Shadow Day with the Dalton Agency

On Friday, October 29th, I shadowed Anna Burns at the Dalton Agency in Savannah, Georgia. The Dalton Agency, a national advertising and public relations firm, represents a wide range of global, national and regional clients. The agency provides award-winning creative designs and brand development, public and government relations, media placement, Web design, programming and television and radio production services.The Dalton Agency's headquarters are in Jacksonville, Florida but they have many branches, one which is in Savannah. Anna is their only employee but does an amazing job! I arrived at her apartment around 10a.m. and found out her only client is McDonalds. She is responsible for all of the PR and Advertising for McDonalds franchises that stretch from Charleston, SC to Brunswick, GA. Anna was so helpful, she entertained all of the questions I had and believe me, I had a lot! We started off by visiting a manager at his location and discussed their promotinal ideas for their grand re-opening after a renovation to the store. Their big event is on Black Friday and they are located next to the Savannah Mall so it should be a sucessful event. Anna has her hand in everything McDonalds does from the menu board designs to the advertisments placed in the newspapers. She is a very busy girl but is extremly organized. Anna has worked for the Dalton Agency for 5 years now and is wonderful at her job. I am so thankful I was able to shadow her for a day. I learned a lot about the profession and it really made me excited to get into the real world! Thanks Anna and the Dalton Agency for this wonderful opportunity!

PRSSA National Conference

Only five days until I fly to Washington DC to participate in the 2010 Public Relations Student Society of America's National Conference! I am so excited to participate in this opportunity and I sincerely hope I learn a lot for my future career in Public Relations.

(Each year, PRSSA and PRSA work to bring students like you unparalleled educational and professional development opportunities through the PRSSA National Conference. At Conference, you will have the opportunity to network with public relations professionals and make contacts with students from across the country. Resume workshops and speaker sessions will prepare you for the real world and show you how you can achieve success in this vast and exciting field.

Washington D.C. is filled with innovation and opportunity. As the host city of Conference, our historic capital provides the following advantages:

• Public relations firms to provide speakers and exhibitors.
• Politicians who can discuss public relations issues of domestic and international dimensions.
• Some of the nation's most respected journalists and media, such as The Washington Post.
• Museums that bring both history and culture to our city.
• Historical landmarks like the Washington Monument and the White House.
• A neighborhood for every mood, from trendy DuPont Circle to stately Capitol Hill.)

I am really looking forward to meeting the 2,000 professionals who will be at this event and although I may not get a job from it (which I am hoping I will be able to :) ), I am excited to hear from their experience in the profession and I am looking forward to all of the information I will learn! Stay tuned for the post Conference blog post to see how it all goes!

White Chicks Cherish Careers in PR

I recently found this post on the blog What White Chicks Cherish and thought it cute and also true...check it out!

White Chicks Cherish Careers in Public Relations and only Pharmaceutical Sales rivals PR in its white-chick-work-force dominance. Public Relations is a grueling and restless occupation—appointed with the dutiful task of portraying a perfect, socially acceptable appearance for exacting clients. And who expertly knows more about putting a glorious shine on appearance than the only species of human being capable of making sweat pants look adorable?

PR requires meticulous attention to detail, the ability to be charming in all social settings and a natural inclination for constant communication. There are plenty of social functions to plan and attend, demanding a relentless work ethic, a photogenic sense of style and the inherent need for of an arsenal of cute outfits. White chicks in PR work hard and play hard; the lines between the two commonly blurred. A Career in Public Relations affords white chicks dependable income and the chance to be engaged in social media while having an engaging social life. And they basically get to spend 40-plus hours a week talking to other white chicks.

White chicks were born for PR.

Help WWCC get some PR love on Facebook and Twitter!

Did You Know 4.0

1. Public Relations is more than just a party!

Most people associate public relations with party planning but there are a lot of logistics behind making the party successful. It is a beautiful thing to see an event unfold from start to finish and a huge sense of accomplishment that accompanies that.

2. The importance of social media.

Who knew Twitter and Blogs would play such an important role in my life. PR is taking a new direction and it is extremely important as a PR professional to know how to use social media.

3. Do not be afraid to beg.

PR is all about free stuff so do not be afraid or ashamed to beg for what you need. Connections are also very nice because they can usually get you what you want!

4. Good writing skills.

Having good writing skills is crucial in PR because we are constantly writing press releases, articles, newsletters or anything else someone may need. Being a good writer is important in any job so it is a great skill to have an continue to develop.

5. Network, Network, Network!

Get contacts from anyone and everyone you meet. You never know when they may have something that can help you. Look for networking contacts in the oddest places (grocery stores, weddings, conferences) you may be surprised who can help you out.

6. Do not procrastinate.

Procrastination can be your worst enemy. Do not wait until the last minute to do anything because you never know when it will need to change at the last minute and then you will not be prepared. Ask questions during your process to make sure you are on the right track.

7. Take things with a grain of salt.

If someone does not like your ideas do not take it personally. Keep shouting out ideas and brainstorming!

8. Be a team player.

Being able to work in a group is very important in PR. Work well no matter who your team mates are and be a contributing member.

9. PR women can do ANYTHING!

Never underestimate the power of a woman in PR. She knows how to do many many things in many many areas. She has connections anywhere and everywhere. She can make you look very good or very bad so stay on her good side!

10. Have fun!

We are in the best major around so make sure you have fun with it! No one can have more fun than us so keep a good attitude and spirit and do what you love.

