The concept from class that I chose was political advertising. Political advertising is communications that appear in pamphlets, circulars, fliers, social media, billboards or other signs, bumper stickers, or similar forms of written communication. The goal of it is to means of mass communication, used for the purpose of appealing, directly or indirectly, for votes or for financial or other support in any election campaign. There are some rules when it comes down to political advertisements. They include requiring sponsor identification (a brief message that explains who paid for the ad).  The type of ad, print, broadcast, etc., determines how the sponsor ID must be displayed. All political advertising about a candidate for partisan office must identify the candidate’s party preference.

Statements about candidates in political advertisements must be truthful. When candidate photos appear in political ads, at least one photo must have been taken in the last five years and it can’t  be smaller than the largest photo in the ad. This concept paired very well with the article about Ross Perot because he began making his political campaign cyber-savvy. Ross Perot was said to be a “true internet believer.” That was one of the things that made this candidate so memorable. The internet was the backbone to his political foundation.

He was even said to be the reason that Donald Trump was even considered a presidential candidate and elect, due to his way of political advertisement. His political IT Chief stated that, “We see great fund-raising opportunities online. You know if someone has the ability to communicate over the Internet, they have a little bit of money.” Political advertising is what Ross Perot was all about! He wanted to push his campaign into online and social media advertisement. That has really paved the way for a lot of political figures and their campaigns. Ross Perot was the complete definition of political campaign. With that being said this concept and the article were literal spitting images of each other. Ross Perot was very fond of political advertisement and carried it out and opened doors for it as much as he could before he passed away. 

The research topic I would like to examine is how has advertising changed over time. I will carry out the research by examining ads from different time periods, comparing them, and contrasting them. I will also be able to determine the different concepts that were being used in ads and if they changed. We can discuss magazine advertising, advertising to vulnerable consumers, consumer culture, and even political ads.

There are a lot of lessons that we previously discussed that I can tie into the research. Advertisement is one of the most vital aspects of a business. It’s a personal and direct connection between a company and consumer. There has been a drastic change in the way that companies decide to advertise their products.

The evolution of advertising has experienced some really huge milestones over the years. I believe it’s important to understand the different ways things have changed and why. Many of the new techniques that we use in advertising are presented in our readings, discussions, and lectures from class. Advertising has played a major role in society and everyday life.

As technology advances, the way advertisements are being created and presented to us advances as well. The question at hand, remains is the change for the better or worse for it’s audience? It will be examined during the research as well. We have come a long way from newspaper ads and television commercials, we have made some major changes. It’s important to analyze what has changed.               

The changes in advertising are important to know and understand because it allows consumers to understand what strategies are being used on them to purchase a product, it will help consumers make better buyer decisions after watching an advertisement, and it would also help. Analyzing advertisements can also help adults and children understand the difference between genuine and false advertisements. After doing research about the differences in advertisements, consumers would be able to benefit from the information tremendously. I believe this research would be very vital to society. I could even so far as including a timeline for the differences. Advertising is a very important topic. 

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. 

Zion Coffee Co, did a great job executing an advertising plan during this pandemic. It is so important for companies to reach out to their audiences in time like this. Zion Coffee Co, decided to use their one location that takes online orders to give out coffee to all of our essential workers during this pandemic. This helps them have a positive relationship with their audience because it shows them that they care. It highlighted the importance of sticking together during hard times and giving back to those who are helping out during them time. It was a great act of kindness and selfless and would not go unnoticed to those workers or their audience. One of the most important aspects is to be able to connect to the target audience. This move not only showed Zion Coffee Co’s audience that they have a strong relationship with their audience but it also showed that they intend on keeping it.

This initiative and coverage really promoted the growth of their relationship and affected it in a very positive manner. They have so many different photos, showing the appreciation and dedication they have to their audience during this time. Their entire Instagram is full of support and all of the photos are promoting the idea of social distance and safety. After looking through Zion Coffee Co Instagram, I saw a lot of the post giving brief explanations of how they have been feeling about CoronaVirus. I think this would be a great way to include owned media. The Zin Coffee Co can allow its users to display a photo of their followers, giving a brief testimony of how the Virus has been affecting their lives and also how they have been able to get through this pandemic.

Providing a photo will allow the user to give a vivid description of how the user’s testimony and will help provide a more emotional appeal to their audience. That is a great way to keep the audience very interactive and engaged on the platform. I found it very intriguing to read and learn about the experiences of others. It also allows you to even pass around new tips, information, and ideas about the pandemic. With COVID 19 raising so much awareness and issues globally this will be a great way to gain new followers and keep the ones that they already have active. Zion Coffee Co, has been making some very impactful moves on Instagram and should keep up the great work.  

Ethical Public Relations and strategic social media practices are very important when engaging with an audience on social platforms. Ethics is simply knowing that thin line between what is right and what is wrong. However, when it comes to social media/online presence many people have some problems drawing the line. Typing behind a screen may make some feel as if ethics are not important while typing but this is not true.

