Joy Bergmann Kicks Off PRFandP Guest Speaker Series

Introducing Joy Bergmann, our first guest-star in the Fall 2011 PRFandP Guest Speaker Series.

Joy, with more than 20 years of communications experience, will lead The Clear Writing Workshop. Everything you do in PR and in this class centers around  writing -- in Word and online -- and I'm a big fan of crystal-clear prose.

The Clear Writing Workshop features a mix of lecture, editing exercises and group webcam discussion.

After Monday's class, you'll think twice about using words like "innovative," "solution," "cutting-edge," "world-class," "revolutionary," "best practices," "leverage," and my two personal favorites: "At the end of the day" and "unique." 

This will be Joy's second foray into the digital classroom, and she agreed to do this only if I was never more than five feet away. Fingers crossed for a strong Internet connection, active webcams and no Wimba outages.

Joy's looking forward to sharing her approach to creating "lean, muscular, flab-free" writing.

Joy's CV is in Epsilen's Resources section.

Connecting The Dots: A Conversation

Okay, it’s Week One and I’m noticing things. Things that pretty much flew under the radar before. What is that saying “Where focus goes, energy flows…”? Obviously my thoughts are pretty well tuned into all things from a ‘New PR’ perspective. Reading that article on Rachel Weisz and recognizing the reporter’s angle: to act as a mechanism for promoting various fashion labels the actress is aligned with. Oh yeah and whatever that movie she is currently in… can’t tell you though because the description of her Jimmy Choo’s were scorched on my brain in glorious detail. Honestly, I barely registered fashion or product promo’s before in seemingly off topic articles (well consciously anyway) Do now..

What I’m also taking note of is Viral Video’s and specifically, the almost instantaneous global audience they can attract. You saw the “Charlie Bit My Finger” one didn’t you? That family made enough cash in endorsements to buy a new house and I assume the organizations funding that house did okay out of it too. 

I’m recognizing the advertising, branding, cross promotion and product placement tagged to these viral videos. I’m realizing the depth, breadth and elaborate content an organization can align itself with very little effort. This is all new to me - I don’t fully understand the practice of strategic communications but I am paying attention now more than ever. 

So sitting here thinking about Bernays, brings me to the main point of my blog entry this week: a viral video that had an emotional impact on countless people and propelled a cultural tradition to the global stage (outside the realms of Rugby supporters of course). It was circa 2005. I can’t find the exact clip, but take a look at this one so you can see where I am going with this (oh, and pump up the volume):

It's called the "Haka" and a traditional pre-game war cry..it’s hard not to be moved by the raw intensity of what these players manage to conger (and I’m not from New Zealand nor do I follow the Rugby). My point of view is this: many obvious sporting companies have aligned themselves with the All Blacks in the past (currently Adidas). This year Bvlgari partnered with the All Blacks (for the 2011 Rugby World Cup) and aside from the various standard media campaigns, Bvlgari staged nightly, live, in-store demonstrations of the “Haka” by players at their flagship store on 5^th Avenue for a full week ( three sessions per night). I did not attend. I heard about it via Facebook (as you do right?).

I find significance in this joint venture campaign, in particular the theatrical channel they chose to publically demonstrate this alliance. To me, it goes beyond promotional partnership of ‘shared values’. Bvlgari have leveraged a cultural legacy contained within the performance of the “Haka” itself and because of this, are tapping into by far the paramount of audiences – those whom are emotionally evoked. 

I’m learning - long way to go - but this whole ‘creating authentic connections’ ideology really appeals to my way of thinking. I like it a lot.

"Where's the beef?" is back. Do we really need it?

I am wondering what Wendy's is trying to achieve with this new ad.  I remember the annoying little lady who spoke the popular catch phrase "where's the beef?".  Is Wendy's targeting me? I guess they see me as one of the demographic who remembers this catch phrase; one of many useless catch phrases from that decade. Am I part of a niche group; a piece of the long tail? In the great depression, movies were  created to be irrelevant  diversions. Fun and dynamic, an everything goes mentality to cheer up the depressed masses. Is Wendy's resurrecting the petulant old lady to distract me from this economy  while promoting their cheap food? I don't know but I don't want to eat at Wendy's or work at Wendy's. I want to prosper again just like a did only a few years ago before everything went pear shaped.

[PRFandP] debuts. 

"This is it?" 

If that's what you're thinking, the answer is this: Yes. For right now. And there's good reason. Audience. 

I'm the blog creator. I'm also a [PRFandP] contributor, participant and audience target.

I'm not a designer. More importantly, in the context of a new PR, design is actually a communication strategy that's part of a message (errr .... authentic conversation) you're sharing with an audience. Design and layout contribute to the impact of a conversation. Design can affect the PR objective. (This terminology will all make sense very soon.)

For example, go here, the design sends a message. Click here, yet another. And so on.

The nine ten of us are the collective audience here. I have no intention of dictating the design and influencing the entire conversation. That is one-sided. So, we'll tap into a more forward-thinking PR program on that front. I'll post more later. 

Back to audience. It's by course design that I didn't build an Audience section in the Week One Lesson Module. Audience is important. And so are the new PR philosophies that we discussed in class. Conversations. Social. Authenticity. 

That's why we're going to walk-the-walk and talk-the-talk. 

This week, each of you will create your own [PRFandP] post about Audience. This is your first assignment.  The angle, position or point-of-view you take is completely up to you. Keep it focused. Take a side. Have an opinion.

I have no idea what you'll share, and that's fine by me. We've got to start the conversation somewhere, so this is a good, manageable starting point. 

Feel free to comment on your classmates' posts. It's not required, but if you have something to add, by all means.