PRSSA UGA will host a “Lunch & Learn” covering crisis and the media on Thursday, March 19, from 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Journalism Building.

The event will feature guest speaker Dave Daigle, who is currently the associate director for Communications, Public Health Preparedness and Response for the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

Daigle is a renowned crisis communications and media relations expert who has worked in the communications department of the CDC for more than a decade.

Daigle will use his extensive experience to give students the inside scoop on what it takes to communicate in a crisis situation and tips on how to master the art of media relations.

The event will take place in Studio 1 on the first floor of the Journalism Building and lunch will be provided.

“Lunch & Learn” Gives PR Students Tips

on How to Master Media Relations

Written by:Darcy Quillin

Source: http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2010/12/haiti-cholera-response-stories-from-the-field/img_0629/

Dave Daigle , CDC Office of Public Health Prepared-ness and Response Director of Communication, interviewing with Al-Jazeera TV. Thursday,

March 1912:30-1:30 p.m .

Journalism Building

What has your transition to UGA been like?Fantast ic! When I found out I was going to come here, I got a l l sorts of emai l s f rom faculty members say ing “Oh we’re so glad you’re coming!” Everyone has been so helpfu l and so warm.

Why choose to work for Grady?I t i s one of the top programs in the country. Grady has a great faculty and the students are real ly h ighly mot ivated and fun to work with. I th ink i t i s just a wonder fu l opportuni ty to work with some great people and to be in a great p lace. Georgia i s nat ional ly recognized for i t s publ ic re lat ions program and the PRSSA chapter i s wel l - known for being large and with act ive student in-volvement. So that i s exci t ing.

What is weird or different about UGA?

I graduated near ly 20 years ago f rom UGA with my master’s degree. A lot has changed in 20 years . The campus looks d i f ferent because there are so many new bui ld ings. I t i s d i f ferent being a student here than i t i s being an “older person.”

What research projects are you doing at Grady?

The biggest project I am work ing on i s a textbook on communicat ing cross-cul tural ly wi th audiences. I am wr i t ing i t wi th co-author, Earnest Per ry , at the Univers i ty of Missour i . The textbook covers a wide var iety of i s sues.

The point of the book i s to help communicators understand how to communi-cate with diverse audiences on a range of topics ; how to use language appro-pr iately , how to ident i fy your audiences appropr iately and how to know what to look for and understand complex social i s sues.

Meet Professor Len-RiosMaria Len-Ríos is a new associate professor of public relations at Grady College. She earned her Ph.D in journalism at the Universi-ty of Missouri and her M.S. from Grady College and now teaches Public Relations Administration. Previously she worked for the Missouri School of Journalism, the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Kansas and also at Georgia Southern University. She has earned nine Top Paper awards in national and international academic con-ferences in many platforms.

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What was your first PR job?

I t was as an intern. For me i t was a big deal . There were two women in my l i fe when I was a teenager who worked in publ ic re lat ions. F i r s t , my mom was the associate di rector of internat ional media for the Panama Canal where I grew up in Panama.

Second, one of my mentors was a publ ic re lat ions of f icer for U.S . army. After my mentor lef t , I worked in that of f ice in the mi l i tary. I t was at a t ime when there was a lot of pol i t ical unrest in the country; i t was r ight before the U.S . mi l i tary invas ion of Panama. I used to wr i te s tor ies about the so ld iers for the community newsletter that went to al l the mi l i tary insta l lat ions in the country.I would do th ings that you do not normal ly get to do. I went on road marches with the t roops and wrote about thei r mi l i tary exercises . I wrote stor ies to t ry to explain the local cul ture. I would wr i te s tandard stor ies about mi l i tary t ran-s i t ions. I t was real ly eye-opening to see the var iety of th ings I could do.

I t g ives you an opportuni ty and a leg up on other s tudents at other univers i -t ies who do not have th is of course. Not a l l un ivers i t ies that of fer publ ic re la-t ions have a course l ike publ ic re lat ions adminis t rat ion. I th ink i t puts the stu-dents in a better pos i t ion for promot ion when they are with in an organizat ion because knowing about management i s how you move into management. We want to make sure our graduates are pos i t ioned to do that.

Why is learning administration important?

Do you have any advice for PR students?

I t i s real ly important to read the news every day. No matter what area that you go into, knowing about the wor ld, knowing about your indust ry , know-ing about the f ie ld and knowing about your community i s so important. Peo-ple look to people in publ ic re lat ions for ins ights and for help to do a better job in pos i t ioning thei r messages. I f you do not know what i s going on in the wor ld, you do not know what i s going on in the media and i t i s hard to be re l -evant. So reading and knowing what i s going on in the news i s so important.

One of the important th ings, and I th ink most people who become professors have th is qual i ty , i s that they care. They care about thei r s tudents and they care about thei r s tudents’ futures. I t i s not just academics; part of i t i s help-ing prepare them to be somebody who i s going into the work force. On the one hand, you want to t ra in people so they are ready to take on the jobs that they go into, but you also want to foster a love for learn ing.

What is an important quality to have as a professor?

