Christina

As the spring semester comes to a close I have to think about my future.  I have one more semester until I graduate.  This summer I am to take two classes and do my internship.  I know that it can be done, but I just worry that I will be unable to put all of my efforts to each task evenly.  I strive to make sure that I try my hardest with each task that has been given to me.

With this semester, I was faced with many projects, deadlines and exams.  I am still finishing classes, so I will not know the outcome until next week.  I agree with Robert.  He said in class one day that we strive so hard for that grade.  We just want that good grade and to be quite honest somewhat do not care if we retain the information or not.  That is the very reason why I am waiting for graduate school.  I feel that if I was to go to grad school as soon as I graduated I would not learn anything.

From numerous blogs that I have read of professional PR practitioners, most say to wait until a few years after beginning my career to go to grad school.  I feel that if I do this I can regain my fervor for the curriculum.  I am grateful for all that I have learned here at Auburn, but I need to grow up and move on and then come and finish my education.  I know that I will not come back to Auburn for my master’s degree, because I feel I need some diversity in my education.  Auburn has been great, but in August I will cut my ties and move on.  Thanks AU for all that you’ve taught me.

So I know that it has been long awaited to find out who my client was for our class survey assignment. WEGL 91.1 FM requested that we create a survey that would help them understand what it is that the AU students want in a campus radio station. The task was interesting. As a group we met with Ric many times to see what it was he was interested in doing.

My group and I also researched the best ways to go about creating a survey. What types of questions were we to use, open or closed-ended. We felt that with such a vast audience like 20,000 plus students too many open-ended questions would have been a pain to code. We utilized e-mail to disseminate our message to exactly 19,919 students. We were overwhelmed with our response of 1,982. That is almost 10 percent of our total population.

There were areas of the survey that surprised us. Most students said they were unaware of what a podcast was. That somewhat surprises me because of all the iPods floating around. AU students need to step it up into the technology of the 21st century, or maybe I just know about it because of Robert’s class. Whatever the reason, podcasts are becomming a convenient way of communication for PR professionals, so my lesson would be to educate more people on the topic.

Overall the survey went well. There were a few speed bumps along the way, as you will have with any group project, but as the group leader I think we executed the survey and was able to provide our client with information that I believe will be beneficial to WEGL. I learned a great deal from this project and I know that the information that I collected to memory as being the most important will definitely help me in my ventures down the road.

One of America’s favorite board games is about to change.  We have all see the university versions and the NASCAR     versions, but now Monopoly is about to grow up, or grow into the 21st Century that is.  The Here and Now edition will hit retail stores at the end of summer.  The great thing about the new board game is that they are letting consumers of the game pick the new landmarks.  This is a good ploy to get consumers involved.  USAToday said that the contest is interactive and you have a choice from 22 cities to pick a landmark from each.  When the game comes out, I would imagine that some consumers would be excited about getting it because they will have felt that they had a say in the new game.

CNN.com had a story with the board games vice president of marketing.  Matt Collins said, “Your vote could be the difference needed to land your favorite American city on a blue property space.”  It sounds like they are taking the stance that the consumer as an individual had the decision as to how the game would be made, making you feel you had some stake in the new game.  The company is making a conscious decision to make consumers aware that this would not take the place of the original Monopoly game.  We all know what happened when Coke created “New Coke” and did not make consumers aware that it would replace original Coke.  Bad mistake.

All-in-all I think that Monopoly is handling this marketing/pr strategy well.  There are blogs talking about the change, news stories letting consumers know how to get involved, and they are making it interactive.  People like to feel like they had a say in how something new is introduced and not, “We want you to try this because we said.”  I have to admit I went to the website and placed my vote on my landmark and I will keep up to see which ones are chosen.

In my case studies class we constantly speak about the importance of having a spokesperson for an organization.  “One voice” is what we are taught so that the media and target publics are receiving the same message.  With each organization there is a need to have a specific spokesperson that the audience can relate to.

In politics it is much different.  As a spokesperson you are perceived as someone who has to tell the media and target publics what is going on, but for the government that might not always be possible.  In an article from USA Today, it brings up past press secretaries and the positions they were faced with during their time at the Oval Office.

There are many instances when the press secretary has to place the most positive light on a situation to help avoid negative media coverage.  Is this spinning the truth?  There are different answers to that, but these situations are the kind that gives PR professionals the name, “Spin doctors.”  That is a negative term that some PR professionals try to get away from.

One press secretary, Ari Fleischer, was under President Bush during the Sept. 11, terrorist attacks.  He was able to disseminate a message to a large audience to try and inform them of the situation and the help keep a nation calm.  In this type of situation, there are going to be many questions that a press secretary might not know or want to reveal at that moment.  Is hiding the truth like that unethical?  Is it different in this type of situation where national security is at stake to withhold information?

