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Picking Your Valentine’s Day Gift

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Applying PR primary and secondary research practices 

As Feb. 14 approaches and pink hearts fill the shelves of stores, women everywhere begin to wonder what to buy their significant other for Valentine’s Day.

While many simply ask their valentine what he wants or give into cheesy chocolates, there is a covert process that can ensure effective and anything-but-cliche gift giving. Approaching the purchase from a PR research perspective can give better insight into the perfect present this Valentine’s Day.

Step 1 – Secondary Research

Also referred to as background research, secondary research is an analysis of past studies conducted by another party. This step is vital in the search for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.

You may think you know your significant other like the back of your hand. However, you’ll be surprised what you find when reflecting on the following information.

  • Historical Research/Case Studies

secondary-research-used_9e231777a70223c1Take a moment and reflect on past gift exchanges between you and your valentine.

Many martyrs from Valentine’s Days past know the sting when your date’s face shows disappointment as they open the gift. Make a list of his favorite and most hated gifts. Why did he like or dislike it? Does he appreciate handmade gifts or is he more interested in something bought?

This stage is necessary in analyzing the ghosts of presents past.

  • Internal & External Documents

Determine what your valentine is crazy about. Reach beyond the sports or hobbies he talks about regularly (though don’t dismiss these). Look at what he has in his home or car. What is his sense of style? Is there something he is lacking?

Also, take note of activities he does with you and his friends. While a gift to hold is great, it’s never a bad idea to consider an activity as a gift if it fits his personality.

  • Databases and Internet Sources 

Beyond your analysis of his habits, research top gifts this season. While it may be tempting to Google, “Valentine’s gifts for him”, don’t do it. This will point you towards the cheesy chocolates mentioned above.

Instead, use keywords in your search specific to him. This will help you focus in on your gift giving pursuits.

Step 2 – Primary Research

Once you have conducted your secondary research, it is time to go directly to the source for primary research.

interviewIn public relations, primary research methods include focus groups, interviews, censuses and surveys.

In the case of the Valentine’s Day date, an interview is recommended.

Ask about gifts he wants or needs and solidify any brainstorming that began during your secondary research. However, don’t be overt in your questions and practice your detective skills. The element of surprise is best in the case of gift giving.

Step 3 – Decision & Gift Giving

With both your secondary and primary research combined and analyzed, it is time for the big decision. You can now decide on the best gift for your valentine!

While yes, this process may seem extensive and rather thorough, it has been the backbone for many successful PR and marketing campaigns. Therefore, follow these steps to ensure a smile from your valentine as he unwraps his gift.

For more information on PR research methods, visit Market Research Techniques: Primary and Secondary Market Research.

Happy Gift Giving!  <3

Millennials and Stories

The battle for your stories

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Snapchat v. Instagram v. Facebook

In the fall of 2013, Snapchat made an addition to their quick pic app that revolutionized both their company and the social media landscape forever – the Snapchat story.

These compilations of ten-second videos and pictures of peoples’ day-to-day lives rapidly stole the show and userbase from the aging Facebook audience. The ability to post a story and it disappear after 24 hours appealed to the younger social media audience. It allowed users to see a nearly live feed of their friends while also feeding into the shrinking attention span of millennials.

This move was so significant that according to Gary Vaynerchuk’s The Snapchat Generation: A Guide to Snapchat’s History, “By August 2014, 40% of 18-year-olds in the US were using Snapchat on a daily basis.”

In 2015 they launched their famous Snapchat filters. That same year they became a media platform, allowing companies to have designated accounts and ads. Today, Snapchat reaches over 7 billion video views each day, rivaling with Facebook.

Facebook and Instagram fight back

In the summer of 2016, Instagram introduced Instagram stories as a means to steal back their younger audience.

While Snapchat is still the leading face of story usage, within the first month of its release, “the new option was already being utilized by more than 100 million people every day. That’s a third of Instagram’s daily active user base, and a fifth of their overall network,” according to Social Media Today.

FB LiveThey took it a step further, introducing and promoting Facebook and Instagram Live, allowing users to give followers a live stream of their activities.

Today, Facebook recently introduced Facebook Stories to different audiences across Europe, hoping to gradually bring the stories to the United States users.

According to Pew Research Center, Facebook is still the leading social media site both nationwide and globally. However, their desire to win back the younger generation is shown in the new additions of Instagram stories and Facebook Live. Snapchat is a threat, and Facebook must continue in the fight for stories in order to stay on top.

