NAMI Case Study

Flyer for Nami Event.

Services Provided:

  • Web
  • Social Media
  • Videography
  • Photography
  • Collateral
  • Strategic Planning for Spring Fundraising Event
  • Media Relations

Client:

  • National Alliance on Mental Illness Butte County

Date:

  • Fall 2018

Website:

Description of services:

  • What we did: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Butte County educates and advocates for the mentally ill and their families. NAMI provides regular classes, support groups and presentations to the general public in the Butte County community. TGC has worked with NAMI during the Fall 2018 semester to build visibility for mental health support in Butte County and to effectively communicate the services that NAMI provides to the community.
  • We’ve implemented a variety of projects throughout the semester to reach NAMI’s goals of communication and visibility within the Butte County community. Through photography and videography, we’ve created content for NAMI’s website and social channels to increase brand visibility. Our collateral projects have focused on providing NAMI with flyers, a brochure and a newsletter that highlight the mental health services which NAMI offers. Our media relations project provided NAMI with a media list, a contact plan and a mock-up press release to increase membership efforts. Lastly, our strategic planning for NAMI’s spring fundraising event gave NAMI the content to implement a fundraiser to raise money for their organization. Together, our talented creatives and PR staff worked to successfully build visibility and communication between NAMI and the Butte County community.

Screenshots of creative content:

Not Filling Her Shoes

Coby stands by her sister’s side, Kayla, as she gets married in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.

Starting my journey at Chico State, I knew it would be difficult. Not only because of the curriculum or being away from home, but because I had to fill the shoes of my sister who graduated 10 years before me in the same department. Following in her footsteps, I decided to join the journalism and public relations field where she once made her mark. Taking all the same classes and internships, I became recognized by many different professors as “Kayla’s Little Sister”. This is troubling and can be discouraging at times because of how hard she worked at everything.

Having this always in the back of my head, I tried to set myself apart and make a name for myself within the field of journalism. By taking alternative courses and declaring a minor in communication design, I tried to differentiate myself from her. I am constantly compared to her, but in the end, I believe this is what made me stronger as a public relations student.

PR is so unique and different, changing every year with new technology and lessons. My sister and I are at different points in our lives and I am still learning techniques as a student. We could never be the same or be expected to produce identical work. In the long run, I am truly thankful for having her as a guide and someone to look up to throughout this experience in my life. We may all have that person who will do better in any aspect of life, but it’s important to prove to yourself that you are capable of whatever gets thrown your way and to not get discouraged.

My sister has given me tips and has shown me examples of what it takes to become a successful PR professional. I find these lessons and tid-bits extremely helpful to avoid being completely blindsided by what is to come.

By: Coby Kooyman

Picture provided by Ana & Jerome Photography

The Stages of Morning

Gold clock with black numbers and white background

Have you ever been in the middle of that amazing dream where your celebrity crush is so in love with you, and as they’re about to kiss you the toll bell rings… and rings… and rings and you slowly drift awake and you realize it’s your alarm? The celebrity crush is gone, you’re back in reality and another day of busy public relations lifestyle is ahead. Suddenly the five stages of grief and loss set in: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance.

Denial: “Ugh! It can’t be 7 a.m. already… can it? There’s no way it’s time to get up,” I say to myself as I hit the snooze button for the first time. Okay, okay, maybe for the third time.

Anger: After the alarm goes off for the fifth time in 20 minutes, it’s hard not to get violent with the snooze button. I envy morning people. They’ll never understand the pain and torture of waking up at 7 a.m.

Bargaining: Every morning begins with the hopes that my 9 a.m. client meeting is canceled. “Please, oh please be canceled,” I pray as I roll over and check my work email. I promise to go to bed early tonight if I could just have one more hour of sleep. Nope! Meeting’s still on.

Depression: “WHY?” I say as I mentally breakdown under my covers. Ahh, it’s so warm under here. I never want to leave.

Acceptance: After the seventh time, the alarm goes off and reality sets in that the media pitches won’t write themselves and the events won’t get planned unless I get up. I finally accept my fate. I must get up and face my responsibilities. I hit the off button instead of snooze and brace myself for the cold air and bright lights. You win. I’m up.

Mornings come fast and most of the time it’s hard to get up, but a wise person once said, “Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams, or wake up and chase them.” Remember that tomorrow morning when 7 a.m. comes and you start the stages of grief and loss all over again.

