6 Common Phrases of a PRSSbAe

After spending three years in Public Relations Student Society of America, I’ve had plenty of time to spot a “PRSSA phrase” when I hear one. So this goes out to all my #PRSSbAes who can probably relate to the quirky things that make us #PRassionate.

1. “I can’t hang out tonight, I have a PRSSA meeting”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to tell my non-PRSSA friends that I can’t make a party or hang out because I’ve got a PRSSA meeting. Their response is usually something along the lines of “it seems you have PRSSA meetings almost every night of the week…”

 

 

2. “Did you see Nationals re-tweeted me?!”

When you scroll down your twitter feed and all you see are PRSSA posts and re-tweets, you know you’ve got it bad. But when the monthly twitter chat starts and you realize nationals re-tweeted you, it’s like you’ve won an award.

 

 

3. “Oh you’re moving to _____? I have a PRSSA connection there if you want me to introduce you”

After attending any of the national events, you will instantly expand your network to the ends of the country. Heck, the whole world! But one of my favorite parts about new long-distant friendships is that it’s a great excuse to go travel somewhere new and see great friends!

 

 

4. “I can’t finish my school work until I get this PRSSA work done”

I’m sure we’re all a little guilty of putting PRSSA before homework. I’d be lying if I said school work came before PRSSA, because 9 times out of 10 there was always something PRSSA related to distract me from the piles of homework, tests and group projects that I had.

 

 

5. “Here’s my business card. Let’s exchange!”

Every #PRSSbAe loves the feeling of fresh business cards in their hands right before they embark on a national event. We trade them like candy. We keep them not only to remember the hundreds of faces we’ve met, but also to get really cool ideas for our next round of business cards.

 

 

6. “PRSSbAes for life”

Probably the most important thing of all are the life-long friendships you make. Both in your chapter and with friends from national events. I’m so lucky to have met such amazing people with the biggest hearts. It’s great when you can make friends with so many like-minded, ambitious and supportive people!

 

Share this post if you can relate! 

 

 

 

Spreading PR One High School At A Time

I walked into a classroom that I was all too familiar with. In hindsight, it’s ultimately where my entire career began and I didn’t even know it. As president of USF Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), I returned to my alma mater Steinbrenner High School as an alumna of its student-run newspaper, The Oracle.

I put together a presentation explaining public relations as a part of the high school outreach program incorporated in the Star Chapter requirements of National PRSSA. I could not be more thrilled to stand up in front of a group of students who already demonstrate an interest in the world of mass communications during their high school years.

I started the presentation with a challenge. The students were encouraged to use the hashtag #OracleMeetsPR to tweet about key take-aways and facts that they learned during the presentation.

“My key take-away was learning what PR actually is and how broad it is,” said News Editor Joselle Schaffer. “I learned that it can ultimately make or break a brand or company.”

It also came in handy when I gave them an activity to demonstrate the implications of PR. They were tasked to act as representatives of Sea World and generate PR ideas of how to help the organization’s reputation. I found it to be a timely subject since Sea World has undergone major criticism in recent years and changed the direction of its brand because of it. Also, it gave the students a better insight to crisis communications, one of the many facets of public relations.

I was so excited to see their enthusiasm as they brainstormed in small groups for solutions. I could tell that the assignment really brought to life what exactly PR is and why it’s so important for a brand and its reputation.

I never knew what public relations was in high school. Even when I switched my major after joining USF PRSSA in college, I didn’t fully understand what it meant. But to be able to give these students the opportunity to explore a possible career path that they can develop early on is extremely rewarding. I hope that I can be not only a resource to these students, but also a mentor about all things college and PRSSA. It’s the least I can do for the high school newspaper that did more for me personally and professionally than I ever realized at the time.

 

 

Behind-the-scenes look at what a producer does

A producer is known for wearing many hats. I call them magicians or similar to an event planner. They make the impossible… well possible, and keep everyone moving forward.

Senior Producer Alan Groh has accepted that digital integration is imminent and clients are expecting results at the speed of light.

“Agencies are not what it used to be,” says Groh, “it’s quicker, it’s on demand and the clients expect things a lot faster while maintaining the quality.”

