By Amy Fleishans
Dean Callahan and PR professor Dr. Fran Matera stopped by Tuesday night’s meeting to share exciting news with ASU PRSSA. The Cronkite PR Lab will open Fall Semester. The program is the PR equivalent to Cronkite NewsWatch and News Service, capstone experiences for broadcast and print majors.
The lab will service actual clients in an agency setting, providing students with experience similar to what they will find in entry-level PR jobs. In addition to creating campaign proposals, the lab will also implement the campaigns which students design. “This lab is like an accelerated campaigns course [JMC 417],” Callahan said.
To join the lab, students must have the same pre-requisites as required for JMC 417. Students may opt out of the current campaigns course, instead choosing lab credit. To earn three credits in the PR Lab students must work two full days per week. A full day will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Six and nine credit options are also available.
“This is going to be more work and time than JMC 417, but the benefits will be greater, too,” Dean Callahan said.
Applications are available at the second floor Academic Advising desk and should be submitted to Dr. Matera, Room 475, matera@asu.edu.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
PR/Social Media Internship Opening at Local Agency
Zion & Zion is currently accepting applications for a PR and social media intern that would work a minimum of 15 hours per week. There is one immediate opening and multiple openings for the summer.
The ideal candidate is someone who is hungry to learn about the industry and can provide innovative, strategic and creative ideas. Strong writing skills are also required.
Duties:
-Tracking media hits
-Drafting releases
-Producing and issuing media alerts
-Creating social media campaigns
-Creating media kits
-Producing client meeting summaries
Send your resume to ashley@zionandzion.com and tell her ASU PRSSA sent you!
Zion & Zion currently holds Number One PR Firm in the Phoenix Business Journal Book of Lists, Number Three Ad Agency in RankingArizona and Number One Social Media Firm in Arizona Foothills Magazine.
Agency internship opportunity
Looking for an internship? Martz Agency, located in Scottsdale, is looking to hire a PR intern to start immediately.
Duties and Responsibilities:
-Assist in the development of appropriate strategies to meet client needs
-Attend client meetings
-Attend media related events and programs
-Assist in drafting collateral and media materials (news releases, media
advisories, photo captions, announcements, etc.)
-Develop and maintain media contact list
-Create daily media clip reports for assigned clients
-Assist in coordination of special events, possibly requiring weekend/night hours
Preferred skills and qualifications include previous internship experience and the following:
-Understanding of proactive media relations tactics and strategies
-Ability to draft concise, newsworthy press releases
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, etc - Excellent organization skills and attention to detail - Excellent verbal and written communication - Ability to work both independently and on a team - Confidence working with the public and the media
The internship is 10-15 hours per week, starting immediately and working through the end of July. Successful intern candidates will have an opportunity to apply/be considered for paid Account Coordinator position, when available.
Send your resume and availability to hschader@martzagency.com and tell them ASU-PRSSA sent you!
Duties and Responsibilities:
-Assist in the development of appropriate strategies to meet client needs
-Attend client meetings
-Attend media related events and programs
-Assist in drafting collateral and media materials (news releases, media
advisories, photo captions, announcements, etc.)
-Develop and maintain media contact list
-Create daily media clip reports for assigned clients
-Assist in coordination of special events, possibly requiring weekend/night hours
Preferred skills and qualifications include previous internship experience and the following:
-Understanding of proactive media relations tactics and strategies
-Ability to draft concise, newsworthy press releases
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, etc - Excellent organization skills and attention to detail - Excellent verbal and written communication - Ability to work both independently and on a team - Confidence working with the public and the media
The internship is 10-15 hours per week, starting immediately and working through the end of July. Successful intern candidates will have an opportunity to apply/be considered for paid Account Coordinator position, when available.
Send your resume and availability to hschader@martzagency.com and tell them ASU-PRSSA sent you!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Recap: presentation from Mindspace PR Director Jason Meyers
Tuesday’s PRSSA meeting featured Jason Meyers of Mindspace, who gave a presentation on crisis communication and offered some great advice for those pursuing a career in public relations:
The Basics of Crisis Communication
- Asses your weaknesses and vulnerabilities: Brainstorm all the of the potential crisis situations your organization could potentially face, from legal issues to recalls to natural disasters. Keep in mind that the internet and increasing social media usage connects consumers with the media more than ever before, so be prepared for a customer complaint to become a crisis situation: as an example, see this CBS 5 investigation — and how Meyers handled the response.
Even press releases put out by your organization could develop into a crisis. Meyers’ advice is to always read over releases before you put them out and think “How could this blow up?”
