Understanding How The Owls Took Charge

The Super Bowl is the biggest night in network television. Billions of families across America tune in to watch the most exciting football game of the season. The day consists of men yelling at the TV, Pinterest-inspired snacks, Buffalo wings, an over-the-top halftime show and commercials that will be buzzed about for weeks to come. However, this Super Bowl consisted of something completely new: this year there were owls. For the first time ever, Temple University aired a commercial during the Super Bowl. Regardless of whether you loved or hated Temple’s commercial, here are some important points to know about Temple’s ad.

The actual commercial- In case you were replenishing your plate with cliché Super Bowl food, Temple’s commercial aired during the fourth quarter of the game. It was a 30 second spot that depicted the Temple community doing different things. Band members practiced music, basketball players made slam dunks, professors lectured, students cheered at concerts and commuters hopped on the subway. The last shot featured Temple’s favorite owl, Stella, next to the caption “Take Charge.”

The cost- The average cost of running a 30 second national spot during the Super Bowl is about 4.5 million dollars. However, Temple was able to buy a regional spot for under 200,000 dollars and NBC will air the commercial for the next three weeks.

The background- This campaign was created by Temple University’s Marketing and Communications Department.  The first phase was launched in October 2014. The premiere of the Super Bowl ad marked the second phase of this campaign. This commercial was shot with two different endings: one with Stella and one with Morgan Hall in the Philly skyline. Temple posted both of the commercials online and asked viewers to vote for which one they wanted to see in the Super Bowl.

Why?- According to Temple’s data, 89 percent of the 300,000 TU alumni are not engaged with the school. The purpose of this commercial, and campaign for that matter, is to generate awareness of how strong Temple has grown to be. The marketing team wanted to air the commercial when they knew alumni would be tuned in to the TV.

Temple Made or Take Charge? - Some students were confused after seeing Take Charge splashed across their TVs. Some believed Temple was going through an identity crisis. Are students supposed to be “Temple Made” or are they supposed to “Take Charge”? Well, the answer is both! This new campaign is not designed to erase the Temple Made campaign. In fact, “Take Charge” is a branch of the “Temple Made” campaign. The messages are designed to coincide with each other. Yes, Temple students are self-made, Philly-made and Temple-made, but they are also ready to step up, take charge and make things happen. In other words, Temple students learn how to be self-sufficient (self-made) in school so when they graduate from Temple they are ready to “take charge.”

Do you think the “Take Charge” commercial stacked up to the other Super Bowl commercials? Do you believe it was an affective form of advertising? Share your comments below!  

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Lauren Bentley.

Welcome to the 2014-2015 Executive Board!

It is hard to believe that this year is coming to an end. Over the past two semesters, I have watched the firm grow into something spectacular. There have been ups, and there have been downs but I wouldn't have it any other way. This year's e-board has been there through it all with me and has truly shaped me into the leader I am today.

After reviewing various applications and an intense interview process, next year's board has been chosen. PRowl PR's executive board will be made up of 7 amazing aspiring PR pros next year. I have no doubt I am leaving the firm in more than capable hands and I cannot wait to see what they do next year! Meet our 2014-2015 Executive Board:

Amber Burns, Firm Director (bottom middle)

Alyssa Guckin, Assistant Firm Director (top middle)

Jaime Martorana, Assistant Firm Director (not pictured)

Jordan Washington, Assistant Firm Director (top right)

Kaylie Corallo, Director of Public Relations (bottom right)

Faiz Mandviwalla, Director of Finance (bottom left)

Maggie Wurst, Secretary (top left)

Good luck to all of you on this amazing journey full of learning & leading!

CSR: The Good, The Bad and The Laugh-Worthy

A wildly successful Saturday at the Temple University Invitational: A Taste of Philly PR left me with new knowledge, connections and inspiration. One particular session stuck with me and I'm hoping you'll see why. Scott Tattar, a local PR professional with over 30 years of experience including working for Ketchum, owning his own firm and most recently presiding over the PR department at LevLane Advertising, spoke to the group at the Invitational about corporate social responsibility.

Tattar defined CSR as "how you create love for a brand that creates a sustainable relationship between you and the community" and noted that a lot of people go right to thinking about eco-friendly and green initiatives when they hear corporate social responsibility. While we would never discourage being more kind to the environment, that's not exactly what a successful CSR program initiates.

