Media Mouthful

AD TEACHINGS: A REPOST OF INTEREST TO GRAPHIC DESIGNERS, ART DIRECTORS AND STUDENTS OF ADVERTISING IN GENERAL

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 18:54:38 -0400

AD TEACHINGS: A REPOST OF INTEREST TO GRAPHIC DESIGNERS, ART DIRECTORS AND STUDENTS OF ADVERTISING IN GENERAL:

Hi, everyone. In April of 2011, I gave a lecture to some first-year design students at George Brown College in Toronto. My talk was intended to introduce the students to the differences between a career in design and a career in advertising. The lecture might be useful to some of you, so I’m…

We all know that I love an infographic! Especially if it...

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:59:19 -0400

We all know that I love an infographic! Especially if it revolves around social media.

Some people liked it, even more hated. Personally I didn’t...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 18:31:30 -0400

Some people liked it, even more hated. Personally I didn’t think it was too bad. Check out the link below to check out how the 2012 Summer Olympics Logo came to be and the strategy behind it.

2012 Olympics Logo, What do you think of it?

It seems like just about everyone has joined Instagram in the...

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:39:28 -0400

It seems like just about everyone has joined Instagram in the past year, everyone from pro snowboarders to the taco joint down the street. But how are some of the Heavy Hitters like McDonalds using these new mediums to build their brand? Check it out!

Big Orgs Building Their Brand on Instagram!

Best Places to Work!

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:11:00 -0400

If you’re in a situation similar to mine you may feel like you’re head is going to explode and your eyes are on the verge of falling out. No, it’s not because you’ve spent the summer road tripping to the nation’s huge summer music festivals, but because you’ve been tirelessly glued to the computer screen looking for a career. But at this point you’ll probably take the job as the guy who cleans the toilets as long as it’s at a digital ad agency or top PR firm. Usually, in order to land a job or internship at one of these top agencies you need to know someone or have 5+ years of experience, however, being a fresh-out-of-school college grad the last thing we have is experience. But hey, what’s wrong with sending a resume and cover letter to one of these top notch places? It never hurts to try. So check out Ad Age’s list of the “Best places to work 2012”.

Ad Age Best Places To Work 2012

Check Out ThingLink!

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:31:01 -0400

Check Out ThingLink!:

A new social media tool for bloggers and journalists alike. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words so go ahead and give your favorite photo some words!

Brand Brand Brand!

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:22:48 -0400

Brand Brand Brand!

Plattsburgh State Obtains PRSSA Chapter

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:40:28 -0400

Plattsburgh State Obtains PRSSA Chapter

A little bit morbid to think about, but some very interesting...

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:24:58 -0400

A little bit morbid to think about, but some very interesting points. Watch this and I guarantee you’ll never look at Facebook, Twitter or any other social network the same. Ever.

jaymug: How the Pepsi Logo Was Created Who would have thought...

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:11:20 -0400

jaymug:

How the Pepsi Logo Was Created

Who would have thought it all came from just a smiley face?

Are you new to social media? Do you have a message you’re...

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:21:23 -0400

Are you new to social media? Do you have a message you’re trying to broadcast to the masses? Do you just want to know about the different networks and mediums out there through which you can broadcast your message? Give this a look!

From: http://www.awwwards.com

Q & A with Cardinal PR President Kyle Kreig

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:17:28 -0400

Q & A with Cardinal PR President Kyle Kreig

do tell...: 5 Key Insights for PR Students Preparing for Agency Life

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:11:24 -0400

do tell...: 5 Key Insights for PR Students Preparing for Agency Life:

reputationsblog:

I have been asked many times by students and new grads what route I recommend for new PR types - agency, corporate, not-for-profit or government. Yes, I admit I’m biased, but I almost always say: agency. Few paths are better at exposing you to the full-range of PR activities and none will build…

How To Build a Billion Dollar Start-Up

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:31:06 -0400

How To Build a Billion Dollar Start-Up :

everythingyoushouldprobablyknow:

For all of you entrepreneurs out there!

Let’s be honest, A Billion dollar company isn’t built over night, but this is most definitely a good place to start. If you think you have the next big idea like Instagram or Pandora than this is a must read for you.

It seems more often than not that the terms Public Relations and...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:15:39 -0400

It seems more often than not that the terms Public Relations and Marketing have become synonymous with one another. This is NOT the case. My friend the infographic makes it easy to differentiate between the two. Take a look!

Thank you HongKiat.com !

All the things we love about print ads, but the copy is just a...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:55:14 -0400

All the things we love about print ads, but the copy is just a little bit different. Take a look for yourself.

To check out more of these hilarious faux print ads check out:

http://slacktory.com/2012/04/honest-ads-realistic-ads-for-instagram-top-ramen-cinnabon/

Mad Men Retro Ads

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:48:25 -0400

Mad Men Retro Ads:

Check out what Newsweek Magazine did to give its print ads a little flair. To Celebrate the new season of ‘Mad Men’ Newsweek took the services and products we see every day and gave them a retro look as through you were reading a magazine right out of 1960. A very cool concept! Check out the link!

Watch out Kids! Your parents may be using your favorite social...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:42:03 -0400

Watch out Kids! Your parents may be using your favorite social media site to find out what you’re doing! Or maybe Mom is just looking for Walmart coupons. Who knows?

Public Speaking

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:38:46 -0400

From the Folks at PRDaily.com!