What stories mean for PR

As for public relations, this battle for users reemphasizes the need to know your audience and understand which people are using which platforms. Snapchat’s success and Facebook’s newest additions show that millennials, especially teenagers, are using the platforms dedicated to quick, visual messages.

When forming content aimed at a younger generation, PR practitioners must find a way to incorporate this style of messaging into their social media strategy and integrated marketing campaigns.

It could be buying a filter on Snapchat for a new company promotion, or a well-known spokesperson going live on the company’s Facebook account to talk about an issue. Either way, the stories sent out on social media must be visually appealing, authentic and constantly updated.

More Information

For more information, visit the links below.

Social Media for Grads

Utilizing Social Media as a Soon-To-Be Grad

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We live in a social {media} world…

Growing up in the digital age, most millennials have never known a life without the constant connection that social media sites provide. It is practically second nature to chat with friends via Snapchat, post pictures on Facebook and keep up-to-date on Twitter.

However, social media sites can be significantly more useful than the casual posts many college students use it for regularly. It can help soon-to-be grads land jobs and make meaningful connections. Here are some tips to ensure you are utilizing social media to its fullest as a soon-to-be graduate.

Demonstrate Your Knowledge

Every graduate’s social media handle is a digital representation of their brand as a future professional. When beginning to look for jobs, soon-to-be grads should take the opportunity to demonstrate their industry knowledge on their social media handles. Start discussions on industry news. Write a blog post about experiences in an internship.

Digital PictureAccording to The Huffington Post’s Social Media Etiquette for College Students and Young Professionals, “Like it or not, your communication becomes a strong part of your overall image. Recognize this as an opportunity to set yourself apart as a person with integrity.”

When employers begin to research applicants, they will see a potential employee both actively sharing their knowledge and wanting to grow.

Keep It Clean

Many college students think of their social media accounts as a way to connect with friends and tend to not have clean and appropriate posts.

However, as stated before, any social media account is a digital representation of your brand as a professional. When applicants have compromising pictures and posts, it is often an immediate issue for employers. Although Facebook and Instagram posts might not be on your professional accounts, if it is published online with your name, it is a representation of you professionally.

Social Media and College GradsAs far as privacy settings go, employers have ways get around them. According to Repup.com, “A full 69% of employers admit to rejecting an applicant after checking them out on Facebook or another social media site; the reasons given for rejection range from inappropriate photographs and posts to misrepresentation of background or abilities.”

These conflicts can be avoided by simply not posting anything questionable. If you do not want an employer to see it, do not post it. It is always best to put your best foot forward.

The Gold Mine – LinkedIn

LinkedIn PictureConnections are vital in landing any job, especially the first job out of school. The best social media site to network on? LinkedIn.

While LinkedIn is a social media site, its focus is on connecting professionals to make them more productive and successful. Therefore, your LinkedIn profile should be a digital representation of your resume and portfolio material.

Beyond profiles, LinkedIn has job listings and groups that college students should research or join in order to make connections. Also, HR departments and recruiters often use LinkedIn as a way to meet new applicants. Reach out to these individuals because it never hurts to make connections and grow your network.

For more information on utilizing LinkedIn, visits 4 Ways to Find Job Opportunities on LinkedIn.

Universities’ Need for Social Media Marketing

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If you give a school a Snapchat…snapchat-1374859_960_720

In order to increase student discussion and brand recognition, universities across the nation are broadening their horizons by incorporating social media marketing into their communication plans.

However, these universities are learning that their need for strong social media marketing goes beyond the classic Facebook and Twitter account activity. In order to have a strong social media presence, university communicators must tap into new social media sites to increase intercommunication with students.

Recently, colleges have begun using Snapchat, allowing university communicators to reach their students in a quick and entertaining fashion. According to Mashable, “more than three-quarters of college students — 77%, in fact — use Snapchat at least once per day.” Therefore, a key way to reach their target audience is utilizing Snapchat stories and filters.

A prime example of a university communicating with their students over Snapchat is the University of Florida’s President W. Kent Fuchs Snapchat Takeover. During his takeover, President Fuchs takes his followers through daily presidential responsibilities, interacts with students and attends campus events.

Why is UF’s Snapchat Takeover important?

There are two main takeaways from the UF Snapchat Takeover.

First, not only is this a creative way to communicate with students, the president’s usage of Snapchat shows that he values communication with his students and key stakeholders.

PR is most efficient when it works hand-in-hand with an executive team and that is seen here. President Fuchs not only shows his ability to adapt to constantly changing trends such as Snapchat, he makes it clear that the students at the University of Florida are important to him.

Second, when communicating with key audiences over social media, university communicators have to keep the information up-to-date and fluid.

