Notice some differences? While the two commercials are both advertising the Toyota car company, they display very different meanings. They each insinuate different reasons for why their viewers should buy a Toyota. The U.S. and international commercials even played different music in the background, or none at all, which can also play a fairly large role in the successfulness of the campaign.

Creating campaigns with commercials are very costly, not to mention also time consuming. It would be easy for a multi-national company to launch one commercial worldwide and call it good; however, cultural values are going to be a more important issue than price. A public relations or advertising professional must approach a new commercial campaign, or any campaign for that matter, ready to reflect the values, beliefs and realities of the particular culture they are distributing the campaign for.

For example, in Europe energy and water prices are extremely high. So, when trying to promote a new appliance, it would be beneficial as a professional to keep this in mind by highlighting its “light water use,” for example. It is extremely important to be aware of international and cultural differences, especially when looking at what will make a successful commercial.

Countries have different likes/dislikes, cultural values and forms of communication. Feel free to “go global,” but remember that a lot of thought must be put into every detail and decision, big or small, to ensure that you are promoting your company’s product in the best way possible.

– Kaitlin Shrier, Account Supervisor

photo by JohnLeGear via Flickr

Sure, packing your room with the intention of unpacking in another country sounds a bit intimidating. In actuality, the experience of working abroad could be well worth the initial goose bumps. Whether you’re interested in surfing down under or eating potatoes in Ireland, working for a PR firm abroad can be a great way to set your resume apart and gain experience in an international market.

Here are a few international firms that may spark your interest in an international PR career.

Location: Melbourne and Sydney, Australia
Firm: Ann Morrison Public Relations
Founded: Nearly two decades ago
Specialty: AMPR originally began as a firm specializing in fashion and lifestyle PR but have also expanded their talent to benefit the business, service and automotive fields. Visit AMPR’s website and Twitter.

Location: Dublin, Ireland
Firm: Drury Communications
Founded: Nearly 20 years ago
Specialty: Ranging from consumer to financial PR, litigation communication to public affairs, Drury Communications can provide its employees with a wide array of opportunities. Its mission emphasizes the link between effective communication and successful communication in its mission: “We believe in strategic partnership and rock-solid relationships.” Visit Drury’s website.

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Firm: Spice PR
Founded: 2002
Specialty: Spice PR fancies itself an expert in fashion, food, design and lifestyle work. From Jeffery West to Volvo to Evian, Spice manufactures creative campaigns to establish or secure its clients’ brands. Visit Spice’s website and Blog.

Location: London, UK
Firm: The London PR Agency
Founded: 2007 by former journalist Steve McComish
Specialty: The London PR Agency is a consumer and B2B PR firm and has extensive experience in UK national media relations. The agency is so confident in its ability to garner results that it guarantees national coverage to all committed clients. Visit the London PR Agency’s website and Twitter.

– Cassi Gritzmacher, Account Executive

• Guests. The ability to correctly identify your audience will greatly shape your planning, day-of-show, and follow-up steps.  Know where your guests will be coming from, what they’re doing after, and how your event can be the best part of their evening (or day).  Remember to always give guests a take-away (or like many of us referred to them at our childhood birthday parties, a “party favor”).  This shows guests your sincere appreciation for their company.  Always make sure to follow-up after the event, too – both to thank them again for coming and to gain their opinion on the event’s success.
• Venue. It’s a no brainer (or at least I hope it is) that your venue must be large enough to accommodate your total guest count.  If you’ve never been to the venue before day-of-show, always arrive at least one hour prior (this means before catering, flowers, etc., are scheduled to arrive, not the guests).  You never know what funky challenges might occur (i.e., non-adjustable thermostat set to a whopping 96 degrees, no ramp for your three guests who cannot climb stairs).
• Signage. If you represent an organization or have a sponsor(s), make sure you credit important parties with signage.  Signage should be large enough to be seen and small enough that it doesn’t become the backdrop in every candid photo.
• Budget. Plain and simple: stay within it.
• Helpers. I know everyone refers to you as the “Hostess with the Mostess,” but that doesn’t mean you didn’t (or shouldn’t) have assistants along the way.  Don’t try to be a one-person team – you’ll end up fatigued and unable to enjoy (or spectate) any aspect of the event because you’ll be too busy running around like crazy.  Get a team together (with individuals you can trust), delegate with purpose, and always show appreciation for your teammates.
• Cold food is a no go. The venue is amazing!  There is an open bar and guests look overjoyed.  They then bite into a wonderfully looking filet mignon, and their faces quiver at the taste of cold steak.  Regardless of how great everything else is, guests will always remember a cold meal and talk about it in the weeks to come.
• Personal toolkit. Create your own personal toolkit and stock it with the answers to potential event crises, which will happen.  Some items in my toolkit include Band-Aids, superglue, tape (Scotch Blue and Scotch Double-Sided), matches, tape measure, markers, pens, blank nametags, and a rubber doorstop.