One thing is for sure that “one voice” and stating the facts is important.  We all remember the Sago Mine disaster where there was not “one voice” and information that was false was leaked and it turned into an emotional PR disaster.  These types of emergency PR tactics should be taken into account so that PR professionals know the full extent of their actions and will work hard to get the message out there in a correct and timely fashion.

My group’s survey is coming along famously.  We are currently working on the methodology and a presentation for our client.  There is so much more to a methodology than I had anticipated.  We have to make sure that we show all of the mistakes or confusion that may have come about from our participants.  To make our survey more valid we have to also take out any surveys that seem unreliable.

For a survey to be unreliable we have to look for those that hold any discrepancies.  For instance, if someone selects a certain answer for one question and the next question is a branching type and they answer it in a conflicting way with the previous then that is viewed as an unreliable and we must dispose of it.

The great thing about disposing of invalid surveys is it makes our results more valid and our client can have more use for them.  In my next survey post I would like to show some of the results that my group found to be interesting.  There are some results that my group and I did not expect.  For example, my group and I went into this survey expecting certain results.  I can say that we did a survey for people our age so we had some expectations as to how the surveys would be answered.  One particular answer needs some research into it because it was not answered anywhere near what we thought.

The great thing about surveys is that it does dispel some pre-conceived notions that some may have about an issue.  Just because the researchers (my group) believe a certain way does not speak for everyone.  I am glad that I was able to participate in this survey because it was educational and I was able to learn not only how to administer a survey, but also to learn not to make assumptions because half the time it is inaccurate.

Some say a political statement was made today.  Others say it was just American families participating in American traditions.  The tradition I am writing about is Egg Rolling on the White House lawn.  It is a nice tradition that has been around since 1878.  You might be asking yourself, “If it is such a great tradition that has lasted so long, how can it now create controversy?”

I am glad you asked that.  Some political conservatives are upset because they feel that the gay and lesbian parents that attended the festivities this Monday are exploiting their children for a political statement.  According to a statement written on the ABC News website:

 ”It just seems … tacky and tasteless,” said Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, “to take an event that should belong to them and turn it instead into an event for adults to use to make a political statement.”

What Tooley is speaking of is how these parents used a “non-political” statement to show how they are normal American families as well.  The gay and lesbian parents were commissioned by The Family Pride Coalition to come and join in with the president and first lady to celebrate a long standing tradition like normal families.  If the families wanted to show that they are just like other “normal” families then they would not want to set themselves apart by wearing rainbow leis.  One of the families made this statement:

 ”I think that for us it’s really a simple thing,” Surkis said, “that we just wanted our fellow citizens a chance to meet our families.”

My view of whether I agree or disagree with gay and lesbian individuals parenting children is beside the point.  I am just looking at this from a PR perspective.  If you as a group are going to try to be like the masses and fit in, then I would imagine that you would not want to set yourself apart from the group.  Why would the families say that they are like other normal families and that they are not different show up and individualize themselves and be different?  It is a mystery to me.  To be quite honest, I have come to the conclusion that everything is political and that nothing is done without an agenda, it just saddens me that this one included innocent children.  When does it stop?

I was reading an article in the USA Today about how social norms have changed over the years.  The article went into detail about how people act in social situations today and how that is different from 60 years ago.  The research was based on the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale.  This research illustrated a few findings that I found to be interesting.

The survey was conducted from 1958-2001.  That is a span of about six decades worth of data on one subject.  Some of the findings that were realized by the survey were:

• Among college students today, 62 percent pay little attention to social conventions
• In 1958, an average of 50 percent paid attention to social conventions

• Among kids ages 9-12 today, 76 percent pay little attention to social conventions
• In 1963, kids ages 9-12  paid attention to social conventions by an average of 50 percent

While I am somewhat not surprised by these findings, I am shocked to see the results in writing.  The purpose of surveys such as this one helps put a “face” if you will to a cause.  Parents, elders and other people who are over younger people will be the first ones to tell you that respect for those above you has significantly dropped with Generation X and above.

This is a good survey because it is based over an extended period.  A survey gains validity and reliability if there is significant data to hold true.  In my opinion, there could have been more people participating.  I believe that for the survey to have even more pull the researchers could have gathered 10 percent of their total respondent group for each decade.  Since the survey spanned about six decades, there should have been close to if not more than 60,000 respondents.

Other than that, I was not able to see the methodology but all-in-all the survey illustrates what most people already saw for themselves.  These results just give those people credence because they now have proof.  Proof that has made me somewhat embarrassed of my generation.  I can say though that people can change.  I would be curious to see what the results would be if the researchers did this survey for six more generations.  I would like to see that.

