A few days ago,  the co-founder of TechCrunch, a weblog dedicated to profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies, expressed his extreme frustration with PR people and the industry in one of his frequently read blog posts. He had been continually receiving mass, off-topic pitches of no interest to him from the same company and was simply fed up with it. While his response is seemingly extreme since we aren't all "the bad guys", I have to say I really don't blame him.

As a PR professional who actively studied journalism in college the whole thing is pretty offensive. Not what he says about PR people, he has had some really terrible experiences, but the manner in which this industry professional who had been contacting him was conducting business. As people whose job involves speaking with journalists, editors and writers everyday, PR professionals must learn to respect their craft.

In my opinion, good and effective public relations is all about doing your research. Just because someone has the title, Technology Columnist, doesn't mean they are the appropriate contact for your client's product. Before sending them a pitch they will delete immediately spend some time online reading their past articles or see what they have covered recently. And I am not just talking about conducting this research when you have a specific pitch to go out, this should be a part of your every day routine. If you do PR in a specific industry, pick the top ten to twenty writers/columnists you would love to cover your client and truly get to know them. Make their columns a daily read, follow them on Twitter, comment on their stories. As PR professionals we must care about developing real relationships and ensuring we are providing all those we pitch to with something of value. We should be joining their conversation, as Joseph Jaffe would tell us, instead of interrupting it.

PR professionals and journalists can develop mutually beneficial relationships and it is our job to make sure that this is what we are always striving to accomplish.

In an industry saturated with people conducting business as always, try something diffferent and make business personal. It will do you and your career a world of good.

In this week's PR Fuel eNewsletter, Ben Silverman wrote what he is thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday. One of his many "thanks" struck a chord with me and I just had to share it with all of you:

“... a survey conducted by BIGfrontier Communications Group in Chicago. The survey found that startups which utilize public relations campaigns are 30% more successful in finding financing than startups that do not. The same study also found that 78% of the companies in the first group planned to spend some of their funding on public relations and that only 18% of startups had a public relations program in place during the fundraising stage. That latter figure presents a huge opportunity.”

In bad economic times, agencies like Dittoe PR are fortunate to have amazing clients that realize the value of media coverage. Whether coverage comes from bylines, case studies, interviews, press releases, word of mouth, social networking or analyst briefings – our clients see the benefit of working with us.

One startup we have currently begun working with is Indianapolis-based Precise Path Robotics. Co-founded by serial entrepreneur and local businessman Scott A. Jones, Precise Path has developed a robotic technology that will change the way we maintain the outdoors. The company’s first product, the RG3 greens mower, is geared towards the golf industry as it perfectly cuts greens autonomously – making greens more consistent while increasing ROI and productivity for the golf course superintendent.

The RG3, however, is just the tip of the iceberg! Imagine the possibilities with this technology Precise Path has developed: commercial and residential snow removal, highway line painting, sports field line/logo painting, a robotic lawn mower for the home – that works fast and cuts straight lines!

Precise Path is working with us because they know you can’t get something for nothing. You can’t increase sales or gain funding by not doing anything. With the help of public relations professionals, Precise Path is making a name for itself and gaining interest from golf superintendents to robotic technology gurus, and venture capitalists to consumer electronic buffs.

So this Thanksgiving, I’m personally thankful for Precise Path Robotics, Useful Networks, Corinex Communications and Fidelitone Logistics – as all four of these companies value the work we do for them day in and day out, and realize the value of public relations in their business strategies. 

I hope you have many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving – and that you are able to enjoy the holiday with the people who mean the most to you. Blessings!

I read a very interesting article in this fall’s issue of The Strategist and it’s really stuck with me. The article, “From manager to leader: The nine action steps to get you to a leadership role,” asserts that “…making the leap from manager to leader may be the most important move in one’s PR career” and lists nine actions we can all take to become true leaders.

