Uncategorized – Page 17 – Tehama Group Communications

March 30, 2011

Say My Name: Beyoncé Giselle Knowles

By Skylar Young, Account Executive

Let me just put this out there: I absolutely love Beyoncé Giselle Knowles. Over the years I have come up with some very creative nicknames for her, like Queenoncé, Beysus and the Queen. She has been my idol since I was 9 years old; she has helped me become comfortable in my own beautiful, black skin. She is and forever will be one of the greatest influences in my life.

For the past few years I have read a lot of criticism about how Beyoncé is portrayed in the media. In 2008, there was uproar of her face appearing to be whiter in a L’Oreal ad. Her skin color, hair type and nose all seemed to resemble that of a white woman. After this incident, the African American community was very upset that Beyoncé was denying her heritage. People should know that Beyoncé is light-skinned to begin with, and this does not make her any less black.

Compare this to another Beyoncé ad that was featured in L’Officiel Paris this March where she is wearing a black face. Inspired by the musician-activist Fela Kuti, Beyoncé agreed to darken her face with makeup and celebrate her roots as an African American woman, according to E! Online. This “black face” made headline news and many critics said it was a racist act and degrading to people of darker skin around the world.

Our society should stop obsessing over how white or black Beyoncé is and put our energy focusing on who she is as a human being. Why does race have to define a person? Although Beyoncé has helped me accept my skin color, she has also shown me the importance of being an independent woman, how I can survive anything that comes my way and to enjoy life by dancing in my freakum dress. So let’s give it up to the Queen and say her name, say her name.

Photo sources:Beyonceworld.net, www.thefrisky.com

March 30, 2011

Who the Hell is Lady Gaga’s PR Team? The Darling Department.

By Danielle Maglione, Online Communications Director

Don’t Be a Drag, Just Be a Queen.

Many people think Lady Gaga generates ideas on a whim from her spectacular visions. However, every move Gaga makes is premeditated.

I appreciate Lady Gaga and her talents because I’m a fan of her creativity, ingenuity and out-of-the-box thinking. From emulating Madonna to paying homage to Grace Jones to wearing elaborate costumes designed by the late Alexander McQueen, Gaga and her team always push the envelope.
However, things got a little weird during the 53rd Grammy Awards.

Incubation…pod…womb…egg. These are words that describe Gaga’s transportation on the red carpet.
While glamorous stars adorned the carpet, Gaga arrived inside an egg-shaped vessel carried by models wearing sheer latex. When being interviewed by E! Entertainment Television, one of the models had to speak for Gaga because she had to wear an oxygen mask in the egg. Television viewers could see a woman’s shadow inside the egg waving to the camera.

Usually celebrities use the microphone as a form of publicity or promotion. It’s the perfect time to show the audience they are relatable. However, this lady decided to incubate.

While watching the egg vessel, I asked myself, “Who is allowing this woman to act this way? Is someone contributing to these off the wall ideas?” The answer is yes. Gaga hired The Darling Department, a UK agency, to handle her PR in summer 2010.

Even though the egg vessel seemed ridiculous, it stirred-up more attention and publicity than a traditional interview.

Before the Grammy’s were televised, celebrities such as Snooki and Giuliana Rancic were tweeting photos of Gaga in the egg. After seeing the TwitPics, viewers made sure to tune into the awards show to see the megastar.
It was perfect PR.
Gaga’s eggmobile was not the only outrageous publicity move she made in February.

Days before the 53rd Grammy Awards, Gaga discussed her use of marijuana, cocaine and alcohol to produce her lyrics, music and concepts in an interview with Anderson Cooper.

However, the public doesn’t excommunicate her–instead, we nod our heads up and down and say, “Duh, she does drugs.”

Then, days after the awards show, Gaga appeared on Good Morning America in a latex condom inspired outfit in order to promote safe sex and her MAC cosmetics lipstick.

