07.21.08
Posted in Professional Development at 3:55 pm by elizabethmckinney
Post Written by PD Committee Member, Doug Allred, APR
Three-Mile Island, Bhopal, the Tylenol tampering crisis—everyone in public relations knows of and has studied at least one of them. They are our PR DNA. As a member of the professional development committee, I was pumped about this lineup and couldn’t wait to tell everyone I know. Yet one of the first comments I got in my office floored me: “You couldn’t find someone from this century?”
That threw me for a major loop. But that’s not right. These are not “ordinary crises.” These events—and the people who helped shape the responses to them—have changed our industry. These cases are in textbooks for a reason. They are timeless.
The TarHeel Chapter Professional Development Seminar on September 12 is a unique opportunity to—as Elizabeth points out—catch three giants on the same stage.
We are working on an end of the day Q&A with the group. I can’t wait for that. The answer to “How would you have done things differently with blogs and Twitter and a 24/7 news cycle?” alone will be well worth the price of admission.
I can’t wait. See you on September 12.
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07.14.08
Posted in Professional Development at 4:46 pm by elizabethmckinney
Post Written by PD Seminar Committee Member, Allison White
When I first got involved with the professional development committee this year, I was a little concerned, because I was not completely aware of the three crises that our three keynote speakers were involved in. Being young and new to the profession, I’m still learning, so I did some research after the first meeting I went to. To my surprise, and maybe to some of yours, most of these crises are still having effects today.
As recently as July 12, the Minneapolis- St. Paul Star Tribune published an article describing the hundreds of tons of toxins that are still in the former Union Carbide plant in Bhopal and what is being done about cleaning them up. Dow Chemical, which bought Union Carbide in 2001, and the Indian government still have massive communications and reputation issues on their hands surrounding this issue.
The Tylenol tampering crises in 1982 and 1986 are still referred to today, most recently in food scares and in the Chinese toy scare. Many experts and professionals dealing with recalls and product issues look to the Tylenol tampering crisis for a blueprint on how to handle similar situations.
The effects of “Three Mile Island Syndrome”- as known by some- are still felt today. It is believed to be the reason that so many Western countries do not pursue nuclear energy as an alternative source of energy, according to a recent article in the U.K.’s The Guardian.
Not only are each of 2008 professional develop speakers practicing professionals, but their respective crises, however long or short ago, has a place in today’s conversation on crisis communications.
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Posted in Professional Development at 10:42 am by Leslie Brooks
Here’s a link to a recent blog post from Mark Stevens on PR News Digital PR Blog. He makes an important point – one that I’m hearing more and more from a variety of sources. It looks to me like we need to listen and learn.
http://www.prnewsonline.com/blog/index.php/why-are-pr-people-so-lazy/
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07.07.08
Posted in Professional Development at 4:32 pm by elizabethmckinney
If you know anything about me, you know that I love a challenge. It gives me a chance to test myself, to see what I can accomplish. It’s a hold-over from my childhood years; my family is one of over-achievers. Almost all of us have master’s degrees and at least one of us will end up with a Ph.D., I’m pretty sure. I’m willing to bet on it. So when Donnie asked me to take on the Professional Development Seminar, after talking with Leslie Brooks about her experience last year, I said yes.
I’ve definitely got the challenge that I wanted, even more so than I anticipated.
Tomorrow, at our Summer Social, I’ll be announcing more great news about the Professional Development Seminar. You should have already received your Save the Date, and I hope your calendar was immediately blocked for Friday, September 12.
You know that we’re bringing together the pioneers of crisis communication, but were you aware they have NEVER been presenters at the same conference before? Yes, you read that correctly: the PRSA Tarheel Chapter is the FIRST and ONLY group to ever bring these three speakers together. Not national. Not international. Not DC or San Francisco or Seattle or Denver or Houston. Us. Your group. The Tarheel Chapter. Your chapter.
This seminar is just another step in a long succession of improvements to our professional development endeavors. Professional development isn’t helpful if you don’t ever use it and crisis communications is something we should all be familiar with as professional communicators–because someday, somewhere, somehow, someone will need our crisis assistance.
Please join us on September 12. It will be well worth your time and your money. (And it will help me–and my committee–be successful in this challenge!)
