By: Ian P. Hurley

Last Wednesday AU PRSSA chapter members participated in a case competition for Story Partners and their work on behalf of the Vote 4 Energy Campaign. We received background information about the campaign, split up into teams and began working on our ideas for improving the website experience for users.

The Vote 4 Energy Campaign is a national voter education campaign that seeks to encourage voters to consider the issue of domestic energy exploration and production when deciding on whom to vote for this fall.  The Campaign believes that a pro-energy stance is a vote for job creation, energy security and investment in America.

After breaking into groups, we dove into the website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages, dissecting the text, colors, pictures, videos and overall themes and functionality of these sites. Each group member talked about ways they might tweak the sites to make the content and message stand out and as well give viewers a reason to want to stay and engage. In our group, one of our ideas was to create more individualized content on the website related to a particular state. The site has a really great map of the United States and when you scroll over a particular state, you are given information as to how that state would benefit from domestic energy exploration and production. Specifically, we thought it would be helpful for voters to be able to learn that state’s candidates’ energy policy positions as well as hear testimonies from real people living in that state.

The second part of the competition, held on Monday, was to present our ideas to Mollie O’Dell and Andrew Fimka of Story Partners. Chapter members made many interesting recommendations. Adding interactive elements, like a game or personal testimonies, changing some of the fonts and small alterations to homepage design was suggested by the teams.

Overall, the case competition experience was a great opportunity for members to get practice learning about an issue, weighing options, making recommendations and advocating a position. A big thank you is in order to Story Partners for not only allowing AU PRSSA to work with them but to have them come to our meeting and hear our ideas out.

Each week, this blog will compile and give a insight into each article posted on the Facebook page or recommended by PRSSA members. Feel free to submit any ideas you may have at publicity@auprssa.org.

1. Standing out on LinkedIn can sometimes be a challenge. These tips help make a different in your profile, especially important for seniors looking for jobs or other students searching for internships. Our favorite was the tips about building your own profile, including how to make your title and information make an impact.
2. PRSA is ready to redefine public relations, with three options to vote on. You have until February 26, so make sure to cast your ballot.
3. Interested in nonprofit work? These organizations focus primarily social media, word of mouth, and event planning to get the word out, and employees get to make a difference. However, creating a behavior change can be an enjoyable challenge for pr/marketing minds.
4. Building your brand can be a difficult process, but is essential when trying to promote yourself to employers. Think about what adjectives and personality traits define you, what you appeal is and determine how you hope to apply this.

Also, don’t forget to RSVP for the Regional Conference at AU on May 23-24. The event will focus on bridging online and traditional media, and offers the opportunity for great speakers, events, and networking.

While Facebook and Twitter still seem to be the favorite social networking sites amongst PRSSA members, it is time to make room for some new competition: Pintrest. Despite the fact that it’s invitation-only, it’s growing at a rate comparable to Facebook’s in 2006. Pintrest is an endless, virtual bulletin board that focuses on sharing visual images. Users can have numerous, categorized boards where they pin links to and share them with friends.

Pintrest states that their goal is “to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pintrest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.” It is extremely easy to use. Users can share links about everything from hair & beauty to food & drinks to DIY & Crafts. All you have to do is keep an eye out for the “Pin It” button, click it and the image will be added to your board. Easy as that! A unique, cool aspect is that you can click on the image and it will direct you to the website or blog it comes from. I have been introduced to so many interesting blogs I follow now, solely because I clicked on an appetizing looking picture of cake pops or a DIY fringe scarf.

Now the big question is does Pintrest have the potential to surpass the popularity of Facebook or Twitter? I guess we will just have to wait and see!

Each week, this blog will compile and give a insight into each article posted on the Facebook page or recommended by PRSSA members. Feel free to submit any ideas you may have at publicity@auprssa.org.

1. If you’re working for a visual brand, make sure to utilize these tips for Twitter, including describing what you are trying to promote, in addition to attaching a picture of it to the tweet, and picking a relevant and interesting background design.
2. Best Buy is facing increasing competition from online retailers offering products at a cheaper price. Want proof about how important marketing/PR is? Check out number five. You need to work with customers to understand their perceptions and opinions about the brand.
3. Besides being a wealth of great advertising, the Super Bowl itself offers tips for PR focused individuals. Analyze your situation at hand, lay out your goals, identify who has a stake in your work, plan out the tactics you plan to use and how you will measure success, and come up with alternative plans just in case. All of this is used by the pros in the National Football League while preparing games – who would have thought they would be a wealth of strategic knowledge?

Also, don’t forget to RSVP for the Regional Conference at AU on May 23-24. The event will focus on bridging online and traditional media, and offers the opportunity for great speakers, events, and networking.

This semester, the Eagle Communications team with PRSSA is taking on the Bateman Case Competition, working to spread obesity awareness in the community.

What is Eagle Communications?