The Darling Department knows how to entice the audience. We’re fully aware her next move will be bigger than her last, and we stay aboard for the ride.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl0N7JM3wZk

March 30, 2011

Generating Good Juju

By Lillian Gray, Photographer

I have made many mistakes, some big, some small. Figuring life out is hard task without a clear focus of what I want to accomplish. I started doing research on relationships–and not just love-related relationships, I mean everyday relationships. Relationships with employers, money, food, friends, you name it. I discovered I have a relationship with everything around me. Some of my relationships are good and some are bad, but I learned that I can change the bad ones and improve the good ones with a little bit of juju.

You can, too.

You can turn it around. The negative things said about you and the mindless things you have done are in the past. You can gain good juju one step at a time. A good reputation doesn’t just appear overnight, you create it over time. Start today by first getting to know yourself, establishing your moral framework and building a relationship with others inside of that framework.

To grow a strong relationship with another person, you first need to build a relationship with yourself. I’m not saying to go on a vision quest in the desert for a week, but there are simple steps you can take to increase your self awareness and build confidence, not only in your abilities, but in your character.
Even the busiest of schedules need to allow some “me time.” Set aside quality time with yourself each day to ponder life, write in a journal, read, start a project or accomplish a goal. Really ask yourself what you think about certain situations you experience, hear or read about.

Much of getting to know yourself involves studying your conscious decisions and understanding why you did what you did, what your motivations for your actions were and if you would have done something differently in a similar situation the next time. Another part of getting to know yourself involves studying the philosophy of others and relating it to today’s world.

Look around you. There are many people in this world displaying qualities that are worthy of praising and emulating.

“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination,” filmmaker Jim Jarmusch wrote in Movie Maker magazine. “Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery–celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: ‘It’s not where you take things from–it’s where you take them to.’”

You can apply this idea to your life. Of course, for journalists you need to cite your sources when writing. But for people just trying to sort their life out, this may bring you solace in knowing that it’s OK to pick and choose what you like about others to become the person you want to be.
Once you learn about yourself and who you want to be, the people will start to fill in around you. Your supporters will appreciate you for who you are. Being surrounded by people with principally the same ideals can be stimulating, and generally juju-riffic.

So smile, and keep the juju juices flowing.

March 30, 2011

PR for Plato’s Closet

By Kristina Richmann, Head Photographer

Sometimes you run before you learn to walk.

For the last five and a half years I’ve been practicing public relations and I didn’t even know it.

“How is this possible?” one might ask.

I’ve been doing PR for the job I’ve had since I was sixteen. Ever since I could bear that worker’s permit, I’ve laboriously dedicated my life to working for Plato’s Closet in Pleasanton, Calif.

Plato’s Closet sells gently used teen and young adult clothing and accessories. It focuses on current trends and tries to mirror the styles that are going on in the malls right now. This isn’t a normal retail store where there are duplicates of every item.

The entire inventory is comprised customers selling their items back for 30 percent of what they originally paid. It’s kind of like consignment, except the store pays its customers right on the spot. No need to wait for items to sell since everything is cash up front.

The longer I stayed with the company the more my eagerness grew for the store to profit. Soon enough, Plato’s Closet became my home away from home. I constantly came up with new ideas to inspire more customers to visit frequently.

I tried everything from word-of-mouth promotion to redoing displays. My heart raced every time the store manager had a new project for me that he knew I could accomplish.

I even headed our mall program, which highlighted creating a working relationship between the store and mall employees. Since mall employees need to purchase new clothing frequently, the mall program encouraged them to bring their gently used, barely-worn clothing to Plato’s Closet.

My recent endeavors include helping make Plato’s Closet more visible in the community. In July 2010, Plato’s Closet participated in Relay for Life. As the multimedia guru I am, I documented Plato’s efforts in giving back to the community and helping those battling cancer.
Video

Even though I now only work for Plato’s Closet on my breaks home from school, I’m constantly thinking about the store and what I can do next. It wasn’t until I attended Chico State that I realized I was practicing public relations on a small scale.

See, even this blog post is a little PR for Plato’s Closet.

March 30, 2011

For the love of language: can computers understand us?

By Ian Twamley, Account Executive

I have always assumed computers would one day take over the world. The combination of an overactive imagination and seeing movies like “The Matrix” and “Terminator” at an inappropriately young age made a future of enslavement to machines seem like a pretty logical idea.

