Goodbye From Me, Also!

Not only is this week Jessica's last week posting for PRowl Public Relations, it is also my last week. Hopefully you'll be hearing from me again in the future!

I've had a great time being in PRowl. I got a lot of experience that I have never even come close to seeing in the classroom. Being director of finance, secretary, an account executive and an account staff member has opened my eyes so much to the world of PR. I never thought I'd be writing and executing a PR plan in my second and third years of college. I only thought that was for seniors in their final semester. However, our founder Natalie wanted to give us all the experience we could ever ask for.

I'm going to miss everyone in PRowl, but I'll still be in close contact with everyone. I'm not just leaving PRowl and falling off the face of the earth. I will be Jessica's vice president in Temple's chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. Both PRSSA and PRowl work closely together, and we will be making a name for both organizations at Temple.

Hopefully you'll be hearing a guest blog from me next year! Have a great summer everyone! I sure know I will - I'll be in Rome with Jessica and Melissa!

Pitching Through Twitter?

We've done it time and again: proofread, edited and chopped down a pitch to what we think is the absolute shortest it can be. The newest challenge? Pitch in 140 characters, or less. In an article from PR Daily, there are tips on how to pitch through Twitter.

-Form relationships with those you're trying to pitch. You can't just find them and send them your meticulously edited pitch. You must get to know them first.
-Don't give up after one tweet.
-Don't pitch in a direct message
-Just like any pitches, know the beat of that person. Really do your research.

You've got 140 characters. Use them wisely.

Read the whole article here.

Looking Back On A Great Intership

Today was the last day of my internship at the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. I absolutely LOVED it there, but it had to end eventually. As I was having my "good-bye, good-luck and thank-you" lunch with my boss and two other people that I helped out through the semester, we talked about my three months at the PCVB.

I was asked what I liked the most, what I liked the least, what I learned, etc. Then they asked me what I would tell an incoming intern to be prepared for. That one definitely got me, but after I thought about it for a few seconds, I think I had it. We all know that writing is key and we've heard it so many times before. But it's so true! You definitely need to know how to write well. But not only do you need to know how to write well, you need to know what audience you're writing for. I learned how to tweak my writing for different audiences, and I know it will help me in my future!

I had a great time at the PCVB. I made some great professional relationships, became friends with the other interns, gained great PR contacts, and learned SO MUCH!

It is so important to get internship experience. It should be a requirement, because the work you do there is so different from the textbook and classroom.

2009-2010 PRSSA E-Board

Yesterday, PRSSA held elections for the 2009-2010 school year. Congratulations to the new E-Board:

President - Jessica Lawlor
Vice President - Reilly Fies
Secretary - Huiling Zhao
Public Relations Director - Ashlee Chisholm
Director of Social Media - Brendan Lowry
Director of Fundraising - Olivia Ragni
Treasurer - Jade Barnes
Temple Student Government Representative - Jonathan Burns
Director of Development - Jaclyn McKeown
Historian - Sarah Hutton
PRowl Public Relations Firm Director - Jaime Scofield

Congratulations!

April is Accreditation Month!

If you've noticed the tag APR after some of your professors titles and don't know what it stands for, it means Accredited in Public Relations. Some of my professors are accredited and they said it's a good thing to have because it puts you a step ahead of other PR professionals.

In yesterday's edition of PRSA Issues and Trends, there was an article about the benefits of becoming APR. "APR is a voluntary certification program of PR professionals." One of my former professors said that it's an extensive two-day long examination that tests your knowledge of PR. One day is an objective portion and another day is a written test that requires you to think strategically and tactically about public relations. Read the complete article here.

Are any of our readers APR? If so, please comment and share your thoughts on it!

Branding and Marketing in the Economic Recession

In yesterday's e-mail blast from PRSA Issues and Trends, there was a pretty neat article from AdvertisingAge. It talked about all different kinds of products and how well (or not well) they're doing marketing themselves through their advertisements. Brands included Bounty, Wendy's, Xbox and GM.

Here are some tips from the article:
DO:
- Offer consumers assurance
- Make sure your ads are aggressive
- Be innovative with your product
DON'T:
- Be without a unique message
- Ignore brand-oriented ads

You can read the entire article here.