1. Articulate the values. By what standards does your organization live? Here at Dittoe, our mantra can be taken off of the blackboard in co-founder Liza Dittoe’s office: Do what you love. Love what you do. We live by this “golden rule” and not only does it make our job more fulfilling and fun, but we are – as a whole – very successful because of it.
2. Create a vision. Real leaders are constantly looking beyond tomorrow to visualize what their company can be and where it is headed. Once you have your vision of “after tomorrow” it’s necessary for the entire team to buy into it – so it becomes our vision. This is crucial for PR firms during such uncertain economic times. Without a vision, how can you set goals and objectives – how can you measure success?
3. Build trust. People don’t follow other people because their title is president or CEO – they follow them because they trust them. If you can’t trust your leader, there’s no buy-in to the company’s vision.
4. Provide inspiration. People follow people who inspire them. Be inspiring. If you think about it, three body parts are used by employees on a regular basis: heads, hearts and feet. If a leader can cause people to think about the possibilities and imagine what we could do together, feel the passion to attain it and then act to make it happen – then they are truly successful.
5. Act courageously. It’s one thing to think or say “this is where we are going” – it’s another thing to make it happen.
6. Share the credit. Let your team share the spotlight.
7. Establish empathy and listen. I can’t tell you how important this is. Who wants to work for someone who never listens to your concerns or suggestions? A good leader understands his or her team’s motivations, worldviews and aspirations.
8. Be open. There are two ways a leader can do this: 1) be approachable, and 2) admit failures. No one knows everything, and trust can be gained when leaders admit they don’t have the answer. After all, we’re all human.
9. Empower your followers. Learn when to let go. There are more leaders to be found in your team. There’s no such thing as an organization of one. Encourage followers to create their own vision.

For more details on what to do once you become a leader, check out the whole article by Ken Jacobs online. I think you’ll find it just as interesting and inspiring as I do.

The other night I came across a story in Fast Company that really struck me. The article, titled Made To Stick, analyzes why corporations make it so difficult or feel so pointless to say "thank you" to the appropriate person. They cited car companies as an example, saying that maybe you love how your cup holder fits your travel coffee cup perfectly and you want to show your appreciation to the responsible individual. Your note would most likely be sent to corporate communications and never seen by the engineer who actually conceptualized larger dimensions for the cup holder.

I deem it a small travesty that those who serve us receive much more negative feedback than positive. Yes, this is in part due to the fact that people in general love to complain, but I also think that we hold this belief that the right person will never get our message or even worse, that if they did, they would receive it with apathy.

 

I contend this to be completely untrue. As someone who has worked many stressful shifts serving people their eggs scrambled, over easy and basted (yes, this is actually a popular way to eat them although I have no idea why) just one or two encouraging words from a nice table or a comment to a manager regarding good service can go a long way to boost the quality of your work day.

 

Too often, we adopt a defeatist mindset when it comes to showing gratitude. When I listen to my favorite music artist, Corey Smith, I often think that I should let him know what his music means to me. This thought is quickly followed by discouragement and an assumption that my letter would meet an inevitable fate inside a trash can along with all the other fan mail. And maybe that’s true but then again, maybe it isn’t.  Maybe Corey does sit on his bus and open up letter after letter. After all, don’t many musicians get some of their inspiration from their fans?

The bottom line is, too often we are too lazy to take the time to tell someone that we appreciate what they do.  The world would be a different place if we all took a little time to say a sincere "thank you" once in a while and even if that gratitude doesn’t reach the right person, I guarantee you will feel better for having made the effort.

I just had to share this article by Ben Silverman with all of you... Enjoy and let me know what you think.

"A $700 Bill PR Blunder"
By Ben Silverman

It was politics at its worst and representative democracy at its best.

On Monday, the United States Congress voted down a plan engineered to bail out financial institutions. Investors responded by selling stocks at a record pace and the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its largest single-day point decline in history. Many Congressmen and Congresswomen who voted against the bill cited opposition from their constituents.

The bailout package failed to get through Congress mainly because of bad public relations. The bad PR started at the top and trickled down to the bottom, resulting in a political and financial nightmare.

First, and foremost, referring to the bill as a "bailout" package was and has been a colossal blunder. The term "bailout" is extremely negative and is associated with rescuing someone or something at a cost (i.e., the bail). A wiser choice would have been for politicians to refer to the bailout as "The Financial Stability Act" or "The Home Owners Rights Bill."

"What if this had been called a 'rescue' from the beginning? Or the 'Save Our Homes Act'? Supporting a 'rescue' is a bear of an entirely different species. It is not only a redemptive act, restoring things to their rightful order - it is heroic," Andrew Benett, CEO of Euro RSCG New York, told Ad Age.

The second major problem is that the need for the bill most likely shocked many Americans. Why? Because politicians (I won't name names) were saying less than two weeks ago that the economy was not only sound, but growing. If that was the case, then why would we need to "rescue" the most important sector of the economy?

This leads us to our third big problem: people talking about things they know nothing about.

