BNC and PMK/HBH to Merge

Fascinating things I stumble upon online. The firms BNC and PMK/HBH have merged creating the largest public relations firm focused on entertainment. The links tell the story:
http://bit.ly/6OHgcG and http://bit.ly/6LTIbm

The blog article below really goes into detail and calls the merger:

"A nuclear explosion has occurred in the world of Hollywood public relations, atomizing the once-invincible PMK/HBH in the space of two short days."

I imagine that this is a bit of hyperbole but the articles and blog do make some interesting points.

They note that providing pr services to celebrity clients is not exactly lucrative. Although a celebrity can pay a pr firm $4000 to $6000 a month, a corporate client can pay as much as $100,000 a month.

A better strategy, hence, is to combine celebrity representation with corporate clients.

A firm can leverage the celebrity clients it has to win corporate clients.

For example, a firm that represents Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Lopez can argue to a potential corporate client: Hire us and not only we will represent you, we can guarantee Ms. Jolie and Lopez at some of your events or in some of your publicity materials.

It will be interesting to see if the new PMK/HBK can pull this off. The "nuclear" blog post above doesn't think so but I would give it 2 years and see what happens. In my experience, firms merge and people leave.

But if you have a good strategy, you can emerge much stronger. Hopefully, this is what happens at this new firm because it will be fascinating to see whether this experiment actually works.

End of Semester Jams

This is a blog about PR. But this is the end of the semester and I can be excused for blogging about things other than pr. Below is one of my favorite genre of music:
Kwaito. It has a long and complicated history. I don't speak Zulu or Xhosa so I never understand what they are saying. But the beats transcend borders.

TKzee

Finished the preliminary examinations and will be defending in January. Then the real PhD begins. I guess its time to celebrate. Below is one favorite groups of all of time. Tkzee. Takes me back to 1996 and 1997 back home. A truly fun time at Chanco.

EconPR 2010 6th International Conference

An interesting and relevant conference:

EconPR 2010 6th International Conference

"Challenges for Communication Management
and Public Relations
in International Mergers and Acquisitions”


April 16–18, 2010
Poznan, POLAND

Dr. Grunig on Youtube! Finally a Youtube Video I can learn something from

Disaster Preparedness

This video needs no description. Indonesia is so complex. The time I spent there was a lesson in life in many ways. If I can get an affordable flight to Asia, then I am spending the winter in Padang

Will Google Wave Eliminate the Need for PR as Media Relations?

Valerie Maltoni at Social Media Today has an interesting post on Google Wave and Public Relations.

If you read this blog regularly (if you do, I strongly recommend you get out more), you know that I don't buy into the whole "social media is replacing pr professionals" sentiment.

In fact, I strongly believe that the US will see the emergence of the "paperless office" and "paperless commode" before social media replaces pr.

However, I do believe that where there is smoke there is fire. Those warning us pr people about social media do have a point.

PR people do need to understand social media better.

Study: Few PR managers, lawyers unemployed

Another reason why choosing PR as a career is a good idea.
This Baltimore Business Journal article shows that the unemployment rate for PR managers is .1 percent.

Lawyers are at 2.3 percent. Of course, what the unemployment rate for junior account executives in pr is not mentioned but is probably a bit higher.

Tracking online word-of-mouth: The people vs machines debate

Research, a UK magazine on (you guessed it, Research) has an interesting debate regarding how to measure online consumer generated content (e.g. my blog posts).

Mark Westaby of Spectrum takes the side of automated measurement. Mike Daniels, director of media analysis firm Report International, takes the side of human analysis.

Here is a snippet:

Even if we did want to track every single conversation, [the] assertion that automated analysis can yield accurate and consistent measures of sentiment flies in the face of research we conducted recently among a global sample of developers, practitioners, academics and users of these tools. We found no system capable of delivering reasonable accuracy levels around sentiment – certainly nowhere near the levels needed for making business decisions.

We have found an enduring demand for human-based measurement programmes – humans can discriminate irony and sarcasm, they can interpret rules, not just follow them, and they are flexible in dealing with new topics and issues… certainly not computers’ strong points.

