A Sincere "Thank You" to Mashable

Considering that I spend half of my work day on social media sites (not for pleasure, but because it's my job), staying up-to-speed on the latest trends in social media is a huge priority of mine. Between managing several Facebook and Twitter accounts and completing other PR tasks throughout my day, it's sometimes a challenge for me to be in-the-know about all things social media. Thankfully, I have my trusty friend Mashable to help me out.

For those of you who don't know, Mashable is a site that supplies the world with the latest social media news and web tips. It is always being updated, it is always hashing out amazing stories on social media. It is brilliant. Consequently, it's also a lifesaver.

I try to check Mashable at least once a day, just to make sure I'm not completely in the dark about a new development on Twitter or a new app on Facebook. Through my daily check-ins, I have learned more about social media trends and news than I could ever have hoped. For this, I am truly greatful.

So, I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to Mashable because without it, I just wouldn't be able to do my job as well.

If you're someone who is at all interested in the vast, ever-expanding world of social media, I highly recommend that you check out this site: http://mashable.com/.

On Living & Learning

When it comes to doing my job correctly, I am the ultimate perfectionist. Whether it's my efforts in Social Media, organizing a client appearance or putting together an event, if everything isn't ridiculously perfect, I berate myself to no end. This insane amount of self-induced pressure definitely isn't healthy, and lately I've been working hard to remind myself that it's O.K. to [sometimes] make mistakes.

PR is something that comes rather naturally to me, and I'm grateful that I've chosen the correct career path; however, I'm really trying to keep in mind that even the most seasoned professionals drop the ball every once in a while.

It's not that I've made detrimental mistakes, but the little errors I have made throughout my very new career have caused me a lot of worry. Here's what I've learned to accept: People mess up. We all make mistakes, we all face challenges that are difficult to overcome. As long as we learn from these mistakes and find a way to turn bad circumstances into life lessons, then something great can come out of something terrible. 

I have experienced countless instances where my boss has asked me to do something and I simply get busy and forget to do it. I've had clients get upset with me for things that were both totally within my control and for things that I had no influence over whatsoever. Each mini crisis, although thoroughly frightening at first, has made me a little wiser and a little more experienced.

So, to my fellow young professionals, I say this: I know I'm on my soapbox a lot on here, but I'm not perfect. And that's O.K. You don't have to be perfect, either. Just take each day in stride and remember that at this very early point in our careers, we are all just living and learning.

5 Reasons Why Mitt Romney Should Hire a Publicist

Election Season is upon us and, as previously mentioned, it's no secret which candidate I support. My obvious bias aside, there are a few things Mitt Romney needs to learn when it comes to PR.

In response to some recent unfavorable maneuvers made by Romney on the campaign trail, I've compiled a list of the top 5 reasons why a publicist is desperately needed in the Republican camp:

1. Writing off half the American population as "lazy victims" does nothing for your public image: Romney's mouth might as well be his shoe for as often as his foot is in it. When a secret video of Romney speaking at a fundraiser was leaked, it captured the Presidential hopeful sharing what he really thought of 47% of Americans. In the video, Romney refers to the 47% of Americans who are voting for Obama as "lazy victims" who feel they are "entitled to healthcare, food and housing." Call me a left-winged liberal, but aren't healthcare, food and housing some pretty basic necessities? For a Presidential candidate to slam half of the population on the eve of an election isn't just tasteless, it's bad PR.
2. Ignoring a crisis doesn't make it go away: Following the immediate backlash from the now infamous 47% video, Romney's camp and other top Republicans said nothing about the incident. Instead, they released a video on the national debt in an effort to divert attention from the leaked footage. Rule number one in crisis PR: Admit you were wrong and tell people how you'll fix your mistake. Did no one on Romney's team feel it was important to address the derogatory comments the Govenor made about nearly half the people who will decide his Presidential fate?  Ignoring the crisis has only resolitified Romney's view of half Americans as lost causes.
3. Imitation is NOT the sincerist form of flattery: Only days after the 47% video surfaced, Romney made headlines yet again for his offensive, out-of-touch approach to voters. The candidate sat down with Univision, a popular Spanish-speaking station, in an effort to address Hispanic voters looking a bit darker than usual. It appears that Romney invested in a spray tan before his Hispanic T.V. debut in what seems to be a very misguided effort to relate to his darker-skinned viewers. Considering this audience knows full well that Romney is Caucasion, with absolutely no Hispanic heritage, it is both insulting and incredibly ill-concieved to appear on a Hispanic television show with a darker skin tone than your natural one, in a transparent attempt to prove to Hispanic voters that you are the right choice for President. Being out of touch with your audience is the kiss of death in public relations and Romney may have kissed his chance at the Presidency goodbye with this manuever.
4. International Affairs Are Delicate Matters (and You're Running for President of the United States, so STOP OFFENDING OTHER COUNTRIES) : During the 2012 Summer Olympics, Romney notoriuosly made comments referring to London's lack of prepartation for the games.  Not only did his ill-advised comments spark a response from Prime Minister Cameron, but they also made Londoners a bit peturbed. Why, on an international visit as a U.S. Presidential candidate, would you make any allusion to another country's incompotence? International relations are crucial to many businesses in the U.S., and especially to the President. Had Romney hired a trained professional to issue statements for him and to redirect such absurd comments, he might have successfully vistied our nation's closest ally without earning the tabloid nickname "Mitt the Twitt".
5. Obama Just Has a Better Team: Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, you cannot deny that Obama has a far better team behind him than Romney. From speech writers, to social media startegists, to First Lady-- it's just better. This is perhaps the best argument for Romney to hire a publicist. A good publicist can make even the slimiest of politicians appear heart-warming and compotent. It's all about the spin.