Written by: Kelley Meyer3

The mission of this organization is to save and change the lives of children and teens by pro-viding a “safe, positive and engaging environ-

ment and programs that prepare and inspire them to achieve great futures.” Our group met with UGA graduate, Mela-nie Buckmaster, who is now the senior director of marketing and communications. She was incredibly insightful about her position at the Boys and Girls Club and her thoughts about the nonprofit sector as a whole. Along with telling us about the challenges and advantages of working for a nonprofit, we also heard a few stories about working with some of the BGCMA teens and what they have accomplished as a result of being involved with the club. One of my favorite

stories was one about the club’s “Salsa Salsa” event, which is a day devoted to promoting healthy lifestyles by teaching good eating habits and demonstrating fun exercises. The kids get to put on their chef hats (liter-ally) and use their club’s garden tomatoes and other ingredients to make salsa for local celebrity chef judg-es. The kids then get to practice their salsa dancing with some fantastic instructors. The BGCMA also had one of the most creative offices I’ve ever seen. It is full of color and artwork, and the overall mood is just incredibly warm and inviting. This was definitely an unforgettable experience, and I absolutely think this would be a fantastic place to work.

The Boys and Girls Club:

CARE, home of the original care package, was our second visit of the tour. So when your mom sends you a box full of your favorite

snacks and other treats, you have CARE to thank. This amazing organization works to fight poverty and promote gender equality in 87 countries. They provide initiatives for disaster relief, women’s empowerment,

healthcare, education and economic development in areas of critical condition. Our group was lucky enough to meet with 10 or 11 staff members who all gave us a little bit of their backstory, and told us about their role within the organization. CARE really opened my eyes to understand issues that seem to be happen-ing so far away can actually impact lives all over.

CARE:

Our third stop was Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, an organization I have always really admired. We met with a few employees, one of

whom was a recently hired Grady graduate, Amanda

Wade, who gave us great advice about applying for jobs and internships (a process that many of us know to be grueling). CHOA, which just had its 100th anniversary, has a huge philanthropic presence along with a strong

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta:

If there’s one thing Grady does well, it’s providing students with opportunities to get first-hand experience with public relations professionals and organizations. One of the more unique opportunities was a two-day trip to Atlanta on Thursday, February 12 and Friday,

February 13, during which students got to visit a handful of nonprofit agencies. The trip was led by Kristen Smith, faculty adviser to Creative Consultants and graphic communications instructor, and Ryan Carty, director of experiential programs.

NonprofitNonprofit AGENCY TOURInside the

AGENCY TOUR

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Our last visit was to Arts for Learning with-in the Woodruff Arts Center. The Director of Marketing and Communications, Stacie

Gottlieb, showed us around the office and explained the program, which is really unique. Their mission is to “transform the lives and learning of young people through the arts.” They deliver programs in schools and community centers that allow children to learn

how to express themselves and grow through art. One interesting program by Arts for Learning is the Teen Poetry Slam, in which teens get personal time with poetry instructors to craft an original poem that they later perform. As more schools cut funding for art pro-grams, I think it is vital for children and teens to get creative, so I really applaud this organization.

Arts for Learning:

From left to right, Hannah Bause, Katie Hall, Marina Carlisle, Jessica Sherry, Kunal Tanna, Amber Kinnett and Kristen Smith visiting Arts for Learning in Atlanta.

devotion to making children “all better.” During our visit, we learned a lot about the day-to-day activities that a public relations practitioner is responsible for, and we also were shown great examples of CHOA’s so-cial media campaigns. One of my favorites was “Cape Day,” an incredible success that actually spawned from a not so positive issue. In short, CHOA had to con-

demn a building, but turned that into an opportunity for a four-year-old to live out his superhero dream. This was a prime example of how rewarding public relations can be—using social media and creative thinking to turn a possible problem into something that brings happiness to thousands.

Written by: Jess ica Sherry5

Six agencies revealing the secrets to the dom-inating the communications industry, two days of exploring the thrilling city of Atlanta and one priceless professional development

experience. The Atlanta agency tour offers all of the above and so much more— i.e. free swag, cupcakes in mason jars and piles of business cards.

Personally, my experience during the PRSSA Atlan-ta agency tour was inspiring, yet somewhat uncon-ventional. Since I’m moving to Dallas post-gradua-tion, I wasn’t trying to snag an internship in Atlanta. Instead, I wanted to understand better the ins and outs of agency life and discover if I could picture myself in that kind of environment.

At each agency I learned something new. The first day, besides learning that Atlanta traffic is tru-ly a mess, I grew to understand the life span of a campaign through case studies presented by MSL Group. From start to finish, problem solving to evaluation, there’s a finely detailed process that requires multiple skillsets and departments, each working together like a fine-tuned machine work-ing in harmony.

On the next stop, William Mills Agency won my award for “Most Unexpected Agency.” William Mills specializes in financial services, which is a thriving industry and surprisingly fascinating. Their clients range from start-up tech businesses to renowned banking services, some of which are participating in the momentous transition to online banking, payments and credit cards.

