I'm Making my Wish

It has been officially been 4 weeks since the start date of my first ever internship in the Public Relations field. Walking into the door on day one was the most terrifying part...not knowing exactly what to expect. I was quickly at ease as I could not have been greeted with more excitement and generosity. Orientation was a quick overview of what exactly Make-A-Wish is and how it makes a difference in so many families lives. I learned alot that I would not have ever known.

Orientation was over and it was time to meet with out supervisor's. My supervisor, Kelly Henderson, had also interviewd me and I was very excited to be working with her. Unfortunately, she had bad news for me. Her time at Make-A-Wish was coming to an end as she had taken a different position in a more corportate setting. She was the point person for the annual Tournament of Wishes golf tournament and had planned the event from top to bottom. She had 2 weeks left to show me the ropes and give me all the bits of information about this tournament that it took many people months to fully absorb.

Only after a few printing errors and paperwork mistakes I felt like my feet were finally on the ground. The amount of responsibility and job duties that were assigned to me was very overwhelming, but it felt great to play a big role and have people look to me knowing I was capable of getting it done.

So far I think the one thing that I enjoy the most is able to take the reins and run with things no my own. I feel confident in my abilites and actions that I don't have to ask permission before I do every single thing. It is also great that this organization trusts me enough to do that. This tournament consists of everything from live and silent auctions, celebrity appearances, awards, breakfast and lunch arrangements, wish children appearances, contests, and a reception. Attention to detail has proven to be very important and I can't wait to see the execution of this tournament!

Final PR Class...and I learned so much!

Words can't describe how much this PR program and Dr. Miller has taught me. I feel like I am ready to take on the real world and be a successful PR professional. When asked what the 10 things I learned I knew I would easily be able to come up with many things.

1. You're idea is not always the best idea.
When working for a client it is your responsibility to make them happy. Even if you believe you have the best idea in the world, it may not be exactly what the client wants and it is inportant to learn how to compromise.

2. Have a plan B.
For our event at the Milledgeville Mall we were banking on having promotional magnets to hand out. When they did not arrive on time I had to come up with a different form of promotional material to hand out. Always have a back up plan.

3. The client is always right
In my career I am sure I will be working with a client who I do not agree with and get along with, but it is my responsibilty to put those feelings aside and get the job done.

4. Procrastination NEVER works
Waiting until the last minute to so something never pays off. Having things done ahead of time gives you room for error and time to correct it.

5. How to work with a team
I have also been the type of person who like to do things on my own, but these courses have shown me how beneficial groups can be. I believe the best ideas come when they can be bounced off each other.

6. Make connections
I know small thank you e-mails and calls can be a hassle, but they surely pay off in the end. Taking time to do the little things really shows when you need a favor.

7. Friends that turned into family
I have learned that each one of thse girls in my program has so much to offer the world. Each one holds a different talent that they should be proud of. I know I can count on any of these girls in the future as they can count on me.

8. Take great notes
My head can not hold as much information as I used to think it good. Even if you think you can remember it....write it down anyway! It will come back to haunt you if you don't!

9. Save your work
Although I was not in seior seminar this semeste I have seen how important it is to save your work and follow up on press releases, PSA's, etc. It makes it much easier when you need to find them.

10. If you don't love what you do...get out!
I love this field. I have learned that nonprofit is a huge passion of mine and I would not have known that without this program. I don't want this to ever seem like "work" because I want to enjoy the ups and downs and learn something new everyday!

Thank you Dr. Miller and thank you to the amazing girls I got to share this experience with. I wish all of you the best of luck with graduation!

Starbucks IS Socially Responsible

Starbucks

Brewing high quality coffee since 1971, Starbucks has formed its own global culture. Serving coffee is not the only expertise Starbucks has to offer. Their globalization, community service and environmental concerns have left a heavy impact on their consumers always keeping them coming back for more.

From the day Starbucks opened it has dedicated their business to the community because they believe in earning trust and respect of their consumers. Being socially responsible and doing things that are good for the planet and good for each other is their main goal. Starbucks divides its social responsibilities into four categories: Community, Environment, Ethical Sourcing and Wellness. Each program represents a different part of society.