Personal Blogs

I'm taking a journalism class this semester and my professor keeps talking about personal blogs for students. We all know that blogs are huge, but should everyone keep a blog? My professor says yes! He says it's a good idea for students because you can practice your writing and get yourself out there. But he also recommends that we have a theme to our blog. "Don't just rant and rave about things that make you mad. That's what Facebook is for. Make sure you're writing about a specific topic."

I've been contemplating making my own blog for a while, but couldn't think of what to write about. I've finally come to the conclusion that when I have some spare time (so not anytime soon - sorry!) I will create a blog about travel.

What about everyone else? Do you have a personal blog?

Here is the blog for my journalism class, and our professor links to all of his former and present students' personal blogs.

Fundraising

We all know that the economy is bad right now. But what about student organizations? Always trying to find ways to raise money, PRowl Public Relations and PRSSA work together and hold events, splitting the funds evenly. Yesterday, we held an all-day fundraiser at Qdoba Mexican Grill. For every entree and drink purchased with the flier, we received $1.50.

We also have had regular bake sales, and most recently - cupcake sales! (Inspired by Natalie, perhaps?) However, are making less money than expected. We seem to be located in low-traffic areas around campus. And these days, people have less cash on them than they usually do.

What are other student-run firms and PRSSA chapters doing for fundraising? Does anyone have any tips?

Let The Madness Begin! AND...A Question About The Economy.

The madness is in the air as the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament begins tomorrow. Philadelphia is a host city of the first two rounds, which is great for the City. Hopefully with all of the guests and attention Philadelphia is getting, it will help boost the economy.

As I've said before, I am an intern at the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB). Today, I volunteered to help with the welcoming information at the hotels all of the different teams are staying at. I was at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown greeting guests with travel and visitors information for Philadelphia. Villanova was staying at this hotel, so I didn't get as much traffic as I had expected because Villanova is right outside of the City. From what other interns told me, the other hotels were bustling with out-of-towners, as UConn, American and UCLA.

One guest of the hotel asked me an interesting question: given how the economy is right now, is it necessary for Villanova, who is only 20 minutes outside of the city, to have a hotel for the tournament? What do you think?

The Importance of Networking

While on spring break, I wanted to make sure that I made a visit to my old high school to visit my former French teacher, only referred to as "Madame." As I made my way through the doors after the 2:30 p.m. dismissal bell rang, I felt a thousand times more than uncomfortable. Weaving my way through the hallways as the high school kids were leaving for the day, I found myself walking with my head down, hoping to avoid the few kids I still know that are in high school.

But, I ran into my old English teacher, Mr. Keiner! He's an awesome teacher and made sitting through his class extremely fun. We caught up briefly in the hallway dodging the students in the senior wing, and talked about a few things that I've been thinking about a lot lately. I graduate next May, and we talked about the economy and what the job market's going to look like in a year. Hopefully it looks better than it does now, but it will still be competitive no matter what. Before we said "goodbye," he told me to keep in touch, especially after I graduate. His sister-in-law works in PR in Harrisburg, and he said he could talk to her and give me her contact information. Of course he can't promise me anything, but he still offered me the opportunity to have her as a contact.

As I was talking to Madame the state of the economy, of course, was one of our topics of conversation. She stressed the importance of being involved in school and having experience. I already have two internships under my belt and am in PRowl Public Relations and PRSSA (serving board positions in both). Hopefully, that will make me stand out.

The other day I was talking to my cousin, and we were talking about the importance of internships and networking. She even said she could talk to her friend who works in PR, and is willing to get us in contact with each other.

I know this all sounds so very repetitive, but it's true. No matter who you talk to, they will all tell you the same thing...NETWORK! So go to events, get an internship and start collecting those business cards!

Press trip update!

Well, I just got back from work 15 minutes ago and it's time to give all of you an update!

Today's press trip was a group of Italian journalists and tour operators that were visiting Philadelphia. The journalists were visiting the city so they could go back to Italy and write a story about Philadelphia, or include Philadelphia in a story about their tour of the U.S. The tour operators visit Philadelphia, then when they get back to Italy they will "sell" Philadelphia to their travelers as a trip, or as part of a trip to the U.S.