The sad truth is that the vast majority of our elected officials have little financial or economic intelligence. They rely on staffers to remain informed, but you can't replace education with mere information. Either you understand how the financial system works - and what exactly these assets that must be "eaten" are - or you don't.

Based on my experience and knowledge base, most of what's been said by politicians over the past week or so has been garbage. They simply don't understand the situation, the assets in question, the type of financial instruments that have brought banks and others to their knees, and exactly who would and would not benefit from a "bailout." You will never get good PR by sounding stupid (unless you're Jessica Simpson).

Finally, the evolution of this situation took a long time, but it wasn't until the stuff hit the fan about a dozen times before action was taken. Despite all the time that went by, the powers that be tried to ram home legislation in the blink of an eye, leaving almost no time for real debate and an honest dissemination of information. The poor planning inevitably led to bad PR.

The "bailout" package is a controversial piece of legislation, and as I write this, the ultimate fate of the bill is still undecided. All parties involved - for or against - have done themselves and their constituents a disservice by ignoring basic tenets of public relations.

Come November 4th, many may pay a big price.
___

Ben Silverman is currently the Director of Research for an investment intelligence service. Previously, Ben was a business news columnist for The New York Post and the founder/publisher of DotcomScoop.com. He can be reached via email at bensilverman (at) gmail.com.

This morning in my inbox I found one of my favorite newsletters, "The Firm Voice," from the Council of Public Relations Firms.  Most of the time the articles are more for owners and presidents of PR firms but I am usually able to find some morsel of wisdom in each edition.

Today was no different.  "The Firm Voice" offered a link to Cision's free white paper on "What Never to Do When Targeting the Media."  I highly recommend all PR folks out there download this document as it is really helpful.

"A lot of PR people and agencies just blast out blanket e-mails to anyone on the lists they bought. That's glorified spam. The e-mails that work are those that are targeted. They open with something like, 'Dear David, I saw your story about cell phones and thought…' This shows they did their homework. If you take the time to personalize your pitches or e-mails to us, you will get a thousand times more bang for the buck in terms of responses." - David Pogue, Columnist for the New York Times

Dittoe PR is an anti-spam agency.  You won't find one of our email addresses on the Bad Pitch Blog or mention of our firm any journalist's rant on poor PR techniques.  However, it is important to stay up-to-date on all things public relations related and this white paper is worth a download, no matter how amazing you are at your job.

One aspect of public relations that is not always practiced well by its professionals is building relationships with the media. At Dittoe PR, we pride ourselves not only on getting great coverage for our clients but also on building and maintaining positive relationships with members of the media and earning their respect as PR professionals.

Inexperienced PR people - and those who are just lazy or indifferent - often don't take the time to research members of the media prior to reaching out to them. Consequently, they'll pitch something that's completely off-topic from a reporter's beat. Most reporters get hundreds of emails a day (many of which are from PR professionals) which they have to sort through. It's certainly very frustrating if a good portion of these emails are irrelevant and unhelpful, so many reporters are forced to quickly scan their email and delete most messages without replying.

As a PR professional who relies on my ability to reach out to the media and grab their attention, I don't want reporters to lump all PR people together as "spammers." I completely understand their frustration at receiving off-topic pitches, which is why PR pros everywhere need to make it a priority to do their research, pitch on-topic, and foster positive give-and-take relationships with members of the media. To not make an effort to do so is irresponsible on the part of these individuals, and it brings down the quality of the PR industry as a whole.

A positive relationship between a PR pro and a reporter or journalist should be one of mutual respect as professionals and involve give-and-take from both sides. PR pros should be willing to offer helpful information or data to a reporter, even if it doesn't benefit their clients. Journalists will appreciate this assistance and hopefully be more willing to work on a story for their clients somewhere down the road. On the flip side, reporters must be open and honest with PR pros - if a story suggested is something that the journalist would never write about it, he or she should let the PR pro know this right away. Stringing the PR pro along won't help either party.

All in all, PR pros everywhere could take a few tips from Dittoe PR's philosophy. Always be professional, do the proper background research, and give - don't just take. This benefits reporters and PR pros alike. Isn't everyone better off this way?

Wow. Last night moved me. I sat in front of my bedroom TV set at 10:30pm watching Gov. Sarah Palin accept her nomination as the running mate and VP candidate for Sen. John McCain. How did I think she did? In a word, amazing.

As a young woman who finds little to look up to and believe in when it comes to our government in Washington, D.C., I can honestly tell you that Palin got me excited - she moved me from laughter to tears as she spoke about herself, her husband, family and career. In her, I found a role model and a rejuvenated passion for politics.