By: Licia Dering

Picture provided by Pixabay.com

A Quick Guide to Shooting Travel Photography

 

Nevada Night Sky
Long Exposure of the Nevada night sky

People go on vacation and take pictures. It’s what you do. It’s simply what vacationers do when they travel to exotic, never before seen places. Photography is an amazing phenomenon that we take for granted in the 21st century. The way we are able to harness a memory by simply capturing a blend of light and color with a machine is truly amazing.

However, there are instances when this miracle of capturing light, falls short of our desires and expectations. Follow me on a short magic carpet ride through some tips that I have gathered in my travels around the world.

Budapest Bath House
Sunset over Budapest Bath House on Christmas Eve.

Traveling and shooting photos go hand in hand. Not only does it compliment your Hawaiian shirt and fanny pack, but it immediately pegs you as a tourist.

No. 1, accept the fact that you’re a tourist and embrace it with grace and intelligence. If someone throws you a skeptical eye, keep snapping on, but be smart and hold yourself with a certain level of discretion. You’re not going to buy the traditional garments of every nation to blend in, so you might as well avoid the headache trying enjoy documenting your experience. However there are some exceptions, which leads me to tip No. 2.

Israel Soldier
Tay Dayborg from Israel, at Mount Herzl, Jerusalem

This point segues to my next tip. It’s a simple one. Several years ago, I was on the beautiful island of Sicily, Italy taking photos around a rustic, dust filled neighborhood. On the corner were two men drinking coffee. Not thinking anything bad of the calm situation. I snapped a quick photo of one of the men who happened to be looking my way just as I took the photo. Instantly he got up and walked toward me. A bit startled, I quickly erased the photo before he arrived. When he approached me I saw he was holding out his hand, he wanted money for the photo. I explained that it was gone and that he had nothing to fear. Nonetheless, he watched me intently as I scrolled through every single photo I had on the camera. Tip No. 3, if you get caught taking a photo of someone you shouldn’t be, erase it or give the subject of the photograph what they want in order for them to be happy.

Tip No. 4, pay attention to your surroundings. Look everywhere from every angle, you never know what could be waiting for you in the distance just a few feet away you. Timing is crucial. A moment in time is lost forever if you are not actively looking for it. This goes for foreground and background as well. Understand the dynamics of your depth of field and move to the best spot within your environment. By positioning yourself at just the right place, you can truly have your picture follow speak a thousand words.

Abhi Sarkar
Abhi Sarkar from Santa Barbara, at Moab National Park.

Tip No. 5, call a friend’s name at the right moment for a dynamic candid. People look their best when they are doing something that they love or truly inspires someone. See your friend staring out over a beautiful landscape? Get your camera ready, call their name and snap the photo before they realize what just happened. I find that catching people with their guard down produces some of the most engaging photos. Often, people lost in thought seem to stare right into the camera with such intensity that I feel as though they can see my very soul. The feeling is contagious, yet hard to pull off consistently. Keep practicing, who knows what you will find within the eyes of someone you thought you knew.

Marian Amira
Marian Amira Jonjo hailing from London, England, “caught” at the Marin Headlands.

When traveling, be respectful and mindful of where you are to the best of your ability. Enjoy your privilege as a photographer; heft that clunky camera around with pride. Use this machine wisely, knowing that not everyone can have the same opportunity as you to document the beauty of life. Keep on snappin’.

*All photos taken by Trevor Raven Foster, All rights reserved*

Written by Trevor Foster, Videographer/Photographer

The Harmony of Music and Social Media

In the current day and age, social media is a frequently used method of self advertising and personal branding. In the music industry this is especially significant. Whether you want to be a performer, manager or music journalist, increasing your popularity through social media is a vital strategy.

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat are successful and common social media platforms. However, when it comes to the music industry, audio streaming applications should also be used to the musician and their team’s advantage.

Giving listeners the opportunity to stream music on multiple platforms allows for an increase in audience. Both of these platforms have their unique attributes.

Here’s how to keep your social media game rocking on the ones and twos.

untitled

  1. Spotify currently has more than 100 million monthly active users, 30 million of those are paying subscribers. Spotify allows streaming for free, however there are a few minor setbacks. Every few songs the music will be interrupted by an advertisement, and when used on a mobile device, you can only shuffle playlists or albums and cannot choose specific songs.