With these seven tips, your toolkit is already half full.  It’s your job to fill the rest!

Good luck and happy event planning!

– Saramaya Weissman, Account Supervisor

Professional franchises have used public relations to influence the behavior of their publics in multiple ways. Some organizations have made suggestions to reduce ticket prices. As much as they would like to maximize profit, they understand that in some cases public money was used to fund the facility in which the game is played.

Another way is by emphasizing details that are not always visible. Studies have shown that developing a professional sports franchise in a city can significantly boost the economy in that area. When a new franchise is brought into a city there will be increased spending in that area due to the high number of fans who want to attend. These franchises also help by creating hundreds of jobs for those in search of work.

Job created by a professional athletic franchise.

One way franchises can look beyond themselves and into the community is by creating international relations. A few seasons ago the NFL sent the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets overseas to play a regular season game. This was a good idea to try to generate public interest abroad in areas where American football doesn’t exist. A second way franchises can focus on the community is by using creative promotions that attract fans. The Minnesota Twins recently started a promotion called “break a bat plant a tree.” Such a promotion is attractive to fans because it aligns with the eco-friendly movement that is gaining ground all over the world.

How are these franchises bettering the community? One way that professional sports reach out to the community is by forming organizations such as the Pro Players Association that work voluntarily on behalf of the community. A second way is by providing assistance for community projects. The Colorado Rockies assist with the building and revitalization of baseball fields for youth baseball, allowing children all over the state of Colorado to enjoy the great game of baseball.

– David Runberg, Account Executive

1. Do your research. Find out where your target audience is. Discover what venues are hosting conversations about your brand, product category, etc. as well as what people are saying about them.
2. Find the current opinion leaders. Connect with those who already have a following. Creating relationships with the people who are talking about your industry or product could be extremely beneficial if they decide to become your advocate.
3. Create a community. In order to create a presence in social media, you must actually be present. Seek out your audience and provide them with a reason to be interested in you. You must discover the wants and needs of your audience and make those elements the driving force of your online community. As fellow PR practitioner Katie Stansberry has said, “Value content is determined by what is valuable to your audience.”
4. Moderate the conversation. Generate discussion with your audience. Talk WITH them (Again, engage).  Social media should create a two-way communication channel between you and your customers, clients, etc. When people give you feedback in the form of comments or questions, reply to them to show them that you are listening and that you appreciate them. Large businesses in particular can provide a more “human” image if they are conversing with consumers.
5. Find the “sweet spot” in communication rates. Although you should absolutely post frequently on social media sites, you should not overload your audience with unwanted information. If you post too often, you run the risk of having a spam-like effect.  Don’t talk just to talk; be purposeful in all your communication.
6. 6. Measure the results. Monitor the rates at which your online communities grow. Keep track of followers, readers, website views, etc. Observe and analyze what actions cause jumps in your follower rates and what actions spark the most conversation.
7. Remember that social media is continually changing. In this fast-paced and ever-changing online world, trends in communication change at a rapid pace.  The phrase, “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” will not apply.  To maintain success, you must always be monitoring changes and improving and evolving your social media efforts.  If you continue to research and follow your target audience’s habits and interests, you will ideally be able to maintain a good online presence.

This guide is a mere outline for strategic use of social media. For more information on this topic, here are links to a few other blogs with great viewpoints on the subject:

http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/technology/article/5-tips-for-using-social-media-for-real-results-leah-betancourt

http://altitudebranding.com/2010/04/8-ways-to-manage-up-for-social-media-success/

http://prosintraining.com/ssm/2010/04/social-media-policy-a-conversation-with-kelly-feller/

http://prosintraining.com/ssm/2010/04/building-caring-for-and-managing-online-communities/

To read more on Brian Solis’s take on the concept of engagement, you can order his book through hi website: http://www.briansolis.com/books/

– Courtney Larson, Account Executive

I want to be the first to extend my congratulations to the 2010-2011 Allen Hall Public Relations management team.