Social media is becoming more and more important and legit in businesses so the posts that are being uploaded are very important. Social media is all about creating a relationship with your target audience. Transparency is a key factor in the building of that relationship. It’s very important to be honest with your following, that plays a huge role in the relationship. When you connect with social media you are ultimately joining a community. It is very important to treat those people in your community with kindness and of course, respect.

The content that  was posted on, “Steak-umm,” was intended to rationalize messages of both science and scientists. The message came across very strong while reading and had a lot of information to take in. The information was not given in a very professional manner and could have been offensive to not only their audience but their actual community.

Considering the fact that Steak-umm is a public account, their message could reach just about anyone. There were definitely some unprofessonail word usage in the tweets. One of them includes, “unfortunately most data exceptions are promoted with an agenda and propped up by grifters, provocateurs, or useful idiots. “ That kind of language should never be used on a platform.

You can also catch a lot of the company’s sarcasm through wording like such, “how our biases play into our data consumption is vital to curb the spread of incomplete or misleading information that the masses then believe as “facts.” This message really upset some of their audience and you can see that in the comment that they left below. One of them stated, “You’re not, this is a complete misstatement of how science works.  “Exceptions” do not “prove” a “rule” they disprove it (and should be called theorem not “rule”) It’s just gobbledygook.”

A lot of them also did not find the source credible especially when speaking on the topic at hand because it is a frozen meat company. This platform did not do a good job getting it’s message across properly at all. This content negatively impacted a lot of it audience and you can see by that all of the negative comments and debates it has risen under it’s thread.

“How Five Working Parents Are Getting Through Each Day,” was a very enjoyable article to read. I found myself getting lost in the tones of this feature story; it was honestly amazing. Each story has its own unique voice while reading. This feature was different from any others that I read or wrote, this gave multiple human interest stories. They allowed you to get the tone of each character and the tone even helped you feel where the characters were coming from.

The article provided great images that also helped the story carry out. Each story allowed you to get a clear view of what each person was doing on that person’s image. Rather it be a yoga mat, apple, or diaper on the image. This is one of the first feature stories that I read that interviewed multiple people and accounted for them around the same issue. It included a great lead, to help readers understand what the article was exactly about. It had a great description, even in the title, that helped you set the scene and people to life. This article had direct quotes throughout the reading, and those quotes help structure the entire reading. The anecdotes were great and it provided a good background for all of the information it provided.  COVID 19 is a huge topic as it continues to rise and offset our communities, making it a very relevant topic.

The voice of the speaker changes as each person’s story is told. The different tones allowed you to really be inside of each person’s stories, it felt as if I was actually living out their days with them. I believe that the Buzzfeed interviewed each person during this time by video call or over the phone. I believe that helped structure the entire format. It’s a perfect explanation as to how this was set up on a schedule, giving their day by day routine. Overall, this was a very great feature story that included multiple components to support the features. It offered so many aspects of Corona and created pathos throughout the entire reading. Corona is an extremely relevant topic for articles and companies to speak on. This pandemic is definitely changing the lives of so many and the stories are touching to hear; from the mothers, doctors, and teachers. This article really gave a huge insight on COVID; it was a timely and very necessary topic.

The Hy-Vee’s developed a new press release regarding additional changes to store equipment and procedures to further protect employees and customers. Pyramid structure is very important in releases. The basic structure of one may include, the first and second paragraphs of the inverted pyramid will have all the facts. It may also have some supporting detail, such as an image of the new product you are launching, a video clip, or both.The third paragraph will usually include a quote from someone in the know in your niche to help provide a context for your information. The fourth paragraph would usually be what is called your “boilerplate”, your standard corporate information and contact details. The boilerplate also provides a context that tells journalists reading your press release who you are and why you are worth paying attention to. The contact information is essential in case any media representatives want to follow up with you about your press release.

The beginning of their press release was strong and included the facts aspect, as it explained what the release was addressing. It explained briefly some of the things they were changing about the store to protect customers and employees, which is very important. As you get to the middle of the press release they begin to go into detail about when the new policies were going to be implemented and what you would have to do as a customer and employee at Hy-Vee. They also included a quote from Randy Edeker, the Hy-Vee’s chairman, CEO and president. The quote stated, “We continue to implement additional ways to adapt at Hy-Vee, so that we can serve our customers and protect the health and wellness of those who work and shop in our stores.” That was a strong source to pull because he is at the head of this cooperation, making that an excellent choice for the press release.

If I could interview an additional person it would be a manager at one of the locations, so they can go into detail about the precautions that the stores are making.  In the last paragraph they included all of their attributions and recognitions on a global scale and they also provided a link to contact them, leading you directly to their website. This content definitely flowed from what’s most important to last. It also included a lot of newsworthiness and impact in it’s writing.

