Sarah Palin’s reality tv show on TLC premiered with high ratings. Many wonder how her desire for family privacy contrasts with the decision to film a reality tv show. Either way, people are curious to see inside the lives of the Palin family, and I’m one of them. The show is on tv Sundays at 9/8C.
Archive for the ‘PR Connections’ Category
Down Home Reality TV
Posted in PR Connections on November 17, 2010| 2 Comments »
You Really Can Marry A Prince to Become A Princess
Posted in PR Connections on November 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I hope readers are not saddened by this post. Prince William is half taken. That’s right, he’s engaged, to Kate Middleton. The pair dated for eight years and have officially announced their engagement. This story has been buzzing around news organizations and tabloids like a wild fire.
Taylor Swift’s Play on Words Attracts Attention
Posted in PR Connections on October 29, 2010| 5 Comments »
Word has spread quickly about the hidden code in Taylor Swift’s latest album lyrics. Every capitalized word of a song represents code. When you string together the words, you get things like, “YOU THOUGHT I WOULD FORGET,” and, “LIFE IS FULL OF LITTLE INTERRUPTIONS,” which is supposedly referring to when Kanye West made a scene during her award acceptance at the MTV Video Music Award show. The code is gaining buzz, which will most likely also intrigue people into buying Swift’s album.
Information from Entertainment Weekly.
Pitch A Tent For $4,000
Posted in PR Connections on October 25, 2010| 2 Comments »
(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, IKEA)
Ikea is a home furnishing and organizing chain growing in popularity. In an effort to attract publicity, Ikea offered a $4,000 shopping spree for the first person to enter the new store at its grand opening. Roger Penguino won the contest, and earned the shopping spree by living in a tent outside of the store for seven days. That’s brand loyalty! Penguino worked as a Mac Specialist with Apple Computer Inc. at the time, and first purchased a Karlanda sofa and Malm bed with the shopping spree.
Information from Bloomberg Businessweek’s Ikea: How the Swedish Retailer became a global cult brand.
Techy Date Night
Posted in PR Connections on October 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »
From BookNAround
The iPhone is one of the most popular smart phones in the United States, and iTunes is the top selling music and application virtual store. I have an iPhone and really enjoy using it. I find its very handy when I have to try multiple ways to get in touch with someone. Also, one of the most attractive things about the iPhone to me is the vast array of applications available. An application in particular that I think is very fun is Date Ideas. The “app,” gives ideas in categories such as Girls Choice, Group Dates, Dinner Dates, Sporting Events and Valentines Day.
Information from the app Date Ideas. Date Ideas is available for purchase at the Apple website store.
Dementors Are The New Boogie Man
Posted in PR Connections on October 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened on June 18th, 2010 to the general public. To enhance fan interest in the attractions, Universal used quotes from the actors in the Harry Potter movies. Daniel Radcliffe, who portrays Harry Potter said, “I remember when I was shooting the films when I was younger and I absolutely wished this world could be real and that I could be a part of it.” Well, Universal has made the books and movies into something real for fans to experience. Lines to enter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter started at about eight hours, not including lines to get into stores or to ride the attractions.
Information from News Release “NOW OPEN! The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.”
Are You Sure?
Posted in PR Connections on October 25, 2010| 1 Comment »
In Morgan McLintic’s blog, Morgan McLintic on communications and performance, I noticed good information guiding students to know what a career in PR involves compared to a career in marketing. In the blog, it reads that if you can’t explain the differences between the two, then it’s crucial to do further research before you commit to a degree in either field. If you do decide to go into PR, then be prepared to possibly work some long hours in the first few years. Also be prepared for challenges and be able to work well with a team of people.
Information from blog Morgan McLintic on communications and performance.
[Thanks to Morgan McLintic for pointing out a small error in the post. Morgan actually talked about advertising, not marketing, in their blog. Thanks for the heads up, Morgan!]
