INSPIRATION: Mental and Physical Rejuvenation

This past Memorial Weekend I took a trip to visit a few long-time friends in Bend, OR. My cell phone barely had signal, my laptop sat at home, my planner remained in Eugene, no iTunes, no Internet, no e-mail inbox. And guess what? It was EXACTLY what I needed. I didn't realize how mentally drained and exhausted I was with school, applying for jobs and fretting about the next phase of my life (graduation, jobs, moving, expenses). While relaxing on the couch in Bend, I fell asleep. I NAPPED. I didn't have to wake up to go to a meeting, to type a paper or even the CLOCK. I woke up when I felt like it. I woke up to the sunset, not my itinerary. I felt refreshed. I heard the birds, the wind, the rustling of the trees and SILENCE. It felt SO good. No work could of given me this satisfaction.

I had conversations that I wouldn't of had if I didn't take a personal break. Instead of having conversations about what I currently NEEDED to do, I talked about what I WANTED to do. New friends had no idea about my passion for PR, my passion for great relationships and my passions for the future.
(Above: stopping by the Detroit Lake Dam with my best friend Brittany)
Instead of discussing the mundane tasks I needed to do to get there, my discussions revealed to them, and myself, the epitome of why I am doing the things I am doing. Instead of looking for inspiration, inspiration was offered to me. Everyone has their goals, but to have friends there to share moments, hopes and dreams instead of schedules and stresses, IS NECESSARY to grow as a person. Sometimes one can forget that work goals don't necessarily satisfy one's life goals.
(Left: taking time out to laugh)

So when I read Sometimes it's the Little Things, I couldn't agree more with the article. Professor Tim Christy said that you don't see many employees who are older in the PR/AD Industry because of mental and physical burnout. BURNOUT. Burnout that may have been prevented.

So I encourage you to read the article and take a break from your hectic schedule- even an hour where every electronic item is turned off and the only voice you can hear is yours is a start. Take a drive, turn off your cell phone, don't talk about work, laugh from deep inside your stomach, eat whatever you damn well please and know that what you need to get done will get done because tomorrow is another day.

KNOWLEDGE: Schmoozing Skills

Very interesting article about The Art of Schmoozing. I think that graduates will find this to be beneficial because we are in the midst of doing some extreme networking to better provide for ourselves the opportunities that we want.

PONDERING: What the NBC News President said

Though the Virginia Tech University shooting occurred a little over a month ago, I can't help but share with you something that has sort of "irked" me in regards to how NBC handled the broadcasting about the package they received from the gunman. I highlighted the words that have followed me since watching the interview. I'm trying to make sense of it in my own PR world and I'm trying to really apply it to current news topics. I'd like to find out what you think he means and what it means to you. I'm just sort of having a hard time figuring out why NBC said it was bad PR for them. They received a skyrocketing amount of viewers! Here is an excerpt of the interview that took place on Oprah between Oprah and NBC News President Steve Capus:

When NBC received the gunman's package, NBC News president Steve Capus says his division reacted like many other news organizations would have. "The first thing, of course, your competitive juices kick in," he says. "But then we did something that doesn't always take place in newsrooms. We hit the brake pedal. We stopped. And we didn't even mention to the world that we had this material. We sat on it all day long, and we waited. And we thought about how to handle it and what to do with it. What was appropriate. What not to show."

Steve says the network decided to air what it did after having the head of NBC's policy and standards group and others look at everything and decide what was unusable, such as "over-the-top profanity and incredibly violent images."

At the time of the report, Steve says, the largest unanswered question was "Why?" Steve believes that airing some of the videos helped give the public insight into that question. "This was a videotape that showed somebody on the edge. Somebody who was ready to blow. … To me, this started this dialogue again about what is going on in America. What about the society? What about the pop culture?" Steve says. "Sometimes good journalism is bad public relations. And I'm a father. Brian is. These are very difficult decisions."

If Steve had to make the same decisions again, would he? "I would. Because I believe it was newsworthy and I believe we handled it with as much sensitivity as we possibly could," Steve says. "This is a great discussion. …

Do you think that "Sometimes good journalism is bad public relations?"

INSPIRATION: Haagen-Daz

As soon as I read this article, I wanted to put my pen down, close my spiral and shut off my laptop and treat myself to a pint of ice cream...in bed... accompanied by my favorite shows recorded on TiVo, and pretty much forget about the rest of my to-do list sitting currently to my right. Oh to daydream!

Personally, I think that Haagen-Daz did a wonderful event that not only promoted their new product, but a musician, venue and an expensive mattresses company. The first two word that came to mind: how clever! I would love to demonstrate/promote a product like this in Portland. Companies try to hand out their products on the streets hoping that their sales will increase. I've noticed that those products either get consumed and thrown away, or left behind somewhere. Nowadays, in such a fast-paced world, to make people pay attention, you must get people to stand still for more than 10 seconds and consumers must feel that they are getting more than a "sample".

