Sadly, the hometown heroes - the Indianapolis Colts - aren't in this year's Super Bowl.  I suppose that's OK since they did win it last year.  Even if they would have squeaked by the Chargers, if they played the Patriots the way they played San Deigo they would have been killed. 

I'm excited that Eli Manning is playing for the world championship.  The Giants played the Pats better than any other team this season, and I think they have a real shot. 

Unfortunately, in the midst of their record-setting season the Pats have had some of the worst press.  The old addage that any press is good press doesn't really apply to this franchise.  The more they're in the news for their success, the more angry blog posts and comments are posted online.  Fans of the 1972 Dolphins don't want their favorite team's moment in history to be surpassed by Tom Brady and crew.  Negativity runs rampant when it comes to the Pats winning season - when it wasn't so long ago (after 9/11) that the nation celebrated when the Patriots (how symbolic) won the Super Bowl.

Belichik doesn't like the press - which only fuels the fire.  The only good press the team gets is really only publicized in the Boston area it seems - so how is the rest of the nation supposed to get to know this team and actually root for it?

I had someone from Boston tell me that the Pats aren't allowed to do commercials like the Colts - which, they argued, made them more real.  I have to disagree.  The nation has seen Peyton Manning (and his family) in various commercials and on SNL.  I have friends from SC who comment on how funny Manning is and how they like the Colts because they seem "real."  The Pats should exercise some good PR and get out there a little more - they might convert some fans.

I wish I could report I'm indifferent as to who wins Sunday's game, but I really want the Giants to win.  Why?  Because I can't stand the Pats.

Having grown up in Boston, I have been a Boston sports fan for years. I love the Red Sox and the Patriots. Now, living in Indianapolis, and working in an office full of Colts fans, it is rather difficult to outwardly show my enthusiasm at the Patriots’ successful season this year. (Well, at least without people giving me a hard time – saying the Patriots are cheaters, or making other negative comments about Tom Brady or Bill Belichick.) However, with the Super Bowl coming up on Sunday, I may just have to brave wearing my Tom Brady jersey for the first time since moving here.

 

I find myself trying to use my public relations skills to convince my co-workers and other people around here that the Pats are actually very team-oriented and aren’t the “evil” team that Indy fans seem to think they are. As you can imagine, most Colts fans are pretty closed-minded to feeling anything but complete hostility towards the Pats and anyone who is a Pats fan.

 

This got me to thinking what a tough job it would be to have the job of providing PR services to professional athletes, coaches, and others involved with professional sports teams. People develop such preconceived notions of sports figures who are constantly in the public eye that it must be difficult to attempt to change the opinion that the general public holds about these individuals. Luckily for me, the clients I work with are already reputable, and I haven't had to do any damage control to maintain these reputations!

As far as being a Patriots fan in Indianapolis, I guess all I can do is to stay strong in support of my team - and maybe remind those Colts fans who give me a hard time which team is currently undefeated and heading to the Super Bowl on Sunday. Go Pats!

It's official.  I'm one of approximately 40 million Americans suffering from the sleep disorder Bruxism - commonly known as teeth grinding.  This weekend I received my mouth guard, which I now have to sleep with, and I'm already noticing a real difference when I wake up. 

So what is the main cause of my Bruxism?  In a word, STRESS.  I don't consider myself to be a "stressed out" person but apparently I have enough on my mind at night that I'm gradually wearing down my tooth enamel while I sleep.

Stress affects everyone differently and we each respond to it in our own way.  In a career as fast-paced and ever-changing as public relations, I encounter stress on a daily basis.   

The great thing about working at Dittoe PR is there's always something to be done so you don't spend hours and hours doing the same thing and stressing out over it.  We move from one client's needs to another's, one project to the next [oftentimes working as a team], ensuring we have complete control and an understanding of what's going on at all times.  Every client receives our undivided attention.  We work hard for all of them and have fun in the process.  Seriously, we have a lot of fun at work.

