PMG Public Relations

Meet Our Summer Interns: Heather Barrett

Posted on 15. Jul, 2011 by PMGpr

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

PMGer: Heather Barrett

On Twitter: @hbarrettsays

Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Tom Kupfer

Background? My name is Heather.  I am a Mass Communications major entering my last semester at Champlain College.

Why are you doing this internship? As a Mass Communication student, I have taken a variety of courses in marketing, advertising, and public relations.  These courses have provided me with the base knowledge in each section, but I found myself wanting a hands-on experience.  With an internship, I knew that I would learn more than I ever could in a classroom, and that the knowledge would be invaluable.

What do you expect to gain from this internship? From this experience, I expect to learn more about working for a public relations agency.  Working for more than one client, I expect to learn a variety of tools to better fine tune public relations to work for each individual company.  In addition, I expect to improve my writing skills.

What are your views on PMG? I was first attracted to PMG because they are devoted to working with socially responsible clients.  I also read the Q&A with Nicole and Ken before I applied, and I thought that my personal interests would connect with PMG.  After starting my internship in June, my impressions of PMG proved to be true.  PMGer’s are all extremely hard-working people who have a passion for public relations. I also really like having an office dog ☺.

What’s it like working with your mentor? At PMG part of the internship experience is to work hands on.  So, instead of fetching coffee for Tom, I have been able to create media lists, write pitches, and follow up directly with media outlets.  Tom always has a clear vision as to what needs to be completed, and is willing to provide valuable feedback.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.?

• Always work hard and do your best.
• Remember that writing is a skill that takes a lot of practice.  A first draft will need to be edited, so be open to feedback!
• Your mentors are busy, so it may seem intimidating to ask them for help, but don’t be afraid.  That’s what they’re here for! Pester away.

Consider Your Audience

Posted on 14. Jul, 2011 by Nicole Ravlin

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Burlington Business Association event this morning. The theme of the event was “Marketing in the New Media World: The Best of the Old With the New”. I was part of a panel of speakers which included data and measurement master, Gahlord Dewald of Thoughtfaucet, Alex Martin of WCAX-TV and Kathy Soulia of FreePress Media — both who talked about how their clients are considering the mix of available media.

When prepping for this morning, time was certainly a consideration; I was given five minutes to talk about the “big picture”. I decided to focus on demographics with a keen eye on generations and what types of media they are consuming or will consume.

Here are the slides that I used which outline the generations:

WOW. Five minutes went REALLY fast.

My goal was to breakdown each generation and discuss which channels (old and new) that marketers could consider, starting with the Greatest Generation and ending with the Alpha Generation (born 2010 to early 2020s). Sadly time would not allow for a deep dive, but the net/net is that the only generation that is not using social channels right now is the Greatest Generation. And while the Silent Generation is using some channels, they are mostly there to keep up with their children and grandchildren – so they are not as susceptible to marketing messages.

Lastly, in the Q&A I mentioned the brilliant direct marketing campaign that AT&T did (and all other phone companies fell into step with – remember MCI?!) of mailing people checks. I misspoke: the agency that developed that concept was Digitas of Boston, not Hill Holiday (thanks to Ken for the correction). The point that I was trying to make still is valid though: if you are going to send email blasts and you want people to read them, give them an offer and be consistent in providing an offer so people feel incented to read your news.

Meet Our Summer Interns: Selma Basic

Posted on 06. Jul, 2011 by PMGpr

Meet Our Summer Interns: Selma Basic

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

PMGer: Selma Basic
On Twitter: @Selmander89
Position at PMG: Intern with PMG co-founder Nicole Ravlin

Background? My name is Selma Basic. I am a senior at the New England School of Communications (NESCom), located in beautiful Bangor, Maine. I am working on my Bachelors degree in communications with a concentration in Marketing. I chose the communications field because I get a chance to exercise many different aspects of the field, such as: advertising, marketing, public relations, graphic design, photography,  and video production – over the years at Nescom I have gained skills in all these fields. When I was asked to intern at PMG I was excited to be granted with an opportunity to increase my knowledge of public relations.

