Something for everyone

The infamous football holiday is quickly approaching. Personally growing up I hated the super bowl. The only thing I truly appreciated was the fact that there seemed to be plenty of chocolate to eat and soda to drink. However my interested was piqued when I searched for public relations in the news. My search came up with the article “NFL’s wildest week is PR chief’s time to shine.” Reading the article I started to actually feel…excited for the super bowl. I mean if somebody had told me that the super bowl isn’t all about foot ball then I wouldn’t have been kicking and screaming every time I was dragged to a super bowl party.

It is filled to the brim with public relations. It has become beloved by all because of the public relations behind it. It takes a lot of pr work to pull off the super bowl. Brian McCarthy, vice president of communications for the NFL shares that once he had to tell an entertainer that his fly was down before the entertainer went out to perform. That is what I love about public relations is that it is never mundane and always offers something new.

Article found on: http://tampabay.com/news/business/article970759.ece

Even supposed criminals need PR

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been in the media spotlight for the past of couple of weeks. Blagojevich is accused of selling Barack Obama’s senate seat and the Illinois state senate is looking to impeach him. He has shown that he will not go down without a fight. In an article posted on fox news (see link below) it reports that he has hired a public relations firm to help him in defending his character. To be honest this caught me by surprise. I didn’t really think pr firms worked with people facing criminal charges. However it makes sense for him to enlist the help of a pr firm. They can help with getting his voice out there for everyone to hear. With the impeachment process just barely starting today it looks like Blagojevich will need a lot of help.


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/24/blago-hires-drew-petersons-pr-firm-media-blitz/

Bureau of Labor Statistics

What is the outlook for public relations? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics employment opportunities are on the rise in a very competitive entry level environment. A way Advertising is one of the industries related to public relations which are expected to grow the most. They suggest that if you combine your degree with experience then you will have better luck. Other jobs that have similar duties as public relations include marketing, promotions, sales managers, news analysts and reporters.

Response to article on PR week: “Ketchum employee’s Tweet sets off disagreement with client”

After reading this article a saying came to my mind, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” In today’s internet based society you can find stupid mistakes made by people everyday. When working in the PR industry one should strive to always be professional. What comes to mind when you think of the word professional? I think of being kind, considerate, friendly, reliable, responsible and most of all respectable. The employee has learned this lesson the hard way

Research

On Law and Order and other crime fighting shows, detectives go with their “gut instinct” on occasion. In the real world unfortunately gut instinct can only get you so far. What really pays off is research to back up your claim. In the PR world companies are less likely to invest unless they have proof that it is worth it. Who could blame them? Taking the extra time to know all of the figures will save time, money, and keep people in careers. Research used by people in the public relations industry is found on the internet, through surveys, focus groups and much more. Information is available on everything and anything all that a person needs to do is to go looking for it.

History and PR

I have not always been a fan of history. To this day it is still one of my least favorite subjects. Keeping it from being the subject that I hate the most is the fact that history can teach me something. This stood out to me when reading the chapter on history of public relations in my textbook for my Intro to Public Relations class.

The practice of Public Relations has been around for a long time. Evidence of public relations being used can be found in 427 to 347 BC, to when colonies were being established, and to being around in today’s society.
One thing that stood out to me was the fact that PR seemed to thrive during hard times in history. A prime example of this was the Revolutionary War and the war that Samuel Adams did. He used slogans and events to influence public opinion.

While starting out in the PR field I can learn what to do and what not to do from history. The people who established the public relations field and who were “pioneers” have some of the best lessons to teach me about PR. It is like my textbook says in the chapter preview, “it is the lessons we learn from history that make its study important to us.”