For the more avid users, Spotify premium is available for $9.99, $4.99 for college students, in the US. By joining premium, customers are guaranteed higher audio quality, uninterrupted playback and the option to download tracks for offline listening.

Spotify’s most appealing characteristic is the plethora of listeners. When artists put their music on Spotify they are immensely increasing chances of reaching new listeners.

Untitled1.png

  1. Even though most SoundCloud users do not register, there are still 40 million registered users on the site. The website reaches 200 million unique listeners around the globe through the Web, mobile devices and social-media sites.

Similar to Spotify, SoundCloud’s most appealing characteristic is their massive audience. However, SoundCloud is more beneficial for electronic dance music. When searching on SoundCloud for music that isn’t electronic, you are likely to come across remixes rather than the original song.

So get your music out there, and maybe we can stop listening to “Closer” by The Chainsmokers every 10 minutes.

Written by Julie Cogert, Lead Editor

#SafteyFirst

“Chico PD has alerted campus to be on the lookout for a male who may be approaching campus with a gun. Please call 911 if you see this person we will send further information as available. Thank you.”

Thousands of Chico State students received that exact message on Sept. 7, 2016. These types of emergency situations happen all the time, but until it occurs in your personal life, you will never be sure how to deal with it. At Chico State, many students did what they normally do, they picked up their phones and hopped on social media.

Social media is one of the biggest pieces of our daily lives, we reach for our phones and computers in any and all situations. As a global society we face crisis on a daily basis.

Our ability to connect with a greater network of people has changed the way we handle these situations, we are not only able to quickly alert a mass amount of people, we can get live updates as the situation unfolds, and even check in to let our loved ones know we are safe. Take a look at how social media has changed the way that we handle a large scale crisis.

Facebook:

On Oct. 15, 2014 Facebook released its Safety Check tool, it was inspired by people turning to Facebook in times of global and domestic crisis to check on their friends and loved ones.

The tool well asses if you are in an area of risk when something like an earthquake, tsunami or a shooting occurs.  Safety Check was activated for the first time in the USA, soon after the Orlando Night Club shooting occurred June, 2016. Residents of the area, or even those who had indicated that they were in the Orlando area could check in to let their friends and family know that they were safe.

Safety Check can also pick up local crisis, for example a shooting occurred in Chicago on July 28th of this year, because so many people posted about the incident Facebook created a local Safety Check so that residents of the smaller area could check in with each other.

fsfd phone

PC: http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2014/10/introducing-safety-check/

Twitter:

Twitter has become one of the fastest news sources in the world. In the 2011 earthquake in Virginia, Tweets that an earthquake occurred reached New York City before the aftershocks did.  Twitter literally moved and reported faster than an earthquake.

Keeping in line with the quickness of reporting is the Moments feature where users are able to stay up to date with the continuous stream of news. Moments compiles news and content relating to the event into one place.

In addition to Moments, Twitter has become a tool that allows people like scientists, insurance companies, etc., to track the severity of the damage that a natural disaster has caused. Twitter has been able to help with this in a cheaper and more effective way than even some FEMA models. 

Emergency Preparedness:

Emergency Personnel have taken notice of the effect and convenience of social media during a crisis and have began to include it in their emergency preparedness plans.

Using Facebook to update which roads are closed during snow storms, warning people to stay away from certain areas in the event of an active shooter situation or getting any type of information out quickly and effectively to a large number of people. Social media has become a crucial tool on the belt of those we look to in times of emergency.

fema's twitter page

Though we joke about social media taking over our lives slowly, there is the argument that in a lot of ways it can make our lives better. These tools and features are just a few of the many ways social media has become an integral part of our lives, and simply serve as a helpful aid to a future of emergency and disaster management.

Written by Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt, General Manager

PR and Marketing in Chico

When thinking about public relations and marketing, most people relate these types of businesses to big cities such as San Francisco, Seattle or New York. When in reality, public relations and marketing firms exist in smaller towns all across the US, in cities such as Chico as well. Many graduating seniors will be looking for jobs in this field all over the US, forgetting that there are places of employment right here in town.