Some essentials of CSR are:

• Empowering the customer
• Clarity of focus
• Targeting the buying community

Some good examples of CSR programs were mentioned during the conversation, including Target's Red Card program that allows customers to donate 1% of their total cost of purchase towards the school of their choice and Target will match it. This is a successful CSR initiative because it's empowering the customer as well as staying community-focused.

Poor examples of CSR initiatives were mentioned as well. Learn from the mistakes of others, right? Burger King has a program that donates proceeds to fighting childhood obesity. As good of a cause as it may be, that is just one big oxymoron and doesn't exactly empower the customer.

I came away from the session with a full understanding of corporate social responsibility that I didn't have before, and I hope you get the same from my post.

Can you think of any great (or terrible) examples of CSR programs? We want to hear from you!

Crisis Communication Crash & Burn

Employee scandals.
Illegal activity.
Product recalls.
These, and more, are all things that call for crisis communication.

Temple University recently announced the cancellation of seven sports teams and has found itself in the midst of a situation that could use a lot of crisis communication.  While an initial announcement was made, there has been a lot of backlash from students, parents and faculty about the issue and minimal information has been provided from the university.

I'm not here to place blame on Temple, I am simply analyzing the situation from the perspective of a public relations student. While I haven't had much first-hand experience with crisis communication, I've learned a great deal about it and there are several things that should be done in an instance like this:

• Get accurate information out fast. If you don't the press will and word of mouth will and the message you were hoping to convey is hopelessly lost in translation.
• Never say "no comment". Always have something to say, or others will end up putting words in your mouth and taking your caution as avoidance and guilt.
• Use empathy. Put yourself in the shoes of the people that are being affected. Make it known that you are doing so. Generic responses and cookie cutter actions are only going to show people that you're disconnected with your audience.

Based on what I've learned during my education here at Temple, the university could up their crisis communication and handle the situation more effectively. It's a tricky issue, I think everyone understands that. What would you do if faced with such a crisis?

Cherry-ing On and Off The Field

As thousands of students and fans poured in to Lincoln Financial Field this past Saturday to watch the Temple Owls take on the Houston Cougars in their first home game, a new slogan circulated around the stadium, filled Twitter feeds and became a popular Instagram hashtag. “Cherry On,” the new spirit campaign getting students and alumni amped up for the school year and football season, is helping to fuel Temple pride nationally.

The phrase “Keep Calm and Cherry On” has become tremendously popular, with many students sporting shirts with the slogan on it. Even more so, the “CherryOn” hashtag is being used by many student organizations as a way to get involved with the campaign off the field.

The quest to spread school spirit and the Temple brand across the city of Philadelphia doesn’t just include a social media presence. For the first time ever, pop up pep rallies are being held at Temple University’s Center City campus in an effort to get the whole city on board with Cherry On.

Not only does Cherry On pertain to game days, but it also is a way for students to keep the spirit of Temple alive on main campus. Students are encouraged to show their school spirit by wearing Temple gear, preferably cherry-colored, to class on Fridays. Tweets such as “On Friday, we wear Cherry #CherryOn” and “Mondays are tough, but #CherryOn TU” not only promote spirit at sporting events, but also help to create a feeling of unity and pride across campus every day.

Remember to wear your cherry to campus on Fridays and join the fun in Cherry-ing On!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Tessa Cohn.

3 Reasons To Join PRSSA

With the start of a new school years comes the opportunity to become more involved on campus. If you are interested in a career in public relations what better way to learn more about the field than to become a member of a professional public relations student organization.

PRSSA, which stands for Public Relations Society of America, has over 10,000 members nationwide and has chapters located in thousands of universities. At Temple University, our PRSSA chapter meets every Tuesday from 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM at the Howard Gittis Student Center. Click here for more information: http://templeprssa.org/. The first meeting of the semester will be held in 217B.