Why are you doing this internship? Last semester I joined the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), this organizations has really sparked my interested in the public relations field. Hence why I’m here! PMG is the hands on experience I’ve been looking for. From day one I dove right into writing press releases and doing media lists. PMG is giving me the opportunity to challenge myself and put my skills to the test! This is no internship where you run around fetching coffee and donuts for your boss… At PMG you do real work for real clients!

What do you expect to gain from this internship? By doing this internship I am gaining a variety of skills in public relations, which will help me continue to do well in PRSSA and eventually my career.  Is public relations the job for me? That’s what I’m here for to find out! I definitely have a passion for writing and PR is something I’ve always wanted to give a try.

What are your views on PMG? PMG stands for People Making Good, which is the first reason I wanted to know more about this firm. I like and respect the philosophy of helping promote healthy brands. PMG is an exceptionally comfortable environment where I feel free to be myself and express my skills. PMG is doing good things for good companies and I want to be a part of that.

What’s it like working with your mentor? Here at PMG I am surrounded by wonderful people. My mentor, Nicole Ravlin, being one of them. Nicole is super friendly, outgoing and most importantly, has a sense of humor. What’s a workplace when it’s strictly business 24/7? It’s no fun! Here at PMG we get our work done but we also know how to relax and enjoy ourselves; I personally find that extremely important in a work environment. As for working with Nicole, it’s great to have a mentor help you out! She always makes sure I know exactly what to do, she gives me some great advice on how to improve my work and she lets me enjoy some variety in the tasks I do.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.? Future interns! If you are looking for an internship in public relations and you are within the Burlington area, I would definitely recommend PMG. So far I have written press releases, pitches, done plenty of media lists and am currently working on social media. Be aware that PR requires a little bit of everything I just mentioned. So prepare yourself to do some multitasking and lots of different projects. DON’T be afraid to ask your mentor for help! that’s what they’re here for. Also, remember to always revise your work. Make sure at least three pairs of eyes read your work before you send it out to a client. And last but not least, enjoy your internship! you are learning from people who are doing what you want to do in the future, there is no better way of learning than by following the footsteps of your mentor. Take all the mental notes you can, practice your writing skills, observe, listen, and always give your best!

Will You Be My Friend?

Posted on 28. Jun, 2011 by Nicole Ravlin

I’m stuck not knowing what to do, here. On an almost daily basis I am getting friend requests from people I have not met before – or, at least I don’t think I have. You see, I do a lot of public speaking, guest lectures at colleges, and attend many networking events. I blog, tweet, and publish my writing whenever I can. So, one might say I am a pretty public person. Though I would not consider myself a “public figure”.

Here’s the issue: with all of these new found “friends”, who I will enjoy getting to know and network with, how do I manage my privacy? I have a family and friends who I share information with about life, post pictures, etc. that I do not necessarily want to share with the general public.

At first, I was managing this well. I only used Facebook for actual friends and drove all professional contacts to LinkedIn. Then I started confirming friend requests of associates, clients and people I met at trade shows and events. I created groups and went through and tagged each person (a tedious task), and then set permissions. This worked… for awhile. I found that this could be a cumbersome process and made me evaluate each and every person. I had (or still have) too many categories or buckets to qualify people into and they are starting to become too mixed.

Some people manage their social media connections with the “accept everyone” mentality. That is just not for me. Others have set parameters for the various tools, similar to how I was managing Facebook and LinkedIn previously. Scott Monty, head of social media for Ford Motor Company, has done this on LinkedIn stating he will only accept connections who he has personally met. Given how LinkedIn works, this is a good idea. After all if you accept someone into your circle, they can network with your other connections. Spelling it out in your profile is a great idea. Scott has also established a Facebook profile and a public figure Facebook page for himself.

By no means do I have Scott’s following or have I achieved any sort of celebrity, but I think he’s on to something here.

So, I’m going to organize my social presence as follows:

• Facebook personal page: a place where I communicate with friends and family and share my non business life
• Facebook public figure page: a place where I share my business life, stories, failures, successes, and engage with people I connect with professionally. Family pictures and stories will be spared from this page
• LinkedIn: a place where I network with people that I have met and would be happy to make connections with and for

And then the dozens of other channels will remain open as they have been.

