Winning.

It seems as though in life, nothing feels more satisfying than winning. The overwhelming feeling of accomplishment when we win a good grade, a contest, or the approval of someone we admire through our efforts. Michelle Prince, the author of Winning in Life Now, makes a living explaining the importance of being happy with the life you've chosen and being successful at what you love.

On March 18, Prince, a Texas Chi Omega alumni, visited the chapter at SMU and spoke of just that. How do yo decide in college, high school, or even post graduation what your calling is? According to Prince, most people deny their calling because it comes so naturally to them, often assuming these skills are common or unordinary.

Prince's dream was to write a book and after years of telling herself that she could never finis it and that no one could possibly care about what she had to say, she accomplished her goal with tremendous success. With a best seller under her belt, Prince spends her time coaching others to accomplish these goals and win in life.

Prince fondly remembers the day she decided she wanted to become a motivational speaker. Her parents gave her a ticket to a Zig Ziglar seminar during the summer before her first semester at college and by the end of the seminar, the 18 year old Prince marched right up to the world-renowned figure and told him, "I'm going to work for you someday." Her declaration came true after graduation when she became Ziglar's personal assistant and friend.

If her story weren't inspirational enough, Prince's ability to hold a room and engage others with the truthful words she has to offer is inspirational. Motivation is a powerful tool and can be useful in any career.

http://www.winninginlifenow.com/testimonials.html

Powerful Imagery

It's almost amusing how often university courses overlap, providing a multifaceted account on an event or concept. In my Comparative Politics class we examine the institutional and political structures that drive events in varying countries. Recently we've analyzed the path that Germany took prior to WW1 and WW2 in its struggle to modernize and number of prerequisites German citizens undertook before succumbing to Adolf Hitler's hypnosis. Around the same time I was unraveling these series of events, I had the opportunity of hearing Agi Geva, a unbelievable Holocaust survivor speak of the same events through the eyes of someone labeled an enemy of her own state.

According to Geva, until March 19, 1944, "We were still very happy, not even dreaming of what would come." Just as President Hindenburg could not fathom the threat that Hitler presented as Chancellor, even those whose trust in the government remained shaky would not believe under they and their families were placed in some of the most desolate and dangerous places ever to exist.

Bravery and resolution characterized Geva and her family, careful not to appear to be together thereby running a greater risk of being torn apart; she, her sisters and her mother faced the surrounding threats together. Meanwhile, in the motherland, German Aryan citizens were forced to brainwash their consciences into believing in these unfathomable crimes. Professors and local police were replaced with Nazi supporters and parents watched as their children's worlds revolve around the Third Reich and its values.

"Everything was gray," Geva recounted as she remembered her experience entering Auschwitz. Stripped, shaved, tatooed and virtually naked, she and the remaining victims were deprived of every liberal value: their dignity, equality, and freedom to pursue happiness. Humility and devastation was all that remained, and for what purpose? To unite the German people after a massive economic recession following a devastating loss in the first world war? Or to satisfy one power-hungry man's need to control the lives of millions of innocent people.

Living in absolute uncertainty, Geva and her family were forced to cooperate with whatever was assigned by the Nazis that guarded them. never knowing if one day they would be free or if Germany would actually win the war and this would remain a reality forever. Waiting for foreign soldiers to rescue them, unable to keep account of which countries were even fighting for their freedom. Trips to and from Auschwitz to work on a number of projects eventually led to Geva and her group's escape and rescue. Although devoid of all human rights, she could not surrender her dignity. Geva remembered, "We were so dirty, so thin, so weak, so ugly, no hair. I didn't even recognize myself so I bought lip stick. I thought it could help."

One year after her nightmare began, Geva and her family resumed life. Freedom should not be decided by someone who sits in a large building in the capital of a country pointing fingers at who should live or die. Freedom is an innate human right that should be protected by one's government, never to be at risk. Listening to Geva's story makes me swell with gratitude and humility. Had any one of us been in her shoes, who is to say we could have handled these events or more importantly their memories.

