You'd have to locked away in a bunker without Internet connection to have not heard about Tiger Woods and his most recent PR crisis turned nightmare.
And Serena Williams just keeps adding up the fines with her potty mouth and poor sportsmanship attitudes.
And, even though I don't watch it myself, the amount of fights on the ice during hockey games has rocketed this year, even in loo of the death of a NHL player last season.
But is this sudden and wide spread "bad behaviour" a new trend athletes follow to get free, if not negitive press, or is it an old habit that has been endulged and accepted over the years by journalist and the PR professionals whose job it is to spin the sordid details or in some cases sweep them under the carpet.
My favourite athletic bad boy is tennis' "SuperBrat", John McEnroe.
The only man who can make smashing a racket on the court famous.lol
British tabloids and papers made McEnroe's performance at Wimbleton infamous, and giving the tennis star a shot of negitive re-enforcement.
Every parent on the planet knows a child who lashes out is seeking attention and negitive attention is still attention...the same can be said for bad press coverage...it's still getting the athletes name in the paper, and a bazillion hits on youtube.
According to an article from MediaPost.com given fans idolitry they welcome fans back into the fold, then the brand they edorse shortly after.
"It's as if there is a formula for an athlete's endorsement recovery based on the individuals status, character, ability and the nature of the crime," said presidetn and CEO of SportsBrandedMedia, John Meindl.
So with fans, journalist and even public relations professionals accepting unacceptable behaviour from athletes it appears the tradition of jocks gone bad will continue if not grow worse.
til next time,
b.sweet
Thursday, December 10, 2009
It's all about me...:D
As I've been having an extra ordinary semester, I thought I misght take a moment and discuss some of the things that have been happening, and how they have affect my experience in my PR program.
To start, taking Public Relations ended up being a last minute decision, literally. I decided to come back the day of orientation.
The biggest hurdle was finding a place to stay while I worked our residence and OSAP. Luckily I have amazing friends and was able to work something out.
I then discovered I was pulling about a 90% in the course and decided to shoot for Dean's List at that percentage.
In about mid-October, after having issues with swelling of the feet and ankles on several occasions, the doctor finally told me he felt I had Edema Lymphoma, and my world turned upside down.
I went for "Lymphoma what?" to being an overnight expert on how my lymphatic system works.
In brief, what happens is the drainage in my lymphatic cells is blocked and the toxins are left to recirculate throughout my body through my blood, causing blood posioning leading to swelling and over time can possibly cause lymphoma (cancer).
This has also caused me to miss a boat load of classes due to exhaustion (my white cells are fighting the toxins), and the swelling in my feet/ankles.
This also caused me to fall behind on assignments, and in one instance a 32 hour all-nighter work session to get caught up.
What's this have to do with PR you ask?
My experiences have taught me how to ask for donations, take a positive situation and market it, and crisis control.
I've learned tht public relations isn't limited to board rooms, and press releases...it's an everyday all day way of life. it's just up to you how you choose to roll with the punches.
Til next time,
b.sweet
To start, taking Public Relations ended up being a last minute decision, literally. I decided to come back the day of orientation.
The biggest hurdle was finding a place to stay while I worked our residence and OSAP. Luckily I have amazing friends and was able to work something out.
I then discovered I was pulling about a 90% in the course and decided to shoot for Dean's List at that percentage.
In about mid-October, after having issues with swelling of the feet and ankles on several occasions, the doctor finally told me he felt I had Edema Lymphoma, and my world turned upside down.
I went for "Lymphoma what?" to being an overnight expert on how my lymphatic system works.
In brief, what happens is the drainage in my lymphatic cells is blocked and the toxins are left to recirculate throughout my body through my blood, causing blood posioning leading to swelling and over time can possibly cause lymphoma (cancer).
This has also caused me to miss a boat load of classes due to exhaustion (my white cells are fighting the toxins), and the swelling in my feet/ankles.
This also caused me to fall behind on assignments, and in one instance a 32 hour all-nighter work session to get caught up.
What's this have to do with PR you ask?
My experiences have taught me how to ask for donations, take a positive situation and market it, and crisis control.
I've learned tht public relations isn't limited to board rooms, and press releases...it's an everyday all day way of life. it's just up to you how you choose to roll with the punches.
Til next time,
b.sweet
Mall Crawl
I'm not here to beat a dead horse or to put anyone down, but rather to share my thoughts on what was supposed to be a fun outing for my PR class.
As anyone who knows me can tell you, I've been dealing with health related issues since about October, and thus have missed out on several "fun" events and guest speakers.
So when I heard my class was doing a "Mall Crawl", I was deteremined to not miss another "fun" event, even though I was scheduled for an echocardiogram that day.
After much rushing around, and last minute carpool dibbing, I was off to what I hoped would be an afternoon of fun with classmates and friends at the mall.
