Posted by: twocents on: February 24, 2009
I’m a public relations intern. I don’t do advertising. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked what is public relations? Is it like marketing? What exactly do you do? Well, today a colleague of mine sent me probably one of the best blogs about public relations– not only is it witty, but it’s informative– even if you’re not in public relations. You might learn something.
My favorite excerpt?
I explained that while advertising might be more socially accepted among consumers and businesses, PR is ultimately more beneficial for the companies that did it right and the consumers they targeted. This lesson took time to drive home.
Through PR we do paint a bigger picture of the product, service or issue at hand. In advertising, the time and space through which a company can communicate is limited to 30-seconds or a few column inches. Consumers view an ad and might consider it funny or clever, but if asked probably can’t remember the product or service—just the awesome tagline or over-the-top graphics. In contrast, when the same consumers read an article in a newspaper, they remember the problem, the solution, some experts quoted and the publication in which the article appeared.
That’s power.
PR is now more than ever about education. As professionals, our job is to educate the media and the consumer (once we get to them). Yes, our job is to educate our clients and/or bosses. We communicate with editors and reporters and bloggers and podcasters on behalf of them. They should know our process (perhaps our Moms should too): We explain, forecast, and spot trends to see what the next big thing will be in technology, healthcare, fashion, politics or buzzworthy topics. We build relationships with the media, based not on the number of ads we buy, but through what I hope is accurate, honest and timely information (and education) we provide. No strings attached, except maybe a callback!
PR is not about impressing people with witty taglines or state-of-the-art visuals; it is not about entertainment or pizzazz.
PR provides information through which “targets” can make the best decision.
Enjoy.
Posted by: twocents on: February 10, 2009
Ok. Get ready because here is a lesson for you guys who think that you’re a nice guy. Listen closely, because this is one time you get it from the girl’s point of view- straightforward.
Scenario: About a month ago I met this guy in my social dance PE class- a class seniors take for fun before they graduate to learn how to fox trot, cha-cha and all that fun stuff. He seems like a nice guy- nice, friendly, normal. All good things. So, after a couple classes and embarrassing moments of learning how to dance together I decided it was OK to friend him on facebook. Well, later that day he sends me a message asking for my number, and leaving his he invites me to come over and come out with him. I go. Over the next few weeks, we continue to flirt in class, meet at bars, hang out with each other and their friends, spend the night and cuddle, but still no kissing.
So, fast forward to last week. As I end up at his place to spend the night he says he can’t go to my date function and would rather I just come home with him that weekend- just me and him. “It’ll be fun, we can go golfing or something. You can meet the puppy,” he says.
Shocked and speechless, I agreed. Thinking “what did I just do?” In a girl’s world, that’s a definite holy crap moment. This may be more than a friendship- with- flirting- on- the- side.
Not so fast. Yesterday he calls and asks what I’m doing that afternoon. It was 75 degrees so, I told him I was going to get my dog and take her to the lake. He asks if I need company and ends up coming along. Now it’s just me, him and the dog- Molly, an innocent bystander. Everything is fine. We hang out and have a pretty sweet afternoon, he sees my parents house, the whole thing. I drop him back off at his place, come in to get my earrings and then leave.
As I drove away I thought to myself, “this is ridiculous. why would he invite me to go with him for a weekend and yet we still have not kissed, or anything. this is SO weird.” In fact, the further I drove the more I thought to myself how ridiculous the situation was and how much I was tired of letting it get to me– I had to know before Friday. I had to know now.
In a moment, I was turned around and headed back to figure out what the hell I was going to do about the situation. I pulled up to his house and thought to myself, am I really going to do this? Am I really this brave? Guess what. I surprised myself. I knocked on the door and after he yelled I walked over to his room and said, “I forgot something” and kissed him.
………
P.S.- It did not end well and halfway into it– I realized I should not have been kissing him. I am not that brave. That’s not me. And, most importantly, it was not a good kind of awkward.
In the conversation that ensued– on his front porch, he tells me he doesn’t want a relationship. Well, dude I wasn’t wanting one either– but, as I told him, I needed to be on the same page. I mean this, that was ridiculous. The entire thing was ridiculous. How could he not see how he was giving me these signals that he was more than slightly interested in something. I mean, seriously. We continued.
He says, “I’m graduating.”
I say, “Me too.”
He says, “I don’t understand.”
I say, “Obviously I don’t either. Who invites someone away for the weekend and does everything you’ve done and isn’t interested. Why did you invite me to come with you?”
He says, “I don’t know.”
