BranchOut is Branching Out

 With April coming to an end, and May beginning with graduations and the anticipation of Senior year, I thought it was necessary for me to share LinkedIn’s new competitor. BranchOut is a new and upcoming social network that is quickly creeping up on the LinkedIn idea but has one competitive advantage over the established app: A partnership with Facebook.

After only 2 years, BranchOut has 25 million users, which doesn’t seem like a big deal compared to the 150 million LinkedIn users, but with Facebook’s 850 million users, it is only a matter of time for BranchOut to surpass LinkedIn. Especially since it has the exact same features plus more. So what does a partnership with Facebook entail? Unlike the LinkedIn application, BranchOut allows you to austomatically connect with all Facebook friends on BranchOut instead of having to individually invite or search your colleagues. Your network becomes instantly larger than it would be on LinkedIn right when you create your account.

I don't know about you but with the amount of time I already spend on social media, something that is going to make it a little less time consuming sounds like a great idea to me. I’m hoping the new BranchOut app becomes something big, and I will for sure become a user.

Not So Secret, Secret Service

Eleven Secret Service Members employees are now the center of an investigation of there actions when bringing home prostitutes to their hotel in Columbia while they were supposedly pre-screening the area for a visit by Obama at the end of the week. So my question to you is…How can men smart enough to be members of the secret service and protect the most important political figure in our country be so dumb as to think that they are secretive enough to bring home prostitutes and not get caught?

Turns out they aren’t the only ones, and now more individuals linked to the investigation are expected to resign or be fired by the end of the week. Is being part of the secret service such a lonely job that this is necessary? Not only does this make them look absolutely ridiculous, but it also says a lot about the men who protect the man leading our country. As if we needed anything else to make us look inferior to the rest of the world.

Media Mentality

After the completion of my Advertising Media project this morning, a weight has finally been lifted off of my shoulders after weeks of preparation and long group meetings, but I still seem to have the media mentality. One of the first articles that grabbed my attention when looking for inspiration to blog about was the inefficiency of advertising on Facebook compared to Twitter, yet Facebook is about to be valued at $100 billion after it’s IPO and Twitter is nowhere close to this step. After a month of extensive research about media outlets and advertisements, I wish this article would have come out a little earlier. It could have been quite helpful about 24 hours ago!

Interesting enough, seems like the big guy, Facebook, is taking some lessons from its little friend, Twitter. Twitter’s advertisements seem to have a much higher click through rate than Facebook because of their ability to integrate brands into user’s twitter feeds instead of having them off to the side like Facebook. Lets be honest…any person who has been using the internet longer than a couple weeks automatically knows not to pay attention to the right hand side full of advertisments.

From what the article reports, advertisements in a person’s newsfeed could be in the near future, so warning now: Enjoy the advertisement-free zone while you can!

Obama's Opinion

Lately, I feel like Obama has been putting his professional opinion towards his not so specialized field…..pop culture. This week Obama was featured commenting on his thoughts towards Kanye West for a second time, calling him a “Jackass” in a public interview, then was interviewed last week after making a comment that The Masters club should allow the membership as women as well as men.

Not to disrespect our President in any way, but has this always been normal for presidents to comment on pop culture and I just didn’t notice it or is this a new thing with the Obama administration? I don't know about you, but when I invision the President’s lifestyle, I don’t see there being much time to worry about anything but the worldly affairs, economic disasters, and threats of war from other countries. I understand that the President works very hard but I feel like the saying “Work Hard. Play Hard.” Refers to them playing after they are out of office.

That point aside. I wonder if anyone else finds it unprofessional and unnecessary for Obama to be calling Kanye West a “Jackass” not once, but twice to interviewers and the public.  Not that I think it is going to cause him a lot of grief or present a big crisis where everyone is offended, but I feel as if the President is someone that every person should be able to look up to at any time. He has two young daughters, and I’m sure he understands that someone in such a high status job, can have a lot of  influence no matter what he is saying. Even if Kanye West does deserve comments like that, I feel as though comments from the President on unimportant matters can make it seem to other countries that his real profession is not always his first priority.

Celebrity Shame

Recently, Whitney Houston’s autopsy results were uncovered to share with the world her cause of death and the prescription medications and white powdery substance, also known as cocaine, that ran throughout her bloodstream. It was a sad day for those who loved her and the millions of fans she had across the world.

