On Friday, we toured four distinct agencies in Bellevue and Seattle. Starting bright and early, we toured Waggener Edstrom Worldwide in Bellevue, and then headed to the city to visit Edelman Seattle, Banyan Branch and Barokas PR.

During the visits, we toured the modern offices and had Q & A sessions with each agency’s executives, coordinators and human resource specialists.

Below are some highlights from each tour:

Waggener Edstrom

Our visit at Waggener got our tours off to a great start. First, we toured the two-story office complex, complete with fully furnished kitchens with all of your Starbucks needs and amenities that allow employees to have a home away from home. After the tour we met with five account coordinators and supervisors to learn more about the agency. Listening to their stories and endless advice was an invigorating experience.

Edelman Seattle 

The Edelman Seattle office is located in the heart of downtown with views of the Space Needle. On the tour, we walked through the modern yet comfortable atmosphere, complete with a “wellness room” where employees can take time to slow down. We were welcomed by four Edelman employees for a Q & A session. They introduced our group to the company’s core values and we learned what it takes to be an “Edelmanite.” By the time we left, each member was motivated and energized to join agency life.

Banyan Branch

The Banyan Branch office displayed an artistic and welcoming environment that invites creative collaboration. Starting with a Q & A with Group Account Directors Julie Storer and Charl R. Pearce, we learned about the firm’s specialization in social media and online communication. Banyan Branch offered a more casual environment and a smaller-agency energy that differed from the first two tours.

Barokas PR

The final and most laid back agency we toured was Barokas PR. Their tag-line is “PR Minus the BS,” which was emanated by the account coordinators and supervisors we spoke with. Barokas PR is a mid-size agency, specializing in innovative technology clients. We toured their newly renovated office and peaked into Founder and CEO Howie Barokas’ luxurious office, complete with fireplace, leather couches and fully supplied bar.

Our trip to Bellevue and Seattle was nothing short of educational and inspirational. We want to thank everyone at Waggener Edstrom, Edelman Seattle, Banyan Branch and Barokas PR. The advice and tours will have a lasting impact on all who were luck enough to take the trip to Seattle!

– Post by Avery Lemons, Account Executive 

Last term we invited four inspiring UO graduates, pictured above, to speak at our meeting. They shared their experiences with working a 9 to 5 job, offered advice for graduating seniors, and gave us tips for entering the public relations industry. The panelists included Lindsey Kate McCarthy of CAWOOD, Nicole Kramer of Levi’s Strauss & Co., and Lana O’Brien and Alison McClaran of Funk/Levis & Associates.

Each panelist gave us several memorable takeaways:

• Prepare yourself to fail – at least once.

• Tailor your strengths and communication styles when working with a team.

• Interview the company, too, during your job search.

• Keep yourself relevant in the industry, even if it means taking an unpaid internship.

• Foster creative energy even after you graduate.

• Realize that most students don’t come out with portfolios like the “J-school” prepares you for.

One of the panelists, Lindsey Kate McCarthy, offered some advice on succeeding in media relations. Although challenging at times, Lindsey of CAWOOD says that media relations is a favorite part of her job. One benefit of working in a smaller community, such as Eugene, Ore., is getting to know journalists on a first-name basis. The satisfaction of getting a story told is one of the reasons Lindsey enjoys her work as much as she does.

She shared some valuable tips with us on how to successfully reach out to the media:

• Develop relationships with reporters. If you get to know a specific reporter or editor and cultivate a friendly rapport with them, you will be much more likely to get their attention when pitching them a story.

• Curate interesting content. Before writing the pitch, think about what the value is and if it’s community based. Also, is it authentic and innovative?

• Get to the point. Lindsey notes that as publications are cutting back on staff, reporters have stories overflowing their desks and clogging their voicemail. So, make the pitch quick. Tell the reporter why the story is valuable and give them the who, what, where and why.

• Follow up with a phone call. Stating your name isn’t important; tell them what the story is and why it’s valuable for their readers.

Thank you to Lindsey, Nicole, Lana and Alison for sharing their experiences and insights with our agency.

Not sure about scheduling an informational session with a PR professional? Here are three reasons to consider it:

LEARN MORE ABOUT A PARTICULAR POSITION OR COMPANY.
Scheduling informational interviews allow you to target professionals and companies that are most interesting to you. It is an opportunity to get answers to specific questions or ask for advice about breaking into the PR industry as a young professional. You become the interviewer, so take the time to prepare questions before the interview. Though informational interviews tend to be more casual and conversational than a formal job interview, it still speaks highly of your dedication as a professional and potential employee to come prepared.

