ISC Comments

Comment 1:

Amanda Poole – Integrated Marketing Communication

April 20, 2011 at 3:13 PM

This was also my favorite chapter to blog about, coincidentally I wrote about building the brand as well. I think branding and positioning are the most exciting part of the marketing process. building something from the ground up that identifies your product allows for an endless amount of creativity. Learning how to make a memorable Brand is very important in order to keep your brand afloat and beat out the rest of the competition.

Comment 2:

Ariel Hooper – ISC Connection # 7

April 26, 2011 at 9:59 pm

I was persuaded into watching both the 20/20 on the Royal Engagement and the Lifetime movie about it. Just a fun fact the movie doesn’t exactly add up to the actual events that occurred in William and Kate’s relationship.
I completely agree with you about the Kate being referred to as a “commoner,” I don’t know what kind of spin they are going for but I don’t think it is necessary to share. During the 20/20 episode they would relate Kate the commoner to Princess Diana. In that sense it was almost a compliment.

Comment 3:

Steven Smith – ISC Connection 3

April 26, 2011 at 10:09 pm

Infomercials are probably my biggest pet peeve in the world. Especially for things that are just out of this world not necessary, such as the slap chop. I feel like the products they are trying to sell are for people who are lazy, the best example of this would be the shake weight. But obviously there are some people out there that don’t agree with me because they are purchasing these products. The tricks of persuasion are being used at an all time extreme, people are believing they cannot go another day in the kitchen with out the slap chop because the sales person etches it into their audiences mind that they will save both time and money by buying this new and improved tool. For this man in particular I would think the products he was selling aren’t doing too hot because his of his crushed credibility.

Comment 4:

Jason Sirmon – Realtor Murdered

April 26, 2011 at 10:19 pm

The title of your blog post caught my eye over anything else. When I read this story I was completely shocked. Normally you hear these stories and they happen in a bad part of town or it was a fight that went horribly wrong. This story made me rethink about how dangerous the world can be, and it scared me a little. What precautions do we have to be taking in order to stay safe at our own job? Pretty soon people will lose trust for everyone but their immediate family and even that is touch and go sometimes.

Comment 5:

John Rush – Handling Airfare

Apr 26, 2011 @ 22:26:53

Articles about Air travel always sparks interesting to me because I think they charge people for absurd things like their luggage and soft drinks. I found it interesting that almost 700,000 people gave up their seats in the past year. I also didn’t know airlines were giving that much of a reimbursement to those who volunteer to give up their seats. I know it is a smart move for the airlines to overbook their flights but I also think it is a cheap move on their part because they are potentially making their current customers upset if they get bumped unwillingly. I know losing one customer isn’t the end of the world but if they keep it up it could result in more.

Comment 6:

Amanda Poole – ISC Connection # 4

April 26, 2011 at 10:33 PM

This post made me laugh and I had to take a double take when I read it was laced with Viagra. I also found it funny that this beer was made for the Royal Wedding, I don’t think that would be appropriate for a prince to be drinking but hey what do I know.
I don’t think it will be too popular especially if it has limitations to how many you can buy at a time. I think people might abuse it since it comes with restrictions. People always want more of what they can’t have.

Comment 7:

Erica Plaza – ISC Connection #6

April 26, 2011 at 10:39 PM

 I had to comment on this post because I found out like 5 hours after the shooting that there was a shooting. I live like less than 2 miles away from where it happened and when I found out I went into lock down mode. I couldn’t believe a murder happened so close to home and in a nice area like South Park. I felt the media coverage wasn’t all over the story like I thought it would be. I actually found out through my friends Facebook status, he had posted the news story on his page. Social media never stops.

Comment 8:

Tess Olander – Pitbulls: killers machine or just dog?

Apr 26, 2011 @ 22:45:55

Pitbulls are always getting a bad rap because everyone always assume they are evil. It’s the biggest stereo type when it comes to dogs. People need to realize that a dog’s personality and aggression comes from its owner and how it was raised. Public opinion can sway a lot of people’s perception, they get their information from word of mouth and what they see personally. In most movies and sometime music videos Pitbulls are seen as angry guard dogs who will attack almost anyone.

