Hi again! It's been a little while since I have made a post, but it's also been a little while since I have had a free moment to sit down and really gather what all has happened in the past three to four months. Between my internship at Burson-Marsteller coming to an end and senior year at Penn State beginning, things have been non-stop for me. To quickly summarize how my internship went, it was incredible! I learned so much about myself and the industry of public relations, and I am so grateful to have had that opportunity. I had a final intern project that involved creating an integrated campaign based off of a true RFP, which was by far my favorite part of the internship. I was able to learn so much by giving this a go with two other interns and our coaches (B-M colleagues), who taught us so much about what all goes into these campaigns. The best part? We presented to the client and workers from Burson-Marsteller who judged our campaign against other intern's campaigns, and ours won! A great way to end an exceptional summer. As for the beginning of senior year, it's been juggling class, practice, Ad/PR Club, Fit For Fritz, SAAB, the National Millennial Community, my internship with Brand Demon, career fairs, job applications, networking, oh... and trying to have social life at the same time! The funny part? I love the craziness of this! It is so natural for me to be constantly multi-tasking and for my brain to be running a million miles a minute. Sometimes I feel like I have so much going on that I barely have the chance to ground myself, but that brings me to the main point that I want to make in this post... Focus on building yourself and knowing your purpose first. Something that I have found throughout my college career and internship experiences is that it is so important to have a foundation that is exclusive to you. This foundation should always be looked back on in everything you do. It should include things like:
Now, you may be thinking about what makes up your foundation, but I find that thinking about it isn't enough. At the end of my junior year, one of my teammates introduced me to bullet journaling. Bullet journals are whatever you want them to be, but I have taken the opportunity to use my bullet journal as my foundation. I write down all things that make up my foundation, and I try to keep them consistent throughout my journal. I do this by reflecting each week, logging my exercise and food consumption, doodling, taking notes on things I find important like faith, writing down my schedule, and by simply adding anything else to it that I deem important or impactful to my life. I am finding that it really is the little things in life that make a difference and help us find our purpose, and it is our purpose that will take us down the path that leads us to where we want to be.
0 Comments
It's that time of year! The time where most of us are finally all settled and experiencing the fast-paced city life. My Pitt stop for the summer is at Burson-Marsteller in Pittsburgh, Pa., where I am taking part in the Harold Burson Summer Internship program. I arrived at the office a week late (6/12/2017) due to making it to the NCAA Track & Field National Championships in Eugene, Ore., which was the week of the actual start date. Needless to say, that first week at Burson was a crazy one for me as I was trying to get all caught-up on paperwork as well as starting some client work. As crazy as it sounds, I have already learned SO much in my one week of being here. This is absolutely not your run and get coffee or organize some papers internship. It is an internship with complete purpose. My office has already allowed me to dive right in and help out with many of their clients. I have been able to help out with creation of media lists, tracking media coverage, researching, pitching, brainstorming... you name it! On top of all that, I have been sitting in on HBSI trainings, which are basically hour-long seminars on all different areas of public relations and the company itself. While it may sound bland, it is actually extremely beneficial and interesting because I am able to learn directly from others working where I hope to be in the future. All in all, I anticipate the rest of my summer to be filled with incredible experiences, lots of learning and fun times exploring Pittsburgh. I have already made it to the Penguins Stanley Cup Parade with my colleagues, gone to a Pirates game and tried out some awesome new restaurants! Experience life with purpose; then you will learn beyond boundaries and grow taller than trees. ABOUT ME: My name is Hannah and I love all things public relations. I am a student at Penn State studying public relations with minors in psychology and entrepreneurship, and I am also a pole vaulter for the track team. What I love the most about public relations is that we need it in all areas of the world. I hope to work in a firm or large company after graduation (May 2018) as I know that I can bring creativity, motivation and a go-getter attitude wherever I end up. It's that time of year. The time when every public relations student is refreshing their email constantly and waiting for their phone to ring in hopes of receiving an internship or full-time position. I was so happy to have received that call from Burson-Marsteller about two weeks ago telling me that I would be offered an internship for the summer. This all got me thinking... how lucky am I to be studying something that teaches me how to market and sell myself in the best way possible? As my junior year at Penn State is coming to an end, I have begun to realize what it is that makes certain students so marketable, and to be honest, it is pretty simple. It is the campaign that a student runs for him or herself during the application/interview process, and that campaign must display three things: determination, passion, and of course, purpose. I have learned that showing that you have these three qualities as a potential employee is huge, and this is why...