So what exactly does a producer do in an agency? Well aside from handling talent contracts and finding vendors for specific projects among many other duties, Senior Producer Sarah Suits explains the bigger picture.

“Our role to the agency is to help the creative team bring their ideas to life,” says Suits. “We need to make sure we are finding all the resources within a budget, within a timeline.”

Executive Producer Lori Lawery describes production as a three-step process: pre-production, production, and post-production.

In the pre-production stage, the creative team is briefed the project, the idea is conceptualized and production pulls together all the vendors necessary to make the shoot happen. Production stage is on set of a shoot and the producer manages what everyone is doing and makes sure everyone is doing it right. In post-production, a producer may fly out to the post-edit session and give input on how the final product should feel and look. Then they send out instructions to the stations that are going to air it.

“The agency producer is fortunate enough to see the spot from concept to air,” says Lawery.

It’s one of the only departments that really gets to overlap and engage with most other departments of the agency who touch a single project.

Senior Producer Karen Burke describes producers as problem solvers and supervisors.

“As producers, the quality is on us,” says Burke. “Our client came to this agency for a certain quality of work and we strive to give it to them.”

The art of storytelling in advertising: a creative’s perspective

Working in the creative department of an ad agency doesn’t always mean you have to be an expert in Photoshop. Copywriter Luke Sokolwicz and Art Director Jason Roberts are passionate at what they do best: storytelling.

They concept ideas for the many clients of 22squared; whether it’d be a script for a radio spot or a campaign idea for a digital banner.

“I love coming up with ideas,” says Roberts. “It’s the best way to make a living.”

Once concepting has been completed and approved internally, it’s time to present it to the client. If the work gets approved, it moves on to be produced. But not every pitch made to a client is approved. Sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board.

“You just have to keep going and never give up on creating ideas,” says Roberts.

For Sokolwicz, when generating ideas it’s important to write in that brand’s personality and be mindful of it’s tone. One brand could be conservative and light when another could be fun and silly, it just depends.

For college students who are building portfolios and looking to expand their creative work, Roberts recommends developing creative work for the things that are more different.

“Stay away from hot sauce, condoms and windex,” says Roberts. These are examples of products that tend to have limited range in creative ability, unless you are able to take a really uncommon approach to them. He suggests going after things that can be unique and become real work, like helping out non profits.

But no matter what you do in life, if creative is a passion, try to incorporate it into your life as best as possible.

“Make sure you’re always cultivating your side passion,” says Sokolwicz. “Because that’s whats going to keep you excited about your day job.”

How Commercials Air on TV

Ever notice that the DirectTV commercial “Hannah and her Horse” airs on the same networks or during a specific show? Well there is a reason that commercial is on specific channels and airs during certain times.

22squared Media Planner Krista West and Media Buyer Jessica Lee know that process all too well. Their job is to plan out which slots to air TV and radio commercials and buy those spots for the client. But buying media is no easy task. It takes strategic planning to make sure the buy is going to reach the right target audience.

“We have to be really informed on [buying] because it is a lot of money,” says Lee. “Its important that we are making the most educated guess for what we are going to spend.”

Lee’s job is mainly negotiating the buys and maintaining them for broadcast, TV, cable and radio. She works on multiple markets and keeps strong relationships with the stations sales reps.

So, what research goes into making buys that cost thousands of dollars? One way is by looking at ratings from Nielsen to project TV viewership. West also keeps up-to-date with current media trends and new technologies to see how they will affect buys in the media industry.

“Its my role to best identify the media mix,” says West. “What is going to be the best media channel to get our message across?”

For example, you probably don’t want to air a fried chicken commercial during The Biggest Loser, a weight loss show. It’s important to consider the content the viewers are watching when choosing where to air the spot.

Above all, Lee and West recognize the importance of keeping up with the evolutions that change how their jobs may operate in the future, especially in an age where new technologies affect the way the public consume new media.

“We’re in a constant evolution, and we can’t wait to see where media is going,” says Lee.

The Key To Happy Clients At An Ad Agency

Ever wonder what bridges the gap between a client and the million moving pieces of a full-service ad agency? Thank management for connecting the two and being the face of the agency.

Senior Account Executive at 22Squared, Lynda Marsh, loves what she does and understands what it takes to be in this position.