Interested? Here are three reasons to join a PRSSA chapter near you according to www.PRSSA.org:

1. Enhance Your Education
Events. Network, learn and interact with public relations students from around the country at PRSSA events like National Conference, National Assembly and Regional Conferences.
Competitions. Apply what you’ve learned in the classroom, add to your portfolio and work with high-profile clients by taking the opportunity to compete in one of our many case study competitions.
Leadership. Add to your résumé and gain valuable leadership skills by running for office in your Chapter, student-run firm or the PRSSA National Committee.
Scholarships and Awards. Be recognized for your accomplishments or let us help you fund your education through one of the many scholarships and awards PRSSA offers students each year.
News and Intelligence. Stay current on industry news and the latest trends in public relations through PRSSA and PRSA news and intelligence resources.
Writing. Add to your portfolio and be published nationally by taking the initiative to write for FORUM® or PRSSA's blog, Progressions.
Places to Study. Find a school with a PRSSA Chapters near you by browsing the list of Chapter in the United States and one in Argentina.

2. Broaden Your Network
Events. Develop valuable relationships with future colleagues and current professionals through national and regional events.
Social Media. Start discussions and connect with PRSSA members from all over by plugging in to PRSSA social media.
PRSA Sponsor Chapters. Meet current professionals, ask questions and get professional advice through your Chapter’s PRSA Sponsor Chapter.
Champions for PRSSA. Browse the Champions for PRSSA Directory to see this network of professionals dedicated to supporting PRSSA members and your education.

3. Launch Your Career
PRSA Jobcenter. Browse career resources and search for public relations employment opportunities all over the world with PRSA Jobcenter.
Internships. Get job-hunting tips, upload your résumé and find the most recent internship opportunities through the PRSSA Internship Center.
PRSA Associate Membership. Start networking and get connected to 20,000 public relations professionals when you join PRSA as an Associate Member for only $60 up to five months before or two years after graduation.
PRSA Sections. PRSA Professional Interest Sections connect you to others who work in a niche industry, such as sports, health care or the military. Check out PRSA’s Section specifically for New Professionals.

Do you love your chapter of PRSSA? Tell us about it!

Public Opinion #TUWelcome

The lines can be blurred when trying to pinpoint who is really pulling the strings in public relations. While we would love to think that it’s us, the publicists, sometimes that’s not the case. The public is often our best and our worst source of PR.

Take for example the promotion and announcement of Temple’s Welcome Week performer. Temple University hosts an annual week long celebration for new and returning students and their families, which includes a celebrity performance at the end of the week. In years past, the performer has typically been a musical artist, but this year Temple’s Main Campus Program Board (our activity planning committee) decided to go in a new direction and bring in a comedian. After the official announcement of the performer was made on Twitter, several hundred students voiced their opinions. However, not all of the opinions were very supportive. Several students expressed their excitement over the performer, retweeting and sharing the announcement with their friends. However, students who were not in favor took to Twitter to do the same.

Regardless of all the behind the scenes planning that goes into an event or PR campaign, once a statement is released there isn’t too much we can do to control public opinion. For better or worse, the public seems to be most heavily persuaded by itself. Whatever the majority deems appropriate is what the general population will support. To quote the character Gretchen Wieners from the movie Mean Girls, “You wouldn’t buy a skirt without asking your friends first if it looks good on you.” As simple as that analogy may be, it does sum up the basic concept.

PR professionals are notorious control freaks but some things, like public opinion, can simply be out of our hands. Doing all the work that you can, up until “the big announcement,” is sometimes all anyone can ask for. The rest is left up to the public to decide.

Have you ever had to battle public opinion? Tell us about how you handled the situation!

Welcome to College

We are officially less than two weeks away from the beginning of a new school year.  For myself, it will be my final year at Temple and yet I can remember being a freshman like it was just last week.  Going from being a senior in high school to a freshman in college is a huge adjustment.  Here are some things I learned over the years and would like to offer up to the incoming class at Temple and any other college or university.

1. Leave your door open.  Regardless if you're living in a traditional dorm or suite, leaving your door open is a great way to meet people as they're passing by.

2. Join clubs. Even if you don't stay in the club for more than one year or even one semester, clubs are the perfect way to meet new people.  The earlier you join, the more opportunities you will have.

3. Embrace the 8 a.m.'s. I'm a huge fan of sleeping in, but if you schedule your classes too late in the day you won't find yourself being very productive before them. You're going to have to take early classes eventually, so you should get used to an early morning routine.

4. Manage your time.  This was probably the hardest thing for me to do.  Your college classes might be shorter or longer than the ones you had in high school, but none of them are going to let you do homework during your lectures.  You need to learn how to budget your time so you're always submitting assignments completely and promptly.