Year after year I’m impressed by the caliber of students that step up to the often difficult, but nearly always rewarding, challenge of managing and leading their peers throughout the year. This year is no different.

When you see these folks in the hall, tell them congrats! If you have ideas for next year, I’m sure they’re interested in hearing them, too.

Karly Bolton, Firm Director (twitter, LinkedIn)

Firm Director: Responsible for the overall direction of the agency. The firm director provides the public face of the agency and is responsible for its operations. S/he is the first point of contact for all clients, runs weekly meetings, serves as a resource and enforces policies.

I’ve been consistently impressed with Karly’s energy and enthusiasm and her uncanny ability to remember that I have a thing for adorable owl motifs. As a student in both my social media classes, she’s also proven savvy on the interwebz. As an account supervisor, she’s already had the joy of tackling difficult client relationships with grace and diplomacy (and always with a smile). She’ll build on the high standards set by Kristina (and me) and ensure that AHPR’s work continues to be excellent.

Samantha Luthra, Assistant Firm Director for Internal Relations (twitter)

Samantha has remarkable poise and confidence, but also the patience and empathy to keep teams on track, on deadline and co-existing functionally. Samantha has been in three of my classes and somehow she always brings a sense of calm with her (a great characteristic to help minimize inevitable drama). Lynn has been a terrific internal relations director and I know Samantha will build on that foundation, bringing her own style – both in leadership and fashion sense.

Cassi Gritzmacher, Business Development Director (twitter)
Business Development Director: The BDD is a new position. This person will serve as the Web editor and events coordinator, planning weekly meetings, coordinating with guest speakers, etc. S/he may also provide external relations (the PR person for AHPR), helping to raise awareness about AHPRs work among faculty/staff and the community and also plan the end-of-the-year banquet

Cassi’s a natural leader and connector. Her willingness to take on a new role and shape it for the future speaks to this. Cassi will bring a new focus on networking, guest speakers, maintenance of the AHPR website and more (I hear she even has agency tours in mind). Cassi’s energy is contagious and she will bring a great deal of value for AHPR members in the next year.

Mason Hughes, Business Services Director (twitter, LinkedIn)

Business Services Director: BSD is responsible for managing contracts, scope of work agreements and following up with client regarding billing and payments. This position may also serve as an account supervisor or account executive on a team.

I’m not very detail oriented and Mason’s ability to track the minutiae of the end-of-the-year banquet has boggled my mind. He’s also impressed faculty and staff with his follow-through, poise and professionalism. We have some ideas about how to change contracts, scope of work agreements and reporting that Mason will no doubt shepherd us through in a way that will create an even stronger foundation for future years.

Congrats to the new team!

Kelli

• Picture: The default bird picture is a dead giveaway that you are not well versed with Twitter. Choose a photo of yourself that is clear, friendly and simple. No party or group pictures!

• Bio: Include your professional interests, where you go to school, your major, and maybe a hobby or two. If you are interested in sports, music, fashion, or anything else it is okay to include that in your bio. Also, provide a link to your LinkedIn page or your online portfolio.

• Tweets: If you are new to Twitter, follow people who work in the field you are interested in. Also, many businesses and organizations have Twitter accounts. Listen to the kind of things they are tweeting, and when you feel comfortable join in the conversation. A great way to get started is to provide a link to an article that you find interesting. Keep your tweets professional, yet conversational.

For more tips on how to tailor your Twitter for employment opportunities, check out this Mashable story.

– Samantha Luthra, Account Executive

The Pareto Principle is the idea that 80 percent of results will come from 20 percent of the action.  Nielsen Media Research, a media metrics analysis company, researched how the Pareto Principle applied to Twitter in the United Kingdom.  Nielsen’s research found that seven percent of users were accounting for 79 percent of time spent on Twitter.  Facebook, on the other hand, had 52 percent of users accounting for 98 percent of the time on its website.

What this indicates is that Twitter is successful at drawing people to its website but, for whatever reasons, a majority of people have not been very active.  Should this deter you from utilizing Twitter?

