The Blackest of Friday's

I absolutely love this time of the year. Everyone in college is coming home for the holidays, home cooked food is appreciated more than ever, and everyone is more than happy for the end of the fall semester of school. Another moment that adds to the holiday cheer is marked down on every shopper’s calendar and that special event is Black Friday.

Every year, my dad receives around fifty circulars about all the sales and deals around the area where people get up at 4am to be the first ones in the door for the latest game systems or movies. The circulars never stayed on my kitchen table for that long because in all of my twenty years, I had never been out on Black Friday. This year I went full circle with Black Friday. I shopped and worked on this monumental day.

I volunteered to work at my job the Apple Store on Black Friday. I felt it was the least I could do since my managers needed the extra help. I lucked out and only had to close the store from five o’clock to ten at night, but still in Atlantic City, the shopping never ceased until the late hours of the night. Every iPod color of the rainbow (literally) were being sold throughout the store and all the visual displays had been changed to match the holiday cheer.

The experience of working Black Friday was nothing like getting up to shop. My friend Nicole goes out every single year and I decided that since I was going out, I might as well go with an expert.

I woke up at 3:45 a.m. and was out the door by 4:15 a.m. Of course we stopped by a WaWa, bought coffee, and headed down to our local Target by 5 a.m. The wait to get in the store wasn't bad at all. I enjoyed listening to the hot items people wanted to hurry and buy (The Wii Fit and Guitar Hero World Tour was the top of people’s lists). As the doors opened I became lost into the electronics section and consumed in movies priced for five dollars. Six hours later I finally returned home with a movie, a new digital camera, and new clothes for the holidays.

It was quite the learning experience working and shopping on Black Friday and I’m glad that it only happens once a year. I would never make waking up at 3:45am a habit.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations firm staff member, Jade Barnes.

Don't eat too much!

Everyone at PRowl Public Relations would like to say...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Eat, laugh and enjoy!

Guerilla Marketing

Fellow board member, Jessica Lawlor, sent an e-mail out to PRowl Public Relations' board of directors yesterday, with a link to this article.

Burger King is having people "drop their wallets" around in some major U.S. cities. In the wallet, it advises the good Samaritan to keep the wallet, and hopefully it will make them go to a Burger King in the area. Reports are also saying that some of the wallets have actual cash in them ($1 - $100) and Burger King gift cards.

Check the article out, it's pretty neat!

Happy holidays!

It's That Time of the Semester .. Again!

The end of a semester always brings lots of stressful things. Finals, papers, projects, the list goes on and on! Along with all of that good stuff, the end of a semester means client evaluations for PRowl Public Relations. There is some good news though - they don't have to be that bad! Here are a few of my tips to get through evaluations quickly and painlessly.

• I like to ask myself one simple question: What did we do, and how much? This means thinking of all the things that the account I'm with has done, and how much of we did. For example: What did we do? Handed out fliers in LOVE Park. How many did we hand out? We handed out 300.
• This question is so important because everything in an evaluation needs to be quantified. It's best to keep track of things like this during the semester, because then you won't have to scramble for numbers later on!
• Include any clips from the campaign, as well as links to the information that is posted online.
• Really think of things that can be done in the future and include them. Do you want to stay with this certain client? Give them a reason to want you back!

These are just some of the tips I've picked up over my time in PRowl. Hope they help!

Event Planning Tips for the Holiday Season

Event planning is a large and exciting part of public relations, especially around the holidays. Planning events with “seasonality” is important to PR professionals and their clients. If a company wants to have a holiday special, or Christmas Gala to raise money for children in shelters, seasonality is important for events.

During the holidays, many people will be planning and hosting holiday dinners and parties of their own, turning into PR professionals for their event. Here are some great PR tips for planning your very own holiday event this season.

Pay attention to competition. Do you have other friends or neighbors that are throwing a holiday event on the same day you are? Would your guests have to choose between which party to go to? Look into this simple detail to avoid having half your guests attending some else’s party and putting guests in an awkward position. Find a date that would cater to your guest list’s availability.