All in all, do whatever it takes to get people to hop on The YOU Campaign. You might ask, "what if I fall?" We all fall, and to stand out we must step outside of the box and get on the runway to take flight, because as Erin Hanson might say, "what if you fly?" ABOUT ME: My name is Hannah and I love all things public relations. I am a student at Penn State studying public relations with minors in psychology and entrepreneurship, and I am also a pole vaulter for the track team. What I love the most about public relations is that we need it in all areas of the world. I hope to work in a firm or large company after graduation (May 2018) as I know that I can bring creativity, motivation and a go-getter attitude wherever I end up. 1. Know which social media platforms reach which audiences the best. First and foremost, know your audience. In today’s world, we have so many different options when it comes to social media. If we want to reach our target audience in the most efficient way possible, then the first thing we must do is become aware of where they fall on the social media spectrum. We need to optimize our digital presence by knowing the purpose for social media that our audience sees. 2. Figure out which types of posts resonate the most with different audiences. This may take a little bit of analysis, but it sure will be worth it in the end. Test your waters and see which types of content are engaging with the most people on each platform. Maybe adding a video as part of your content works better with your audience on Facebook than it does on Twitter, but you won’t know until you give it a try and analyze your results. For example: Levi's brand is one that is recognized best by our Baby Boomers. As Baby Boomers tend to go to Facebook when it comes to social media, Levi's has a duty to reach that audience through this platform. While trying to engage other generations at the same time, Levi's content includes more of a throwback mood that can catch both audiences. Their greatest following is on Facebook due to the generation that they have worked with the most. Therefore, Facebook is where most of their content in relation to their primary audience can be found. 3. Post the same content in different ways. If you utilize more than one social media platform for your brand (which you should), make sure that you are not sharing identical posts on each platform. Mix it up a little! As we are aiming to reach as many people as possible, we need to get creative and be true to the platform itself. Use the platform's strengths to your advantage. For example: Starbucks posts slightly different images and text on different platforms while aiming to get the same point across. The Facebook post is a little bit simpler, while the Twitter post utilizes a hashtag to draw more attention to the post. 4. Have a purpose for each platform. Perhaps one platform that you use really highlights your employees and updates people on your company’s work. Maybe another platform focuses on sharing content through the unique history of your company. Whatever your purpose may be, make sure you show it on social media. It’s okay to have some overlap, but try and ensure that you blend the purpose for your company with the platform’s strength in order to create the perfect brand awareness for yourself or your company. For example: The Coca-Cola Company uses Facebook to share information related to the company and it's success as well as using it to recognize special days and people. The company uses Instagram in a completely different way by telling Coca-Cola stories through more historical and artistic content. 5. Have a plan for your posts. Whether it be creating a content calendar or maybe even making time for a few blocks in the day that you devote strictly to social media posts, make sure you are consistent with a plan. If you want to create purposeful brand awareness, then showing that we think of and work towards that purpose every single day is important. Don’t miss a day or an opportunity in the digital world just because you didn’t have a plan. Know your purpose. Share your purpose. Be consistent in your purpose. ABOUT ME: My name is Hannah and I love all things public relations. I am a student at Penn State studying public relations with minors in psychology and entrepreneurship, and I am also a pole vaulter for the track team. What I love the most about public relations is that we need it in all areas of the world. I hope to work in a firm or large company after graduation (May 2018) as I know that I can bring creativity, motivation and a go-getter attitude wherever I end up. As you may have noticed, my blog focuses on purpose. One aspect that I wanted to explore more is how public relations professionals use it in their everyday lives, so I decided to reach out an industry leader. I sent Rob Flaherty, Ketchum CEO, a short list of questions and his answers led to this fantastic blog post. My sincere thanks to him for his time and insight.
Q: What would you say is Ketchum's overall purpose as a company? A: For the past several years we have stated our mission and purpose in this way: We deliver break-through creativity that produces campaign-leading ideas that deliver results for our clients. And we state our vision in this way: We seek to be the most valued agency partner in the world. But when you think about what we do on a deeper level and where we can have the most impact in the world around us, it’s in building bridges in a divided world. I think we are at our best when our people feel they are making a positive contribution to society and business by building bridges – whether in a purely positive context, like between a brand and its consumers or a healthcare company and patients. Or it’s in a more challenging context, like between a company and angry activists or a company and its labor union. There are so many divisions in the world today, and as PR professionals we are in the position to build these bridges. Q: How does Ketchum incorporate purpose into the work that they do for their clients? A: You will see our brand promise "break through" all over Ketchum. We are always striving to make a difference through the incredible creativity of our people. We are also always trying to help our clients to do the right thing, to behave in a way that is sustainable and in the long-term interest of all of their stakeholders. We also incorporate purpose through our award-winning employee-led corporate responsibility program, KSR or Ketchum Social Responsibility. In 2016 we raised $27,000 for pro-bono partner Room to Read, extending a literacy program to hundreds of children across Africa and Asia. And in September we celebrated our ninth-annual KSR month with more than 1,000 employees across more than 30 offices in 15 countries supporting 50-plus local projects. Q: What is the company culture like at Ketchum? A: Ketchum’s culture is an optimistic, can-do culture in which our colleagues bring a lot of passion to every challenge...passion to bring the best creativity, passion to do what's never been done before, passion to win. It's a culture in which our colleagues expect everyone to work hard but they also expect to be treated with respect. If a person is too aggressive or too tough on the people around them – a win at any cost attitude – they won't last long at Ketchum. Q: What kind of impact do you think this culture makes on the company's work? A: The greatest impact – and it delivers enormous value to our clients and to each other – is that we attract and retain some of the best talent in the business. In 2016, 45,000 people applied to work at Ketchum. From that impressive pool, we hired approximately 620 people globally, with more than 350 in North America. The acceptance ratio suggests the quality of the people we are able to hire into Ketchum. And it's this incredible talent that drives great work for some of the world’s biggest brands. Q: As a global company, how does Ketchum keep its purpose and culture consistent? A: As they say, it's a journey not a destination. Here are a few of the many ways we work to create and maintain a global culture and provide borderless quality to our clients:
Q: How do you use your role as CEO to make Ketchum a better environment? A: I do my best to lead by example: treat people with respect, reward them based on the value they bring, and bring my own creativity into the workplace. I also try to consistently communicate where we are going and recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of our people. Q: What do you feel is the most important quality for a worker in your company to have? A: It's a three-way tie between a positive can-do attitude, a strong work ethic and resourcefulness. A positive attitude means you're eager to dive in to an ambitious project and you control your destiny on any project small or large. A strong work ethic means you expect and want to work hard (that doesn't mean life-crushing hard, but hard within reason). And resourceful means that you may not know how to do something at the beginning, but you’ll figure it out with help from others. ABOUT ME: My name is Hannah and I love all things public relations. I am a student at Penn State studying public relations with minors in psychology and entrepreneurship, and I am also a pole vaulter for the track team. What I love the most about public relations is that we need it in all areas of the world. I hope to work in a firm or large company after graduation (May 2018) as I know that I can bring creativity, motivation and a go-getter attitude wherever I end up. Strong synonyms for purpose:
When looking at a company, an invention or even a person, I often ask myself, what is its purpose? With companies, sometimes it is obvious which ones have a strong purpose because they share that purpose with their audience through their mission statement and services/products. I often think of companies such as TOMS when I think of companies with purpose. TOMS mission is posted all over their brand for everyone to see. It says, "With every product you purchase, TOMS will help a person in need. One for One." Some companies, however, value purpose within their company, but do not voice it to their customers and audience. In my opinion, this is just the first step. It is vital to have a purpose within your company because that is what brings every individual together to form a tribe with a common goal. So if that is where your company stands, then you are off to a great start, but you could take things to the next level. My question is, why not lay that purpose on your audience so that they can help you achieve your goal while becoming a loyal to your brand? This is where pubic relations comes in. It is our job as public relations professionals to take a company's purpose and spread it around so that their audience hears them loud and clear. Basically, start a movement within and beyond a company. Have a goal, and get everyone to rally around that goal in order to achieve the unthinkable. Message: Have a purpose, give it some wings and let it fly. Plant a seed for all types of relationships and watch them grow, You may be able to have a lone purpose yourself, but it takes a tribe to allow that purpose to blossom. ABOUT ME: My name is Hannah and I love all things public relations. I am a student at Penn State studying public relations with minors in psychology and entrepreneurship, and I am also a pole vaulter for the track team. What I love the most about public relations is that we need it in all areas of the world. I hope to work in a firm or large company after graduation (May 2018) as I know that I can bring creativity, motivation and a go-getter attitude wherever I end up. It was about this time last year when I accepted my first summer internship. As a Pennsylvania native, I was taking a leap of faith when I committed to spending the summer in San Diego, Calif., a place I had never been. However, I knew that I needed to take this first step in gaining experience in my desired career, and I was willing to do whatever it took in order to put myself in a good position for the upcoming years. When making my decision on whether or not to go out west for this opportunity, I weighed the pros and cons that would accompany this position. They were: Pros
It is clear to see that the pros outweighed the cons tremendously. However, without the help of my supportive parents and being granted some money from Penn State, I would have never been able to take on this experience. I found such value and purpose in the pros, which is what made me decide to say yes and head out west. Each pro had a purpose that laid part of a foundation for me. Overall, the experience would allow me to move from being a student to being a doer, and it would enable me to take the first step in practicing and experiencing my future profession. So I did it. I went to San Diego, interned at Luxuria Public Relations, learned about social media strategy, got my first taste of pitching to the media, interacted with clients for the first time, experienced how campaigns unfold and just scratched the surface of what I was going to be doing for the rest of my life. In my free time, I adventured, hiked, discovered my love for yoga, ventured up the coast a bit and ate lots of authentic food (yum!). Message: All in all, I went for it. I have a goal for myself to be the best public relations professional that I can be, and in order to accomplish that goal, I had to take the first step. That stands true to every goal that anyone will set. In order to reach that goal, we must take the first step, and we must take it with purpose. No matter what you do, do it with purpose. Do it with the intention of reaching your goal and going beyond that goal. If we aren't pursing our goals with purpose and we are just walking through the motions, what is the point? ABOUT ME: My name is Hannah and I love all things public relations. I am a student at Penn State studying public relations with minors in psychology and entrepreneurship, and I am also a pole vaulter for the track team. What I love the most about public relations is that we need it in all areas of the world. I hope to work in a firm or large company after graduation (May 2018) as I know that I can bring creativity, motivation and a go-getter attitude wherever I end up. |
Hannah MulhernAn aspiring PR professional. Archives
September 2017
Categories |