The thing that is most sad of all is the fact that she will always be remembered by her fans as someone who overdosed on drugs and was troubled throughout a large portion of her life. Despite the 6 People’s choice awards, 6 Grammy awards, 22 American Music Awards and 30 Billboard Awards….just to name a few of her many accomplishments she received throughout her short lifetime, the last memory her fans will have of her is being pronounced dead at the Beverly Hills hotel.

Whitney Houston, along with several other celebrities including Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith who have recently passed away as well, will have reputations forever tainted by their actions throughout their private life. Whitney Houston is one of the most beautiful singers, and loved by all ages and people. It is a shame that after the beautiful songs and art they have created, the world jumps on them so quickly for actions they can no longer defend.

A Trip to the Masters

Usually sporting events are a time for advertisers to jump on the bandwagon and showcase all the hard work that have put forth this season. It is no secret that major sporting events like the Superbowl, NCAA championships and Playoffs are the prime time for advertising to take place. And unlike other times, the viewers watching these events usually look forward to seeing the creative advertisements as entertainment.

If you are any type of a sports fan, it’s hard not to notice the hype that comes with the Masters golf major event in Augusta, GA that is taking place right now. Lucky for me, I will be a first time attendee of the tournament this weekend but have had a few people give me insight into what to expect, and it was, well not what I was expecting at all.

The Masters, unlike any other sporting event, Is an advertisement free environment. When you order a Beer there is no Coors Light or Shiner or Dos Equis, instead you order a Light, Domestic, or Imported Beer all on tap in a non advertised cup. The sandwiches are still $2 like back in the olden days and no one knows where the food and snacks are catered from.

Interesting enough, no phones or cameras are allowed on the premises at all, and attempting to bring one in will cause you to lose your pass for the entire weekend. Even several players tweeted earlier this week that when they arrived in Augusta their phones were going off but thanked fans for their constant support. The only way to find out about the tournament is the news flowing from the PGA, ESPN and other news stations. After the whirlwind of projects and tests and the craziness life has brought me these last couple of weeks, A step into the past where I don’t have to have my phone attached to me at every second sounds like the perfect getaway weekend.

Apple in Austin

After a unanimous vote by City council for a tax break, Apple Inc. has announced they will be opening there very own “America’s Operation Center” in Austin, TX. According to The Daily Texan, this center will create 3,600 management, distribution, and advertising jobs in Austin. That is some pretty exciting news for someone like myself who is hoping to continue on as a Texan native working in either the PR or advertising industry.

While the center will initially cost the city of Austin $8.6 million in tax breaks, the $304 million dollar operations center will definitely be giving back to the community. Having the center in Austin, TX is going to be an exciting opportunity for not only University of Texas students but also graduates. In fact, this is a large reasoning for why Apple has decided to build the center here. With the Universities expertise in all of the needed departments, it was easy to decide that the city was fully capable of providing apple with the necessary specialists to make this center successful.

While I personally do not have the computer science or electrical engineering qualifications which may very well be needed to be a part of the “operations” for apple, with advertising jobs on the line as well this center seems to have opportunities for pretty much everyone.

Lucky for Austin the deal is “performance based” meaning Apple has to meet certain criteria for job availablitity and benefits in order for them to receive the tax breaks. Looks like Apple won’t be skipping out on their side of the bargain, so all you soon to be grads get your resumes and interview skills in tip top shape. Apple is coming to Austin!

Cartoon Controversy

It has been one of the most talked about controversies on campus for as long as I can remember. Forget the on again, off again campus wide elections that caused a stir the past couple of weeks…they don’t have anything on The Daily Texan’s latest published issue.

Tuesday’s issue, which featured a political cartoon of the Trayvon Martin case, has sparked quite the deserved debate across campus and The Daily Texan has been feeling the repercussions ever since. The cartoon has been scrutinized for picturing a judge calling Martin a “colored boy.” The cartoon artist Stephanie Eisner claimed that she was interpreting it as a “critique of media coverage surrounding the case, not racist.” After apologizing, she was fired from the Daily Texan board and has not released any further statements.

The editing board of the magazine all okayed the cartoon for publishing and never called the attention of their advisor to get a second opinion before publishing. I think the board, as well as other journalism students, learned a valuable lesson this week that although views of racism have changed, people are still as sensitive today as in the past and for a valid reason. While I think that the cartoon was a terrible representation of The University of Texas, the student run newspaper is a learning experience and the cartoon artist should not have been fired for her actions but instead taught the importance of representing all of the students at the university.

