After 7 weeks of blogging, I feel it's time to review the research I've conducted and see how I feel about the PR industry. So far, I've discussed event planning, non-profit PR, travel PR, and corporate PR. After everything, I think I'm most interested in the event planning aspect of PR.
After reviewing some of the types of PR, I find myself not only attracted to event planning, but also feel it is the best way to use my skills. In order to plan a great event, one must be creative but also intuitive to what other's would be interested in and would most enjoy. The event planner must also pay a great deal to details and be extremely organized in order to have the event be as sucessful as possible. All of these things are qualities I posses and feel would allow me to be successful in the field.
Luckily, event planning is something many people needs help with, for numerous reasons. Some people only associate event planning with weddings and birthday parties, but events are also a great way to increase awarness about something as well and raise money for a cause. It is with this large need for help that I have hope the job search will hopefully be successful.
Sunday
When dealing with research, you can go one of two ways. You can either gather quantitative research or qualitative research. When dealing with quantitative research, the most popular way to conduct this research is through survery. Unfortunately, this information is not always as in depth as one might like, so the researcher might resort to the different forms of qualitative research.
The most common form of qualitative research is a focus group. This is not only common in PR but also in other markets. In order to properly conduct a group, one might first invited people who have some relationship to the product or issue at hand. At this point, everyone is to gather and a facilitator observes and keeps the communication of the group on point. After further divulging into the topic, other members conducting the research observe the conversation and take note of what's being said. It is after this group meeting is over that all members of the research team review the information.
This form of research is a great way to gather detailed information from a select amount of people. They are able to understand how other's truly feel about the topic of discussion and if they do not understand, the researchers have the ability to ask them to elaborate on their response. This allows for great content to be discovered.
On the negative side though, this information is only obtained from a small amount of people. A focus group should be small and intimate, therefore, the amount of people being interviewed is quite small. With quantitative information, researchers gather a large amount of information that can be compared and usually result in statistical information. With qualitative research, it is a great amount of detailed information from a small amount of people.
At the end of the day, the type of research method used all depends on the type of information you want to learn.
The most common form of qualitative research is a focus group. This is not only common in PR but also in other markets. In order to properly conduct a group, one might first invited people who have some relationship to the product or issue at hand. At this point, everyone is to gather and a facilitator observes and keeps the communication of the group on point. After further divulging into the topic, other members conducting the research observe the conversation and take note of what's being said. It is after this group meeting is over that all members of the research team review the information.
This form of research is a great way to gather detailed information from a select amount of people. They are able to understand how other's truly feel about the topic of discussion and if they do not understand, the researchers have the ability to ask them to elaborate on their response. This allows for great content to be discovered.
On the negative side though, this information is only obtained from a small amount of people. A focus group should be small and intimate, therefore, the amount of people being interviewed is quite small. With quantitative information, researchers gather a large amount of information that can be compared and usually result in statistical information. With qualitative research, it is a great amount of detailed information from a small amount of people.
At the end of the day, the type of research method used all depends on the type of information you want to learn.
Wednesday
Let the party begin!
One huge way to attract a large amount of people's attention in PR is by hosting an event. As with most things though execution is key. If the party stinks, people are going to think it reflects the company or cause the event was held for and assume it too stinks. So how do you throw a great event? Well practice makes perfect, but luckily there are sites online geared towards making your event the best it can be.
One site, claiming to be "the industry's best event planning guide," seems to have just about everything and anything someone would need to create a great event. In each drop down are tips, ranging from catering to places to hold the event, car services, decoration ideas, and much, much, more. Surprisingly enough, there is even a way to be notified if there are any event planning jobs in your area.
While I chose to not go into much detail in this post about everything the site had to say about planning, if you go through it's easy to see why. I've always been interested in the idea of planning events. I like being able to use my creativity to create something others will enjoy. What I didn't realize though, was just how much detail goes into each and every aspect of the event. I mean, yes, I knew the food being served is very important as is the decor and location but I never even thought about the size the bar had to be! I'm glad I found this site because if all this doesn't deter me from the idea of planning events, it will definitely help me in the quest to create a flawless event and help whatever the event's for succeed!
One site, claiming to be "the industry's best event planning guide," seems to have just about everything and anything someone would need to create a great event. In each drop down are tips, ranging from catering to places to hold the event, car services, decoration ideas, and much, much, more. Surprisingly enough, there is even a way to be notified if there are any event planning jobs in your area.
While I chose to not go into much detail in this post about everything the site had to say about planning, if you go through it's easy to see why. I've always been interested in the idea of planning events. I like being able to use my creativity to create something others will enjoy. What I didn't realize though, was just how much detail goes into each and every aspect of the event. I mean, yes, I knew the food being served is very important as is the decor and location but I never even thought about the size the bar had to be! I'm glad I found this site because if all this doesn't deter me from the idea of planning events, it will definitely help me in the quest to create a flawless event and help whatever the event's for succeed!
