They stay in close contact with them and the Publicist helps them in many aspects of their life – they set everything up, keep everyone posted, and organize things just like I do with my friends.

Following up on an idea I had for a blog for this semester, I wanted to post a small case study of something going on in the news lately and imagine myself as the PR practitioner in that situation. Anyone who reads Entertainment news, blogs, etc. knows that there is A LOT going on Lindsay Lohan’s life recently. She seems in and out of a tumultuous relationship, there are rumors of drug and substance abuse, and her family is severely under the scrutiny of the media. Here’s what I would do if I were her publicist:

1. If Lindsay is abusing drugs and/or alcohol, that is the first thing that needs to be stopped. I would recommend leaving LA and going to rehab to start preparing to get her life under control.

2. Lindsay’s next step would be distancing herself from her Ex and any other bad influences in her life. She needs to start out fresh.

3. After rehab if needed and cutting out the bad to start over fresh, I believe Lindsay should hire a financial planner to get her finances under control and address any current business contracts she has to assess her obligations.

4. Improvement is a long process, but once Lindsay is feeling better and starting to return to more to herself, I believe she needs to come clean to the public. They will not stop speculating until they really know what is going on. Whether a magazine interview, a TV interview, or a press conference, she needs to get herself on the same page as the public and let them know she is back.

5. When she is truly ready to work again, I believe she needs to finish recording the album she is contracted to do for her record label and do a movie that she is passionate about. At this point, she does not need to focus on the money. She needs to ease herself back into her career doing something she loves to get adjusted again. If she is ready and able to do something she is passionate about, the passion may come through and the public may begin to see her as they used to.

I definitely thing being a celebrity PR agent would be a good fit for me. It is fun just thinking about what it would be like and I know I would love it. And if Lindsay Lohan needs my assistance, I am available this June!

1,2,3: Things I learned from the Athletics Auction

In my last post on this blog, I discussed the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the Athletics Auction in a SWOT Analysis. The Auction was such a huge part of this semester and my college career for that matter, however, that I felt it deserved more than I covered in the last post.
My PR Teacher discussed with our class today how the Auction was one of the best experiences we could have possibly had to learn what PR is like in a real life scenario or event like this one. I had been thinking about that a lot since the auction. As the biggest event I have done at this point in my college career, I feel like I have come a long way in my experiences since the auction. Therefore, I wanted to do a post of a few of the things I learned:

1. Plan ahead
From the point that you know about an event that is happening, it is never too early to start planning and getting things done. Being a PR professional almost makes you like an artist and an event can be like a piece of their art. Creativity will give an event its edge and the more time you have to be creative, the ideas will keep growing and growing until they are the best they can be.

2. Know when you can’t plan ahead
In PR, it is generally good to plan ahead, but it is also good to know when things are out of your control. By nature, PR (especially in event planning) becomes chaotic at times. Do all that you can do at the beginning, but when it comes down to crunch time, just know that you did what you could and take everything else that gets thrown at you in stride.

3. Keep a good attitude/Think positive
In times of great tension, people sometimes let stress get the best of them. Not only in PR but also in everyday life, keep everything in perspective. All you can do is try your best. Everything always works out as long as you keep focused and keeping a good attitude is, without a doubt, the BEST way to do that.

I never want to hear the word "easel" again ; )

Well, the auction is over! As usual, it was a great experience and I learned A LOT (More to come on that later). Also as usual in the world of PR, I learned both through both successes and mistakes. To say positive and negative, I believe, is too strongly worded because the auction went very smooth. But there are always improvements that could be made. I will discuss both our successes and shortcomings through a SWOT analysis.
Strengths
In terms of strengths, there were many. We had a great theme thanks to the winning pitch team that came off better than I could have ever expected. We really do have a lot of talent in our class. We also had many creative and great ideas that gave the auction the wow factor. I saw it come together over months and still felt shocked by the greatness of the end result. A final strength that I feel made the auction what it was is hard work. Speaking for myself, I put everything I had into the auction. I know that everyone else did too. It was time consuming and stressful and very hard work, but in the end, we did it and it was so worth it.
Weaknesses
In terms of weaknesses, I truly don’t feel there were many. It would have been nice to not have been pressed and working until the very last minute in a stressful environment. Realistically, however, it was our first time planning an event to this capacity and nothing will ever go perfect. That is what I’m realizing Public Relations is really about. Taking what is thrown at you in stride, dealing with it accordingly, and learning to do it better each time.
Opportunities
There were several opportunities in this instance. The main goal of the auction was to raise money for athletics and we did it. I believe we raised under $30,000 which is a lot of money. In terms of the class, we also had the opportunity to gain great experience and learn new things. I know I definitely did.
Threats
As previously stated, the goal of this event was to raise money. We did, and we raised a lot, but the money raised was down from last year. Obviously, our biggest threat was the economy. People are not spending money the way they used to and have to conserve during this time of economic crisis. Another threat could have simply been the fact that it was Masters Weekend. What can you do?
In the end, I believe the strengths of the auction definitely outweighed the weaknesses and we more capitalized on the opportunity than were taken down by the threats. In the end, I will say what I seem to say every time I do something for this class – What an experience!

