Hayley Mills

Dove’s campaign for real beauty is doing more than raising the awareness of “beauty”- it is raising self esteem for little girls to adult women. This campaign aggressively promotes beauty like it has never been promoted before. Dove believes that beauty has no age limit and believes that all women should be celebrating whatever stage in life they are in. Dove also addresses the issue of female body images. Females receive large amounts of pressure from the media and Hollywood on what the “typical” body image is acceptable and considered beautiful. Dove has chosen to communicate that it is one’s inner beauty that determines an acceptable body image. Was this a smart decision for Dove to aggressively pursue such a sensitive issue? Many feel that the Dove campaign may be out of line, however I disagree. Not only is their campaign a smart move for them, but Dove is also making a difference in the lives of many females.

As stated on the Dove website, “Our global campaign for real beauty aims to change the status quo and offer in its place a broader, healthier, more democratic view of beauty. ” Dove doesn’t just want to produce or define beauty; they want to show a view of beauty that all women can share and own everyday.

The beauty of Dove’s campaign is that they are successfully communicating to their audiences that they genuinely care about them. This is no easy task and very few companies are successful in fulfilling a message like Dove’s to their audiences. Dove decided to not end at creating a campaign filled with articles, ads, commercials, press releases and so forth – they went a huge step further. They created a Self Esteem Fund for females and have incorporated useful materials into their campaign such as mother-daughter kits, e-cards, online quizzes and films.

When a company produces a campaign to target a topic so specific and sensitive as beauty, and then they actually overcome the hurdles of stereotypes to produces a success – they make a mark in history. Dove took a big leap of faith with this campaign, but with their hard word, determination and creativity, they deserve much recognition and respect. Let me know how you feel about their campaign and its success. Would you have changed anything in the campaign? Give me your feedback on this topic.

Time is dwindling down and I still do not have an internship for this summer. Several of my classmates and I have been relentlessly searching, e-mailing, calling, networking and calling more in attempt to land a good pr internship. The struggle of finding an internship has always been present to me, but never did I imagine that it would be this hard to find “free work.”

Honestly, let’s think about it – majority of internships do not provide wages. Therefore one would think that it would be easier to receive an internship over a job; however, I am beginning to disagree. Why are internships harder to get? Why do companies ignore the requests of individuals searching for an internship? I am positive there are several different answers to these questions; however, I have yet to reach them. After completing an internship this summer (hopefully), I am sure that I will have a better understanding of internships and crack their complexity.

Why is it so agonizing to find an internship? If it was just myself that was struggling to find an internship, I would understand. However, it is the majority of my fellow classmates that are in the same boat as I. My entire life I assumed that internships would not be this difficult to find. I mean it’s practically free work – well that is what I used to think. Now I am beginning to understand the training and skills that are taught to you during your internship. A company must be willing to take the time to invest in an individual for an internship so that they receive the best experience possible. I am slowly opening my eyes to the other side.

Let me take a moment to be honest here. Some of us that do not have internships have been somewhat strict on what we are looking in an internship; but I feel that if we are not, we will not enjoy our internship to the full capacity. On Wikipedia, an internship is defined as “a student or a recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training.” Internships should provide students with valuable opportunities to gain experience in their field of study, create contacts for networking and determine their interest within their major. This is the experience that I want to gain from my internship. I fully believe that all internships provide you with these opportunities. However, what do I do if the only internships available, or the only companies that will contact me, consist of work that I know that I do not enjoy and want to work in? Do I still take the internship anyways to gain the valuable experience?

These are all important questions that I know I must answer for myself. All week long I will be doing some deep soul searching and will notify you of what arises. Everyone looking for an internship at the moment – Good Luck! Anyone with an internship already – be proud of yourself!

As YouTube is creating a social media frenzy, they are also stirring up chaos by breaking legal boundaries. As you may have seen the news on Odwyer’s PR site, Viacom filed a $1 B suit against Google and its YouTube unit. The lawsuit is on copyright infringement charges of the so called 160,000 unauthorized clips of Viacom’s programming that YouTube aired. Since it bought YouTube last October, Google has been chasing deals that would give it the right to put mainstream video programming on the site. Just a few weeks ago, Google’s chief executive, Eric E. Schmidt, seemed confident that this courtship of old-line media companies would prove fruitful.

Obviously, Google has stepped over the line and clearly has broken copyright laws by airing these Viacom clips; however, did Viacom stoop way down by filing this suit? As stated in numerous articles, Viacom and Google were in the process of negotiating a licensing deal for several months. Should Viacom have not filed this law suit as they were in the process of working out a licensing deal with Google? Also, did Viacom notify Google prior to the law suit that they were unhappy with the placement of the videos on YouTube and request them to be taken down? Seems like the fair thing to do.

