Public Relations Student Society of America at Texas State University

Texas State University's Chapter at the opening night carnival - PRSSA National Conference 2011

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:35:00 +0000

Joey's National Conference blog post

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:30:00 +0000

By Joey Hernandez:

PRSSA National Conference 2011 in Orlando, FL was in short, a magical experience. My decision to attend was not made until the last week of registration, which did not give me as much time to prepare. I was running around trying to book my flight, get my professional attire ready and my business cards created. It was pure madness I would say, but successful nevertheless. I was now ready to network with professionals and students from around the country.

Upon arriving in Orlando, I was ready to start meeting new people and getting myself out there. The opening to the conference consisted of a carnival, which pumped the members for a weekend filled with early mornings, late nights and a great amount of networking. Our agenda was filled with meetings, sessions and time to explore.

One session in particular I found most interesting was Entertainment: Creating the Limelight led by Joanne Freed, senior vice president and director in the entertainment department at Hunter Public Relations. The information was more than helpful and her attitude was more than welcoming. She spoke about branded integration, branded trade off, celebrity seeding and of course networking…all informational and all interesting.

Another session I found helpful was Crisis Communications: Confronting Reality With Strategy led by Richard S. Levick, Esq., president and CEO, Levick Strategic Communications. He spoke about the importance of networking and knowing how to handle a crisis with poise.

In between all of the professionals and sessions, we did have some time to explore Orlando. On a random night, my new friends and I decided to make our way to the magical world of the Magic Kingdom. It was my first time going and I have to say it was purely amazing. The rides, the people and the environment were all different. We were not in Texas anymore. We got to experience the real magic kingdom! We also go to meet the wonderful princesses and the cute Mickey & Minnie Mouse.

The experience of conference was one for the books. I am glad I got the chance to experience the wonders of a PRSSA National Conference and I can honestly say I cannot wait for next year!

Caitlyn's National Conference Blog

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:30:00 +0000

PRSSA National Conference 2011

By: Caitlyn Denham

This year was my first experience attending PRSSA National Conference and I couldn’t have asked for a more enlightening time. It was absolutely incredible meeting so many students who have the same passion for public relations as I do and learning about what their Chapters are doing all over the U.S. I found it difficult to pick which session I would attend during each interval because every one of the sessions offered something valuable. I ended up going to two sessions that discussed global public relations and those were the sessions that I found most valuable to me personally.

After hearing from two men who work for global companies, I changed my idea of a perfect career in public relations. Since the very first day I decided I wanted to study public relations, I thought the only thing I would ever want to do was to become a publicist for a country music star in Nashville, but after having so many wonderful experiences during my semester abroad and hearing about the life of someone who works in global public relations, my mind quickly changed. There would be no better way to spend the rest of my life than doing two things that I am very passionate about, which are public relations and traveling the world. So for me, conference changed the course for my career.

The key speakers for this year’s National Conference were phenomenal. Of course how can you not be when you work for the happiest and most magical place on Earth? Hearing from Craig Dezern, vice president of global public relations at Disney, was extremely interesting because of all the things he has accomplished in his career so far and what he has had the chance to experience. Walt Disney World Parks are a worldwide franchise and to be one of the people responsible for that is incredible to hear about. Dezern’s speech was also a major part of my choice to change career paths. The other keynote speaker was Rick Leventhal, senior correspondent for Fox News. Although I did not find him as interesting as Dezern, Leventhal offered some great insights into the world of broadcast media and how important the relationship between public relations professionals and journalists is. Leventhal has had some incredible experiences during his time as senior correspondent including covering the BP oil spill, major hurricanes and the war in Iraq.

Besides having the opportunity to hear from a number of great speakers and meet hundreds of fellow PRSSA members, I was able to get to know members from my own Chapter at Texas State. I was able to bring back multiple ideas for new meeting topics, tips on how our members can get more involved on a national level and reasons why our members should attend next year’s conference.

Rick's National Conference blog

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:30:00 +0000

By: Rick Martinez

My experience at this year’s PRSSA National Conference in Orlando, Florida has brought inspiration and motivation. Among future colleagues within my Chapter, I believe we thrive with determination more than ever. The opportunity spent listening and interacting with top leaders whom are completely knowledgeable with today’s tactics and strategies of public relations definitely provided a clearer sense of work ethics and professionalism.