University of Texas Political Frenzy

It’s no surprise on The University of Texas campus that Madison Gardner and Antonio Guevara were reinstated to run in the student body presidential election on Monday night. As if the reasoning for their disqualification in the race wasn’t unfair enough, the university entering into a lawsuit with the candidates would have been more bad publicity for the entire event.

I was beginning to write this article when the race for Madison and Antonio took another turn, one they will not be able to come back from. Madison and Antonio have once again been suspended but this time for valid reasons the entire student body can respect. They faced charges of falsifying financial statements and failure to turn in receipts for their current website they are using to campaign.

With all this attention on Madison and Antonio, the real question is does anyone know what happened to the girl who appeared in their campaign photo that originally had them disqualified. Carissa Kelley, who was running for another university wide position, decided to run after taking part in campaign photos for Madison and Antonio, knowing that there was a rule that no candidates could be endorsing another. So why wasn't she the one getting all the negative attention and the one who’s suspension was made well known across campus?

I guess this just proves where the real news lies in our society. Good news only revolves around the public figures that our entire community is aware of. Think of the publicity Madison and Antonio’s suspension received. University organizations were supportive of the candidates and almost immediately began at work to help them be reinstated.

I have a feeling the reaction towards Carissa would not have been the same. No offense to her of course. Interesting how this has all panned out. No matter the circumstances it has just reinstated the idea in my mind that running for student government sounds like the most tedious job and not something that gives that much in return. Regardless of my personal thoughts, good luck to the remaining candidates!

Homeless Hotspots

While South by Southwest, is usually known for its continuous live music and film, this year, the festival got its most attention for neither of the two. Instead attendees and participators have geared their attention to the newest wi-fi campaign created for SXSW, “Homeless Hotspots.” Homeless men who agreed to participate were given t-shirts that said their name and that they were a hotspot and then were geared up with technology to provide SXSW guests with a wi-fi connection in the busy crowds where it was hard to find service.  All people had to do was give a small donation to the homeless man and they were given a connection.

Seems fair enough, right? The homeless people are provided with a job, festival attendees are given a wi-fi connection, and the mobile companies don't have to pay high fees to set up stations for employees to work and administer wi-fi. Think again. Critics were distraught by the idea of using homeless people to carry around a wi-fi connection. According to critics, this was using homeless people for a service, and not paying attention to the fact that they lead lives, stories, and have emotions.

So I pose the question….Why is it not okay for a homeless man to get paid to administer this service, but it would have gone completely unnoticed if a service provider’s actual employee was sitting at a station providing guests with a service? Wouldn’t that be using the employee for a service too? Yet out society finds absolutely no problem with that.

I think today critics are trying to find anything to tear down a company and their ingenious ideas. No matter the idea, it is always “looking down on a group of people” or “unethical.” This was a great way for the Austin community to employ those in need to better both the festival and their lives. I’ve worked with the homeless before and I’m pretty sure any opportunity they have to continue leading their normal lives and get paid for it, they would be more than happy to take part in.

A Positive Privilege

This week Southwest Airlines released the news that they will be giving $2.4 million worth of flights through the Medical Transportation Grant Program. The flights are given to individuals in need of transportation to travel in order to receive medical attention and treatment.

This grant program lies in a special part of my heart. Four years ago one of my good family friends, Taylor, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer only treated in St. Louis. Despite multiple trips to medical facilities in Dallas, as well as, M.D. Anderson, St. Louis was her only option. Taylor was one of three kids, with a family fighting to stay afloat in the overflow on medical bills that came their way. Southwest Airlines was there for each step of the journey.

Not only does Southwest have the opportunity to see the impact they are making, but they receive positive publicity on all media platforms. I have seen as many articles over the past few days about Southwest’s donations as I have other top news stories in the country. So I ask the question of why don't more companies give back to their communities?

Many companies today are so blessed financially and have the ability to give to those in need, but don't and why not? Why would a company not want the great publicity and reputation that comes along with philanthropic work? Beats me but after reading about the good Southwest does for its community, it is a no brainer for me. If I’m ever in charge one day, the publicity will just be a positive, doing philanthropic work will be a privilege.