It is strange to me that Viacom does not file this suit until after YouTube has removed Viacom videos off the site, which was due to the demand of several large cable companies, such as MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. Viacom did not demand for videos to be taken off until a month ago. I have not been able to find further information on the question as to whether or not Viacom requested for their material to be taken down or not previous to the filing of the suit- if you have any information in on this question, please let me know. Although, it is undeniable that Google is aware that they have been committing infringement by agreeing to pull off videos due to these demands from the cable companies.

YouTube provides unlimited abilities for many individuals and organizations through its social media capabilities and programs, however this good comes along with a large problem.

While Viacom is trying to figure out who should be policing YouTube’s content, Google and YouTube lawyers are arguing that a provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) shields the company from infringement liability if it removes disputed clips promptly. Google feels protected by the DMCA and thinks that YouTube’s actions do not deserve to be punished according to this law. Glenn Brown, product counsel for YouTube and Google, stated earlier this week, “We’re confident and always have been that Congress intended with the DMCA to enable this type of service.”

More information on the DMCA can be located in this article by Declan McCullagh.

Due to large amount of news coverage on this ordeal, several individuals have produced and published videos on YouTube responding to the situation. Here is an amusing video created by an individual who is asking everyone to boycott Viacom due to their actions taken against YouTube. You should go check out YouTube for interesting videos from their users regarding the Viacom law suit. Much of this material being generated from users states many positive things for YouTube, however it is also harming YouTube and creating more work for them to perform, such as higher monitoring of the site. Read up on it and let me know how you feel about this situation.

The one day of the year where it is acceptable to dress yourself in all green and a pinch will be felt in the absence of one bearing green is the beloved St. Patrick’s Day. Celebrated with parades, parties, the color green, shamrocks and even more green, St. Patrick’s Day became a custom for America in 1737.  What is so astounding about this holiday that originated in Ireland, is that is it strongly celebrated in America in every city; not only is it so popular within our culture, but it has become a norm for us. How did this holiday become so popular and important within our culture? With this unique holiday coming up this Saturday, it raises the question as to why exactly did this Ireland celebration of shamrocks and green originate from?

Of course, this holiday would not exist if not for the man himself- St. Patrick. But how much do we know about him? Saint Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who was credited with bringing christianity to Ireland. Most of what is known about him comes from his two works, the Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, and his Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish christians.

Saint Patrick’s Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. In American cities with a large Irish population, St. Patrick’s Day is a very big deal. Big cities and small towns alike celebrate with parades, “wearing of the green,” music and songs, Irish food and drink, and activities for kids such as crafts, coloring and games. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green! Most importantly, to those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick’s Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide.  The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17th.

However, why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is the day that St. Patrick died. I am sure that there are several other theories explaining this date. Why do you think it is celebrated on the 17th of March?

In Dublin, Ireland, there is a five day celebration and festival for St. Patty’s Day. This is overwhelming- 5 entire days devoted to celebrating St. Patrick?!

If you are feeling in the green spirit this Saturday, be sure to watch the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade, which is held in New York City. Pretty ironic that the biggest parade is held in America where the holiday did not originate from, but gradually migrated to.

As spring is just around the corner, it’s time for us to jump into the spring spirit and there is no better way to do this than St. Patrick’s Day. Be sure to wear your green this Saturday and get out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!!

It is stated that ethics is what distinguishes – or should distinguish – the practice of public relations from other disciplines. Ethics covers the analysis and employment of concepts such as right and wrong, good and evil, and responsibility. These efforts give public relations a better reputation until the unethical actions of a few people are performed and publicized, which cloud the vision of pr. If pr hopes to gain professional status in the eyes of the public, it must first educate and emphasis ethics education to all public relations practitioners. Ethics is the backbone of pr!!

Fraser P. Seitel gives his opinion and knowledge of PR Ethics on Odwyer’s PR News. He discusses the power and importance of ethics in pr.

However, how do we monitor ethics as individuals and corporations? Ethics is misconstrued and not taken full advantage of here. Organizations and individuals have different perceptions of ethics and tend to rely more on their own personal values than what is ethical for the corporation. Monitoring ethics within pr for an organization is no easy task, but it has to be done or the results will eventually be consequences.

“Spin doctors,” “PR ploy,” “PR maneuver,” “PR effort” — these denigrating epithets abound in the news media and in normal, daily conversations between normal, educated citizens. More and more, people are paying attention to what we as public relations professionals are doing. And more and more, they’re calling us on actions they consider unethical.

Let’s face it. The “ethics police” are here. Every minute of the day, every day of the year, know that you are being watched. The ethics police are looking hard for conflicts of interest, they’re watching for a slip-up, they’re itching for a fight, they’re waiting to pounce.

But you know what? They have every right to. After all, public relations is an advocacy profession. Our ultimate goal is to influence public opinion. Our ultimate objective is to get people to take positive action on behalf of our client, organization or cause. And that in itself is controversial.

