Sgdavis6439's Weblog

More Good PR for Clemson University

sgdavis6439 — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:07:01 +0000

For any fans who did not already know, Clemson was invited to make its ninth appearance in the New YEar’s day Gator Bowl this season. Aside form the fact that this is the best possible way to end what turned out to be a disappointing season, the students and alumni that make up Clemson University had just as big a roll in this selection as the football program. Despite finsihing behind 5 other teams in the ACC standings, the Clemson Tigers are going to the bowl that is usually reserved for the team who finishes #3 in the ACC, behind the Champion and runner-up. Naturally FSU is furious because they had a better record and UNC’s arrogance is once again shining through due to their anger over not even being considered despite having an arguably better season than Clemson. What set it over the edge? The fact that Clemson will readily show up and fill at least 50%, if not more, of the seats in Jacksonville. Last year Clemson got the nod ahead of a BC team who finished ahead of them in standings for the Chik-Fil-A bowl for the same reasons. So while this football season did not turn out as planned, with the victory of USC, hiring of Dabo, countless amazing potential candidates on the new staff coming forward, and now a shot at a rematch of the 1981 national championship game agains tNebraska in a New Year’s Day bowl, I would say Clemson had a good week and this is just another testament to the character of the people who comprise this University. Go Tigers!

Great PR: Chik-Fil-A Guest Speaker

sgdavis6439 — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:40:24 +0000

Today in Dr. Wiesman’s Conflict Management class (Comm 362), we had a guest speaker from Chick-Fil-A come in to speak to us on dealing with conflict in the work place. I cannot remember her name at the moment, but she and he husband own the Chick-Fil-A located on Pelham road in Greenville. She started by providing us with some background on the interesting history of the company, telling us how Chick-Fil-A really is different from other fast food restaurants. I have always been a fan of Chick-Fil-A, but this presentation really improved my overall thoughts on the company. Both the coporate supervisors and individual owners are expected to take pride in providing a quality product and unprecendented service which is demonstrated in every branch. The procedures the company has in place that include extensive background checks and interview process ensures that each of the 40 or so candidates they chose for franchise ownership from a pool of over 40,000 applicants each year are among the best. In doing this, Chick-Fil-A has gained a reputation everywhere for their great service and quality food in comparison to all other fast food restaurants. After offering an explanation that greatly improved everyone’s impression of Chick-Fil-A, we were all given a cuopon for a free Peppermint milk shake, one of their new featured items. By taking the time to come in after work hours to a 5:45 class on a Monday afternoon, this lady created an opportunity to enhance the image of her business among an audience that will definitely contribute to their business for years to come.

Coach “Jag” on Clemson

sgdavis6439 — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:46:36 +0000

For anyone who is a Clemson fan or sports fan of any kind, this is a great article. One of BC’s wide receivers, Clarence Megwa, was seriously injured during the Clemson vs. Boston College game on November 1. Megwa suffered a serious fracture to his right leg, ending his season, possibly even his career as a football player. Unlike any other school I have ever heard of, Clemson fans from across the country have been sending e-mails and letters to the BC athletic department expressing their sincere sorrow over the incident, and offering their prayers and any other kind of help possible for Clarence Megwa. The link is to a letter BC’s Coach Jag sent to Clemson commending the University, its students, and fanbase on being a program of character and class. Aside from Ray Ray’s story, I cannot think of any better PR Clemson has gotten during my time here than this. This is just one more thing that gets out there to people and continues to make our University look top notch in more ways than academics and atheletics.

Also, check out the posts on the message boards it is great to see people from all over the ACC talk nicely about Clemson

Blogging & Blogger Relations

sgdavis6439 — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:03:45 +0000

Needless to say, all of these blogs were full of extremely helpful information regarding how to start blogs, how we should go about blogging, how we can improve our blogs, how we can improve our status in the blogosphere, how to be successful in blogging, etc. Out of all of the posts I found three particularly appealing: David Meerman Scott’s “5 Corporate Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them,” Chris Brogan’s “50 Ways to Take Your Blog to the Next Level,” and my favorite, PRSquared’s “Blogger Relations Case Study: Mommybloggers.“ I enjoyed Scott’s blog because it provided helpful insight on how to successfully go about getting involved in the blogosphere, starting your own blog, and what you need to do in order to be successful at the corporate level once you have a blog. Brogan’s post detailed a well delivered 50 step process by which providing clearly delivered messages, a visually appealing site, thoughfully written posts, and well-promoted blog, you can successfully build business and take your blog to the next level. Lastly, I found the case study of “Mommybloggers” to be extremely interesting. The methods used to reach a new target market were planned and executed very well, which was proved by the overall success of the NEAT Receipts Scanners among the previously untapped market of mothers.

