Privacy, Please!

Although most Americans still consider TV the most influential media channel, smartphones are rapidly catching up. According to a study by ComScore, over 45.5 million people in the United States owned smartphones in 2010. The explosion of smartphones is not only affecting everyday life, but also strongly influencing the practice of public relations.

As marketing and public relations becomes more multi-layered and multi-faceted, Americans are responding accordingly: by multi-tasking. 75% of Americans use another medium while the TV is on, meaning marketers have no choice but to implement all channels simultaneously. Public relation practitioners can create buzz about a product or service before the start of a campaign or advertisement, and then use that advertisement to direct them to websites, Facebook, and Twitter for a more interactive, engaging experience.  

Facebook, Twitter, youtube, and Four-Square are all accessible right out of consumers’ pockets—including my own. Everyday I use my Blackberry to check email, check out Facebook, tweet, etc. My phone is with me almost 24/7, meaning marketers can also be with me 24/7.

Although this is great for marketers, there’s a whole privacy issue to consider. Marketers can access my number and text me at anytime, and by “checking-in” to places on Facebook or Four-Square, strangers can know my exact location: frightening.

Many people have mixed views on this, but what do you think? Share your thoughts…creepy or creative? 

iPoker

Everyday 10 billion play online poker—illegally--resulting in a $2.7 billion loss in tax revenue. I had no idea this was even a controversy, until Mike Lake brought it up in class the other night.

Mike Lake, Chair of Burson-Marsteller's Southwest operations and Chair, U.S. Public Affairs Practice, offered fresh insight into the PR industry. Instead of talking about how great Burson-Marsteller is (which it is!—see for yourself here) he presented an exact campaign Burson is currently working on.  The class got to see the exact same PowerPoint presentation that was shown to their client just a few weeks ago. Instead of hearing about the broader, general terms and practices of PR it was really cool to see the campaign’s actual blue print.

Although Lake was unable to disclose the name of the client, the campaign “iPoker Legalization” dealt with petitioning to legalize the practice of online poker. Lake provided all the exact details of the campaign such as their messaging approach, target audiences, and even their survey methodology.

The topic was a little confusing for me to wrap my head around but I am curious to stay updated and see how the controversy regarding this legislation will play out. 

The Big Debate

Tonight, students gathered in O’Donnell lecture hall for the Communicating Excellence Symposium’s second event to hear the SMU debate team discuss the pros and cons of a possible new U.S. policy of humanitarian intervention.

The opposing sides both provided clear, strong arguments fully supported by evidence and facts-- their rhetorical skills clearly products of semesters spent in Dr. Mark McPhail’s infamous intro rhetoric class.

This being my first attendance at a live debate (ever!) I discovered a few things:

1.    There’s never a right or wrong answer. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. I always thought debates were all about the “I’m right and you’re wrong” mentality, but tonight I realized that they are simply forums to express your feelings in hopes of moving and persuading others to share similar views.

2.    I’m fortunate to be a communications student at SMU. I was blown away with the students’ level of professionalism and ability to educate and empower others with their words. I truly believe that the professors in this department can be credited for this. Daily currents events quizzes, essays, and extemporaneous speeches might make most communication studies students cringe, but without these assignments we would never successfully grow as communicators, which leads me to my next point…

3.    I really, really, REALLY need to practice my public speaking skills. Most communication professionals stress the importance of writing, but being able to effectively voice yourself with words is an essential skill not just for success in the industry, but for life in general.  

After tonight, I’m looking forward to attending more debate team events and sharpening my public speaking skills next semester in either Forensics or Mock Trial. 

Agi Geva

You’re 14 years old. You’re forced from your home, taken to a concentration camp, ordered to undress by gunpoint, and then shoved into a shower. Humiliated and traumatized, a stranger proceeds to shave off all the hair on your body and completely “disinfect” you. The year is 1944 and you’re a victim of the Holocaust.

You might have read similar scenarios out of history books or watched films that documented the horrifying events of the Holocaust. Yet nothing compares to the first-hand accounts of Holocaust survivors themselves, and tonight I had that rare opportunity.

Tonight’s lecture kicked off Meadow’s Third Annual Communicating Excellence Symposium, “Better Communication for Better Leaders on Human Rights.” All semester we’ve been lucky to hear respected and high profile communications professionals share their experiences, but nobody can top what survivor Agi Geva had to say.

Although the Hungarian native was a little more difficult to understand than our previous speakers, her words were incredibly powerful: parts of her story literally sent chills running through my body. Her description of Auschwitz and the torture she was subjected to during her time there was almost hard to believe. But what’s even harder to believe is that despite how far we think we’ve come, genocide is actually still happening in places around the world. 

We are lucky to have courageous people, such as Agi, share their stories with us. Some might find it too painful to re-live the trauma and misery they suffered through those horrible years, but if these stories weren’t told, we wouldn’t be able to effectively communicate the issues affecting the struggle for human rights.

Agency PR: The New Land of Opportunity

Last night we were spoiled, as we had not one, but two guest speakers share everything (and then some) about working for an independent PR agency. The two Edelman representatives, Jennifer Little (a seasoned vet) and Ashley Maddocks (an all-star rookie) shared their experiences working for such a prestigious firm.

The agency side of PR always seemed overwhelming to me: juggling clients, all the different teams, practices, specialty units, etc. But, what I hadn’t realized was that when you work for an agency, such as Edelman, the opportunities are virtually endless.

For starters, there is more mobility compared to corporate PR. Whether it’s moving from the consumer marketing practice to the media practice, or even moving from the Dallas office to the Chicago office, there seems to be a lot of freedom once you get your foot in the door. Jennifer and Ashley’s presentation brought up a great point: your tastes change as you grow and as your career grows. Working for an agency gives you the chance to explore new and exciting areas, while satisfying your ever-changing tastes.

Working for an agency is like eating at a buffet-style restaurant: you get to sample a little bit of everything. However, when you work on the corporate side, you might only get to handle one brand. Working at an agency and working for different clients allows you to discover an interest you might never knew you had. You’re not limited to one industry—you can oversee retail, food, or technology accounts and get to know a little bit about everything. Think of how boring is it to talk to someone who knows everything possible there is to know about computers—but that’s all. By working agency, you can really bring something to the table by having some background in all these different fields.

I’m sure pro-agency people could argue that there are much more benefits and opportunities than just these, but even just these few had me sold on the agency life.