The enthusiasm many students from various Chapters expressed undeniably set the tone of determination to succeed. Networking with fellow PRSSA members from around the country was inevitable starting with opening night; the Brazilian Carnaval-themed celebration. Dressed to impress, vibrant colors and music surrounded the room as we broke the ice, conversed and danced the night away. Networking with each other continued of course throughout the days, attending seminars, dinners and exploring Orlando. Having the opportunity to meet many professionals and students from Chapters all around the country was a great networking advantage. As future leaders of America, we are able to build strong relationships and connections beneficial to each other. As we progress in life and draw desires to seek a job in a certain niche or part of the country, we can refer to our contacts and utilize that connection. Not only did I meet members from around Texas, but members from Florida, Pittsburg, Wisconsin, Chicago and Hawaii, just to list a few. I had a great time mingling and communicating among PRSSA members. Everyone with amazing personalities shared a common goal to succeed and to help one another.

In public relations there are many strategies, plans, tactics, and ethics you must take into consideration. Of course we learn of these steps in class and at our PRSSA meetings. Having the opportunity to listen to the experiences from the most influential speakers in our field has embedded my mind. From the first day I returned to class at Texas State, any lecture or seminar, given that it was “Mass Communications Week,” gave a constant reflection of what I learned from National Conference. From a wide range of diversity and creativity; presidents, vice presidents, CEOs, and directors of public relations, marketing and social media speakers are up to date with the latest trends that shape our field to what it is today. Being able to grasp all this information will definitely make an impact on how we can work together as members of PRSSA to improve our committees and excel in our goals. The fact that 12 members had the chance to attend this year’s conference will benefit us greatly. Not only can we implement what we’ve learned at our Chapter, but we can express our experiences to members and students around us. This would encourage more involvement and future members.

Social media as we know it today is changing rapidly. Throughout the sessions, great importance was made to implement these particular tools to the fullest degree. Naturally, we want to target our audience, create buzz, build campaigns and network. What I found most interesting, utilizing social media in a smart and clever way can strive anyone to success and help small businesses look bigger than they really are. Another important emphasis throughout the sessions and workshops was internships. Internships have notable significance when trying to seek an employer. From perfecting a resume, to acquiring the right attitude towards a certain agency or company, it was encouraged to partake in at least three to four internships. This would provide experience in different aspects, gearing you to handle any situation.

Throughout my time in Orlando, Twitter definitely made connections with each other effortless and quick. An advantage with Twitter, members from PRSSA were able to express and provide quick recaps of other sessions taking place simultaneously. National Conference has encouraged me to do exceptionally well in my studies within the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. I’m a junior at the moment, but my anticipation for graduation is immense. Overall, I’ve learned that PRSSA is an organization designed to motivate you to success, provide professional speakers to encourage proper tactics and behaviors, have excess to internships and jobs, project social networking to the fullest and broaden every individual to a well-rounded leader with the aspirations we will reciprocate the same to our peers and future members.

Stephania's National Conference Blog Post

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:30:00 +0000

By: Stephania Ortega

The only thing I remember thinking is: I want to go. As a mass communication-PR transfer student, I was anxiously awaiting the first PRSSA meeting at Texas State. My previous school’s chapter was not what you would call “active” and I was glad that at least this chapter kept up with its website. Once at the meeting, the officers described what the society entailed and some of the member benefits including attending National Conference where you get to meet other students and professionals. I was sure I wanted to be a PR major but not entirely sure what branch or what focus I should take and I thought attending this conference might be the one life changing event where I would have an epiphany, stop and realize my lifelong career right in front of my eyes. You know, no pressure. I decided to ask more about it after the meeting and a couple of days after I was finding myself buying a plane ticket to Florida. The whole process was kind of fast but I knew I had to experience it - something told me that this could be a great eye opener, plus the fact that it was taking place in Orlando which meant trip to Disney World, only made it more appealing. I was hesitant since I was not familiar with the members, let alone the officers, involved and I was traveling on a plane by myself for the first time, but thought it would be worth it in the end.