Eagle Communications is a public relations team on campus working to create solutions for real clients.

For more information, check out: http://auprssa.org/firm/.

 What is the Bateman Case Comp?

This is a nationally run campaign through PRSSA where students work in teams to  create public relations campaigns for the client given. While planning can begin as early as November, the teams only have one month, February, in which to execute them. This year, the competition is sponsored by General Mills and the client is the United Way. The goal is to spread obesity awareness in the community.

To do so, the Eagle Communications team did extensive research of the demographic and lifestyle makeup of the city of DC, deciding to focus on Wards 7 and 8. Both areas are marked by high levels of poverty, high obesity rates, low physical activity rates, and few options for healthy eating. Research about obesity in general found that an increasing number of youth are beginning the path to an unhealthy lifestyle early, with poor eating and exercise habits.  Knowing this, the team created “Challenge Yourself to be a Champion of Health,” a campaign aimed at elementary school students in the wards.  Through creative branding, engaging marketing materials, informative digital content, and a planned event in a local elementary school, the team is working to create real change in the community.

Eagle Communications is participating in this campaign, but is always looking to take on new members to work with additional clients outside of the competition itself.

What can you do to help?

Contact the firm director, Jett Choquette, to get involved. It’s too late to get involved with the Bateman this year, but Eagle Communications is hoping to take more clients in the spring. Her email is eaglecommunications@auprssa.org. Additionally, follow Eagle Communications’ Bateman work  on Twitter, like the Facebook page, and check out the website.

Welcome to the Brand Bowl. When it costs $3.5 million dollars for a spot and 11 million people tuned it, the stakes are high to make a great, lasting impression.

1. Vampire Audi commercial:  I wasn’t a fan of how the commercial was executed (vampires just popping and turning into dust?), but loved how it was tied together at the end with the idea that the headlines are as powerful as daylight. Nice connection with a pop culture phenomenon – I’m sure Twilight fans were pleased.

2. Budweiser: In general, I was a little surprised at the lack of humor in the commercials. All seemed to focus more on that having a good time theme, which I think is effective for the audience you’re trying to reach, but I still missed the humor.  The best one of the night from Budweiser? “Eternal Optimism,” showing Budweiser will be there for many more good times, hitting generations with a scene that defined them.

3. Coke Bears: I am obsessed with these bears. Cute and clever, especially if you watched it online. I had friends more interested in watching the polar bears streaming on the computer holding up the defense sign than watching the game itself. It was great to have that added dimension, engaging people online and through commercials. The best part was the polar bears on the computer stream falling asleep or leaving when Pepsi commercials came on. Added bonus? I’ve been craving Coke since yesterday evening. Memory theory rings true.

4. Go Daddy: Not again. If you’re going to rely solely on sex appeal, just  be a little more creative. It’s essentially the same skit, every year, in which half of your audience is left totally disgusted.

5. Doritos Baby Sling: Apparently, this was the most popular of the Super Bowl. I’m not seeing it. Poor execution (the sling shot was too fake to even pass as acceptable), but a great concept.

6. VW: I wasn’t a huge fan of the link between the dog getting in shape and VW improving as well I suppose? It would have worked better with just the dog as a Purina commercial. Additionally, the Star Wars reference at the end? They tried to relate back to the very popular “The Force” ad from last year, but failed quite miserably. Creepy is no substitute for cute.

7. E*Trade: Grey does it again. I love the move into the nursery ward and tapping into that very real fear about having the money to give your children the world. Relatable, but still grabs you with humor at the end. Speed dating? Adorable. It was a frankly perfect mix of situational humor and reaching consumers on an emotional level, potentially even tapping into their episodic memories.

8. Chrysler Detroit: Better than Eminem’s. I like how this focused not just on Detroit, but on big ideas that can reach everyone in this country. It was sober, stirred my patriotism, and made an impact. It was powerful and very well done in terms of taking into account this current partisan mindset that is beginning to wear thin. Additionally, great understanding of the audience by linking it back to football, with the metaphor of halftime and extending it into a powerful question of what we want America to look like going forward.

9. Fiat: The Fiat is much too ugly for that commercial. It also sort of reminded me about what Red Peg did regarding Rosetta Stone in New York, where they had models walk up to people on the street, speaking a different language, and, at the end of it, giving the consumer a piece of paper that said “It’s a shame we couldn’t chat.” Essentially, this commercial would work better with a language learning company.

10. NFL Concussion: It has to be mentioned that this ad featured Ray Lewis. Sure, I’m biased as a Ravens fan, but perfect to pick such a well respected veteran and leader in the NFL. The timeline feature came up again, similar to “Eternal Optimism,” but I like how this ad shows every ten yards as a new decade. It was a great representation of the strides the league has made in care of their players, as concussion problems have been a key public relations issue.

