What's the saying, "What happens at conference, stays at conference?" This entry falls into the category of, 'you had to be there..."
Pictured below is the 'Velvet Hammer'. What is it? You'll need to ask. Just check in with: Rayburn, Oppenheim, Gernert, Savage, McShaffrey, Preston or a few other long-time members.
We've wrapped up another busy day at the FPRA annual conference. Here are the Web stats for Tuesday, Aug. 7:
Total unique visitors: 395
Total page views: 1,328
The average visitor on Tuesday stayed on this blog for 5 minutes, 9 seconds.
Thanks to those of you who visited us today. We'll have more stuff for you on Wednesday as we wrap up this year's conference.
All the awards have been given out at the 50th anniversary Golden Image Awards banquet and the evening's activities have drawn to a close.
Pictured above is this year's Dick Pope All Florida Golden Image Award winner: City of Tallahassee and VancoreJones Communications, Inc. with their entry, Successfully Changing Your Most Important Citizen Service.
Special thanks to April Herle, APR, CPRC and her committee for putting together a wonderful evening!
And rest of the winners are...
Download the Complete List of Golden Image Awards Winners
The final individual award given out tonight was the John W. Dillin Award.
The John W. Dillin Professional Award for service to the Florida Public Relations Association has been established as the highest, most prestigious award of the Association. The award honors the spirit and dedication of FPRA’s first president and founder, Lt. Col. John W. Dillin, and his lifetime of service to and support of the Association.
The purpose of the annual award is to recognize an FPRA member for his/her outstanding contribution to the Association and the field of public relations.
Drum roll, please... the winner of the 2007 John W. Dillin Award is:
Kathleen M. Giery APR, CPRC
Public Relations Director
LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services, Gainesville, FL
Gainesville ChapterSend Kathy a congratulatory email at gierykm@lifequest.ufl.edu
The next individual award given out tonight was the Doris Fleischman Award.
The Doris Fleischman Award honors unrecognized contributions an individual FPRA member has made to the public relations profession and/or to FPRA. In essence, this is an “unsung hero" award intended to reward that individual who consistently provides support and assistance to the Association.
The award was established to honor the achievements and contributions of Doris Fleischman, business partner and wife of Edward L. Bernays, the “father” of public relations. It honors those FPRA members who, like Ms. Fleischman, make contributions to the field of public relations through consistent, tireless efforts. It is meant to honor a member for his/her “behind the scenes” work and FPRA volunteer efforts that go unnoticed by chapter members and are not recognized by other awards programs.
Drum roll, please... the recipient of the 2007 Doris Fleischman Award is:
Amelia Woodbridge
Partner
McBride Woodbridge Marketing, LLC, Indialantic, FL
Space Coast ChapterSend Amelia a congratulatory email at amelia@ mcbridewoodbridge.com
As part of tonight's Golden Image Awards ceremony, three individual awards were given. The first award was the 2007 Member of the Year Award.
This award is intended to recognize one member who has made a significant contribution to the Association through outstanding leadership, demonstrated enthusiasm, extraordinary involvement and loyal support. The recipient is selected by the FPRA State President.
Drum roll, please... the 2007 FPRA Member of the Year is:
Erin McLeod
Chief Operating Officer
Senior Friendship Centers, Sarasota
Central West Coast ChapterSend Erin a congratulatory email at emcleod@seniorfriendship.com
The Golden Image Awards competition is conducted annually by the Florida Public Relations Association to recognize outstanding public relations programs in Florida and to encourage and promote the development of public relations professionalism in our state.
Winners demonstrate the very best examples of innovation, planning and design. The awards competition includes four divisions of categories: Public Relations Programs, Printed Tools of Public Relations, Audio/Visual Tools of Public Relations and Student Projects in Public Relations. To qualify for judging, an entry must incorporate sound public relations research and planning. Entries also must meet the highest standard of production, execution and evaluation of results and budget.
There are several different levels of awards:
Award of Distinction - presented to all the entries that meet the standard of excellence set by a panel of judges.
