Monthly Archives: March 2012

Jason Mollica

Fine Tune Your Social Focus

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I’m old enough to remember the days of bringing a Walkman into my bed at night to try and listen to baseball. On the clearest of nights, I could hear the radio home of the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals, and sometimes, the Boston Red Sox from my New Jersey bedroom. However, most times, I’d have to deal with plenty of static and interference.In our social media world today, we have the same issues. While we can “hear” some of the most influential PR/social media/marketing folks, we still need to get through the “static” to actually listen. Why? Our Facebook and Twitter streams are clouded with too much noise and clutter that affects what we take in.

So, how can we better listen and engage our followers? Here are five tips to fine tune your focus on social networks. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Has PR Become a ‘Lightning Rod of Mistrust’?

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Lightning © by veggiefrog

Lord Tim Bell, head of the U.K.-based PR firm Bell Pottinger, thinks so.

That’s what he told a crowd gathered in Dubai for the recent IPRA Public Relations World Congress and reiterated in an excellent interview with The Holmes Report.

Lord Bell is asked why he feels that public relations has become a “lightning rod for mistrust.” His response is intriguing inasmuch as it provides a nuanced view of a much broader issue afflicting the profession: its reputation within business and society.

Lord Bell sees “no solution to [the] issue,” of public relations’ reputation challenges, he tells The Holmes Report’s Arun Sudhaman, believing that “We [have] become the lightning rod for that mistrust. It is something we have to learn to live with. That makes us an easy target for the media.” Continue reading →

Deborah Weinstein

The Importance of Making it REAL at Counselors Academy

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Running an independent PR agency can be a rewarding, yet risky business, with a variety of personal and professional challenges, adequate to fill a lifetime of sleepless nights. These include:

  • Constant, relentless price-cutting competition from multi-national agencies with deep pockets and a New Biz funnel that extends around the world;
  • The need to be a trend-spotting, trendsetter, always paving the way at the cutting-edge of PR best practices;
  • Learning and improving your business leadership skills, while trying to balance your business and personal life;  Continue reading →
John Trader

What Spaghetti Sauce Can Teach Us About Empathy

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Ragu - Das Original © by Toni Birrer

Earlier this month, Ragu spaghetti sauce launched a video Facebook campaign called “Ragu Asks” aimed at uncovering the mystery of how parents motivate their finicky kids to eat. The short, 30 second video content that followed was created based on responses from their community and the result was a string of hilarious videos depicting parents going to bizarre lengths to get their kids to eat, which as most parents know can often times be a monumental struggle. Although the content was extremely exaggerated and a bit absurd it seemed to strike a chord with parents through its deft blend of comedy and desperation to speak at what can often be a daily struggle that parents fight to keep kids nourished and healthy. Continue reading →

Uncategorized

Survey says… Independent PR Firms Have Surge in New Biz

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This year is off to a roaring start for independent communications/public relations firms, according to a new study by Worldcom Public Relations Group. The partner agencies of Worldcom forecast the hiring of new staff and are experiencing an increase in business and budgets.Worldcom Public Relations Group surveyed CEO’s from national and international partner agencies servicing clients ranging from small to mid-sized businesses to Fortune 50 companies.  The survey indicates a high percentage of new business growth in the technology, consumer, healthcare, professional and financial service sectors. Continue reading →

Linzy Roussel Cotaya

Creativity Can Be A Rare Commodity

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Think Outside the Box © by Lel4nd

We have all seen a campaign launched for a competitor that is just brilliant and out of the box creative. You beat yourself up about why you didn’t think of that first or what you will say to your client or boss when the campaign is mentioned. You start racking your brain trying to think of what you can come up with to top it…and you can’t come up with anything.

With multiple clients all wanting the next greatest PR strategy, it is hard to keep the creative juices flowing. Creativity doesn’t happen on demand and it usually happens in strange places, such as the shower or at the dry cleaners, when your mind is elsewhere. Continue reading →

Shelly Kramer

How to Get a Job in PR: Understand the Power of Connectivity

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42/365 - Plugged In © by EcoVirtual

I gave a presentation called Connectivity: Empowering You, Empowering Your Career a few weeks ago to the PRSSA organization at the University of Kansas. My advice: getting a job in PR is all about understanding the power of connectivity, for sure. But it’s also about understanding marketing and the role of the Internet in business today.

Since many of the readers here are at the early stages in their careers and/or looking for jobs, either in the Public Relations field, in Marketing or as Social Media Community Managers, I thought the things shared to the PRSSA group might be interesting. Continue reading →