The PRSA Code of Ethics sets out principles and guidelines that uphold the core values of the ethical practice of public relations. Those values include advocacy, honesty, loyalty, professionalism and objectivity. PRSA suggested 5 guidelines for carrying out responses to this tragedy; humanize the message, convey empathy, reinforce organizational values, tell the truth, and to write for a 6th grade reading level. The Coronavirus is a pandemic that has and still is causing an outbreak globally. This virus has not only affected business, cooperations, but even our everyday life.

Peoria’s grocery chains, Hy-Vee, responded to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in efforts to protect their employees and customers while still carrying out the company’s routine. They started off by giving an update of the grocery’s store new policies in regards to the pandemic. The article explained how they’re responding, how customers can help, and how they are providing products and protection. The article was broken down in the simplest terms and provided a great deal of emotion while delivering their message. They expressed how they were having a few hardships with online orders due to this outbreak and told customers how to take the proper precautions to help them through the issue. The company could have incorporated their values more in the message, however it did not take away from the article. They carried out the other 4 concepts for writing the response very successfully.

The customers were included in this article throughout this entire response, and were told how they were going to carry out their services from on out. They also explained how they were taking necessary steps to provide sanitation and protection for them. The article did not give too much information about employees besides the fact that they will have shorter working shifts and will be open 7 days a week. They could have had a better response for the employees that are working there and provided them with small sections in regards to how things are going to change for them. The article did not adequately support the internal as strong as they did in the external audiences for the Coronavirus. It is just as important to address those who are working for you as it is those who are being serviced by you. That is one aspect that I would strongly recommend adding, to strengthen the ethical message in this article. With some minor tweaks, Hy-Vee’s response to Corona will be perfect for it’s audiences.

Public Relations is simply developing a relationship with the public that will benefit them both the company and its audience. There are few major components. With public relations primary goal being to persuade the public’s opinion it’s very important to know who your target audience is. When you understand your target audience you will be able to direct your firm to that specific group of people with high potential in purchasing your product or services.

It is very important to make sure your message is always being “ethical.” A few components that can ensure that you’re being ethical is honesty, openness, loyalty, fair mindedness, respect, and integrity. One of the most important rules in Public Relations is to never lie! It’s easier to be ethical with controlled media because that’s media that the public relation practitioner has control over. On the other hand, uncontrolled media is when the public relation practitioner is only able to influence it, you cannot control it completely. 

There are tons of different styles of writing in Public Relations such as press releases, blogs, feature stories, and social media writing. They are all different but they’re similar in a way. They are similar because they are all trying to communicate with the public in their own way. For instance, social media writing always allows you to use social media platforms to persuade and communicate with the public. Some really popular platforms include Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Feature stories allow you to use an interviewer as a personal testimony or source for the message you’re communicating in your writing. Press releases can be used to provide information, make an official statement, or make an announcement. Blogs can be used to build brand awareness, while providing relevant and useful content to your target audience.

 The relationship between public relation practice and their audience is very important. Well ridden public relations material aids in maintaining a healthy relationship with its target audience because good communication is what holds everything together. It will also potentially increase sales and gain customers. With the goal of PR being to inform the public, including your potential customers and business partners you want to make sure that the messages and documents are exceptional. You’re literally trying to what you want your target audience to think/do and they want to trust that what you’re persuading is right. Keeping a positive relationship between the two is very important. Overall, Public Relations is all about raising your company’s authority, building relationships with targeted people  and managing your reputation!   

Ethical public relations is very important in regards to a company. They can gain the public’s trust, keep the loyalty of employees, and can lead to bigger opportunities for the public. The PRSA Ethical Code includes values such as advocacy, fairness, loyalty, and even advocacy. Tackling the Blues is a program derived from the Department of Sport and Physical Activity, the  Faculty of Education at Edge Hill University, and Everton in the Community. Also known as  the official charity of the Everton Football Club. 

It  fosters a new relationship between the organization and public because Tackling The Blues has set up a program to serve and promote children and young people’s mental, physical and emotional literacy which will also boost their self-esteem in the process. The obvious target that’s benefitting from this program would be the young adults and children that are involved in the program who may not have had this experience before.

This company is seeking young adults and children who are interested in being involved, parents who have children with mental illness, or want to try to prevent it from happening. A target audience that may not be so obvious would be the parent of and children that may not have an illness have seen about the program and have been educated about its mission and purpose. It could also target other that are interested in partnering with a program the promotes children and their health.

 Their mission of Everton in the Community is to change lives and bring enjoyment to the community by promoting athletics through the Everton Football Club. Tackling the Blues is not the first program that they have created to provide services to better other lives, they have multiple involvements within their community. It aligns up with this mission because they are using sports to help promote these children’s mental health. They give them various activities and responsibilities that help make a huge impact on not only how they about themselves on the inside but on the outside as well. Which in return will help better their community and the a lot of the lives around them!