5. Have fun. College is a whole new experience.  Don't let shyness or fear get the best of you.  You'll make new friends, learn new things, and have opportunities you could never have dreamed of.

What tips can you share for the incoming freshman class? Tell us!

#TU101

It seems that nothing is a more effective marketing tool than guerrilla social networking. A perfect example would be the explosion of the #TU101 hashtag on Twitter last Sunday, July 7^th. The hashtag was started by a rising senior who thought it would be a great idea to start a conversation on things to know upon coming to Temple University. It didn't take long for the trend to catch on and students began to share their own advice, experience, and quirks that come along with being a Temple Owl. Within the hour, the trending topic jumped to the number one most tweeted topic in the Philadelphia area. As more students discovered the trending topic, more students tuned in and contributed to the conversation. Eventually, it wasn’t just current students joining the conversation. Incoming freshman began asking questions and receiving tips that I’m sure every freshman wish they had before college. In just a few short hours #TU101 went from the top hashtag in the Philadelphia region to the third most discussed hashtag nationwide!

While people expressed a few grievances about the school, the overall tone of the conversation expressed adoration for Temple. Without a marketing team, this hashtag not only boosted the morale of the students and generated pride for Temple University, but also raised awareness to incoming students of the great opportunities that the school has to offer.

So how was this spontaneous campaign so effective? It is a relatable topic. Temple University has over 35,000 students and each one of them has a story to share or, in this case, a tweet to send. If you have a topic that you want to share you don’t necessarily need a social media team behind you. All you need is a simple, relatable topic that can generate a conversation.

Have you started a trending topic? How effective was it? We would love to know!

Temple University and University of Delaware Host #TUDPRSSA Chat

Tonight the University of Delaware and Temple University's own PRSSA Chapters will cohost a Twitter chat to discuss PRSSA experiences. The chat is open to all PRSSA members of any chapter, as well as any alumni who would like to share their PRSSA experiences and opinions! This chat is a great chance to connect with other PRSSA chapters and members from different regions. Temple and the University of Delaware will alternate asking questions for about an hour, giving members plenty of time to chime in and read other responses. Leaders - this is a great time to discuss all of the many benefits of being a PRSSA member! Be sure to spread the word and join in and use the hashtag #TUDPRSSA.

Who: Temple University PRSSA (Twitter: @TemplePRSSA) and University of Delaware (Twitter: @PRSSA_UD) - Open to all PRSSA members, chapters, and alumni.

When: Thursday, January 17th, 2013 8P.M.

Where: Connect to the Twitter chat using hashtag #TUDPRSSA

We hope you tune in and enjoy this engaging and beneficial chat! Don't miss out TONIGHT at 8P.M!

Surviving Finals

For Temple University students this is the week where we pull out our hair, bite our finger nails and overdose on caffeine. THIS IS FINALS WEEKS. For some classes, finals require a final paper, presentation, test, or a combination of all three.   To survive the hellish week here are some tips to get you through:

Get some sleep

It’s no secret that a good night’s rest helps your concentration but sleep is not just a form of rest. Sleep plays a critical physiological function and is indispensable for intellectual development.  In 2005 a study conducted by Dr. Robert Stickgold revealed that with less sleep, we reduce the recall of facts we learned before or after a shortened night.

Caffeine

Caffeine chemical composition works in three related ways. It enhances alertness by inhibiting the action of adenosine, which gives you a physical boost by increasing the amount of adrenaline in your system and contributes to a euphoric state which activities the brain’s pleasures centers. In combination, these affect a state where we feel energy which catalyzes our creativity and awareness. Conveniently there are three caffeine dispensary on campus: Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks and Saxby’ s.

Brain foods and hydration

Staying full and focused is extremely important before taking an exam. Your brain requires a steady supply of glucose which fuels you body’s cells. Dr. Joy  Bauer, a New York-based dietician and “Woman’s Day” columnist, suggests the best choices for brain food includes salmon, fortified-eggs, ground flax seeds, chia seeds and walnuts. Fruits, especially bananas, are also attributed to reducing stress. Also during your exam, be sure to drink lots of water, it keeps you clam and helps with oxygen flow to your brain.