R.S.V.P. Make sure your invitations have an R.S.V.P. on them. Knowing how many people will be in attendance ahead of time will allow for a smoother party, with plenty food and space for everyone.

Creativity. Why not have a theme party? Being creative with the event in terms of theme, décor, food and entertainment can make all of the difference. You want people to remember your party as a great time and a party incomparable to others. Try having a Mr. and Mrs. Claus themed party or having a cranberry sauce sculpture of Santa Claus. Have enough creative entertainment to keep your guests well entertained. Having a small scavenger hunt for a prize can create great memories. Be creative, yet classy, and don’t do anything disrespectful towards your guests' religions.

Venue. Location, location, location. Where are you holding you event? In your home or in a hall of some sort? Make sure wherever you are having your party, the venue is appropriate for the type of party you are having. If you anticipate 30 guests, don’t have your party in a large venue because it will seem empty, this would be better as an at-home event. Is the venue decorated to give off the ambiance you are trying to achieve? If you are having a ‘Winter Wonderland’ theme, then make sure the venue appears to be white with snow and has a classic look.

These are just a few characteristics that I will be looking for when attending events and parties this season. I am looking for a Thanksgiving feast, and a Christmas party with unforgettable memories and holiday cheer! Pay attention to these elements and you’re on your way to a having a great holiday party.

So, what is the fate of your party, holiday joy or a holiday destroyed?

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations firm staff member, Olivia Ragni.

How To Start Your Own PR Firm

For most PR practitioners, starting a firm is usually in the back of your mind as an ultimate, long-term goal. If this is one of your goals, then you’re in luck! Starting a firm costs much less than starting any other business because you’re charging for your services and you can work from home. After speaking with a professor who has successfully started his own firm almost a year ago I gained even more insight into the process.

The hours that you will put in to begin your firm will certainly be long at first, upwards of fifty hours a week, and you will probably be the sole employee working on projects in order to keep costs down. However, you will start a firm because PR is something that you love, and working towards building your own business will make the hours completely worth it!

To begin you must develop a business plan and find clients. A lot of research must be done to develop your business plan correctly. To be sure that you don’t miss a step it may be wise to employ the knowledge of entrepreneurial programs at local business schools to help you iron out the details of your plan. Our guest speaker at a Temple PRSSA meeting who began a very successful firm in Philadelphia some twenty years ago employed the help of the Wharton business school when developing her plan.

Finding clients may be a little harder than developing your business plan, however. My professor scouted for clients through networking as well as doing ‘drop-ins’. If he felt a certain person or business could benefit from his services he would make himself known to them and leave all of his contact information with them. This process for him resulted in two lasting clients. If you’re leaving a firm to work for yourself, however, be sure not to contract any clients who may not be free to work with you because of legal agreements with your previous employer. The quickest way to ruin your chance at starting your own firm is to show that you’re not ethical!

The best thing about starting a firm is the opportunity to work from home if you wish. You will only have a few bare necessities to begin working. Access to the internet, a reliable computer and printer, phone line and fax line are the essentials, as well as a subscription to a website where you can access media information, like Cision Media Database. Investing in a letterhead, business cards and a website are also very helpful in marketing your new firm with a professional edge.

It is important to have a decent working knowledge of the internet, search engines, and various upcoming social media sights like blogs, Linked-In, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. If they aren’t already, these will soon be important parts of both public relations and marketing campaigns, and cannot be overlooked by small firms as a quick and easy way to reach countless numbers of people.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations firm staff member, Brianna Fisher.

Blogging Live!

Speaking of celebrating the holidays, I'm blogging live from PRowl Public Relations' Thanksgiving dinner party!

We are having a pot-luck dinner, where the members each brought a dish to my house to celebrate!

Thanks to all the members of PRowl Public Relations who make the firm possible!