Entertainment: Creating the Limelight

On the third day of the conference I attended a sessions titled “Entertainment: Creating the Limelight” presented by JoAnne Freed of Hunter PR and Gary McCormick of HGTV. This was the session I was most excited for upon learning about the conference topics. The idea of working in the entertainment industry and working with celebrities was one of the main reasons I first became interest in the field of public relations years ago.

Freed spoke about the general entertainment marketing and brand integration. She described the main elements of entertainment marketing which are: celebrity seeding, talent procurement, special events, media relations, brand integration, and sponsorship activation. She stressed the importance of matching celebrity personalities with the brand or product you are trying to sell and the need for an expert for endorsements. One of the most interesting facts I learned during this session was that having your Facebook or Twitter endorsed by a celebrity leads to 50% more results, 21 times the amount of click-throughs on Facebook, and 17 times the amount of click-throughs on Twitter.

McCormick tied in all of the elements that Freed had discussed with specific examples of what HGTV does. It was very helpful to see firsthand examples. Each HGTV star has their own Facebook pages to interact with their fans and do appearances at home-improvement related events. One way that they implore sponsorship activation, as Freed had discussed, is by teaming up with home decorating and even parenting magazines. HGTV starts have, like Genevive, have columns in those magazines and in turn, at the end of Genevive’s show, HGTV will air a quick plug saying “Check out Genevive’s column in this month’s Parenting magazine”.

This session explained not only how to work in the entertainment industry, but also how to take an everyday product and get it in the hands of celebrities. Overall, a very interesting session that only strengthened my desires to work in the entertainment industry.

Fashion and Beauty: Know How to Work It

I was pretty excited to go to the "Fashion and Beauty: Know How to Work It" session because fashion is constantly changing and fashion is more than just clothing. Margaux Caniato, Principal and Chief Innovative Officer of VP+C was the presenter, and her knowledge and experience blew me away.

It would be impossible for me to put everything I took away from that session, but there were some very important key things Margaux spoke on that I want to share:

First, Margaux spoke about knowing your brand. It is important to know the brand, know what you are selling and promoting. It is a high-end, classy product? Is it a more mainstream, working-girl, every day product? Know the brand.

Another important key Margaux spoke of, was to set the brand up for success. Use multiple outlets and venues to promote the brand, create excitement, utilize social media and your audience, and remember that sometimes simple is best!

Finally, Margaux talked about knowing your audience. Remember to listen to your consumer and their voice.

All in all, definitely an awesome session and her tips were so helpful and useful even outside of the fashion and beauty industry!

-L

Crisis Communications: Confronting Reality With Strategy

When I looked at the schedule of sessions for this years conference, I remember putting a star next to the session on crisis communication. It truly did not disappoint! The speaker, Richard Levick, President and CEO of Levick Strategic Communications, kept our attention and got everyone in the room involved in discussions on recent crisis communication events; specifically Netflix, Taco Bell, and the BP oil spill.

Here are just a sampling of Levick's most memorable lines and advice from the session on crisis communication:

-People believe what they hear first.

-The longer a crisis goes on, the more likely your allies are to turn on you.

-The cost of doing nothing during a crisis is being guilty.

-Words are the cheapest, easiest things on the planet.

-Learn from the mistakes of others, "study death".

-In the moment of crisis, it's goal switching time.

-Facts don't matter, perception trumps reality.

-People are not logical, we're emotional.

This session was easily the highlight of the conference for me. In addition to his commentary on crisis communication, Levick answered questions from PRSSA students who are entering the workforce. Overall his biggest advice was to know the industry, and research everything about the company, especially blogs. If you can identify risks for a company in your interview you could be well on your way to a career with them!

Awesome session with an inspiring speaker!

Keynote Speaker: Using Your Assets

When I walked into the Keynote Speaker at 9a.m., I was blown away. Not only were there hundreds of students there, but I had the opportunity to listen to the Keynote Speaker, Craig Dezern, Vice President of Global Public Relations for Disney Destinations.

I initially wasn't sure what to expect, since this was my first real session, but I was pleasantly surprised that Craig was down-to-earth and and shared stories, insight, and advice about what it takes to make it to the top at such a competitive industry - a $10 billion family vacation business no less.

What I found most important, was the advice Craig gave about going global. He said one of the most important things when you begin an international PR career is to be curious and to research; learn about the culture, experience the culture, learn basic phrases in the language, and most importantly, remain open to the destination.

Craig also gave some practical advice while still in school. What stuck out to me most was to utilize your assets. Leverage alumni, get involved in clubs, societies, and projects on campus, utilize tools you have on campus, and network! Once you graduate, you may not have those tools or those opportunities to network.

Stay tuned for more blogs, v-blogs, and helpful tips, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @RMUPRSOCIETY.

-Liz

First Day!

Barely getting any sleep during the night due to excitement and anticipation, I was up at 5am Friday morning  to get ready to leave for the airport. Our flight left around 8am and two hours later we were in beautiful, warm Orlando, Florida.

We checked into the Renaissance at Sea World hotel and immediately got ready for our first sessions. I attended a session called "Programming Your Way To Be The Best Chapter In The Sea" presented by the University of Iowa's PRSSA chapter officers.

During the session, the presenters talked about different ways to improve your chapter and make your chapter stand out. While following their theme of being the best chapter in the sea, the titles were a bit cheesy but still very helpful. First, they suggested a "Catch of the Month". Each month you should select a topic to focus on, such as an internship month where you would focus on how to look for internships and prepare for interviews, or a resume month where you learn how to build a resume.

University of Iowa also suggested working with your local PRSA chapter to get speakers, get in on their professional events, and possibly even receive funding for your own events. Our chapter currently has not reached out to our PRSA chapter and I think this would be a great idea to help us branch out.

Since Robert Morris has a very small chapter that is still in its beginning stages, this session was extremely helpful and there is a lot of information I can bring back to our chapter! Great first day!