BECOME A MEMORABLE CANDIDATE IF YOU APPLY LATER.
An article in Forbes declared that informational interviews can be even more influential than a cover letter. Connecting with a recruiter through an informational interview can make you a memorable and recognizable name among a stack of job seekers. Attending an informational meeting can help establish you as an enthusiastic and bright young professional with an interest to learn. That personal connection might just earn you a few more points in the selection process if you decide to apply for a position with the company later.

MAKE AN IMPORTANT PROFESSIONAL CONNECTION.
An informational interview is not the place to ask for a job. But it does help you create important internal connections within a company. In the public relations industry, those connections can be invaluable during the job hunt. If you aren’t meeting with a recruitment or human resources rep, you’re at least meeting with a current employee who understands the company and the hiring process. Informational interviews are also a great way to connect with potential mentors.

Whether you are a junior still deciding on a PR niche or a senior just weeks away from earning your degree, take the time to identify a professional in the industry you’d like to connect with. Informational interviews can play an important key role when it comes to nailing down a job after graduation.

-Post by Callie Gisler, Account Supervisor 

When the bombs went off at 3 p.m. along Boylston Street in Boston, pictures, videos, and tweets were immediately posted. The Boston Police and other medical officials directed everyone through evacuation routes that led through smoke, broken glass and blood. There were many people there who captured the event of the Boston Marathon to record what was suppose to be a wonderful moment of achievement. Sadly, the pictures and videos quickly turned around and became grim, but, the reporters were able to immediately utilize some of those recordings.

The Boston Police department’s Twitter page posted tweets moment-by-moment of what was going on and provided information to the public on what they were expected to do. As more and more photographs and videos were posted, investigators were able to piece together crucial information that was needed.

The act of people tweeting reassured some of the world where loved ones were and if they were safe. In addition, people were able to easily access information on where to go for help.

In these moments of tragedy, people turned to Twitter to get updated and informed rather than traditional news media.

-Post by Katie Bourus, Account Executive

Source: http://www.toonaripost.com/2013/04/us-news/boston-marathon-bombing-importance-of-twitter-in-a-crisis/

When I think of personal branding now, I am reminded of the “voice” category of that four-part rubric. Like successful elementary school essays, much of establishing who we are has to do with simply presenting information about ourselves in a certain light and doing so without grammatical errors. As a college student, especially within the communications field, personal branding is critical and all too easy to get wrong. If you’re looking to establish or clean up your image, start with the tips below.

• GET ONLINE

My generation has no problem getting on the web. However, just being online isn’t enough. It’s crucial to not only have a presence on Facebook and Twitter but to also be active on LinkedIn, WordPress and Youtube if possible. Vlogging – video blogging – paired with blogging creates an immense social network that could come in handy later on, and it provides a way for potential employers and clients to get a sense of who you are. Unless you have reasons to be concerned for your safety, keep everything public. Keep your name, face and brand fresh in every online community. Be connected and post often.

• PICK A NICHE

Now that you’re on a number of platforms, you need to decide what topics you plan to cover. The more specific, the better. People like reading about things that interest them, and maintaining a uniform theme throughout all of your sites makes it easy for an audience to identify what you’re all about and whether they’re interested. Pick a topic that you enjoy – something that you wouldn’t mind writing about, speaking about and researching.

• RESEARCH IT, KNOW IT

Become an expert in your chosen field. No one will seek you out unless you can provide a fresh perspective. Research before you write, and reread before you post. Stay on the lookout for trends or controversies, and always offer your perspective. Be the wise sage of your industry and people won’t ignore you.

• SHOW PERSONALITY, BUT BE APPROPRIATE

This is where many 20-somethings fail miserably. It’s important to show who you are because that’s the whole point of personal branding. If you’re witty, be witty. If you’re pessimistic, be pessimistic. However, there is a fine line between showing your true colors and over-sharing. I think this is best explained with examples, and Inc.com has a few hilarious ones. Check them out here and then never repeat them. When in doubt, follow the “grandmother” rule  – if you wouldn’t want your sweet, innocent grandmother (or your boss) to read it…don’t post it. It’s as simple as that.

• INTERACT

Don’t forget that others are trying to establish their brand as well and that everyone appreciates an encouraging comment or two. Follow others in your industry and make friends with those that have established a strong presence as well as other up-and-comers. Insightful comments are always appreciated and usually reciprocated, so don’t forget to scratch your neighbors’ backs.

Do you feel ready to begin crafting your personal brand? Hopefully this clip from personal branding guru, William Arruda, will help.

“Effective branding is based on authenticity…Your brand is based on who you really are – your best self.”