It's amazing how one person, book, movie, song, etc... can affect you. I remember the burst of imagination and creativity I had after reading Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time. Her writing opened my eyes to whole new world and inspired me to pursue my creative site -- which, in turn, led to my many creative writing and fine arts classes in high school and college.

Regardless of who you plan on voting for this November, it's important that your candidate inspires, energizes and motivates you. After all, who wants to deal with someone who bores them to death for four years?!

So tell me, what did you think of Palin the Pitbull's speech last night?

Last night I did something I never did before, by choice... I watched C-SPAN. I tuned in to watch Sen. Hillary Clinton speak at the Democratic Convention as I wanted to hear how she planned on convincing her passionate supporters to vote for Obama (as opposed to voting for McCain or not voting at all).

The crowd in Denver ate up Sen. Clinton, cheering, applauding and even chanting her name during her 35 minute [or so] speech. I found the video her daughter, Chelsea, narrated to be very interesting and personal. The pictures of a loving mom and wife put a very different image in my head of the Hillary I've always been skeptical of. For a moment, I almost forgot about the scandals of the Clinton presidency as I watched her husband mouth the words, "Love you, forever and ever," to her from his seat in an upper level suite. Her rhetoric was exciting and the response of the audience proved to be more than I had expected.

 

As I watched her speak, I couldn't help but think, "Whoever wrote this speech knew what they were doing... How can I use words of my own to get media contacts this excited about my clients?"

 

Writing a pitch, whether you email, fax, mail or say it over the phone, takes time. You have just a few seconds to capture the attention of the journalist or blogger so you have to make the most out of the subject line and first sentence of the pitch or else you'll lose them. This is much easier said than done!

 

Unlike many public relations firms who provide little PR training to their new hires or interns, Dittoe PR works one-on-one with each new employee to explain and demonstrate how we do business every day.

 

What it essentially comes down to is: Do your homework. Read recent articles from the media contact you are planning to pitch - does their beat fit with your story? If the contact does prove to be a legitimate match, then write a personalized pitch. Every pitch we send out, even if the story angle is similar, is different because we recognize that no two journalists or bloggers are alike and what interests one may not even so much as raise the eyebrow of another. We spend a tremendous amount of time on writing targeted pitches and researching contacts. Because of this, you will not see Dittoe PR on any "SPAM" list.

 

I guess you could say that Sen. Clinton's speech got me excited about public relations. I came into work today with more confidence and excitement than normal. Now, did she convince me to vote for Obama? Time will tell. For now, my goal for the day is to come up with the most creative pitch that will truly get journalists and bloggers excited about my clients.

I’m pretty ecstatic over my e-mail notification this morning that informed me that the book I have requested a long time ago has finally arrived!  Why am I so excited about a book you ask?  It is a book on popular demand right now and very important for any serious public relations practitioner.  It is, “The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing, and online media to reach buyers directly,” by David Meerman Scott. 

As public relations continues to expand into a larger market and the definition of a public relations practitioner continues to evolve, it is important to stay attuned to latest developments  in the field.  Social media outlets are responsible for such a drastic change in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC).  PR professionals need to not only pitch traditional media but research the new media outlets and pitch them accurately according to their specific beat.  To pitch them accurately one must be a tech-savvy PR professional engaged in social media.    

 

I hope this book gives me new insight to stay on top of innovative media communications and social media marketing.  Have you had the chance to read this book?  If so I would love to hear your thoughts and comments before I dive in! 

Today I came across an article at EvanCarmichael.com on effectively using PR tactics. I thought it was really worth sharing with my colleagues and so now you’re the lucky ones subjected to it as well. It’s written by Maggie Holben, but I’ve summarized the main seven points below. Check out the entire article when you have a few minutes to spare (I’ve included the link to it at the end of this post).

“It’s up to you to make use of proven PR tactics to help build awareness and credibility of your brand. Here are seven tips to help jumpstart your PR efforts, or improve existing programs:

Focus On Your Newsworthy Attributes: You’ll have far greater success garnering news coverage if your announcement is based on a proven news hook, rather than being full of puffery and information only of interest to you.

Keep Your PR Tool Kit Up-To-Date: The more information you are able to provide an interested reporter, the more likely your encounter will result in thorough, accurate and engaging coverage.

Utilize Newswire Services: Newswires can give your news release added exposure to both the media and potential customers searching the Internet for your products or services as the release remains posted online.