The Mysterious Temple Made Campaign Launched into Success

As Temple students and families journeyed back to North Philadelphia this past August for another school year, they most likely noticed Temple’s new look. Not only on the campus itself, but signs, posters and highway billboards displaying the now infamous cherry and white “game face” seemed to have taken over the greater Philadelphia region, and showed that Temple had something different up its sleeve. Although very exciting and empowering, many were not exactly sure what this big fuss was about, including me. 

With football kicking off its first season in the Big East, the University decided it was time for a school spirit refresher. And they did just that! The new Temple Made campaign has taken off to greater heights than could have ever been imagined. “Self-Made, Philly Made, Temple Made” has not only become a successful advertising slogan, but it has given Temple students, faculty and alumni the chance to feel a part of something bigger. 

But what exactly has sparked so much interest and has fueled the success of this new movement? The creators of the Temple Made officially launched the campaign on September 27, 2012, but the days leading up to the big event held student interest because of the mysteriousness of it all, with social media playing a vital role in spreading the word about the launch. 

Temple University’s official Twitter account and Facebook page sent out teaser messages every day that increased visibility for the event, but never gave the secret away as to what was actually going to happen. Pictures of sidewalk decals from around campus that read “Temple Made: 9.27.12” were also being tweeted and posted on Instagram from Temple University and student accounts. This was the key to capturing student attention, and holding on to it up until the actual day of the launch. 

The end result: a fun-filled evening of food, DJ’s, and friends, with more than 2,500 people in attendance! The answer to the big surprise: a 90- minute slide show of pictures and moving video clips set to music, projected on the side of Temple’s Paley Library. Produced by the Philadelphia based company Klip-Collective, the footage included the football team in action, candid’s of students around campus, and most importantly the infamous game faces, ending this high energy and successful night with a bang.

How did you hear about the Temple Made launch? Let us know what you thought about this event!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Tessa Cohn

College Football and the PR Pro

On Saturday, Temple lost to one of it's biggest rivals in football, Penn State. While this was definitely a blow for us, there are a couple lessons we can take from the college football game, thanks to "What college football teaches us about PR":

• The coach/CEO sets the tone: think of all of your favorite teams, and then think of their coaches. You can probably name all of them. The coach is the heart of the team in a lot of ways, he motivates and disciplines and can often serve as a father figure to some of the players. The dynamic of the team depends on first the coach, which also effects performance. The same goes for companies. The CEO is the figurehead of the company and communicates the company's purpose and goals to the rest of the public. The rest of the employees depend on him or her to represent the company well and to their best advantage.
• Preparation is key: teams are always watching footage of past games. This is to strategize what they did wrong, or right, and devise a plan for next time, to do better. PR teams must do this as well, to prepare adequately for any kind of crisis. The more you prepare in advance, the less amount of running around you will have to do. Granted, things will always go wrong, but you can never be too prepared.
• Never underestimate an opponent (or reporter): The biggest mistake teams make is to be overconfident. Overconfidence clouds the mind and prevents players from really committing to the game and executing. PR pros must also be vigilant in trusting a reporter. Regardless of the situation, always be prepared for a reporter to ask your client tough, involved questions. Letting your guard down will leave an open window of opportunity for a reporter to get to your client.
• It's all about the team: no football team would be successful without the entire team. Every player is given a role in the team and without that one person, productivity would suffer. In the workplace, whether you are an intern or an executive, you are needed. Just giving someone a pat on the back or a "good job" may do wonders and will ultimately promote a team atmosphere.

A Social Approach to Education

Higher education is no stranger to new ideas, and social media is quickly becoming a primary way for students to keep up with the realm of academia. Most universities now have at least one Twitter account to help engage and communicate with their publics.

Temple University is at the forefront of this social media movement and even has an entire class dedicated to social media. This semester, however, I have encountered something even more exciting: one of my classes has a Twitter account.

Yes, my Special Topics in Urban Politics has a Twitter account to keep students abreast of local political news. This is a great way to engage students outside of the classroom, keeping students informed of relevant events and continuing the in-class conversation on social media.

This social approach to education should be more widely adapted. I urge my classmates and professors to embrace the idea that classroom learning can and should spill over onto social media.

Do any of your classes have social media accounts? Do you think they should?