After a missed flight which involved a trip to Tennessee, 12 hours later I finally made it to conference. I was surprised to see the amount of students there and how professional we all looked. Soon the VP of global PR for Disney Destination, Craig Dezern, delivered the keynote address. He spoke about the different tactics that Disney has used throughout the world and how you have to know your audience and connect your global brand to a local story. It was really inspiring to see professionals tell their stories and give us advice. If there is something that I noticed everyone told us, it was to get internships and to network. “It’s all about who you know,” is all I kept hearing. I attended several lectures like Diversity in PR with two professionals from NBC Universal who talked about how it is important to be able to be aware of other cultures and to celebrate the fact that we are all different. I also attended Government Relations/Public Affairs, International Communications and Media Training. These sessions were all in one day and throughout them many students would be tweeting to keep others informed. That is another thing that stood out to me, everyone is actively involved with social media so I realized this makes it easier for you to interact with professionals in the field, follow them and more than anything network. If there is one thing I will do different is to take business cards. I was not sure I needed them since I felt I was not job worthy yet, but once there everyone had them and it made me feel a little less professional. It doesn’t matter whether you think you will need them- make business cards! It is much easier to interact with professionals and exchange information this way. It is also helpful when you want to keep in touch with other students you meet from across the country. They are also future PR professionals, so you want to make sure you meet as many people in the field as you can.

The next day I attended the Creativity: Innovative Ideas Generate Receptive Publics session with the VP of Creativity Inc. at Walt Disney Co. This was my favorite session because not only was the presenter entertaining but he also really made me believe anything is possible. He said to date an idea - not marry it. He also said be open to other possibilities and emphasized to think outside the box, that no idea is too crazy or out there. This was a particularly hard day to choose which session to attend because all of the speeches seemed appealing, so that is something to keep in mind when planning your schedule. We also attended a session with the PRSA conference attendees, where Soledad O’Brien gave her keynote speech to both PRSSA and PRSA. After visiting the PRSA Conference, we returned to a session about Corporate vs. Agency: Finding Your Place and realized I will probably be interested in an agency.

There seemed like there was a session for every student, from first time attending who is still unsure what to do with their major to graduating seniors wishing to network and possibly earn an interview post graduation. Throughout the week I felt endless possibilities within the public relations field and realized I should be in these events and always networking. Attending this conference not only gave me a clear look into my future but it also allowed me to see things in a broader perspective. I strongly recommend this conference to all of our members if they want to feel a deeper sense for the field and to meet great people from across the country. San Francisco, here I come!

Aaron's National Conference Blog Post

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:25:00 +0000

Aaron Jezisek

On October 14, 2011, I went to Orlando, Florida. In Orlando, I attended the PRSSA National Conference. I learned a ton of information and made new connections. PRSSA National Conference was truly inspiring from the speakers, learning the steps to get where I want to go in life and narrowing down the fields of PR I want to pursue.

We started the first morning’s general session with a role call where we met many different PRSSA chapters from all over the U.S. and one girl from Argentina. The keynote speaker that followed roll call was Craig Dezern. It was amazing that the Vice President of Global Public Relations of Disney Destinations was kicking off conference. He was the first of many to say how important internships are and experience is a must.

During the afternoons there were many sessions for us to choose from. This was great because you could choose your area of interest that you might want to learn more about. The different sessions provided great opportunities to meet peers that have similar interest of PR from other schools. Networking was definitely at its finest in Orlando!

Session 1

Breaking Into the Business of Sports was the first session I attended. This session, the speakers offered very valuable information. The most important information I gained from this session was when they talked about having internships and building your resumes. They said to help and volunteer with events in your town to gain experience and build some bridges. When applying for internships or jobs, think about the win-win for both parties, tailor your resume to each of the jobs you are applying for, you can relate all of your experiences to PR and research the company you are applying for/person who will be interviewing you. The tips I gained from this session, I have already put to use!

Session 2

Sports: Scoring with the Fans. Joel Glass, Orlando Magic’s vice president of communications, and Darrell Fry, sports media director at Disney Destinations Marketing were the guest speakers. Joel Glass was an amazing speaker and was very motivating. He told us of how he got to where he is now and sometimes it can come down to who you know. Internships that he obtained, he was always there first in the morning and the last to leave. He said the job is about maximizing the positive and minimizing the negative. The most important tips I learned not always what you say it, is how you do it, too. This meant that you might say you are passionate, but sometimes you must actually show it as well. Darrell Fry shared how getting fan engagement is great way to bring attention to events. Darrell told us of how a new attractions opened up and Disney had an Orlando Magic player to be there with their character. This brought news attention gaining the attraction more press.

Session 3

International Communications: So little time, so many languages. Rick Bubenhofer is the director of public relations at Brown Forman. Two of Brown Forman’s major products are Jack Daniels and Southern Comfort. This session is where I finally discovered what I want to do and really became excited for my future. If you want to travel, get a job at an international company. My dream job was finally able to be determined after this session. A job in Global PR. He taught us valuable information about the global PR world, like it is important to cater to the country you are conducting business with. In some countries, journalists do not get paid as much, so they conform and compensate with product a lot of times. The quote that really struck me the most was, “We are limited only by our imaginations.”