Interview Anxiety

It’s that time of year when not only is does school seem to occupy the vast majority of student’s time but add the process of applying for jobs and internships and then anxiety levels at The University of Texas are skyrocketing. It’s one thing to have to worry about the grades you will get on your upcoming four tests in the next four days, but to have to worry about the job that may pave way for your future is a completely different story. This, I am currently experiencing first hand.

I’m beginning to see the importance and great amount of stress put on interviews. While resumes list your credentials and a little insight into what you have put your hard work toward, each company I have interviewed with has been more interested in the way I communicate both verbally and written than my actual past experience.

Research has been my best friend throughout the process (Jeff and Brittany would be happy to hear this). I feel if you know the company and what the position entails, you are able to be more confident in both yourself and how your accomplishments apply to the job.

Overall, I have found applying for internships to be a LONG waiting game. Considering I began the process in December and have finally reached the final rounds in February, I’d consider this to be a long awaited decision. Maybe it’s just my type of personality… I like to know my test grade right after I take it or have to know what a surprise is as soon as I find out there is actually a surprise.

So for all of you stressing and waiting for your future to be unveiled, remember you have prepared for this moment in time and everything happens for a reason. As for me, I will try and remind myself of this too.

The Takeover of Twitter

Today while searching through recent tweets by everyone I follow, I found an article by SimplyZesty explaining Why Twitter Has Become the Best/Worst Thing for TV. Now usually I would have skipped right over the twitter post by Cohn & Wolfe, an advertising agency in the Austin area, but seeing how blog posts are necessary for this PR class, I am always looking for new and interesting thoughts. Although this article was nothing like what I thought it was going to be about.

It summarizes how Twitter's ability to negatively criticize TV shows is becoming terrible for the TV industry. People have the ability to tweet their thoughts about a show more quickly than the show itself can have people tweeting back to control the conversation and defend itself. Consequently, people see the tweets about how unsatisfying the show was and decide not to waste their precious time viewing it. Twitter's fast paced ability to include everyone in the conversation is both a bad and good thing. It also has revitalized shows that were once not as popular to become a prevalent topic in the new age of the Twitter World.

So what did I think the article was going to be about? Knowing myself and the ways I use twitter, I watch TV less than ever before. By following accounts like CNN, The Daily Texan, and Austin news stations I feel more informed than ever. I can constantly catch up on what is going on in the world and read the articles on the go. As for advertisements, I follow the brands I find important in my life and get more information from their tweets than I do in any of their commercials. So naturally, I was thinking the article would take the position that Twitter is taking over TV, but I guess the more I think about it TV will always be necessary and will forever be a largely used advertising outlet.

Fun Fact: Did you know Twitter/Social Media is the number one thing people are giving up for the lent season this year according to multiple sources? Seriously...It's taking over our lives.

Texas Turmoil

It's not hard to miss if you turn on any news station or happen to look at any news website. It is the top story on CNN, google news, BBC news and many more. The Supreme Court has just recently announced that they will be hosting the Fisher v. Texas Case in October 2012. And yes, Texas as in The University of Texas.

Abigail Fisher, a soon to be college graduate from LSU, is suing the University of Texas and their use of affirmative action which caused her to be denied from the University after applying. Abigail was near the top 10% cut off and displayed all of the necessary credentials to be a UT student, yet like many students each year, she was not accepted into the University. Although in 2003 Universities were told they were allowed to take race into account to ensure academic diversity which was supposed to be a ruling held for the next 25 years, the Supreme court has surprisingly decided to take on this case meaning Abigail must have quite the argument.

Personally, I have always felt that it was unfair for racial questions to be mentioned on an application of any sort. I don't think it should matter what race you are. If you have the credentials to be a student there then you should get in, regardless of the background you come from. I think out of schools in Texas, UT has the best chance of having a diversified student body due to the top 10% rule. The top students from every school in the state of Texas are given the opportunity to attend UT, including schools in lower income areas to high paying private schools.

What I find most interesting about this whole scenario is how The University of Texas is going to handle this publicly. UT is no doubt being put in a negative light here in the majority of the reports and it will be fascinating to see how they overcome this crisis. If it is proven that the university has in fact been taking race into a large account of the application process, it could  prove that we haven't made as much progress in the fight against racial discrimination as we thought we have over the years.

