Media relations have
Integrated Strategic Marketing (Lab 11)
30 Mar 2011 1 Comment
By combining the three concepts of, publicity, marketing and advertising jeep found a unexpected resource in Cesar Millan. He broke through the screen 2004 with his famous show The Dog Whisperer. Cesar Millan started as a seemingly unknown person, but one of his trade mark scenes is when after he hear his clients story rush to his Jeep Liberty to take action. Many remember following his first episode and taking a closer look at the green liberty and I am sure Jeep took a closer look as well. His development to stardom has also developed certain benefits such as, different and new models of the Jeep brand. Cesar Millan made a paid placement before even knowing it. As the show has progressed and found fame Cesar Millan’s look has become more refined and so has his vehicles. The publicity that Jeep found through the Dog Whisperer was unintentional but it must have caught their attention, they must have struck a deal with the show and therefor given Cesar Millan the option to drive their new vehicles. Jeep have always had a close connection with animals and nature as they strive on the connection to be an off road car, this is cohesive to Cesar Millan and his connection to animals as well as nature. We see him emphasizing the importance of walking and we can also see him hiking with his pack. This is a perfect advertising spokes model for Jeeps product as well as positive publicity. Jeep have also been featured with Cesar driving his Jeep Wrangler privately and by luck was uploaded to youtube with Daddy, the famous pitbull sitting in the back of the Jeep with a perfect overview of the Jeep Cherokee tag.
Link to Cesar Millan being interviewed by a fan and later uploaded to youtube with the Jeep Wrangler fully visible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U42ORCTDiU
Link to an example of Jeeps homepage, and their strong emphasis on nature.http://www.jeep.com/en/
International Relations .. (Chapter 14)
23 Mar 2011 Leave a comment
in COMM 306
Believe it or not but we all need to communicate with each other, not only in our homes or government but also between countries.
The expansion of media and its outreach has made it much easier to communicate on a much larger scale. The internet has made information so much more accessible which has made communication both easier and more difficult at the same time.
The responsibility of actually communicating with ethics and morals in the background can become much difficult. The responsibility that public relations have on its shoulder should be transcended globally to anyone who is sending and receiving messages.
So if we look globally and assume that American standards are the most refined, than Canada most be the younger sibling as always. Their standards of communication are responsible and respectful with a large notion of acceptance and sophistication. Canadian public relations professionals do have to be more aware and fluent and two languages which can create difficulties if you want to send a message and make it say the same thing.
Communication is really based on a freedom to say what you want to say. In a non democratic country, communication becomes limited because of the narrow path of acceptance. Public Relations has really become something that is now growing all over the world. Latin America, Asia, Middle east, Eastern Europe, Africa and of course Europe has taken this concept into consideration and is become rapid progress in the communication department.
As mediums as the internet is reaching all big and small corners of the world, communication becomes much easier but also dangerous. Negative and threatening messages can be spread much faster and it can cause problems much faster than expected. To embrace the global media progression of the future is to become more multi cultured in the way we communicate and to learn how to adapt to form our messages.
Seitel, F.P. (2010). The Practice of Public Relations, 11th ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc
Government Relations …. (Chapter 12)
23 Mar 2011 Leave a comment
in COMM 306
The government has long used the tool of the media to influence many of the different venues. Two of the most prominent departments are U.S. Department of state and U.S. Department of state, both increased their activities after 9/11.
The government has the important job by actually communicating with the public. If we disregard the small and minor things they are in charge of the big picture by handling media and messages that need to go out to the public. The government uses different mediums such as, radio, film and tv, internet, publications, exhibitions, books and education to reach their audience. These tools are extremely helpful to reach out to as many people as possible.
There is one particular person that comes to mind when we think government relations, the President. Statistics have shown that a presidents liking will go up after a public speech after a national tragedy. Horrific times such as, hurricane Katrina and 9/11 should not be used to persuade the public. However, when the opportunity arises many take the opportunity to affect their public in an emotional sense and much has to do with a greater outreach to people. The extensive media coverage gives the government the chance to communicate with a large number of people.
The press secretary of the President is probably one of the most famous people in public relations. Their job is to be the liaison for the white house and the public which can be one of the hardest jobs in the world. Imagine being the one informing and answering questions about decisions that you have had no part in.
This chapter seems to have a more realistic view on the more unsatisfying jobs in communication. The government is usually something that the public either disregards or turns to in the time of need. To be that person to communicate with millions of people and have no say in the decisions must be difficult and aggravating at times. However, the job of public relations may not be about the message purse but how to deliver it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olh1Dr6YR2Y
Here’s a link to the White House website http://www.whitehouse.gov/\
Seitel, F.P. (2010). The Practice of Public Relations, 11th ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc
Lab 9
09 Mar 2011 Leave a comment
I chose Apple to analyze.
