Blog

Bridget Winstead, Account Manager

It’s April in D.C. The weather is unexpectedly mild. A big guest is on his way to the Capitol today, and everyone is in a tizzy. The Dalai Lama is scheduled to arrive precisely at noon for a meeting with the nineteen senators on the Foreign Relations Committee. The Dalai Lama plans to discuss both his exile from China and efforts in Tibet. A mob of international correspondents begins to congregate outside of the Foreign Relations Committee room on the first floor of the Capitol – eagerly awaiting His Holiness. Then there is me. I am a protocol assistant for the Committee who happened to help with the logistics of the Dalai Lama’s visit. I soon realize the significance of my exposure. I am right at the intersection of political discourse and public relations. This is the moment when I first realized that public relations really is a core pillar in the political sphere. The Dalai Lama was meeting with these senators to convince them to support his efforts and ideas, take action on those efforts and ideas, and – finally – to make changes that would benefit him and his people. The lines are blurred between political discourse and public relations – and I saw that fusion firsthand.

Awareness, education and persuasion are three important aspects of successful politics that are public relations centric. Whether it’s running for office or lobbying for a bill or policy, awareness is absolutely vital for conviction. Who will vote for you if they don’t know who you are and what you stand for? Which lawmakers will vote on behalf of a bill if they do not know how it will impact their constituency or core platform? The public relations aspect of awareness brings political entities and policies to light.

Education is the next necessary public relations tenant in politics. Awareness is the starting point, but education is where the real work gets done. The vernacular has to be digestible to the appropriate audiences and clearly understood. Politics can be messy, so putting confusing concepts into easy-to-understand terms makes things easier for everyone. Empathy through education could also possibly lead to more support of the candidate or effort you are fighting for.

Lastly, persuasion. The audience has been made of aware of your political efforts and has been educated on your candidate or cause, but now they need to be convinced that what matters to you also matters to them. Delivery and authenticity are vital components of persuasion. Most politicians do not have training in those fields; this is where public relations comes in. For candidates, public-speaking skills must be sharpened with tempo training, body language adjustments, and presentation practice. For policy, priorities need to be clearly articulated to the audience, and efficiency is vital. Why should this policy matter to them? Why should they vote for this candidate over another? If you are successful in persuasion, you (or your client) will ultimately accomplish your goals.

Although not always recognized, the practice of public relations is used for successful political campaigns. My transition from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles has showed me that public relations is transferable to a myriad of professions – especially politics. Now – more than ever – the reputation of Washington has been tainted. Politicians need more help now than ever from public relations professionals to clean up their acts and hold themselves accountable. So, future public relations professionals… if politics makes you tick (like it does for me)… in the words of Uncle Sam, “We want you!”

Sue-Mae Watt, Account Manager 

The PR industry is currently in the midst of change, which is great for our profession! Who knows what new challenges and innovations this transformation will bring. For those of us who are currently studying PR, or considering studying PR, even working in the PR industry, it leaves us with the question — will the skills and knowledge I have and the ones I’ve still yet to learn, will they be relevant in this new day and age?

With most of my SPR cohort finishing up our first-year, we were faced with a decision of whether we want to be generalists or specialists. To be honest, a vast majority of us thought that after doing a year of core units, we would know. For some, they figured it out. But for a many others, they were still left grappling with the idea of which direction to take their PR careers.

For me, I had already spent 3.5 years in the PR industry in Australia and had a double major in Public Relations and Journalism. I considered myself a generalist – I had an array of skills and knowledge in many different facets of PR. It was only when I re-evaluated where I wanted to be in the next 10 years of my career did I decide I wanted to specialize. It was a no-brainer for me to move to Los Angeles, undertake the SPR program and specialize in business and corporate communications.