I am utterly excited to see this movie. The smoking industry has somehow stayed under the government radar for illegal substances. I have to say I find it amazing that there is a substance out there that causes health problems, is addictive and is still legal. My issue with cigarettes is not the point of my post today, it is about the new movie that is coming out about cigarettes from a PR perspective.

Thank you for Smoking is a movie from the cigarette industry side that brings a different light on the subject. Reading about the movie makes me think that there will be instances where we as PR students/professionals will hang out heads in disappointment or embarrassment.

I think that a movie like this will be good for the general public. It will give them a chance to see what the cigarette industry does to make their product legal and how to keep consumers coming back, other than the addictive quality to it. The problem I have is that they are using the PR professionals in the cigarette industry to show exactly what they do to sell their products. I want to tell everyone that knows my future profession to know that not all PR people are that manipulative and deceiving. I am well aware that that is a nice idea, seeing as how I have not personally been exposed to the industry in which I will soon work, but I would like to think that I will not engage in those actions.

One reviewer of the movie writes about how he/she sees the PR people. I am not sure how much credibility this person has, but if it is an average citizen, than if he/she thinks that more people will:

“It’s fascinating to watch Eckhart’s character spin and spin so that he brings people around to his way of thinking. He has to be representing one of the most hated industries in
the United States, yet he is able to convince people as to the opposite! I highly recommend this film!”

This just goes to show you the power of PR. If a PR professional works hard enough then they can make their company seem acceptable in the publics’ eye. While this is not an ethical example but it does show you how with the right tactics and strategy, you can help bring your company to greatness. The only problem is when people in industries like tobacco, use these tactics, that is what brings PR into a negative light to where we are viewed as “Spin Doctors” and not professionals with ethics. This is where I have a problem.

How many media outlets have to do a story on MySpace to get parents’ attention? I mean come on. There has been an article in most papers at least once a week and broadcast on the news once a day. MySpace has the potential to be trouble if something is not done.
Please do not misunderstand that when I shoot down MySpace, I am not saying that Facebook is much better. There are some more limitations to the Facebook site that do not make it quite as accessible as MySpace. In previous sites I have mentioned these online communities. They can be a problem if younger people (and college people with no common sense) are not monitored. According to an article on CNN.com, 1 in 5 kids online is sexually solicited. MySpace is finally stepping up and creating a PR campaign that the company hope will help this problem. My question is what took them so long?
On the site with other advertisements are PSAs for members to become aware of these startling statistics. I created an account on MySpace (under another name) just to check and see if the company was doing what it said it would do. I am of course not familiar with the ends and outs of this site, but I did not see any PSAs. I must not have been looking hard enough, but then again should I have to search for it?

According to the USA Today, MySpace also says that it has hired a Microsoft executive to “oversee safety, education, privacy and law enforcement affairs” beginning May 1. Maybe after the site implements this part of their campaign less stories would be told about the dangers and lack of education about the site.

All I know is that with all of the media coverage on the slip-ups of this site, more parents would pay attention. I mean what do the media have to do to get someone’s attention. Does it have to happen to their kid for it to make an impact? It never hurts someone to pay attention to their kids’ actions and, my goodness, act like a parent for once.

I have been blogging about a recent survey that my fellow group members and I created. While I cannot go into the details of that specific survey until our client receives the results, I have to gush. We spoke with our client and found out the specifics of what he wished to accomplish with this survey. After the specifics were taken care of we were able to adapt our survey into an online format so that we could e-mail all of our target publics for their participation.

In the beginning we were set on using SurveyMonkey. Now that site is great for creating the survey and helping with the cross-tabulations, but we hit a couple of bumps down the road. Our fearless leader, Robert, gave us access to a site that he has benefited from in the past. FormSite is a great resource for creating and implementing a research survey. I was able to put our questions on the site with ease and it came out looking professional. After we tabulate the results and give them to our client, I will give you a chance to see the final product.

The enrollment for Spring semester is 21,728. That respondent pool is including undergraduate and graduate students. Our client and our teacher told my group and I that 450 would be a good response rate. That is about a 2 percent response rate. I am abundantly proud to say that we received 1,982 responses at the close of our survey Thursday at 5 p.m. Our response is 22 percent more than we expected and 9 percent of our respondent pool. That is extraordinary.

I wonder what made our target public more participatory than we had expected. Was it word of mouth that helped it be as successful, or was it that the public was interested in the survey. I am excited to read the results and see what views were expressed about some of the questions. I have just glanced over the responses briefly and have found some things that I had not expected.

After my group and I start to tabulate the results, I will keep you posted with the findings that came about. I myself am excited about what we might find.