The world is packed with public relations and marketing opportunities for graduating seniors, here are a few available in Chico for those who don’t want to leave:

Social High Rise LogoSocial High Rise is a local marketing and public relations firm that focusses on restaurant social media management. They take on all aspects of social media for these restaurants including Yelp, Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Trip Advisor and Linkedin. With a generally young staff, Social High Rise stays up to date with current social trends to ensure the clients’ needs are met.

half-a-bubble-out

With the quirky name locked down, Half a BubbleOut has been providing public relations and marketing services to the Chico area since they opened shop in their guest bedroom back in 2002. Founded by Michael Redman and his wife Kathryn, Half a Bubble Out focuses on business consulting, web design, internet marketing, traditional marketing and advertising. They refer to themselves as a one stop shop for your small business needs.

Burghardt + Dore Logo

Burghardt+Dore is an award winning marketing, advertising and design firm who impacts multiple brands throughout California. Based in Chico and with over 40 years of combined experience, Burghardt+Dore is a key player in the resort niche of the business. Some of their clients include The Downtown Chico Business Association, Visit Napa Valley and the Seascape Beach Resort.

Some students fall in love with Chico and never want to leave after graduation, others can’t wait to move away. If you’re one of those graduating seniors who loves Chico and can’t imagine leaving, take a look at these companies and see if they would be a good match for you!

Written by Nick Bragg, Public Relations Director Assistant

Choose New News Views

As PR professionals, journalists and citizens of a nation with a free press – it is vital to consume news on a regular basis. It is a common habit to read only one or two publications that you, as a reader, are comfortable with. But, a variety of news topics and viewpoints will help you build a rounded view of what’s going on in the world.

The internet is flooded with options for news content, so here are a few places to get you started:

Industry Specific

entrepreneur.png

Entrepreneur

If you are an individual interested in starting a business, this news site is one to check out. Entrepreneur Magazine offers insight and advice and is valuable for budding and established entrepreneurs.

 Alternative Press

Alternative Press is a publication that has been reporting on music news, concerts and everything in between for 30 years – so, its name and quality Alternative_Press_logo.pngare well established. Their online version has sections such as APTV (video-based news) and Audio (stream newly released singles and the AP Podcast).

Niche Commentary

bitchmedia.png

Bitch Media

Bitch Media is a nonprofit feminist online publication that’s purpose is to provide a commentary on mainstream news and popular culture. It is not bound by language or content restrictions – so approach it with that in mind.

 

The Root

The+Root+logo.png

Commentary to the mainstream message, again, is key. The Root is an online publication that provides opinion, culture and news from and for African-American influencers. It also doesn’t follow the boxed-in news rules.

Quick Fix

The Skimm.png

The Skimm

Hey, we’re all busy. All the sources listed above may be interesting but are too much to visit regularly. An email newsletter could be the answer for your general news needs. The Skimm is a fresh-voiced brief report on the major stories of the week that comes directly to your email. And, if you have an iPhone, there’s an app for that.

Written by Britney Witherspoon, Public Relations Director

The “Benefit” of Social Media

It seems like everyone has some sort of social media channel today, whether it be a person, a company, a brand, or even a dog (seriously!).

Social media has allowed companies to interact with their customers in a different way. This has brought around some wins and, of course, some fails.

Overall social media has been beneficial to many industries and some have simply flourished with the growth of each channel. Perhaps one of the most successful in implementing social media into their identity is the beauty industry.

The beauty industry is a visual one. So many companies have really taken the visual aspect and worked it together beautifully with the personality of their companies. One has really set itself apart in the eyes of the beauty world and its followers: Benefit Cosmetics.

Benefit has been around since 1976, the company was started by Jean and Jane Ford and has thrived ever since. Benefit is known for their colorful and often times sassy packaging and products.

cheyenneblog1

How are they killing the game?

Benefit has effectively blended the sassy personality of their brand, the colorful charisma of their products and the behind the scenes looks at their company. Not only is their personal content on their channels amazing, but the relationships that they build with their fans and followers is something that all brands should strive for.

Benefit makes it a habit to interact with their followers. It is rare to send a tweet or tag a picture on Instagram that doesn’t garner some sort of response from this huge global brand. Benefit also makes a practice of displaying and promoting great work that their followers have created with their products. Whether it is a great wing using their innovative liner, or a set of eyebrows that is totally on “fleek” after a visit to the Brow Bar, they will let you know and sometimes even share your photo on their channels.