While I'm sure Mitt Romney has a few [and far between] strong points, there is no denying that the Presidential candidate could use a good publicist and a serious lesson in public relations.

Twitter Gets an Extreme Makeover!

Twitter is jumping on the visual bandwagon-- finally!

The mega-popular site announced today that it has a new look and has updated iPad and mobile apps to be more visually stimulating. A Twitter spokesperson confirmed that the new look is all a part of the company's "mobile-first" approach, which focuses on enhancing mobile access to the site.

Twitter users will now be able to upload a "banner image" to the top of their Twitter pages, much like the banner images on top of Facebook pages. This new feature adds even more visual to a site that has, until now, been an endless stream of 140-character updates with very little room for photo sharing.

This isn't to say that Twitter users have never been able to Tweet and share photos-- Twitpics can already be embedded as links in Tweets. What this new site will allow is a constant stream of images that are accessible on mobile devices. It will also relocate a user's profile image to the center of the top of the page, in the spirit of becoming more visually-oriented.

Personally, I think the visually-inspired remake of Twitter is a progressive step for a social media site that's known for being a favorite amongst the 25-and-under crowd (people who are constantly on the cutting-edge of new technology). With a new iPhone being released this week and a new iPad reportedly on the way, making Twitter more mobile-friendly is an excellent way for the company to stay in the good graces of its loyal users.

You can learn how to update your Twitter layout here.  

The Sweetest Treat on Social Media: Oreo's "Daily Twist" Campaign

Does anyone else get a huge kick out of this?

Just when I thought I couldn't love those delicious little cream-filled cookies any more, Oreo has made me fall in love with their brand all over again by creating one of the greatest social media campaigns of the year.

The "Daily Twist" features images of Oreo cookies that have been altered to represent newsworthy events. The campaign really made a splash (and caught my attention)  in June after Oreo unveiled a cookie stuffed with rainbow frosting in honor of Gay Pride Week. The politically-charged cookie made headlines around the world, sparking controversy and even causing some out-of-touch folks to boycott Nabisco products.

Since the development of the Pride cookie, I have witnessed the "Daily Twist" campaign grow in a way that has awed and inspired me to no end. What the creator of this campaign has done is prove that no matter what product you sell, a great social media campaign can turn into a world-wide success. In fact, Oreo now has 27 million followers on Facebook alone.

What was once widely regarded as a constant, unchanging childhood treat is now considered to be a brand at the forefront of political and societal commentary-- all because of one successful social media campaign.

In honor of this brilliant achievement by Oreo, let's recap on some of the best "Daily Twist" cookies so far:

• The Pride Oreo created on June 25 to celebrate Gay Pride Week.
• The Panda-Shaped Oreo created on July 5 in honor of the birth of panda Shin Shin.
• The Elvis Oreo created on August 14 to celebrate Elvis Week.
• The Mars Rover Oreo created on August 5 to mark the Curiosity rover landing on Mars.
• The Neil Armstrong Oreo created on August 27 in honor of Neil Armstrong, following his death.

These are only a few favorites. Images were also created in honor of the Olympics, Labor Day, Shark Week and more. All of the fabulous cookies can be found on Oreo's Facebook.

Whether you like to eat the 100-year old cookie or not, one thing is certain-- Oreo's "Daily Twist" campaign is a slam dunk (pun intended.)

T.V. Viewers, I Have Arrived! (Okay, my CLIENT has arrived)

I recently had my first experience in T.V.! Okay, so I wasn't on T.V., but my client was and I booked the spot so this is still very exciting for me. What's most important about this is that I was able to learn more about my wonderful field-- namely, the fact that before embarking on my T.V. experience, I had no idea how much work actually went into arranging a couple of 3 minute segments. After shedding countless amounts of blood, sweat and tears (not really, but you get the point) my client received some awesome coverage and I felt pretty great about the work I'd accomplished.

The first step in my arduous road to Television was tracking down a producer for this particular morning show. Typically this can be a nightmare, but luckily I happened to pitch my client to the right producer at the right time. After dangling the possibility of a local celebrity coming to the show for a segment or two, the long, long process of negotiating times, working around schedules and getting the right story line began. About a month later, a date and time to shoot the segments were set, and my client and I were on our way to what would be a first time experience for both of us.

Following the booking, I set up a media training day for my client. Basically, we (Bitner/Hennessy) remind the client to smile, act natural, and stick to the major talking points. My boss came with me for this, as I didn't have the experience to tell someone what they should and shouldn't be doing on camera, but I caught on fairly quickly.

Finally, the big day arrived. I don't think I've ever been so awake at 6 a.m. (big thanks to Starbucks for the help with this.) Everyone at the studio, from the intern who saw us to the Green Room to the security guard who greeted us to the anchor who interviewed my client, was so friendly and made the entire experience that much more enjoyable.

The set where my client was interviewed was very calm and intimate. The only equipment in the room was one couch, a couple lights and two cameras. The interview went smoothly, and the anchor was warm and very professional.

For the second segment, we walked over to the main studio where the entire morning show crew, from weatherman to anchors, were seated. I got to watch a solid hour of the news, making sure to take in how everyone conducted their respective jobs. I kept feeling like I was behind-the-scenes on some tour, and had to repeatedly remind myself that I was very much apart of this world now. 

As the cameras turned off, I couldn't help but allow myself a mini moment of self satisfaction. And even though I was quickly brought back to reality by the pain of standing in 5 inch heels for close to 2 hours behind the camera and not in front of it, I was still reminded why I love doing what I do. The excitement of helping a business achieve a certain level of  recognition through your own efforts is truly rewarding.

Once again, this wonderful industry didn't disappoint, and I was left with a new accomplishment to add to my resume and to my memories.