Golden Image Award - Presented to the top-scoring entry in each category.
Judges’ Award - Presented by a panel of judges for an outstanding entry that achieves maximum results while using a minimum amount of money.
Grand Golden Image Award - Presented to the best Golden Image Award-winning entry in Divisions B and C.
Dick Pope All Florida Golden Image Award - This is the big Kahuna of awards for the year. It is presented to the best Golden Image Award-winning entry in Division A.
Watch for my later post with a complete list of tonight's winners!
Next stop, the Golden Image Awards. We'll be posting the results at the conclusion of the event, so check back later tonight for all the details.
We're now at the halfway point of the conference and figured it was a good time to ask what you think about our conference coverage thus far. Tell us the good, the bad and the ugly. We'd prefer if you left your email so we can respond to you, but if you feel the need to be anonymous, go ahead.
What has been your favorite portion of the conference coverage?
Do you like the fact that we've included commentary on the sessions or would you just prefer the facts from presentations?
Do you like the fun stuff and hallway interviews?
Suggestions?
This session was designed for those thinking about becoming a Certified Public Relations Counselor. The interactive session had 14 attendees, and reviewed various aspects of the exam and how to prepare for it.
CPRC exists because FPRA felt there was a need for a professional certification to recognize professional growth and achievement of senior members who have already earned their APR, and who have more experience than someone who has been in the field for a shorter amount of time.
The oral component was added because that’s often what is required in a professional setting, especially in an agency setting where making presentations is something you do everyday.
One of FPRA's dynamic duos, Dr. Jay Rayburn II, APR, CPRC, PRSA Fellow and Joe Curley, APR led an afternoon breakout session on setting up your own business. There are a number of successful independent practitioners within the field and within FPRA. But what does it take to go out on your own? Jay and Joe shared some secrets.
First up was Joe Curley. Joe said that starting a business can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life, or the biggest drains. Often creative individuals aren't well suited for things like taxes and running a business. However, when you're starting you need to do much of that work. But it's important to shed those responsibilities quickly. You're time is best served doing billable work, not doing the books.
As to when to start your business? Joe says don't do it right out of school, get some agency or corporate experience first. Take advantage of the time you work for an agency. First off the mistakes don't cost you, it costs somebody else. Agency work is also great for networking and building relationships.
This breakout session included an overview on how behavioral science is employed to target campaigns aimed at changing behaviors, and a few simple tools were explained and demonstrated in case studies.
Marketing is a methodology. As a marketer you have to ask questions. What do people want? Why is the message important (to your consumer/publics)? Social marketing treats a social program as a choice and provides a methodology for making your program more appealing than the alternative. Knowledge isn’t enough! If it were, everyone would eat healthy, exercise, avoid smoking, wear condoms, etc. So knowledge is only part of the picture:
• Give people a better reason to act—consequence, efficacy, norm, etc.
• Breakthrough with a compelling message—source, exposure, content, etc.
• What people do—knowing exactly what we expect people to do is important
The Process:
• Insight—Find what people want.
• Offer—Decide on your offer. Which of those desires can you fulfill in exchange for a change in behavior?
• Change—Make your offer. Change what you say or what you do?
This lunch was definitely interactive. Each table was a different topic and conference attendees had the opportunity to choose which discussion topic they wanted to participate in. I chose “Turning Competition into Collaboration – Building Relationships that Matter” led by Dee Zulauf, APR. In the PR field, building and maintaining relationships and collaborations is extremely important. Below are some of the positives, negatives and suggestions this group discussed.
• Relationships can be determined in the first 30 second, so first impressions are important.
• Reasons for collaborations may be fundraising, membership, etc.
• Some keys to creating collaboration:
- Finding organizations with common goals, objectives, publics, etc.
- Remember not to think about everyone else as a “competitor.”
- Like PR, collaborations are two-way relationships.
- Pairing logos together on publicity pieces can help build confidence among organizations collaborating.
- First step is more informal, individual meetings (with the organizations you want to collaborate with) and then formalize the process.
- Determine what creates the resistance against the collaborations (from the other organization as well as your own).