The Community program is their largest program. Their goal is to have Starbucks employees, partners and customers contribute more than one million community service hours by 2015. Their Youth Action Program inspires young people through innovation and youth grants. In fiscal 2009, Starbucks made 71 grants totaling $2.1 million to organizations supporting young people. Starbucks has also partnered up with Product RED to help fight AIDS in Africa.

The second program is the Environmental program. 70% of all stores recycle at least one type of waste where commercial recycling is available. Starbucks also focuses on energy and water conservation by increasing efficiency of electricity and implementing new alternatives to reduce water usage.

Ethical Sourcing directly affects the consumers making it a top priority program for the corporation. It’s their goal for all of coffee to be grown under the highest standards of quality, using ethical trading and responsible growing practices. Their merchandise, furniture and uniforms are guaranteed to be bought from suppliers and manufacturers who share the same morals and values.

The last program Starbucks offers if the Wellness program. Their commitment to wellness starts with the foods and beverages offered in their stores. All of foods are no more than 500 calories and free from unnecessary ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, dyes and artificial trans fats. Starbucks will soon be posting calories and continue to look for innovative ways to share nutritional information.

Starbucks puts as much effort into their social responsibility as they do into running their business. Each day is not a success unless they have positively affected the community in some way. Their diverse programs have allowed the corporation to reach all aspects of the community and truly make a difference. Globally, Starbucks has stayed on CNN’s top 10 Socially Responsible Corporations list for the past ten years.

The general idea of social responsibility is to inspire community involvement and improvement, but it is important to detect the corporations that are practicing this for the wrong reasons. There are many arguments that a corporation’s purpose for community involvement is only to maximize returns for the corporations and not for society as a whole. Ethical corporations that are truly socially responsible care about their community involvement as well as their profits.

As a consumer and public relations professional I see the importance of corporate social responsibility. A reputation in the community goes a long way and in order to be successful it is crucial to be seen in a positive light. Starbucks uses their community programs and involvement to spread awareness and gain popularity and it has paid off.

Summer Internship

As a
Mass Communication major at Georgia College & State University I am required to complete a 300 hour internship for course credit. Many people think sure, finding an internship would be easy right? WRONG! Many companies have had to cut their internship and learning programs due to the current economy. In the past 5 years students have really noticed the effects and have found it very difficult to land an internship.
I began my search in November and began applying to a select number of companies and organizations. I was looking for internships that dealt with PR, development, communications, and event planning. I also began to realize that I was paying extra close attention to internships in non-profit organizations. In November of 2009 my Public Relations Admin class spent the semester planning the Relay for Life Kickoff Dinner. After that night, I knew I was meant for non-profit work. Knowing your are making a difference in someone's life is rewarding in itself. Most of my work here at GC&SU has involved event planning, campaigning, writing and editing. I have thoroughly enjoyed what I have done and want to continue on to learn as much as I possibly can.
I was granted a phone interview with Make-A-Wish Foundation. I was extremely nervous but answered the questions as best I can. A week later I got a phone call from the head of HR and was asked to come in for another interview. I prepared as much as I could and left the interview feeling great. I felt it was a great fit for me and I could really shine in this organization.
I was offered a position as part of their Development Team working on the annual Season of Wishes and wrapping up the Tournamant of Wishes.
I am extremely excited about this opportunity and hope I get as much out of it as I can. Having the opportunity to see sick children in need have their wishes come true is something that will be indescribable and knowing I was a part of it will be extremely rewarding.

