11/24/2015 Chris Walsh's COMM232 Blog https://cwalsh15.wordpress.com/ 1/16 Chris Walsh's COMM232 Blog The Eighth Annual Grunig Gala On Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, UMD held the Eighth Annual Grunig Gala, featuring 17 PR Professionals there to advise young PR Majors at UMD. While I have not narrowed down my target PR industry, I have been captivated by entertainment, political and health PR. Having a wide range of professionals from all different backgrounds allowed me to investig ate which components were most essential in each field as well as the skills necessary in all areas. Data-driven confidence
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, UMD held the Eighth Annual Grunig Gala, featuring 17PR Professionals there to advise young PR Majors at UMD. While I have notnarrowed down my target PR industry, I have been captivated by entertainment,political and health PR. Having a wide range of professionals from all different backgrounds allowed me to investigate which components were most essential ineach field as well as the skills necessary in all areas.
(https://reader009.{domain}/reader009/html5/0319/5aaf5fe1f044c/5aaf5fe3ebe Jessica McKesey is a UMD Alumna specializing in travel and leisure PR
Photo courtesy of Linkedin
(https://cwalsh15.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/2871372258_5e75884f41.jpg)Almacy has spent decades in political and issue advocacy PR and feels rewarded
by the effort he puts into his work. Photo courtesy of Linkedin
One of the first Professionals I conversed with was Jessica McKesey, Senior MediaPlanner at R&R Resources. Her job entails outreach through digital marketing for
major travel and leisure clients such as MGM National Harbor. In the plethora of advice she had to offer, she emphasized speaking confidently is crucial to success.One ay to ensure this confidence is backing your argument with data. “Every yearor two new analytic systems are emerging that really help,” McKesey contends. “If you can reference cold-hard facts to back your reasoning, you will have an easiertime persuading clients and coworkers.” Because of this data-driven advantage,she urges students to seize any opportunities they can using data and analyticsystems that will be crucial in their field of profession.
(https://reader009.{domain}/reader009/html5/0319/5aaf5fe1f044c/5aaf5fe4a57Unsure what career path she wanted to embrace in college, Smith took
advantage of every internship opportunity she could seize. Photocourtesy of Linkedin
The second professional I spoke with was David Almacy of EngageCommunications. His background as an official spokesman for the PresidentGeorge W. Bush Campaign helped him realize his interest in political and issueadvocacy PR. After asking him what traits or considerations were more crucial inpolitical and issue advocacy PR, Almacy emphasized “knowing all your publics;not just the voters and political opponents, but especially your own team of coworkers.” Almacy explained that he always ran final prints of press releases andother documents by fellow editors and heads of staff to ensure all team members
would be on the same page and prepared to act. Almacy also stressed that it wasthe sense of reward he felt from doing his job that propels him to work so hard.
Practice makes perfect
With an interest in the health PR field, I spoke with Kathy Smith, VP Marketingand Communications for John Hopkins Medical Center. While my mother hasworked in Health PR for decades, I have never had the opportunity to see her
work first-hand. Consequentially, I asked Smith how I can get a betterunderstanding of what goes into Health PR and her day-to-day routine.“Internships, Internships, Internships,” Smith stressed. “There is a lot of stress inHealth PR, especially when trying to keep patients, donors and board members onthe same page.” She continued to emphasize organization, strong timemanagement and similarly to what Jessica McKesey said, confidence is everythingwhen delivering information.
(https://cwalsh15.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/img_0848.jpg)Students can sign up for their own professional Linkedin profile photo.
Photo by Chris Walsh
Additional tools for PR students
In addition to insightful PR Professionals willing to give their advice in the PRindustry, booths were set up along the side of the ballroom where students could
design their own business cards and take LinkedIn profile photos with the help of a professional photographer. All in all, the Grunig Gala was extremely successfulin preparing students as they transition into their professions.
Newseum Visit
Last Friday, I visited Washington D.C.’s Newseum(http://www1.newseum.org/online-ad/adults_attraction.html?gclid=CK_0jJj0scgCFcQUHwodwoAG-w). Walking through exhibits, I learned animmense amount about the ethics involved in reporting, technology’s influence onhow news is delivered and finally, the impact the media have on framingunforgettable events in history. Of all exhibits I immersed myself in, the 9/11Memorial Exhibit moved me greatest. Seeing the exhibit before my own eyesreminded me the value of urgency, accuracy and the medias’ roles in framingstories.
Messages to lost loved ones projected on the wall at the back of the exhibit. Photoby Chris Walsh
The horrific events that took place on Sept. 11, 2001 forever changed our nationand affected the lives of millions. Although I was only 6 years old, I will neverforget sitting in my classroom and hearing my teacher deliver the horrific news.While I am from Boston, many of my friends had family in New York City the dayof the attack.
Urgency during crisis
Concerned with their loved ones’ statuses, everyone anxiously waited and reliedon breaking news regarding the tragedy. Breaking News was casting from everystation (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/911-tv-coverage_n_940613.html) to report casualties, missing persons and degree of damages. Furthermore, Americans yearned to know who was responsible for suchhorrific acts.
