Extra! Extra! PR in the News!

 

There is always public relations related topics within the news because of the relationship between PR and the media. Some of the topics that have been recurring in national news that have PR ties are Volkswagon and their efforts to lower diesel emissions, the acquisition by Dell of EMC through the relationships that were built between the two companies, The WNYC opening a podcast division, oil sands dry up in Canada ending thousands of jobs, new management for Barclays... just to name a few. Some of the stories that have stood out to me have been about the musicians and artists who have stood up against different presidential candidates who have used their music during presidential rallies. This has been interesting to me because of my ties to the music industry through my husband who sang on a Ford commercial last year and recently signed one of the best record deals in the country. Licensing rules can be grey and have proven to be so during the political campaigns. Most recently Donald Trump has been asked by artists such as Niel Young and Steven Tyler to discontinue using their music in connection with any of the presidential campaigning. I understand the concerns of the artists because their songs represent them and their personal brands. If they are being used to represent a cause that the artist does not support people may associate their songs with the beliefs of these causes. Public relations is all about perception of the publics and protecting the brand of a business through the relationships that are acquired and cultivated. On that note I completely agree with the efforts of the artists and their publicists to remove their brand from the beliefs of opposing individuals.

The PRSSA National Conference is coming up!

 UVU PRSSA

Madelyne Van Hoff

UVU Team Atlanta

 

Being chosen to attend the National PRSSA Conference in Atlanta this November is a great honor and opportunity. There were 16 students chosen and I feel thrilled and lucky to be one of them.

As part of our team preparation we have been meeting every other week and had short getting to know you exercises at the start of each class. One of the students, Chan, made a Facebook group for all of us to connect on which has been great! In addition to this I have tried to visit the other student's blogs & websites, read their posts or leave comments. This has helped me to get to know some of the other students through their writing.

I hope to continue to develop relationships with each of the attendees!

 UVU PRSSA

Madelyne Van Hoff

It's All About Presentation

This week I have been gathering together information to add to my resume so that it is up to date for our trip to Atlanta for the PRSSA National Conference. UVU has a great Career Development Center where you can receive feedback on your resume. I was able to get my resume combed through and enhanced so that I can stand out among the other PRSSA students who will be in attendance. I also plan to take new business cards which I will be getting as the Vice President of the UVU PRSSA chapter.

I have a friend who is great in interviews and I interviewed him on some of his tips. He says the best way to answer a question is with a short story of a past experience that best displays your character, work ethic or experience in the field. His advice is to research as many potential interview questions as possible and think of a good story that represents you well for each question. Then he says to practice telling those stories in a short and concise manner. His next advice is to make sure to wear an outfit that makes you feel like a million bucks. If you can feel the part and look the part you have a better chance of getting the part.

    

 UVU PRSSA

   

Madelyne Van Hoff

Attending the National PRSSA Conference is King But Research is Queen

I will be attending the National PRSSA Conference in Atlanta this upcoming November with a small group of students from the Utah Valley University PRSSA Chapter. In order to get the most out of the trip and to be as prepared as possible I will be researching all of the presenters, speakers, participating companies and conference sessions. This is almost 60 topics of research that I will compile into a booklet to take to the conference. I have divided the research into just over 5 weeks and this week I have been researching the Agency & Career Tours session of the conference. Some of the companies on this list include Coca-Cola and Ketchum. The trip will be extremely beneficial for my education and I look forward to being supremely prepared!

    

 UVU PRSSA

   

Madelyne Van Hoff