FCA Sunday Game Evaluation

1. What was your event? Describe it, all elements, name your contacts, and describe how you planned the day to work out.

In the weeks leading up to Sunday, January 31st, I planned an event called FCA Sunday for GCSU's Bobcat Athletics. The plan was to have an event for members of FCA all around Middle Georgia including groups at GCSU, Georgia Military College, Baldwin County Public Schools, and more. A similar event had taken place last year and this year's event was decided to be modeled after that one.
Initially, food, drinks, and halftime games were planned on FCA’s end but they were cancelled due to the quick turnaround of the game from the time contact started. Still, FCA members were invited and recognized with a talk at halftime of the Men’s basketball game. Additionally, it was decided that not only FCA members but anyone who came with a church program would get into the game for free.
My main contacts were Scott Adams, Regional Director of FCA for Middle Georgia, and Kara Teresi, the student coordinator of FCA at GCSU. With them, I worked to plan the event they wanted. Though there were problems resulting from the quick turnaround that caused some last minute changes, the event still went off and FCA was welcome and recognized.

2. Was it a success? How do you know that? What forms of measurement did you use to assess your success?

I feel, overall, that FCA Sunday was a great success. Though it took a different form than the event of the year before, the main purpose was achieved - to host and recognize FCA groups from around Middle Georgia at a Bobcat Basketball game.

Another form of measurement I used to assess my success was simply that of numbers. The event was heavily crowded, especially for a Sunday Basketball game at GCSU.

With that, our main purpose was achieved and a huge crowd was present to enjoy a Sunday basketball game. That is why I believe the game was a success.

3. What was the best takeaway learning moment you got from your event?

It would be hard to select one specific moment from the planning process of FCA Sunday as I learned so much about PR and planning from the entire process. One moment where I felt like I learned an especially valuable lesson, however, was on the night before the game. As I was preparing and getting ready for the next day, I learned of not one but several things I wasn’t aware that I needed to have ready. Communication is key in Public Relations, and I learned this while I was down to the wire in a big way. Additionally, in relation to something Dr. Carter Miller tells me all the time, Details! Details! Details! There will always be issues in Public Relations. It is part of the game. If you try your hardest to keep open communication and combine that with extra attention paid to even the tiniest detail, however, hopefully a lot of these problems can be avoided.

4. What is the one thing you wish you could do over?

One thing that I felt was an issue in the planning of my event was communication. When working with clients, communication issues will often arise. In my opinion, I at times felt that the client didn’t truly understand who they were working with simply because I was a student. This, however, is all the more reason to focus on communication and work these situations out.

5. If you had to grade your event, what grade would you give it?

I would definitely give my grade an A. Planning an event as big as this on your own for the first time is quit a task and I felt I pulled it off great with what I was given to work with. It was a great learning experience especially because not ever aspect went perfectly, but in the end, it all worked out. I feel like that is how PR goes and I learned that from the experience. In the end, Bobcat Athletics wanted to recognize FCA and in return bring a large crowd to their game. I myself achieved both of those things and for that, I feel I deserve an A.

6. What's your one best idea to keep "Mean in Green" ALIVE?

Mean in Green was built from a PR perspective and ironically, I feel I can apply two PR principles to keeping it alive. First, Communication! Everyone needs to be on the same page about using Mean in Green. It needs to be promoted as much as possible and everyone needs to help. Second, details! To keep Mean in Green going as successfully as it is in the way it is, it needs to be paid attention to. It is a complex machine but still needs maintenance. I hope it maintains!

The Tipping Point: In Summary and My Life

The Tipping Point, the first of several successful business sociological books by British author Malcolm Gladwell, covers the interesting and complex titular idea of Tipping Points in “idea, trend, and social behavior.” In a nutshell, the author describes this idea of a tipping point to be “the moment of critical, mass, the threshold, the boiling point” in which an epidemic takes on or “tips”. In the book, where trends are compared to viruses and whose subtitle reiterates the fact that “little things can make a big difference,” three rules of this epidemic are outlined – The Law of the Few, The Stickness Factor, and The Power of Context. Gladwell’s ideas are by no means basic. At times they were hard for me to wrap my head around. Once understood, however, this complex idea becomes simple. Backed by a group of relevant and real life examples, the Tipping Point is easy to see and makes sense. Opening with stories about the rise of popularity of Hush Puppies shoes in the 90s and decrease in crime in a particular area of New York, we embark on a journey that travels from the colonial days all the way to present day.