Overload of "Love"

Valentine’s Day is the world’s largest advertising and PR campaign ever known to mankind. It had to have been created by the card, candy and flower companies to thrive in the middle months between Christmas and Easter when their only form of income is birthdays and anniversaries. I know what you’re thinking…She is just bitter because she is single. Nope, I have a boyfriend and participated in the Valentine’s Day festivities just like every other girl. I mean as much as I think it is a pointless holiday, I’m not going to pass up delivered flowers and a nice dinner out no matter what day it is.

Personally, I think that every day should be a Valentine’s Day in a relationship, and that there shouldn’t be a day where men are forced to buy presents and flowers and “show their love” to the woman they should be showing their love to every year.

I really realized the obsession over Valentine’s Day the other day when I was watching TV and surfing the Internet. I saw more commercials, tweets, Facebook posts, pop-up ads, and sales all revolving around Valentine’s Day, than I remember seeing during the entire Christmas holiday. Let me remind you that the Christmas season is weeks long and Valentine’s Day is one single holiday, yet we still devote practically the entire time in between Christmas and February 14^th to the holiday.

Just found it interesting after taking several advertising and PR classes how much more I noticed the intensity of advertisements, TV shows, articles, and social media revolving around a holiday that we don’t even get school off for. Whatever the flower, candy and card companies did too make their Valentine’s Day campaign a success in the early years, I commend them. It was genius.

The Liking of Lin

Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks point guard, is making a statement to, well…pretty much everyone. You don’t have to be a sports fan to have heard his name dozens of times throughout the past month. Lin is not like many all-stars in the NBA. He did not attend a Division I school with a scholarship; he was undrafted and then traded multiple times, and has never received much of any attention. The disappointment and rejection Lin has faced over the past few years no longer matters now that he is a name recognized all over the world.

Two nights ago, I turned on the TV to find all three ESPN channels featuring Lin’s game winning three-pointer as well as several sports specials on news stations. I Looked at twitter, and his name was trending worldwide. Facebook newsfeeds were blowing up with the mention of Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks. His name has become an instant trend all across the country and the perfect publicity story for the NBA to spotlight.

He’s a young guy player who hasn’t had anything handed to him. He’s had to work hard for the position he is in now and didn’t give up. He knew the dream he wanted to achieve and did not let anything get in his way. It’s the story that everyone wants to hear about the person everyone can’t help but root for.

He is constantly in the news, with new stories being published about him by the hour. David Letterman even featured him through his “Top 10 Worst Jeremy Lin Puns.” I’m not sure the New York Knicks or the NBA could ask for much better publicity right now, especially after the negative attitudes towards players in the lockout. Who doesn’t want to be the one everyone is talking about when you don't have to pay for it or prompt people to care about it? This is just the beginning of the Lin craze and I, along with the rest of basketball fans, am excited to see what other excitement he brings to the table.

The Komen Crisis

It wasn't long after our in-class debate on the reasoning for Susan G. Komen's pulling of funding from Planned Parenthood, that the entire issue took a turn for the worst. On Friday, the Komen foundation released a statement saying they had decided they were no longer going to pull funding and that Planned Parenthood could reapply for funding from their foundation. Not long after that, Komen's Vice President for Public Policy, Karen Handel, resigned on Tuesday. This issue of why they pulled their funding has blown up to be one of the biggest controversies and crises that I can remember taking place in a while.

It is amazing to me that a foundation like Susan G. Komen wouldn't be more prepared in an issue that they knew would be controversial on several levels. It involves political views, religious rights, as well as ethics. It baffles me that a company would not even be able to have one, clear reason for why they made the decision they did but instead continued to speak to the public with conflicting stories and viewpoints. It makes you wonder how on the fly of a decision this was and if much thought and research went in to how this decision could affect their future.

Komen should have been well aware that not a dollar of their funding went to supporting abortions and should advertise this when ever faced with the controversial subject of Planned Parenthood being supportive of abortions. Planned Parenthood is an organization that saves several lives each year through breast examinations and mammograms. This is the type of information the Komen foundation should have been releasing when stating that they would be financially supporting Planned Parenthood.

This issue over the past week has made me realize as a hopeful, public relations professional, that support and research are key. Several companies could easily look at this controversy later on in history and realize a better way to handle the situation before it develops into a crisis like this one has.

Super Bowl Gone Sexy

Growing up, the Super Bowl was always an annual event filled with good food, family and America’s sport, football. This year was no different for me except for the fact that none of my favorite NFL teams were participating in the big game, so this year I focused more on the commercials than the actual game itself. The Super Bowl has always been notorious for its highly anticipated commercial breaks that take place every two minutes of playing time. Unlike years before, I did not find the commercials to have the common theme of comedy, but instead many took a different philosophy to be successful, the idea of “sex sells.”