- Always have a plan: Have a crisis team. Establish who is allowed to talk the media. Know who the experts are in your organization and media train them. In other words, make sure they understand how to drive the content of an interview and stick to your organization’s messaging, even when fielding tough questions from reporters.
- Hold to your word: It’s important to maintain your credibility during a crisis, so don’t back yourself into a wall by making commitments you can’t follow through with.
General Advice
- Technology is your friend: the most successful PR practitioners make the best use of technology and social media. So stay up-to-date.
- Set yourself apart: Meyers recommends getting video, editing, and even on-camera experience to help you stand out against other applicants. Meyers regularly hosts fundraising segments on KAET/Channel 8.
- Remember that there is no set path in or out of the PR field. Realize that you may leave PR for a while and then come back… Or not. Just keep an open mind and don’t dismiss opportunities just because they don’t sound like something that’s made for your degree.
About Jason:
Meyers has national-level crisis communications experience relating to hot-button immigration issues, and he currently works on major market clients from coast-to-coast in the U.S. Prior to Mindspace, he was Director of Marketing & Public Relations at Desert Schools Federal Credit Union, a $3 billion financial institution. He has also worked as Director of Marketing Communications at the Heard Museum and Senior Editor Creative Services at The Arizona Republic, azcentral.com & 12News.
Before transitioning to public relations, Meyers spent a decade in the radio and records industry as an advertising production director and on-air personality in major markets. Follow him on Twitter @Meyers_PR
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Paid internship opportunity
EmpowHER, a health media company for women, is looking to hire a public relations intern immediately. EmpowHER.com offers one of the largest women’s health and wellness content libraries on the Web in addition to one of the most active online community for women discussing health and wellness issues.
Intern Responsibilities:
• Drafting media meterials (press releases, media alerts, etc.)
• Develop and manage media lists
• Conduct research for media opportunities
• Assist coordinator in press-related efforts
For more information, or to apply, contact Joanna LeBlang (jleblang@empowHER.com), and mention PRSSA told you about the internship.
Intern Responsibilities:
• Drafting media meterials (press releases, media alerts, etc.)
• Develop and manage media lists
• Conduct research for media opportunities
• Assist coordinator in press-related efforts
For more information, or to apply, contact Joanna LeBlang (jleblang@empowHER.com), and mention PRSSA told you about the internship.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Kari Mather: Full circle PR, part two
By Amy Fleishans
Kari Mather presented on Tuesday’s meeting, packing so much information into the presentation that we’re breaking it up into two blog posts. This is part two, which compares the differences of working for a corporation, agency and the government as a PR practitioner. For her tips on getting a job, check out part one.
As mentioned in part one of the blog, Kari has had the unique opportunity to work in three areas of PR—for an agency, the federal government and a corporation. These are her takes on the good, bad and ugly of each PR field.
PR Agency
Good:
• Freedom to be creative.
Kari said agencies offer the biggest creative outlet for employees. “You can be your own person—the culture of an agency is unique by offering creative outlets that corporate and government jobs don’t.”
• Organization focused on PR
“It’s awesome to work in a company that lives and breathes public relations, all day, every day,” she said. When surrounded by colleges that get PR, it’s thrilling to have a team you can bounce ideas off of and get support from.
Bad:
• Money
Agencies are the lowest paying PR jobs. Kari shared her first agency job’s starting salary—it wasn’t much.
• Time
“Like a law firm, your hours at an agency are billable,” Kari explained. “You’re constantly on a tight timeline and have to keep track of projects every 15 minutes.”
Ugly:
• Sketchy healthcare
Since most agencies are small businesses, they can’t afford great health care plans for their employees. Often times the premiums are high or the coverage is low.
• Instability
Clients are constantly changing and practitioners must quickly adapt and learn new industries. Additionally, Kari explained that each time the economy suffers, so do agencies because clients decide they can no longer afford public relations.
Federal Government
Good:
• Benefits
“The federal government offers amazing benefit packages,” Kari said. Healthcare, sick days and other benefits are the best available.
• Low pressure
Unlike an agency job, working for the federal government is a low stress job. “Punch in at 9 am, take 30 minutes for lunch, clock out at 5pm and go home—it’s nothing like the go-go-go life of working at an agency,” Kari said. After coming from five years at an agency, she found herself bored working for the federal government.
Bad:
• Limited resources
Budgets allocated to projects are limited—in addition to a limited PR team implementing the campaign. Additionally, Kari felt like she never was given a chance to “push the envelope” since the federal government has to be cautious about the legality of each aspect of a campaign.
Ugly:
• Monotony
After coming from the fast-paced workload of an agency, Kari got bored working on the same campaign day after day. “It just wasn’t for me, it may be great for someone else, though.”