Comment 9:

Pureum Lee – ISC Connection #5

April 26, 2011 at 10:56 pm

Tiger Woods single handedly brought Nike Golf to where it is today. They put their brand in his hands and he ran with it. He took off winning major championships and going on to the masters. Because of his amazing achievements were when he was so young he was able to make more of an impression on the younger generations. Which worked out well for Nike Golf cause everyone at the time wanted to be just like Tiger. Back then he was a role model for golfers of all ages, people had the impression if they used what Tiger was using then their games had to improve. Luckily for Nike it was all their equipment.

Comment 10:

Max Kaczynski – Mel Gibson

April 26, 2011 at 11:02 pm

I never really understood why the press and the media go after celebrities private lives. Nine times out of ten they end up ruining whatever kind of relationships that celebrity had going for them. TMZ is not a credible source, I feel like most of those stories are spun way out of control and this is most likely one of them. When I think of actors or actresses I don’t think about their private lives off screen, I think about who they are in their movies and thats the person they will always be. I don’t go following Lindsey Lohan around to see what new illegal activities she is up to now. All i really care about is whether the movie or show they are in is good and goes along with the plot.

Comment 11:

Brittani Hunter – Less is (still) More

April 27, 2011 at 12:08 am

I have to start off by saying that The Lazy Song music video is one of my favorites. I cannot listen to the song now without picturing those monkeys dancing around especially during the whistling parts. This video backs up your simplicity theory in a great way! i feel like when music videos are mainly just light shows and weird strobe light effect I lose the song, I follow the song much better when the video goes along with the words. And this video nailed in it a low budget way. Of those 9 million hits I can almost guarantee that 22 of them are from me.

Comment 12:

Katrina Heath – Time Warner Cable and their $16M Mistake

April 26, 2011 at 11:18 pm

If this were me and I received a $16million bill for my cable I would have had a heart attack. For Time Warner to make that big of a mistake is beyond crazy. I mean how bizarre is it that no one realized this mistake until it was in the hands of the customer. I would have thought their billing process was more than just one person, the bills should be made and then there should be someone to revise or at least double check them before they are finalized and sent out. However, I think Time Warner acted correctly in this situation. I was a typographical error and they sent out an apology the next day. Unless they caused this customer an extreme amount of trouble because of this then there isn’t much more they could have done.

Comment 13:

Clay Hanback – Verizon Finally gets the iPhone

April 26, 2011 at 11:28 pm 

I didn’t think Verizon was ever going to get the iPhone because of how many times that plan fell through, so when I was up for my upgrade I settled for a BlackBerry and would you know 3 month later Verizon came out with the iPhone. I was not a happy camper. The advertisements for the iPhone now are much friendlier, I think its because the competition is over. Verizon’s users have been waiting and saving their upgrades in order to get the iPhone when it finally made it to the stores. Apple doesn’t have to worry about anything really, their only semi competition are the droids now but lets be real they aren’t really competition.

Comment 14:

Matt Geslin – ISC Connection #6

April 26, 2011

I was a little confused while reading this because I’m not too familiar with the term Lockout. I’m assuming it’s along the same lines as a strike. What do you think is going to happen if the lockout continues into the football season? A lot of companies purposely release new advertisements during football games cause they know they have a big audience. If the games are on then those commercials and advertising dollars go to waste. Could there be a snow ball effect because of this one situation. I also wonder what kind of turn over is needed to fix the damages that will occur.

Connection 7: Pandora the Musical Wonder

Pandora Radio was the inspiration of this blog post. Pandora is a website that lets you listen to all your favorite music for free. You get to create personalized radio stations. You just type in the name of an artist or song and Pandora will create a station off of your request. They pair like artists and songs to your request and you can listen for hours. The catch is every so often they will throw an advertisement into the mix. Ads for companies such as intel’s new product the Core i5, Puma, Irish Spring deodorant, and audible.com

I am currently listening to the Build Me up Buttercup station, it has all throw back songs from the 60’s and 70’s. The song that is on right now is wonderful World by Sam Cook:

Almost everyone I know has a Pandora account. It really helps that its free to sign up and has unlimited use. The thing that confuses me about this website is that artists and record labels are totally against free music downloading but there are no hard feelings over this. Pandora Radio can also go mobile so it is assessable 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Because Pandora’s music selection is so diverse and is at your beck and call as to which music you want played.

