29
November
2009
You may have noticed the clothing stands set up at Clemson and Carolina football games. Loose Lucy’s is a hippie-type clothing store based out of Charleston, SC, and they have recently set up shop at local football tailgates. Their newest edition: Clemson and USC colored clothing featuring knit tops, long skirts, and dresses. From orange and purple cloth to garnet and black, Loose Lucy’s has now started a collegiate clothing line specifically for Tiger and Gamecock fans! This is more than a new product however, it’s a PR strategy. Loose Lucy’s knows their customers, and they also know that the two biggest public universities in the state are a key public. After creating the new collegiate line, they promoted it by getting in the action and setting up clothing stands at Clemson and USC tailgate spots. This is great PR for the organization because they are directly interacting with the targeted public. By creating a special product for a specific stakeholder and promoting it directly to them, Loose Lucy’s has generated positive imagery and a favorable relationship with the public.
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29
November
2009
When I was thinking about what to write for my next PR presentation, I had to look no further than my very own makeup bag. I wear a loose powder by Physician’s Formula Organic Wear that is of 100% natural origin. I mainly bought the product because of the “organic” appeal, but this is a very powerful PR tool for Physician’s Formula.
This line of makeup is the first in the U.S. to be ECOCERT certified, meaning it is internationally recognized for environmentally-friendly practices in the making of this product. The Organic Wear line uses patented packaging that consists of 93% less plastic than most makeup compacts and it also uses natural goat hair for brushes. Furthermore, the makeup is of 100% natural origin meaning it is free of harsh chemicals and synthetic materials.
Physician’s Formula created a separate website specifically for this product line at organicwearmakeup.com. Here they can promote the product further and really emphasize the uniqueness of the line. The creation of this product was great PR for the brand, and now the website and recognition will maintain a positive image for Physician’s Formula makeup. The promotion of this brand is an example of good PR because it captures an audience, disseminates truthful information, and retains a positive relationship with the public and the brand.
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26
November
2009
The Nintendo Wii is getting a lot of buzz with Christmas around the corner. But it also got a lot of buzz several years ago before it’s launch. With word of mouth and targeted subjects of conversation, the Wii was on its way to a great PR campaign. On the Publictivity blog, the Nintendo Wii was voted the best PR campaign in 2006. It gave people something more to talk about than just the release of a new game system: the Wii re-invented the controller and had positive brand image. The Wii campaign also had a clear message that everyone could play this system and have fun! Many other gaming systems simply market with specific games of violence and don’t have a clear message of what they represent. The Wii launch was very successful because it portrayed a product that was affordable and fun for the whole family.
The Wii campaign was an example of good public relations because it created buzz, a positive image, and gained revenue for its product. The Wii has also established a favorable relationship with the public as an affordable, family game. As the price drops even further, and the Wii continues to emanate a positive image and new ideas, I suspect it will do quite well with PR and sales during the Holidays.
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22
November
2009
As stated in the last post, internal communications are vital to running a successful business. Employees are the backbone of the organization, therefore a healthy relationship with this public is very important. PR professionals should understand this and the significance of maintaining positive and open work environments.
There are many ways to update and inform employees, and PR professionals need to be up to date on new technologies. The Klipfolio dashboard is a program that is designed specifically for internal communication purposes. This dashboard uses interactive alerts and notifications, while also providing other pertinent information such as an employee directory and the latest news about your company. This is a great way to promote internal communications and engage employees. It channels communication modes in one place making it more accessible. The Klipfolio dashboard is different from the everyday e-mail so it gains people’s attention. You can also add other information like weather and graphs that entice employees to take notice. PR professionals should look into programs such as the Klipfolio dashboard to keep employees interested and informed so that the organization will run smoothly.
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22
November
2009
The rise of social media has brought change about internal communications in the workplace. Instead of viewing them as a distraction, companies now use social media sites to engage and involve employees. The free exchange of ideas can lead to greater productivity and increased satisfaction of the work environment.
Many businesses now use other types of technology to conduct meetings and encourage employee interaction and feedback. Starbucks for example, uses a website called the partner cafe to enhance partner relations. Here Starbucks partners can interact, share business ideas, learn more about the company and the values by which they practice. This site allows for easy collaboration and sharing of knowledge while also conforming to the standards of the company.
This is a great way of maintaining internal relations. The PR team for Starbucks realizes that employees and partners make the business what it is and are vital for sustaining a great company. In order to enhance these relations, PR professionals must create venues whereby employees and stakeholders can collaborate, share ideas and converse about the company and its practices. Internal communication is a key part of PR for any company that wishes to succeed.
Posted: Uncategorized
15
November
2009
As I was wondering what to write about for this assignment, I started to daydream about taking a vacation. Yes, its true, but at least it led me to my next topic! I had never thought about whether PR exists in the travel industry, but then again why not? So, I did a little research and found a PR firm that specializes in travel and tourism called Nancy J. Friedman Public Relations. This firm works with exotic hotels and luxorious locations to promote its appeal to the public and improve media relations. The NJF PR firm aims to get high media placement rates for locations such as St. Lucia as a destination honeymoon. Their work landed it as a top place to visit on concierge.com in 2008.