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07.04.08
Posted in PRSA News at 3:18 pm by Tamara McLendon
Objective: To find a home for the tiny kitten we found in our backyard on Wednesday.
Strategy: Use electronic media to touch a targeted audience of cat-lovers, asking for their referral to people in desperate need of a kitten.
Execution: Three members of the Leapfrog staff emailed a subset of their individual contact lists with a call-to-action for forwarding the email to cat-lovers. The email included fuzzy pictures (fuzzy because of the cell-phone picture quality and the intrinsic fuzziness of the cat) and lots of straight-forward information.
Results: Two interested responses, both from people who had received the email forward from the original recipient, and one final taker. As of this morning, the kitten has a great new home in Winston-Salem with an experienced cat owner.
We’re thinking about submitting this campaign for the 2008 Outstanding PR Award….
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07.03.08
Posted in Monthly Meetings, PRSA News at 9:29 am by Aaron Wall, APR
Lately I’ve been thinking about what to expect at our upcoming Summer Social. Salsa dancing I must admit is somewhat alien to me. Having grown up in the Wesleyan Church, it goes without saying that most forms of dancing are alien to me. In fact, I had to take lessons just to be able to waltz at my own wedding. So when Teresa Loflin, our VP of membership told me the theme for this year’s social is “Salsa the Night Away with PRSA,” I thought, “this should be interesting.”
So I did a little research on the subject and was intrigued at just how much culture could be woven into one basic form of dance. Did you know there are no less than nine different styles of Salsa? Cuban, Los Angeles, New York, Venezolana, Columbian, Mambo, Peurto Rican, La Rueda and Salsa Disco. I’m not certain which style or variation of styles we’ll be taught on Tuesday evening, but I am sure its going to be fun.
And it’s looking like were going to have a great turnout too, with lots of new members and quests. I’m looking forward to a fun and exciting event. Hope to see you there.
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07.02.08
Posted in Professional Development at 5:05 pm by John Mims, APR
Yesterday’s post about the lifecycle of our blog got me thinking. While he does not come right out and say it, it appears that Rick is over this blog thing. Well, should he be?
While I personally follow blogs and have my own, I do not think that every company, every client every individual should have a blog. Blogs are merely another tactic in our public relations arsenal. Sometimes they make sense for our companies and clients. Sometimes, they don’t.
For the Tar Heel Chapter, I see this blog as moderately important. Outside of our meetings, there is no place for us to share opinions with the chapter as a whole. This blog also gives our members a forum to ask advice of other members. This blog was never intended to replace communications options but rather to enhance and add to them.
So, is anyone reading? Turns out, we have a decent following. As of the writing of this post, we have 117 members in the Tar Heel Chapter. Last month we had 153 unique visitors. Each month, that total continues to grow. On top of that, we had 1,329 visits last month meaning that our 153 visitors stopped by the blog more than 8 times. That number, too, has been on the increase since the inception of the blog. Clearly, someone has found value in the posts on this blog.
Rick is right about the frequency of blogging. Frankly, consistency is a problem with most blogs. In the one year that this blog has been operational, we have had about 30 posts or about 2.5 a month. Some months we have more; some we have less. In most cases, the heavy months occur when there is a major PRSA event.
What can we do? Well, more people can post on the blog. If you want to post on the blog, sign up. Having more voices only helps deliver to our readers. You all have information that you can share with the group. Another option is to post comments. Comments are dying on blogs across the Internet. Although readership is up, fewer people are commenting. No one knows why. On this blog, we can buck that trend.
In the end, the conversation about using blogs is akin to using newspapers as a medium. It is important that we understand both mediums and use them when the strategy calls for it.
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Posted in PRSA News at 5:03 pm by Donnie Turlington
Today, I was churning through my G.reader and RSS feeds and found the latest post on PRSA Tar Heel’s blog about the lifecycle of a blog. The topic of the blog post made me ponder the usefulness of the Tar Heel blog, but only for a split second. I realized that the blog is actually working to perfection. While we fall short of having daily posts, it’s still a great tool for connecting with other PR professionals, creating conversation and gaining valuable feedback. This day and age, it’s important to have multiple channels of messaging in order to be able to communicate. PRSA Tar Heel consists of 117 members, and growing, and it’s impossible to have daily one-on-one communication with each member. However, we can use this blog to keep members updated, converse about interesting trends and topics, help each other and learn other PR professional’s valuable opinions.