• Bureaucratic
“At the end of the day, you’re working for the man,” Kari laughed. “Everything has to go through the legal department—it takes forever to get anything approved.”
Corporate
Good:
• Money
Salary at a corporate PR job is higher than that paid at an agency or by the federal government. Kari said she received a large increase in pay when she started working at a corporation.
• Branding
“When you’re with a huge corporation, it’s awesome to see the branding on every street corner, in every city—think of Starbucks,” she said. “There’s just so much resource and time allocation available for you to utilize.”
Bad:
• 6 bosses is normal
The hierarchy at a corporation is never-ending. “Seriously—six bosses is completely normal,” Kari warned. The worst part of having so many bosses: It takes forever to get anything approved.
• Accountability
At corporations, individuals must hold themselves accountable for keeping work on track. “There isn’t anyone holding your hand or pushing you to meet a deadline—it’s all your responsibility to ensure your work is done on time.”
Ugly:
• Posturing
Large corporations are traditional and formal—Kari explained that “covering your bases” is a common formality that drags campaign projects out.
Thanks again, Kari, for presenting to ASU PRSSA this month!
Kari Mather presented on Tuesday’s meeting, packing so much information into the presentation that we’re breaking it up into two blog posts. This is part two, which compares the differences of working for a corporation, agency and the government as a PR practitioner. For her tips on getting a job, check out part one.
As mentioned in part one of the blog, Kari has had the unique opportunity to work in three areas of PR—for an agency, the federal government and a corporation. These are her takes on the good, bad and ugly of each PR field.
PR Agency
Good:
• Freedom to be creative.
Kari said agencies offer the biggest creative outlet for employees. “You can be your own person—the culture of an agency is unique by offering creative outlets that corporate and government jobs don’t.”
• Organization focused on PR
“It’s awesome to work in a company that lives and breathes public relations, all day, every day,” she said. When surrounded by colleges that get PR, it’s thrilling to have a team you can bounce ideas off of and get support from.
Bad:
• Money
Agencies are the lowest paying PR jobs. Kari shared her first agency job’s starting salary—it wasn’t much.
• Time
“Like a law firm, your hours at an agency are billable,” Kari explained. “You’re constantly on a tight timeline and have to keep track of projects every 15 minutes.”
Ugly:
• Sketchy healthcare
Since most agencies are small businesses, they can’t afford great health care plans for their employees. Often times the premiums are high or the coverage is low.
• Instability
Clients are constantly changing and practitioners must quickly adapt and learn new industries. Additionally, Kari explained that each time the economy suffers, so do agencies because clients decide they can no longer afford public relations.
Federal Government
Good:
• Benefits
“The federal government offers amazing benefit packages,” Kari said. Healthcare, sick days and other benefits are the best available.
• Low pressure
Unlike an agency job, working for the federal government is a low stress job. “Punch in at 9 am, take 30 minutes for lunch, clock out at 5pm and go home—it’s nothing like the go-go-go life of working at an agency,” Kari said. After coming from five years at an agency, she found herself bored working for the federal government.
Bad:
• Limited resources
Budgets allocated to projects are limited—in addition to a limited PR team implementing the campaign. Additionally, Kari felt like she never was given a chance to “push the envelope” since the federal government has to be cautious about the legality of each aspect of a campaign.
Ugly:
• Monotony
After coming from the fast-paced workload of an agency, Kari got bored working on the same campaign day after day. “It just wasn’t for me, it may be great for someone else, though.”
• Bureaucratic
“At the end of the day, you’re working for the man,” Kari laughed. “Everything has to go through the legal department—it takes forever to get anything approved.”
Corporate
Good:
• Money
Salary at a corporate PR job is higher than that paid at an agency or by the federal government. Kari said she received a large increase in pay when she started working at a corporation.
• Branding
“When you’re with a huge corporation, it’s awesome to see the branding on every street corner, in every city—think of Starbucks,” she said. “There’s just so much resource and time allocation available for you to utilize.”
Bad:
• 6 bosses is normal
The hierarchy at a corporation is never-ending. “Seriously—six bosses is completely normal,” Kari warned. The worst part of having so many bosses: It takes forever to get anything approved.
• Accountability
At corporations, individuals must hold themselves accountable for keeping work on track. “There isn’t anyone holding your hand or pushing you to meet a deadline—it’s all your responsibility to ensure your work is done on time.”
Ugly:
• Posturing
Large corporations are traditional and formal—Kari explained that “covering your bases” is a common formality that drags campaign projects out.
Thanks again, Kari, for presenting to ASU PRSSA this month!
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