Over the course of the semester, we have discussed many public relation initiatives. Two that I want to look at specifically are the Mr. Peanut and The Aldi’s campaign. The Mr. Peanut campaign was a very interesting one because it analyzed Public Relations in a very emotional time. The Mr. Peanut article discussed posting an ad about their main character attending a funeral, around the same time that Kobe Bryant passed away. The Aldi’s campaign was about Aldi wanting to help those who are struggling to save money. They even went to the furthest extent of creating a hashtag and named the program, “#PoorestDayChallenge.”
Both of these campaigns were similar, in the way of them lacking a good representation of The Ethical Principles of Public Relations. They both were displaying a lack of emotional concern for their audience. The relationship between the audience and the companies behind these two campaigns were at risk. After taking this course, it is evident that the relationship with your audience is one of the most important things. They should have taken more time crafting their messages. A strength that they both shared was establishing a very distinctive target audience. They also had a great understanding of media and tried to use them to benefit their companies. Aldi created it’s hashtag and had others use it on social media. While Mr. Peanut was presented the opportunity to run during the Superbowl game. Both articles had great tactics at persuasion, they just carried out the plan the wrong way. Overall, I enjoyed critiquing both articles.
Before taking this course I did not have much experience in Public Relation’s writing. Being able to write a press release and feature story easily, is a huge accomplishment for me. Having the opportunity to work with the Body Project has also opened my eyes to so many different skills and strengths that I never knew I had. Working with a team taught me how to give and receive constructive criticism on work. It also taught me how important it is to be very responsive and punctual when working together. The Body Project has allowed me to grow not only in writing, but in my field. I was able to take all of the things I learned during the semester and apply it with a partner. Writing social media posts, helps me understand how important it was to engage and be very responsive to your audience. I kept up with making my post every week and searched for different ideas to bring to the site every time I post.
This course really gave me insight as a Public Relations major. I could highlight all of my talents by creating an account on Carbonmade and setting up a personal profile. The portfolio will include all of the stories, press releases, and posts that were made while working with the Body Project. After creating the profilio, I can put the link in my bios or social media platforms; I could even send the link with my resume upon request.
Blog it Up! 