PR for the travel industry shares the same tactics and goals as with any other organization. It seeks to monitor and maintain a favorable attitude with shareholders and the public. It also should focus on media relations and publicity for the location or resort. Travel PR firms should have a plan for their clients to receive recognition but also be prepared for crisis situations and negative publicity. I think the NJF PR is an example of good public relations because they are working as liaisons between their clients and society and nurturing clients relationships with the public.
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15
November
2009
As described earlier, CSR is having the knowledge of and managing society’s expectations for your organizations impacts on shareholders and the surrounding community. CSR can be a great way to promote your organization’s achievements and relations to the community. A great example of CSR being implemented is at BMW Manufacturing Co. in Spartanburg, SC. I recently interviewed for a Corporate Communications Intern position at this premiere company and after doing a little research beforehand, I discovered many ways in which BMW takes responsibility for their actions and also enhances their relations with the community.
Something that stood out to me was the factory’s care for environmental impact. They are ISO 14001 certified, conserve 9.5 million gallons of water per year, enforce recycling in every building, and donate money from selling recycling materials to local charities. The BMW plant also uses landfill gas for energy and has an on-site protected wetlands and garden area. These things are all examples of being conscious of the company’s impact and understanding society’s expectations.
As far as PR, I cannot imagine working for a better company. This BMW plant continues to excel in all areas from manufacturing to communications, and the efforts they continue to implement are only helping to boost their reputation even more. The BMW plant is not only beneficial to shareholders, but also has a great impact on those not directly associated with it. They have contributed over $6.3 billion to the state of SC through sales and employment, demonstrating their positive usefulness.
Posted: Uncategorized
15
November
2009
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can roughly be defined as having knowledge of and managing society’s expectations of an organization’s impact on consumers, employees, the community, and the environment. As the Ogilvy PR site put it, regardless of whether people are consumers or customers of an organization, they should benefit from it’s existence. CSR is becoming an important business aspect and without PR, many organizations may not understand how to monitor their impact on the community.
CSR, if ignored, could turn into crises for organizations. Labor practices, globalization, and environmental impacts are just a few issues that society deems highly revered and expects organizations to take responsibility for their actions. Here is where a PR professional may come in handy. PR people can help monitor and prepare organizations for these types of issues in hopes of preventing them from turning into crises. The PR consultant should evaluate whether the company acts in line with its values and society’s, and identify issues that could arise. They will track the status of each issue and come up with plans of action and reaction to issues that develop. PR plays a significant role in CSR and maintaining a positive attitude towards the organization in question.
CSR can also be a great opportunity for organizations to boost their reputation and receive publicity. If an organization has recovered from an issue that developed into crisis or reacted in a favorable way, the PR professional will be able to use this towards the company’s advantage and promote its good business practice. Hopefully, if company’s are already aware of their impact and take actions to improve their impact on society, the PR professional will also be able to promote this to the community. Company’s will receive lots of recognition for good CSR such as being named a “100 Best Company to Work For”.
Posted: Uncategorized
10
November
2009
I just finished reading the 3M Post-it debacle, and it is hard to believe that an organization such as 3M would act in such a way. According to David Scott, author of the linked blog post, a blogger posted pictures of a jaguar covered in 3M Post-its which received lots of online attention. After catching on, 3M contacted the blogger to use the pictures for their back-to-school campaign, however they did not want to pay the blogger. Without consent, 3M then re-created the scene on their own and used the pictures in their campaign anyways. They definitely did not safeguard the individual’s ideas or act under ethical standards of their company. Instead of creating good PR for their organization and product, they used unethical practices and turned it into an online storm of negativity and public scrutiny.
Many recurrent themes in guidelines for ethical social media practice are transparency, honesty, responsibility, and privacy and are included on this PRSA post about social media ethics. They apply to both organizations and individuals. As the PRSA post suggests, online ethics is different than in the real world because information travels FAST, spans DISTANCES and SPACE, and reaches a WIDE AUDIENCE or SCOPE. It is important for PR professionals to realize these differences, especially as social media becomes a more popular means of communicating and promoting one’s cause. As evidenced by the 3M mishap, social media can either truly help or hurt your organization’s reputation.
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10
November
2009
Before now, I have focused all my energy and attention on journalism, broadcast media in particular. I am well rehearsed with journalistic principles and codes of ethics. Libel is another area that has been drilled into my head through print journalism courses and the law and ethics of media. After reading about the law from a public relations standpoint, I see that it may be a harder line to walk for PR professionals. PR involves both internal and external communications, whereas journalism and media are artifacts prepared for public reception. PR professionals have to be careful about libel even when communicating internally. In the book for example, one organization published information that identified an employee who was fired for sexual harassment. The employee won this case based on common law libel.
Currently, the PR world must face caution with the rise of social media and online blog posts. The Internet as we have seen, can be a powerful tool in communicating messages whether favorable or not towards an individual or organization. One Knoxville resident and former client of a Knoxville marketing firm published defamatory statements about the firm online. These posts reached large audiences, were clearly published, identified the organization, and injured the firm’s reputation. Though the Knoxville firm filed suit, this Abbott PR blog suggests that it may not always be a good idea to pursue such cases with online libel.
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