I know, for others in my cohort, the decision wasn’t as simple as it was for me. Some people had no PR experience, some had come into the program straight out of undergrad, some had experience in the communications field and others, like me, went back to school to after working for a few years. We are all in different situations, but here’s my advice to help you decide if you want to be a generalist or a specialist:

1. Find your footing first — If you had asked me fresh out of college where I wanted my career to go, I would have had no idea. Working for a few years gave me time to figure out what my strengths and weaknesses were, and what I liked and disliked. Figure what you’re good at and not so good before deciding.
2. Find out if you have a particular interest in an area — If you know exactly what you want to be doing in the future, by all means, specialize. For those who don’t, consider what sectors and areas interest you. Do some research and see if there is an alternate path for you.
3. By research, I don’t just mean Google — Don’t be afraid to discuss career options with your professors. If you want to find out more about a certain sector, they’ll happily point you in the right direction. Attend networking events and interning are also great ways to get a feel of the work involved.

It may be a daunting process deciding on your next step, but no matter what you chose, the future of PR is bringing new and exciting things to head.

Tess Meyers, Account Manager

Stepping into the working world can feel like a daunting task for students, but it doesn’t have to be. Being a student, you have many opportunities to take positive first steps in towards your career goals. Here are two ways to stand out when trying to get your foot in the door:

1. Use Social Media Positively

 Your social media presence can make or break a job opportunity – especially in the media field. An employer won’t want you to speak for their brand if you can’t  present yourself in a positive light. Be sure to post any potentially scandalous ideas on private – or better yet – don’t post at all. A tweet may only take a second to send, but everything lasts forever on the internet. However, especially in PR, social media is a necessity.  Instead of neglecting it, use it to show off your interests and accomplishments. Sending out lighthearted tweets, links to blog posts, or even retweeting industry influencers are all great ways to show your personality to those recruiters who do sneak a peek.

2. Make connections

Your time as a student at USC, or any university, is invaluable. Not only are you surrounded by leaders in your respective fields, but you’re surrounded by future colleagues. Who says informational interviews are only for potential employers? If you meet a fellow Trojan who had an awesome internship or is interested in following a similar career track, as them to coffee or lunch. At the very least, you’ll learn something new about them, or about a potential opportunity. Who knows – you may meet your future business partner or mentor. Joining professional organizations, like TriSight, is a great way to make connections and gain experience as a student, too!

Taking ownership of where you are now and doing “little” things like managing your social media presence and building relationships with professors, peers and colleagues won’t just help you in your initial internship and job search, but will benefit you through out your career.

Stephany Rodas, Collective Avenue Account Manager

In this currently evolving digital age, it is very easy for us to jump to the immediate conclusion of incorporating a social media strategy for all campaigns. But the truth of the matter is, a social media strategy is not effective for every campaign.

There are numerous things to consider when developing a social media strategy, or any kind of strategy for that matter. Below are a few:

• Target audience (i.e. Millennials 18-34, children 7-12 years old, adults 35-50)
• Habits of your target audience (i.e. Millennials are avid consumers of content digitally while older audiences tend to rely on traditional methods such as television or print for information)
• Range of your campaign (is it a national campaign with a goal to attract as many Millennials as possible, or is it a local campaign designed to get particular groups of people within a certain district involved)

While there are many other factors to take into consideration, one thing is for sure, you cannot make a generalized assumption based off what you hear in the media or in your current surroundings, without doing the proper research. By implementing a social media strategy without research or evidence to verify that your audience engages with social media, you are making an assumption that all individuals within that population have access to technology with digital capabilities. Many folks tend to forget that many communities across the United States and, even more so, globally do not have equal access to technology. While urban areas are in the era of smartphones, laptops and tablets, many other countries and communities within the United States are still utilizing flip phones and relying on traditional media such as print, radio and broadcast to receive information. This disparity in access to technology can result from a number of things including socioeconomic status or location.

This does not, however, mean that communities with lower socioeconomic status or who live in urban/rural areas do not utilize social media or lack access to it entirely. The complete opposite could be true. Ultimately, there is only one way to find out and that is through research. Moral of the story: never make assumptions and pursue a trend because it’s popular. One size does not fit all.