Week 10: Advertising, Public Relations, & Media Advocacy

Before our introduction to public relations, the words that came to mind when I heard that term was networking and exposure. Hopefully, if I understand it correctly, my thinking wasn't completely off? Like Amanda and a couple of others my understanding of it - especially the end product (paperwork and what will be done with the paperwork by the press) is still a bit foggy.

Honestly, I didn't find this topic as interesting as the other topics but I think I should get interested and understand it soon bc ppl are really using it. I was just talking to someone from the County of San Diego HHSA and she (unsolicited, I must add) said that she uses press releases. I was surprised and when asked if they really use that she said, "Oh, yeah."

I guess what's made it hardest for me to understand press releases, and our projects too, is that I don't truly understand the end product...nevertheless, it should be interesting to see what we all come up with...ciao...

Week 13: O...squared

Like pretty much everyone else, I especially enjoyed this week's topics. I guess the things that stood out the most for me was the discussion about the source and message. I think it was Tiffany who first commented on being careful about who you decide to be the source of the message and I couldn't agree more. I remember watching something on VH1 about how how the former first lady, Nancy Reagan, employed then teen heart throbs Corey Feldman and Corey 'something' to be the face of the, "Just Say No!" anti-drug campaign. However, in the midst of this campaign these boys ended up using drugs themselves and had to do some damage control. This definitely compromised the integrity of the message and not to mention the source. I guess for the same reasons that's why Oprah had the author of a "A Million Little Pieces" back on her show. She had become a reputable source to whom her viewers had learned to trust, but when it was revealed that the book she said was non-fiction was in fact partially fabricated she did the best she could to restore her image, which I think worked. Which is a good thing for Obama, because Oprah is endorsing his presidential candidacy - so who knows how many votes she will bring him.

Week 14

Like everyone else, I enjoyed the presentations this week. It was interesting to see what hard work we all have put in to our projects over the course of the semester. I also appreciated the fact that Dr. E gave us feedback right away about the projects. However, one thing that he mentioned that I have problems accepting was his comment about having one objective for our two segments. If I understood (and remember) correctly, he didn't agree with having only one objective for the two segments as it defeated the purpose of doing segmentation in the first place. But, in our situation (the food stamp group) the one objective is relevant to both segments as it is in the pathway to reaching our goal which is utilizing food stamps to increase "access to food and a more healthy diet." There is no distinct phone number that the WIC people should call compared to the Non-WIC recipients. In essence, it is a one way street when one of the biggest factors preventing these families (both WIC and Non-WIC) from calling and making an appointment is the lack of knowledge about eligibility and the FSP in general. In conclusion, no our segmentation didn't lead us to two different objectives but it did allow us to identify the language and message that would work best with the two groups.

Well, I can't wait to get our group's mini-project 2 back!

Week 9:

Before our introduction to public relations, the words that came to mind when I heard that term was networking and exposure. Hopefully, if I understand it correctly, my thinking wasn't completely off? Like Amanda and a couple of others my understanding of it - especially the end product (paperwork and what will be done with the paperwork by the press) is still a bit foggy.

Honestly, I didn't find this topic as interesting as the other topics but I think I should get interested and understand it soon bc ppl are really using it. I was just talking to someone from the County of San Diego HHSA and she (unsolicited, I must add) said that she uses press releases. I was surprised and when asked if they really use that she said, "Oh, yeah."

I guess what's made it hardest for me to understand press releases, and our projects too, is that I don't truly understand the end product...nevertheless, it should be interesting to see what we all come up with...ciao...