Note to PR students
Posted Friday, April 22, 2005 at 7:20pm in Blogging | Leave a Comment
Behind the Spin, the quaterly magazine for PR students from the College of St. Mark and St. John recently printed key points from research carried out from UK PR employers:
1. PR education is valued by the majority of employers.
2. Most employers welcome the increased commitment of PR graduates to the industry.
3. Most employers see PR graduates as contibuting to the development in the field.
4. Many employers are concerened that PR graduates do not recognise that they have to do menial as well as management-level tasks.
5. Some employers are concerend that PR graduates think they “know it all”.
6. Literacy is the most valued skill, followed by team working.
7. Writing skills and media relations are considered most important to the PR curriculum, followed by public relations practice and one year placements.
8. Most employers agreed PR degrees should include a dissertation, though in-house employers were more enthusiastic than consultancies.
9. Public relations practice is valued very highly by employers.
Behind the Spin, Feb 2005, Issue 9
PR Students
Posted at 12:35pm in Blogging | Leave a Comment
“I always thought it ironic that journalism schools house News writers, Advertising dreamers and PR people-in-training. It creates a never ending cycle of chasing each other and training none to trust the other”
“Besides this evil cycle, PR is caught in the problem that while housed within liberal arts colleges few of the PR graduates that I have met in the past 10 years can actually think critically or for that matter, creatively.”
“PR students are taught about the style, and tactics, but few are taught to think or challenged to think about an actual campaign, or what life is like day-to-day in the PR world. ”
A recent post by Blois Olson.
PR Blogger says:
True, students don’t learn what life is like day-to-day in the PR world at college/university. That’s why a lot of them give up their valuable time to work for free in PR departments when they arn’t studying or working in their paid jobs.
Who would you rather employ? Someone with a PR degree and 5 years PR experience or someone with 5 years PR experience?
Read the full article here
Micro what?
Posted Thursday, April 21, 2005 at 11:06pm in Blogging | Leave a Comment
Only yesterday I said podcasting was the “in” thing, now I’m afraid podcasting is so yesterday. Make way for Microcasting.
Microcasting is the new term to describe the evolution of podcasting and includes all rich media including audio, video and applications.
Only today I was going to order this book too!
But then again all the hype seems to be coming from here
Blogs and public relations
Posted at 10:51pm in Blogging, PR General | Leave a Comment
Wayne Hurlbert gives an excellent account on how blogging in public relations is essential. From receiving traditional exposure through a blog, to blogging through a crisis.
Read Wayne Hurlbert’s blogging for public relations here
Master disaster
Posted Wednesday, April 20, 2005 at 9:39pm in Blogging | Leave a Comment
Gerry McCusker, author of Talespin: PR Disasters says that five of the top 10 PR conultancies in the world have been involved in supposed PR disasters.
He’s named seven principle reasons for causing a disaster:
1. Acts of God
Even when natural disasters - such as a Tsunami - cause unforeseeable real life crises (and even if no-one was directly responsible for the incident) pockets of the media frequently describe how it’s a PR disaster of some sort; for tourism or even for the governments of the countries involved.
2. Business operations
This is where corporate activity adversely impacts on stakeholder groups, such as when Coca Cola and Pepsi had to defend themselves in India against allegations that their soft drinks contained excess levels of toxins. From a PR disaster viewpoint, both companies managed to fan the flames or discontent, rather than calm matters down.
3. Corporate moves
Around the time of acquisitions, mergers or takeovers, there’s plenty of room for dissatisfaction and even scandal, such as when a London PR man found himself rumbled, tried and prosecuted after indulging in a bit of insider trading. This happened after a client had confidentially told him of its plan to take over a competitor organization.
4. Legalities
When contentious issues are debated in court, then reported in the media - such as in the notorious McDonald’s ‘McLibel’ case - the potential for PR disasters is massive. Media watchers labeled this case ‘the world’s biggest corporate PR disaster’.
5. Rumours
Gossip can be highly damaging for brand reputation, as Procter & Gamble found when malicious rumours of Satanism - in part propagated by a P&G competitor - dogged the company for decades, forcing a worldwide logo redesign and extensive counter PR efforts.
6. Staff
When New York’s Twin Towers collapsed on 9/11, staff at one of the city’s Starbucks charged rescue workers for bottled water they needed to treat victims of the attack. When word got out ‘virally’ about this incident, the PR fallout was highly damaging.
7. Scandal
Financial or sexual shenanigans generally capture the media’s attention, such as when basketball star Kobe Bryant faced allegations of sexual assault. ‘PR disaster’ the media screamed, as Bryant’s lucrative sponsorship deals and image as an all-round good guy were jeopardised.
Read the full article here