Guys, take a note. See what went wrong in this situation. And, as I told him yesterday, “I hope you learned something today.”
p.s. then a guy at work sent me this link today:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ethan-imboden/top-10-reasons-to-look-fo_b_164919.html
oh the irony.
Posted by: twocents on: February 4, 2009
I walked out on a career fair yesterday. I felt like I was turning my back on the world. There was a deafening silence in my head as I took a deep breath and let the reality sink in.
Attendance at the career fair for CHASS students was required for me yesterday. So, understandably I cleared up two hours in between classes and my current internship to make my way into the world of networking and inquisitions. However, as I stepped into the McKimmon Center, as I had three months earlier to attend the career fair for engineers, I knew something was wrong. Where were all the people frantically writing notes in their notepads, checking the booth maps before they made their next move…where were the voices of people talking? Soon enough, I realized that there was nothing of the sort taking place– anywhere.
My friend since the fourth grade handed me my name tag and the booth map and said…too bad IBM’s not hiring you- this isn’t going to be your idea of a good career fair, hopefully you have another place in mind (which I do, for the record). With one look at the list of employers and a five minute stand in the room, I realized that I was in the wrong place. Where I should have been was already hard at work at my internship where I enjoy my work and hope to become a full time employee- where I have a chance. I have no interest in becoming a sales associate for a department store or a telemarketer. I mean, is that really what communications positions have turned into?
So, I turned around and left as I thought about my mom and how much she would kill to have any type of career fair to attend. She just lost her job after more than 13 years of service and a move across the country. She and I cross over in our career fields of interest, except she has more than 200 times the experience than I do. As I walked out, I realized that it’s people like her that I’m now competing for jobs with whether I like it or not. After major corporations lay off stellar employees in a horrible economy, those individuals now, nonchalantly, compete for jobs with their own children, and no career fair can take away the pain that comes with that realization.
Posted by: twocents on: June 2, 2008
Interns. That word can mean a lot of things. From coffee retriever to well-respected college student- each individual who decides to take on the role experiences something different. As a college student headed towards my senior year, I’ve decide to take on my third internship, also known as my “dream internship.” As exciting as this is, it’s also quite scary for reasons I couldn’t forsee.
In my first internship, I was a rookie at EVERYTHING. I was nineteen and had barely finished my first semester as a sophomore and I thought I was hot stuff- I mean what college student wouldn’t if they were in my position as an intern for a worldwide pharmaceutical company. After that semester, I quickly joined up with another international corporation, except this time in technology. Let’s just say, I had it very good. Not only did I get a great internship and great networking opportunities- I learned about IMC-something I didn’t previously understand. By the time my internship was extended for a year-long term, I knew my job like the back of my hand, and I was good at it. In fact, I was doing the job of a regular employee and was treated like one.
So, what? Why am I writing this?
Two weeks ago I packed up and left my hometown in North Carolina and headed to Boston where my new adventure awaited. I was excited for many reasons but the main one was that after a junior year of complete hell, I was headed for the internship of a lifetime. On my first day, I understood it all. But, now, two weeks into it…I think I’m faltering. Asking questions can only get me so far but what I’m beginning to realize is that I’m an intern. Well, duh! No, what I mean is that I’m not a regular employee doing my job- I’m back to being a student, learning and messing up but trying to keep a smile on my face- and that’s the hardest job of all.
Posted by: twocents on: January 9, 2008
As a college student living in a student-only apartment complex, I expect a certain extent of neglect on the part of management. However, nothing compares to the extreme neglect and misrepresentation Place Properties at Wolf Creek bestows on its renters. After two failed attempts at a petition to get another shuttle to campus, as promised in our leases, and countless complaints to management, nothing was happening. However, their was a shimmer of light last November as I reached my apartment to find a red flyer with “IT’S COMING!!!” strewn across the top- advertising, finally, a new shuttle would be available to use in the Spring of 2008 to allow for the increase in riders from the phase 2 construction.
So, what? It is the first day of classes and the new apartments are open. As I walk up to the shuttle at 8:25 a.m. I notice there is already standing room only. As I take my standing spot on the bus, the door shuts and the bus moves on to its next stop- just to tell the 20 student renters that there is no room left and they need to find alternate transportation. To add to my frustration, after classes I waited 45 minutes for a shuttle back to my apartment which is supposed to show up every 30 min!
Well, I finally get back to the complex and make my way up to the front office to find out what was going on. What I found out was that the flyer which promised an additional shuttle in the “spring of 2008″ REALLY meant the last week of APRIL aka–> the last week of classes. I find myself asking– how are they getting away with this??
http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/NC-Raleigh-Wolf-Creek-Apartments-643392.html