How do you manage your online profiles? Any tricks or tips you can share?

We’re Going With Word of Mouth

Posted on 28. Oct, 2010 by Nicole Ravlin

I was out to dinner this week at a new restaurant in town with a couple of friends. We had a great time, enjoyed the atmosphere and food. The owner of the establishment came to the table and asked for feedback, which we gladly offered. The owner then went on to let us know that she would do “no advertising. At least that is not planned for the immediate future.”

The rest of the conversation went like this:

Me: Have you thought about using social media?

Restaurant Owner (RO): Um. Yeah, but we’re not going to do that. We’re going to rely on word of mouth.

Me: Oh. Do you have social media accounts built?

RO: No. Maybe sometime in the future but not now.

Me: You know, there are a few restaurant businesses in the area who opened within the past year and used social media to help build their business and increase the buzz around their openings.

RO: Yeah. We’re not going to do any advertising or social media at this time.

At this point the conversation ended.

No advertising. No social media. Basically, no marketing planned to help support the opening of the restaurant. Opening a restaurant is hard… being successful in the business is really hard. If you invest the money in a restaurant, why would you not take every opportunity to get butts in seats and feed the people?

I get that this business owner is trying to rely on people telling their friends, but in this day and age, these people are telling their friends in person, on the phone, via text and online through social sites. Why not tap into those? They are mostly free to use, except for your time.

My friends and I left and walked through the crisp evening air to our cars. We discussed how odd it was that there was no marketing – and more so, that the owner would not use Facebook at the very least to engage with the local public. We said our goodbyes and drove away.

Now 24-hours later I am still thinking about this interaction and am anxious to watch what happens to this little gem of a restaurant. I did tell at least five people about the food and recommended the restaurant. And I did not use social media to do so. I did, however, check in on Foursquare while there and tweeted a reply to a coworker about the food. So the “word of mouth” in the way that the restaurant owner wanted it to play out is happening. And, she is getting some benefit from social media – though she does not have to put in the effort to be part of the conversation. I just can’t help but wonder if the restaurant had their own presence on the mainstream social channels if they would have more customers.

It will be interesting to watch unfold.

If you are a restaurateur starting out and need some help in social media, I recommend checking out this site. You can also view this quick interview with Sarah Evans on “how to use social media in the restaurant biz”.

Bad Design or Brilliant Campaign?

Posted on 08. Oct, 2010 by Nicole Ravlin

You probably have seen it – the new Gap logo. If not, here it is:

This is the “old” logo, just as a point of reference:

The Christian Science Monitor reports that Gap customers are not happy about the change. But, from where I sit, it is actually an interesting campaign. It has created a ton of conversation around the brand in the media at a time when retailers are readying themselves for the holiday shopping season.

Facebook and Twitter are a-buzz with customers giving their opinions and predicting what will happen next. The Gap CEO was interviewed by the Huffington Post and said that customers could share their own designs.

Other sites have popped up where you can make your own Gap inspired logo. I made one for myself:

Will the new logo remain or will the company revert to the traditional logo? That remains to be seen. What I do know is, until I see the new logo on Gap bags coming out of the local mall, this has certainly been a great marketing example of how to get people talking about and engaging with you.

New shoes…

Posted on 21. Sep, 2010 by Nicole Ravlin

Ok – as you may have noticed it is all about the shoes with me… from cobblers to Jimmy Choos – I seem to reference them a lot!

What you should notice is our new look! The PMG blog has had a little time at the spa and now has a brand sparkle! As the old saying goes, “baby needs new shoes!” Well, she got ‘em!

A HUGE thanks goes to Lara Dickson of Deep Dish Creates for doing our blog makeover.

Not that we need to revisit the past, but if you want to see where we came from, click here.

Would love to hear your thoughts on the look and feel. In the future, you’ll soon see more of our PMGers posting here as well as more frequent thoughts and updates from Ken and me. If you had subscribed to our blog in the past, you may want to update the feed – as we have moved the blog onto our company website… you can do this by pressing the handy orange button at the top.

We’re glad you’re here.