My Pandora stations are the following:

1. Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations Radio
2. The Rat Pack Radio
3. Love Songs Radio (for Valentines Day)
4. Bruno Mars Radio
5. The High Kings Radio (Irish music)
6. Christmas Radio
7. Todays Country Radio
8. Todays Hits radio
9. Lady Antebellum Radio
10. Come Sail Away Radio

I have an extremely random taste in music and I tend to be very ADD when it comes to listening to it. Pandora does a really great job of mixing up the songs it play and keeps the party or mood alive.

I also use Pandora to find songs that I’ve forgotten to put on my iPod, if I hear a song that I like I will either buy it or download it. I know people who keep a list of songs to add to their iPods, Pandora is promoting the music you want to hear and it making you go else wear to buy it. In a way Pandora is helping out the music industry if those people seeking their favorite songs buy them on iTunes or in the stores.

Sources:

Advertisements found from Pandora.com

Topic 7: Future Students Listen up!

Top 5 Survival tip for Integrated Strategic Communication:

1. Get on Twitter now and start to learn the language and what the symbols mean
   #-Hashtags – a trend
   @mention – This tags someone in your tweet and they get a notification – It’s a tweet that is directed at someone or for someone
   RT – Retweet – If you like a tweet or want to comment on someones tweet you can retweet it and add your comments
2. Get the book and get started on the reading notes for the blogs because you will fall behind! Make sure you are keeping up with the weekly blog post, I know they may seem like a walk in the park but they are time consuming. If you stay on top of them you will put more of an effort in instead of writing them last minute and having them be all jumbled around.
   
3. Go to EVERY lab day. You only have to show up and get the assignment then you are free to roam where ever as long as you get the lab completed by the following class. People got so many point deducted from their grade because they missed or skipped a lab day. Lab days are also the fun days, they are the days you get to apply the lessons you’ve been learning from the book and Dr. McArthur. You’ll have days where you’ll go out into the “field” and collect information for a news story or pretend that you are a CEO of a company and you have to deal with some internal or external crisis that is occurring.
4. The midterm is not, I repeat NOT, a joke. If you pay attention to the exam review, which happens to be an awesome game of Jeopardy, then you will succeed on the exam. It also helps if you go to any events that count as extra credit, you can never have too many extra credit points. If you know the terms and you know how to apply them to a real world situation then you will do well. If you are keeping up on your reading notes than you should have no problem knowing the material on the exam.
5. Have fun with it. Make your blog your own. Don’t just jot things down because you are forced to write a blog, put some life into. Maybe by adding fun links, Youtube videos, or music. Put some personality behind you thoughts, it will make it easier to read and more enjoyable for your audience.

You may hear around campus that this course has A LOT of work, which is true, but the class is totally worth it. It teaches how to apply PR both by lecture and by action. It also allows you to open up and express yourself through your blog, Twitter, and press releases. The assignments that are given have guidelines to keep you on track but what you write about or where you take it is all up to you. I would recommend this class to anyone interested going in to public relations or marketing. It has greatly helped me by introducing me to new social medias that I otherwise would have not used.

Chapter 20: Organizing the Job Interview

**When an applicant lands a job interview it is their responsibility to control the meetings agenda**

The applicant must be the aggressor at the interview, asking them for information about availabilities and plans at their organization. Also ask for advice, leads, contacts, colleagues at competitors with whom you might speak with.

Applicants MUST walk in with a game plan and a script that will keep a lively energy through the interview.