Session 4

Entertainment: Creating the Limelight. Joanne Freed of Hunter Public Relations and Gary McCormick of HGTV at Scripps and past chair PRSA. The session on entertainment was particularly interesting learning that celebrity is actually “$ellebrity.” The first major tool to entertainment PR is talent negotiation. Talent negotiation is matching the right talent with a product or program to provide a brand with content and credibility. An athlete with Gatorade is a good example – a sports player with sports drink. Once you have obtained the right talent for your product you can have them represent them in multiple ways. Brand integration is another way that you can get a product into the entertainment industry. This is when it’s written in script, but it cost money for this tactic. Branded trade out is just for product. The example would be a celebrity endorsing a product and getting paid in product alone. The most motivating thing I took away was to fill your resume with internships.

PRSA General Session

We next went to the PRSA General Session during PRSA’s conference, where we were given the opportunity to network with the professionals at their conference. Soledad O’Brian, special investigations correspondent at CNN: Host In America and Chairman and CEO of X Prize Foundation, Peter Diamandis, were the speakers there.

Session 5

Corporate vs. Agency: Finding you place. Kathy Barbour, APR communications manager at Mayo Clinic and Mickey G. Nail, APR managing director for Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide were the guest speakers. The session on corporate vs. agency didn’t really help me decide which I would prefer. I’m now only more interested in both. Luckily the tips shared by both Kathy and Mickey were to intern for agencies and corporate and then figure out which one you prefer. Another tip they stressed was to learn AP style! What I picked up most from this session was agency has more room for growth and faster promotions. Mickey also expressed top agencies will not even look at resumes without three or more internships.

The next morning before the second PRSA General session, we had coffee and networked with PRSA professionals before listening to Chris Brogan speak on social media and related technology. I have to say, he had more passion and intensity than any other speaker I heard at conference. His session not only taught me valuable tips, but also how to be a better public speaker. The first tip was to cultivate visibility, this meaning to make you or what you are trying to get across seen. Earn leverage from community by helping and being sincere. Everything you do is your stage when you are creating your image. He put it into perspective using the example of Jay-Z bringing Kanye West into the light with “Watch the Throne.” He expressed if they aren’t charging you, you are the product. His example was Facebook - we are the product, not the consumer, because it is free.

National Conference was amazing. I have gained many connections, friends, insights, knowledge and now know which steps I need to take for the career I want to pursue.

Fall 2011: September 28th - Ethics Workshop

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:20:00 +0000

Writtenby: Callie Hill

Texas State PRSSA hosted an Ethics Workshop to review and exercise the PRSA Code of Ethics, which will advance the knowledge of professional values.

The meeting started with six questions taken from an online Ethics quiz,which tested the members’ knowledge on copyright infringement, ethical practices, plagiarism and the PRSA Code of Ethics. We reviewed the answers as a group, pointing out how and why each scenario was unethical. A few of the scenariosdiscussed in the quiz were using materials for educational purposes, misstating key facts and how to correct the situation and what is considered copyright infringement.

The main activity of the meeting was exploring ethics through real-life scenarios. We applied the PRSA Code of Ethics Key Values and Code Provisions to the different scenarios.

The members in attendance split into groups and spent time discussing the scenarios. Special guest, PRSSA National Vice President of Advocacy JR Rochester, then spoke to us about the Code of Ethics and how it applies to each scenario.

The first scenario asked us to put ourselves in the shoes of a Chapter president that was being asked to supply funds, per the dean’s request, for a department event. The dean said PRSSA has always provided funds in the past, but there is no record of it. Student organizations supplying funds to a department is against the student government’s policies. We discussed what we would do and how wewould handle the situation. The majority consensus was that we would follow the policy of the student government and not provide funds, but offer our services in other ways. We said we would offer to promote and help fundraise for the event.

The second is of an intern being asked to respond online to negative reviews of a client without disclosing that he/she works for the client. We asked ourselves if this was unethical behavior, and if so, how would we handle the situation? We decided it was unethical, due to not disclosing who you are. We would tell our boss that it is unethical, and hope that he or she would not ask you to post anonymously. We also agreed that most likely, the boss was not aware of this practice being unethical.

