Public Relations Archives - Page 7 of 24

Soulati Media On The Street With Event Planning Tips

05/22/2013 By Jayme Soulati

It was a distinct pleasure to watch this young and up-and-comer whip snap event planning logistics into place for the New South Digital Marketing Conference May 17, 2013 in Myrtle Beach.

My guest today in this edition of Soulati Media On The Street is Allie Wallis, account executive with The Brandon Agency, hosts of the show.

As I also had the distinct pleasure of speaking at this show, Blogging Soup to Nuts: Tools, Tales, Tips (you can get the deck right here), I was front and center with Allie’s professionalism, vibrancy, and detail-mindedness.

I hope the Brandon Agency keeps cuffs on her so no one steals her amazing talent.

Here, she offers three tips for event planners managing the show.

I love this interview. #That.Is.All. Big round of applause, Allie!

Interview with Allie Wallis of The Brandon Agency

Twitter Hoax Spirals Markets

04/24/2013 By Jayme Soulati

Hackers got into an Associated Press Twitter account on April 23, 2013 and erroneously tweeted that two bombs in the White House had injured President Obama.

Image via CrunchBase

Stocks took an immediate downward spiral, “erasing $200 billion of value from U.S. stock markets Tuesday, underscoring the vulnerability of financial markets to computerized trading programs that buy and sell shares without human intervention,” according to today’s Wall Street Journal front page.

In the rest of the article, the alleged responsible party is the Syrian Electronic Army, a group backing Syrian President Assad. The group has apparently hacked into other national media in the U.S. and tagged websites.

The electronic software that deciphers tweets to influence trading are programmed to detect “bomb, hacked, blowing up” and other key words that indicate a disaster or lack thereof.

But, the facts remain; this incident took place over two minutes and U.S. markets were affected, although they nearly recovered the loss at the close of trading.

The Influence of Twitter

Let’s digest this story a moment. I’ll wait.

Were you astonished that a mere tweet could affect the financial markets of the U.S. with extension into global trading? Two minutes is not long, but apparently it is for traders.

At some brokerages, the humans (not the computer programs) with cognitive ability to monitor news feeds to corroborate a White House explosion, mentioned to traders, “careful, these Twitter ” and no phone calls were made to clients. Smart.

Luckily, the Associated Press took swift action to tweet retractions and hacked posts so everyone knew; however, the damage was done. Cyber-terrorism at its finest.

Analyze Your Twitter Account

How’s your password? When has it been changed?
Who has access to your corporate or company account?
Do agencies or third parties have your passwords?
What are they permitted to say?
Does the C-Suite monitor the Twitter stream to ensure content passes muster?
Who monitors the stream all day long?
What if your company didn’t monitor all day and your account was hacked, how long would it take for you to catch an erroneous tweet?

The likelihood of hackers caring about a small company account on Twitter is probably low; but stranger things have happened.Twitter has become a channel of influence; it’s no longer “I’m having steak for dinner tonight.” Pay attention, People; we’re in an era where our owned messages are sometimes not ours.

Using Comics In Annual Reports To Cut Clutter

04/22/2013 By Jayme Soulati

Credit: Loew’s Annual Report via BusinessWeek.com

In Bloomberg Businessweek April 22 – 28, 2013, a story about a comic book as an annual report was fetching enough to inspire this morning’s article.

The funny thing was, I read the name of the corporation using a comic book to inform shareholders as Lowe’s, my favorite giant hardware, lawn and garden store. Alas, the brand is Loews, just a transposition error.

Loews is a holding company for hotels, sells business insurance, and produces energy. Imagine writing an annual report for a company as diverse as this.

Its comic book annual report, also being called a graphic novel, stars Lotta Value, an investment hunter, who gallivants around Loews’s holdings and business units on adventures.

The creative team obviously had to think harder for this one. One critic of comic books in the article said the illustrations are “dead.” I’m impressed, but who am I?

Earned Media

Actually, I’m most impressed with the public relations team that earned nearly a two-page spread in Bloomberg Businessweek for Loews’s first foray into comic books as an annual report; complete with all the illustrations used in the “13-page graphic novel.”

Corporate communications teams that write annual reports need to dig up inspired creativity to cut through communications clutter for shareholders, stakeholders and other interested audiences.

Using comics, however, is a crapshoot. Just the drawings alone have to be remarkable. For a corporation as diverse as Loews, the illustrations and copywriting have to be way above on the creatosphere. It boils down to whether the concept appeals or if the communications team just doesn’t care.

Bloomberg Businessweek’s take on all this is pretty believable, so I’m going with that:

“The bottom line: Loews wants to attract more individual investors to its stock, which has returned an average of 16 percent annually for the past 50 years.”