1. Apple’s webpage http://www.apple.com is sleek and clean. The colors follow apple’s products with white and silver and a high emphasis on style.
The site is user friendly, easy, simple and pretty. The search bar makes it very easy to find things for example, I searched facebook and the information on the application as well as Apple’s own facebook account came up. There are several easy options for the consumers as well as possible consumers to find information as well as support. Apple’s overall web presence is extremly clear and user friendly. I personally believe that anyone could find what they were looking for even though their computer skills may be limited.
2. Apple’s twitter account was really easy to find. Their business strategy is always directed towards their app store, and the tweets are easy and always directed to new products following a link to their site.
3.
<a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3278350/Apple_COMM_306"
title="Wordle: Apple COMM 306"><img
src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/3278350/Apple_COMM_306"
alt="Wordle: Apple COMM 306"
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4. Apple as any company probably use social media as a tool to generate sales and launches of new products.
5. The Apple bio on twitter states exactly their intentions and what they want.
Apple follows 5 people which are all linked to the Apple products. They have 173,907 followers and 4,727 listed.
Apple's twitter account is easy and cohesive because it follows the theme of familiar colors and fonts. Its is merely directed towards consumer and new products.
6. Most of the tweets seem to be produced during the day as well as between January and February when Apple generated 95 tweets.
Apple seem to generate the most tweets between 12:00 PM and 8:00 PM through a steady stream throughout the day.
http://www.tweetstats.com/graphs/appstore#tstats
7. www.twitteranalyzer.com seem to experience some technical difficulties at the moment.
8. The company score is 25, true reach: 55. amplification: 10. network: 10.
Klout describes Apple as being an explorer. Apple seem to be tweeting regularly and therefor be moving up after time.
http://klout.com/appstore
9. www.flowingdata. seem to experience some technical difficulties at the moment.
10. It seems as if Apple uses social media as a tool to promote their products and not so much to interact with their customers.
The company itself have other independent tweeters that promote and discuss products which gives it a more objective view on things.
Community Relations (Chapter 11)
07 Mar 2011 Leave a comment
in COMM 306
The importance of giving back has become an important thing for many businesses, you often see communal organizations that are being sponsored by bigger corporations and an active attitude to giving back to the community that supports their business.
With the largely growing community that is diverse in culture, ethnicity, sexual preference or religion, companies are also seeing the opportunity to support the fast and growing world by donating a percentage of their revenue.
The upkeep and importance to give back shows the public that and organization or business cares not only about their customers but also about their surroundings. I believe that this is a great business strategy which could in one way be interpreted as manipulative. To gain trust, credibility and honesty consumers are to believe that a company has genuine interest in their consumers and their well-being, this could be pertained to social as well as environmental issues.
Typical community relations objectives for a company may be.
1. openness about the company in itself, their revenue, tax payments, employee benefits, growth and support of their community.
2. To acknowledge misunderstandings and immediately respond to any negative feedback from the community.
3. Businesses will take a stand during stressful political times and strikes. This will show an interest in their community.
4. To inform their employees and their families about company activities and developments so this can be passed along to others outside the organization. This will serve as positive external promotion.
5. Informing the public about giving back to the community, self promotion may not be the most subtle thing but it will look great in the eyes of the community.
6. To take an interest of the outside view of the organization, the intent to find negative as well as positive opinions to respond or improve.
7. To build a good relationship with the outside community and their leaders by inviting important people to visit. This creates and open atmosphere and that will benefit an organziation.
8. Supporting health programs or environmental issues within the community to show interest and participation.
The outside or the community appreciates a company that takes part and interest in their well-being. It is not only beneficial for the company’s image but also the community that will gain socially, politically or financially from the attention of businesses which could lead to a harmonies relationship.
Seitel, F.P. (2010). The Practice of Public Relations, 11th ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Consumer Relations (Chapter 13)
07 Mar 2011 Leave a comment
in COMM 306
Companies like to hear from their consumers, their opinions makes business better. Now negative feedback may not always be the best to hear from an organizations point of view but it can help them improve their products. It is also a gateway to get opinions on new products that could be beneficial for future business.
Some of the goals for businesses to stand out from the crowd and be “heard” are.
1. Keeping old customers- Although profit comes from building new clients there should also be an emphasis on satisfying the customers that already exist.
2. Attracting new customers- This is usually the main objective for any company, expanding and attract new consumers. New costumers usually base their opinions or choices by how they will be treated.
3. Marketing New Items or Services- The individual emphasis that should be taken to new products and the relationship that could be built by tending to personalized attention. Customers like to feel special and their needs to be met, and with a combination of great customer service with a launch of a new product can only benefit the company as well as the customer.
