USC College Dean’s Prize: How Can the Public Relations Program be Improved?

Veering away from the normal format of my blog, I switched the focus from the field of public relations to the education of public relations. They University of Southern California’s mission statement calls for “the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit.” The realities of this statement are laid out in USC’s 2004 strategic plan. In the plan, the university voices how they intend to incorporate new ideas and technology without losing the traditions of the past, and one way they aim to achieve this goal is by hiring the best and brightest faculty.

While USC is going to use their faculty to extend the university’s resources and educational value, the school also wants to hear what the students feel could be improved. The USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences created the college dean prize for the enrichment of student academic life, and it asks students to “think seriously about learning, be creative and daring, and inspire us.” Past winners have suggested new minors or career skills development. Even though I am a member of the Annenberg School of Journalism whose logo can be seen to the left as a public relations major and not the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, I used the dean’s prize criteria to explore what could be enhanced in the public relations program to make it a better overall experience.

The initial problem I encountered with the Annenberg School of Journalism was that the school was not very accessible to students unless they were already enrolled in the school. I started college unsure of what I wanted to study and as an undecided major. I thought I would use the general education program to explore and find what major I wanted to pursue. As I began to search through my possible major options, I realized I could not take a class in Annenberg as part of my general education program. I believe this is a big mistake, and that Annenberg should offer some classes as “GEs.” Writing class are required for all students, so Annenberg could fit some of their curriculum into the writing programs. Annenberg would attract more attention from students if they gave them the opportunity to see what it would be like to be in the Annenberg school.

Part of USC's strategic plan refers to “providing unique opportunities for career preparation,” and Annenberg has many clubs that can help reach this goal. Although my experience with one of Annenberg’s club TriSight Communications at the right, a student run public relations firm, was not what I was expecting. I felt I could have contributed more to my group and taken more from the experience, but the group did not need a lot of my assistance. It would be beneficial to TriSight Communications and the students if Annenberg could institute a rule or guideline that ensured each person was allowed to contribute as much as they wanted to. I had hoped to have a very active role and get a lot of hands on experience; instead I did a lot of observing.

I wanted to gain more insight into how other colleges’ journalism schools are set up and what their public relations majors are like. I searched through the Association of American Universities and found that a lot of colleges do not even have journalism schools. The colleges I found that did have journalism school did not have public relations as a major. Indiana University’s Journalism school does not have a public relations major, but they do offer class that teach the writing and principles of public relations. The schools emblem can be seen at the left. Although Indiana University’s public relations classes cannot teach as much detail and hands on experience as Annenberg’s major program, the classes do instruct students on managerial issues, client relations, and budgets. I have not heard of an Annenberg public relations class that teaches these elements. Now I have not taken all of my public relations classes, so I may not be aware that I will learn about these ideas in the future. I do know that Indiana University made mention of clients and budgets in their course descriptions, and Annenberg did not. It is important to know all of the public relations practices that Annenberg bestows on their students, but it is also important to know about the details that will make it easier to get through the day. Annenberg might want to consider incorporating these ideas into their curriculum; it may be a good idea to create another elective class based on them.

After researching and exploring ideas for this post, I realized the Annenberg School of Journalism has an excellent public relations program. They have set up a great curriculum and strongly encourage their students to get involved outside of the classroom. I feel they are meeting the requirements of USC’s mission statement.

PR Firms’ Websites: Are They Webby Award Worthy?

I would image a person who works in one of the most prominent public relations firms would advise their client on the importance of a website. It is no secret that the World Wide Web is here to stay; and anyone who has not jumped on its bandwagon will soon be left in the dust. The real question is whether the PR field is practicing what it preaches? Are the world’s top public relations firms designing innovative websites that attract potential clients and employees? Using the guidelines supplied by The Webby Awards (its logo can be seen left) I analyzed a powerful public relations firm’s website in order to uncover its effectiveness. “The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet,” and they judge a website based on its proficiency in six categories; content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity, and overall experience. My findings varied from less than mediocre to exceptional, but overall my impression was positive.

The firm whose website was under my microscope was Weber Shandwick Worldwide; its logo and motto is shown at the right. According to Odwyerpr.com, “Weber Shandwick is one of the world’s leading global public relations firms” and its clientele includes American Airlines, The Coca-Cola Company, Microsoft, the U.S. Army, and many more. With such a successful list of clients, Weber Shandwick should have an amazing website that anyone can navigate and enjoy. After spending a while searching the site, I found the aesthetics to be displeasing. The Webby Awards believe the design of the website should communicate “a visual experience... may even take your breath away.” The Weber Shandwick website does not take my breath away. The color scheme is appealing to the eye, but the layout of the page itself does not make sense or good use of the available space. At the homepage, all of the text is flush to the left, and there is a vast white blank spot at the right. The font size is smaller and harder to read, and there is another awkward blank spot in the middle of the page. An image would fit in the spot which is surrounded by news stories on the left and a mission statement on right. After I examined the homepage, I continued to explore. The colors and the pictures changed, but they did nothing to enhance the content of the website. In public relations, everything needs to be catered towards capturing the audience, and I feel this website does not do that.