(https://cwalsh15.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/img_0703.jpg)A tower of rubble stands at the center of the exhibit reminding us to never
forget. Photo by Chris Walsh
Major TV stations broadcasted live footage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfYQAPhjwzA) of the World Trade Towers by 8:52 a.m. The exhibit itself contains the wall of newspapers from that day, displaying front-page stories of theattack. News outlets jumped onto the story as it was still unfolding. Still, viewerswaited for hours and even days for some information because news organizationsshould ensure accurate reporting before sending out the first catches they find.
Ensuring Accuracy
While major news organizations had ample reporters and incoming information,the media had to filter which information was accurate and appropriate to report.Working with the government to exchange information ensured accurate reportingand preventing sensitive information from being leaked that might compromisethe CIA’s investigation.
The strongest effect that this exhibit instilled in me was the how powerfully themedias framed the events that took place that day. Often, I forget that the news isnot a crystal-clear window to the world. The news editors’ choices of video,photographs and narrative all contribute to painting its own perspective of theevent.
Live footage of the falling towers, photographs of New Yorkers retreating from therubble and narratives of news anchors portraying the extreme terror, damage and
American resilience still send chills down my spine.
An unforgettable day, massive tragedy and one of the most heavily-covered eventsin history by news outlets truly emphasized the necessity for urgency as well asaccuracy in news reporting. Finally, the medias’ coverage demonstrated theirability to frame stories in a context.
Public Relations in the
Snowboard Industry
For years, snowboarding companies from local boardshops to larger corporationshave struggled to predict trends in equipment for riders, publicize their brand andfinally, make a profit while catering to all spectrums of the snowboardingaudience. Many snowboard companies failed (http://yobeat.com/2015/01/09/a-long-list-of-dead-snowboard-brands/) as quickly as they succeeded.
salt-lake-city-by-gabe-lheureux-2.jpg)Zak Hale, Salt Late City. Photo by Gabe LHeureux
Snowboarding’s culture is polarized between the capitalist side of the sport andthe grassroots. The capitalist culture involves heavily sponsored, televisedcompetitions including big-name professionals and extremely large coursefeatures. A common criticism of this realm is that it compromises creativity andstyle for greater flips and rotations in order to impress uninformed judges.
On the other hand, grassroots snowboarders dedicate their riding to style andcreativity; often filming full-year street parts to express their definition of the sportthrough the editing, choice of tricks and additional audio/visual content .It is notsurprising for these “core” snowboarders to protest the capitalistic side of the sportthat they believe bargain the sports integrity for greater profits. Misrepresentation by poorly informed commentators during televised events as well as cuttinggrassroots devisions in snowboard companies has led to a misrepresentation of snowboarding and left some of the sport’s greatest contributors out to dry.
Misrepresentation and Abandonment
One of the greatest mistakes that snowboard organizations have made in news-editing recently have been conventional medias’ poor narrative of these largetelevised events. For example, BBC recently apologized for misreporting OlympicMedal Recipients (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2555857/Hundreds-
Snowboarding apparel company Burton Snowboards was recently criticized bypopular snowboard magazine Yobeat for terminating their grassroots-focused sponsorship program , “The Knowbuddies(http://www.snowboarder.com/videos/knowbuddy-was-here/#ooZM4Wryg3H5kLAA.97).” Criticism stemmed from their company as wellas many ‘core’ snowboards for eliminating Burton’s talented, respected,street snowboard program that enabled talented snowboarders who stray fromcompeting in Big-Name competitions to film full-year street parts. This negativepublicity has turned off many core snowboarders especially through onlinethreads like Reddit(https://www.reddit.com/r/snowboarding/comments/3i9e22/yo_beat_an_open_letter_to_jake_and_donna_burton/) after Yobeat released an open letter toBurton:
In an public relations environment with rapidly changing trends and preferencesof riders, big and small brands must utilize a handful of strategies to preserve thegrassroots side of the sport while
Returning to your roots
1. The most direct way brands can preserve and expand their awareness isthrough utilizing social media like Instagram.
Small companies such as House of 1817(https://instagram.com/1817_/) have already started releasingsnowboarding content through this application and gained a quick following for their subculture, grassroots emphasis: unusual tricks, low-
budget projects and mind-bending new moves.2. Furthermore, Brands and snowboard companies should put more emphasis on
supporting the street riders and amateurs who have proven through part aftervideo part that they have what it takes to be great. Simply funding videoprojects or supplying apparel to young ‘core’ riders would surely attractattention from their demographic.
“Knowbuddies” is not the only sponsorship outreach that has appealed to‘core’ riders. Volcom has their own “GROM” program that enables youngriders to snowboard with older professionals who want to preserve thesubculture sport’s philosophy. Hailed for their famous video parts and
(https://reader009.{domain}/reader009/html5/0319/5aaf5fe1f044c/5aaf5feca393cHawk Island, Photo: Michigan Boarder
unique style, these grassroots professionals encouraged young, ambitiousparticipants to focus on defining snowboarding by how they want to ride,not by what will win a gold metal.
3. Finally, brands express their intent for goodwill by providing public spaces ,called snow parks, that participants can ride at for free, making the sport moreaffordable.