- Dispel fears.
- Make the effort mutually beneficial.
- Keep the enthusiasm and excitement.
- Remember not all collaborations work.
- Remember it’s a time-consuming process.
- Determine whether an informal or formal collaboration is better (based on the situation and the organizations involved).
- Specifically define the collaboration and communicate.
- You have to work on the image of the collaboration before you can move forward with a successful relationship.
- Remember that (when initiating a collaboration) you may have to take the lead. And yes, that means you may have to do most of the work (at least in the beginning).
- If it does not work the first time, keep trying and don’t.
Immediately after his address Aaron Cushman talked briefly with Erin McLeod about a topic he forgot to mention. Chris Gent was there with the trusty recorder. Click here to listen to the interview: AaronCushman.MP3
This discussion was led by Denise Feiber, APR, a Counselors Network and FPRA Gainesville Chapter member. Denise is a past president of the Gainesville Chapter and served on the State FPRA Executive Committee for two years as Communications Director. She currently is Public Information Director for the Florida Department of Agriculture Division of Plant Industry, where she is required to give interviews both indoors and in the field.
Viewers will decide within 8 seconds if a spokesperson appears credible. In today’s 24-7 news cycle, public relations professionals have to be prepared to answer the media’s call. Whether you are in and out of the field or in a studio, this session provided a few tips from experienced industry pros on how to be prepared for your moment in the spotlight.
A hand-out was distributed with some helpful hints, (click on read more information below for link to downloadable, printable pdf) but here a few items discussed during lunch that are not in the handout:
- just as you try to take control of the time and circumstances for an interview, you also should try and take control of the interview area, as far as the specific location based on lighting, wind, etc. Have a good side? Ask the reporter if you can face in a certain direction, etc.
- it’s always a good idea, for both men and women, to keep a pair of casual shoes, even tennis shoes, in the office, for those unexpected visits to the field. No one expects you to wear $150 dress shoes while you’re climbing dirt piles at the construction site or working in an orange grove.
For a complete list of on-camera tips, Download file here.
Each of the conference participants has grabbed a boxed lunch and joined one of 13 interactive roundtable discussions facilitated by senior PR practioners. Our blog team has divided up and will report back shortly on the discussions held at their respective tables.
Roundtable topics:
- Social Media - Josh Hallett
- Handling the Bad News and Bad News Media - Bob Gernert, Jr., APR, CPRC
- Lobbying - Kate Gooderham, APR
- Building a Relationship with Your CEO - Joe Curley, APR
- Research for PR - Dr. Jay Rayburn, APR, CPRC, Fellow PRSA
- Public Relations & Branding - Dr. Bob Davis, APR, CPRC
- How to Write Winning Public Relations Objectives - Tina Haisman, APR
- Turning Competition Into Collaboration: Building Business/PR Relationships that Matter - Dee Zulauf, APR
- PR for Fundraising Events - Thomas Nunan, APR
- Thinking Outside the Box: New Ways to Attract Attention to your Product/Work - Michelle Bono, APR, CPRC
- PR for Non-Profits - Rachel Smith, APR, CPRC
- Publicity - Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC
- Tips for Looking Cool Under Pressure During On-Camera Interviews - Denise Feiber, APR
Public relations legend Aaron Cushman reviewed highlights from his career and discussed campaigns that failed and what he learned. He also shared a few humorous personal anecdotes involving famous clients from diversified fields of entertainment, sports and Fortune 500 companies. And more importantly, what has happened with the media in the last 10 years.
The utilization of public relations techniques is now being used by Al Queda, Middle East insurgents, Iran, North Korea and playing a key role for our government, military and the domestic political scene as well.
If you've been to conference before then you know 'Photo Joe'. But do you know Joe's last name? I talked to Joe about his years of loyal service to FPRA and some of the memories (and photos) Click here to listen to the interview: PhotoJoe.MP3
If you've ever called the FPRA State Office in Sarasota, you've probably heard -- "FPRA, this is Amanda" -- on the other end of the line. Just who is this Amanda? Why, it's Amanda Stillings!