In my opinion, emphatically – no it should not deter you.  Twitter is young and growing.  Unless your name is Bill Gates or Ashton Kutcher, Twitter followers and attention takes a lot of hard, but fun, work.  As Twitter becomes more of a societal norm, you will see the 79/7 rule start to even out to Facebook’s usage rate.

It is important that you or your company is not fully relying on or ignoring social media.  A healthy balance of social media and traditional practices will help best disseminate your message.  Just remember the wise words of Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”  So, get on Twitter already!

– Teddy Black, Account Executive

1. Always make sure the information is newsworthy.
2. Tell the audience that the information is intended for them and why they should read it.
3. Always use the inverted pyramid style; the most important information first and least important information last.
4. Make sure the story is relatable.
5. Make sure the first ten words of the press release are effective and catch the reporter’s attention.
6. Avoid jargon and excess adjectives
7. Give only the facts, no excess information that will not be useful to the reporter.
8. Provide as much contact information as possible including: Contact name, e-mail, address, phone number, fax and website
9. Make sure the release can be made into a complete story.
10. Make it as easy as possible for reporters to do their jobs. Include all the facts necessary, all contact information and quotes from prominent people.

Many of these helpful hints can be found on sites such as www.pressreleasewriting.com

Now that the press release has been written you have to make sure to pitch the story to the right people. A story is more likely to be published if it is pitched to a specific section of the newspaper that it relates to. Because the event that I was trying to get covered was created by a local group of Portland special effects artists I chose to pitch the story to the “Portland” section of the newspaper. I did not automatically know about this section until exploring The Oregonian’s Web site and discovering its newsroom. The newsroom specifically outlined and described each section of the newspaper accompanied with the editor’s name, e-mail and phone number. You can take a look here: http://biz.oregonian.com/newsroom/?sec=47&tert=3.
This helped me specify my target audience so that I was not blindly sending out press releases to reporters who the story did not relate to.
In the public relations industry as interns and professionals press releases are written often. Although not every press release is written the same many of the same techniques should always be used and distributing to the right audience is key.

Happy writing.

– Madeline Willman, Account Executive

Ring ring. Frantically, I begin searching my bottomless pit of a purse. Ring ring. “A SPOT!!! AN ACTUAL PARKING SPOT!!!” – “Hello, this is Lauren Switzer.” – “PULL OVER! PULL OVER! WE NEED THAT SPOT!” – I look at my friends with a panic stricken look: it was a potential employer. – “WE HAVE TO GET THAT SPOT!” – “Yes, this is a good time to talk. I’m so sorry for the background noise.” – “HEY GUYS, LAUREN IS TALKING TO HER BOSS. BE QUIET!” – Thanks, Emma. “Yes, I am still very interested in the internship. Oh no, really, now is a perfectly fine time to talk.” – “I can’t believe we got that spot (quiet shouts of joy continue).” – “My availability… I am available all day Wednesdays and Fridays… Great… Great. I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

A scenario worthy of a blog title reminiscent of that of a horror film? Indeed. I was absolutely convinced I would never work for that company. Luckily, through persistence and a profuse amount of apologies, I still got the job. On my first day, Susan, the hiring manager with whom I spoke to on the phone, asked to speak to me in the conference room. Terrified, I did as she asked. She was incredibly kind and asked if she could give me some advice for the next time an employer calls.

• Tip Number 1: It’s OK to say: “I’m sorry. Right now is not a good time to speak. May I please call you back?” In fact, in my case, it would have been much better had I said that rather than trying to speak over the shouts of my friends.

• Tip Number 2: If a potential employer catches you in a bad situation, let your phone go to voicemail. You can always call back.

• Tip Number 3: You can always ask, “May I please have a minute to situate myself?” Susan gave me so many opportunities during our initial phone call to do just that because she knew I was in a situation that was not conducive to having a phone conversation. Do not hesitate to take a moment to collect yourself (and your friends too, if need be).

• Tip Number 4: One bad phone call is not the end-all. If you find you do not feel like you represented yourself properly on the phone, be sure to send a follow-up e-mail with an apology, an explanation and why you still believe you deserve the job.

Hopefully, these tips will help you know exactly what to do the next time an employer calls.

– Lauren Switzer, Account Supervisor