Nearly all of the speakers I’ve ever trained begin their practice speech the same way.

They walk to the front of the room, say good morning/afternoon/evening, thank the audience for coming, and express their delight to be there. Then they turn around and flip to their first slide, a bulleted agenda of what they plan to discuss during their presentation.

What a bore.

The opening minutes of a presentation are often the most important. According to Allan and Barbara Pease, authors of “The Definitive Book of Body Language,” the audience forms 60 to 80 percent of its impression of a speaker within the first four minutes.

Opening No. 1: The startling statistic

Opening with a startling statistic is a terrific way to grab the audience’s attention from your first word. To be effective, the statistic should be related directly to the main purpose of your talk. “Statistic” doesn’t mean the same as “data.” If you’re giving the audience a number, you should set it within abroader context to help infuse it with greater meaning.

For example, I occasionally speak to a group of part-time volunteers who are working to reduce the number of injuries suffered in house fires. I used this opening for one of my talks:

“I’m only going to speak to you for one hour this morning. During our hour together, someone, somewhere in America, is going to be badly injured in a house fire. By the time you begin lunch this afternoon, someone, somewhere in America, will die in a house fire. By dinner, another person will die. By the time you go to sleep, another person will die. As you sleep tonight, two more people will die.

“I’m here today because I want to prevent that from happening. And I’m going to need your help.”

Opening No. 2: The anecdote

A story, case study, or personal anecdote is perhaps the single most effective tool for transferring information from speaker to audience. In fact, Harvard Professor Howard Gardner once said, “stories are the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal.”

One of my favorite speech openings of all time came from Brian, a client who delivered a speech on a “boring” topic: new insurance products. But instead of putting his audience to sleep, he used a personal anecdote to give his talk greater meaning.

Brian told the story of a woman he met early in his career, a grieving widow named Pam, whose husband, James, had recently died. James had been sick and out of work for three years, so they had no choice but to stop paying his life insurance premium. As a result, Pam wasn’t going to get a penny from his life insurance policy, meaning she would struggle to make ends meet. But Brian discovered a loophole in the policy, and delivered a $100,000 check to Pam weeks later.

Brian then transitioned to the body of his presentation by placing that story in context:

“When I think about the power of what we do, having been to retirement parties, having sent those kids off to college and shown individuals how to pay for it, that’s very powerful. But nothing was more powerful than delivering a check in the face of tragedy. That mindset, for me, changed everything.”

Click here to see the video of Brian’s speech.

Opening No. 3: Ask a rhetorical question

In his book “Words That Work,” political strategist Frank Luntz writes that it’s critical to help audiences visualize your topic by painting a vivid picture for them. He writes:

“One word automatically triggers the process of visualization by its mere mention: imagine.”

Ask the audience to imagine something by using a rhetorical question. You don’t have to use the specific word imagine, but your question should trigger the same visualization process. For example, you might begin this way to a group of stressed out working parents:

“I’d like to begin by asking you to think about your typical weekday morning routine. [Pause for five seconds.] I know it may be difficult, but I’d like you to try to picture what it would be like not to rush around on five-and-a-half hours of sleep every morning and enjoy a leisurely weekday morning routine instead. [Pause for five seconds.] Today, I’m going to offer you three strategies for making the impossible possible.”

Opening No. 4: Ask a “show of hands” question

I often begin my media training and public speaking workshops with a “show of hands” question. Those questions can increase audience buy-in from the very beginning, since members of the audience are able to see how their answers compare to those of their peers. Plus, you can use this device to lead people to powerful self-realizations and conclusions.

For example, I occasionally begin my presentation training workshops by asking:

“How many of you absolutely love public speaking?”

[Only a few people raise their hands, provoking laughter)

“How many of you actively volunteer for every chance you get to deliver a presentation?”

[Again, almost nobody raises their hands.]

“How many of you believe it would be good for your careers if you could go into a room and deliver a knock out presentation to top leadership, key clients, or major donors?”

[Almost every hand goes up, demonstrating the disconnect between what they feel and what they do.]

Opening No. 5: Speak with your audience

At the very beginning of a presentation, I will sometimes ask questions of my audience. Doing so helps create a climate of audience participation from the start. Plus, their answers are often useful for helping me better understand the audience.

When leading a media-training workshop, for example, I might begin by going around the room (or selecting a single row or table, for larger groups), and asking them to share their biggest media interviewing fear with me.

“Rhonda, what’s your biggest concern with being interviewed by a reporter?”

Almost always, Rhonda’s answer will be something I plan to cover during the session. If that’s the case, I’ll refer back to her when I get there:

“Rhonda, at the beginning of the session, you mentioned that you were afraid of being misquoted. Let’s talk about that now.”

And if I wasn’t planning on covering Rhonda’s topic, her question provided me with great information; if I add just two minutes anywhere in my presentation about her primary concern, I’ve addressed an important issue that I otherwise wouldn’t have thought to cover.

To read three more ways to open a speech, click here.

Brad Phillips is the author of the Mr. Media Training Blog. His firm, Phillips Media Relations, specializes in media and presentation training. He tweets at @MrMediaTraining.

I bet you didn’t know… All of this goes in just a...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:34:52 -0400

I bet you didn’t know… All of this goes in just a mere 60 second online, all day, every day. That’s a lot of giga, mega, kilo, tera and whatever else kind of bytes there are.

From the folks at agbeat.com