4. Expediting complaint handling- Dissatisfied customers would usually be handled by someone within the company. However, with new technology the complaints departments are usually outsourced to other places where the employees have been trained in this particular area. Many consumers find this frustrating as they are directed to a member of the company that has no direct knowledge of the product.
5. Reducing costs- Many companies use the tool to educate their customers about their products to help lower the costs of dissatisfaction such as, returned items, service calls or when instructions are misunderstood. To reduce the costs many companies feel like its is financially beneficial to help educate their customers before purchasing an item.
All of these sections give us an insight to companies objectives to gain customers and keep the ones they have happy. An organization is dependent on the well-being of their customers and will gain tremendously to emphasize all sorts of communication.
Seitel, F.P. (2010). The Practice of Public Relations, 11th ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Employee Relations (Chapter 10)
07 Mar 2011 Leave a comment
in COMM 306
The importance of employee relations and organizational communication cannot be emphasized enough. To maintain a strong relationship the culture must be acknowledged and looked upon frequently.
There are several different sub organizations or organisms within a company that need to communicate well in all directions, up, down and horizontally.
There are three hard questions that should be asked when analyzing effective organizational communication.
1. Is management able to communicate effectively with employees?
2. Is communication trusted and does it relay appropriate information to employees?
3. Has management communicated its commitment to its employees and to fostering a rewarding work environment?
There is one thing that can be trusted in all fields of communication and that is that it is messy. An organization need to function like the body that has many different organisms that work together to build on whole unit. If communication is cut off in any way the whole body will have a problem, therefore the emphasis on free-flowing communication.
The five principles to a smooth and cohesive organization are, 1. Respect-without mutual respect and value for both parties there may be a resistance that hinders a good working relationship.2. Honest Feedback-Candid feedback helps employees understand what is going on and therefore has the opportunity to correct and improve. 3. recognition Employees need to feel like they are a part of the organization, their opinion and effort should be recognized to make it a team.4. voice Everyone needs to have a say in what is going on, this does not diminish the managerial authority but merely lets everyone have an opinion. 5. Encouragment-Money and benefits may serve as an incentive for employees to take part and work harder but workers need to be acknowledged to know their value and status.
All of these components are essential to a greater working relationship within an organization to improve results and maintain harmony.
Seitel, F.P. (2010). The Practice of Public Relations, 11th ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Twitter for a week
03 Mar 2011 Leave a comment
So I finally joined twitter and boy did I.
My experiences with social media has been …. hmm …. lets say interesting but it has always ended the same way, in misery. Yes people, I am a recovering facebook user and I have been “user free” for about two years now. Because of my previous negative experiences and addictive personality the idea of joining twitter was scary.
The adrenaline was pumping through my veins (ok a bit dramatic but I was excited) as I downloaded the app on my blackberry.
I took me a while to really understand the guidelines for twitter and how to use it but I got the hang of it slowly, and then the frenzy started. I found myself being on it all the time, checking new tweets or trying to find new people, I can see that it is actually a really good resource for information. I found plenty of interesting people to follow on twitter and through them found even more interesting people to follow.
I think the whole experience brought me away from the actual reason I was on there which was, comm 306 and strategic communication. However, I am a person who enjoy hearing about opinions, thoughts and values which is communication. I have observed how some celebrities use twitter to promote their new music, literature or art. Some use this as a tool to connect with fans or some people just use it to speak their mind and spread some innovative thoughts. I like the idea of the limited amount of characters because it makes people think and really put something up there worth saying.
I however spent most of my time tweeting simple things. I guess my more profound and great knowledge will come later as I have more to say. Overall my experience on twitter has been interesting, fun and addictive. I see myself definitely staying on twitter and becoming an adamant tweeter 🙂
http://twitter.com/#!/brittanihunter/status/43368868974039040
The law (chapter 7)
03 Mar 2011 Leave a comment
in COMM 306
So the one, the only, the laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw. The law is what keeps people in check and regulates people from going totally crazy in society. Who would know that public relations and lawyers actually work together but there are several fundamental difference.
A lawyer would advise a client what they must do, public relations would advise clients on what they should do and not what they must do. Lawyers and public relations have grown to become very close and obviously benefit from each other which helps in both of their professions.
So where does this all come from? America is all about freedom and freedom of speech which makes everything as whole lot more complicated. Where is it ok to speak your mind and when is it not?
Public Relations and defamation law.
Seitel (2010) writes that, “defamation is the umbrella term used to describe libel-a printed falsehood-and slander-an oral falsehood. For defamation to be proved, a plaintiff must convince the court that certain requirements have been met.”
It also includes these things
1, The falsehood was communicated through print or other electronic means
2, The person needs to be identified.
3, The person identified has suffered either financially or emotionally.
The law is there to protect everyone involved but also guide the people working in the communication to practice free speech.
Seitel, F.P. (2010). The Practice of Public Relations, 11th ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Veni, Vidi, Vici 