The most important step for any communications/public relations-related professional organization is to make sure they have an ethical code with teeth. An ethics code that requires and obligates its members to abide by its code- or else! Professor Philip M. Seib states in his book Public Relations Ethics that a simple guide for pr ethics is “Serving the 5 Masters.”

The 5 Masters are — self, client, employer, profession and society.

1.When faced with an ethical dilemma, look first within yourself at your own values. These will guide decisions based on what you truly believe is right or wrong.

2. The client/organization is generally the first loyalty beyond self. Decide if you are doing work for the client or organization, or if it’s for the “cause” that they represent.

3. Your employer- they are the ones that sign your paycheck. No work, no public relations ethics decisions. But if you knowingly allow harmful work to continue, you’ll be violating your duty to the public, which many would agree takes precedence over duty to employer.

4. Your colleagues. You are obligated to be responsible to your peers. To produce unprofessional work is unethical. Allowing others to produce unprofessional work borders on being unethical.

5.Society- it is the key component to ethical public relations decisions. We must serve the public interest.

The choices we make throughout our pr profession are vital in determining the overall effectiveness of our pr performance. Make smart choices. Never fear failure…especially when making pr decisions and choices. In public relations you have to take every risk that you can and not fear failure as you make that decision.

The biggest step in ethics is not knowing the difference between what is right and what is wrong, but actually doing it!

Acknowledging that JetBlue is losing trust, business and support from their customers due to a recent wave of cancellations and flight delays, they now have even more work to do to regain credible status. JetBlue passengers have decided to take a stand against the flight cancellations and delays they have dealt with lately and go public. Several passengers posted videos on YouTube that they recorded while they were stranded in the airport or in the plane on the runway.

Here one passenger is stuck in the JetBlue terminal for 12 hours while waiting for the flights to be canceled. The passenger here is not only frustrated about the long wait, but is upset it is so cold in the terminal that you can actually see their breath in the video – not to mention that they also lost a bag of his.

This consumer response through social media (YouTube) is a new trend and a smart step for these passengers to have their voices heard. Along with the video posts from several passengers’ experience stuck on the runway/terminal, forums and petitions have erupted and gained attention that has no intentions of supporting JetBlue.
What does this do for JetBlue as a business? Not only have they upset several passengers, but this entire ordeal has received publicity that has streaked JetBlue’s name and brand identity. Coverage of almost every news media outlet has covered the topic. Not only has it been broadcasted all over the TV and radio, it is all over the internet. Here CNN posts videos of passengers describing their flights to nowhere.

JetBlue is definitely in crunch time for planning out the proper steps to “smooth over” this dilemma. However, do you think that they will be able to regain their credibility and status as a company back? How do they regain the trust of their customers and from the airline indutry? There are several public relations steps that JetBlue needs to utilize in order to begin acknowledge their mistake, apologize and gain back customer trust and credible identity. They began by reaching out to the public through YouTube also! David Neeleman, CEO of JetBlue, posted a video of JetBlue’s public apology for this incident and made promises to disappointed customers.

I am sure that JetBlue will follow-up on this apology with further efforts to gain back their status. Hopefully this incident has opened up other companies’ eyes to the importance of social media and pr efforts. Public relations has grown out the “normal” boundaries and has become truly social through resources such as YouTube. Will the business world fail to recognize this or will they step up to the plate and jump on board with social media? Let me know what you think.

Last Thursday, everyone in some fashion had heard of the tragedy of Anna Nicole Smith’s death. Whether it was through radio, internet, word of mouth, or cable news, everyone was informed repeatedly of her death. That day, Feb. 8, Smith was found unconscious in her hotel room in Hollywood, Fla. While looking at recent articles on O’Dwyer’s Public Relations News, a poll caught my eye. It was an instant poll asking if the coverage of Anna Nicole Smith’s death had hurt cable news’ image. After answering the poll, it displayed where 76% of people agreed that it had and that 24% of people believed it had not. This poll information was interesting to me – therefore led me to write about it. Do you feel that the constant cable coverage announcing her death has hurt cable news’ image?

It is evident to see the controversy in the nonstop coverage of her death; Smith was a former Guess model, reality TV star and a Playboy Playmate. Why take up news time to cover the death of a former model/TV star when there is much more important news matters to broadcast? First of all, it is hard to blame the news station for the coverage of her death. They were following their principles of prominence, timeliness and novelty

With all the fuss of the news coverage of Smith’s death, I decided to check out how many tags linked with this topic on Technorati’s search site – it was a whopping 22,844 results linked to Anna Nicole Smith’s death. This information shows she was something worth talking about within our society and her death is worthy of news coverage. Even Larry King had special coverage last Friday, Feb. 9, of Smith’s sudden death. However, the question stills lies within how the question of how much coverage should be placed on a fashion/public figure? I feel that the death of a celebrity/prominent figure deserves news coverage in order to inform the public; however it should not dominate the news time and force other important topics out of their news time.