Be Relevant, Be Professional...

Are two of the most beneficial pearls of wisdom anyone embarking into the professional world should string on their learning necklace. Katherine Bradford, Vice President of NOVO1 and SMU advisory board member, stressed with caution, "Be repetitive, be consistent, and be relevant." According to her, twittering play-by-plays such as meal times, daily errand updates, and useless thoughts are a few of the many things that should not appear in your digital footprint. If your future employer were to look you up on any social media site including Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, they most definitely don't want to find a list of things you ate for breakfast with uploaded photos to accompany them... unless of course you are applying to work in the culinary arts.

Bradford lives a cautious digital life, applying the golden rule by asking herself if she'd want her friends, her future employers and then her mother to see her posts if they Googled her. She says, "If you even think it's inappropriate, take it down." Something I think has become more obvious over the years of developing social media that Bradford stressed, is the rule that "when you are communicating with someone in the business world, remember your English classes and use them." Often employers are contacted with emails that included phrases like "lol" and smiley faces. Even the most forgiving employers have a difficult time ignoring those faux pas.

One challenge that our generation faces is the fact that our original use of social media sites varies greatly from what the professional world expects of us. The transition from informal contact between friends to a professional networking tool often presents a gray area, however according to Bradford, the importance of maintaining your digital footprint trumps the want to share embarrassing pictures with friends.

A Blog About Blogging.

The brand that Exxon Mobil emulates is often perceived as a big-name oil conglomerate out to make money.. oh and there was that big oil spill in the 70's. You could say the first half is true, with the company being one of if not the top companies in the business, but as for its reputation when it comes to safety and maintaining the environment, Exxon Mobile doesn't get near enough credit.

While many companies invest greatly into marketing and advertising campaigns as their business strategy, according to Matt Gobush, ironically the democratic corporate communications manager for the company, claims this strategy isn't worth it. Regardless of who has the flashiest ad, people will buy gas at the most convenience or cheapest station - or in my case, whichever one looks like it has the cleanest bathroom.

So what is a company to do? Their communications strategies focus on environmental safety mechanisms and contributing to communities in which they operate. The company also works to develop chemicals and products that can prevent or lessen the impact of an oil disaster such as the BP oil spill - whose clean up crews utilized many of Exxon Mobil's developments. Clearly, Gobush and his team need to establish a conversation with consumers in attempt to make these efforts known, the challenge being, how does a large, corporate company like Exxon Mobil create a blog or social media site without diminishing its professionalism?

The point of a blog is to engage your audience while enhancing your company's image, not damage it. The trick to having a successful company blog is balance. There are blogs such as the National Geographic blog called Inside NGC that is informational but doesn't offer viewers any personality or proof that there are actual humans running the show there. Blogs need more than fuzzy animals and informational paragraphs to boost ratings. And then there's the Best Western blog titled, You Must Be Trippin'. This blog's most recent post covers highlights that readers can expect to see in the upcoming NASCAR season... I'm sorry, how does this relate to family-friendly hotel rooms? There may exist some 6th degree that links these two unlikely subjects, but it would be beneficial if the authors at Best Western pointed it out.

At least we know Exxon Mobil's site is sensitive to its environment, quickly changing the proposed title from "Platforms" to "Perspectives" once BP's oil platform caught fire and sunk into the Gulf. As for the blog's content, they balance the professional aspect of displaying copy in a formal layout but gear the information toward topics that are interesting to their audiences such as energy policies and establishing more AP classes in schools - one of the company's biggest philanthropic efforts.

Find the blog here and join the conversation!

Behind the Curtain of my Double Life.

In lieu of communications  class this week, I was servicing my alter ago [or major, that is] by performing in the SMU Meadows Dance Spring Hope Show. With rehearsal stemming from the begining of January almost every night of the week including a sprinkling of Saturday mornings, its pretty obvious to the university and the surrounding community that this show is a pretty big deal... at least the dancers hope so.

