Girl Scout’s Meredith Foster to speak to Dr. Martin’s PR Class

Girl Scout’s Meredith Foster came to Dr. Martin’s PR class to speak on the daily activities she encounters as a PR representative for a non-profit organization. Meredith is the project specialist for The Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama; she works for the communications and advocacy program. She has many responsibilities such as, writing copy for publications, writing press releases, managing social media and even assisting in graphic design. Before Foster got to where she is today, she had to try her hand in a couple other jobs.

Foster earned a double degree in music and public relations. After she got out of college, Foster held a position at the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and it was here that she was introduced to the non-profit industry. Foster said that there are no set budgets in a non-profit organization and that she must always be thinking ahead of the game. She said it’s important to know the audience to to target a connection with them, that way she can better understand what the public will want from her and her organization.

Foster stated that it was important to research other blogs pertaining to non-profit organizations and to build up a portfolio. She stated that using social media to reach her audience was a vital tool that cost her company nothing. She said that social media gives organizations a simple way to let the audience know about upcoming events and press releases.  She told the class how important it is to start building important relationships with those who you work with, to try to expand your portfolio and most of all to get published; it’s important to prove your talents. Foster said it was important for her to work in a creative environment, for that was her strength and that if you can be a “jack-of-all-trades” it will help your chances of getting a job in the future.

Chris Davis from Fi-Plan Partners to speak to Dr. Martin’s PR Class

On Friday, April 13, 2012, Director of Integrated Communications, Chris Davis was a guest speaker to Dr. Martin’s PR class on his experience with public relations in the “real world.” A graduate from Samford University, Chris Davis was originally born and raised outside of Baltimore, Md. For the first two years of his college, Davis went to Germany where he met a professor who told him about Samford University. Davis decided to head home to the States where he majored in English and then became a musician for 11 years.

Davis started his conference company and recording studio where he taught how to do music for a living. Then for a change of pace, Davis opened a coffee house (Big Mt. Coffee) which he then ended up selling to another company. He then decided to be a freelance writer for the local magazine, Portico. There he was needed to communicate the financial jargon to clients to help others understand. Davis said an important phrase his boss told him was “no one is successful or fulfilled unless they effect the lives of the people around him.”

In Davis’ current work, he develops apps for clients to check their accounts online, he brews his company’s own coffee (a fi-plan partners house blend) he makes videos that help with revenue,  and he designs websites. Davis went on to talk about the importance of SEO (for online websites) and how there are “white hat” SEOs and “black hat” SEOs and how this site-trafficing tool can harm your site as much as it can help it. Davis stated that the main aspects that will draw more attention to your website are : keywords, links, updating, changing, or adding new content, vlogs (video-blogs) and image tagging. Davis game insightful information on how to better your company’s website and that you can start out doing what you love while incorporating public relations into any job.

Jessica Simpson on Event Planning for the Alys Stephens Center (Birmingham, Ala.)

Jessica Simpson is the current event agent for the Alys Stephens Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

Jessica Simpson, Event Director for the Alys Stephens Center in Birmingham, Ala.

Simpson started her career as a pre-med major & biology minor, and she took a writing class where she found out she was good at it.  Then in her junior year, she changed her major and became a film major. While in college she got an internship with city stages (which she deems invaluable). Then she worked at a TV station four years and left to work for the Alabama Symphony. Simpson currently works for the Alys Stephens Center as director of marketing. She has held this position for 8 years and has had a heavy hand in bringing artist to Birmingham.

The Alys Stephens Center was started as a community center, it was meant to be a world class preforming art center. Simpson stated that in order to marketing for the arts and marketing for non profits, you have to be a jack of all trades. Simpson said, “almost every non-profit is short staffed, and hand in all pots with it” However, despite the cons, Simpson said it is gratifying to see different crowds of people attend the many different types of shows. 

The budget changes form season to season, but generally it’s a “keep it between the system”. It all comes down to production cost, hotel, tickets, what the sales might be; this decides if there will be a show that can be afforded. Higher “A level” seats will attract a different audience than with “B & C level” seats for the rest of the house is ideal.

In order to attract an audience, Simpson said that the “language” of the audience must be understood. It’s about knowing the classical audience and the jazz audience and how to appeal to them. It’s important to know how far in advance someone will commit to come see a show and how many will buy at the door. It’s important to know about buying patterns and audience behavior. “A show or an event wins or looses, fills or succeeds the day the deal is made, what ever terms or conditions you make the day of the deal makes or breaks it right there,” Simpson said.

Sean Wright Director of Venue Management at Samford University

Samford University’s Director of Venue Management, Sean Wright visited Dr. Martin’s Public Relations 492 class on Wednesday March 14th. Two years out of college as a sports information editor at Samford University then he furthered his education at the University of North Carolina where he worked in the athletic director’s office. Then he went to Washington University in St. Louis. Two years ago Wright created a venue management model that brought Samford’s Hannah and Wright Center to one structure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Currently Wright is a venue manager booking over 100 dates for Samford University’s wright Center. Wright said dates are always turning over and being filled, and that working in a full week is a challenge. He said that booking can occur between three seasons: Booking season, grant season, and budget season. Booking season consists of booking venues on the calendar, grant season is where funds are distributed to venues and budget season is when the money spent on events is calculated.

Wright emphasized that specialization in grant writing is needed because grant writing is “out of control and more time consuming than it should be.” Wright said social media is important and “how you brand yourself is important but how you position yourself is just as important.”