We got to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and said hello to everybody. Because everybody else spoke little English, my boss and I stood back and observed them taking their tour of the museum and talking amongst each other. It was a very interesting experience!

One of the journalists from the group had to interview somebody from The Franklin. We hailed a cab and took her to speak with The Franklin's PR person about the new exhibit coming to the museum, "Galileo." When she was done with the interview, we took her back to the Philadelphia Museum of Art so she could join the rest of the group.

Going on my first press trip, I didn't know what to expect. Everybody was very nice and welcoming when I was introduced to them. It would have been nice to be able to chat with some of the journalists and tour operators and see how they liked it so far, but the language barrier was difficult. Overall, I had a nice time and can't wait to go on another trip!

Separate from the press trip, my boss and I also went to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. We were part of a media group that saw a presentation about the 2010 Philadelphia Flower Show. We were then guided through this year's show, "Bella Italia." After our fabulous tour, we went upstairs and joined some other people from the media for light refreshments.

All in all, today was a pretty eventful day! Hopefully I'll have more stories to share with you about my experiences as an intern at PCVB!

Check back later this afternoon for an update!

I'm an intern at the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB) and today I get to go on an exciting trip with my boss! PCVB's liaison from Italy and some other journalists are coming into Philadelphia for a press trip, and I get to go with my boss! We will be visiting Reading Terminal Market and The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and possibly The Franklin!

Come back later this afternoon to hear all about my first experience on a press trip!

Newspapers are in Trouble!

As PR practitioners, we rely on newspapers to get our stories out and in the public. But what happens when the company that produces some pretty big newspapers files for bankruptcy? Well, this is exactly what's happening here in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Media Holdings, LLC owns the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, two of the largest newspapers in the city, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In a modern world with dwindling resources, we have to come up with other ways to get our news out. The Inquirer and Daily News aren't stopping production any time in the near future, but could this be the first step in technology taking over everything in our world?

What do you think?

Death Threats, for a PR Firm?

Killeen Furtney Group is the LA-based PR firm that represented Nadya Suleman, a woman who gave birth to eight children, making her grand total of children reach 14. During an interview on Larry King Live Joann Killeen, president of Killeen Furtney Group, explained why they recently dropped Suleman as their client.

They were receiving numerous death threats through e-mails and voice mails. The dialogue from the interview and all other details can be found here.

PR firms are always told to keep their clients' best interest in mind. However, you sometimes forget about keeping your own safety in mind, until death threats begin to surface.

How would you handle this kind of situation?

The Importance of a Thank-You Note

In my Fundamentals of PR class last night, we had two guest speakers come in to talk to us about our final project. They are both writers and communications experts. They told their stories, then we got the chance to ask them questions. We talked about our futures and where we would like to go in PR and that internships and networking are very important.

Our professors said that, in almost every situation, she always hires somebody that sends her a thank-you note after the interview. Our guest speakers were also able to confirm the importance of that note. Even when they've been at networking events, they will find a nice letter in their mailboxes a few days.

Next time you meet a professional that gives you excellent advice, or when you're interviewing for your dream internship (or even job!), take the extra time to hand-write a nice thank you note to them and stick it in the mail that night, or the next day. It can't do anything but help you. It looks very professional and proves that you're the right person for that position, especially if it's a very close race between you and somebody that didn't send a thank-you note.

Role Model, Or Not?

If you haven't heard about the latest Michael Phelps scandal, you're probably living under a rock. It was the topic of discussion in all of my classes yesterday, except for one. This article explains everything about Phelps' marijuana-smoking picture that was released this weekend.

Some of the conversations we had included:

• He's in the public eye, so he should be more aware of his actions, especially after his DUI bust following the Athens Olympic Games.
• Who cares what he does? He's allowed to do what he wants.
• He apologized, so just let it go.
• He's an Olympic athlete. He should not be using ANY kind of substances.
  
• It's illegal. There are "normal" people getting busted when he's just getting slapped on the hand. There should be a bigger punishment.
• What was he thinking?! He's a role model to so many kids!

We also talked about who this is good / bad for...

• Good for his competition. He may have used other substances that enhanced his performance for both of his Olympic appearances.
• Bad for Phelps. He's not getting very much good criticism out of this, at all. He could lose all of his endorsements.
  