For the first time in my life, I am excited to go to work in the morning and feel a real sense of accomplishment when I leave at the end of the day.  The stress I endure at Dittoe keeps me going and makes me want to do more - it doesn't drag me down.

Honestly, a life without stress would be boring.  I'm thrilled to be a part of this team - even if it means I have to wear a mouth guard to bed.  I guess that's just the sacrifice I have to make to do what I do best (talk, write and promote) for the top PR firm in Indianapolis.

So this week I'm attending my last board meeting for Indianapolis Chapter of the American Marketing Association.  I thought I would be looking forward to being done with it, but I find myself feeling sad my time with the organization is coming to an end.

I joined the AMA when I was promoted into the marketing department at Autobase, Inc.  After being a member for only three months, I volunteered to be the chapter's secretary and year later I was nominated and accepted as the chapter's vice president of programming.

With no experience or guidance, I set up all of the programming for September 2007 through June 2008.  I attended every luncheon and networking meeting that I could.  I even wrote programming summaries for the luncheon invitations and chapter website.  The AMA has been a big part of my life over the past two years.

I am fortunate to have held such an important position in our local chapter at such a young age.  Not only am I friends with fellow board members but I'm on a first name basis with local CEOs and entrepreneurs.  I'm also more familiar with local marketing and PR firms, as well as local companies.  I feel like I'm truly a part of Indy, that I actually know people here (which is an awesome feeling when you're from out-of-state).

But it's time to move on.  I keep trying to think of moving on as "growing up."  I grew a lot professionally and personally with the AMA and now it's time to grow even more.  Who knows what my next endeavor or adventure will be.  I'm determined to make 2008 my best year yet, so anything is possble!!!

I say HOT!

This week has been quite exciting for my Indianapolis-based client, Vontoo! For those of you who aren’t familiar with the company, Vontoo is the world’s first provider of on-demand, permission-based, instant voice messaging.

As I am writing this blog post, the number one heiress herself, Paris Hilton, is sending her fans personal phone calls to promote her upcoming movie (all powered by Vontoo), The Hottie and the Nottie, which is scheduled to hit theatres on February 8! This marks a HUGE shift in the way movie marketers are promoting their movies – moving beyond the traditional online & TV advertisements – and into permission-based voice messaging.

Fans of Hilton, like you and me, can simply go to the movie’s Web site (www.thehottieandthenottie.com), insert their phone number (home or cell) and then begin receiving personal calls from the heiress and updates about The Hottie and the Nottie!

I’ve made sure that all of my Paris Hilton-loving friends have received the phone calls. They can thank me later.

ClickZ, a leading site dedicated to helping interactive marketers do their jobs better, has already reported on the personal phone calls from Hilton in a write-up yesterday titled “A Call from Paris: Hot or Not?” You can check it out at http://blog.clickz.com/080115-142945.html.

Go to The Hottie and the Nottie’s Web site NOW to start receiving the calls!

GO BLOGGING!

One of my clients, Bob Compton, is screening his documentary film, Two Million Minutes, in various locations across the country throughout the upcoming weeks. This allows we, at Dittoe PR, the opportunity to work with the media in a variety of locations.

The film, which compares high school education in the U.S., India, and China, is being screened in Columbia, SC, Orlando, FL, Washington, DC, and Indianapolis before the end of the month. Dittoe is working with the local media in each of these locations to secure coverage and to promote the film using various tactics. By promoting Two Million Minutes throughout the country, we hope to gain as much national awareness of the film as possible.

This is one aspect of PR that makes it interesting - there are always new audiences to reach and new industries to learn about. I never knew much about the various organizations existing to promote education until I started working on the Two Million Minutes account. Now each day, I seem to come across another related organization.

"Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays..."  That's why I'm heading south for Christmas.  It's time to hangout with the fam and enjoy some warmer weather.

I love being from South Carolina.  Nothing's better than driving around Indiana and seeing various vehicles with their palmetto and moon stickers they no doubt bought on their last family vacation to Hilton Head, Charleston or Myrtle Beach.  I have one too... but it's not from my last vacation.  I'm from SC.  I don't vacation there -- I grew up there.