A truly fascinating debate. Read all of it here:

Ketchum merges with Pleon

The advantage of my fellowship is that I am learning more about the European public relations market.

An interesting development is the recent merger between Ketchum and Pleon.

This creates a firm with a significant presence in western Europe.
It will be interesting to see how the Ketchum-Pleon conglomerate operates.
This is a merger worth watching.

In addition, it will be interesting to see how Huntsworth, the other firm with a significant European presence responds.

These are indeed fascinating times in PR.

A good resource for PR Internships

I came across this website on jobs in Brussels. Due the presence of several EU institutions, Belgium has many PR jobs. Its definitely worth a look and contains some gems:

http://www.eurobrussels.com/index.php

University of Michigan Library and other interesting stories

You can tell a person is a "total nerd" when on the second day in a new town, they go to the local university library.

Yes that is me. Got up this morning on a sunny Ann Arbor day and
headed for the University of Michigan Graduate Library.

I am afraid I am getting "twitter boring" (no one is interested in the day-to-day details of my life).

Now here is an interesting story that does not involve me getting up in the morning: The Department of Defense is consolidating all its public relations activities into one body: the Defense Media Activity.



This means that the following bodies will be consolidated into one command:
the Soldiers Media Center, Naval Media Center, the Marine Corps News, Air Force News Service and the American Forces Information Service, Stars and Stripes newspaper, the Defense Information School.

Now here is where it gets interesting: all of these entitites (about 600+ people) will be based out of one facility they are building in Maryland (home sweet home).

Wow! That many pr people in one building. That should be a study by itself.

For job seekers, they are hiring:
http://tinyurl.com/ld9258

It is my first day at PRIME Research.

Lessons learned:
1. PR research in the real world is fast paced. I haven't seen anyone work so hard since my 1st year in the PhD during final exams.
2. The issues are complex: It is not just counting media hits (you know that). It is understanding the client issue to in-depth.
3. It is actually quite fun: Forget your old text book.
4. Downtown Ann Arbor is actually quite nice: Its actually much nicer than Urbana-Champaign (oops).

P.R. company seeks source of fake 'tweets'

If you have not already done so, I would recommend you secure your name or company name on Twitter. In fact, I would do the same on Facebook and the other social networking sites

Nothing can destroy your reputation faster than a fake social networking account.
This PR company has learned the hard way:
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090613/BIZ04/906130331/1013/P.R.-company-seeks-source-of-fake--tweets-

Job of the Day: Communications Coordinator

Where: Fort Wayne, IN
https://chs.taleo.net/careersection/10001/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=0908773

Don't bite the Social Media Hand that Feeds You

In public relations, social media is the king in 2009. If you visit any pr blog, you will see extensive discussions on social media. Most of the pr bloggers are twittering and blogging.

Even I, your humble PhD student, is spending the summer researching social media at the Institute for Public Relations.

But in our enthusiasm for social media, we should not forget several things:
1. A large segment of the world lacks rudimentary access to the internet.
2. Even in the US, there are segments where internet access is limited

3. Some parts of the population (e.g. blind, deaf) are not being factored in many social media tools. Ajax, the primary programming language for many social media applications, has been extensively criticized for making it harder for the disabled to access information online.

Social media is viewed as the cure pr needs or the instrument for its demise (depending on which blog you read).

What we need are tools to engage all relevant publics in dialogue. Social media is great if it allows us to have honest conversations with groups were are talking to right now and groups that we have had difficulty engaging before.

The challenge isn't simply to reach the twitterer with his iPhone or the facebooker on her Blackberry. Rather, we should be concerned with engaging all relevant publics (especially the disadvantaged and marginalized).

When we champion social media tools, we should be cognizant of issues such as who has access to these tools and who can't access them.

Public relations can't simply be concerned with the privileged because pr issues do not simply arise from privileged sectors of society.

