I am consumed by PR. I almost literally eat, sleep and breath public relations—between studying others techniques and perfecting my own, I rarely think about much else.
Today for example, I went shopping and saw a huge display of Ray-Ban sunglasses, the "must-haves" of today. My first thought was, "I wonder what methods they used to bring back these 1980s "it" style glasses...did they start by mailing pairs to different celebrities or hit up popular clothing ads?" Yesterday was no better: I watched a rerun of Oprah Winfrey's camping episode and couldn't help but comment out loud what brilliant PR Yosemite National Forest was receiving, almost by accident. Then she conveniently mentioned Chevy and REI... hmmm wonder if they had someone sending her car keys and gift baskets full of nalgenes and sleeping bags?!
I don't admit this because it is an obsession or unhealthy habit—I do have a life outside of PR classes and internships (sometimes). I tell you this because unless you are in direct contact with a communications firm or practitioner, the attention every product receives due to the hard work of someone in the communications industry (PR, advertising, marketing, media) probably goes unnoticed.
So, the challenge I offer is to keep your eyes and ears open this next week. What catches your attention most? Trendy clothing styles? A new, popular song? A food or drink product? Why? Yes, there is something special, unique, catchy or tasty about it; but, it also probably has something to do with the placement, advertisement or celebrity you associate it with—that's where we come in!
A great way to let a company know they are exposing their product well is by showing them: pongr.com is a new social media site that allows you to literally show brand loyalty. Email pictures of your favorite product in your daily life—you may even find yourself receiving perks from the company!
Enjoy!
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