While pre-scheduling programs such as Hootsuite are very helpful and should be utilized in managing tweets and Facebook posts, people should not depend on them solely to communicate. PR professionals should get out of the office, utilize Snapchat or Facebook Live and provide their audience with live, authentic material.

Tips for universities using social media

Tip 1 – The more the merrier: College campuses should not limit themselves to one social media outlet. According to Forbes’s The Top 10 Benefits of Social Media Marketing, “Every opportunity you have to syndicate your content and increase your visibility is valuable. Your social media networks are just new channels for your brand’s voice and content.” Individual colleges, schools and even on-campus organizations should utilize social media marketing.

Tip 2 – Stay on brand: Be sure that all content put on social media and sent out with the university’s name is on brand. Create a styleguide for campus communicators that outlines brand graphics and written material shared on social media. For an example, check out Auburn University’s Styleguide.

Tip 3 – It’s all about the students: Sharing personal stories of students and their success is vital for any university social media handle. This not only attracts future students, it increases intercommunication with students because they can connect personally with the stories.

More Information

For more information on Social Media Marketing, visit Forbes Top 10 Benefits of Social Media Marketing.

Mulch helps save water

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mulch-pictureWith Alabama in its current drought, residence throughout the state can look to mulch to help save water in their yards and gardens. (Photo Source: Flickr // Jessica Cross)

Rhonda Britton, a regional extension agent, said mulch can help hold moisture when placed on top of the soil.

“It keeps down on erosion and helps hold the moisture in,” Britton said. “It basically seals the soil or works as a barrier to help the moisture from evaporating out of the soil.”

Types of mulch

The most accessible type of mulch in Alabama is Pine Bark due to the numerous pulp mills throughout the state.

However, there are multiple types of mulch including:

  • Pine Bark mulch
  • Hardwood mulch
  • Pine Straw
  • Cyprus mulch
  • Eucalyptus
  • Melaleuca
  • Red Mulch

Beyond these standard purchases, Britton said residents can add household compost to their mulch including newspaper, leaf straw and cardboard.

“Any of your grass clippings or rotten plants and vegetables that people did not picked in time can also be added to their compost,” Britton said. “When those all set over time, the mulch breaks down into a good composting soil, holding in moisture and fighting weed seeds.”

Mulching in the drought

With the state in a current drought, any small practice to save water should be incorporated into people’s homes.

Britton said people should absolutely incorporate mulching into their gardens and yards.

“What mulch does, if you mulch around your landscape, it serves as a dual purpose – it helps keep weeds from germinating and helps hold that soil moisture in,” Britton said. “And in this drought, most people are sublimating the water so if you have mulch around the plants you can water your plants less frequently because it wont evaporate as fast.”

Other benefits of mulch

Beyond saving water, there are other important benefits to mulching your yards and plants.

Britton recommends at least a 3-inch lay of mulch so that it continues to work over time.

“Mulch will break down over time and help add organic matter to your plants and helps fight weed seeds from germinate,” Britton said.  “It helps protect the plants at the base of the plant.”

Residents should also spread the mulch out evenly across the base of the plant.

“You don’t want to mulch up around the trunk of the tree,” Britton said. “This is known as the volcano effect and should be avoided by making sure the mulch is evenly spread.”

More information

For more information on mulching practices, visit www.aces.edu or contact your local Extension agent for assistance in the field.

New printing system for students available on campus

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*This article originally appeared in the Auburn University Newsroom*

Auburn University’s Office of Information Technology has partnered with Ricoh printing company to bring students two new services this semester: PrePay Printing and Kiosk Printing.

tiger-print-services-400

“We had requests from students to have color and duplex printing available at more than one printer on campus. So with this new system we found a manageable way to do this across campus,” said Seth Humphrey, manager of web and mobile development for the Office of Information Technology.

PrePay Printing allows students to set up a prepaid account online by logging in with their username and password.  After the account is set up, students can print by emailing documents to emailtoprint@auburn.edu, print directly from an on-campus lab computer or set up a printer queue on their personal Windows or Mac computers.

Kiosk Printing is a separate process and is paid with credit and debit cards. To print from these stations, students will have the option to email documents to print@printme.com, or use the mobile app, USB drives and cloud services.

The two systems have separate queues. Therefore, students who email their documents to either the PrePay or Kiosk queues have 24 hours to visit an appropriate printer to release their print jobs.

For a list of PrePay and Kiosk locations, as well as instructions for installing the printer queue, visit the TigerPrint support webpage.