John Richardson

John Richardson came to Dr. Martin’s Public Relations class of Friday, February 24th to speak about his role in Public Relations and what we can expect as future colleagues. Richardson is currently working freelance but had been working in the field of Public Relations for many years, what he had to say about Public Relations is very valuable. Richardson said he deals with, strategy, research, content development (writing), interactive work (managing people and projects)  examples: social media, websites, etc. (digital form for interactivity and communication) – internal communication for brands, freelance work, creative direction, and writing development.

Richardson said that one “can’t be successful in PR if you’re not in the interactive game” unless it’s a multi-million $ company like “Kleenex” who doesn’t need one. John believes that PR is being consumed more by the advertising agency – it’s more an “all in one package”.

Richardson also believes that brand representation has become a major role in PR today and that the way to succeed in this business is to know the name of the game and do what’s cool and what’s new first. Richardson said, “it’s all about doing what no one has ever done before and having it work. In communications there’s a turnover a lot where people will see things differently on a lot of things due to creative differences, thus people move around a lot. Not “fired” but expect to move around a good bit.” Richardson said. “Stay flexible and try to do the next big thing”.

Richardson’s contact information: about.me/jrichardson76 and (twitter) @jrichardson76

 

Lori Merricks from Luckie & Company

Lori Merricks spoke to our class about her work in the field of public relations at Luckie & Company. Lori said that it was important to know what PR reps really do so she gave a couple examples of what PR is not. It’s not the department whose sole purpose is to write, edit and haw press releases. Is not 100% controllable, an avenue for event planners, the adversary of media, publicity, advertising, for bad writers. However, public relations is about results, placements and hits. It’s a strategic function that uses research, analysis and planning to develop smart campaigns. A conversation starter and prolonger. About genuine human connections. An expert in their client’s industry. Able to outline crisis communication strategies and implement them. An industry for writers, researchers, lovers of communication and news. PR matters more than ever because what others say about you is more important than what you say about yourself. Contact books need to be updated to include a new generation of media influences. PR is still about media relationships but it’s also about public relationships. It’s evolved from messaging to igniting conversations. It’s a conversations starter and prolonger.

Lori said that there were seven top skills needed for PR representatives: writing, listening, focusing, delivering and pitching ideas, credibility/ “findablility” and measurement. Public Relations is about getting the “hit”. News is changing dramatically, so it’s important to tell the story behind the product. Know the story, prove it, and have a clear call to action. No matter how digital the world becomes of the success of a PR processional will be measured by their ability to land the front page of USA today.

She said that above all it is important to read as much as you can about the market and know the consumers better than they know themselves. Lori had some interesting things to say and she wasn’t afraid to skip the sugar-coating.

Style Sight

Style Sight is a style advertising company located in NYC. They specialize in brand representation through their online services. “Style Sight combines proven forecasting and trend analysis, the industry’s largest image library, and workflow tools to make the creative journey not only more inspirational but also more efficient and cost-effective.” Stylesight has over 3,000 subscribing companies and 40,000 individual users including designers, creative leaders, product developers, merchandisers, marketers, executives, journalists and style gurus in over 90 countries around the world. Some of Style Sight’s clients include: Target, Jimmy Choo, Godiva, Zara, Saks Fifth Avenue, QVC, Disney, Avon and many more well known brands.

Some of the tasks for the Style Sight PR reps would be:

• Talk with members of Stylesight’s editorial team, each thoroughly versed in the fashion and design industries and boasting impressive backgrounds in design, retail, buying, merchandising and editorial.

• Peruse the latest trends with Stylesight’s global forecasting and analysis experts,who bring years of industry experience to the table.

• Ponder innovation with Stylesight’s technology gurus, who consistently create cutting-edge technology to inspire creative design and speed product development.

• Gather insight from Stylesight’s Executive team, whose collective passion for entrepreneurialism has spelled success in an ever-changing industry and a challenging global market.

 

Allie Bradshaw and Ali Thurwatcher

Edward Bernays 

Known as the “Father of Spin,” Edward Bernays helped found the field of Public Relations as we know it today. Bernays got his start in PR in 1915 when he was employed by the Russian ballet. The ballet wanted Bernays to convey a new image to society that ballet was entertaining for everyone in the family. Bernays took to the newspapers and he developed a four-page newsletter for editorial writers, local managers and others, containing photographs and stories of dancers, costumes, and composers. These articles were aimed at all difference audiences. In the women’s pages there were articles on costumes, fabric, and fashion design; the Sunday supplements received full-color photos; thus the ballet became popular. He persuaded American manufacturers to make products inspired by the color and design of the sets and costumes of the ballet. Then he got  national stores to advertise them. These styles became so popular that Fifth Avenue stores sold these products without Bernays’s intervention. Bernays invented the technique of “spin” or taking the truth and changing it so that it appeals to a mass group of people in a positive way. When Ladies Home Journal said that they couldn’t show photographs of dancers with skirts above the knees, he had artists retouch photos to bring down the hem. When Lucky Stripes cigarettes were considered unfashionable because of there green packaging, Bernays essentially made green fashionable. Essentially, he was the one who made it acceptable for women to smoke in public. Bernays regarded himself as a professional opinion maker who, by following precise principles, could produce desired changes in attitudes.

“If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, is it not possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing about it? The recent practice of propaganda has proved that it is possible, at least up to a certain point and within certain limits.” – Edward Bernays