Become Skilled At E-mail Campaigns: E-mail is, on the whole, the most preferred form of communication for reaching the news media (versus unsolicited phone calls, text messages or podcasts to busy journalists).

Make Use of Leads Services*: The leads service is a special PR tool that allows reporters on deadline to reach out to companies and individuals for information and interviews.

Share Your Expertise via Articles: Write or ghostwrite articles for your clients about their particular area of expertise.

Win Awards To Attract Attention: Quite frequently, the prestige of receiving one or several industry awards offers the “awareness lift” necessary to secure a profile or full feature about your company or organization.

I’m pleased to report that none of this information is groundbreaking or newsworthy to me but it’s a great reminder. If anything, it reaffirms my belief that Dittoe Public Relations is truly one of the best PR firms around because these seven PR Tactics are the core of every plan we develop for our clients. Keep in mind, it’s possible to do each of these tactics and still not gain the coverage you and your clients are looking for – so the trick is to do all of it skillfully and to the very best of your ability.

Check out the full-version of the article here.

* If you want a recommendation of a U.S. and Canadian leads service, leave a comment and I’ll be happy to share two valuable services with you!

After Deadline is a blog featuring comments taken from a weekly newsroom critique overseen by Philip B. Corbett, the deputy news editor for the New York Times (who is also, coincidentally) in charge of The Times’s style manual. "The goal [of After Deadline] is not to chastise, but to point out recurring problems and suggest solutions," writes Corbett.

I find his comments interesting and also take his advice to heart. For example, in his August 18th post, Corbett writes:

"Colloquial or slang words detract from the polished, literate style of our best writing. What’s worse, they often seem trite and lazy, rather than fresh or sharp. 'Posh,' along with close cousins like 'glitzy' and 'tony,' is both colloquial and tired. But it has popped up a number of times recently."

You won't have to remind me not to use "posh" in any upcoming pitches, press releases, bylines or case studies!

What I like best about After Deadline is that Corbett provides examples, real life instances, of less than perfect writing published by the famous paper. Not only do the examples illustrate his point but they teach you how to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

If you haven't already checked out the After Deadline for yourself, take some time today to do so!

The recent phenomenon and popularity of blogs, especially the extent to which they've grown in the past few years, astonishes me. The fact that something that never existed until very recently can provide a lucrative career for people now seems crazy. But that is the world we live in - where new technology is developed every day, and new developments very quickly become obsolete.

I vaguely remember becoming aware of what a blog was sometime when I was in college. A blog was then simply a means of online communication for friends, family or a group of people with similar interests. It was a simple forum for discussion, which until the past year I really had no interest in. But modern-day communication is constantly evolving, which requires everyone - businesses and individuals alike - to not only take notice of the trends but to join them. These days, you can find a blog on just about any topic you're interested in - from sports to politics, education to ice cream. Corporations and political candidates have their own blogs as do college students and retirees. Here at Dittoe PR, every account executive has her own blog for which she writes on a regular basis.

Online news sites have largely replaced print newspapers and magazines. While many people still enjoy picking up a hard copy of their favorite news source to read on a Sunday morning or when they're traveling on an airplane, it is far easier to read news on the computer - especially when so many people are in front of one all day long. Online news sites can still make money by selling advertisements on their web pages. Similarly, bloggers who are able to generate enough traffic to their sites can sell ads as a means of income - supplementary or even full time.

For example, I just read an article this morning in the New York Times on a woman, Heather Armstrong, who runs her own blog for other women - particularly mothers - called "Dooce." Her site has become so wildly popular that she's been able to sell ads to corporate giants like J.C. Penny, Crate & Barrel, Walgreens and Starwood. She's generating enough income through these ads that both she and her husband have since quit their regular jobs to focus on running the blog!

With forms of communication changing so rapidly - not to mention the other technological advancements that are constantly happening in our world - students in college today are likely to have a job in something that didn't exist when they were preparing for their careers. And for the rest of us - we'd better stay up to date with the changes, or we'll be left behind!

Have you ever used NO-AD sunscreen on vacation?  It's really good stuff... great value for the money too because the bottles are ginormous.  What makes this sunscreen really different than Banana Boat, Panama Jack and Coppertone is they don't advertise - hence the name "no-ad."

This company has relied on word of mouth marketing for years.  I first started using it when I was in middle school because I saw a friend with a hot pink bottle of 15 SPF.