The new system also includes price changes. Black-and-white copies are 10 cents per sheet or 18 cents for double-sided printing; color printing is 50 cents per sheet or 90 cents for double-sided printing; and scanning is free.

Ellyn Hix, director of user services for the Office of Information Technology, said the office expects a slight learning curve with the new systems.

“One thing we want to stress to our students is that if you have any color at all in your document, you’ll be charged for a color document,” Hix said, in reference to emailing a document to the printers.

Students using the PrePay printer queues from an on-campus computer or their personal computer should double-check the printer settings to use black-and-white by default to avoid paying charges for color printing.

Neither system will be billed to a student’s eBill, allowing fewer holds on accounts due to printing charges. “Funds for the prepaid system, as well as charges at kiosk printers, are all run through Ricoh alone,” Humphrey said. “This way, the charges are no longer associated with the university and will not prevent a student registering for classes due to a hold on their account.”

Hix said the Office of Information Technology welcomes feedback from students.  “We want to work with everyone to make the new system easy,” Hix said.

For a step-by-step process on each printing system, visit the TigerPrint webpage. To provide feedback, email tigerprint@auburn.edu. For help from a Ricoh representative, email www.ricohhelp@auburn.edu.

Auburn University celebrates 67th annual Hey Day

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*This article originally appeared in the Auburn University Newsroom*

Auburn University’s Student Government Association hosted its 67th annual Hey Day celebration Thursday on the Student Center green space, bringing the Auburn Family together with a day dedicated to promoting a close-knit community by simply saying “Hey.”

Students throughout campus wear nametags and are invited to enjoy entertainment and free food while getting to know each other.

2016’s theme was “Saying Hey Since Back in the Day,” with the tradition of Hey Day dating back to the end of World War II.

“We chose that because so many people come out to Hey Day on the green space and think it’s just a random day that we wear name tags but there’s a lot of history behind it,” said Connor Porterfield, director of Hey Day. “It started because when the soldiers returned from the war, the students at Auburn wanted to find a way to greet them properly.”

Beyond the nametags and greetings, this event has evolved into a full-day event.

2016 featured performances from Auburn’s hip hop dance team AU Rhythm, the Auburn cheerleaders and the Auburn University Tiger Paws. SGA also offered pizza and drinks to students in attendance.

The Hey Day committee had a photo booth set up for students to use as a way to associate the theme of “Saying Hey Since Back in the Day,” and students also had the chance to play with adoptable puppies from the Lee County Humane Society while on the green space.

SGA President Jesse Westerhouse encourages the student body to participate in the yearly event.

“Hey Day embodies what it means to be a part of the Auburn Family,” Westerhouse said. “Students should come to Hey Day to make a new friend, enjoy entertainment from Auburn students and to be a part of such a long-standing tradition. It is exciting and fun and we want every Auburn student to get a ‘Hey’ and give a ‘Hey’ to somebody new.”

Kathryn Grace Faulk, assistant director of Hey Day, emphasized that the Hey Day tradition reaches beyond the students.

“Hey Day is all about the Auburn Family and how we can allow for everyone to feel welcomed,” Faulk said. “It doesn’t only reach the students but the faculty and staff as well. It is such a special tradition that everyone in the Auburn Family loves because it truly shows how much we care for one another and love our school.”

Auburn University’s 23rd annual Beat Bama Food Drive underway

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*This article originally appeared in the Auburn University Newsroom*
(Photo Source// BBFD Facebook)

Since 1994, the Beat Bama Food Drive benefiting the Food Bank of East Alabama has united students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members in the fight against hunger and poverty in East Alabama. While the University of Alabama and the West Alabama Food Bank are competing against Auburn to see who can collect more non-perishable food to help those in need, the true winners are the recipients of the donations.

This friendly competition has reached beyond the two campuses with nearly 3 million pounds of food donated since its inception.

Caroline Jager, president of the Beat Bama Food Drive, said food is a basic human right and the student body and community have a responsibility to do everything in their power to alleviate food insecurity.

“My hope for Beat Bama Food Drive is that it will cultivate the spirit of the Auburn Creed in the student body by putting other’s needs before our own so that we can help restore happiness, pride, health and dignity into the lives of others,” Jager said.

Last year, Auburn brought home the trophy with 211,625 pounds of food, beating the University of Alabama’s 116,370 pounds.

To donate, members of the Auburn Family can either bring cans to donation barrels located across campus starting Oct. 5 or donate online at http://foodbankofeastalabama.com/donate.html. If interested in becoming a sponsor, email bbfd@auburn.edu.