Twitter

Benefit “slays” the Twitterscape by bringing their bold personality into each tweet! Check out of a few of their most recent. Benefit isn’t afraid to color outside the lines when it comes to their brand and voice!

 

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Instagram:

Not only are they winning at Twitter on daily basis, Benefit’s most visual channel, Instagram, is a beautiful representation of the words aesthetically pleasing. The photos are bright, high resolution, simple and beautiful. The entirety of Benefit’s Instagram embodies the colorful charisma of their brand. Benefit embraces the different side of the beauty world, whether it is guys wearing makeup or cutting-edge products, they are not afraid to be different and encourage their followers to do the same.

cheyenneblog2

YouTube:

One of the biggest social media channels in the beauty world is YouTube. YouTube has quickly become a haven for professionals and enthusiasts in the beauty realm. There are billions of beauty related YouTube videos, and the amazing thing is most of them are not created by brands. Beauty “gurus” have quickly taken over YouTube as a channel. Benefit has done a great job of not only competing with brands that are trying to make their mark on YouTube, but they have worked to integrate these gurus (who have millions of followers) into their own channel and hold their own in the world of YouTube.

Check out Benefit’s new campaign featuring beauty gurus Dulce Candy (2,116, 131 followers) , Nyc Dragun (112, 717 followers), Nicol Concilio (193, 152 followers) , and Tess Holliday a well know plus-size model.

Introducing the Bold is Beautiful Project

Give back with the power of a brow! During the month of May, every dollar from EVERY brow wax at a Benefit boutique, Macys Benefit BrowBar or Belk Benefit Br…

Snapchat

Finally, Benefit has made the leap that many companies are making to Snapchat (BenefitBeauty), which provides an even deeper look inside the world of Benefit. Behind-the-scenes looks, chatting with beauty gurus, contests and daily office life. Their story is a must follow for all the beauty lovers and social media enthusiasts.

cheyenneblog3

While Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat seem to be the fan favorites. Benefit has completely covered their bases in the social media game and have amazing accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook and Pinterest!

Benefit is a great display of what a dynamic social media strategy looks like for not only a beauty company but all companies and industries. They have created a strong brand and compelling voice that has been successfully applied and appropriate for each for channel they utilize.

Written by Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt, Digital Media Director

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Free Social Media Tools

Managing and maintaining consistent messaging across all of your social channels can be overwhelming. Finding shortcuts to successfully execute campaigns will not only save you time, but boost your following and engagement in ways you never thought possible. Below are five of my favorite free tools that I use to get the job done:

IFTTT logo

  1. IFTTT (Various)
    IFTTT, an acronym for If This, Then That, connects two services together so that an action from one service triggers an action at another. These connections are called “recipes” and their possibilities range far beyond social media but here are my top three:

IFTTT snapshot

crowdfire logo

  1. Crowdfire (Twitter and Instagram)
    Crowdfire makes finding and connecting with your target audience simple so you can focus on doing what you do. Here are some feature highlights:

    • Track audience growth by seeing recent followers and un-followers.
    • The Copy Followers capability lets you find who might be interested in your content through a competitor’s followers.

Crowdfire snapshot

iconosquare logo

  1. Iconosquare (Instagram)
    Iconosquare is a thorough Instagram analytics suite that helps you manage your Instagram activity, analyze your performance and engage your community. Here are some feature highlights:

    • Share snapshots of your activity with followers such as: #actionsquare and #monthiconsquare.
    • Suggestions of the best times to post and which filters to use.
    • Receive emails that summarize your main metrics.

Iconosquare snapshots

hootsuite logo

  1. Hootsuite (Various)
    Hootsuite has become an essential tool for managing social media, tracking conversations and measuring campaign results via the web or mobile devices. It helps to collaboratively execute campaigns across multiple social networks like Facebook and Twitter from one web-based dashboard.

Hootsuite Snapshot

Grama Logo

  1. Grama (Instagram)
    Grama is a free iOS-only app that helps you find hashtags to use on your Instagram posts through a keyword search. I love this app because you can type in one hashtag that summarizes your photo and it will provide a wall of related hashtags that you can then click, copy and paste directly into Instagram.

preview-full-Grama1

Whatever your social media needs are, these tools will help you successfully boost engagement across platforms.

Written by Baret Yahn, Account Executive