It was exciting then to watch the computer take an enormous step closer to enslaving the human race as IBM’s “Watson” computer competed–nay, dominated–on the “Jeopardy!” IBM Challenge.
As a student of public relations it was also fascinating to see how IBM used the competitive stage of a game show to communicate and establish its dominance in technological innovation.

The challenge was straightforward: create a machine that could understand the fluency of natural language and beat human competitors at TV’s premiere quiz show, without being connected to the Internet.

The difficulty for IBM’s engineers was to develop a machine that could understand all the nuances of the human language that are lost to traditional search methods. This meant creating a system that could understand ambiguous questions, puns, double entendres and every other complexity that bags of flesh like us can easily interpret.

I was beyond excited when I first heard of the “Jeopardy!” IBM Challenge. Nerdy though it may be, I love “Jeopardy!” It is one of the few game shows on TV that consistently offers stimulating entertainment, regardless of how many completely wrong answers I shout out.

As Watson answered question after question correctly, I was at the same time amazed, horrified and inspired by the technology. The possibilities for computers to understand human language seem infinite. This would allow the streamlined search of written materials that would help us search for answers to questions rather than just key words.

It was these possibilities that IBM highlighted during the “Jeopardy!” broadcasts. Between rounds viewers were given an inside look at the development of Watson that featured interviews with researchers at IBM.

These fantastically bright individuals made it seem as though through research on Watson and similar systems, all of the world’s problems could be solved. Their message was very well crafted and succeeded in making me believe in their company’s vision.
I
t was clear that the focus throughout the three-day challenge was on IBM. As a PR move, featuring Watson on “Jeopardy!” was a creative strategy. It gave IBM a platform to establish its place as a relevant technological innovator in an industry that is evolving at an incredible rate. It also gave them a chance to personify themselves and connect with their audience on a level that is difficult for most large technology companies.

It may be some time before Watson becomes self-aware and decides to use its power to destroy the human race. Until then, it is up to us to take note of IBM’s message and use innovation to keep moving forward in everything we do.

March 30, 2011

Spring Break 2011- New York … Yes, Please!

By Melissa Duralia, Senior Account Executive

After spending spring break 2010 traveling from Scotland to Belgium to Switzerland to France, I didn’t think another spring break would ever come close to being as amazing.

I think I was wrong.

I am thrilled to say that I will be spending spring break 2011 in New York City, one of my favorite cities in the United States!

This trip, however, will be quite different from my past, more touristy visits.

I will be mixing business with pleasure on my upcoming trip to the big apple. I and 12 other women from Tehama Group Communications will be taking part in on-site visits at a variety of different companies, such as:

Tiffany & Co. (their flagship store!)
Edelman PR
Access Communications
W Hotels
ABC News and Hearst Corporation.

You may now be asking yourself, “How in the world did they swing this arrangement?”

Well, lucky for us, there are Chico State alumni at all of these fabulous companies, who–after being contacted by our wonderful agency adviser–have graciously arranged for us to have private tours of each company.

When I first caught wind of of the possibility of this trip to New York, I claimed my spot–there was no way I was going to miss out on a learning and networking experience such as this!

Although I have been planning on moving to San Diego or Orange Country, Calif. after graduation, I am not closing any doors. A little extra networking never hurt anybody, right?

Aside from the chance to work on my networking skills, I am looking forward to learning anything and everything I can from our successful Chico State alumni. I believe you can learn something from everyone.

I know we will be exposed to vast insight at each of our stops in NYC, but I am especially excited to visit ABC News, partly because of a childhood dream.

According to my mother, when I was a little girl I used to say that when I grew up I wanted to be Joan Lunden, (my mom watched Good Morning America every morning)!

Additionally, throughout my teen years I always admired Diane Sawyer, and I still do today.

March 30, 2011

Not too big, not too small

By Nicole Landini, Art Director

A lot of people say that Chico may be too small for its own good. That nothing big ever happens here. Most importantly, there doesn’t seem to be any opportunity here. This started to scare me, because I really love this town. I am really hoping I can stay here after graduation and become a part of the community as a member, not a student.