The program consisted of 5 pieces: Prayers, choreographed by Jessica Lang, Vigland's Garden by SMU faculty member, Christopher Dolder, Letters to Camille by SMU faculty member, Jean Paul Comelin, No Contact, by SMU student, Jamal White-Jackson and two special performances of Martha Graham's Panorama.

Having danced and thus performed for a great majority of my life [going on 15 years], one might assume the thrill, nausea, disappointment, and euphoria of rehearsing and performing a piece in front of a large group of people would diminish over time... it doesn't. I've never met a dancer [unless they are in their thrid straight year of a 36-show run of the Nutcracker] that doesn't feel the rush of urgency and slight panic of "wait, what are the steps?!" before they go on stage.

The feeling of unity that encompasses dancers who perform in a show, however, add in an injury that forces the casts of various pieces to rearrange choreography in the midst of the run and the feeling of unity transforms into a crisis-managing support group. On Saturday morning each dancer received an email announcing an emergency warm up and rehearsal schedule to change formations and casting to cover one of our own.

Regardless of the complications, the Spring Hope Show was ultimately a success, and nothing seems more rewarding than feeling of accomplishment after a long and tiresome run. Read the SMU Daily Campus review here.

Invasive Marketing?

We all know the implications of an increase in seemingly tailored marketing. Advertisements are geared toward consumer interests and the prevalence of smart phones make shoppers sitting ducks for marketing sharp-shooters. Rob Martin, the principle and managing director (or "strategist") at MM2 Public Relations, identified two main factors as to why the consumer-marketer relationship has become more of a two-way communication model resembling a typical teenager-parent relationship:

1. The shift in media influence (from print to radio to TV to internet to smart phones)

2. Consumer interactivity (consumers are dictating the way things are going)

Integrated marketing, or the combination of PR, marketing and advertising, utilizes mediums to reach its audiences. Depending on the primary target, these ways of reaching people can vary. However, according to Martin, 1/3 of Americans own smart phones and 40% of non-wners want to buy them in the near future. "The smartphone has changed everything and this be the most influential medium there is," he said, "the smartphone is becoming the water-cooler of the future."

So now that we have the ability to personalize messages sent to consumers and track them down in a mall to alert them that there is a sale taking place in a store near their location that they visit "x" number of times  and purchase an average of "x" items from its online store per month, how personal is too personal? When does integrated marketing become invasive marketing?

When creepiness outweighs convenience and individual privacy is at risk, companies must be considering just how much permission they have to essentially stalk consumers. Daily email and catalog deliveries have evolved into direct conversation through Facebook and Twitter or push notifications of special offers as well as which of your friends have purchased the same item. Community seems to have gone digital. Communicating face to face with others appears to be a part of the past while many rely on social  interactions with strangers on the internet. At some point in the near future there must be a digression from this intensely invasive strategy during which companies and their integrated marketing teams must reevaluate principles of privacy.

And the Homework Never Stops...

Apparently, not much changes after you graduate with four years of homework and a communications degree under your belt. The evident fact that homework never seems to stop became clear after Michael Lake, head of the Dallas Burson-Marstellar office, walked us through a presentation he and his team pitched to one of their latest big clients. Slide after slide of this impressive power point was filled with research and statistics from which campaign slogan would resonate better with different audiences to a table that shows which political affiliation is more opposed to online gambling and why.

According to Lake, extensive research like this is paid for by the client after the account has been landed, however Burson-Marstellar often does a small amount of research even before they meet the client for the first time in hopes of teaching them something about their field or industry they hadn't realized. "We've learned that clients love data," Lake said, "and we try to do some unique research so we can show the client something they've never seen before." Having the upper hand in an informational presentation is how this company became one of the best. 

So what kind of things go into this research? You might assume that it is very surface level and similar to a marketing focus group where a handful of people eat cookies to determine if they're good or bad. And to be honest, this may be the approach other PR firms take, but at BM? Not a chance. The 20+ slide research Lake presented to us was so thorough that no tactic, audience, potential procedure, website feature, or opinion was left unanalyzed. 

