Starbucks and iTunes Go Hand in Hand

I read an article in the Tech Harold discussing how Starbucks has teamed up with Apple iTunes.  As I was reading, I realized that the two businesses formed a strategic alliance.  I also realized that I was actually thinking like a public relations practitioner.The program created to bring these massive brands together is called “Pick of the Week.”  Every Tuesday Starbucks customers will receive a download card which allows access to complimentary music using the code on the card.  Starbucks Entertainment team and iTunes will pick what song is free each week.  The opening song to kick off “Pick of the Week” is “Washington Square” by Counting Crows.Anyone who has ever been in a coffee shop knows that headphones and lattes are a common match.  I think it is really interesting and exciting that such different products can team up. 

Author vs. Expert

I read the article, To the Letter Born, which discusses the effectiveness of the look of Obama’s campaign.  The typographical scheme used is more memorable and has had more impact than the other candidates’ campaign advertisements.  Brian Collins, branding expert, says that the most important element in getting a design to make an impression is to be consistent.This point caught my attention because I have determined from my own internship experience that getting the message out consistently and using one voice is one of, if not the most important effort in public relations.  Uniformity of appearance and content is so much more meaningful than one would think.  It gives the company being represented more credibility and allows audiences to more easily establish an identity. Although the author of the article tries to make the focus of the article the typography, aka the font Gotham, I think the branding expert as well as public relations practitioners, know that choosing a font is not the most important part of developing a brand’s identity.   

Blog Turned Into Book

I read a really interesting article in the New York Times (http://tinyurl.com/3ydytg) detailing how the rights to a blog were purchased by Random House in order to write a book.  The blogger calls his comedic list Stuff White People Like stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com.  Many people who came across the blog found it humorous and it has spread like wild fire by people who forwarded it to their friends.  According to a source familiar with the book deal, the rights to the blog were sold for $300,0000.  Even though I have grown up with the internet, it is fascinating that one can become so monetarily successful from a blog.  Many successes are coming from online sources.  I have to say all attention being drawn from the web gives me a little more incentive to write my blogs.  

Disturbing Effects of Social Media

My blog this week unfortunately is again about social media effects during a crisis.  Since the tragic loss of a member of the Auburn family, Lauren Burk, each time I have checked my e-mail there has been an AUAlert update.  Students were not informed of the death of the freshman until noon the following day.  However, the crisis management team played catch-up and has gone to great lengths to keep everyone updated and informed about the increases in security.I am pleased with the way the situation has been handled by the university.  This tragedy reached way beyond the small community of Auburn and Opelika.  News of Lauren Burk’s murder has been on national news.I came across a facebook group that offered overwhelming amounts of support and encouraging words to those who were close to Burk, and once again I held the belief that social media could be beneficial during a crisis.  I thought too soon.  There is a tribute video to Burk on youtube, and I began to read the comments people from all over the country had posted.  I thought they would be uplifting words, informing the victim’s family and friends that they were in their prayers.Instead these anonymous comment posters belittled a tragedy into a race war.  Reading the comments was both disgusting and disheartening.  The internet really has no filter for content, and it is a shame that those suffering already have to deal with the lack of respect of strangers.  I think this proves that the effects of social media are bittersweet.   

Blogging in Crisis

As my previous blog posts have implied, I am a little bit skeptical of how reliable blogs can be.  However, I read a post today that gave me a real sense of understanding when blogs can be used for important purposes. 

The article I read at http://tinyurl.com/36sftm examined how blogging and other social media outlets were extremely important in a crisis situation.  About a month ago, severe tornados hit Jackson, TN and surrounding areas.  The school located in Jackson, Union University, became a disaster area.

In the mean time, the university’s website was down, and there was no way for students, parents and faculty to be updated on the situation.  The solution was that a blogger posted information he knew about what was happening.  Soon others affiliated with the university were posting what they knew.  The community was able to keep everyone updated using social media, and having access to the information brought great comfort to those in the midst of the crisis.

That is the type of blogging that no one could object to.

Campaigns and YouTube

I think society has determined that social media outlets have and will continue to serve as an effective communication tool.  Since magazine and newspaper readership has gone down, Hearst seems to be taking a step in the right direction.  Integrating Seventeen’s contest with YouTube is appropriate for the target audience, teenage girls who probably have access to a computer and are internet savvy. 

Reading Seventeen and surfing the web are things that the audience already does, but the contest allows a mutually beneficial relationship for the media sources. 

YouTube and other video uploading devices may be helpful for future campaigns, but there is a catch.  Since YouTube does have so many videos uploaded by businesses and individuals all over the world, a company looking to promote something through social media must be aligned with a well known source, as a second tool of promotion, in order to increase viewers of the particular video.
 

Twitter: Fab or Flop?

I added topics to my Google Reader. One of the categories I added was Communication Overtones. Today I was scrolling through the articles and found one by Kami Huyse of MyPRPro.com. She wrote about her favorite, bold blogger, Jennifer Mattern, whose blog is named NakedPr: Truth, Not Charm.

As I continued reading, I saw that one of her posts was named My Beef With Twitter. Being skeptical of our upcoming assignment to chat on Twitter, I wanted to see what this blogger had to say.

I read her blog post, and it was quite amusing. I thought I was missing something about the purpose of Twitter, but this blogger was stating all the doubts I have about it. I understand that it could be fun for friends to keep in touch, but it is hard to grasp that I am supposed to network with people all over the world and develop a significant enough relationship through random conversation so that they will want to help me with my career path.

Well Robert, you said you wanted our blogs to be contradictory. At least for the sake of getting me through this semester of Twittering, I hope my I will be proven wrong.

PR Insight

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of public relations specialists is predicted to grow 18% from 2006 through 2016. Growth in the industry exceeds the average for all other occupations.

However, there will be a significant amount of competition for entry-level jobs. Applicants that have public relations, or other related degrees, such as journalism, marketing, advertising or communications, combined with internships or work experience, have the best chance of getting hired.

This information is relevant to students who are months away from graduating. However, it also adds pressure to the job search we are getting ready to begin. Competition pushes people to do their best, but it is hard to decide upon the standards that dictate how tough the competition is.

College students all over the country do not have the same opportunities, and therefore may not be able to gain every experience needed to weed out the competition and become a sought out job applicant.

For example, it is much easier for students who attend colleges in large cities to gain work experience related to various fields rather than someone who goes to Auburn University and can dedicate only their summers to gaining the experience needed. My hope is that employers consider potential, as well as education and work experience, to be a major factor in the hiring process.

Auburn Student Helps at Early Childhood Learning Center

Caroline Barnhill is a senior majoring in Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Human Sciences. This spring is her last semester taking classes before she does an internship over the summer and receives her diploma in August.

In addition to taking four classes, Caroline is working at the Early Learning Center on Auburn University’s campus. The Early Learning Center is a daycare for children ages three and four.

In exchange for Caroline’s help at the Center, she can receive three credit hours. Working three hours a week allows a student to gain one credit hour, which means that Caroline is working nine hours a week to gain the amount of school credit she needs.

According to Caroline, the Early Learning Center has a unique atmosphere that allows children to learn and grow at their own pace while interacting with their peers.