Unobtrusive Research
For the past few classes, we've been talking about unobtrusive observation. I was interested to see how other students felt about this topic and how they were interpreting what we were learning. To do this, I decided to read through some classmate's blogs and was quite surprised to see what they had to say.Sasha, not only a class mate, but member of both projects for my class, applied unobtrusive relationship to something I recently talked about, non-profit PR. She discussed how by using unobtrusive research, one could figure out who was donating money to the organization. Using this method, one would be able to get the information they need without effecting the outcome or future outcome.
Another classmate who applied unobtrusive research in their blog was Brittney. In her post, Brittney discussed how the online program, Pandora, created play lists for listeners based on music they liked. This websites technology allows users to rate if they like a song or not and allows program directors and musicians to see what music is popular without interfearing with listener's opinions. I found this to be extremely interesting because as I was reading this, I, myself, was listening to a play list on Pandora.
After reading these posts, I was surprised by how often unobtrusive observation is used in everyday life, most of the time without our knowledge. It's with this knowledge that I hope to recognize when I use unobtrusive research myself in daily activities.
Thursday
For the past 6 summers, I've spent my days working at a non-profit camp. While the pay wasn't great, the cause the camp was supporting was one I was passionate about. This passion is what made me come back year after year and something I hope to find in my full time job to insure I don't dread going to work each day. One way to achieve this feeling in the PR field is to work for a non-profit organization.
When doing PR with a non-profit company, one is primarily trying to deliver a message to the local community. Good PR will hopefully garner a significant amount of support from the public as well as much needed donations. In order to obtain these donations and publicity, there are many steps that must be taken. Unlike doing PR for a for profit company, non-profit PR companies are much different. According to Stryker Wiener and Yokota, the budget is one of the most important things to consider when doing the campaign for a non-profit. This makes things a little more difficult because you need to be efficient in your evaluation of what form of communication would be the most efficient and budget friendly. Luckily, because non-profits have such a human interest aspect to it, news articles are more inclined to cover them and this would be at not cost to you. As a non-profit PR practitioner, one must remember the more publicity the company gets, the more funds it can raise, making the company more efficient.
With numerous non-profit companies, the different causes you can work for are wide and vast. People interested in this field though need to understand that because it is a non-profit company, sometimes it doesn't offer the best pay. This doesn't go for all companies though, so with good research, one could find a good paying job supporting something they're passionate about.
In my eyes, working for a non-profit company is a great way to incorporate a great job working on something I care about. This love would make me excited to go to work each day and further the development of this company in hopes of fixing an issue. On the downside though, this would mean I would most likely focus solely on this one topic which could lead to boredom. Overall though, I feel as though this would be a great way to balance doing something close to my heart and having a job.
When doing PR with a non-profit company, one is primarily trying to deliver a message to the local community. Good PR will hopefully garner a significant amount of support from the public as well as much needed donations. In order to obtain these donations and publicity, there are many steps that must be taken. Unlike doing PR for a for profit company, non-profit PR companies are much different. According to Stryker Wiener and Yokota, the budget is one of the most important things to consider when doing the campaign for a non-profit. This makes things a little more difficult because you need to be efficient in your evaluation of what form of communication would be the most efficient and budget friendly. Luckily, because non-profits have such a human interest aspect to it, news articles are more inclined to cover them and this would be at not cost to you. As a non-profit PR practitioner, one must remember the more publicity the company gets, the more funds it can raise, making the company more efficient.
With numerous non-profit companies, the different causes you can work for are wide and vast. People interested in this field though need to understand that because it is a non-profit company, sometimes it doesn't offer the best pay. This doesn't go for all companies though, so with good research, one could find a good paying job supporting something they're passionate about.
In my eyes, working for a non-profit company is a great way to incorporate a great job working on something I care about. This love would make me excited to go to work each day and further the development of this company in hopes of fixing an issue. On the downside though, this would mean I would most likely focus solely on this one topic which could lead to boredom. Overall though, I feel as though this would be a great way to balance doing something close to my heart and having a job.
Sunday
What's going on in the PR332 blogging world...
So while I normally discuss the different types of PR, I thought it would be beneficial to take a look at fellow student's blogs, allowing me to not only see what other people are talking about, but also get another perspective into the very complex field.
The first blog I chose is actually of the student I sit behind and have numerous classes with. She is exposed to the same things I am during our PR classes, so i thought it would interesting to see how she was interpreting not only what we've been learning, but the PR world. When I started to read Paige's blog post, I was immediately intrigued by her topic, FASHION! I, like just about every other 21 year old girl in America, am immediately attracted to anything having to do with fashion and dropping the designer, Tory Burch's, name is a great way to keep me around. After finishing the blog entry though, I will admit I was quite impressed by what she had written. While I'm aware research is used in all different manners, the way she applied it to her example of rain boots really made it stick. I appreciated the way she broke down what research would needed to be done and why it should be done.
