Some Days I wish I was A Kid

On Saturday I went to Target with my suitemates and while we were shopping I found a copy of Green Eggs and Ham Dr. Seuss. I got go excited. I flipped through the pages of the book and read it out loud to my friends as a joke, but the crazy thing is reading this book made me recall my childhood. Thoughts of running to the ice cream truck and playing Skip It filled my head. I also reminisced about all my childhood, everything from watching school house rock, to playing tag, and drawing pictures only a mother could love. In my head I thought I was a kid again until I got to the register and got snapped back to reality by the fact that I now have to pay for my own groceries!! J

The Tipping Point & Internet Campaigns

In the book “The Tipping Point” tipping is defined as the process in which something only a few people know about is turned into a popular trend and the question at hand is can an internet campaign be tipped? The internet is accessible to people young or old, rich or poor, all around the world, that is why I believe tipping a campaign on the internet can definitely be done (especially with the help of mavens). Mavens are the people you want to make sure know quite a bit about the campaign and because they are well informed people they can pass along details and positive things about the site/campaign. Mavens can range from people like Perez Hilton to the people who work for OIT at Rider University because at one point or another someone is looking to these people in order to receive a trusted opinion or vantage point. For (a small scale) example I started using YouTube because someone told me about it and I told my friends about it and I can definitely say the word of mouth did not stop there.  Well known bloggers would fall into the maven category and serve as a good target audience for a website because if people are reading their blogs it is safe to say they are avid internet users who may take the time to view the internet campaign. Finally, I believe the rules of the tipping point are exactly the same while dealing with the internet. 1.) There is the law of the few, even when dealing with a website if the right people are well informed the site will tip. 2.) The stickiness factor, if the campiagn looks and navigates exactly like popular competitors campaigns, the campaign does not stand out. 3.) Good context is imperative because the time and place in which people view the campaign can have a positive of negative effect.   

Chapter Seven Comments

    The textbook “Public relations Practices” separates the strategies that have survived the test of time from the ones that work in today’s environment.  I like that format because  it allows me to see the blending of methods. “The New Rules of Marketing and PR” by David Scott had me scared that once I get into the PR realm that I will not use the strategies I learned in college because the strategies will have evolved again. I no longer have that fear because the foundation  I am getting is very necessary.

There is also a section in “Public relations Practices” about the balance between your employer and public interest. That is one aspect of PR I have not thought about until now. It seems to me like the employer would do what is best for the public because the public is what keeps the company going.  However, I suppose another balance that has to be maintained is the balance between  the PR professional and the public. Untimately, the PR professional’s relationship with the public is more important than the relationship with the employer because if an employer ever asks a PR professional to do something unethical, and they do it, and get caught their career is over because their credibility is ruined.

My Thoughts on the Current Readings

I was so happy when I noticed that the only thing we had to read were the two case studies out of the Center and Jackson textbook. I was not happy because I did not have to read a lot, but I was happy because I feel the first two chapters of that textbook mirrored what I learned/read in public relations class. On the other hand I the case studies are extremely useful, because I get to analyze where public relations specialists went wrong or see exactly what they did right. Therefore when I start my career in public relations I can make sure I do not repeat the same mistakes and I have a guide of how to approach certain situations.

Perhaps if W. R Grace’s Public relations department would have studied a previous, successfully-executed crisis strategy they would have been more successful in shining a positive light on their situation. For example, the Tylenol crisis alone (which happened about five years prior) showed it was a good move to openly communicate with the media, not avoid them. In addition public relations specialists have known for a long time that a proactive approach is far better that a reactive approach. Unfortunately for W. R Grace his public relations department did not get the memo.