Writers are artists, and artists need to be nurtured and encouraged. Their creative process is emotional and personal. So what can you do to motivate and inspire your writers?
Improve your own skills continuously. This encourages your writers to work on their own skills, allows you to keep up with the writer’s lingo and keeps you sharp and credible.
Leave it alone! The piece might not be exactly like you would write it, but that is ok. You guide the writer, don’t do it for them. By supporting their final product, your credibility increases in their eyes. read more »
As part of Jennifer Flake’s presentation on telling the Ford story, conference attendees have the unique opportunity to preview the new car models from Ford. Thanks for supporting our conference, Ford!
Jennifer Flake, director of corporate communications with Ford Motor Co., was the first speaker on day two of the FPRA Annual Conference. She provided insights into what and how the Ford team strategically communicated through this historic period starting in late 2008 to today, with the automotive industry crisis. Flake herself is a fourth generation Ford employee and is truly passionate about the brand – infusing her point of view and humor; she definitely made the presentation fun.
Flake discussed some of the initial backlash the brand received during that time, including that popular SNL skit, and the company’s plan to improve corporate reputation. Compiling data on Ford’s corporate reputation since 2001 (remember what happened with Firestone tires?), the company continued to track and monitor reputation. Ultimately, rolling out its “Ford is different” theme with the goal to separate itself from the automotive pack, for a few reasons, one being that they didn’t take the bailout (audience applauded).
At this year’s FPRA Annual Conference, Rick Oppenheim, APR, CPRC celebrated the 25th anniversary of the founding of his firm RB Oppenheim Associates, a full-service, marketing-communications, advertising and public relations counseling firm based in Tallahassee.
Rick hosted a small champagne reception to mark the special anniversary and to remember and toast recently-departed friend and colleague Karen Plunkett, APR.
Going from a good to great PR practitioner means that you must be able see and understand your company’s “big picture.” Helping to bring this picture into focus is your organization’s financial well-being. In this session, learn how to read your company’s top three financial reports, and learn the C-Suite jargon that will help ensure your communications efforts are supportive.
Debbie Mason, APR, CPRC, is an Accredited Public Relations/ Marketing counselor, and President of Strategists, Inc. Debbie has a wealth of corporate, agency and consulting experience spanning 25 years. read more »
Douglas Cherry, Esq., associate in the litigation and intellectual property practice groups in the Sarasota, Florida office of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP discussed the possible legal pitfalls for PR professionals dealing with trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.
Securing your company’s intellectual property is more important than ever in these tough economic times. People are often shocked when assaulted with issues dealing with intangible assets. A lot of the law is counter-intuitive. Doug regularly encounters expensive litigation issues that could have been prevented by some early, inexpensive measures. read more »
With a video that showed the current evolution of social media, SoBe Lifewater brand manager Rami Jabaji, launched into a presentation with statistics, video and case studies to demonstrate why public relations professionals should rethink the use of digital communication channels. In his role at Pepsico, Jabaji manages the Facebook, You Tube and Twitter pages for SoBe Lifewater, as well as media and promotions for the brand.
His background is diverse and extensive, and not all related to public relations and marketing. He has a background in computer science and he earned his MBA from Duke University. He also spent five years at Lockheed Martin. An avid media consumer, Jabaji admits that he deposits his paychecks directly to Apple. read more »
On October 1, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was created. John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL was established in 1962 as NASA’s launch headquarters. The Space Shuttle program, which has been launching human beings into space since 1981. As NASA and the U.S. Space program have developed over the years, it has captured the imaginations of people from all around the world. The Kennedy Space Center is dedicated to providing public affairs programming to help others to envision the thrill and the science behind it all. Combined with key strategies to reach their stakeholders, their wide array of public relations tools provide for the widest possible dissemination about the U.S. Space program to the public. Although the future of human space flight is still under governmental review, today, they are preparing the media relations and communication strategies for what appears to be the final launch of the U.S. Space Shuttle, scheduled within the next 12 months. read more »
George W. Jenkins opened his first Publix store in Winter Haven, Florida in 1930. The Publix name comes from a movie theater chain. Despite the depression, Mr. George opened another store 5 years later.
1940 – he closed the 2 small stores and built a state of the art “food palace.” It included things never seen before in a grocery store: marble, glass and stucco, and it didn’t stop there. It had innovations never seen before in a grocery store: air conditioning, fluorescent lighting, electric-eye doors, frozen food cases, piped-in music and aisles that were 8 feet wide. People traveled from miles and miles to shop there, and Publix prospered. read more »
