The Random Ramblings of Lauren

Controversy over the specific role and responsibilities of the Public Relations Industry has been argued by many, due to the significant overlaps with the Marketing, Advertisement, Journalism and Publicity trades. But in essence, one of a PR practitioner’s biggest tasks is successful communication of the corporate image in order to maintain a strong reputation, build a positive stigma, and gain loyalty to the company. Communication can be focused internally (within the company e.g. employees, management, investors etc.) or externally (to the public, consumers, stakeholders etc.). In addition, the benefits of this allow the company to keep their customers and their workforce consistently informed, as well as providing the opportunity to receive feedback which allows them to improve their business. One of the best tools of communication is Organisational Narrative, which tactfully portrays a “story” of an organisation's ideal image to the public, and in doing so helps to evolv...

Okay so this is a subject that comes up a lot, I know. But it's something that really grates me, that even today, in our ever-developing society, we struggle to accept homosexuality as part of our culture. Straight, gay, bisexual or transgendered. Four categories that we are all pushed and prodded to file into, just because of a difference in who they are attracted to. These sexuality groups define people every day, and why? Because it has become 'normal' for us to do so. But judging others based on who they are interested in is trivial nonsense. Honestly I have literally NO idea why some (I’m talking about a small minority here) treat homosexuality like some disgusting disease to be avoided at all costs. In today’s culture it should be acceptable, but people still can’t stand to see a gay couple walk down the street holding hands, without flinching or staring. The number of times I've seen people pull faces and walk away, it's daft! I can promise you, ...

There are many channels of communication available in the PR industry, and exponential technological advances providing us with more and more ways of staying connected, it is inevitable that this will only boost the opportunity to communicate with the public. Resources such as the press, publishing, television, radio, internet, word of mouth, and much more, allow Public Relations practitioners to form a relationship with the public. Selecting the most appropriate channel of communication relies greatly on factors such as the demographics of the target audience, the campaign budget, the image of the company, etc. For example, a fashion company may be more interested in using print publishing to produce glossy magazines showcasing their brand and products, as well as the internet to provide a constantly accessible and updated gallery of their stock. However the fastest growing channel of communication recently, that is becoming a more and more commonly used tool and has sparked ...

So, unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past decade, I’m sure you’ll have noticed the revolution of the internet, the media and in general almost all aspects of life, by social networking. It is now a must-have tool for everyone from teenagers, to huge business corporations, to small private businesses. Everyone is clambering to jump aboard the Twitter train, or hop on to the Facebook express. And it’s no surprise why, with the huge benefits of free advertising to an audience of billions of users and almost limitless potential. However with the ever growing presence of social media, one must pose the question… Does it have the potential to make the role of a PR practitioner redundant? One negative of the power of social media, is the threat of bad reviews reaching a much larger audience. Whereas previously an unsatisfied customer could potentially speak to friends and complain, they would possibly only have the power to influence the opinions of a handful of pe...

So, as a second year PR student I can’t claim to have a huge amount of experience in the topic of roles and responsibilities of both Marketing and PR, and the overlap between the two. However, I can say that after two years of studying the matter, I find that more and more the lines between the two are blurred and warped to the point it is difficult to know when one ends and the other begins. There are on the other hand several important differences between the two, and it is important to be aware and understand these if one is hoping to get involved in a career in either Marketing or Public Relations. Firstly, let’s look at the specific definitions of the two…  Dr. Philip Kotler suggests that Marketing is “The science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value to satisfying the needs of a target market at a profit”. He goes on to state that it “Identifies unfulfilled needs and desires. It defines, measures and quantifies the size of the identified market and t...

One of the most important things I've learnt from studying Public Relations is the value of managing time effectively and organising tasks thoroughly. Without a systematic and methodical level of preparation into any assignment, one can find themselves flailing like a fish out of water. This not only applies to the application of knowledge during studies and assessments, but will also be crucial in future careers. It goes without saying that students who are adequately prepared for lectures and seminars, are likely to achieve to a higher standard than those who do not. But never has this been more apparent than in Public Relations, when the error of being unprepared can lose not only the business of a possible commissioning company, but also the reputation of the PR Corporation as a whole. There are several fundamentals that one should be aware of when taking part in a pitch for Public Relations. I found a great article which helps with this, on INC. website… ...

So, as promised, here is a quick break down of the material our group covered in a mock pitching presentation our group performed. We created a hypothetical PR company, known as 'JLV Public Relations', and pitched a campaign to boost the interest of a new product on behalf of local I.T company 'QuickFixI.T'. Below are the speech notes I used to present our campaign. Just wanted to share, to help out those struggling to know what to cover or how to do it! Hope this helps. Thanks for reading, over and out. ABOUT US: - Local PR team at the University Of Lincoln, but we also branch out as a commercial agency - Young team of public relations consultants and are experienced in attracting young people to the university - Provide PR support to key partners - Work mainly on projects that benefits both the company and our students / university - This includes providing information to students on a range of topics such as technology finance and health. WHAT CAN WE DO FOR Y...