October 2000 NMPRSA Bulletin Online
Return to Home PageBrigadier General Rand To Speak At NMPRSA Seminar October 25
Public Affairs Chief to Discuss Branding Efforts for U.S. Air Force
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Brigadier General Ronald T. Rand, director of public affairs for the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs at the Pentagon, will address attendees at the New Mexico Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (NMPRSA) fall seminar October 25. The Air Force recently re-evaluated its brand identity. Brig. Gen. Rand will discuss the process that the Air Force undertook and the results, which led to its new symbol.NMPRSA's seminar, entitled "Cutting Edge Communications: The Basics and Beyond," will feature national keynote speakers discussing company mergers, branding and Internet public relations as well as breakout sessions for senior, mid-level and beginning professional communicators. The event will be held Wednesday, October 25, 2000, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the new Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute Workforce Training Center at 1500 Eagle Ranch Road NE.
Sandy Miller, media relations specialist for Wells Fargo Western Banking Group, will discuss the key elements for communicating effectively in times of mergers, acquisitions and other types of organizational change. Ms. Miller handles communications for Wells Fargo Bank in Texas, New Mexico and other Western states. A former resident of New Mexico, Miller has more than two decades of experience in banking and communications. In the last four years alone, Miller has handled customer communications and media relations for 35 bank acquisitions in Texas.
John Harris, president of Digital Environments, will present a session designed to help practitioners utilize Internet technology and presence to communicate more effectively with key audiences. He will share tips on using Web communications to support strategic relationship management.
Special breakout session are targeted to entry- to mid-level PR practitioners as well as mid- to senior-level PR practitioners. Media Roundtables will kick off the seminar with small group discussions led by media representatives from the Albuquerque Journal, the Albuquerque Tribune, New Mexico Business Weekly, KOAT-TV, KOB-TV and KLUZ-TV.
Mid- to Senior-Level Sessions
For seasoned PR practitioners, four sessions are available to help advanced communicators further hone their skills. Michelle Campbell, executive director of Communications and Marketing for Presbyterian Healthcare Services will present "Supporting and Developing Your CEO." Campbell will share her insights on demonstrating the value of public relations along with tips on cultivating your CEO's communications skills. Brian Sanderoff, president of Research and Polling, and Marie Mound, research manager, will help attendees take their research to that "next level" in the "Research and Benchmarking" session. In "Crisis Communications for Senior Practitioners," Tom Garrity of The Garrity Group Public Relations takes you inside the eye of the storm for a practical discussion of the elements of sound crisis communications. And finally, four PR practitioners who have successfully started their own businesses will talk about "Going Out on Your Own."Entry- to Mid-Level Sessions
The "Basic PR Planning" session explains the process of planning, implementing and evaluating a project. "Media Relations 101" focuses on cultivating and maintaining media relationships. "Landing that Dream Job" highlights the ins and outs of interviewing, resumés, and what it takes to get that "perfect" job. A panel discussion on "Opportunities in Public Relations" offers attendees the chance to hear from PR practitioners who have professional experience in a variety of settings, including corporate, agency, non-profit and government / public sector venues.Tuition for the seminar is $80 for PRSA members, $110 for non-members. A special student rate is available and ranges from $25 to $35, depending on membership in PRSA's student chapter.
For more information, call Monique Uher at (505) 224-4682.
Tactician or Strategist?
By Tom Garrity
NMPRSA President
Last month members of the New Mexico Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America had the opportunity to hear from one of the leaders in our industry. Sam Waltz’s background in journalism, corporate relations, and private practice provided the backbone for his presentation about five areas that will influence the future of public relations.While providing a synopsis of his talk would not do justice to his level of insight or preparation, I want to take a few moments to touch on two items particularly relevant to our united quest to promote the practice of public relations.
We are in the business of creating desired behaviors. How many times do people relegate "PR" to the tactics of a news release or a press conference? As awareness about the benefits of public relations grows in our state, we all have the opportunity to grow our industry from one of tactics to that of strategists. For a time, let advertising get the budget. As you demonstrate results based on public relation strategy, you will find that your stature and budget will increase. It’s all about positioning our skills as a strategist instead of a tactician.
Managing a crisis in an imploding time frame. How many times to we view crisis response as a fixed set of tasks that need to be accomplished? Remember reading about the American Revolution in our history classes? Much to the frustration and eventual defeat of the "Redcoats", the "Yankees" didn’t hold to traditional means of fighting. Changes on the Internet, the way reporters cover news and demands from various publics for instant information set the pace for the imploding time frame when working a crisis situation.
Finally, just as the accountant has earned his/her way to the management table as the CFO, we can do the same by continuing to show our value as a strategist.
PR Pointers: Talking Shop, Talking Trends
Contributed by David Geary
McDonald's use PR to survive (and how!) the bombing in YugoslaviaWhen U.S. bombs first rained on Belgrade, McDonald's kept flipping hamburgers. Soon this trademark of America was vandalized by mobs and closed. But focusing on brand survival rather than U.S. affinity, McDonald's reopened. With no pretesting, local managers dumped the beef for the "McCountry," a pork sandwich laced with paprika to meet national tastes. The trademark golden arches was changed to sport a Serbian cap. Free cheeseburgers were given out at anti-NATO rallies. One restaurant became a bomb shelter. The war is over, but McDonald's rakes in the profits in a country where wages have dropped, prices have gone up, and Americans remain disliked. McDonald's enjoys the reputation of being the "only American who wished to become a Serb." (Pinsdorf, Marion K., "Doing public relations by the numbers: Little Mac or Big Mac? Public Relations Review, Vol. 26, No. 3, Fall 2000, pp. 261-275.)
Can you read and understand Web sites as well as print material?
Ohio State University researchers found students who read from a paper text not only found it easier to understand, but also more convincing, than the same text on a Web site. The reason? Researchers suspect the eye is trained to read from left to right, in sweeps and stops. Online texts look like print, but aren't processed by readers in the same way. Co-author Karen Murphy, an educational psychologist, said, "A lot of questions need to be answered before we continue further into making computers part of the curriculum." ("Text on computer screens harder to understand, less persuasive and less interesting, Ohio State U. study finds," PR Reporter, Vol. 43, No. 38, September 25, 2000, p. 1.)
Deja vu all over again for Firestone, says NMPRSA member
The tire maker recalled 13 million tires in the 1970s, and so far has recalled more than six million in its latest recall fiasco. Dr. Dirk C. Gibson, NMPRSA member and associate professor at the University of New Mexico, said in the Wall Street Journal of the 1970s episode, "Firestone violated the basic rules of a recall, and they're doing the same today." Firestone's first reaction was to blame its customers for not taking good care of their tires. Gibson is an expert on recalls. ("Aeppel, Timothy, "Firestone has been here before: Numerous parallels exist with big recall of radials in 1978," Wall Street Journal, September 6, 2000, p. A16.)