The third scenario was two interns at a holiday party. One was sharing information about a potential client and the strategy of the proposal with someone outside of his/her agency. We asked how we would handle the situation and what are the potential outcomes of the intern’s actions? We agreed that this could cost the agency the client by sharing too much information. You must safeguard the confidences of your agency and the client, as well as not provide information to possible competition. We would pull the intern away from the situation immediately, and let the boss know of the situation that just happened so the boss can put out any potential “fire.”

The full scenarios can be found here.

Rochester’sadvised us to “stay true to the rules.” When working with a client or affiliate group, you must safeguard confidences. He also brought up an important point in regards to social media and how it’s constantly being used inappropriately today. Rochester said that as social media continues to be used in client relations, it is important to keep guard on how you distribute information and maintain solid disclosure of information. He suggested that when tweeting, you should use a web tag to let your audience know that the content in your Tweet is about a client or the company you work for.

Breach of contract is “always a huge no-no,” according to Rochester. If you sign a legal document you are safeguarding your confidences. If you should intern for someone, you should keep in mind that you are responsible for your own job and not discuss any of the business development with anyone outside of the team working on that client.

Fall 2011: September 14th - Internship Panel

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:25:00 +0000

Written by: Marissa Cross

At PRSSA’s first meeting of the semester, there was an expert panel that spoke about the do’s and don’ts of internships and resumes. The panelists involved were Senior Lecturer and Internship Development Coordinator Chuck Kaufman, Career Services' liaison to the College of Fine Arts, Allison Birk and Lauren Tuttle, social media specialist and internship coordinator at I&O Communications.

Professor Kaufman began the meeting speaking about one way to earn real-life experience and it is only open to PRSSA Members: Bateman Case Study Competition. The Bateman Case Study Competition takes place each year in the spring semester, but the team is assembled and begins work in November. This year’s Bateman theme is child obesity. Each team has five members, and if selected, will have the opportunity to present their case study in New York at the PRSSA headquarters.

Professor Kaufman also shared about the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s website that lists all of the available internships in the area. Kaufman oversees and coordinates the website for all of the SJMC students and it is an excellent resource for finding internships across the state. For more information, contact Chuck Kaufman at ck17@txstate.edu or visit www.masscomm.txstate.edu/resources/internship.html

Career adviser Allison Birk talked about benefits of having Career Services available to the Texas State University community. Career Services has an elite staff that reviews, critiques and build resumes; prepares you for and performs mock interviews; provides career counseling and hosts job fairs on campus. An additional place to locate internships is on the Jobs4Cats website – which is another database for Texas State students to utilize and find a company to intern for. Visit www.careerservices.txstate.edu for any further information on the websites. Allison can be reached at ab69@txstate.edu.

Lauren Tuttle offered insight on what she looks for when hiring an intern, what interns should and should not do and how to stand out. Tuttle shared her pet peeves about the biggest mistakes an intern could make, such as not being prepared. When going into an interview, even if you have already sent your resume, always be prepared and bring an additional copy. She also suggests always having a notepad and being prepared to write down instructions at all times.

She spoke about the qualities companies look for in students applying for internships. A few of those qualities are involvement, being likeable, social and willing to learn. Tuttle expressed that you are an intern and are not expected to know everything, but having a positive attitude and allowing your bosses to teach you will go a long way.

Tuttle also spoke about the different assignments interns may get on the job. She explained that a lot of her interns' assignments depend on what her current assignments are and also on who the client is at the time. One of the assignments Tuttle’s current intern is working on is online monitoring of the client. Online monitoring is when you track coverage and discussion about a client on different media.

In addition to having assignments given to you, she conveyed how important it is to be vocal about what projects you wish to work on.

“Speak up if you want to work on a specific project,” Tuttle said. “We want our interns to get something out of the internship.”

Lauren can be reached at lauren@iando.com.

Kaufman, Birk and Tuttle concluded by discussing how to make your resume stand out from the others applying for the same position. The suggested that you list your skills on the top of your resume, so the employer can tell if you are a proper fit right away. Also, they said to it is unique to write how you have improved from previous experience with other employers. Tuttle emphasized to give detailed information if you add social media on your resume, because it is such a large space now. Do you have a Facebook but only 10 friends? Can you professionally run a client’s Twitter or are you still struggling with what hashtags are for?

Employers get hundreds of resumes per position, so they advised to limit your resume to one page and to not exceed. They don’t have enough time to read a five-page resume. Also, when emailing your resume to an employer, make sure to attach the file under an easy-to-find name. They suggested saving the file as LastNameResume.