In my six plus years in the PR “world” a number of friends have shared their Devil Wears Prada like horror stories about the competitive nature of this industry among their colleagues and managers. For these friends, sharing media contacts is taboo, asking questions of your boss/team lead to make sure you understand an assignment is blasphemy and supporting the success of your team mates is unheard of. With that kind of thought process who would want to build their career in this field? Continue reading
Tag Archives: PR
Does your firm work as a team?
When I had my first interview with Co-Communications, Account Manager Danielle Cyr, looked me straight in the eye with an icy glare and said: “We are not competitive here. Are you competitive?”
After I almost wet myself out of sheer fear of Danielle (we are best buds now, don’t worry!), I thought “yeah, I am competitive! I used to dance, horseback ride, play the violin, compete in pageants. I love competition.”
Danielle went on to further explain. She had seen the ugly-side of competitive at other jobs. She had seen cutthroat, death-stare, whispering behind backs competition. Continue reading
Madison Avenue Goes Back to the Future
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on NBC’s allowing marketers to tack products on their programs promoting a cause, health or social issue, citing Campbell Soup as an upcoming sponsor for Today Show health segments in November and February.
This got me thinking – is advertising blurring the space between product placement and advertising? A throwback to days of yore? Continue reading
Is Synergy Part of Your Strategy?
Marketers, branding strategists, advertising agencies and PR pros alike probably wish they didn’t see it. I speak from experience when I say it makes me twitch a little. And I know it confuses consumers more than it benefits them.
So what is this annoying little blemish that irks us all and ages us prematurely? The case of the confused brand.
Your brand has an identity (of note, the use of ‘an’ indicates singularity)
Yes, brands can represent different things to different people. Starbucks can represent convenience to some and quality to others. Different values aside, it doesn’t mean each market needs a different version of your logo. Or that your Facebook and Twitter should appear so dissimilar that the consumer questions whether or not the same brand/product is being represented.
So just where do these little differences hide? Continue reading
Christina’s Coffee Talk: With the Parents of PRBC
This week’s coffee talk was inspired by a question that I am sure most people in PR have answered: “What exactly is it that you do?” So instead of making another PR professional answer this question for the millionth time, I turned to the people who never seem to get it: my parents. But I couldn’t let them have all the fun, so I had PRBC ask at least one of their parents too. I have to admit, I thought the answers were going to be more off base, perhaps confusing PR with marketing or advertising but I was definitely wrong. Overall I think they did a pretty good job, but I’ll let you decide. Continue reading
Allow Me to Disagree. . .
Considering I’m writing these thoughts in a blog post, and that the #PRBC was formed through Twitter, I think it’s safe to say I understand the value of social media. That said, I also understand its limitations and that it is one piece of the publicity puzzle; a puzzle that include events, traditional media placements and a comprehensive strategy which ensures synergy amongst all components.With that in mind, it’s no surprise that a recent blog post (you’ll want to note this was a blog post as you keep reading,) The Fallacy of Facebook: Twittering Away Our Time, rubbed me the wrong way. By no means do I disagree with all points made, but I think this post warrants some scrutiny and careful examination. Continue reading
What the HECK do my clients think? Spending a bit too much time on Twitter…?
Please tell me I’m not the only one. You sit at your desk, trying to hold in the giggles from something brilliantly funny that just popped into your head. “I have to tweet that! I’m a genius!” you say. (Ok, that’s a bit far from what I say to myself, but you get the point.)
But wait! My client Scooby Doo Scuba Gear follows me on Twitter . . . Shoot! I can’t tweet that. They will see it. They will think I’m nuts. Continue reading
Can Publicists Be Friends?
In a recent post, fellow PRBC-er Kate, posed the question: “Can publicists and journalists be friends?” It is an interesting issue that elicited a number of responses from our readers. It also made me question if publicists can be friends with other publicists.
During my former life within the music industry, my particular job was extremely competitive and we were all fighting over the same client pool. I met my very best friend on the planet while we both worked at competing agencies. We hit it off right away and we were able to relate to each other because we had the same job. Continue reading
Dear Reporter – We’re Really Here to Help
I’m not one to state the obvious but this needs to be said – PR pros are here to help reporters. We’re here to provide information, coordinate interviews and come through with a last minute source when deadline knocks.
It’s not just about us touting our clients and promoting our business partners, it’s about being a source, and more importantly, a resource. Continue reading
Flack in Training Vol. 5 – The Interview
So you’ve sent your resume to all the agencies in your area that are hiring (and hopefully some that aren’t, just in case!) and you’ve landed your first interview. Getting a potential employer to take that step from having your resume to actually calling you and scheduling a time to speak is difficult, but the biggest hurdle of the entire job search process is getting through your interview alive. Ok, so I may be exaggerating slightly, but going on your first PR interview and not knowing what to expect can be pretty terrifying. Since I spent the entire summer going on all sorts of interviews, I’ve picked up on some tips and things that you should know to help you shine, stand out, and hopefully get that coveted first job offer. Continue reading