Despite lacking visual appeal, the website does offer an immense amount of fascinating information and resources. The content is plentiful within the site, and it is easy to navigate. The Webby Awards feel “good navigation gets you where you want to go quickly and offer easy access to the breadth and depth of the site’s content.” All of the information is grouped into seven different categories ranging from "about us" to "contact" and then the information is broken down within each category. What makes this website superb is that it continues to promote the company. At the bottom of the page, Weber Shandwick lists its recent awards. By doing so, the firm is constantly reminding the viewer that they are the best; and that is good public relations for them. One problem I have with the site, though, is that I was unable to find a list of the firm's client prestigious clients. Acknowledging its clients would be another smart public relations move for the company. Although the website does lack this list, the rest of the information creates an enjoyable experience that is stress free to navigate.

The last category the Webby Awards focus on is overall experience. Overall experience “includes the intangibles that make one stay or leave.” Weber Shandwick’s website has many of these “intangibles,” one of them being the reputation Rx link. Reputation Rx "provide[s] you with the laest news, information, insights, and resources on the care and repair of reputations." This link adds to Weber Shandwick’s site, but it extends beyond the facts of the company and allows the onlooker to receive a closer look into the field of public relations. It is the detailed addition of useful information that makes the Weber Shandwick website beneficial and Webby Award worthy in some aspects. The website is not perfect, but in the end, it is impressive.

The Damage is Done: Now JetBlue’s PR Team Must Clean Up the Mess

There is no question that running an airline is a difficult task; dealing with scheduling, impatient customers, and unpredictable weather conditions can create an extremely stressful situation. JetBlue, whose logo can be seen at the left, is no stranger to this situation considering the breakdown their airlines had about a week ago. Now is the time when JetBlue needs to communicate with its customers and reestablish a sense on trust. I thought it would be interesting to examine how different public relations professionals would handle the JetBlue dilemma. Jeanne Bliss, a customer leadership all-star who has worked for Microsoft, Allstate Corporations, and other businesses, lists the improvements that JetBlue needs to make in her blog MarketingProfs: Daily Fix. She stresses that JetBlue has to accept responsibility for the collapse in communication and reimburse their customers. In BrandSimple, Allen P. Adamson whose managing director of the New York office of Landor Associates advised JetBlue to expand beyond clearing the mess and find a model that will succeed for the growing size of their company. As a student of public relations, I could not find more current of a case study then JetBlue’s cancellation crisis, and I look forward to seeing how they proceed with their crisis management. Bliss and Adamson offer fascinating insight on what JetBlue should do and my comments to their blogs can be found below.

My comment to Jeanne Bliss’ blog:
I believe you have created an excellent outline for JetBule to follow. I agree that the company must take full responsibility for the lapse in communication, and do so in a humbling manner. If I was working for JetBlue, I would focus more on steps nine and ten of the steps you laid out. It will not be enough to say sorry for their mistake; now the company has to ensure that nothing similar to this instance will happen again. Before this past week, JetBlue stood apart from the rest of the bigger airlines who occasionally have horrendous time delays, but not anymore. JetBlue has the daunting task of gaining their customers trust back. I think the company should start a new advertising campaign describing how JetBlue is bigger yet better. The company needs to multitask by apologizing for what happened and by showing how another incident like the one that recently occurred is no longer a feasible option at JetBlue.

My comment to Allen P. Adamson’s blog:
It is true that JetBlue is expanding and they need to create a business plan that works for the growing size of their company. Although in order to do so, I believe JetBlue needs to reflect on their past business model and see what went wrong. JetBlue’s focus was on their brand and the image they portrayed. You said that JetBlue followed its brand’s image and made “flying fun, from its airfares to personnel.” If JetBlue had already established great personnel then why was there so much tension between the personnel and the passengers? The passengers to the right do not look like they are having fun. Granted emotions were high and people get fired up, but the personnel should have been trained to handle the situation. I am sure JetBlue will establish a new way to represent their brand, but they need to ensure that they will live up to what they create. In order to do this and gain the public’s trust again, JetBlue must explain why their original brand image failed in the first place.