As we all know, some of the biggest pr challenges of the century(e.g Union Carbide at Bhopal, BHP in Papua New Guinea, conflict diamonds in Sierra Leone) emerged from areas where many households lacked telephones, running water, and electricity.

prstudent.com

A school in Ireland has created a site advertising all their MA in PR graduates.

http://prstudent.dit.ie/students_mapr.html

An interesting concept. In the US, this is done primarily for
PhD students. Don't know if it could work here (privacy rules).

I think students could band together and create their own site like this.
Maybe use www.ning.com as a platform.

A really interesting concept.

Buzzstream: Application of the Week

I was reading Venture Beat and came across this:
http://venturebeat.com/2009/06/09/buzzstream-a-contact-manager-for-pr-people-and-bloggers/

They describe it as something that "supercharges your online PR, blogger outreach, and inbound marketing efforts with a a systematic approach to social media engagement and tools that automate the labor-intensive work"

If I can get an invite, I will tell how well it functions. The video explains more:

Job of the Day

PR Specialist: Rutgers University
Posted: June 11, 2009
To apply:
http://uhr.rutgers.edu/jobpostings/aps/Detail.asp?id=09-000478

PR News All the Time on your iPhone or iTouch

MWW group has a pretty neat concept:
http://www.mwwpr.com/minsight/

An application that streams Public Relations news 24/7 to your iPhone or iPod.
On my PhD budget, I am definitely not getting an iPhone ($3000+ a year for a phone..ouch).

Maybe an iPod touch. However, I like my shuffle just fine and it was free (won it at Piccadily Circus in the UK).

However, if you have the money for these devices, check the video below:

Is PR Dying (A never ending argument)

Every couple of months, I come across a news article, blog post, or podcast arguing that PR is dying. Here is an example:

http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2009/06/the_new_rules_i.php

PR is not dying. Old business models are certainly going out of fashion. Traditional PR skills of the past may no longer be relevant. Other sectors (e.g. consulting) are entering the PR field.

The reality, however, is that as long as human beings exist (who knows how long we will be around), there will be a need for a function that facilitates dialogue with an organization's publics.

Human beings communicate and we often do a poor job at it. PR people try to help us communicate better and avoid those mistakes that can cost billions.

It is that simple. Just like there will always be a need for someone to report the news, there will always be a need for someone to facilitate dialogue.

We should not confuse the fact that some skills are no longer relevant with the idea that a whole field is no longer relevant.

When I started at US Airways PR over a decade ago, we compiled news clips by hand. I would literally clip out sections from newspapers, glue them, and present them to the CEO.

A few years later, I was doing this using Factiva and Lexis Nexis. Today, I imagine interns are using other fancier tools. They are using RSS feeds, tracking blogs, and listening to podcasts.

Technology is constantly changing and skills can become obsolete. The need to communicate will not.

End of the Summer Class

It is the last day of my Summer 2009 class.
My students this summer are truly an excellent group.

They are motivated young men and women who are going to do great things.
When they leave this class, their plans are varied:

Travelling to Europe
Apply to volunteer overseas
Working for a top ranking firm
Interning for advertising firms
Trying to break into the music industry
Tackling one of the hardest tests ever designed
Relaxing (they deserve it)
Taking more classes
Continuing to serve their nation in the armed forces
Refining their portfolios

In the days that follow, I will post links to the projects they designed to give you an idea of caliber of students the U of I produces.

In the meantime, you can listen to some old school Mariah.

When I am happy, I go back to the old school (1997 that is). This song is how I feel for the class. I will miss them greatly.

Good News

This is the sunny blog so I have some good news:

Today I just learned that Kanako, a good friend of mine and an excellent collegue at the University of Illinois, has just won a distinguished award in Disaster Research.

Read for yourself:

http://www.property-casualty.com/News/2009/5/Pages/PERI-Announces-5-Fellowship-Awards.aspx

This is the best news I have heard for many weeks. If you know her, drop her an email.

Or you can join me by turning up your speakers and dancing to this song like no one is watching:)

Smashing Pumpkins 1979
Uploaded by skinandbones. - See the latest featured music videos.

