The PR Niche in Celiac Disease

Over the past few years the gluten free diet has trended more and more. Additionally, the awareness and diagnosis of Celiac Disease has skyrocketed to 1 in every 133 people. With this drastic change in Americans’ eating habits, food manufacturers and restaurants are offering more gluten-free alternatives.

As a Celiac Disease patient myself, I know that people are willing to spend the extra money for gluten-free products to fulfill their taste desires. These products are in such high demand because the media is encouraging the gluten free movement more and more. Since the movement has become so popular, public relations specialists who work with these food manufacturers have strategized and taken advantage of every opportunity to push and sell these products. PR specialists push them not only for Celiac patients, but also for persuading people that weight-loss and overall improved health are benefits from a gluten free diet.  Now, grocery stores have an entire aisle designated to gluten-free products as well as “gf” labels on other gluten free products throughout the store. Name brand manufacturers such as Betty Crocker and General Mills are offering gluten free products. Restaurants have gluten free menus and bakeries have opened solely for gluten free baked goods. Because of all the PR efforts to promote gluten-free diets, people who don’t even have Celiac Disease are choosing to follow a gluten-free diet because of the talking trends in the media. PR specialists have succeeded in spreading the awareness and pushing the benefits of a gluten-free lifestyle because enough people support the concept and are willing to invest in it.

The rise in demand for these products is putting PR specialists at a great advantage to promote new gluten free products. However, the gluten free market is becoming very competitive since there are now multiple gluten-free manufacturers pushing similar products. Yes, people will discover which products they prefer after testing a few themselves, but the key to grabbing their attention in the first place is gaining their trust. Thanks to PR specialists, the credibility and publicity of certain gluten-free manufacturers such as Glutino and Amy’s Kitchen have progressed as profitable companies with satisfied, loyal customers. The increase in popularity for gluten-free products is just one example of how PR specialists find a niche in a certain product or client, and use that niche to make the company’s goals a reality. Have you seen more gluten free alternatives and advertisements over the past few months? Let us know who you think is promoting those gluten free campaigns! 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Madeline Barry.

Credit Well Deserved for Interns

An interesting article written this past week in the New York Times caught my interest, as it greatly correlated with Temple, The article “Giving Credit, but Is It Due?” by Kevin Carey highlights the prominent issues that colleges are having with granting academic credit to students fortunate enough to be offered internships. However, the deans of colleges should be aware that this could make or break some students’ careers. Carey writes “the best way to learn history involves reading books and attending history classes led by historians. The best way to learn business often involves working in a business.”

As we all know, the PR field requires a heavy amount of hands-on experience in order to progress and gain credibility. Applying for jobs is not the same as when our parents applied, and internship experience is now a requirement in order to be considered for a quality job. Since the majority of internships are unpaid, more and more companies are insisting that their interns receive educational credit for legal liability purposes. That way the companies are providing some sort of compensation for their hard work. However, many colleges, including Ivy League schools, don’t even offer internship credit to their undergraduate students. This deprives students the opportunity to gain useful experience in their field and sets them below the standards to gain quality jobs post grad. 

As of now, Temple allows its students to gain three credits for completing a semester long internship. But is that enough? The hunt for internships can begin as early as sophomore year, and some students may accumulate up to three or four internships prior to graduation. It seems more sensible to allocate six to twelve credits towards the hours of hard work. This is a recurring issue now, and as more companies require credit, the issue will only continue to escalate until a more suitable alternative is provided. Any internship that helps us channel what we’ve learned in class into a professional environment is valuable, and no one should ever be deprived of that kind of experience. It’s important for students to have the chance to take advantage of every opportunity that may set them apart from the competition. Colleges and universities can contribute to making job searches less stressful by encouraging their students to be known and heard through as many internships as possible!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Madeline Barry

The Public Relations World of a Capella

A few of the many perks of joining a Temple student organization are that they are great resume boosters, they expose you to people who share similar interests as you, and they allow you to continue learning about something you love without required course credit. Temple’s a Capella groups do just that for both music majors and non-music majors. With four registered a Capella groups at Temple: Singchronize, Broad Street Line, Owlcapella, and Low Key, each group brings unique sounds and fun songs to the stage. These groups are filled with musicians who are passionate about their talent so much that they are willing to commit hours every week to rehearsing and performing. 

Though the musical aspects of a Capella are what really keep people a part of them, public relations is also vital to the groups’ credibility and audience capacity. So, each group collaborated to come up with a great PR tool that everyone can benefit from. This past semester, the a Capella family coordinated an event called Serenade at the Circle. It takes place around 10pm on the last Thursday of every month on campus. Each group performs two to three songs to display their musical abilities as well as to give the other a Capella groups a sense of what everyone has been working on. Not only has this built a stronger support system within the a Capella family, but it also draws in audience members from those passing through campus on a Thursday night. The turnout at this monthly event has gotten progressively larger, and is a great way for the groups to advertise upcoming performances. 

In addition to this fun event, each group is also responsible for promoting themselves as much as possible throughout the semester. This upcoming weekend, Singchronize and Broad Street Line will have their annual winter concerts Both groups have made Facebook events for the concerts, created flyers to post around Temple’s campus, and have passed on the event info to friends and family from home. The groups are expecting a great turnout and anticipate putting on a high quality, fun show for everyone to enjoy.

Public relations is a part of almost anything you get involved with at Temple as well as a future job. These a Capella groups have done their part to use public relations to their highest advantage. 

Are the organizations you are apart of using public relations effectively? Let us know how!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Madeline Barry.

PR Tools That Contributed to Restaurant Week

TD Bank hosted its biannual restaurant week in Philadelphia. For a limited time, participating restaurants in the Center City District of Philadelphia offered delectable, three-course dinners for just $35 per person. Some additionally offered three-course lunches for just $20 per person. With over 100 restaurants to choose from, everyone was bound to consume a tasty spread.

Many restaurants took advantage of the public relations aspect of restaurant week to promote their unique restaurant and bring in more customers. In this day and age in the business world, certain public relations tools are required to keep businesses successful. Restaurant Week primarily relied on the following PR tools:

• Social Media Outreach
• Websites such as Open Table as well as online news reports on restaurant week are what prospective customers look to when choosing a place to dine at. It’s crucial for restaurants to keep their website and social media networks up to date and appealing to the eye, specifically with pictures.
• Special Events
• Events like restaurant week help restaurants gain credibility. Credibility is essential for restaurants- especially in a city, since their competition could be right next door. As this event attracts more customers, it can lead to more positive reviews and references for that restaurant. 
• Sponsorships
• When successful establishments sponsor other businesses, it increases the awareness of that business immensely. In this case, TD banks sponsors restaurant week, thus making this event so much more popular and credible over the past few years.

Hosting special events like this helps businesses remain relevant and successful. Without PR, these restaurants would have struggled to promote themselves and make their establishments stand out. Luckily, there are endless aspiring PR workers, just like us, who can keep businesses on track and hopefully help them earn more revenue. 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Madeline Barry.