While it makes for an interesting case study, NO-AD is also very unique.  Many companies are creating "word of mouth" marketing campaigns which rely heavily on social media sites like Facebook or MySpace, emails (like those sent out by Indianapolis-based ExactTarget), blogs (like your's truly here) and SMS text messaging.  NO-AD really relied on good, solid, old-fashioned word of mouth.

On the American Marketing Association's Web site, Marketing Power, they currently have a survey posted which I found to be extremely interesting.  They ask, "What is your most effective word-of-mouth technique?"  The responses are what got my attention:

• Social Media Sites - 22%
• Email - 54%
• Blogs - 16%
• SMS - 8%

Honestly, I voted for blogs.  I have experienced a great deal of success in gaining coverage for my clients in blogs.  Many blogs have a daily traffic snapshots reaching over 2.2 million making their online viewership greater than the printed circulation of the same company or other reputable media outlets in the same space.

I believe people are more likely to believe the word of a blogger than some group on Facebook or some email they've received.  Emails have a leg-up on blogs though... many campaigns are opt-in and all [should be] opt-out compliant.  To find a blog takes more effort than just checking your inbox - I'll give you that!

I am sad to see that SMS isn't appearing to catch on as quickly as I had anticipated.  I've yet to participate in any opt-in SMS campaign and I really don't think it's for me.  I equate it to receiving a phone call from a telemarketer right when I sit down for dinner.  There's never a good time to receive a random text message from a stranger... not for me, at least!

So what about you?  How will/would you vote?

On July 28, Laura Olson, a reporter from the Indianapolis Star wrote the article, "Indy-area volunteers not stingy with time." She stated in the article, "Indianapolis is one of the top 10 metro areas in volunteer hours per resident, according to a federal report released Sunday."

Many Indianapolis residents are always itching to learn more about where they can volunteer their time and services.  I know of a great volunteer opportunity that you can partake in at any time of the year and as much or little as you would like! 

Eagle Creek Park on the Northwest side of Indianapolis is looking for volunteers to help out at the park doing various activities.  Some of them include taking children on hikes, gardening, working at the marina, working at the newly built Discovery Center, answering phones, taking care of animals and setting up for art shows that exhibit four times a year at the Discovery Center.



If you or someone you know is interested please contact Rosie Johnson, the volunteer coordinator at Eagle Creek Park.  Her number is (317) 327-7148.

One thing I loved about Notre Dame is that a huge percentage of the student body is comprised of athletes - which meant there was always someone to toss a football, shoot hoops or play a game of pick up soccer on the quad with. As someone who loves sports and played competitively through high school, being part of this atmosphere was a lot of fun for me. Since Notre Dame's varsity sports teams are very competitive, a lot of students who attend Notre Dame are good enough at (one or more) sports that they could have played their sport(s) at another college. I actually considered applying to several smaller, Division 3 schools so that I could keep playing soccer during college. Ultimately, I decided that I cared more about attending Notre Dame than I did about playing soccer at the college level. However, I was lucky that this didn't mean I had to give up sports all-together.

In fact, during my years at Notre Dame, I played intramural flag football, soccer, basketball, volleyball and broomball - and had an absolute blast doing it. I met some of my best friends through these teams, and my experiences playing on them remain some of my favorite memories from college. I'll never forget when my freshman year flag football team - from the smallest dorm on campus - beat the team from the largest dorm on campus in the intramural championship game. The coolest part of this, though, was that the game was held in Notre Dame stadium. For a huge ND football fan like myself, getting to step foot on (much less getting to play a game of our own on!) this field was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Another one of my favorite intramural experiences was with my broomball team. If you're not familiar with this sport, let me give a quick outline. It's played on half of an ice rink, with goals at either end. Members of each team run on the ice in shoes (not skates) and hit a ball (not a puck) with a stick that literally could be made at home with a broom handle and a wider piece of plastic at the bottom. Games are twenty minutes long, and in this league they're played at night - usually at 10pm, 11pm, or 12am. My team, which played together for three years, was called Fr. Sorin and the Funky Bunch. (Fr. Sorin was the founder of the university.) For each game, we dressed up in ridiculous non-matching outfits and had so much fun out on the ice. The best part was that despite the recreational nature of the game, we actually took it seriously and got really pumped up for each game. One night we even had a friend who was in the school's band accompany us over to the hockey rink playing music & cheering us on.