This got me thinking as I was working this week: We are a public relations firm. In other words, it is our job as an agency to relate to the public. Further than that, it is our responsibility to know the community we work for. So here is what I considered:

Chico is not that small. We have almost 100,000 people living here. This means Chico is the 14th largest metropolitan area in California. Chico is small, but not tiny.

As far as “nothing big ever happens here,” well, Snoop Dog came to town recently. Not huge, but big. We might not have a huge convention center where major artists come to perform, or a national football team to cheer on or even a major highway. But here is what we do have:

At least three farmers’ markets every week. These include live entertainment, amazing food and a great time for anyone who goes.
Music. There is tons of music. For example, the Harlem Gospel Choir is coming to town, the North State Symphony has concerts at least every month and you can always attend dueling pianos at 33 Steaks, Booze and Jazz.
There are always community events going on. The Home and Garden Show hits the streets in March, Frugal House brings the community together in June and everyone looks forward to Artoberfest in the fall.
Go see a show. Between the Chico Cabaret, Chico Theater Company, performances by Chico State and everything else you can find between Oroville and Paradise, there is always a show to see.
Downtown. Chico’s downtown, in my opinion, gives San Luis Obispo and Davis a run for their money. Great food, great shopping, great coffee and you will probably always find some new art lining the walls along the sidewalk.
Bidwell Park is one of the best municipal parks in California. It’s massive, and has a lot to offer, especially in nice weather.
Here is my humorous one: One-way streets. They not only keep you on your toes, but it’s always fun to watch someone go the wrong way.

My point is, as upcoming PR professionals, it’s our job to know about these things and how to use them to our advantage, even if it means selling ourselves to employers. We know how to use the community to our advantage, and to the advantage of other businesses. As an agency, we are the last ones to say, “There is nothing to do in Chico.”

I see lots of opportunity here. If 100,000 other people can find job and be happy here, so can I.

March 29, 2011

Social media–use it or lose out

By Emmalee Kremer, Editorial Director

I could count the number of people in the room on both hands, including the employees. To say the event was a bust would be an understatement.

I had been invited to my friend’s show through Facebook, and it was embarrassing how few of the invitees showed up.

So often we are bombarded with messages about how social media is the answer to all of our marketing problems, but the truth is creating a Facebook event won’t make it a success. We need to put in the leg work to make it happen.

My friend failed to promote his event well, but hey, he’s a musician, not a PR pro. Here are some of the things that went wrong and some ideas of what could be done next time to make the most out of social media for your event.

Branch out
While Facebook is a good start, there is a big wide world of social media out there. My friend is still a Twitter hold-out, but using other platforms that have different advantages can help you reach new audiences. Facebook fans, Twitter followers, foursquare friends: they’re like Pokemon–you want to collect them all.

Use your friends
OK, maybe that sounds bad, but your legions of friends, fans and followers are there for more than just an ego boost. Your contacts can be a great asset for promotion. Don’t just ask your friends to attend–ask them to ask their friends. This can include having them use hashtags, reblogging, sending invites, etc. Word of mouth is a strong tool, and personally, I’m much more likely to show up if I have a buddy committed to going along with me.

Keep up
Now that you have a plethora of accounts with followers, you have to maintain them. Ugh. Luckily, this daunting and time-consuming task can be made easier with social media management tools. You can monitor and update all your accounts from one place. Many even offer the capability to schedule posts, so if you don’t have a buddy to live blog and live tweet the event for you, it can actually be done in advance. Never again will an account be ignored.

Wrap up and reflect
The event ends, and naturally it was a hit. The work shouldn’t stop quite yet. Tell everyone how the event went, blog about the fun you had. Post videos on YouTube or Vimeo to let people reminisce or regret not going. Finally, ask for feedback from attendees so you can make your next event an even bigger success.

March 29, 2011

Sugar rush: the chronicle of a cupcake addict

By Sarah Kennedy, Business and Alumni Relations Director

Some may credit it to my sugar problem, but I just call it good PR.

It started a few months ago when I was casually flipping through channels on my TV and I landed on a show–a show all about cupcakes.