Transferable Skills: A PR Essential

As a PR major, it is essential to our success to develop transferable skills. Transferable skills can include anything from good organizational skills to remaining calm under pressure. Luckily for PR students at Temple University, there are a variety of ways to expand this skill set. From internships to student organizations, the possibilities are endless. However, I decided to take a different path.

During the fall semester of my junior year, I became a Resident Assistant (RA) for Temple’s University Housing and Residential Life. I joined because I wanted to help other students like my RA had helped me. I had no idea how much my RA position would help in building my transferable skill set.

Here is the list of transferable skills that I developed as an RA:

• Organization: As an RA, I have to manage 50 underclassmen while also balancing my own work. Each resident has a folder that I’m in charge of updating regularly.

• Event Planning: Each month, I am required to complete two programs for the residents on my floor and in the building. This means I need to write a proposal, complete a catering order, create advertisements, and get people to come to the event. It is very similar to planning events in the PR world, just on a smaller scale.

• Crisis Communication: RA’s are on duty once a week and also have three duty weekends a semester. This means they hold a specific phone that residents and security guards can call if there are any problems. Sometimes, there are major issues in a building that need to be handled immediately. In essence, answering the duty phone is like responding to a PR crisis.

My position as an RA proves that you can use different opportunities to build your transferable skill set. While it is important to have PR experience during college, you should use every volunteer opportunity and job you have to develop your transferable skill set.

What other ways can PR students develop transferable skills? Let us know!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Alex Crispino.

Effective Strategic Communication-The Basis of all Human Interaction

Being the rather indecisive person that I am, it came as no shock that I hadn’t the slightest idea of what I wanted to study coming into college. So naturally, I took the easy road, and like so many other freshman, enrolled myself as an undeclared. During my first year at Temple I took the typical GenEd classes, sprinkled in with some advertising and education classes, hoping that I would find my niche. Upon completing my freshman year, I thought I had a better understanding of what I wanted to do with my life; I had no idea.

After an untypical chain of events occurred over the next year, including transferring out of the university only to find myself re-enrolling at Temple the following year, I finally had some guidance in my life. This guidance came during Summer 2010, as I was perusing the Temple website looking for perspective majors. There are only so many of those personality strength tests you can take before you finally have to stop and ask yourself: What do I want to do? Surprisingly enough, once the communications light was shed on me, I was hooked. I wanted to study strategic communication. I knew that if done effectively, strategic communication is the basis of all human interaction.

Unlike other majors in the university, strategic communication teaches you how to express your needs and desires in a way that gets others to stop what they’re doing, and listen to what you’re saying. Oppositely, it promotes attentive listening so you can comprehend and understand exactly what messages are being relayed. Without effective two-way communication, nothing would ever get accomplished in the world. Strategic communication is ever-present in our daily routines, though we may not even realize it. It is what separates us from other species, what drives production; it is the basis of all human interaction.

Extraordinary communicators can change the world. If you can talk the talk, you better believe people will be on your side, listening to what you have to say. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Ronald Reagan; all phenomenal masters of communication who let their words and rhetoric bring about change. It is no secret as to why they had so many supporters. People believed in the messages they were delivering. Whether all of these messages were actually truthful and sincere is a whole different matter. The point is this: their words were empowering.

I could not be happier knowing that I will be graduating this spring with a degree in strategic communication. Learning how to become an effective communicator in this fast-pace world, where messages often get lost or convoluted, is a skill that is uncompromising to any other.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Steve Jacobs.

Taking the Leadership Challenge

Temple University's Office of Leadership Development hosts a leadership seminar in the beginning of each semester. Last Fall, when I was a Freshman, I attended one as part of an extra credit assignment for a PR class. When some of my PRowl coworkers told me that they had just came back from the same seminar, I was excited. It's always exciting when young people step up and take a challenge, like going to a leadership workshop with a bunch of strangers on a Saturday morning.

Public relations professionals definitely wear a lot of hats, but I personally believe that leader is the main hat. In "5 Tips For Becoming A Better Leader" Karen-Michelle Mirko highlights how to improve your skills as a leader:

1. Lead by example-Sometimes the best way to learn is to do it yourself. Bossing people around and telling them what to do instead of how to doesn't help them, and it certainly doesn't help you in the long run. Make sure you keep the lines of communication open and free of any judgment. Also, keep in mind that those that are newer to the field will be looking to you as a model of what they should be like.