Amanda serves as office administrator for FPRA as well as office administrator for KSC, Inc., a Sarasota-based advertising, public relations and marketing agency.
Now you have a face to go with the name!
On Public Affairs and WW II:
FPRA Founding President John W. Dillin, APR, CPRC would have taken pride in Mr. Burson's roots in the profession. John and six others founded this association in 1938 ... prior to World War II. One of the roles John played in his WW II tour in the Air Force was the development of the public affairs concept in the armed services. He was quite proud of having had a hand in that military communications function.
Women's Dominance of the Public Relations field:
Mr. Burson has witnessed public relations evolve from a field dominated by men to today's 85/15% female/male practitioners. He noted that he felt more gender balance (closer to 50/50) would be in order. You can also see the evolution of the field in the past-president's gavel passing line (not that its scientifically relevant). I'd like to learn what our female practitioners feel is/are the reason(s) for the gender disparity? Are "salary levels" causing men to pursue other professions?
A "Fine" Situation:
Last but not least ... to the individual whose cell phone rang during Mr. Burson's remarks ... they make those things with both a vibrate setting and an on and off switch. I would suggest to the FPRA Board that a $50 fine be levied against anyone whose phone audibly rings in a conference session -- payable to the FPRA Scholarship fund for use in scheduling sessions on telephone etiquette and common courtesy. The Counselor's Network has had such a policy for several years.
Did you know that Web sites are going to have scents that you can smell? Did you know there is a new online currency in a virtual world called Secondlife? Discover what it takes to be on the cutting edge of marketing’s next generation of internet marketing. This knowledge-packed presentation provides tactics and strategies that you can apply immediately and successfully. About 80 attendees were at this session.
New technology is moving so quickly is it difficult for even the experts to keep up with. Sometimes you just have to try something and see if it works for you, your company.
Today
- Social networks
- consumer-generated media
- mobile marketing
- click-and-know
- virtual worlds
- scented CD-ROMs and Web sites
- video e-mail
- blog marketing
Anand Pallegar from atLarge, Inc. led one of the Tuesday morning breakout sessions. Anand's session dealt with how PR and measurement is adapting to the new forms of media. The digital revolution has happened, it's not going to happen, it's not going on, it's happened.
Convergence is the name of the game today, people and firms are constantly taking on a number of tasks. Anand asks the audience who focused solely on PR and who had mixed roles. The majority of the audience worked in a mixed environment. That is part PR, part marketing and who knows what else. With this convergence, how do we know what's working and what isn't working? How can we measure results?
With the new media model there are a number new factors: citizen journalism, social media, etc. Traditional media sources like radio, outdoor and newspaper have eroding confidence levels. New forms of media are growing in confidence.
One of the new tools of the new media landscape is RSS. RSS allows for content to be delivered in a standard format. Blogs elevated RSS and this connected world. Anand talked briefly about the 1% rule. That is if you have 100 people online, 1 will create content, 10 will interact with it and the rest will read it.
A typographical error, typo, or fat-finger is a mistake made during the typing process. The term includes errors due to mechanical failure or slips of the hand or finger, but excludes errors of ignorance. Most typos involve simple duplication, omission, transposition, or substitution of a small number of characters. -- Wikipedia
Typos. They impact all of us in public relations. Despite several proofreading passes, we manage to discover the glaring errors only after the brochure, annual report or letterhead has already been printed and delivered to our office.
Sometimes the error is even larger.
Take, for example, the 8' x 24' backdrop on this year's annual conference stage. A few of the conference participants in the audience noticed a typo on Monday. As you can see in the top photo, the theme is listed as "PR: The Convergence of Arts and Science." The 's' in art is not supposed to be there.
After a quick mention to the production folks, the typo was corrected today as is evident in the second photo.
So, what's the biggest typo you've experienced in your career?
The first session of the morning is led by Harold Burson, APR, Fellow PRSA, Founding Chairman of Burson – Marsteller. The session title was “It’s Time to Speak Up for Public Relations,” and Burson covered the historical, philosophical and legal roots of pr as a discipline that existed long before the term “public relations” came into use and long before it was offered as a commercial business service.
