Author Archives: bomorris2
Public relations for Hot Coffee: A review
The documentary Hot Coffee highlights the story of Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants, a court case in 1994 where a woman received $2.7 million in punitive damages after burning herself on McDonald’s coffee. After introducing viewers to the Liebeck case, the film discusses the tort reform that followed the case. 
Dr. Martin’s Principles of Public Relations class was given the task of helping promote a viewing of Hot Coffee at Samford’s Cumberland School of Law. The public relations campaign took several directions: flyers and print advertising, print journalism, social media, and word of mouth.
First, the campaign made use of one of the most commons forms of advertising at Samford: flyers. Despite its common use, flyers are often an effective way to get the word out about an event. Additionally, students made table-top flyers to set on tables in the Food Court and Caf. From a student’s perspective, these table-top flyers are especially effective because of the number of people that see and read them every day.
Second, Leslyn Bantley wrote a story about the Hot Coffee event in The Crimson. The Crimson is read by hundreds of students and was an effective way to advertise the event. Students were able to receive more information than was provided on the flyer and learn more about what would take place at the event.
Third, the public relations campaign used social media. A Facebook group was created to advertise the event, and a Twitter hashtag, #hotcoffeeAL, was used to raise awareness about the event. The Twitter hashtag was especially effective. According to a TweetReach report created on April 20, there were 9,110 accounts reached by the hashtag, and 58,082 impressions on Twitter. The Twitter hashtag certainly made an impact in raising awareness about the event.
Finally, one of the most effective forms of public relations was used: word of mouth. Students spoke with professors, peers, and student organizations to promote the event. This priceless form of public relations likely helped boost dialogue and attendance at the event.
The previously mentioned forms of public relations were not the only approaches taken by the class. Countless other forms were used, but the ones mentioned above are those that I believe were the most effective in raising awareness about the event. All in all, the event was a success, with nearly 100 people in attendance. The opportunity to work alongside the public relations team for the event was a great way to gain first-hand knowledge about public relations. I certainly hope that working with real-world public relations becomes a regular part of the course in the future.
Nuggets of information from Jessica Simpson
On April 4, Jessica Simpson spoke to Dr. Martin’s Principles of Public Relations class. She shared her experiences with event planning at UAB’s Alys Stephens Center. Below are a few nuggets of information that she shared:
- Marketing the arts for nonprofits requires you to wear many hats. You must be willing to take on a number of roles.
- When choosing shows, you have to find shows that are relevant to different audiences. When marketing those shows, you have to have marketing strategies specific to those audiences.
- “A show or event fails or succeeds the day the event is made.” It is extremely important to choose relevant shows that will sell.
Meredith Foster visits public relations class
Meredith Foster, a project specialist with Girl Scouts of America, recently visited Dr. Martin’s Principles of Public Relations class. She shared her experiences in public relations and Girl Scouts with the class. Here are a few key takeaways:
- In the non-profit world, you have to learn to wear several hats. You’ll often need to do multiple jobs for the organization.
- Foster has found that tweeting at 8:30am, 12:30pm, and 4:30pm are the most effective times to tweet.
- In her day-to-day work, Foster works with page layouts, websites, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and writing publications and press releases.
John Richardson Nuggets
On Friday, February 24, John Richardson visited Dr. Martin’s Principles of Public Relations class. Below are a few key takeaways from his discussion.
- On a daily basis, Richardson does research, writing, strategy building, video production, and online brand reputation management.
- Public relations today focuses on social media, crisis control, and traditional media-style public relations.
- Today, the lines between public relations and advertising are blending. Public relations is being consumed more by the advertising agency; it has become an all-in-one package.
- Final words of wisdom: be humane, be human, and be humble.
Hager Sharp
Located in Washington, D.C., Hager Sharp was founded in 1973. The firm primarily works with education, safety, and health focused organizations. According to their website, the firm serves “to help people live healthier, smarter, and safer lives.” Hager Sharp uses marketing campaigns that do not promote products but instead promote awareness of the organization or cause the firm represents. Hager Sharp provides services in strategic planning and research, media relations, multicultural outreach, digital and social media, public awareness campaigns, event public relations, and materials development. As previously stated, the firm represents clients in education, safety, and health fields. Education clients include colleges, such as American University and Georgetown University, research organizations, such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and interest groups, such as the National Education Association. Clients in health-related fields include the National Cancer Institute, Planned Parenthood of America, and Special Olympics. Safety organizations include the Ad Council, the American Red Cross, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Unfortunately, I was not able to speak with an employee from the firm. I called around 1:00 p.m. last Thursday.
Hager Sharp offers internships throughout the year. Rather than working simply as administrative assistants, interns gain real world public relations experience. College juniors and seniors are encouraged to apply. Fall and spring interns work part-time, while summer interns work full-time. The internship is paid, with a salary of $10 per hour.
This public relations firm was especially interesting to me because of its work with education organizations. Through my public policy courses at Samford, I have become familiar with many of the education organizations that Hager Sharp represents. If I were to apply for a public relations internship in Washington, Hager Sharp would be at the top of my list.
Lori Merricks speaks to public relations class
On Friday, February 10, Lori Merricks spoke to Dr. Martin’s Principles of Public Relations class. Below are a few key takeaways from her presentation:
- Public relations is a strategic function that uses research, analysis, and planning. It is based on genuine human connections and relationships. Good public relations is both a conversation starter and conversation prolonger.
- Today, public relations matters more than ever because what others say about you is more important than what you say about yourself. For example, the recent issues with the Susan G. Komen Foundation were fueled by social media and the public’s opinion.
- Public relations is about story telling. PR professionals must know their story, be able to prove it, and have a clear call to action.
- Google is the world’s reputation management system. PR professionals should make use of effective search engine optimization (SEO). Google Analytics measures how people navigate content, and Google Insights can determine emerging key words on the internet.
- The top seven skills of modern PR professionals are good writing, effective listening, focus, delivery, pitching, credibility and findability, and measurement.