The intensity of this procedure may seem a bit over the top, however in a business where one not only has to promote or increase awareness about a product or campaign, but must change the opinions of others, the research helps Lake and his team completely understand his audiences and what they react to. In the process of developing this campaign, Lake presented both a negative and positive approach in an attempt to determine through research which would resonate better with his target audiences. As it turns out, different audiences reacted differently to each approach. With this information, Lake now knows how to address certain groups of people when promoting his campaign depending on either their political affiliation, demographic, age, etc. Talk about strategic communication. 

Whether you are promoting a new brand of toothpaste or attempting to change public opinion on a controversial issue, the importance of doing your homework never diminishes. Just as a future employer is more inclined to hire an interviewee that researched his/her company, large clients that are about to spend significant amounts of money want to be assured that the PR firm they are potentially hiring can provide a service that their own in-house team can't. 

Misconceptions of Agency Life

The polarity between the hardened fast-paced environment of agency PR life versus the cushy, always-the-same-pitch mentality of corporate life has undoubtedly created an impression in my thoughts, and, like most uninformed preconceptions, was wrong.

This past Wednesday our communications class was able to host two members of the largest independent PR company in the world, Edelman. Jenn Little, a PR professional with years of professional experience in the field, is a veteran of both agency and corporate life whereas Ashley Maddocks, a recent graduate, is still developing a firm footing at the company. The two offered alternate perspectives on the PR world and painted a very different picture of life in an agency with high profile clients such as Burger King, Dove and Dickies workwear.

While the fast-paced environment that agencies are known for is often true in waves and felt even more at the small regional office that the two work at where junior executives, including Maddocks, often feel the brunt of the workload. According to Little, "Ashley's biggest challenge is knowing what has to be done, when it needs to be done, and how she is going to get it all done." While senior members of the corporation often have more of a hand in creating the plans, it is up to Ashely and her colleagues to implement them by making client deadlines and managing materials. As for corporate versus agency speed of work, Little added, "I don't think there's anything slow in PR because we're always communicating."

One thing that did surprise me is the interconnectedness between agencies and other PR professionals both in the corporate world as well as through the area's local boutiques. Little warned, "if you want to do PR in the Dallas Ft. Worth area, you better have a stellar reputation because there's a really strong networking area," as Maddocks added, "everybody knows everybody at least through someone else." These words of advice were reinforced with a story about an intern whose poor performance at another firm was communicated through Little's office and was ultimately denied the position... scary if you think about it.

Here's one aspect of agency life (and corporate life for that matter) that isn't surprising at all: the importance of WRITING. Maddocks explained that "you talk to reporters, it's great, it's fun, you might go to an event here or there but primarily your job is writing," emphasizing this point by listing the documents written that day, including a few press releases and a pitch among others.

Perhaps what surprised me the most on this subject was the permeability between agency and corporate PR positions. While I was under the impression that once students were out of college they were offered a small grace period in which to determine whether they fit in a corporate office or PR agency and once they decided, that was your home for the rest of your career. To my surprise, Little worked for a university, an agency and Pizza Hut before taking the job at Edelman... and seemed to transition seamlessly into each role. In addition, Little was able to incorporate her passion for sports into her agency lifestyle, both through different clients and Edelman's open policy of finding your niche within the company's departments.

According to Maddocks, she loves PR because "you get a lot of opportunities to get experience that no one else will get." And both agree, in this business it seems like almost nothing is valued more than experience.

Making the World a Better Place.

Through technology and communication, Gail Chandler and her coworkers at Texas Instruments seem to be changing the world as we know it... right below our noses. As it turns out, there are a number of things we don't know about TI. For instance, only about 5% of their annual revenue comes from selling calculators, or that once a week, a bus picks up volunteers from the TI offices in Dallas and drives them to Julia C. Frazier Elementary School where they tutor in six week rotations, or that with the help of these volunteers, 87% of third graders passed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test on their first attempt.