Yogi Berra Won’t Miss This Place…

sgdavis6439 — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:23:18 +0000

Arguably the most historic landmark in all of Major League Baseball, Yankee Stadium was closed on September 21, 2008. Yankee Stadium was the home field of such greats as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantel, Joe Dimaggio, Yogi Berra, and countless others over the years, becoming more than just a field; it became a symbol not only of great a city and its people, but America’s national pastime. Due to the magnitude of the event, both Major League Baseball and the Yankee’s Organization capitalized on it as an opportunity to extend the game to new and old audiences alike, bringing them together for a historic event that did not celebrate rivalries and competition, but the love of the game. Additionally, many fans of both the Yankees and baseball alike were outraged by the idea that this piece of history would be demolished and gone in just a few short months, so the Yankees needed to find a way to help their fanbase embrace the neccessary change to the new stadium across the street. The following video was a great PR move on the part of the Yankees and Major League Baseball to address the situation surrounding the losing of historic Yankee Stadium.

Unwarranted Suspension Brings Rays Even More Publicity

sgdavis6439 — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:34:22 +0000

If the story of the Rays’ 2008 season was not intriguing enough already as they head to the World Series with one of the youngest teams in baseball and a payroll that is $150 million less than that of divison rivals the Red Sox and Yankees, Zach Sharples is drawing even more positive attention for the Rays this post season. A few days ago ESPN featured a story on Sharples, a 12-year old a resident of Florida and die-hard fan of the Tampa Bay Rays. Following the example of his heroes who make up the Rays roster, Sharples decided to get what is now being called a “Ray-Hawk,” more commonly identified as a mo-hawk, to show his unwavering support for his favorite team. Unfortunately Sharples principal did not share the same enthusiasm over the Rays incredible performance this season, and suspended him for 3 days for a dress code infraction. While the story did not provide much positive PR for his local middle school, Zach Sharples has become a living testament to the miracle team that is now making a run at the 2008 World Series, and brought even more positive publicity to the Tamp Bay Rays organization.

The Cluetrain Manifesto: 95 Thesis

sgdavis6439 — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:33:06 +0000

New media technologies are changing everything about the world we live in. These technologies need to be embraced! Relevant publics are more accessible than ever before and what they have to say needs to be listened to.
Companies and organizations who are not utilizing these new technologies and continue to communicate to their publics through outdated ways believing them to be just as effective are falling behind.
People are allowing companies easy ways to understand what they want; the companies who are catching on and becoming part of these communities are becoming more successful while others are being passed by.
Most companies do not realize they are falling behind even as it happens. The languages between markets and companies are changing and evolving, and those who can communicate in these new languages are benefiting greatly because they are employing the invaluable tool of direct feedback.

Yankees utilize bottomless wallet once again…

sgdavis6439 — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:20:26 +0000

While doing some blog surfing in the aftermath of what I think is a great American tragedy (the closing of Yankee Stadium) I came across this article. I thought it was an interesting way for the most hated team in sports to try and boost their image nationwide; what’s $1 million to an organization who spends nearly $200 million a year on its players’ salaries (and will not make the playoffs I might add)??? However, with sentiment surrounding the closing of baseball’s most famous landmark, it may have been a strategically-timed move on the part of the organization—-it should simultaneously provide assistance to a group in dire need, quiet baseball cynics as the season closes for a team with no excuse not to be a perenial playoff contender, and divert attention away from the decision to destroy a valuable piece of American history. Although as an Orioles fan I find it impossible to not despise the New York Yankees, it is nice to see the Steinbrenner’s throw some of that seemingly endless cash towards a good and worthy cause…

Chapter 9 – Communication: The Tactics of PR

sgdavis6439 — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:44:07 +0000

Tactics are the actions that we devise and undertake to influence relationships with publics. Tactics allow for our true values and knowledge of a public’s values to be demonstrated, and make up the communication phase of the PR process.
Tactics are sometimes more easily identified as channels. Three main varieties of channels, including both the traditional and nontraditional, exist: special events, controlled media, and uncontrolled media.
Successful PR tactics have the following common qualities:
- Part of a written, approved PR plan that incorporates the value-based mission
- Target one public at a time
- Based on research about the intended public’s values, interests, and preferred communication channels
- Sends a clear message that targets a public’s values and interests while it strives to reach its objective
- Is specific
- Evaluated as they are performed and after they are executed
Communication begins when the tactic is executed. Six main factors are incorporated into execution:
- Delegation
- Deadlines
- Quality Control
- Communication within the team
- Communication with clients and supervisors
- Constant evaluation

Chapter 8 – Planning: The Strategies of Public Relations

sgdavis6439 — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:11:11 +0000

In order for effective public relations to occur, various plans are created and implemented. There exist three categories of PR plans: Ad Hoc plans, Standing plans, and Contingency plans.
Plans are essential to good public relations for the following six reasons:
- Keep our actions in line with our organization’s values based mission
- Secure necessary resources
- Help control our destiny
- Help achieve consensus
- Allow effective management of resources
Following the establishment of an organization’s business goals the several phases of the planning process begin; consensus building, brainstorming, and the written plan make up these phases. The written plan details the goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics to be used throughout the process.
The following qualities are vital to a good plan.
- Supports a specific goal of your organization
- Stays goal oriented
- Is realistic
- Is flexible
- Is a win-win proposition
- Is values-driven