Semester Summary

Posted: April 15, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | Leave a comment

The second semester just slipped away from me. It seemed so short that I did not even feel it. When I look at the 18 posts I have written, I finally find then nearly three months have elapsed.

In China, we have a tradition to write summary at the end of year, end of semester, almost end of everything. I find it also necessary to summarise this second semester and this blog a little bit.

During the second semester,  we have two core modules and two optional modules. I met two charming male teachers, made two videos, wrote three essays and finished three pitches. So I’d like to say this semester is quite fruitful.

Maybe the most  “horrible” thing for all of us is the dissertation. For my undergraduate thesis, it was only 5000 words, but this one is two times more than that!  However, I really learnt a lot from the whole process. It is extremely difficult to carry out a specific and practical topic  with a PR angle because it will never get into my head suddenly. Reading always helps. From writing the book critique to working on my dissertation outline, I kept reading literature of my interest and taking notes on a notebook specially for dissertation. When I read, some questions and ideas came out which helped me narrowed down to a quite satisfactory topic later.

This blog was set up for as a coursework in the beginning.  The main posts explore some current  issues in PR industry which were taught and discussed on the Contemporary theory and issues in PR classes. Some are my opinions on these issues, and some are case studies about certain topics. Blogging can improve writing skills, what’s more important, it gives me a opportunity to think deeply, to do more research and develop a good habit. So I decide to keep on updating my blog in the future to explore the boundless PR world.

Now we will have no more class and really start to work on the dissertation. I will miss the moments the forty of us sitting together, with Pam and Michaela, thinking, discussing, arguing and improving.

A PR degree：worth trying?

Posted: March 17, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: issues | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A degree has many advantages but it has always been an issue around if a degree can help a better career. Speaking of PR, it is an industry that lays emphasis on practical skills and work experience. So if you have an opportunity to do a PR academic qualification, will you try it? A university degree or a professional qualification?

Since PR is struggling for its status and professionalisation, there is no specific entry standards for a PR career. It is easy to find that employees in one single PR agency can study very different subjects in university. One more thing is that many employers prefer candidates from other backgrounds because they need someone who know better in one section such as technology, biology and finance. A PR graduate won’t have any superiority under this circumstance.

Take the media industry as example, it only recruits 500 graduates a year. But every year 250,000 graduates come out of university and 23% are interested in advertising or PR as a career (Source: guardian) You can imagine how fierce the battle would be. Last time, when I can attended the PRCA Career Day, there were graduates majored in Maths and Engineering!

Employers are looking for personalities, skills and abilities. Neither of these equals a degree. We can only say that if you have done or are doing a degree, it is more possible for you to have logical thinking and rigorous attitude. But are you aware of the current trends? Do you read papers and know the latest issues? Can you speak and write well? These are the questions you should ask yourself in advance.

Nowadays there are  over 200 colleges having degree programs or curricula in public relations. And many of them help students gain  internships or work placements in public relations. I think this is the best way. The student can not only learn the knowledge but also can work in a real PR environment to put their knowledge in practice and develop the skills they need.

Reference:

http://www.peppermintpr.com/peppermintpost/2009/03/13/are-pr-degrees-a-waste-of-time/

http://www.collegegrad.com/career/careerinpublicrelations.shtml

http://publicsphere.typepad.com/behindthespin/2005/05/are_pr_degrees_.html

http://www.mediaweekjobs.co.uk/article/307002/do-qualifications-help-a-media-career-/

Further Reading:

http://www.quora.com/Do-you-need-to-have-a-PR-degree-or-certificate-to-work-in-PR

http://www.its-elementary-watson.com/what%E2%80%99s-the-value-of-a-pr-degree-and-two-great-case-studies/

http://stuartbruce.biz/2007/04/the_great_pr_de.html

http://www.behindthespin.com/features/starting-a-degree-in-pr-read-this-first

http://www.octopuscomms.net/who-are-we/blog/2012/2/6/%E2%80%9Cthe-value-of-a-pr-degree-lies-in-more-than-just-the-skills-you-graduate-with%E2%80%9D.aspx

http://greenbanana.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/the-reputation-of-a-pr-degree-should-prove-its-value/

http://www.cipr.co.uk/content/careers/careers-advice

Case study-Happy Birthday, Oreo！

Posted: March 6, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: case study, digital PR | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When I was a kid, I loved Oreo verrrry much. Every week I asked my parents to buy me a package and then we shared it together before TV. That is a typical happy family time in my childhood. Today, 6th March, is the 100th birthday of this favourite biscuit in the world. I guess everyone wants a special and impressive birthday if he or she has lived for a whole century! Let’s see how Oreo celebrates it.

On Oreo’s Facebook page, a new application is added. You can join the movement together to “celebrate the kid inside”. There are several ongoing competitions: you can send a customised video birthday note to someone, you can upload and share your oreo moment so you will have a chance to be featured on your birthday, and you can even buy a real package of cookies through Facebook plugin. In addition, there are four online games and a gallery for you to enjoy.