I do wish my condolences to Anna Nicole Smith’s family and pay respect to her life. No matter her career or lifestyle, she was an individual with a big heart and a loving mother.

Considering this is not the first time news stations have been criticized of this, now we must only wait and see what else they are preparing to pump out to the public in excess.

Television journalists and photojournalists are taking advantage of the technology benefits provided through YouTube. Journalists seeking jobs are uploading their own resume tapes to YouTube- this is a creative tool these journalists have discovered in order to be recognized for job hire. Combined with the resume clips is a short pitch to catch managers’ attention. Considering YouTube did not even exist two years ago, who would have thought that it would become a creative resume tool?

Here is Mike Daniels Resume Tape off of YouTube:

For those who are not familiar with YouTube, it is a free video sharing website that has become popular within the past year. It allows users to upload, view, and share video clips, as stated at Wikipedia . YouTube has grown nonstop since it was founded in February 2005. Over the past year, it has transformed into a user-friendly tool for society and is clearly evident now that is has been taken advantage of.

Creative advances in technology made by individuals, such as these reporters, lead my mind to question what our future does hold in store for us. If individuals have transformed a young, two-year-old website into a job searching tool and creative pitching method, what will become of YouTube just over the next year?

Let me know what you think may rise out of the increased use of YouTube and how you feel about its’ technological advances.

If you wish to view more resume video clips posted on YouTube, here is a list of more journalists resumes.

Every year, we all anticipate the Super Bowl to see who will be the new champions of one of America’s greatest sports. However, as the years move on, I am led to believe that there is something else that remains more anticipated than the actual game – the super bowl commercials. We all know that the commercials shown during the Super Bowl are the premium of commercials, or at least should be considering the $2.6 million charge for a 30-second slot.

What exactly establishes a great and effective commercial? How does a company know if they have properly exhausted their integrated marketing communications to produce the astounding commercial that will be remembered above all other Super Bowl commercials? Companies must use their advertising, direct marketing, public relations and sales promotion to brainstorm and create ideas that will snatch all the viewers’ attention away from the game and towards their product. It is vital that companies be super creative – this is the Super Bowl we are talking about here. If companies want their attention and recognition with their product, they must relate and connect one-on-one with the football audience.

One of my favorite commercials from this Super Bowl was the Budweiser Dalmation clip.

Nonetheless, the commercial that made me laugh the most was the Doritios clip – because of its’ simplicity and stupidity, I thought it was hilarious.

What it is amazing to me that this commercial was consumer generated media! Consumer generated media is definitely growing and I feel will have a break through this year. How do you feel about consumer-made commercials? Do you think they should be shown through tv? Let me know how you feel and what you think we will be seeing more of this year!

Here are some websites to visit to read up more on this year’s Super Bowl commercials and consumer generated media .

Being a part of the Auburn University public relations style & design class, we had the privilege of having one of the first interviews with the new president of Public Relations Society of America – Mr. William Murray on Monday, Jan. 29. However,some of the students may have been asking themselves if this was an advantage or disadvantage. It was definitely an honor to have one of the first opportunities to speak with Mr. Murray and ask him several questions about PRSA that we as students were concerned with. Although, with only eight days as president under his belt, were we able to receive the best knowledge and input from Mr. Murray? Not having answers for several of our questions or much experience on social media in the pr world, Murray seemed lost and confused with our questions and discussion on public relations in our society today. However, I do grant to him that he had not had much time to adjust into his new position and is not expected to know everything with so few days in office.

Murray, graduating from Eastern University and receiving his MBA from Thunderbird Business School, is a well-qualified candidate for this position; however it was shocking to the entire class we he admitted that he had never before been a member of PRSA. How does one become president of an organization that they have never been a member of? That may not seem strange for some, but it does for me. Regardless of his nonexistent previous membership in PRSA, I do feel that Mr. Murray realizes the important of his job to PRSA and will eventually climb up the standards ladder and deem a successful president – in time.

It will be interesting to see the evaluations of Murray’s work as president of PRSA throughout this year. He stated that he had several goals to fulfill as president and that he was prepared to fulfill them. Murray said, “I feel it will be important to listen to all members of the organization and am going to do this.” It is essential for Murray to realize this and I feel that he will be successful in his work and he keeps that as a top priority in his work.

I would like to thank Mr. Murray and PRSA for this amazing opportunity we were given to interview their new president. Thanks to our teacher, Robert, for making this possible! Over the semester we will definitely follow up on Murray’s work within PRSA and are hopefully looking forward to another interview with him as he progresses on within public relations.