William Mills left me with two important take-a-ways. First, don’t judge a book by its cover, or in this case, don’t underestimate an industry niche before doing some research. And second, during job interviews make sure to ask what percentage is

the agencies largest client account. Too large of an investment in one single client suggests an unpredictable stability.

The last stop on day one was Ignition, an ex-perimental event marketing firm that prides itself on positive human energy, and to my surprise, not one of the employees lacked a

bit of energy at 4 p.m. on a Thursday. Ignition was simply inspiring. I learned that individuals thrive when enhancing their width of knowledge and breadth of specialty— grow in what you’re good at, yet maintain a broad intellectual curiosity.

Day two was full of interactive projects provided by the agencies. First at Nebo, we were divided into teams to create a SuperBowl ad campaign revolved around an emerging iPad application. What a great way to gain insight into the real-life practices and processes an agency experiences day-to-day.

Porter Novelli also presented us with another op-portunity to create a realistic campaign. Given facts and details about an upcoming product, as a team we determined the target audience, tagline and tactics for the campaign launch. Grady teaches the skills to accomplish these goals successfully and the agency tours give insight into how these skills are implemented daily. Last but not least, Ogilvy expanded on the tech-niques to thrive in the public relations industry. Ogilvy provided us with bits of knowledge by explaining that scaling the peaks of creativity and effectiveness is key to success. And in the words of the father of modern branding, David Ogilvy, “Tell the truth — but make it fascinating.” It’s hard not to be inspired after so many brilliant minds share the same passion that ignites us Grady students.

After two exhilarating days of meeting ambitious professionals, sipping on Coca-Cola products and gaining excitement for the future, the Atlanta agen-cy tour promises astounding insight into the in-terworking of diverse agencies and a sense for the lifestyle of the industry.

Left to right: Emily Edwards, Ryan Carty, Alex Carruth, Piper Davis, Sophie Frankham-Smith, Catherine Gebhardt at William Mills Agency.

Atlanta Agency Tour

Written by: Amy Johnson

Inside the

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On January 27, 2015, Snapchat showed the world its potential to run with the big boys of social media when it released its Discover channels.

Late last month Snapchat decided to please both the consumer and the producer by offer-ing a minimally intrusive possibility for a new advertising and public relations platform.

Large companies like Yahoo, Cosmopolitan and CNN are some of the first brands to jump on board with Discover. Through this form of media, brands are able to post “stories” consist-ing of photos and videos promoting products, services, news and/or events.

By going to the Discover menu audiences can choose which channel to view and scroll through their various stories, photos and vid-eos. Upon arriving at the end of a channel’s feed, audiences are reminded to check back the next day for new content.

Snapchat’s Discover has generated positive feedback from consumers who express their ad-miration of not being bombarded by ads like in their Facebook and Twitter feeds. It is rare that a consumer will see a brand’s photo or video more than once because brands’ stories never

stay on their channel for longer than 24 hours.

Through Discover, companies are able to reach more expansive audiences. However, because a person must click on the channel, it is difficult to target who views the brand’s story, and how to obtain new viewers on the channel.

Giving brands a creative and revolutionary way to connect with their audiences, Snapchat is proving to emerge into an important social me-dia platform. With CNN, Vice News, Yahoo, and ESPN having channels on Discover, Snapchat could potentially threaten Facebook and similar platforms as a medium for news.

The New Kid on the Block

S N A P C H AT :

Written by:Sarah

Voiselle The new ‘Discover’ feature on Snapchat.

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2014-2015 Executive Board

PresidentAlyssa Staffordalyssas@uga.edu@AlyssaStafford

Vice PresidentAnnie Swensoneswenson@uga.edu@AnnieSwenson

Creative Consultants DirectorSophie Frankham-Smithsophiefrankham@gmail.com@Sophiefrankham

PR DirectorMichael Braggmichaelsbragg@gmail.com@Braggg

TreasurerElizabeth Howardewhoward@uga.edu@Eliz_howard

SecretaryEmily Partenecparten@uga.edu@EmilyParten

Publications EditorAmy Johnsonajohns37@uga.edu@Aimee_37

Social Media DirectorKelsey Woodkelsey.mwood20@gmail.com@Kwoodvb

HistorianAbbey Fergusonaferg17@uga.edu@AbbeyFergFaculty AdvisorDr. Betty Jonesbetjones@grady.eduCreative Consultants AdvisorKristen Smithkmsmith@uga.edu

Professional AdvisorKatherine Strate, Sparks Grove katherine.strate@sparksgrove.com

Next Issue:

If you would like to submit an article for the next PRecedent, email aejohns37@gmail.com.

Spring Schedule: 250 MLC, 6:30 p.m.

March 11: No meeting—Spring Break

March 25: Full-service agency panel

April 8: Member Appreciation and

Elections

Other Important dates:

March 21: Mentor Social

March 26: PRSSA Social

April 16-17: Centennial Symposium

April 17: 100th Birthday Field Party

April 18: Centennial Gala

April 19: Centennial Brunch

April 22: Senior Night

May 6: Senior Banquet

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