What I'm Reading

What a great Saturday!

Today I biked to the Palatine Public Library with one mission in mind, getting a bunch of great new reads. I have been reading the Twilight Saga (yes, I am admitting it) for too long. My co-worker Kate (@katefrankenberg) helped me see that. It was getting to be pretty embarrassing.

Hence my 5 mile bike ride. Minus sweating and my i-Pod dying, I came home with a backpack full of wonderful books. I'm sure some sound familiar, here is what I'm reading:

1. The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR (Al and Laura Ries)- Very excited about this one.. "Today's brands are born with publicity, not advertising. A closer look at this history of the most successful brands shows this to be true."

2. Making It In Public Relations- An Insider's Guide to Career Opportunities (Leonard Mogel)- "How to break in, What the insiders say, and advice on finding a job during a tough time." Right up my alley..


3. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)- An amazing classic, pretty self-explanatory. Oh Heathcliff...

4. The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging (By the Editors of the Huffington Post)- "Getting started, getting noticed, building a community, finding your voice, and best practices" Sounds like a good read to me, one can never know too much about blogging.


5. Word of Mouth Marketing- How Smart Companies Get People Talking (Andy Sernovitz, foreword by Seth Godin, afterword by Guy Kawasaki)- Do I even need to explain why I'm reading this one? Didn't think so...

6. Rules for the Unruly (Marion Winik)- "Shows us how taking risks, living creatively, and cherishing our inner weirdness can become the secret of our happiness and success, not our downfall" Written by National Public Radio commentator Marion Winik. For some inspiration.


7. Love is a Mix Tape- Life and Loss, One Song at a Time (Rob Sheffield)- Reccommended by my fabulous co-worker Lauren (@laurensvoboda).


Thank goodness for my three hour commute everyday. All my books are due September 12th.. wish me luck.

Joe's, McDonald's and Positive Client Relationships

Food for thought-

Tonight I had the privilege of going out to dinner with my boyfriend's parents in Chicago. They took me to Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak, and Stone Crab on Grand Avenue and it was absolutely fabulous. Let's just say I am as full as can be. I'm staying in on a Friday night, laying on my couch, and writing this blog post because I can't move much. Hey, that works for me!

We started off with an appetizer of stone crab followed by the main course. I picked lemon broiled chicken and we shared fried artichokes, potatoes, and broccoli. We had a few drinks and split three slices of pie. It was to die for.

Thinking back, it wasn't only the food that made the experience fantastic.

Our waiter was polite and catered to our every need. My water was always filled and the table was never crowded with empty plates. A crumb didn't have any chance of survival as it was swept away by our server onto his crisp white glove. The atmosphere was calming and classy, who doesn't love Sinatra in the background and a wine cellar to your left?

We were never rushed and our waiter always had a smile on his face. The entire staff was extremely polite and seemed to generally care about our experience. Even if the food was horrible, the way the servers danced around the restaurant could satisfy anyone.

Then I got to thinking about public relations. As professionals, how can we ensure the same service for our clients? How can we make them feel the warm fuzzies and leave a meeting as satisfied with us as possible? After all, they count on us.

I believe that it all comes down to attitude. It may sound generic, but I never underestimate the power of being positive. I hate to admit it, but when I entered Joe's I wasn't in the best of moods. I had a headache and it was raining on a Friday, but after my first conversation with our waiter my bad mood was gone with the wind.

This is something small that I will bring to the table for my clients. No matter what their mood, I will try my best to make sure they enjoy working with me and trust me with their brand, business, etc.

At my internship, I have learned so much about the importance of a positive client relationship. Only good things can come when you like and respect who you are working with.

Take GolinHarris and McDonald's for example. The agency has been working on the account for 50 years. Talk about a positive client relationship. Al Golin is such an inspiration. He took on McDonald's at an early stage and ultimately helped define the brand. One can only strive to make such an impact and experience the happiness I'm sure he has felt through his work with the McDonald's brand.

As I enter the world of public relations, I have set a goal to create meaningful relationships with the clients and the people I work with. I look forward to the ups and downs of working with clients and I hope to establish the same success Al Golin and GolinHarris has demonstrated to us all.

Snap, Crackle, and Pop- this one's for you Al. You rock.

Tweet with care....

I wrote this post a few months ago on the Iowa PRSSA blog and I think it still rings true.

Twitter is a great tool for connecting with friends and others about topics of interest. Needless to say, Twitter is becoming more and more integrated into our lives and the media.

While Twitter is terrific, it is important to remember that what you post is public- don’t tweet inappropriate things, especially about your employers. It is one thing to be yourself on Twitter but posting comments about how much you hate your boss isn't something you want to vent about. Get ice cream with a friend, don't rag on your boss on Twitter.

We are told over and over again to "clean up our Facebooks" but Twitter can come back to haunt you. Check out this article from MSNBC.com- "Twitter gets you fired in 140 characters or less"

A former Cisco employee was a little too truthful on Twitter stating:

""Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.”

It wasn’t long before Tim Levad, a "channel partner advocate" for Cisco Alert, shared this open response:

"Who is the hiring manager. I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web."

Ouch.

While it is awesome living a more digital lifestyle than our parents, don’t let it come back to haunt you.

I don't want to discourage anyone from tweeting, Twitter is a great way to connect with others and learn. Trust me, I have a newly admitted love affair with the site, but be smart. You know if something is inappropriate.

Happy smart tweeting!

Here we go...

Hello!

First off, thank you for taking the time to read my first post! There are many blogs dedicated to public relations so I sincerely appreciate your interest in mine.

I have created "PR Crunch" in hopes of providing insights and a few laughs. Although I have partly just begun my journey into public relations and the professional world, I love the opportunity that blogs provide. I will give my opinions, share my experiences, and host a forum online where the young and old can come together and partake in the oldest pastime- conversation.

I look forward to conversing with you and seeing where this blog can go.