• Good for the "drug war." Advocates for legalizing marijuana have his "support."

The good thing is, Phelps came out right away and apologized for his actions. The best way to fix a crisis in PR is to come out with the truth immediately. Don't try to hide anything, and always be honest.

What do our readers think? Leave us some comments!

Murphy's Law

At my internship today, I was given the opportunity to attend the Philadelphia Public Relations Association's (PPRA) luncheon. After checking in and eating lunch, we listened to a panel to speak about "Murphy's Law: Memorable Moments and Lessons Learned from Special-Event Superstars." The panel included:

Jim Cohn (Moderator) - Mid-Atlantic Events Magazine
Keeya Branson-Davis - Penns Landing Corporation
Lisette Bralow - Philadelphia Folksong Society
Danielle Cohn - Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau
Scott Mirkin - ESM Productions, Inc.
Susan Norcross - Cashman & Associates

They shared their stories from a torrential downpour and flooded pier for an outdoor orchestra, a hurricane happening during an outdoor folk festival, and a zoo having to evacuate everyone, while animals were screaming in the background. Balloons and confetti were dropped from the ceiling, before the dinner was finished, resulting in confetti in all of the drinks and a complete mess all over the dining room. Looking back on those experiences, everyone laughed. But when it was happening, they weren't thrilled at all.

Here are a few tips they gave while having an event:

• There is a very fine line between Murphy's Law and negligence. Safety always comes first. The only time Murphy's Law should happen is days prior to the event, when all of the preliminary checks are being done.
• Always stay professional, no matter what the situation is.
• Always keep your service consistent. Your client is your top priority. You must go out of your way to make everything run smoothly.
• When handing out a media kit or any kind of readings, keep it simple. Only give the top points because that's all people want to know about. They should only need the "who, what, where and when." They should already know "why."
• Read every single contract that is involved in your event.
• Everyone involved needs to be on the same page. Make sure everyone is informed so information is consistent.
• Always have back up. The amazing Phillies World Series parade? Even though it was planned in less than 48 hours, there were back-up tractor trailers on the streets surrounding the parade route, just in case something happened.
• Trust who you're working with.
• Consider rain insurance...seriously. Have reservations for a tent, just in case.

There's a lot of behind the scenes work that happens during an event, and you always have to be prepared!

Crisis at the Capitol

So many people are talking about President Barack Obama's inauguration that happened yesterday. However, probably just as many people are also talking about Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy's seizure. While inside the closed doors of a post-inaugural luncheon, Sen. Kennedy collapsed and had a seizure. He was rushed to the hospital and was kept overnight. Thankfully, he is doing well and is resting.

As I was informed by one of my professors yesterday, there weren't any reporters inside the luncheon. However, they knew that something was happening. When the doors were finally unlocked and people were coming out of the room, they were bombarded by reporters, wanting to know what happened. Although they were looking for the answers, those who were present for the luncheon hesitated to give any information. They knew that something happened and the reporters wanted to know all of the details, but they also knew that it wasn't their place to give that information. Kudos to everyone who cooperated and let a spokesperson for Sen. Kennedy do their job.

Still interested? Check out CNN.com for the full story!

Social Media for 2009?

In Monday's PR Tactics and The Strategist Online, there was an article discussing the future of social media in 2009. With the economy worsening, author Jim Nail outlines two very different futures for social media: becoming an indispensable tool for building relationships with our publics, and turning into a rush by companies which turns into a backlash bigger than pop-up ads from recent years.

How will consumers react? Basically, they will either revolt and start protesting on sites like Facebook and Twitter. They will find all of the clutter as an unwelcome intrusion. Or, consumers will welcome companies' presence, but only if it is done in a mutually beneficial way for both parties.

Read the complete article here, and tell us what you think!

Piggybacking

Piggybacking is probably more known as a transportation technique for little kids from their parents, versus a PR term. But today, it's a PR tool that Ben & Jerry's is using to their advantage. Ben & Jerry's created a new ice cream flavor, named "Yes Pecan," in honor of Barack Obama's upcoming inauguration. It's a play on words of Obama's "Yes we can" slogan. It's a great idea on Ben & Jerry's part, and it was even part of another PR tool: a contest! Read the rest of the article here, on Common Sense PR.