“Do you leave your mark on everything you do?…And if you don’t, how can you?”

-Post by Kalli Bean, Account Executive

Educate. Activate. Motivate. These three words are the basis of the 2010 Census’ plan to get residents living in the United States to fill out their Census forms.

The student population, especially college students, is considered one of the Census Bureau’s hard-to-count audiences. It is vital to the success of the 2010 Census to get students involved because students have the ability to mobilize their peers and community.

Students don’t realize that a) the Census is mandatory and b) by filling out the Census you can help your local community. There is a clear public relations opportunity to promote the accessibility, convenience and confidentiality of the Census to hard-to-count audiences. By engaging these audiences, the Census will obtain an accurate count of a city’s demographic.

Follow University of Oregon’s 2010 Census Facebook fan page to see how the University of Oregon is gearing up for the 2010 Census.

-Post by Amy Ruben, Account Executive 

Our team has been very busy this term creating a nomination packet for the American Public Works Association’s (APWA) Top 10 Leader Award. The APWA is an international organization that provides a forum for public works professionals around the world to exchange ideas so that members can stay on top of the most innovative and efficient public works processes. The Top 10 Leader Award recognizes those professionals who have made achievements in engineering, excelled in the industry and serviced the community. APWA’s Oregon Chapter has nominated Tillamook County Public Works Director Liane Welch.

Our fantastic team, Jesse Davis, Paris Isaacs and Nicole Kramer, is busy interviewing the candidate’s co-workers, old bosses, community members and family to get the inside scoop on how Welch operates.

First, we dived into research. I knew little about public works, let alone the technicalities of planning, implementing and assessing public facilities. Turns out, public works professionals have their hands full in Tillamook County. Did you know that Tillamook County has experienced more federally declared storms than any other West coast jurisdiction in North America? This requires emergency response and crisis management from the public works team, hardly a nine-to-five job.

Once our team digested the material, we set off to interview. As upper-division students on the verge of graduation, we have been interviewed a lot – we perfect our resumes, attend cover letter writing workshops and practice answering interview questions with mentors. It has been a while since I had been on the other side conducting interviews, and these require our team to be on top of our games. For this nomination, we need to flesh out all the confusing content and maximize our 20 minutes on the phone with interviewees. Here are a few things I learned along the way:

• Research, research, research: The only way to learn about anyone is through research. For this project, I asked each interviewee how he or she knew the candidate. I received responses telling me about the public works projects or initiatives they worked on with Welch, some of which were: bioengineering erosion control, full-depth reclamation and slough consolidation conduit utilities…definitely a mouthful. In order to develop thoughtful questions, we spent time reading up on these processes and Tillamook County’s involvement with them.

• Stay casual: Interviewing is simply facilitating a conversation. Focusing too much on the question may lead you to neglect what the interviewee is saying to pry out an answer you want. Listen to interviewees and ask follow-up questions based on what they are saying – if they’re excited about it, you’ll get more details.

• Turn off phone notifications: During a phone interview, it’s easier to write notes without a phone in your hand. Speakerphone is a great option, but turn off those loud beeps that alert you of new texts, e-mail and Twitter mentions.

Our interviews have offered our team great insight into Welch’s achievements. The feedback we have received has been extremely positive. Welch is constantly praised as a collaborative communicator and leader, encouraging her employees to engage with other professionals in the industry and educate themselves on current trends. She has created relationships with all these people we interview, and those relationships have propelled her forward, positioning her as one of the top 10 public works leaders in the nation.

Writing a nomination for such a praised professional inspires the work we do in Allen Hall Public Relations. As aspiring young professionals, we are learning to become transparent communicators, inspirational leaders and relationship-builders.

To analyze this thought, I narrowed the world down (just a little bit) to public relations students in general and Allen Hall Public Relations (AHPR) in particular.

AHPR is comprised of many Twitter-savvy public relations apprentices who share interesting and fun public relations topics with their followers.

Twitter interactions are encouraged in some classes, and AHPR agency meetings are Twitter-friendly. Tweeting allows us to build a community, share about our clients, seek help from experts and inform the rest of the world of our victories.

I joined Twitter awhile ago, but started getting into it these last few weeks. I discovered the amount of useful information that “tweeps” (twitter peeps) share with others. I realized that following conversations and reading tweets makes me feel part of the public relations community.

Although not all public relations students and practitioners are on Twitter, it is the ideal place to stay up-to-date with public relations hot topics, see what people in the industry are talking about, and interact with others who share the same interests.