I, along with many others, was surprised with the number of risqué commercials that were shown during such a family-oriented football game. I grew up watching the Super Bowl every year from a young age and never remembered seeing sexual commercials. Maybe times have changed or children are just oblivious, but some of them we found just to be a little too much. 

There were three sexy commercials that stuck out to me throughout the course of the game. First Up, Adriana Lima’s advertisement for Teleflora.com. After a seductive 20-second intro she ends the commercial saying “Guys Valentine’s day is not that complicated. Give and you shall receive.” I mean I know we are all young adults and everything, but watching that with my parents right next to me would be extremely awkward

Next, David Beckham’s head to toe shot promoting H&M. This commercial took me off guard for a different reason. It was not directed towards the usual audience of men, but instead was selling sex to women who may have been watching the game

Finally, Go Daddy’s advertisement featuring Danica Patrick body painting a naked model with the Go Daddy symbol. While there were several other advertisements that followed this motif, it makes you wonder how did they all know comedy was out and sexy was in?

Mixing Business with Pleasure

Today we were given our clients for our PR 352 campaign project. While all clients available would have been excellent experience, I am one of the lucky few to have the opportunity to work with the distinguished cancer center in Houston, Texas, M.D. Anderson. Unlike the other clients, our team assignment is unknown as to what we will be doing, but the experience will be both a personal and academic one for me.           

 I think working for M.D. Anderson will be an interesting task. While it is a business and desires to draw in its target audience of cancer patients, it often is not a place people want to think about going to until they have to. M.D. Anderson is known all over the world as a top cancer research center with the leading physicians and surgeons in the country. When reaching out to target audiences I hope to be able to display to the public the incredible work that M.D. Anderson undertakes each day. Some of this work, I personally have had the opportunity to experience in my own family.

Sophomore year of high school, my mom lost vision and was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor two days later. While many Dallas doctors wanted to take drastic and life-threatening measures, the experienced doctors at M.D. Anderson took caution to research all options before making a final diagnosis and treatment decision. After visiting the center frequently for over 3 years, my mom is back to her normal, energetic self and ready to live life to the fullest.

You can imagine my excitement to work for a company that hit so close to home as I was growing up. With all the companies to choose from, I felt a passion for helping M.D. Anderson while gaining my own experience as an individual in the public relations field. I am honored to have the opportunity to not only work for a prestigious company but also give back to them a small amount of the many more years with my mom that they have given me.

 My Beautiful Mom and I Traveling to Celebrate

"Listen Up" Lesson

Last week’s lecture consisted of the foundation for our projects – how to understand the brand by listening to the communication that takes place externally, as well as, internally throughout the company. I think that this is one of the most important lessons public relations students can have throughout their studies, because social media and two-way communication has become a large part of the current generation. Companies can no longer just advertise their perspectives or what they want consumers to think, because actual users of the product have the ability to post their thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, in online forums, etc. I think one of the most powerful tools a company can have is good two-way communication. When I think of great companies, they are the ones who are constantly taking into consideration their customers thoughts and needs and then finding a way to overcome them.

The first step is understanding the brand’s perspective. In order to fully comprehend this, a person should look at their client’s mission statement, website, issues the company covers, and their target audience. Step two involves assessing the current social media the company already has in play. Is it easy to use, engaging, distinct, reachable by the target audience, identifiable, and respectful of the users thoughts and ideas? These are all very important factors of success when it comes to social media. Step three is listening to the online conversation. It is important to know what is going on in the entire conversation including pros and cons of other brands and competitors. In order to promote a brand to the fullest you must go directly to the target audience to find out their needs and desires. The final step to this process is defining the ecosystem. When people are interested in a brand they usually start by searching the brand or product, then move on Blogs and forums, then branded social media, and finally the company’s website. Interesting enough, the company’s website is where they spend the most money but the last place people look.

I had no idea the number of tools that were available to public relations professionals that monitor the prevalence of companies and issues within social media and the internet. There is Google Blog Search, Board Reader, Twitter Search, YouTube Video Search, and countless other listening vendors. While I attempted to use them a little bit this week, I have a feeling by the end of the project, I will be well educated in each of these resources.