Using drawings and stories for annual reports means the company is ready to take a few risks and keep on going. With the birth of PI Lotta Value, the corporate communications team has a whole lotta (heh) opportunity to develop more communications vehicles featuring these cartoons.

I wonder if Lotta Value will become the next inspiration for a new TV series ala The Walking Dead?

Michonne of The Walking Dead

9 Tips From College To PR Agency

04/03/2013 By Jayme Soulati

English: Crouse College, Syracuse University. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To say the transition from college to career is easy would be a lie. This new life chapter is rewarding and also a challenge.

Right after graduating from Syracuse University, I took an internship with a PR firm in New York City merely one month later. Within three months, I was hired full time and moved into an apartment. Luckily, my best friend moved came to New York shortly after me; it was comforting to have a small slice of college during this professional transition.

Now that I’m approaching my one-year anniversary as a NYC resident and Stuntman PR employee (June 18^th!) I’m much more settled. After spending 2012 sorting out chaos, I resolved to settle into a healthy and happier routine in 2013.

Tips From College To Work

1. Exercise. The first step I took was joining a gym. It had been months since I had really exercised and I knew it would provide a calm I seriously needed. My gym has great group fitness classes so I started going to yoga. I know yoga isn’t for everyone but it has been such a peaceful and necessary thing for me. After a long, stressful workday, it feels great to get a bit of exercise in and let my mind relax for a short while. It’s really a sanctuary for my mental health.

2. Work Hard. Being the low-man on the totem pole, I have a lot to learn about PR. Thankfully, I work in a very small agency and get to work closely with PR professionals who have been in the industry for 10+ years. It’s a fantastic opportunity to be able to learn from them and I will always be the first to advocate for interning or starting your career at a small agency over a large one. There are few things more satisfying that landing a great placement and impressing or gaining your boss’s praise, but that doesn’t come without dedication and hard work – something I am constantly reminding myself of.

3. Keep Learning. I rededicated myself to continuing my education after college. I had taken a social media class my senior year and didn’t want to forget what I had learned or lag behind the ever-developing industry. A few weeks ago, I attended a seminar during Social Media week. After so many months out of college it was great to be back learning from experts in my field and working toward making myself a better PR professional.

4. Stay Connected. During my refocusing, I realized I had grossly lost touch with social media as a means of learning and connecting. I had used Hootsuite during my social media class at Syracuse, and I’ve made it a point to always keep a tab with Hootsuite open and continually monitor my news feeds throughout the day.

It’s been a long ride (though it feels like time has flown by) but I’m excited about the positive changes and challenges facing me personally and professionally. I don’t think I’ll ever have all my ducks in a row but it’s been a happy struggle trying to.

5 Tips For Young Professionals

1. Breathe and relax. Find something that calms you and let yourself forget about the stressors of your day.

2. You’re most likely in an entry-level position and will have to handle certain tasks that aren’t interesting or don’t seem important, but always take them seriously. Doing your work well and efficiently will impress your bosses and earn you a promotion or more responsibility.

3. Work hard, play hard. It’s a common saying for a reason. It’s great to work hard and impress your boss and achieve career goals but balance is essential so you don’t burn out.

4. Seek opportunities to grow as a PR professional and expand your skills. Attend seminars or workshops to stay up to date on the latest trends and advancements in the industry. Blogging, whether you start your own or guest blog, is a great way to continuously fine tune writing.

5. Network. Stay connected with peers from college; they may be able to help you with your job search when you’re ready to move on to another company or can introduce you to more great connections. And of course, always try to be making new connections with professionals who have been in your industry longer than you. They’re an amazing resource for advice and in my experience have always been willing to help you succeed.

About The Author

Alyssa Dupre is an Account Coordinator at Stuntman PR and a recent graduate of Syracuse University. She happily lives in Brooklyn but still wishes it were London where her heart has resided since she studied abroad in the spring of 2011. Connect with her on Twitter @ASDupre.

Q & A With Journalism Professor @ProfKRG

03/26/2013 By Jayme Soulati

In this Q and A between Jayme Soulati and Assistant Professor Kenna Griffin of the Oklahoma City University Mass Communications Department, you will see what’s changed and what hasn’t about the world of writing and reporting in today’s social engagement era:

Soulati Q: How long have you been a professor in J School (journalism school for all those not in the know)?

I began teaching in the mass communications department at Oklahoma City University in Fall 2003. I teach primarily journalism, although I also teach media law, media ethics and public relations courses. I also advise the university’s student publications staff.

Soulati Q: What are the basics in the curriculum students must have to graduate?