• Take charge – nonchalantly take charge of the interview. Take the lead by asking questions about the organization and the interviewer. You have to show that you are interested in the organization and a job by taking charge.
• Lead with your knowledge and strength – Show them that you have done your homework on the organization and that you went the extra mile by researching the firm. After this is done, work your experience into the conversation and that you enjoy writing and sell your PR skills.
• Indicate what you’ll add to the mix – Allude to what college training you received that had enhanced the expertise scope of the department you’d love to join. For example tell them you are proficient with all social media tools
• Get more names – MOST IMPORTANT. Use the interviewer to provide more names, advice, leads, contacts, colleagues at competitors with whom you might speak with. Don’t walk out the door unless you have been given two or three other people you can call to continue the job search.
• Follow up – When you walk out the door have a “see you later” attitude. Make sure the interviewer won’t mind if you keep in touch, as situations with you and with the organization change. You don’t want to lose them as a contact. Also check back periodically  but not in an annoying way.

In the movie Step Brothers they show case exactly what not to do in an interview. The Scene below is just a taste of the mistakes they make.

If you think your dream job is in PR visit The Public Relations Society of America to get your search started.

Sources:

The Practice of Public Relations 11th Edition by Fraser Seitel

Step Brothers Interview – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZELzn6207c

PRSA – http://www.prsa.org/jobcenter/

Topic 6: ISC Reflection

Before this class the only social media outlet I understood was Facebook and even that is touch and go sometimes. This course has opened up my eyes to the blogging and Twitter world. WordPress was the best choice to introduce us to the blogging world. This program walks you through how to incorporate links or sources of media without even breaking a sweat. The only trouble I had with WordPress was finding the right theme to represent my blog, between you and me I still have not found the theme that wows me.

Twitter is a whole other story, I have been following Twitter for a couple months now and I still have no idea how to read half the tweets. For instance it’s a good day if I can make out what Charlie Sheen is trying to tweet about.

RT @robpatterson666
Jersey in the house!
Warlock at Dragonfly with @mtvronnie! NY Show afterparty #winning http://plixi.com/p/90770708

— Charlie Sheen (@charliesheen) April 9, 2011

The Twitter lab(s) gave me a better understanding of how Twitter was used and what messages people were trying to get out into the public. Before this class I thought Twitter was just a way for people to tell the public what they were doing and their followers would stalk their every move, but now I know its about making connections and sharing important information that doesn’t include announcing to the world that you are going to the grocery store.

In my first topic my original definition of strategic communication was “the way in which people or organizations choose to get the message out into the world.” I feel as though my original definition was almost spot on. Organizations and people use different forms of social media to get their messages out whether its to promote something or just to spread select information.

What I am taking away from this class is a better and more in depth understanding and use of the various social medias. I am also taking away a plethora of knowledge on how the PR world works and what happens behind closed doors. Through our book and our labs I have learned a great deal about how to write a newsworthy story and an appropriate press release. I have learned that PR is quick and dirty, you have to capture and cater to your audience as fast as possible. Other labs such as the Crisis communication lab opened my eyes up to what happens in the corporate world with planning and protecting an organizations reputation and management, which relates closer to my major than some of the other topics we covered.

Sources:

Twitter – Charlie Sheen’s Twitter page 

Chapter 5: Reputation Management

Reputation Management – helping to manage an organization’s reputation with brand, position, goodwill or image. It is the ability to link reputation to business goals to increase support and advocacy and increase organizational success through profits, contributions, attendance and so on.

An organization’s reputation is compiled of two things:

1. The rational of products and performance
2. The Emotional behavioral factors – customer service, CEO performance, personal experience with company, etc.

Reputation is gained by what one does, not what they say. As learned in previous chapters actions speak much louder than words.

A company with a good reputation can charge premium prices, have greater access to new markets and products, have greater access to capital, profit from greater word-of-mouth endorsements, and possess an a unique and original identity. A company with a good reputation is seen as trustworthy and credible. Examples of such organizations are Tiffany, Google, Dreamworks, and the New York Yankees.

When ever I think of reputation I always hear Joan Jett singing in my head about her thoughts on her reputation.