Architecture Student Designs in Rome

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*This article originally appeared in the Auburn Family Blog*

Auburn’s third-year fountainarchitecture students enter into their spring semester with the choice to stay in Auburn, study at their rural studio in Alabama’s Hale County or travel abroad to Rome, Italy. (Photos Source // Hannah Cornelius)

For senior Hannah Cornelius, Cullman, Alabama, Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction Rome studio drove her to choose Auburn.

“It was the only school I toured that had their own abroad program that brought their faculty and was also architecture specific,” Hannah said. “All the other schools had study abroad programs. However, they either weren’t specific to architecture or were through other schools.”

The College of Architecture, Design and Construction began offering their Rome studio to students over 12 years ago. The four-month program is taught by professors from Auburn University, University of Arkansas and three Italian universities.

While abroad, Hannah took three architecture classes.

The first, Architecture of the City, centered on traveling to different monuments, tourist attractions and architecture staples throughout Rome.

“Each week we traveled with our professors and drew the sites. We then analyzed the iconic locations and their structures,” Hannah said.

The next class, Modern and Contemporary Rome, had students study the different neighborhoods that make up Rome’s metropolitan area.

“Rome is divided into tons and tons of different subsections, kind of like the burrows of New York,” Hannah said. “They’ve all developed at different times for different reasons so each week we went and studied a different section and how it came about.”

Lastly, Hannah took a studio focused on the downtown, historic area of Rome.

“In our regular studio we looked at what was already existing and tried to be respectful of that when designing new projects,” Hannah said. “That was similar to a normal studio in America just in a different setting.”

Rather than meet in a standard building, Hannah and her class held their studio class in the Palazzo Taverna, a nearly 2,000-year-old palace.

“It has been there for ages,” Hannah said. “Dignitaries and part of the royalty still live there so you have this cool feeling of being part of history.”

Hannah says having this experience abroad helped expand her creativity and improve her design skills.

“I gained great experience living in a metropolitan city,” Hannah said. “My time there showed me a different approach to design from the rural setting I grew up in.”

During her four months abroad Hannah says she grew both as an architect and student.

“Rome significantly shapes the architecture we build today,” Hannah said. “It was really cool seeing the birthplace of it all and being able to learn in the city center.”

More Information

For more information about the Rome studio visit the College of Architecture, Design and Construction website or their Rome studio website.

 

Social Media Release: Jingle Bell Jam

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Pitch

Auburn’s University Program Council, or UPC, will hold their annual Jingle Bell Jam on Wednesday, Nov. 30, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. The event features holiday-themed activities including hot chocolate, cookie decorating and mugs with student’s pictures on them.

Background

Auburn UPC is one of Auburn’s largest student organizations, putting on nearly 60 free events for Auburn students annually. With events ranging from large scale concerts to cooking workshops, all UPC events are planned, organized and executed by students for students. Composed of 10 committees, Jingle Bell Jam is one of the Tiger Nights Committee’s events and is held annually at the end of the fall semester.

Quick Facts

  • Admission is free when students show their Tiger Card at the door
  • The event will be held Wednesday, Nov. 30, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Holiday-themed events include cookie decorating, hot chocolate bar, s’mores and picture printing mugs
  • There will be an indoor ice-skating rink
  • This is a Tiger Nights event under the Tiger Mania category
  • Aubie will be a special guest at Jingle Bell Jam

Quotes

“This is our 3rd annual Jingle Bell Jam. The event will be full of holiday treats including a s’mores bar, coffee, hot chocolate, and cookie decorating. We are also going to have indoor ice skating which I am the most excited for.” – Sarah Sanders, director of Tiger Nights

“It has been really fun to plan, and we hope the students get to enjoy some fun holiday treats before finals” – Sarah Sanders, director of Tiger Nights

Multimedia

upc-logo

(Photo: UPC’s Logo)

jingle-bell-jam

(Photo: Jingle Bell Jam Flyer)

Aubie-at-tiger-mania

 

 

 

 

(Photo: Aubie on 2015 mechanical snowboard)

jingle-bell-jam

(Photo: Cupcakes from 2015 Jingle Bell Jam)

Social Media & Websites

Facebook:

  • Jingle Bell Jam Event Page – https://www.facebook.com/events/1285818808163360/
  • UPC Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuburnUPC2016/

Instagram:

  • UPC Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/auburnupc/

Twitter:

  • UPC Twitter – https://twitter.com/auburnupc?lang=en

Relevant Links

  • UPC Blog- http://auburnupc.com/
  • UPC Website- https://auburn.collegiatelink.net/organization/upc