Digital Bridges Event: ShopLocalMilledgeville.com

ShopLocalMilledgeville.com is a new website that is being launched at the end of April as a part of Digital Bridges. This new website will allow every business in Milledgeville to have a FREE web presence. It is also a one stop shop for customers. Consumers will be able to search all possible businesses in Milledgeville and even print out coupons, search sale events, and be exposed to a business of the week.
My campaign for the semester was taking on ShopLocalMilledgeville.com. The website needed everything from promotion, promotional material, and support. Myself, Cara Wilmer, and Brooke Brookins took on this project and turned it into a success. We wanted to show the consumers of Milledgeville that staying local with your money will greatly benefit the community in the end. My team designed and ordered promotional magnets, designed flyers, and organized an event to spread the word.
In Mid-March the Milledgeville Mall hosted a business fair. My team set up a booth to help the community gain awareness of this great business opportunity. We wanted the community understand why shopping local is so important. We played a game where customers would guess how many local businesses were in local Milledgeville. A jar was filled up with pennies with the correct number of businesses. Guesses ranges everywhere from 1,200 to 450. The correct number was revealed the week after the event and many were surprised to hear it was 650. We also had handbills, candy and design work to show off to the community.
We found that our biggest challenge was getting the elderly involved. Most people over the age of 60 do not own a computer, let alone know how to work one. We wanted to show them that technology can bring great things, but it was hard to keep them interested.
I could not have asked for a better team to work with. We got along great and worked together like we have known each other for years. I would have been completely lost without Cara's dedication and design and without Brooke's attention to detail. Everyone contributed equally and I am so happy to have been able to work with them on this campaign.

Sidney Crosby wins hearts of all Canadians...

I do live in the South, but born and raised in Canada I am a HUGE hockey fan! The 2010 Winter Olympics that were held in Vancouver kept me glued to the TV. When the US beat Canada, 5-3, during their first encounter the American's believed they had this tournament in the bag. With huge recognition to Ryan Miller, who was named MVP of the tournament, the Americans had the hottest goal tender. However, Canada did not give up and fought until the end. They beat Germany, Russia, and Slovakia puting them back in line to the gold medal game. This game was going to be epic and could have turned out to be one of the biggest upsets in history. The Canadians had control most of the game, but the US came out of no where and tied it up 2-2 with only 27 seconds left. The arena went silent when the US scored, but the momentum was in the hands of the Americans. A four on four 20 minute sudden death over time was played only to be won out by the Canadians. Sidney Crosby, who has always been an idol to many in Canada, made the winning goal that awarded Canada the gold medal for men's hockey. The arena began chanting "Crosby, Crosby" over and over and everyone knew he was the hero.

The Olympics ended, but many heroes remain. Miller has left a huge impact on the Americans as Crosby has left an even bigger one on Canadians. These two players came into this as well-known sports professionals, but left as two of the most famous and influential players in hockey. Everything with the name Crosby or Miller on it is sold out. They are receiving endless amounts of publicity and gaining more and more recognition each day.

So what does this mean? This is an example of how influential sports stars can be on people. They are seen different than actors or musical artists and I believe have a bigger influence on the public. They are heroes to many and idols to young hockey players who dream of becoming a "Sidney Crosby" or "Ryan Miller". Big name companies are dying to use them for endorsements and these players will be offered millions of dollars to do so. Using these players as spokespersons can really influence the public. This is a great example of using effective PR skills to gain exposure and public acceptance.

Marketing v. Public Relations...What's the Difference?

People often put public relations and marketing in the same category. They classify it as the same thing and don't really know what the difference is. The two professions have been growing more and more similar with the Internet and companies being able to do their own marketing and PR, there are still a few differences to keep in mind.

Marketing is used more with the selling of a product. The ultimate goal of both marketing and PR is to gain customer and business, but public relations is more focused on building a long lasting relationship. PR is used to maintain relationships and to build new ones. It also helps maintaining and building relationships between the company and the public.

Customers want to see more to the company then just the product it is selling. Public Relations professionals wants to show the company in their best light. Not only does the company or corporation want to have the public believing in their excellent products, but consumer to business relations are just as important. Public Relations want to allow the public to make their own interpretations of a company, but a little help won't hurt!

Marketing pushes the product and uses advertising and endorsements to make the public believe that their product is the best. It pushes the product on the consumer not allowing them to make up their own mind about what they think. It is all about the money and selling for marketing reps and their persuasion is what pulls the customers.

Overall, the customer is going to make up their own mind and go to the better end product. It has been said that PR professionals are much more trustworthy, but the process would not be complete without marketing. It is easier for them to like your company when they hear about you from someone else, when they read about you in a newspaper article written by the paper's staff, when they see your press conference on the news, or when they see the news at your awesome fundraiser event.

PR for Mr. and Miss GCSU

It's that time of year again here at GCSU. Cars are painted, banners are hung, and flyers are distributed everywhere in promotion of Mr. and Miss GCSU. The process is taken very seriously, especially among the Greek organizations. The initial PR campaigning began at the stroke of midnight Monday night. No campaigning was to be allowed before Feb. 9, and if the rules were not followed it resulted in disqualification.