For the second blog, I chose another fellow student who was also writing about the fashion aspect of PR in order to make further comparisons. In Kayla's blog, she focused specifically on the store Lovely Bridal Shop. My sister is currently engaged and being the maid of honor, this link and topic was something which applied directly to my life. I enjoyed how she applied research to the different aspects of the store. From advertising, to how the store should function, to what specific demographic is desired, Kayla did a good job explaining why research would be needed and how to conduct the actual research.
Overall, I'm glad I took my professor's advice to look at other student's blogs. It allowed me to compare my thoughts to theirs and see things from a different perspective, widening my knowledge and solidifying the ideas.
The first blog I chose is actually of the student I sit behind and have numerous classes with. She is exposed to the same things I am during our PR classes, so i thought it would interesting to see how she was interpreting not only what we've been learning, but the PR world. When I started to read Paige's blog post, I was immediately intrigued by her topic, FASHION! I, like just about every other 21 year old girl in America, am immediately attracted to anything having to do with fashion and dropping the designer, Tory Burch's, name is a great way to keep me around. After finishing the blog entry though, I will admit I was quite impressed by what she had written. While I'm aware research is used in all different manners, the way she applied it to her example of rain boots really made it stick. I appreciated the way she broke down what research would needed to be done and why it should be done.
For the second blog, I chose another fellow student who was also writing about the fashion aspect of PR in order to make further comparisons. In Kayla's blog, she focused specifically on the store Lovely Bridal Shop. My sister is currently engaged and being the maid of honor, this link and topic was something which applied directly to my life. I enjoyed how she applied research to the different aspects of the store. From advertising, to how the store should function, to what specific demographic is desired, Kayla did a good job explaining why research would be needed and how to conduct the actual research.
Overall, I'm glad I took my professor's advice to look at other student's blogs. It allowed me to compare my thoughts to theirs and see things from a different perspective, widening my knowledge and solidifying the ideas.
Thursday
Bon Voyage!
With our busy lives, there is one thing most people look forward to. Whether a student, business person, or stay at home parent, one thing we all look forward to is a vacation. It could be as simple as a day trip to a park or aquarium or something more extravagant like a month long trip backpacking across a country, but at the end of the day, the idea of relaxing somewhere else and enjoying some down time can sometimes seem crucial to our daily survival.
So how do we go about deciding where to go and what to do once we get there? How do we even know about these places seeing as most people vacation away from their home and normal visiting locations? The answer is Travel PR. Some professionals in the PR business dedicate the time and energy to better the travel industry. They do their best to find out what people are interested in doing, where they're interested in going, and other amenities to further brighten our experience. They work with the different forms of transportation, different hotels, restaurants, and entertainment. One company involved in this is MMG Mardiks. When navigating through the website, it's clear their dedication to perfecting the different aspects of travel and vacation.
If I were to be someone who loves to travel and does it all the time, this would be a great idea. Not only would I be able to learn all the in's and out's of travel but I would most likely be able to create relationships which would lead to good deals, and who doesn't like a good deal! On the other hand though, it could be a little torturous to do some much with traveling and various vacation spots and not be able to go on each and every one of them. Overall though, I don't think travel PR is the best profession for me to be involved in. Travel isn't something I've ever been really passionate about and because of that I feel the lack of passion would come through my work. I also feel that overtime I would become bitter about the fact I couldn't go on every trip and that most likely isn't the best way to feel at work.
So how do we go about deciding where to go and what to do once we get there? How do we even know about these places seeing as most people vacation away from their home and normal visiting locations? The answer is Travel PR. Some professionals in the PR business dedicate the time and energy to better the travel industry. They do their best to find out what people are interested in doing, where they're interested in going, and other amenities to further brighten our experience. They work with the different forms of transportation, different hotels, restaurants, and entertainment. One company involved in this is MMG Mardiks. When navigating through the website, it's clear their dedication to perfecting the different aspects of travel and vacation.
If I were to be someone who loves to travel and does it all the time, this would be a great idea. Not only would I be able to learn all the in's and out's of travel but I would most likely be able to create relationships which would lead to good deals, and who doesn't like a good deal! On the other hand though, it could be a little torturous to do some much with traveling and various vacation spots and not be able to go on each and every one of them. Overall though, I don't think travel PR is the best profession for me to be involved in. Travel isn't something I've ever been really passionate about and because of that I feel the lack of passion would come through my work. I also feel that overtime I would become bitter about the fact I couldn't go on every trip and that most likely isn't the best way to feel at work.
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