If something goes wrong in another department, account management is the one directly dealing with the client. Marsh describes her role as being detail oriented and building good relationships with the client.

“What makes you good at account management is being able to juggle and manage different personalities,” says Marsh.

The typical day-to-day is that there is no typical day. But among their duties include building schedules, checking on each department’s project status and making sure whatever happens in meetings actually gets done.

Project Manager Laura Steele stresses that it’s key to communicate effectively and know enough about everyone’s role in the agency to be a second expert for the client.

Learning an account can take a long time, but to Marsh it’s well worth the time to see the outcome and the client’s project come to life.

“I love how I get to be involved in so many aspects of of the agency life and get to see the process from start to finish.”

Advertising 101: How Strategy is the Glue in Ad Campaigns

I never realized what an important role strategy has in the scheme of an advertising campaign. This week we had a seminar on brand and content strategy and how they affect each piece of a campaign.

Courtney McCalden, brand strategist at 22squared, explained that the first step is figuring out the business challenges and creating objectives that help focus the campaign on a unifying idea. Once these core elements are determined for a campaign the next step is research to support your objectives.

“We run the gamut from analyzing research to conducting it,” says McCalden.

Advertising agencies can conduct primary research to help a client identify their target audience, whether through focus groups, quantitative surveys or in-depth personal interviews. On the other hand, some companies have an internal research department and provide the research so the agency can determine their strategy.

Once a project kicks off and the creative team starts working on deliverables, brand strategy is frequently found in creative meetings.

“We work closely with account management and media to make sure that the strategy is being implemented,” says McCalden.

Brand strategy gets to see the campaign from start to finish: creating strategy and objectives, conducting research, determining whether creative deliverables reflect the strategy and also working with analytics to better the strategy next time around.

Meg Roberts, content strategist at 22squared, is in the strategy department alongside McCalden. Her task focuses specifically on social and digital content.

Content strategy strives to define and unify the voice of the brand in the digital realm.

“Defining that voice is really important,” says Roberts. “The tone and the voice have to be relevant to the brand and the culture.”

When determining content, Roberts focuses on a message that balances the brands business goals and expertise with the audience’s needs.

Whether it’s brand or content, strategy has a very important role in making sure a campaign is kept aligned with the overarching goals. It’s the glue that makes the pieces look like the big picture from afar.

How does an advertising agency bring in new business?

It’s just the beginning of my internship at an advertising agency in downtown Tampa and I’ve only scratched the surface of what it takes to run a full-service agency. This week we had a seminar about developing new business.

So, how do agencies bring in new clients and make sure these clients are right fit for their agency?

In its most basic form, there are two sides to business development: inbound and outbound. There are those who reach out to the agency who want to become a client. That’s inbound — and not surprisingly, most of the time inbound is rarely chosen. Most new clients come from outbound pitches. That is where the agency goes after a potential client and makes a pitch.

Christopher Tuff, director of business development at 22squared, gave some great insight when it comes to the deciding factors of chasing new business.

“Make sure you are going out to the right clients, because who you have dictates the kind of company you are,” says Tuff.

He references 5 elements that factor into the right client: fun, fame, fortune, forward and feasibility. Basically, are they going to have fun projects to work on, are they going to make the agency better known, are they going to bring in money, are they helping the agency move forward and is it even feasibly possible?

Now, what should an agency do if they don’t win over a client? Tuff calls it purposeful networking. Go back and always follow up with the company. Even if it isn’t business talk, just reminding them of your presence has proven its worth.

“Sometimes it takes 12 no’s to get a yes, and that’s okay,” said Tuff. Some companies realize that an agency isn’t working for them and return back to a competing agency who they previously turned down in a pitch.

New business development looks toward the future and goals of its agency. Overall, it seeks out clients who would contribute to agency growth and could be a kick-ass portfolio piece.

PRSA Tampa Bay announces University of South Florida Foundation scholarship winners

Thanks so much for featuring me in your article! I hope to continue my passion in PR and make Tampa Bay PRSA proud!

5 Reasons You Should Join PRSSA

I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the executive board of my local PRSSA chapter and feel this blog is only a little excerpt of what this pre-professional organization offers to college students in communications.