Sources:

The Practice of Public Relations 11th Edition by Fraser Seitel

Joan Jett – Bad Reputation – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOdLQp0JWQ0

Chapter 19: Risk Communication and Message Mapping

Risk Communication: an outgrowth of issues management.

• It began by taking scientific data related to health and environment hazards and presenting them to a lay audience in a manner that is both easily understood and meaningful.
• Aimed to produce clear and concise messages.
• developed based on the position that perception is reality.
• The behavioral scientific research shows how behavior changes when a person processes messages during high-stress situations. When stressed the ability to hear, understand, and remember diminishes.
• In a crisis you must adjust for these effects to communicate effectively.

Message mapping process:

1. Identifying stakeholders
2. Determine specific concerns for each stakeholder group.
3. Analyze specific concerns to fit underlying general concerns
4. Conduct structured brainstorming with input from message-mapping teams
5. Assemble supporting facts and proof for each key message
6. Ask outside experts to systematically test messages
7. plan delivery of resulting messages and supporting materials

*Risk Communication depends on an organization’s actions. In the big picture, deeds are what count in communicating risk.*

An example of being prepared with Risk Communication is shown at flu.gov. This website gives the plan of action for crisis, emergency, and pandemic flu risk communications.

Some of the resources they use if there is a pandemic or a crisis are:

• Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Course – (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) This program is for federal, state, and local public health professionals; healthcare professionals; emergency medical services professionals; preparedness partners; and civic and community leaders.
• Communications Planning Webcast – (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Bank and Partners)

  An example was an event on September 26, 2006, is a videoconference-based distance learning seminar on communications planning on avian and human influenza preparedness.

• Pandemic Influenza Pre-Event Message Maps – Message maps are risk communication tools used to convey complex information, and to make it easier to understand. Each key message has three supporting messages that can be used to provide context for the subject of the primary message.
• Communicating in Crisis: Risk Communication Guidelines for Public Officials – (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

For more information on these resources you can go to http://www.flu.gov/news/rcommunication.html

Sources:

The Practice of Public Relations 11th Edition by Fraser P. Seitel

Image – Google Images

Risk Communication for the Flu –  http://www.flu.gov/news/rcommunication.html

Connection 6: Tina Fey’s collaboration with Ellen DeGeneres

First off let me start off by saying if I could spend an afternoon with any two people it would be with Tina Fey and Ellen DeGeneres. I don’t think the laughter would ever end.

One thing I love about The Ellen Show is that she always introduces something new into the world whether its a person or a product. In the link below is a clip where Ellen has Tina Fey on her show to promote Tina’s new book. Her task for Tina is to do a little improvisations with her and at the end of the exercise Ellen presents Tina with a BlackBerry PlayBook and the audience all received a free copy of Tina Fey’s new book called Bossy Pants.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show featuring Tina Fey

The Ellen Show is a great way to get new products introduced to a large audience. On Twitter alone she currently has 6,496,680 following her every move. Through Twitter people can ask The Ellen Show questions and then watch them being answered by Ellen on her show the next day. Also her Twitter account allows her audience get extra footage of the show or see her tweets with the guests on her show.

http://twitter.com/#!/TheEllenShow/status/62625573654110208

Ellen has also started her own record label in May of 2010 called eleveneleven.  Her first artist signed was a 12-year-old named Greyson Chance.

Ellen is on top of the world and a definite leader in daytime television. A strategic move for an organization would be to get your brand or product on her show. At every show the audience gets whatever product is being promoted on that particular show. Your brand would get automatic recognition and immediate feedback.

Sources:

Information on Ellen Degeneres – http://ellen.warnerbros.com/about/

The Ellen DeGeneres Show clip – Youtube http://www.youtube.com/ellen#p/u/1/l_yySBY1qdc

Chapter 18: Social Media

Social networks are our society’s biggest obsession and the best way to get information out into the public eye.

The concept of social networking came from an article in a telecommunications journal by David Isenberg, a former employee of AT&T Labs Research. He described the Internet as “stupid network.” He contrasted his “stupid network” with the outmoded “intelligent network,” which relied on a technological hierarchy dictated by others.