Many thoughts later, I came to the conclusion that the world without Twitter would be just fine; however, it would be shameful to miss the opportunity to expand our digital footprint and become knowledgeable about the field in which we’d like to work. Because let’s be honest, being ahead of the game is more important than ever in this day and age.

So tweet away, tweeps! (But do not forget to listen first.)

-Anne Leverdier, Account Supervisor 

At Allen Hall Public Relations we are often presented with opportunities that would not have come our way were we not a part of this agency. Two weeks ago, I had one such opportunity land in my lap.

I am the account supervisor of our New Venture Championship (NVC) team, along with account executives Nic Corpora and Tara Gremillion. The three of us work in conjunction with Allen Hall Advertising (AHA) to help NVC put on a successful business plan competition for graduate students in April. The competition takes place in Portland, and is widely recognized as one of the top competitions of its type in the country.

The sponsors of NVC are crucial to the competition’s survival. This year several students from AHA and I were approached with the task of presenting to the CEO of NVC’s title sponsor, Columbia Sportswear. That’s right, folks—we jumped on a bus and strutted into Tim Boyle’s conference room at the Columbia headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

Mr. Boyle had not been given a personal update about his investment in NVC in three years, and since the competition is experiencing a rebrand this year the timing was perfect. We were informed of the presentation about a week in advance, which put our communication skills on the spot. The designers at AHA worked tirelessly on an aesthetically pleasing PowerPoint while AHA members Joe DeFever, Matt Casey and myself perfected our public speaking skills. By the time Friday, January 7 rolled around we were perfectly polished for Mr. Boyle.

Ma Boyle Country. Photo credit: pdxmim

Walking into the headquarters of Columbia Sportswear, we were greeted by a wall-sized portrait of Mrs. Gert Boyle, Tim Boyle’s mother and Columbia chairman of the board, alongside the slogan “Ma Boyle Country.” Right off the bat we knew this was no joke—we were in Boyle territory. The office itself had a very open feel, and with Columbia gear around every corner there was no question these people lived and breathed the brand. We were led to a conference room where we were left to prepare ourselves and take it all in.

When Tim Boyle entered the room, the mood instantly changed. A friend of Tim Gleason, Dean of the UO School of Journalism and Communication, who accompanied us on the journey, his presence was friendly yet demanding. One would think that the CEO of a company such as Columbia would show little interest when some undergraduate students showed up in their cheaply tailored business attire from a sales rack, but Mr. Boyle commanded our eye contact throughout the presentation. He took notes and nodded, and even interjected at the appropriate times to give his input. When we were finished, he asked insightful questions that we had not even prepared for—luckily we all knew the account well enough to hit a few curveballs out of the park.

I was simply taken aback by his interest and willingness to listen to our presentation. At the end of our talk he gave us a few moments for the sweat on our palms to dry before handing out passes to the employee store around the corner. Then it was off to the BCS National Championship for Mr. Boyle and back to Eugene for the NVC team. Talk about living in a different world—Mr. Boyle’s ability to command that much respect and interest from a room is a learned ability we can only hope to achieve.

Fall 2010 Fred Meyer team

Fall term was a busy one for the Fred Meyer team. We got to work right away, assisting Fred Meyer’s public affairs team by creating media lists, writing press releases and media alerts, and doing media relations work.

We pitched a number of stories:

In October, we wrote and pitched a release about a t-shirt signing held at the West Eugene Fred Meyer. Duck football legend Kenny Wheaton, whose famous play known as “The Pick” is considered the greatest play in Oregon football history, signed the shirts to benefit the Kenny Wheaton Foundation, his charity benefitting underprivileged children in the Eugene area.

We were also able to secure coverage for a check presentation held at Fred Meyer’s Santa Clara location in Eugene. Fred Meyer donated over $81,000 to the Oregon chapter of Operation Homefront, an organization that provides emergency assistance and other services for families of veterans. The donation was a combination of money collected in coin jars at Fred Meyer checkstands and contributions from Fred Meyer associates. We received coverage from KEZI, Eugene’s ABC affiliate. (Video: http://kezi.com/news/local/197481)

Our media relations efforts really paid off in December, when we crafted a social media press release announcing Christmas for Kids, an event held at the Hollywood Fred Meyer in Portland. The event gives low-income children a chance to shop with volunteers and purchase Christmas gifts for themselves and their family members. Two of Portland’s major network news affiliates, KOIN (CBS) and KATU (ABC) attended the event and featured it in their evening newscasts.

Between the five of us, we were all able to get a taste of writing, media list creation and media relations. Having the chance to pitch media and earn coverage is an invaluable opportunity for students, and we’re excited to continue supporting the public affairs team at Fred Meyer and being part of their work in our community.