The atmosphere to start was laced with excitement, adrenaline, and good humour.
Our class, being a touch on the competitive side, raced foward from our starting and finishing line at Toys 'R' Us at the Quinte Mall, in search of our starting locations for the mall wide PR related scavanger hunt.
After the initial burst my group stuck to a brisk walk, breaking up only once to obtain answers from opposite ends of the mall.
Upon arrival, and completion at Toys 'R' Us our group (not the offical winners but still, we had fun) discovered that our group in large were being asked to leave the mall due to lack of prior notice, and some instances of poor judgement.
Now as I said, I'm not here to point fingers but rather to share my point of view of the days events.
I personally feel that what was and should have been a fun and great learning experience was tarnished by a simple miscommunication, and competitive spirit on steroids.
I also believe the negitive fallout after was, and is, uncalled for, but then again, when you have a group of students coming from such diverse and competitve backgrounds such as this years PR class, I guess strong emotions and stubborn opinions are to be expected.
What saddens me the most, is that what was to bring us together has tore us apart, and warped the entire dynamic of our class, leaving one feeling the nedd to chose sides.
As one who would rather be an outcast then chose a side, I'm hoping that disscussions held later today can begin mending what was.
til next time,
b.sweet
As anyone who knows me can tell you, I've been dealing with health related issues since about October, and thus have missed out on several "fun" events and guest speakers.
So when I heard my class was doing a "Mall Crawl", I was deteremined to not miss another "fun" event, even though I was scheduled for an echocardiogram that day.
After much rushing around, and last minute carpool dibbing, I was off to what I hoped would be an afternoon of fun with classmates and friends at the mall.
The atmosphere to start was laced with excitement, adrenaline, and good humour.
Our class, being a touch on the competitive side, raced foward from our starting and finishing line at Toys 'R' Us at the Quinte Mall, in search of our starting locations for the mall wide PR related scavanger hunt.
After the initial burst my group stuck to a brisk walk, breaking up only once to obtain answers from opposite ends of the mall.
Upon arrival, and completion at Toys 'R' Us our group (not the offical winners but still, we had fun) discovered that our group in large were being asked to leave the mall due to lack of prior notice, and some instances of poor judgement.
Now as I said, I'm not here to point fingers but rather to share my point of view of the days events.
I personally feel that what was and should have been a fun and great learning experience was tarnished by a simple miscommunication, and competitive spirit on steroids.
I also believe the negitive fallout after was, and is, uncalled for, but then again, when you have a group of students coming from such diverse and competitve backgrounds such as this years PR class, I guess strong emotions and stubborn opinions are to be expected.
What saddens me the most, is that what was to bring us together has tore us apart, and warped the entire dynamic of our class, leaving one feeling the nedd to chose sides.
As one who would rather be an outcast then chose a side, I'm hoping that disscussions held later today can begin mending what was.
til next time,
b.sweet
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Lose weight or you won't graduate?
For most students, going to college or university is a challenging feet all on it's own. With some programs having dropout rates of 50% or higher, it seems unthinkable to add any extra or unnecessary requirements for students to meet.
But at Lincoln University, that's exactly what they're doing.
But at Lincoln University, that's exactly what they're doing.
A relatively new rule imposed in 2006 is finally about to take affect with this years graduates.
The rule stipulates that any student considered to have a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater must take a fitness course that meets three times a week. If you are assigned to the course, but fail to complete it, you don't get to graduate.
The train of thought behind this somewhat ridiculous stipulation, is that "as educators, we must tell students when we believe, in our heart of hearts, that when certain factors, certain behaviours, attitudes, whatever, are going to hinder that student from achieving and maximizing their life goals," said James DeBoy, chairman of the school's Department of health and Physical Education.
What I can't help but thinking is, this is a stupid move on Lincoln University's part.
Speaking as a woman who is, and has always been, heavy set and considered "obese", what student, coming from a similar background, is going to take the chance that after four years of hard and diligent work, still may not graduate because they don't fit into a size 14 dress/suit?
This new rule shows a blatant discrimination towards, clinically termed, "obese" men and women.
A fact Tiana Lawson, an honour student at Lincoln, brought to attention after writing an editorial published in the school's paper, The Lincolnian.
"I didn't come to Lincoln to be told that my weight is not in an acceptable range," wrote Lawson. "I came here to get an education, which as a three-time honour student, is something I have been doing quite well, despite the despite the fact that I have a slightly high Body Mass Index."
I think it's time Lincoln University open their eye's and get with the program.
According to a new weight control report published by American Sports Data Inc., 31% of Americans are "obese" with an BMI in excess of 30.0.
That's 31% of Lincolns target audience who just might think twice about attend a school who makes it just that much harder to graduate.