Burson began by saying that PR is an applied social science. We as professionals should use our knowledge to teach communications and to influence others. PR professionals should have knowledge of all sciences—behavioral, social, etc. Burson said he heard someone say PR is doing good and getting credit for it, and the room broke out into laughs. Currently, the PR field is at a very high point. At no time in the past 60 years, has the PR field enjoyed the reputation and status as an important and very necessary institution as it is recognized today.
The PR field has gone through tremendous transformations:
- Early on the field was dominated by men.
- Now pr/communications people are now in positions of top management. Upper management and PR professional now work closely. So close, the speaker joked, that now communications professional know where all the bodies are buried.
- With the advent of cable television, the news day became a 24-hour cycle rather than a twice daily (morning and afternoon)
- Starting in the 1980s, the news media became much more intrusive. In the past, publications like Forbes would only publish stories with happy endings.
- Increasingly, you see fewer CEOs that are ready and willing to speak out.
- Corporations have become much more reactive in their PR. In the past, corporations created programs, and now corporations are so busy reacting that they aren’t focused on the positive stories, social responsibility, etc.
- In recent decades, PR has really been able to define itself as a field and FPRA is aggressive in moving the field in a positive direction.
PR as a commercial function only began in the 1900s:
-WWI created a large propaganda bureau and after WWI many people went into PR.
- The big impetus for PR firms came after WWII when reporters, which were public information officers in the war, returned home from war and started their own PR firms (rather than going back to the newspapers). Burson was one of those reporters who started his own PR firm.
-In 1947, about 500 PR firms existed in NY City. Unfortunately, many of those firms did not make it.
Though PR as a commercial function only began in the 1900s, PR has been a huge part of world history—Rome, American Revolution, etc.
- In 1865 (Stamp Act), Samuel Adams started writing articles (4 newspaper in American then), making speeches about separating from England, led the Boston Tea Party, wrote an article labeling 5 deaths the Boston Massacre–these are all examples of early PR.
Burson remarked that as we move into the future, PR professionals need to focus on content. The speaker also noted that over the years, women have increasing entered the field and now there are more women in the field though typically, the higher positions are held by men. Burson feels this is a serious issue that needs to be recognized. He feels the field should be more balanced in terms of gender and that professionals entering the field should have more journalism experience.
Last night's Scholarship Fundraiser grossed $9,845 for the Florida Public Relations Education Foundation.
Congratulations to the Central West Coast Chapter for planning and hosting this year's fundraiser.
Listed below is the schedule for Day 2 - Tuesday, August 7, 2007 of FPRA's 69th Annual Conference.
7:00 am - 4:00 pm: Registration Open
7:30 am - 8:10 am: Breakfast with Exhibitors
8:15 am - 8:20 am: Announcements
8:20 am - 9:30 am: General Session B: Dillin Keynote Address - It's Time to Speak Up for Public Relations
9:45 am - 10:45 am: Breakout 3A - Measuring and Optimizing PR in the Changing Face of New Media
9:45 am - 10:45 am: Breakout 3B - The Latest and Coolest in Internet Marketing
9:45 am - 10:45 am: Counselors' Network Breakout 2
11:00 am - 12:05 pm: General Session C - The World Turns on Public Relations
12:15 pm - 1:30 pm: Roundtable Lunch Discussions led by Counselors' Network
1:40 pm - 2:45 pm: Breakout Session 4A - Tools for Behavior Change: When Your Bottom Line is Changing What People Do
1:40 pm - 2:45 pm: Breakout Session 4B - Meeting the Challenge: Employee to Employer - Becoming Your Own Boss Has Risk and Rewards
2:45 pm - 3:00 pm: Chocolate Break
3:00 pm - 3:55 pm: APR Review and Study Session
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm: Afternoon Meltdown
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Reception of the Presidents
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm: Golden Image Awards Gala
 |
 |
 |
 |