As a apart of the Delta Zeta sorority I am very knowledgeable about how much time and effort goes into the preparation for Miss GCSU. Our candidate for 2010 is Starr Jarrard, a junior Mass Comm student. She is very well known on campus and has friendships in many clubs and organizations. Her slogan is "Shine Bright, Shine Far, THINK DZ, VOTE FOR STARR!"

Flyers were designed weeks in advance that are now hung up in dorm rooms, front doors of apartments, and around campus. Stickers were printed and handed out to the student public to wear to support Starr, and buttons are being worn by the ladies of Delta Zeta. Shirts were also ordered for the sorority members in support of Starr and are being worn around campus. 7 banners were painted and hung up on many different houses and locations around campus. The sorority also has tables set up on campus by the fountain everyday to hand out candy and stickers to students who are in support of Starr.

This will be my fourth year witnessing the PR and campaigning for Mr. and Miss GCSU and it has only grown in intensity. Through past experiences, PR has been very important. Students have been known to vote for a candidate simply for giving out the best candy, having the best slogan, or just because they like the name! It is very important to focus on the students who don't personally know any of the candidates because one small detail can be the deal breaker. Campaigning can not slow down until it's over, or the competition is lost.

The winner is announced at the Homecoming basketball game, which will be held in Saturday, Feb. 20. The best campaigning will take home the prize and I can't wait to see who it is!

TWEET TWEET!

Our PR Campaign's "challenge" this semester is to utilize twitter more professionally and more often to increase awareness. Having only started to use twitter in August, I am fairly new to the process. Do I really have things to say that peple actually care about? Well apparently I do! As of now I am following 98 people and have 68 followers. I have chosen to follow alot of corporations, companies, and Mass Communication professionals.

My goal is to tweet at least 5 times a day and pass on valuable information. I do the PR for The Colonnade and I use twitter to send out information about meetings, any important changes and any awards won. I tweet about interesting news reports and articles I have read and share the link with others.

I have found it is a great way to successfully get out information quickly. I like how you have a limited amount of characters so you have to get to the point and post the most important information! Can't wait to learn more about Twitter!

How to Pick the Right PR Program?

I'm in my third week of my FINAL (and hopefully last) Public Relations course here at GC&SU. Public Relations Campaigns is a more hands-on do it yourself class that really pushes us to see what we are capable of on our own. Digital Bridges is a new non-profit organization located in downtown Milledgeville and is our client for the semester. This organization hopes to redefine Milledgeville by bringing a wave of technology and innovative thinking to the small business's and entrepreneurs.

This organization has a very big target audience in Milledgeville which can make it challenging to spread awareness. My group consists of Cara Wilmer and Brooke Brookins and we are excited for all the ideas we have to make this organization a success. Our main target audience are the small business's and entrepreneurs who would be more successful if they knew how to utilize technology and social media. With this said.....how to we acheive this?

I did some research on selecting a PR program that fits your need. I found an article that is very helpful and wanted to share it.
http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/public-relations/803-1.html

Selecting a PR Program

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To determine the types of public relations programs that are right for your business, there are several considerations to keep in mind.

Your company’s goals and budget will determine which public relations programs will be most suited to your company. Do your homework first! Always know what your working with before you dive in!

• Evaluate your business goals: Are you a local, regional, national, or international business?
• Determine a timetable: How fast do you need to build awareness?
• Make a budget that's in line with your working capital and your goals.
• Create an action plan of programs and personnel to reach your goals — whether in-house or outsourced.

Then take a look at what your industry is doing and see what works for your competitors. Look to other industries for some innovative schemes.

Keep your PR function in-house and even do it yourself. Media types love entrepreneurs', energy and enthusiasm for a new business. Learn how to write effective press releases. Create reportable events and excitement about your business so that the press wants to give you publicity.

If you have national ambitions and sufficient capital to fund a powerful PR campaign, hire the experts. This is what they do for a living, so they are focused, knowledgeable, and results-driven. On the other hand, your business presents you with constant challenges — product development, building a work force, securing funding for expansion, etc. Without a dedicated team of experts, public relations are often left out, mismanaged, or forgotten.