Good Tips For Kicks
Posted in PR Connections on October 21, 2010| Leave a Comment »
When writing a feature story, it needs to captivate the reader and give useful information. Personally, I know that I’m more likely to finish reading a story if the beginning captures my attention. So, my first tip is to capture the attention of the reader in the beginning of a feature story. Also, as stated in SSN Newsroom, include details that put the reader in the scene of the action. If you can use details in an effective way to describe specific situations, the reader will be more invested and involved in developing their view of the story. I found many great tips for writing feature stories on http://www.ehow.com on their How to Write a Feature Story post. As written in the How to Write a Feature Story post, “Visualize the reaction of your reader, reflect if you can draw the attention of the reader by your presentation,” also, “Identify sources and collect all the relevant information. If you can, take surveys. You can request people to fill in questionnaires or take interviews, sift through them and retain whatever is necessary. Five more tips for writing compelling feature stories from the How to Write a Feature Story post include, “Build the main body of the feature story comprehensively. Use the active voice as far as possible. It enlivens the plot or development of the story,” “Conclude with a powerful message. Good wrap-up is a crucial aspect of any powerful feature story. Otherwise, it will fail to make the desired impact,” “Give a human touch to the feature story as deemed fit to make it more interesting. The plot should build up tension and not be boring,” “Follow a systematic path of presenting the feature story with an introduction, main body and the ending highlighting the purpose that you have already thought about. Weave a proper and continual thread to keep the reader glued to your writing,” “Use striking illustrations and anecdotes relevant to the topic.” A tip given from Tips for Writing Feature Articles says, “keep a brainstorming handbook handy.” I think that’s a great idea, because in many different contexts, I find myself thinking up ideas with a lot of potential, but I forget them because I don’t write them down. I hope the tips in this blog can help someone who is researching how to write a compelling feature story.
Does God Bless Good Fashion Sense?
Posted in PR Connections on September 26, 2010| 1 Comment »
My curiosity about the store Forever 21 peaked a few years ago when I noticed something printed on the bottom of my bag from the store. It read, “John 3:16.” I don’t exactly go into stores expecting scriptural references, so you might understand my surprise when I saw the verse on the bag. At that moment, my loyalty to the company grew quite a bit. I didn’t look into the reason the verse was printed on their bags until recently. I searched online for PR stories related to Forever 21 and found a fascinating story by Radar Magazine. According to the article, the company was founded by Do Won “Don” Chang and his wife Jin Snook, a couple who emigrated from South Korea to California in 1981. The article makes claims that the couple is extremely “religious.” I love to see Christian people gain success in business. The fashion industry seems to stress such “worldly” points, that when I see Christians in an industry like that, I hope they can succeed and maintain a firmness in their faith. According to Radar Magazine, Forever 21 posted over $1 billion in revenue for 2006. Is God blessing their business or are their business techniques just working very well? I don’t know, but both seem like possible conclusions. Either way, with its bags stamped with “John 3:16,” Forever 21 continues to grow in popularity among my friends, which translates into sales for the company. I look forward to seeing if the company will maintain their low prices as demand increases.
To Build or Not to Build
Posted in PR Connections on September 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »
One of the issues circulating that interests me is the situation about construction of a Muslim Mosque in New York City, which I read about on the FoxNews website. I think that the organization wanting to build the Mosque has a right to do so because it is within legal bounds. However, just because they can does not mean they should. Whether or not they should is connected to what kind of image they want to portray and how they want the Muslim community to be viewed. If the appearance of being tolerant of other religions among Americans is desired, then building the Mosque could be very counter productive. As I read in the article on the FoxNews website, the Egyptian businessman, Hisham Elzanaty, is willing to sell the real estate where the Mosque may be built if a buyer comes along with a tempting offer. I think that some of the controversy would decrease over time if the real estate is sold for other purposes.
Blog of a Traveling Foodie/PR Student 