If you think about it, South Carolina really has an amazing PR plan in place.  The palmetto and moon (also known as our state flag) is one of the most recognizable symbols in the U.S., and our slogan is located on every license plate: Beautiful Places, Smiling Faces. 

PR is so much more than promoting a product or person... it can promote places so when a family living in Indianapolis, IN begins planning their summer vacation they think instantly of SC because they "heard" it was beautiful.

Ultimatley this is what I want to achieve for my clients.  When someone is looking for an electronic gadget to simplify their home networking issues, I want them to think of Corinex.  When a chamber of commerce wants an easier way to track membership and financial information, I want them to think of WebLink International.

My goal for all of my clients is simple.  I want them to be widely accepted as the experts in their industry.  I want great coverage for them.  I want them to succeed.

So as you finish your Christmas shopping this weekend, picture me driving down I-75 in my Mazda with the palmetto and moon on the back.  I'll be  promoting SC through five states with the stereo blaring Christmas carols the whole way [no doubt annoying my husband to no end], just in an effort to be home for the holidays.

Immediately after graduation I moved to Indianapolis in hopes of changing the world. Similar to my many like minded peers I was boiling over with an idealistic perspective undoubtedly gained from one too many communication courses. I was young, informed and absolutely positive that employers would beg to have me on their team. My naivity was a catch 22 in which it was so strong that even I was clueless to my own “clueless ness.”

Could I have shown prospective employers that although my relevant experience failed to transcend past college extracurricular activities and internships, that I was a fast learner and a hard worker with extreme eagerness, I may have had more luck finding a job in a timely manner. But as shop talk goes, I was a green candidate, fresh out college and although I succeeded in college I was among everything else-a risk.

“The interview was great, but we decided to fill the position with someone with a little more experience,” previous interviewers said in veiled benevolence.

I would have preferred a flat no seeing as the “more experience” card lessens the pain of rejection about as well as the “its not you, its me” line used in more than a few of my past relationships.

I went into my first interview with DittoePR with confidence and poise in hopes to mask my insecurities gained from a month of rejections, hoping to prove my abilities in lieu of my lack of experience on paper.

I had researched the company prior to my interview and everything I learned led me to the consensus that I wanted to join their team.

I was more than impressed with their dedication to their clients and saw that their clients were just as dedicated to them through their testimonials.

When I landed a second interview I was ecstatic!

I respected their vision, mission, and their overall package. There was no doubt in my mind that DittoePR was a top-notch firm and that I would be lucky to work there.

I continued to follow-up in the following weeks and prayed to God they’d give me a chance.

“I am going to give you a chance,” was written at the top of the email, “can you start Monday?”

I stared at the screen for a long minute and breathed a sigh of relief. I had made it.

I realized at that moment that finding the right job is not a random act of faith in which we are forced to relinquish our pride and our convictions to make it into the realm of the employed. Finding a job does not entail losing yourself; finding a job is about finding a place where you can be yourself, can find yourself, and can improve yourself.

At the time I thought that I was pushing and groveling and running through hoops simply to find employment, and I know now that it was my first lesson in effective Public Relations.

The ends do not always justify the means, it takes work. My gratitude runs over for the interviewers who turned me down because it would have just been some job, not the right job.

 It takes the will of a fighter and the grace of someone who is not afraid to fail. It takes knowing your audience and how your story is a good fit with their own, knowing your limitations and your strengths, and realizing that if done right, working your tail off behind the scenes can put you center stage, smack dab in the middle of the best place you could possibly be.

I landed the interview, I laid it all out there when I knew that it could easily be thrown back in my face, and I found a company that takes risks.

DittoePR took a chance on me and because they were willing to see what I could offer I was compelled to give it my all.

The most effective public relations specialists encompass the attitude my own bosses had when they hired me, they see what is written on paper and instead of taking it at face value, they envision where it can be with the right effort and right approach.

I am forever grateful for this opportunity because not only am I able to work at a PR firm that remains true to its values, mission, and convictions; it has taught me to stay true to my own.