11. Chevy Mayan: Clever, good play on the “world is ending in 2012” mindset. Nice hit on Chevy, and I think they mixed the dark destruction well with humor (Twinkees, Chevy not making it, etc.) As long as you don’t over think how horrible the situation played out in the ad is, it’s very solid.

Most importantly, anyone else notice how many brands were using hashtags at the end of their commercial to get people talking about it on Twitter?  Perfect.

How did you think the commercials were this year? Any favorites?

When going to school in D.C., I know that something that is on a lot of student’s minds is working for the government. I know that while I may be studying to receive a communications degree, I still have an interest in a federal job. This Wednesday night, AU student Nathan Pace, came out to a PRSSA meeting to talk about applying and working, or interning, for a federal job.

He started out by telling us the benefits in working or interning for the government. One thing that I have always been worried about is that because of my career field and my interest to someday work in the government, I would have to stay indefinitely in D.C. once I graduated. This, however, is wrong. Pace explained that there are hundreds of thousands of other federal jobs throughout the states and even abroad. He also commented that internships work the same way, you don’t have to stay in D.C. over the summer if you want a government internship.

Another benefit that Pace talked about was that after college, if you are working for the government, some agencies will help pay back college loans. He stated that this financial aid could reach up to 10,000 dollars per year. This is something that I think every college student can relate too. Loans are something that will become a big part in our future career decisions, and knowing that you might receive help with this burden is a great incentive to look into a federal job.

While many people believe that a government job would not be realistic for them because they are in a nontraditional government major (Political Science of International Relations), Pace explains that this is wrong. You can get a government job in virtually any field, from science to English. If you are interested in a federal position, don’t let you area of study stop you from pursuing it.

Pace also spent a large part of his pitch explaining the best way to apply for a government job or internship. He said that usajobs.gov was the best way to apply for a federal position. This websites lists countless government jobs that are searchable by type of job and location. On this website, you can also upload and store multiple resumes, as well as apply for various positions.

Pace explains that when applying for these jobs or internships, the process can be extensive and encourages people to contact him or visit him during his office hours on campus for help. Pace’s email is pacenathan@gmail.com. Pace does give one piece of advice: each application usually comes with a questionnaire that can sometimes be over a hundred questions long. He says that the best thing you can do is to read and use the questionnaire to figure out what the employer is looking for and then tailor your questions and resume to fit this description.

Government Presentation Slides

Each week, this blog will compile and give a insight into each article posted on the Facebook page or recommended by PRSSA members. Feel free to submit any ideas you may have at publicity@auprssa.org.

1. Getting customers to trust the authenticity of public relations can sometimes be difficult. Engage with the negative facts about your company to make your pitch more relatable. Realize public relations is about creativity, and utilize that in your efforts.
2. Impress your friends during the Super Bowl commercials this year. This article has insights into commercials to look out for, if more people watch the Super Bowl for the game or ads, and best and worst ads, among other pressing questions that may be discussed.

Also, be sure to register for Social Media Week, which is going on in cities around the world from February 13 to 17, including DC. Most events are free, and offer events from workshops to speakers and panels giving advice to networking and fun events for people to participate in on wide range of social media and technology related topics. To attend events, most require you to register individually on the website. What events on the schedule are you most excited about seeing? Thanks to Ian Hurley for the tip!

As students at American University there are countless responsibilities that take up our time. Staying on top of the never-ending news cycle is a tough job but an important one as students of communication and public relations. With the explosion of digital media there are countless (and easy) ways to access news.

From Paul Deen’s diabetes confession and her publicist quitting to alleged problems at Apple’s Chinese factories, it is incumbent on students to know what is happening in the field of public relations and how organizations are responding, or not responding, to public relations crises.

I would encourage people to keep abreast of both the good and the bad that is going on in the field of communications. Even if it’s just ten minutes a day checking your Twitter feed or browsing news and PR websites, it gives you a nice supplement to what you are learning in the classroom. It will as well be helpful when interviewing for internships and jobs and as well while networking. Importantly, DC is a city that thrives on the news and politics, so know your audience and know what’s going on.

It is an exciting time to be entering into the field as digital technology has transformed the way people interact and use technology. Below is a list of several PR, communications and Capitol Hill websites that might be of interest.

• Fast Company
• PR Daily News
• FishbowlDC
• PRSA
• Mashable
• AdvertisingAge
• Roll Call

Foster Ly, an entrepreneur in the DC, Maryland, Virginia area, came to the Social Media Club at American University Monday the 23rd to speak about public relations. The statement that he emphasized the most was to never network, always build a healthy relationship first; the “networking” will come easily after the friendly relationship. The reason not to network is because when one networks, they say a quick “Hello, how are you?”,  and briefly exchange names, numbers, and e-mails. However, they will never meet up unless they are in need of a favor. If one were to build a relationship first, offering to take the person to lunch, dinner, or even Starbucks to casually talk over coffee, it will establish a great friendship first, and then that person could introduce you to other people as well, which is how the networking begins!