Since graduating in May of '07, I've definitely missed getting to play on all these teams with my close friends. This fall, I'm hoping to help coach a soccer team. I think it will be a lot of fun getting to be around the game again, teach it to younger girls, and see them enjoy it the way I did for so many years. Maybe I'll even get to play a little too - although my footskills have definitely gone downhill over the past few years. Oh well, I guess I'll see if a little practice can help bring them back!

We've all done it. You see a homeless person on the sidewalk or at an intersection and you give them what little change or maybe cash you have in your wallet. Maybe you've even given someone your doggy bag from your nice dinner out. Ultimately you feel sorry for the person and try to offer assistance without really getting involved, right?

My friend Matt did this for an "amputee" and Vietnam War veteran who was seemingly down on his luck in Louisville. Hours later, Matt was astounded to see the man stand up out of his wheelchair and run off with some very real legs and with all of the cash he was given. Matt was upset and everyone who witnessed it commented they would never give money to a homeless person again. 

While finishing up her masters, one of my best friends worked for a company committed to helping homeless people here in Indianapolis. Sadly, one day her purse was stolen out of her office. Though it was later found, the man seen taking it was one of the people her company had offered its services to in the past.

It's hard to help people when you know the odds of them taking your help and actually using it to better themselves (buy food, clothes, etc...) are slim to none. A friend of my Dad's offered to take a homeless man in my hometown of Greenville, SC to McDonald's and buy him lunch - anything he wanted. The man stared at him in disbelief and said, "Just give me money, man."

Unfortunately, many people who are forced to live on the streets face addictions ranging from alcohol to gambling. Their addiction is a disease, and any money they receive goes to feed it. Other large portions of homeless people in the U.S. are victims of foreclosures, bankruptcy and sadly - many are mentally ill.

OK - so why my rant on homeless people? Here in Indianapolis, we have a problem. You don't see it every where... but downtown, especially at night, there are a lot of folks who have nowhere to sleep, no shelter and no dinner. The worst part of this mess is the city is forcing them to get out from underneath the bridges that provide them with the only shelter available and is not providing them with any alternatives.

Every city has a dark side - a side tourists/visitors never see. By placing nice hotels close to attractions like museums, malls, monuments, sport & concert arenas and convention centers most visitors never have to see the "bad" part of town. But what about those of us who live in these bigger cities? We drive through rough areas sometimes. In fact, we probably drive out of our way to avoid them. I say it's time we stop driving around the problems plaguing society and make a change.

Write to your mayor today if you agree with me, and ask them what their plans are to provide the homeless with shelter and increase safety for citizens throughout the city - regardless of race, religion and income.

For those of you in Indianapolis, write to Mayor Greg Ballard here.

Yesterday I had an experience at the mall which made me think about the fact that many of the skills necessary to be a successful retail salesperson are similar to those necessary to be successful at Dittoe PR.

As I was walking, I was approached by a salesperson with a lotion sample. Although I politely told him I wasn't interested in sampling his product, he continued to insist that I take the sample, all-the-while getting closer to me and more in my face. I decided to appease him, in the hopes of getting him to leave me alone after that. That was my first mistake. Once I took the lotion sample, he began to show me another set of products for nail care. Talking at a mile-a-minute, the salesman (who clearly cared FAR more about nail care than I, a woman, did) tried to convince me to let him demonstrate a nail smoothing product on me - "Just two minutes of your time." Yeah, right. He proceeded to smooth the top of one of my thumbnails with some sort of nail buffing product. Then, when I said "That's nice, but I really don't need the product," he went into a tirade about how my fingernails are like a business card. "Do you want your business contacts to see you with bad nails?" he asked. As I strained to keep a smile on my face and remain pleasant I thought to myself how my business contacts shouldn't care what my nails look like - they should base their opinions of me on how smart, professional and hard-working I am - and whether I get the job done well. Honestly, I don't care enough or want to spend the money to get a manicure each month - and I'd rather keep my nails cut short so I can toss a football more easily.

At this point, I started to get really annoyed and began to try harder to get away from the salesman. I hate being rude though, so I was still having a difficult time walking away. His tactics then changed to attempts to negotiate with me. He tried offering me the nail kit for half price, then offering me two nail kits for the price of one. The reality of the situation was that I wouldn't spend $5 for a nail kit - it's just not something I need, want or would even use. FINALLY I realized I would just have to be short with the man - tell him I wasn't buying anything, bottom line - and walk away.