Ms. Chandler, a SMU communications alum, works to improve TI's public affairs through community service and philanthropy and in turn makes the world a better place. According to Chandler, the company's legacy through the actions of its founders, Cecil Green and Eric Johnson, has always focused on giving back to its community. She says, "it's ingrained in our culture to be giving and giving back to the community. We have a very stringent corporate governance". As a testimonial to this company's pledge to community relations, a written ethics policy has been in place since the '60s, which was unheard of for the time. 


Going hand in hand with CHandler's efforts in the community, TI's technical efforts run along the same lines. With a Nobel Prize winner in their midsts, the engineering team's goals are to make the world:


SAFER: by attempting to make cars equipped with collision prevention technology and eventually cars that drive themselves.
SMARTER
GREENER: by creating cell phones that will eventually charge on body heat alone
HEALTHIER: through creation of artificial retinas, functioning artificial limbs, and on-site sonograms.

While Chandler says "you wouldn't find TI paying to have their name on the side of the American Airlines Center," that doesn't mean they aren't a huge global presence. Flying under the radar and quietly helping others seems to be right up her ally, and coming from a background in government and educational PR, TI's corporate responsibility initiatives are just what she wants. Chandler claims, "Life is too short to work somewhere you don't like and where you don't feel good about what you're doing."


It's comforting to know that large corporations fueling many of the products people can't seem to live without are making a significant effort to protect the other things we care about. Chandler explains that corporate responsibility, while it is important to the community and government regulations, is good business as well. Companies that buy from TI expect to see a level of awareness and corporate conscience in the companies they associate with, just as TI adopts strict regulations they expect from their suppliers, essentially, being held accountable and by holding their suppliers accountable. All of these features file into the company's statement: "We believe strong companies build strong communities and strong communities build strong companies."

God, Apple Pie, and Motherhood

Holding a career studded with four governors, six senators, 30 clients prepared for a 60 Minutes grilling and a few presidents to boot, Ken Fairchild has all the credibility in the world, and when a man like Ken spends almost two hours telling you that public relations is ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION, you better believe him when he says, "nothing matters if you're communicating the wrong thing." Lucky for us, according to Fairchild, a job in communications will most likely require just that. Excellent communications skills. But what about the really sticky situations? Mr. Fairchild, who I would consider an expert on dealing with tricky issues and questions, advocates the unassailable position.

"Trust me, Love me," is what it's all about. Love my company and my brand because you think we're great and do wonderful things, but trust me that I'm not leaving out crucial information that might make you think otherwise... nearly impossible. While in some issues, such as believing in God, preferring apple pie (why not cherry?), and or having conservative or liberal views on motherhood, no truly assailable message exists, there are possibilities in which one may convey the truth while avoiding an exploitation. Fairchild says, "I want the unassailable position, not that the oil spill is good, but we're going to fix it - you can't tell me you don't believe that."

In a trend where media seems to exist solely to uncover the most interesting story in an effort to top their ratings, regardless of the negative implications reflected on their interviewees, how can PR professionals and their clients defend themselves against these ruthless tactics? Miriam Webster defines the term as "not liable to doubt, attack or question."Fairchild's 'unassailable position' emphasizes a need to FOCUS on one's message and refuse to deviate from it. According to him, "If you develop your message this way, even Mike Wallace can't make you say something you don't want to say."

So yes, sticking to your intended message and not falling for the reporter's dirty tricks is one step toward maintaining your client's level of love and trust, but what about when a crisis occurs? PR professionals are often asked to cover unpleasant things up or simply "get rid of them..." Not the brightest thought. Returning to the example of BP's catastrophic oil spill, there exists a happy medium between shoving an issue under the rug and assuming the "no big deal" position and completely exploiting the damages.