Not a wise decision if you ask me.
til next time,
b.sweet.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Hard to reach - Giant Tigers poor communications model
My mother is 64 years old, can barely walk and has no mode of transportation.
With this in mind, my mother will often call a store in advance to see if a particular item is available or in stock. Recently this now common place occurrence caused a bit of a stir in our home.
My mother has wanted a crock pot for about as long as I can remember, and low and behold Giant Tiger recently had them on sale. My mother, the savvy phone shopper, attempted to call the store to ask if they still had any in stock and would they please hold one for her until she could arrange a pick up.
But it was not that simple this time, for you see, Giant Tiger doesn't list their phone number in the telephone book. More over they don't even list it on their contact or store locator pages of their website.
When I heard this the first thing I thought was "where is the 'public' relations in that"?
It seem almost, dare I say stupid, for a company that is upheld by and caters to the public to place a barrier like that between them.
Needless to say this didn't go over well, and a neighbour of ours actually drove into town and had some stern words for the management of the Kingston store.
This resulted in another gaffe on the retail giants part.
In an effort to appease my neighbour, the store took my mothers name and number, promising to not only call and take my mothers order over the phone, but to deliver it to her.
It seems to me Giant Tiger has some giant issues with the way they relate to their customers that needs addressing.
til next time,
b.sweet
p.s. My mother finally got a call and will be receiving her crock pot by delivery tomorrow. As well my neighbour was told to come in to the store, and upon arrival, was presented with a $10 gift certificate for not only her but one for my mother as well.
It seems the company is undergoing some changes in the way they relate to the public through their website, and phone numbers are being set-up as well.
Glad to see this company hasn't forgotten who their target audience is or how to connect with them.
With this in mind, my mother will often call a store in advance to see if a particular item is available or in stock. Recently this now common place occurrence caused a bit of a stir in our home.
My mother has wanted a crock pot for about as long as I can remember, and low and behold Giant Tiger recently had them on sale. My mother, the savvy phone shopper, attempted to call the store to ask if they still had any in stock and would they please hold one for her until she could arrange a pick up.
But it was not that simple this time, for you see, Giant Tiger doesn't list their phone number in the telephone book. More over they don't even list it on their contact or store locator pages of their website.
When I heard this the first thing I thought was "where is the 'public' relations in that"?
It seem almost, dare I say stupid, for a company that is upheld by and caters to the public to place a barrier like that between them.
Needless to say this didn't go over well, and a neighbour of ours actually drove into town and had some stern words for the management of the Kingston store.
This resulted in another gaffe on the retail giants part.
In an effort to appease my neighbour, the store took my mothers name and number, promising to not only call and take my mothers order over the phone, but to deliver it to her.
It seems to me Giant Tiger has some giant issues with the way they relate to their customers that needs addressing.
til next time,
b.sweet
p.s. My mother finally got a call and will be receiving her crock pot by delivery tomorrow. As well my neighbour was told to come in to the store, and upon arrival, was presented with a $10 gift certificate for not only her but one for my mother as well.
It seems the company is undergoing some changes in the way they relate to the public through their website, and phone numbers are being set-up as well.
Glad to see this company hasn't forgotten who their target audience is or how to connect with them.
Two down, two to go
OK, so I'll make no bones about it, this is a New Moon rant/review disguised as a PR blog... ;D
It starts with a question, "What team are you on?" and it goes from there.
Whether you're flying a Team Edward, or a Team Jacob flag, or call yourself a TwiHard, Twilighter or just attend Vamp Camp, everyone on the planet (unless you live under a rock) knows exactly what I mean.
Having read the books, seen the movies, and personally counting myself among those on Team Jacob, I can tell you that I was very pleasantly surprised by New Moon.
With a great sound track, improved acting, and better filming over all (mostly due to the bigger filming budget after the success of Twilight) New Moon not only satisfied my Twilight needs but left me wanting more.
The cliffhanger ending, I have to say, just did it for me. I can't think of a better possible way to have ended this part of the ongoing saga, then having Edward propose, zooming in on Bella and then cutting on her breathless gasp... perfection.
This ending has to be the best beginning point for a PR/advertising campaign going into the Eclipse hype.
With the added hype around the films June release, reminiscent The Matrix saga, Eclipse is set to start it's promotion campaign with a running start.
I can already see the trailer on YouTube starting with the gasp that had everyone talking as they left the theatre, and moving through the stories high points. I can see the posters with either a kneeling Edward and a confused Bella looking away at Jacob or the classic tug of war pose with Bella in the middle.
I can see the Midnight movie premiere lines forming now.
Granted, it's not a hard sell amongst fans, many already planning their schedule for June 30 to coincide with the release of Eclipse into theatres.
The question now, with two films out, the release of the third nearing, and the saga almost ended... what and/or how will TwiHards do once it's all over for good?
Til next time lovelies,
b.sweet
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