Hawk Island Gateway Park (http://yobeat.com/2014/04/07/gateway-parks-bring-snowboarding-to-the-city/) opened a snow park free for thepublic to use in an effort by professional snowboarder Ryan Neptune toenable that snowboarding is accessible to those who cannot afford season orlift tickets.
Deeming certain brands who advertise their products at these televised
competitions often are deemed by ‘core’ snowboarders as uncool or sell-outs;choosing to advertise their brand at a nationally televised event rather than give back to the community of riders who continue to push the sport in other aspects.
My contribution
I have always valued the grassroots side of snowboarding while frowned upon believing competition was the key to progression in the sport. Below I haveattached a project of mine I worked on for the 2013-14 Season featuring my friendsand I, supported by Gopro, Monster Energy and RideLiveBe:
Spending my summer as an assistant account coordinator at Allied IntegratedMarketing (http://alliedim.com/)gave me great insight into the necessities of
successful public outreach. I hope through a new and improved Winter newsletter,we can inform clients and in-office peers on previous successful outreach, socialmedia strategy proposals and information on upcoming events around D.C. topartner with in order to promote our clients’ films.
Immerging Social Media Providing NewPathways to Networking
While Facebook remains the dominant social media outlet, many contenders aregrowing more rapidly and creating a need to understand their novel forms of communication. Of the many immerging social media outlets, I contend thatTwitter, Instagram and Wigo may provide the most valuable channels forpromotion and networking.
Twitter Rapidly Gains Momentum
In the last five years, Twitter’s monthly user activity has skyrocketed 1000 percentaccording Statista.com (http://www.statista.com/statistics/282087/number-of-monthly-active-twitter-users/). Comparatively, Facebook’s monthly activity hasgrown at a much slower rate. This increased dependency on Twitter as a socialmedia outlet hallmarks its importance in understanding its means of outreach.
I suggest using more promotional strategies through Twitter that will trend andpromote our client’s image.
Sophomore Economics major Adam Holland contemplates how organizationscan better understand diversity. Photo taken by Chris Walsh
Through incentivizing students to host screenings of our client’s films on Wigo, weeffortlessly gain publicity while putting an immense amount of work and burdeninto the student promoter’s hands.
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How Organizations Promote Cultural
Sensitivity and Social Awareness
Because Allied-THA serves numerous clients (http://alliedim.com/clients/) ,many with target publics differing by race, ethnicity, age and sexual orientation, itis essential for employees to understand cultural sensitivity and embrace diversity.
Allied-THA Defines Diversity
Keith Burns (http://www.spj.org/divws1.asp), writer and reporter for PoynterInstitute, urges companies to, “Include in your coverage those who havefrequently been left out of the news.” Particularly, minorities such as black people,gays, lesbians and women, represent an essential and large public for many of ourclients.
From our client L’Oreal, whose main consumer demographic is composed of women, to major film organizations promoting positive social agenda through
their movies, our organization must tailor our promotions to the demographicsthey serve to help.
While the need for diversity and cultural education is inevitable, achieving it is notso simple. True cultural consciousness requires proper research, and inclusivethinking in the workplace.
“Companies need cultural education as well as a diverse employee body on alllevels of employment,” says Sophomore Economics major Adam Holland. “Thatway voices from all backgrounds can be heard equally.”
Taking steps diversifying Allied’s employee body (http://alliedim.com/our-people/) while providing insightful cultural education programs will promotesocial equality and encourage greater understanding of many of the publics thatthe organization targets.
Communicating Efficiently and Correctly
When reporting about or describing African Americans, the National Associationof Black Journalists Style Guide (http://www.nabj.org/?styleguideA) emphasizesusing African, black or African American when referring to someone whoidentifies as black.
Through identifying all cultures by the politically correct name, Allied-THA cantake the first step towards providing fair, equal and balanced information thatappeals to all demographics.
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SEO: Mediabistro modernizes theJob Market
With the internet bridging the gap amongst people all over the world, the website,mediabistro.com, enables potential workers to connect with employers much moreefficiently. Simply fill out your desired location and keyword for desired job, andin a fraction of a second you are connected to every opening for your search intheir massive database. It enables the job hunter so save hours of looking in papersor cold calling places, now that all of the information is collected.
Your job is just a click away
Mediabistro is efficient in providing a clearer picture of the job market, both foremployers and potential employees. It eliminates many of the barriers that preventpeople from finding jobs or candidates. For example, someone in Boston might not be informed of a similar job position available in New York.
The website also provides crash courses to sharpen career skills. Choosing from avariety of options, the potential employee can learn the way most comfortable forthem such as:
Boot campsOnline coursesIn person coursesSelf-paced courses
CertificationTraining
Individuals can even gain certification in certain professions. Truly, Mediabistro brings all the crucial elements of Job-searching to one source.
Resume Revamp
After completing some courses or gaining certification, you may want to add it toyour resume. Conveniently, the website also has a resume builder, titled “ResumeRevamp”, ensuring you are completely ready for employment. Simply follow theirformatting and directions and within the hour you will have yourself resumeconvincing even you to hire yourself.