Corporate Social Responsibility

International Dairy Queen, Inc. has been serving delicious food and treats since their founding in 1940 in Kankakee, Illinois. The Dairy Queen system is one of the largest fast food systems in the world with more than 5,900 restaurants in the United States, Canada and 20 foreign countries (dairyqueen.com).

The Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) creates real miracles by raising funds for local children’s hospitals. CMN hospitals represent the premier pediatric healthcare facilities in their respective communities, treating children of all afflictions, including cancer, birth defects, accidents and muscular and cardiovascular diseases. These hospitals treat more than 17 million children each year and are supported by their many sponsors, one major sponsor being Dairy Queen. The Dairy Queen system has been a proud national sponsor of Children’s Miracle Network since 1984 and has helped raise over $77 million dollars in 25 years. (chidrensmiraclenetwork.org)

Dairy Queen gives to CMN in many ways, a few being by hosting special events, collecting spare change and selling paper Miracle Balloons. Dairy Queen’s major annual CMN fundraiser is known as Miracle Treat Day and is held every year in August. On this day, portions of the proceeds from Blizzard sales benefit the children’s hospital in your local area. This year’s Miracle Treat Day will take place on Thursday, August 5^th and will once again prove “miracles do come true”! “Helping Kids One Blizzard at a Time”, is the motto Dairy Queen uses for Miracle Treat Day. For the last three years, Miracle Treat Day has encompassed both Canada and the United States. In 2009, the Dairy Queen System raised approximately $4.5 million just in Blizzard proceeds from this one-day event. A successful Miracle Treat Day combined with the sale of Miracle Balloons and canisters helped raise nearly $5.7 million for children in the United States and Canada. (miracletreatday.com)

Dairy Queen quickly learned the importance of social media when they increased their sales from Miracle Treat Day 2008 to 2009 by 50% from Facebook, Twitter, a DQ Corporate blog and a blog for the Blizzard Fan Club. www.miracletreatday.com allows visitors to log on and make a “promise” to eat a DQ Blizzard. Their name and pledge will be displayed on a floating Miracle Balloon on the home page. This website also allows visitors to make a direct donation to CMN and easily access their website as well as watch success stories for children helped by CMN.

The Miss America Organization is also partnered with CMN and often assist in the promotion of Miracle Treat Day by serving at a local franchise or participating in the media promotion such as TV and radio interviews. Miss America 2009, Katie Stam, served Blizzards in 2009 at the DQ in Orlando. “I am honored to be a spokesperson for Children's Miracle Network to promote Miracle Treat Day, as I know this event will do so much to help children in local hospitals throughout North America,” said Katie.

Dairy Queen also supports scholastic achievement for students of all ages. They offer opportunities for tours of the restaurant for students in grades 1-4 and teach the importance of cleanliness and hard work, along with making their own DQ cone. Dairy Queen also provides discount cards for students in high school or college. They often donate a frozen cake or other products for local school activities. Support Community is one of Dairy Queen’s values and it states, We believe in giving back to the communities in which we live, work, and do business.

To assist in the Haiti Relief, 45 DQ Employees volunteered at the Feed My Starving Children as a branch of DQ Cares at a site in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Feed My Starving Children is a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God’s starving children hungry in body and spirit. During two days, they packed a total of 78,336 meals for families affected. Dairy Queen also made a donation to Feed My Starving Children to help defray the cost of ingredients and packaging the food. (dairyqueen.com)

Dairy Queen loves to provide their customers with promotions and discounts. By joining their Blizzard Fan Club, you will be sent a coupon for a free Blizzard with the purchase of another and also receive coupons on your birthday. Today nearly 2.3 million members are apart of the Blizzard Fan Club and the numbers are still growing. Throughout the year in this club, members receive six free Blizzards. In honor of the Blizzard’s 25^th Birthday, Dairy Queen is hitting the road to distribute more than 75,000 free new Mini Blizzards, which will be available in stores in August. The Blizzard mobile will include activities, games, music and a chance to win prizes, all while raising awareness and funds for Children’s Miracle Network (businesswire.com). This event will be heavily promoted on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. As a continuation of this event, from April 19-25 Dairy Queen locations celebrated Customer Appreciation Week where customers could buy one Blizzard and get a second for only 25 cents.

The International Dairy Queen Company is a very generous one and loves to give to their customers, community and Children's Miracle Network.

Promoted Tweets

Twitter announced on April 13 that they will now be launching promoted tweets on Twitter.com. Sponsored advertisements will now be allowed to be displayed on the top of the search result pages. This means that Twitter will now be able to deliver contextually relevant ads to users. Some are skeptical about this because they are afraid Twitter is shying away from their original feel but others see this as an opportunity for advertisers to send a message to a broader more targeted audience. Just as Facebook's side ads appear, you will be able to "X" out ads that you do not like or do not appeal to you. Twitter says the same rule of 140 characters will apply to their advertisers because this is an important part of their site. This will cause those advertising to be very specific and to the point.

I see no harm in adding advertisements. Almost every website now has advertisements on the side and most people do not find them distracting. I have found numerous ads on the side of Facebook that have appealed to me because they take context clues out of your profile to target you. I believe it will be more difficult for Twitter to do this because you do not actually have an information section, just a short about me. This will give advertising one more inside perspective to social media. I think sponsored tweets will eventually become very popular and beneficial to everyone interested in advertising.