Seems to me that the blog is an effective tool and the results prove that the communication is meaningful, on target and making a positive difference for the membership. This blog alone has led to an increase in the number of subscribers to HARO, provided topics for monthly chapter meetings, led to new chapter members and non-member involvement, and assisted several members in their professional activity.
All hail the PRSA Tar Heel blog!
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07.01.08
Posted in PRSA News at 9:48 am by Rick Hodson
Call me a cynic, a dinosaur, or a fuddy-duddy, but I like traditional communication—the kind where I can see someone face-to-face, or at least talk to them on the telephone. This whole “social media” thing still escapes me. Take this blog, for example. As I was looking at it this morning, I noticed that no one had posted in almost a month. Is it the time of year, lack of time, or maybe just lack of interest?
Remember, we’re the kind of people who are supposed to LOVE this stuff. I would be curious as to your thoughts on the life cycle of a blog, and where this one relates to others in the “blogosphere.”
One item in the news that caught my eye recently reminds me that letters matter. Not just words – letters. The state of North Carolina announced recently it would take back any license plate that had the letters WTF before the three numbers. Now, being a former state employee and not up on the latest technology, I guess I could see how this happened. The lesson here might be that all future letter combinations on license plates should first be approved by a group of teenagers.
On the other hand, last year the airport in Sioux City, Iowa finally decided to stop trying to change its three-letter airport identifier, and instead make it the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. There are now announcements on everything from luggage tags to t-shirts that proudly asks people to “FLY SUX.” Being a proud Iowan, I once decided I would show my pride by buying a vanity plate that proclaimed to the world my home state. I took my cue from a plate I had seen that used the two letter VT (the abbreviation for Vermont) followed by the word NATIVE – the plate read VTNATIVE. Unfortunately, the state abbreviation for Iowa is IA, so my plate read IANATIVE. That plate lasted about three months. Yes, letters really do matter.
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06.05.08
Posted in PRSA News at 10:22 am by Caroline Matthews
I’m in the middle of my third week as graphics intern for the Houston Astros Baseball Club, and I hate to brag, but I’m going to brag… it’s been the best experience EVER. Not only do I get VIP paid parking in the Diamond Club lot, I get to wear this spiffy Astros badge around on game days that makes me feel like all the fans look at me thinking “Who’s that girl!?” Never have I shopped for business clothes before, worn three inch high heels (now I’m a daunting 6’2’’) or started bright an early at 8:30 a.m. every morning. “Welcome to the real world,” my mom tells me when I come home at about 6:30 on most nights. Well hello, real world. I like you! I look at you guys and just have no idea how you do it! You are super parents with stellar jobs— I can only hope to be like you all!
My internship isn’t anything PR related, but I’m tucked in with the marketing department so I’m very connected me will all aspects of baseball image and promotion. From creating scouting brochures to stadium signage and promo design (10,000 children will be carrying around MY back to school binder in August! WOWEE!) it has been a whirl wind experience. Why? THEY ARE LETTING ME DO SO MUCH IT’S OBSCENE! (Sorry for all the capital letters, I’m just trying to emphasize my ridiculous excitement and love for all the work I’ve been doing!)
I’d like to take this opportunity to share some insight as a current intern. So if you yourself have an intern sitting in the cubicle down the call, here’s some advice:
1. We don’t mind being called interns or referred to as one. We don’t even mind getting you coffee (as long as we get some too!) Just make sure that everyday we have some sort of challenge. Avoiding monotony is crucial.
2. Make us feel wanted within your department or office. You hired us, use us!
3. Really try to get to know us. We aren’t sure how friendly co-worker relations are, so help us out and set an example.
4. Guide us by example. Show us how you want us to dress and act by your own personal actions. It’s one thing to be handed a dress code guideline on paper, and it’s another to show us what you think is professional and smart for your office.
And if you don’t have an intern, GET ONE! It’s not too late, there are plenty of students who would LOVE to work for you. Make some phone calls and get started.
Internship Coordinator at Elon University: Maggie Mullikin at (336) 278-6336 or mmullikin@elon.edu
The Career Counselor at UNG-G: (336) 334-5454
UNC Chapel Hill’s Career Services: (919) 962-6507 or e-mail them at ucs@unc.edu
Best of luck to you and your endeavours!
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