Of course, the reaction of consumers is ardent. As we can see, the two posts about Oreo’s 100th birthday were intensively liked, commented and shared. People who have ever had an Oreo moment would like to celebrate the meaningful birthday, not only to Oreo but to everyone as well. It brings everyone  back to their childhood.

A little boy even played the classical Oreo Commercial Jingle and Happy Birthday Song by guitar as a gift to Oreo. The video was uploaded to YouTube.

I would say this is an integrated marketing communication (IMC)campaign involving marketing, advertising and PR. An Oreo 100th birthday print feature on adweek reviewed the development and evolution of Oreo’s image throughout one century. Along with the celebration, new birthday cake flavour Oreo was launched.

Articles about the big birthday can be seen in various media and people all keep talking about this celebration. Also the legend story of how Kraft Food invented this successful cookie originally was told. Audience will know more about the corporate culture and heritage to build a stronger emotional attachment to the brand. According to a friend of mine who was previous Kraft employee in China, he celebrated the birthday with all the ex-colleagues in Kraft Food in their office. I think the success of this campaign itself is the best gift to Oreo.

Links:

http://www.nabiscoworld.com/oreo/birthday/

http://www.facebook.com/oreo?sk=app_192670807490788

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/2012/03/the_oreo_turns_100_with_party.php

http://www.delish.com/food/recalls-reviews/oreo-cookie-celebrates-hundredth-birthday

http://www.adweek.com/photo/oreo-100th-birthday-1954-birth-rock-n-roll-138666

From #McDStories to #McFail?

Posted: January 27, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: case study, digital PR | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Last week, this fast food giant had to pull down its twitter campaign using  sponsored hashtag #McDStories.  Firstly, they  used #MeetTheFarmers to introduce the farmers who grow ingredients of McDonald’s products and prove  the high quality of these ingredient. Then they used #McDStories to encourage twitters users to involve in the campaign by sharing their happy experience with McDonalds. Suddenly, negative contents were generated continuously by non-satisfied customers or some anti-McDonald’s activists. Only in two hours, McDonald’s pulled their campaign down. Noticeably, a new hashtag #McFail appeared and became popular. Now, people are talking about this “accident”  in a large scale on twitter.

Here is one example.  Someone reminds us that we can track the #McDStories back to the beginning and  McDonald’s can do nothing about it. The only thing they can do is to pull it down, however even though they have done this, it is still happening out there. A two hour social media campaign may bring unimaginable damage to this top brand.

Now McDonald’s started another campaign using #littlethings to distract people. Will it be valid? Let’s wait and see.

This makes me think about Lindsey’s lecture on Wednesday. Lindsey told us some golden rules for crisis management. One of them is to monitor twitter to observe the trends and potential threats. Indeed, McDonald’s immediately found the problem and took action.  Many PR agencies claim they are digital PR, social media PR experts, but how many of them truly understand the enormous new world? Maybe this is the best reason why we are studying new media from Matt and why we need to monitor the social media platforms on a daily basis. When that assignment is done, I will write about this topic again to see if I will have improved.

Social media has magic, powerful magic in the good way and also the bad way. It is fast, low-cost and interactive, on the other hand, it is also hard to control. Especially when you have gained so many followers, if things go right, social media will make it better; but if things go totally wrong  like McDonald’s, it will make it much worse.

Sometimes social media can save you from a crisis; sometimes it will bring you into a crisis. So be careful.

Hello, Miss PR!

Posted: January 23, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | 1 Comment

Today is the first day of  Chinese Lunar Calendar New Year(also called Spring Festival), and I just finished my book critique for my upcoming dissertation.

To be honest, it is a little weird to spend some time sitting down and trying to write something about PR, while what I often do is to associate almost everything I read or come cross to PR in my mind. The good thing is that I can write down what I’ve thought about rather than just let them fade away….I said “this is PR” at least three times in one single day to my boyfriend when he discussed current affairs earlier this week. Then I realize PR is really everywhere. When speaking of PR, it always reminds Chinese people of a TV series in the late 1980s, Miss PR. It is really influential among Chinese people in that age； today many of them still regard PR as disgraceful and indecent occupation. It is also the 1st fashion drama in mainland China.

The poster of Miss PR， 1989

Hero and Heroine of Miss PR

It it quite vintage, isn’t it? Men find the Miss PR fashionable,attractive, charming and sexy but they never want a girlfriend like this. It goes back to the issue of women in PR again. I don’t want to talk about this serious issue anyway. I think “Miss PR” nowadays stands for  passionate, hardworking, smart, versatile and probably fashionable. Maybe we can call them Miss PR 2.0. What I know is that today PR is one of  the most prosperous industry in China, in UK and elsewhere in the globe, and there will be more and more “Misses PR 2.0”. I am quite sure I will be one of them in the future.

This blog is main for the assignment of theory and issues in PR module, but it is more than that. Let’s start the Miss PR journey in this promising new dragon year!