To me, a good retail salesperson needs to resemble a good PR professional. He or she should be helpful but not pushy. Knowledge of the product, the ability to communicate and being trustworthy (which includes conveying accurate product and pricing information, especially in a negotiation-type sale) are all critical qualities to have.

At Dittoe, we pride ourselves on always being professional and pitching the media appropriately. The relationships we form with journalists and producers are largely based on their trust that we're providing them with accurate, relevant information. I know there are plenty of PR professionals who pitch using mass email lists and who don't do the necessary research prior to contacting members of the media. Going the extra mile by making ourselves familiar with new media contacts, the topics they general cover, and how they prefer to be contacted is what sets the account executives at Dittoe apart from these other PR professionals in the industry.

I always try to think about how I would react to something if I were the journalist or producer, prior to contacting him or her. By putting myself in someone else's shoes for a minute, it helps me to better understand what they want so I can get the best results for Dittoe and our clients!

An expert is defined as a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority. Every day I pitch some journalist or blogger on speaking with a client, an expert in mobile technology, networking, social media, 3PL, etc… who can provide a perspective relevant to a story or unique enough to qualify as a story in and of itself.

I suppose I’m expert violist, field hockey player and dog trainer since I do possess special skill and knowledge in each field – but I don’t go around claiming to know everything about any of these skills. I consider myself to be an amateur at everything I am skilled at since I don’t quite have the tenure required to be taken seriously as an expert. 

The people I promote each day are referred to as experts because they know their business better than anyone else, bar none. In many cases, the experts I work with are founders of multiple organizations and all of them have taught me so much about their business and industry.

I’ve come to learn so much about the experts I work with and represent. So much that it’s difficult to present media contacts with all of the reasons why they need to speak with someone in the first place. I wish I could just label my clients as experts with stickers on their Web sites or foreheads, whichever they prefer, letting the world know that they are skilled at what they do, the best in fact.

Unfortunately, we all can’t walk around with signs letting the world know who we are – unless you’re into wearing a nametag for the rest of your life. That’s why PR is so important. As hard as it is to get the attention of the media, when I do it is a major adrenaline rush.

After reaching out to someone numerous times over a period of time and receiving no response, no inkling of interest – to get that one phone call or email asking for more information and to speak with the expert is the reason why I come into work every day. That call or email is how I earn my nametag: a Public Relations Account Executive.

This November we’re electing the next president of the United States. Whether you’re a democrat or a republican, this election is important. Now more than ever, the U.S. is in desperate need of some good international public relations.

Now I’m not volunteering my services to Senators Obama or McCain (however if they are interested in working with Dittoe PR all they need to do is call) but it is very clear we not only need a change in the Oval Office but also in the news. 

Back in October of 2003, PBS’s Online NewsHour posted a very interesting article which I recently ran across by accident. In it, the writer makes a point which is still relevant today:

“The United States must dramatically transform its public diplomacy system to overcome growing anti-American sentiments abroad, according to a report released Wednesday by an advisory group appointed by the Bush administration.”

Public diplomacy is really very similar to public relations but on a much higher level. After all, we are talking about the international public perception of the United States of America. It’s just a little bit bigger than most PR accounts.

Regardless of who you are pulling for in this year’s election, we must vote for the man we believe to be the best representation of the United States and all the good we can accomplish in the world. We don’t want the European Union glad to see him leave office and we certainly don’t want our president to be thought of as ignorant or stupid.

Unfortunately, President Bush’s administration has a cloud of disapproval hanging over it and at this point in time it remains to be seen if any positive things can ever be attributed to his terms in office. It seems every beneficial act he has been involved with is overshadowed by multiple examples of poor judgment or accusations of weak leadership.

Approval ratings are important in the U.S. and abroad. Not only do they indicate how well a government official is liked but that is directly related to the success of foreign diplomacy efforts and support in Congress.

Additionally, the study performed by the advisory group appointed by the Bush administration back in 2003 found “in this time of peril, public diplomacy is absurdly and dangerously underfunded.”

Funding alone will not make diplomacy efforts more successful (however it is needed very badly), thus I’m back to examining the candidates. Both are very different but have the same objective: to be President – to be the Spokesperson and CEO of the United States.

OK, so for my two cents: Regardless of whom we elect come November, as a nation we need to pay very close attention to our approval rating overseas. After all, our president represents us. We should be very concerned when countries don’t want to participate in diplomatic talks and even more concerned when our so-called allies leave our side whether in battle or on paper.

No matter who gets elected this year, I hope they know a thing or two about public relations – for their sake and ours.