Comments for Theory N' Practice

Comment on About by B.G. Smith

B.G. Smith — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 00:13:57 +0000

Thanks Rob! Those were some fun times to say the least. Good to hear from you. Woulod love to catch up.

Comment on About by Rob Kennedy

Rob Kennedy — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 04:49:08 +0000

Hi Brian. Congratulations on everything you have done since I last talked to you. It was probably four or five years ago when we were working at EE together. In some ways it seems like forever ago, and in some ways it seems like yesterday.

I wanted to run a few questions by you and get some feedback. I know this is completely out of the blue, but you’ll see where I’m going with it. Can I get a personal email that I can contact you with?

Again, its great to see people I know find success and it looks like you’re doing great. Look forward to communicating with you soon.

Rob Kennedy

Comment on An Experiment in Twitter-Ology by B.G. Smith

B.G. Smith — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:05:38 +0000

Hey Spencer, you raise some great issues. In fact, the whole idea of affiliating identity with a market product has been widely explored, researched, debated, and discussed. I’d recommend Kevin Lane Keller who has produced some excellent work on the subject. Frankly, I think that people self-select and associate themselves with a brand…which relates to your point on democratization of labeling. I think brands become a way to represent what individuals already feel inside and want to express, but have no other way of expressing it than to find a connection in something that is public like Twilight. I think it’s an age-old phenomenon, people associate themselves with what “rings true” to them, and branding builds off of that. Rather than making a product that people have to fit into, marketers spend loads of resources researching their relevant audiences, finding out their needs, then meeting those needs through branding.

Comment on An Experiment in Twitter-Ology by Spencer G

Spencer G — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:29:36 +0000

Your final questions treat the main thought I had reading this, that twittering especially, but also facebook updates, lend themselves towards labeling. Something that is historically seen as very negative. This “democratization” of labeling may be seen as empowering–people taking control of their own brand–but then again, what does it mean that the way people exercise that freedom (and this may not be the majority of people, but I’m do think it’s a significant amount) to merely affiliate with a market product? Though I guess it’s no surprise that marketing has integrated into ideas of identity. I’ve heard many Mac users refer to the “lifestyle” they’ve purchased… though not in those exact terms.

Comment on PR from the Bathroom by Say it ain’t So Steve « This Indie Life

Say it ain’t So Steve « This Indie Life — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:10:48 +0000

[...] know about their latest 4-man show. I’ve met them once at a concert, and I often use their Bathroom Sessions as classroom fodder for my PR courses…but I guess they thought it was important to reach out to me..Wait…you got the email [...]

Comment on Branding the Presidency by Branding the Presidency « Theory N’ Practice

Branding the Presidency « Theory N’ Practice — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:55:16 +0000

[...] Here is the original: Branding the Presidency « T… [...]

Comment on Creating Recognition for Employee Recognition by Franky

Franky — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:08:45 +0000

Great post.I really like the layout.I just came across a blog were one get the details of Organizational Behavior. For more information: Organizational Behavior Theories

Comment on What is PR and Why on Earth does it Matter? by kaye sweetser

kaye sweetser — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:30:11 +0000

You would be interested in two articles, one by my colleague here at UGA:

1. Karen S. Miller (now Miller Russell) (1999): Public Relations in Film and Fiction: 1930 to 1995

2. one whose author escapes me right now … very wonderfully titled something along the lines of public relations having a PR problem

Comment on PR from the Bathroom by John

John — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:33:30 +0000

Thanks for that. I like the idea that it can be win-win. Looking forward to your next post.

Comment on PR from the Bathroom by B.G. Smith

B.G. Smith — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:49:57 +0000

Good points John…but I guess what I’m trying to do with this is illustrate the deeper meaning of PR. Too man ypeople see PR based on the lowest denominator: communication to benefit oneself. But the real purpose of PR is to build relationships with audiences to create a win-win situation for both the organization AND the audience (Grunig’s work also known as the Excellence Theory explains this more). In this instance, I don’t view Ed’s posting of these videos as selfish PR, but as yet another effort to reach its fan base and create a relationship with fans.

In short, PR is defined by your purposes. If you seek to build a good relationship with your public (thus “public relations” ) then it’s good PR. Many things taken as PR these days (cheap promotions and publicity) are actually marketing communications.

Relating specifically to your personal bloggers question: yes, I think personal bloggers who claim they aren’t interested in PR might be fooling themselves, but only fooling themselves on the “definition” of PR. If they’re trying to relate with their readers to build a good relationship…then they’re engaging in public relations, which may not feel at all like the PR that most people associate the term with. As for “clean” techniques at PR…it’s simple. Listen and respond. That’s the simplest of PR techniques if you see it as building relationships with readers.

Sorry…long answer…but I’ll further illustrate what PR really is in my next post.