Perhaps BP's CEO, Tony Hayward, could have used a bit of media training from Mr. Fairchild before he so sensitively complained that "I'd like my life back." Even the bluntness of a blatant lack of common sense can be softened by a few lessons in communication with the media in the wake of a business and environmental crisis. I believe the love and trust once invested in BP rapidly evaporated as a result of these events and a poor response by the crisis PR team responsible for handling the repercussions of these events. So much for Hayward's unassailable position.

"Be Bold, Do You..."

Deanna McKinley carries nothing short of a bold-faced exclamation point at the end of her name. "Be bold, be you," she says to a class full of impressionable, job-seeking, college students. Do your thing and promote yourself, "you are your own branding." According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Los Angeles author, Rob Frankel, describes banding as, "not advertising and it's not marketing or PR. Branding happens before all of those: First you create the brand, then you raise awareness of it." 

As PR professionals, their job is to "raise awarenss" or change public opinion of a certain subject, product, person, etc. At Frito Lay, McKinley deals with the general public's attitudes toward snack foods, yes, but in addition  to that aspect of her job description, she's managed to incorporate a portion of her soul to her career. Not to say she's not passionate about her snack foods, the Georgia girl loves her some salt and vinegar favored chips... but why not mix in some of your own personal branding - that which is woven into the fabric of your personality - into your everyday job?


As college students we've all been guilty of admitting the words, "I don't care what I do, I just want a job." And in some respects, we're being completely honest. In this economy, can we honestly afford to sit back and wait until our dream job shows up at our apartments? Probably, not. But according to McKinley, this perspective doesn't cut it. She says, "Know what you want to do when you graduate. Wanting a job... its too broad, and trust me, you don't want any job." After listening to her story, it may be safe to say that while your "dream job" may not have been working for Frito Lay, who's to say it can't transform into something that serves you more than that Manhattan job across the street from MTV, and can allow you the opportunity to give a new roof to a woman in need?

An anecdote that will stick with me for a very long time is McKinley's theory that, "you're supposed to be tired and broke in college." Well at least I know I'm doing something right. Apparently you're supposed to feel like you have no time because college is the petri dish where all of your potential passions linger. Discovering these passions can lead one to that "dream job," where everyday you are involved with things you love, and are able to put a piece of yourself in everything you do. Applying what I am passionate about to my professional aspirations could possibly be the recipe for life-long, career happiness! 


Coming from a person who regrets next to nothing in her path to her professional career, I can safely assume that Deanna did it right. Explore, grow, be you. Find what excites you and apply it to your "grown up" job. I can't think of a day in my past 21 years where I haven't thought about dance, danced, or shopped (online shopping is my biggest weakness and distraction). Why should I ignore these significant passions just because I have to get paid doing something else? Next step: brainstorm and research PR firms that represent fashion houses or dance companies. Check. 

What I hope to accomplish in the field of communications...

After years of schooling and countless preparation for our futures, resulting in diplomas, degrees and term papers, I'd hope what each university student hopes to do in their respective fields, not just perform said duties skillfully, but make a difference. 

If education allows us to learn from those that have tried before us and comprehend what they've already uncovered, then shouldn't our goals read along the lines of adding to that wealth of knowledge? Building on what has already been uncovered and finding new, efficient ways of accomplishing standard tasks.

Professors, lecturers, and mentors alike seem fixated on "the social media frenzy." What once belongs to our generation as mere social pastime seems to have evolved into an unyielding medium for advertisers, marketers and public relations agents to reach target audiences. 

Personally, I feel as though this constant intervention from product campaigners is leading to its inevitable demise. This presents an interesting dilemma for upcoming PR professionals who must simultaneously hone their social media skills while constantly searching for the "next big thing." 

In an age when information and the ways in which professionals send their messages is changing at viral speed, its only a matter of time before the tactics we use today become obsolete. Not only do I hope to contribute to the discovery and cultivation of this yet-to-be-discovered, I hope to uncover a new process that completely changes the communication process altogether.