The Future of PR

Is the practice of public relations in decline. Today, I came across these interesting perspectives on what the authors think are upcoming trends in public relations. Read and make up your mind.

Article 1

Article 2

The authors make fascinating points but overall, I do not believe that pr is decline.

Like journalism, pr is transforming. Just like the decline of newspapers does not mean the end of journalism, the emergence of new technologies does not mean the end of pr.

In 15 years from now, journalism and pr will be very different fields. They will still be around just very different. As long as there is a desire for information, pr and journalism will be there playing their respective roles.

Welcome to Summer ADV 410 Website

Thank you for visiting this blog. If you are visiting, I assume that you are interested in taking the course which runs from May 18, 2009 to June 12, 2009.

On this site, I will give additional details on the course and keep interested people updated as the semester goes on.

If you are interested in registering, you can find the official details here:
http://courses.illinois.edu/cis/2009/summer/schedule/all/ADV/410.html?skinId=2169

Or you can email me directly at owendk@gmail.com

A different approach to the summer course

I have been teaching public relations since 2006 and have worked in public relations since 2003 (my personal website). And last week, I won this award. So lets say I am an "old head" at this PR thing.

However, this is the first time I have taught in the summer and I thought we should do things differently.

Summer is more fun because the time spent time in class is less (only 6 weeks) and we can be more creative with a class because the weather is nice so less grouchiness (from students and instructors).

As part of learning how to plan, implement, and execute public relations campaigns, we will be designing campaigns for 4 real clients. Not fake ones. Real ones.

After emails and conference calls, I have managed to convince 4 fascinating companies to allow us to design campaigns for their firms.

In the course, we will conduct research on the challenges they face, craft campaigns to address them, and at the end of the semester they will give us input of what they think.

I think this should be a fun way to learn about public relations in the classroom while also getting a chance to interact with people in the "real" world.

Our First Summer Client

It is a scenario most of us dread. We just bought a new iPod, iPhone, or smartphone (e.g. blackberry, sidekick, etc). Yes, it put a huge dent in our wallet but hey, priorities are priorities. The water bill can wait. Plus hey, I can always shower at CRCE.

Lets get back to our scenario. We are playing with it and bam! it falls downs. Screen is cracked. Our electronic best friend is gone. Now it means that we actually have to talk to people on the 22 Illini, can't check the important texts, and have to walk around without our own "mood" music. A nightmarish scenario indeed.
Personally, if I don't listen to this on my daily ride to campus, I am can't get through the day.

Here is where our first client comes in. They design cases to protect our most valuable assets.

As part of the class, we will explore how to promote name=brand cases in an environment inundated with cases.

How can we convince fickle college students to choose a brand specific case instead of the no-name cases found at the dollar store and plenty other places.

This should be an interesting project because most of us have experience with cases and can bring valuable input to the project. And you might learn more about how to protect your electronic BFF.

Our Second Summer Client

Illinois students love their T-Shirts. Whether its bright orange ones worn daily to class, multicolored ones with greek letters, one-off t-shirts celebrating special events, or expensive ones from the fancy stores in the mall, the t-shirt is the mainstay on campus.

So how does a custom t-shirt supplier stand out on a large campus where the choices are numerous. Those wanting customized t-shirst have many choices. Even Google has gotten in the business of custom t-shirts (is there a business they won't enter).

Our second summer client is a leader in the world of custom t-shirts. They have designed t-shirts for the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and various other events.

This summer, our class will be investigating how they use pr to stay ahead in a very competitive market. We will design a special pr campaign and gain their input whether our ideas make sense or need fixing.

The company was formed by college entrepreneurs so hopefully they can also give us tips on how to start our own businesses in this "interesting" job market.

Our Third Summer Client

Imagine having to compete with Nike, Reebok, and Adidas to reach the market of female athletes.

This is the challenge our third client faces. They have designed a shoe that is specifically suited for the unique body structure of women athletes.

As part of our summer class, we will examine what is the best way to reach these athletes. The challenge includes how to convince coaches and athletes that the shoes;
* work
* are cost-competitive
* are stylish.