2. Communicate your vision-It can be hard for others to understand where you are coming from. Try to keep them in the loop, like allowing interns to shadow you and brainstorm ideas. This is a great way for young people to get their feet wet by seeing the level of quality you expect and how you expect it.


3. Hire people to complement, not duplicate you-It's easy to hire people who remind me of you when you were starting out, you feel that nostalgia of how you felt at that age. However, you shouldn't always strive for your clone, but someone who complements your skills. If you're a strong speaker but weaker in writing, someone who is stronger in writing will be able to help you write a conference-worthy speech. Breaking the cycle will also introduce new talent into your office and promote a more diverse and creative atmosphere.


4. Address conflict-Ignoring a problem never makes it better. Confronting issues at hand face-to-face will ensure a better outcome than straight out avoidance. Also, take notice of the effect of your decisions on co-workers and try to have an outcome that suits the overall health of the entire organization.


5. Encourage leadership in others-Give others the chance to step up, as my PRowl co-workers did this past weekend. By doing so, they will feel more adequately prepared when the situation arises for them to take on more responsibility as your organization expands. They are the future and will prove to be your biggest asset.

Do you consider yourself a leader? If so, do you have anything to add to these tips? Let us know!

Look for PRowl at Temple Fest Today!

If you are around campus today, August 25, come check us out at Temple Fest from 1 to 5 p.m on Liacouras and Polett Walks on Temple University Main Campus.

PRowl Public Relations will be joining Temple University's Public Relations Student Society of America to host an informational stand at today's Temple Fest, an outdoor welcome festival featuring student organizations, local vendors, and university departments. Stop by our table to learn more about the personal and career development opportunities offered by PRSSA and PRowl Public Relations.

Since rain is in the forecast, Temple Fest's rain location will be in Mitton Hall.

Temple Fest is a great way to introduce yourself to PRSSA and PRowl leadership and make a great impression even before the first meeting. A short conversation today can open the door to a leadership position tomorrow. I should know, I first learned about PRSSA at Temple Fest.

Moving Forward: Spring Fling

On Tuesday, April 12, Temple University will host Spring Fling, one of its students’ favorite annual events. This year, Temple’s Public Relations Student Society of America and PRowl Public Relations will have their own stand. Members of PRSSA’s fundraising committee and executive board will be at the stand all day and will offer a variety of treats to spring flingers.

What not to miss at the PRSSA and PRowl Spring Fling stand:

· Fresh fruit smoothies will made and sold

· PRSSA cups will be sold with smoothies and separately

· Bake sale table will feature a variety of home-baked goods

“There are going to be over 200 booths with student organizations playing great activities, vendors selling products, and campus departments distributing information about their programs and services,” said Associate Director of Student Activities Chris Carey.

Spring Fling will be located between Liacouras Walk and 13 Street and between Montgomery and Norris Streets. Festivities will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4p.m. The rain date for Spring Fling is Wednesday, April 13^th.

This guest blog was written by PRSSA External Communications Committe member Hannah DiSanto

TUTV Student Organization Filming Recap

Yesterday (March 3), PRowl Public Relations assisted client TUTV (Temple University Television) with an event to promote the March 16 launch of TempleTV.net, the channel's interactive online platform. One of our largest audiences for the launch campaign is current students on Philadelphia's main campus and abroad. When doing our research in the planning portion of the campaign, we found that Temple University has more than 300 registered student organizations on campus, with a total membership reach of 15,330 students.

In order to engage these students and get them excited for the website launch, PRowl planned a four-hour event where student organizations were invited to film a clip welcoming all visitors to TempleTV.net and introducing their organization to Temple's global community. On the upcoming March 16 launch day, these student organization "welcome" messages will rotate on the homepage. Every time a visitor enters the site, a new student organization will be there to greet them.

After a lot of e-mails and attending meetings to talk to student organizations, we got a great turnout of 58 organizations throughout the day. Students were invited to either share a message about what their organization does, or demonstrate their mission through a creative act. There was even more creativity than we expected! Singing, dancing, guitars, keyboards, flags, acting scripts, and other props appeared in the room throughout the day, and we were happy to have them!

Thank you to all Temple student organizations that stopped by. We look forward to sharing the messages we got yesterday with visitors who enter the site around the world on March 16!