Chocolate Birthday. Mint Cookies & Creme. Lava Fudge. Salted Carmel. PB Fudge. Chocolate². Chocolate³. Red Velvet. I could go on, but I’ll spare your cravings.

And just like that, 30 minutes later Georgetown Cupcake was No. 1 on my places to visit in Washington, D.C.

Though I had heard nightmare stories from people that the line would be hours long, I was determined. Luckily the day I went I was the only person dim enough to brave the 20-degree weather (remember I’m from California, so that’s pretty cold) and the line was nonexistent.

I stayed in the store for a few minutes gawking at the menu until I finally ordered. I couldn’t decide so I walked away with four cupcakes (Red Velvet, Chocolate³, Lemon Blossom and Vanilla²).

It wasn’t until I was walking away that I realized how much power that show had on my day. I had trekked across the Potomac River, toes and fingers numb, cheeks coated with frozen tears from the wind all for some flour and sugar. That’s when the thought came to me: the bakery’s PR people are geniuses.

DC Cupcakes, a TLC show, chronicles the owner’s (two sisters) lives running the shop and inventing new flavors. While of course you have your reality show dramas that bring in the ratings, I think their true success comes from the fact that they are riding the PR train.

The social media activity is a sugar addict’s dream. They give away free cupcakes to Twitter and Facebook followers almost daily. They have branded themselves into a Georgetown icon. When people hear the word ‘Georgetown’ their minds can wander to sugary treats instead of the nationally ranked Georgetown University.

These two sisters have made people long to walk down the cobblestone streets with that pink box in hand.

March 29, 2011

Everything I need to know about PR I learned from Chinese food

By Jaclyn Percy, Senior Account Executive

As you walk past the store front nothing much stands out. Yeah, so there are some paint designs on the windows, a few cheaply printed pictures of food and a schedule of its hours. I must be frank, nothing about the place looks inviting from the outside.

Key words: from the outside.

For those daring enough to take a walk inside, however, things quickly begin to change. As soon as you pass across the threshold, an array of delectable smells come crashing against you. Vibrant, red walls encompass the small, rectangular room with a glass food case and golden yellow cashier stand waiting patiently at the back of the room.

With orders placed, the next necessary step requires a seat at one of four tables, followed by a 10 minute waiting period.

Between shying away from the two large, bronze Buddha statues starring down at you, examining the simplistic picture frames holding images of food, and questioning the bright painting of a surfing Chinese man, time passes quickly.

And then it comes. Two steaming plates filled with a mixture of red and brown hues.

With chopsticks in hand, the pick up commences, and then it happens…

Happiness.

The End.

No, I’m just kidding, its not really the end – just the end of a glimpse at a food critique, a popular extension of the food and

beverage industry. While this industry has many different aspects, one that will never change is the introduction and exposure of food. Whether it’s delicious, foreign, horrible, unhealthy or whatever, people are always wanting to hear about new restaurants and recipes.

In comes public relations, the people who make it happen. Many PR firms specialize in the food and beverage industry, exposing happenings like restaurant openings, a great new wine or that little hole in the wall Chinese restaurant.

Fleishman-Hillard, with a location in Sacramento, is one such PR agency that uses its Sac Foodies blog to highlight restaurants in and around the Sacramento area. The consultants of Fleishman-Hillard write about restaurants, even ones that are not clients, to bring exposure to these places and inform others about what lies behind the doors.

Then there are agencies like Charles Communications Associates in San Francisco that strives to gain exposure for its many wine clients. Whether it is coverage for DeLoach Vineyards in the San Francisco Chronicle or a spread in Wine Spectator for Domaine Carneros, this agency uses its PR savvy to showcase food and beverage companies.

So whether it means creating your own personal food blog, like PR specialists Emmalee Kremer and Elizabeth Ghiorso of TGC have done, working for a PR agency specializing in food and wine, or just following the work of another, those with a passion for the food and beverage industry can find some way to get involved.

And hey, restaurants and wineries are not going to complain. They’re gaining exposure in more ways than they thought possible – just like Wok ‘N’ Roll of Chico, Calif. did above.