This became the birth of the “dumb transport” of social networking with sites like MySpace and Facebook.  These sites allow communities of participants, who share common interests and activities, to interact with others to manage messaging, email, video, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, etc.

While using this “stupid network” the end-user becomes “smarter” as the dynamic, information-sharing technology improves.

The growth of social networks introduces expanding opportunities for public relation practices. A prime example was back in 2008 in the U.S. Presidential election, virtually every presidential nominee had his or her own MySpace or Facebook page. The potential of spreading messages and persuading supporters via social networking is significant.

Public relations professionals must rigorously scrutinize the value of social networking to achieve communications objectives before embracing any one technology or network.

The most well-known social networking site are:

1. MySpace – owned by the multinational Australia based media giant, New Corporation. It has more than 100 million members.
2. Facebook – Founded in 2004 by a Harvard sophomore named Mark Zuckerberg. It passed MySpace in terms of visitors in 2009 with nearly  200 million active users worldwide. A number of media companies, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, set up a Facebook page.
3. Bebo – Owned by Time Warner. UK-based social network of 40 million users and the third largest social networking site. 20% of Bebo’s users are in the United Kingdom the site is expanding throughout Europe.
4. LinkedIn – Business oriented social networking site with 20 million users and popular with public relations practitioners. It is used to connect like-minded professionals to discover new business or employment opportunities and to develop a network of contacts.

I currently have a Facebook and a LinkedIn account. This is where I do most of my connecting with the world inside and outside of queens. Once upon a time I did have a MySpace page..back in the dark days. MySpace is now mainly known for creepers (I’m sorry if that offends anyone). Facebook allows me to keep track of what everyone is up to without having to make an actually connection with them, it’s a life updater for the most part. You see people’s pictures and their status’ and then when you finally talk to them you have all this material to use and reminisce about.

The Facebook phenomenon grew so quickly Hollywood decided to put Mark Zuckerberg’s story on the big Screen in 2010. The movie was called The Social Network, it is all about how Facebook came about and the journey Mark Zuckerberg had to take in order for Facebook to be where it is today.

Below is the trailer for The Social Network:

Sources:

The Practice of Public Relations 11th Edition by Fraser P. Seitel

The Social Network – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/

Facebook website – http://www.Facebook.com

MySpace website – http://www.myspace.com

Bebo website – http://www.bebo.com/SignIn.jsp

LinkedIn website – http://www.LinkedIn.com

The Social Network Trailer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB95KLmpLR4

Connection 5: Apples Big Flip

When trying to decide what to write about for my fifth connection, I couldn’t help but think about my recent discovery of the Apple logo and its positioning on Apple’s laptops.

Apple is one of the most recognized brands in the world. It has come to my attention that somewhere along the way Apple decided the flip their logo on the laptops.

As you can see in the scene below from Sex in the City, the apple on their computer is upside down. When you close the laptop the apple is right side up to the person sitting at it. I guess the idea was if the laptop was closed then everyone would clearly see Apple’s logo as right side up. But as the audience to a show that is showcasing an Apple Laptop or someone that walks by an Apple owner the logo is upside and not immediately processed that that is an Apple product.

Someone at Apple caught onto this because after some time when they started making the MacBooks they turned their logo 180 degrees so that when someone was using their MacBook the rest of the world could see the Apple logo.  The free advertising they get goes a little smoother if the logo is facing the right direction.

Also a fun fact about Apple  I learned from an article in the Washington Post called Apple Gets a Big Slice of Product-Placement Pie, is they do not pay for product placement, they barter with the networks and films in order to get their products on set.

Author Sara Kehaulani Goo quoted Tim Bajarin saying, “Apple was one of the first technology companies to hire someone in Los Angeles to get Mac products prominently displayed in hot TV shows and movies.”

Apple is ahead of the game in more ways than one. more proof to that is the introduction of Apple’s new toys. Prime examples being the iPad, iPod Touch and the series of iPhones.

Sources:

Images – Google Images

Washington Post Article – http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/14/AR2006041401670.html

MacBook – http://www.apple.com/macbook/