VS. They want to feel that they are getting a service, and a service for free is even better. I really liked their idea, I'm going to try to find out more about the outcome of the event. I'll keep you posted as to what I find...

ENTERTAINMENT: Funny or Die- The next YouTube of comedy?

I'm sure most of you have seen this, but if you haven't and feel like laughing...


I wonder if that's Will's daughter? Too cute. I don't know about teaching her all those cuss words though... ;-)

What is this Funny or Die Web site about? According to the Web site:
This site was created by Gary Sanchez Productions and a bunch of Silicon Valley guys who drive Hondas and watch old episodes of Babylon Five. Michael Kvamme, an aspiring young comedian, came up with a concept for a new kind of comedy site and approached Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s company, Gary Sanchez Productions. Randy Adams, a Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur, signed on to handle design and implementation. They along with writer/producer Chris Henchy sought to make a comedy site where established comedians and regular users could put up stuff just because they think it’s funny. At the same time they wanted to eliminate all the junk that people have to pick through to find funny stuff. So they came up with the funny or die idea.

The site is simple. Vote on the videos and decide whether they’re funny or die a fiery death. Videos that get enough die votes go to the crypt where they languish in comedy hell. But ones that reach immortal status shall make people laugh forever (even ten thousand years from now when mankind becomes floating orbs of energy. If they can laugh, those future orbs will be laughing at your video). If you don’t want to mess around with lame videos of twelve year olds rapping at a family barbecue then check the status of the video to see how it’s doing. Here’s what each symbol means…

I think it's pretty funny stuff and it's also entertaining that these guys write blogs on the site. Certainly something to check out and keep an eye on. They may gain popularity in the future due to its creators? It's not like the YouTube business plan didn't work out. ;-)

OBSERVATION: Company sponsorship

PRWeek's news article, Verizon cuts tie to Stefani tour, leaves me questioning whether or not Verizon chose to sponsor Akon because he was Gwen Stefani's opening act or because he is a Top 10 artists of the R&B charts. Verizon pulled the plug on their sponsorship of Stefani's tour after viewing a tape that recorded Akon "romping" with an underage, supposedly 14-year-old girl, on stage. Though he apologized for his act, it was too late.

What I am left wondering is whether or not companies consider the history of an artist or idea before they sponsor them. According to About.com in a biography about Akon:

"In New Jersey he took part in little music, and, instead, running with admittedly the wrong crowd, he was kicked out of school for selling weapons. At the age of 18, Akon was arrested and put in jail for a year and a half for being part of a car theft ring. During Akon's time in jail, he began to understand his music abilities and developed an appreciation for his musical background. Akon began writing songs mostly about prison life and living in a ghetto setting."

To me, when a company decides to have business relations with an artist, that company stands for what the artists stands for and vice versa. Did Verizon know that they were representing an ex-convict? Or were they basing this business deal off of a successful music career? In public relations, as a client you have to know that what you do affects your overall public image, and as a company, you have to understand that you represent not only yourself but the actions of your client. I'd like to know why they chose to sponsor him and also why they decided to pull the plug.

KNOWLEDGE: Social media help

Probably one of the best linked documents that I have ever read is Shift Communication's PR 2.0 Essentials- A Necessary Living Document. I encourage those who are interested in social media, and even those that aren't, to take a few minutes out of their day to read through some social media concepts.

After reading almost the entire document, not only did I feel more "in-the-know" with the PR/news world, but I felt prepared to talk about these concepts in class, with friends and especially in interviews with possible employers. I've learned that it's CRUCIAL to know about social media concepts when doing interviews; not only can you offer a company experienced knowledge in an area they've never worked in before but they're keen to ask you more questions that you can answer! Hey you can't help but look good right? :-)

So I'm going to make sure that I spread the news about this Living Document and Shift Communication's Social Media Press Release Template. Study it, learn it, practice it. Information spreads fast thanks to technology, make sure that you know how to get your point across quickly before it's too late!

RESPONSE: Social media changes

"Marketers must understand these social changes. Or fail at the task. How people interact with each other, how we relate, is crucial information. If we don't understand what's going on with our prospect, how can we hope to develop meaningful products, meaningful communications?"


In response to Susan Getgood's blog, Perspectives: Social Media Matters, I couldn't agree with her more that social media represents a fundamental shift of communication in society as a whole. It's changing the ways we see and communicate with the world. Just in the past year alone, I find myself joining such social networks as Facebook and Myspace and reading blogs that have become popular among my friends. It's entertaining to watch blogs become popular, on their own, in mainstream media (as in seeing the blogger or blog on syndicated TV shows. Such as Perez Hilton's blog on Dirt or Off The Rack on E!). I agree with Getgood when she says that people must take the time to understand social media tools, or else people and businesses will be left behind. Social media enables people to communicate in an authentic way that can make you feel as though you're chatting casually with a business partner, but in reality, you're half-way around the world. I believe it breaks down barriers and forces you to look past marketing concepts that make you feel like a recorded robot and saves you crucial time that you could be spending on other successes.