Because we are a pure mass communications program, all students take certain courses (introduction to mass communications, mass communications research, mass media law and ethics, and a senior capstone). The students then choose a track area—print journalism, broadcasting, advertising or public relations— to study. Most of our students study in more than one track area, which helps to make them more well-rounded in the job market.

Soulati Q: Are you seeing an influx of people entering J School or a decline in the numbers in the last five years?

Honestly, we have seen a decline. However, that has not been the experience of other journalism schools in our area. The economy has resulted in us, a private university, seeing an overall enrollment decline.

Soulati Q: How has social media influenced how you teach journalism now?

Social media has completely changed the way I teach journalism. The Internet as a whole has leveled the playing field for journalists. We no longer have to wait for the next publication cycle to provide our audience with the information they need and want. We can report news in real time for the first time ever.

Soulati Q: Is there a social media track in J School or is it woven into courses?

Social media has become part of every course we teach, from News Reporting to Mass Media Research. I, personally, only teach one social media specific course, which is Social Media Marketing and Online Promotions. The class is cross listed between the mass communications department and the business school. The students enrolled typically are studying journalism, public relations or marketing. The course’s purpose is to teach them to create a strategic, measurable social media campaign for an organization, instead of the all too common approach to “use social media.”

Soulati Q: What’s your view of how journalism will continue to evolve based on how things stand today?

It’s interesting to hear people saying that newspapers are dying. I’m not convinced that this is the case or that it even matters. We know people are seeking out and consuming more information than ever before. Therefore, the need to give them factual information via the platform of their choice is in high demand. It’s been 30 or 40 years since there’s been a more exciting time to be a journalist!

Soulati Q: What are 3-5 tips you can offer writers seeking a career in journalism?

– Learn the fundamentals of our profession. Understand what makes someone a journalist as opposed to just another person with a keyboard.

– Focus on the basics. Recognizing news value, gathering information through interviewing sources, using AP Style and the inverted pyramid… these are basic skills of journalism that lay the foundation for your career.

– Be adaptable to change. The basic skills stay the same, but the delivery platform changes every day. Get excited about the possibilities of new, different ways to deliver information.

– Take advantage of all presented opportunities. I’m amazed by the students who don’t attend networking and training events. I know you’re busy. We’re all busy. But you have four years to fit in as much learning as you can. What you do in that time will determine to some extent your success afterward. Take advantage of every opportunity presented to learn more about journalism and to hone your craft.

– Network like it’s your full-time job. I don’t agree with the idea that it’s not “what you know, but who you know.” Success actually is a combination of both. You have to understand journalism more than you understand most things. Then, you must position yourself for career advancement. This means meeting people and helping them understand what skills you have that benefit them.

Soulati Q: Is everyone a writer?

Everyone can be a writer, but it’s more difficult for some while being intrinsic to others. Anyone can become a writer, but not every writer is a journalist. Journalism is a profession that requires training, an understanding of professional values, norms and routines, a method for practical application of the craft, and a network of others serving the profession. Simply having a platform or being able to form a sentence doesn’t make you a journalist. A journalist is more than someone who strings together words to form a sentence.

Soulati Q: Is there a career in this profession, or are you seeing it erode from the academic perspective?

There are more jobs available in journalism than there are professional journalists to fill them. This is one of the key reasons I started posting a weekly list of media jobs. You can read more about that here. The short answer is yes – journalism is a viable, thriving profession.

Soulati Q: Should students of today insulate their journalistic career with other skills besides news or feature writing?

Absolutely! Anyone in media that puts on their blinders to multimedia or even public relations aspects of the industry is just begging to be extinct. Being a good writer still is a critical skills, but it can’t be the only tool in your professional arsenal.

Soulati Q: Has social media broadened the scope of opportunity for students and young professionals today?

I think it has. Of course, I’m a lover of social media. I see two critical ways social has broadened opportunities for students. First, social media have created a whole new genre of exciting career opportunities in content promotion and community management. Second, social media allow students to create and maintain a professional network that will serve them well throughout their careers. This network is no longer bound by geography or professional, institutional hierarchies. You want to network with the CEO of an organization where you want to work post-graduation? Follow him/her on Twitter and start the conversation immediately.

Soulati Q: Do have any further sage counsel to share for anyone reading?

Change is frightening, but it won’t kill you. In fact, I’m pretty sure some have said it makes you stronger. What’s your purpose as a journalist? Focus on that. Everything else is just changing tools that allow you to do your job. The method is not the meaning.

About The Author

Kenna Griffin (@profkrg) is the blogger behind www.profkrg.com, which aims to create an ongoing educational dialogue between professional journalists and media students and educators. In her spare time she teaches journalism, multimedia, public relations, media law, and media ethics courses as a full-time university professor. Oh, and she is a doctoral candidate in mass communication on the side.