As stated above, in order for a trend to take on or boil over, three concepts must be present - The Law of the Few, The Stickness Factor, and The Power of Context. In the Law of the Few, Gladwell states that "the success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts."

Connecting with the 80/20 rule in economics where 20% of people are said to do 80% of the work in any occurrence, The Law of the Few is about innovators. Divided into three categories (connectors, mavens and salesmen), Gladwell discusses how a few people can start a trend. Drawing upon examples of historical figure Paul Revere and psychologist Milgram, connectors are described as energetic and sociable. A connector knows a lot of people and, above all, would know how to network. A maven, on the other hand, serves more of an internal function. Their purpose in innovation relates to their knowledge or skill and, more importantly, their ability to pass that along to others. A maven is knowledgeable and intellectual and, like a teacher, knows how to move their knowledge further to others like a teacher would to a student. Where they start a trend, a connector who catches wind will connect it to others. Finally, salesmen are explained through examples involving financial planner Tom Gau and news anchors coverage of the 1984 presidential election. The heart of a salesman can sell something. They can convince and persuade. With a maven to start a trend, salesmen to really sell it and a connector with a list of people to sell it to, the recipe for a successful trend is complete.

The Stickness Factor, described alongside an example of the success of children’s television shows such as Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues, really is about the stickness of an idea. In order for a trend to tip, it must have some sort of charisma or charm that is unique and different enough to make it stick long enough to tip. Shows like Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues show this through their success. While other children’s programming of its time may have been considered to be mindless or serve no purpose besides 30 minutes to an hour and play time, these shows were different. They were educational, and more importantly, they still engaged the children. Parents were happy, children were happy, and they tipped.

Finally, the Power of Context is outlined in two parts. Drawing upon another example of a decrease in crimes in New York, context of a trend is showed to be very important. Similarly to how a student distracted by television or a nearby party may have trouble studying or a group of people surrounded by negative energy may struggle to find motivation, New York was having trouble fixing their problems with crime. Citywide efforts to change things considered to be “crime inviting” were made – Broken windows were repaired and graffiti was cleaned. Sure enough, crime began to drop. The Power of Context is all about putting a trend in the best possible circumstances to prosper.

When broken down, The Power of Context is about the environment of a trend, The Stickness Factor is about the trend itself, and The Law of the Few is about the people who take that trend and put it out to the world. The Tipping Point, however, is so much broader than just about trends. The Tipping Point can really be used in any aspect of like or anything you are putting out to the world. As a PR professional, a job I encounter or anything I want to do could take the role of a trend I want to take on. If I am trying to get a job, I am the trend I want my employer to take on. If I am trying to publicize a client, the client is the trend I want to take on in the best light possible. So as a trendsetter, who am I?

There is no rule in The Tipping Point that says someone can only serve one role. If someone excels at something, however, they may serve one role best. I would have to say that I show the least traits of a Maven. If you ask me about what is going on in the Entertainment World, when the new 2010 Range Rover is hitting the streets, or where to get the newest True Religion jeans, I am your guy. I can help people as well, but credit must be given where credit is due and I can’t take all around knowledge as my strong suit. One thing I do know is that I know a lot of people from all different walks of life. This makes me a connector. Furthermore, however, I also would consider myself to be a good Salesman. I am often told I have a good energy about myself and can convince others to get what I want. I consider myself to be skilled in both of these areas. If I had to pick one to classify myself as, however, I would call myself a Salesman. I hope this helps me in Law School.

With all of this information in tow, a real life example I can apply to my own life right now is the Bobcat Athletics Auction I am planning with my Public Relations class. The Auction is being planned for a client. The client wants to please the guests that can attend. So, how do we make this tip for them? In terms of connecting, we must connect with our audience and get them to attend. Through the unique theme we selected along with our presentation, we must sell the idea to the guests. Once the event comes around, we will then have an audience to cater to. In terms of the Stickness Factor, we need to innovate. We need the Auction to be new and different from previous years and to stick with the guests. We want them to have a good time. Finally, we need the Context of a successful event. From the time they arrive to the décor inside, the guests need to be happy. The theme is A Night with the Stars. We want them to feel as if they have left Milledgeville and entered Hollywood. The theme is set. The environment needs to be magical. The food and drinks need to be delicious. The music and energy need to captivate the audience. And they need a few good mementos to take with them to remember how great the event was. With that, the 2010 Bobcat Athletics Auction should be a great success.