With all the publicity and excitement of the recently released “The Dark Knight,” Warner Brothers Pictures could have easily played up the tragic death of one of the films stars, Heath Ledger. The months and weeks preceding the films debut on July 18 have been filled with movie trailers and interviews from cast members, but the respect for the deceased Ledger has been great. Exploiting the dead for revenue is deplorable, but in this case I can see how those in marketing and publicity may have been tempted to do so. I applaud Warner Bros. for showing sensitivity for this tragedy.
Ledger was pronounced dead on January 22, 2008 after overdosing on Ambien, a perscription sleep aid. Supposedly, Ledger began taking Ambien to help him fall asleep during the filming of “The Dark Knight.” According to an interview with the New York Times, Ledger claimed that playing the Joker caused him to be “stressed out” and lose sleep. “It is a physically and mentally draining role,” said Ledger, “ The Joker is a psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy.” Ledger was said to be sleeping an average of about two hours a night while filming.
Obviously such a demanding role that is so physically and mentally challenging can put a strain on anyone. Of course Ledger’s death was a result of the abuse of prescription drugs and not the fault of Warner Brothers. Some have questioned whether Ledger’s death will affect ticket sales, and it seems that the record breaking release, highest pre-ordered ticket sales of all time, has attracted huge summer crowds. As for Ledger, may his legacy be that of a great young actor and, thanks to Warner Brothers respect and tasteful marketing, it should remain as that. RIP Heath Ledger
When does a silly comment or an offensive statement muttered under the breath turn from a funny goof-up to a media catastrophe? On-camera mishaps from celebrities and politicians can be a field day for parody shows like the “Colbert Report” and “Saturday Night Live,” but a nightmare for publicists. Recently, the on-camera comment from Rev. Jesse Jackson concerning Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s genitalia has turned into an over-covered media story. During a Father’s Day speech, thinking his microphone was off, Jackson commented, “See, Barack’s been talking down to black people on this faith-based…I want to cut his nuts off.” Wow. Other than this somewhat scary and offensive threat, this dumb vent session has really created an image problem for this already scrutinized pastor.
Remember that time in 1992 when US Vice President Dan Quayle, while visiting a Trenton elementary school, insisted that a sixth grader correct a word in a spelling bee. He walked up to the blackboard and wrote an “e” on the end of the correctly spelled “potato.” On The Late Show, the twelve-year-old in the spelling bee asked David Letterman, “Do you have to go to college to be a vice president?” The public eye does not blink for such an incident and poor Dan Quayle will forever be known as the guy who can’t spell.
Goof-ups don’t only happen to politicians. Vulnerable young pop stars are a popular choice for media vultures to pick at. One memorable incident happened to Ashlee Simpson while “performing” on Saturday Night Live in 2005. While on stage about to sing a hit single, another song was playing with Ashlee’s voice loud and clear while the microphone dangled at her waist. I guess that is a refreshing reassurance that SNL really is live, but the young singer could not have been in a worse PR situation. This, of course, was a top story for the unforgiving entertainment shows and she was made fun of for months. Lately, her Google search is popping up more stories about her recent marriage and pregnancy, and less about the mishap. She has appeared on SNL since and sang well, without any backup tape.
We all make mistakes, but being in the spotlight can be tough when a goof occurs. A positive image of a person can take years to build up, but a mere second can crush it. The question is, how much of a person’s credibility or reputation lies in the hands of the media and how a story is spun? It has been interesting to see how Rev. Jackson’s apologies and backpedaling have gone, but one thing is for sure, next time he will double check that his microphone is off.
When traveling last weekend between Atlanta, GA and Miami, FL, I noticed something that got the little PR wheels turning in my head. Having friendly, helpful, and hard working employees that implement positive customer service is pretty much free PR! I choose to fly Delta whenever possible because my hometown of Newnan, GA is largely employed by this airline. My next door neighbors, teachers from my high school, and parents of close friends all work for Delta either full time, or on the weekends. Other than being a good airline, my favorite thing about Delta is their friendly flight attendants. I, like so many others, get a little nervous when I fly. Being made more comfortable and seeing a smiling face really calms my nerves. I have flown a lot in my life (being an army brat), but my heart still jumps when we take off and I hear that scary noise of the wheels going up into the plane, creaking and squealing. The sweet flight attendants always help me relax.
Well, this past weekend on my return flight to Atlanta, I noticed something different about the drink service. We only got one napkin with our drink and snack mix. I did not really think much about it until a few minutes later the flight attendant came by to collect the trash. I noticed that she put the plastic bottles and cups into one bag and other trash, like wrappers and leftover food, into another while used magazines and newspapers went into a third bag. Curious, I asked her why they were separating the trash and she stopped to tell me about Delta’s recycling plan. I was so impressed that I am writing this blog about it and have made it a point to tell my friends. How wonderful that a big company like Delta is asking its employees to help our nation go green.
Here is an excerpt from Delta’s blog: “Delta recognizes that our customers, flight attendants, and employees believe in the importance of recycling. Over eighteen months ago we ventured out to create an In-Flight Recycling Program which collected more than aluminum cans.” After researching on Delta’s website, I learned that Delta has thus far recycled over 83 tons of trash. They also offer an in-flight video about recycling for longer flights. Delta is currently working to expand its program inside specific airports and not just on the aircraft. Menus for in-flight meals are printed on recycled paper.
Now, other than having helpful and amiable employees, they have people working to help our environment. Every passenger on Delta flights will be impacted by the company’s thoughfulness. I think that this is great PR; it is an effort to help the community and environment by creating less trash and recycling the products leftover from the drink service. By doing this, Delta is not only helping others, but its reputation and image is really going to benefit from their new recycling program.
Red, white, and blue was the theme on Friday at Turner Field. Not only because those are the team colors for the Atlanta Braves, the southeast’s favorite baseball team, but because fans and players observed Independence Day. The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays and what better way to celebrate than by attending our nation’s favorite pastime, good ol’ American baseball. Nothing makes me feel more patriotic than singing our national anthem along with 50,000 baseball fans.
The players welcomed armed forces men and women to the game and the crowd gave a standing ovation when they walked on the field. As part of the opening festivities, a gigantic American flag was unveiled on the outfield while Lee Greenwood’s classic song, “God Bless the USA” played over the loudspeaker. Then, Tasha LaRae, lead singer of the 90’s hit group Arrested Development and Atlanta native, sang the Star Spangled Banner. It was honestly one of the most beautifully sung versions I have ever heard. I had chills on my arms and neck and I was filled with American pride. Independence Day has always been special to me because I am an army brat and come from a family with a long history of military service. My mom was military police and my dad is a retired major who served in Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Both of my grandfathers are retired colonels and served in Vietnam. My uncle went to West Point and currently works for the US State Department, so I have a special appreciation for those who serve our country. I thought it was really nice that the Braves organization had a presentation to honor our uniformed services. Being in the ballpark was fun for the 4th of July; the stadium was sold out and every seat filled. Joseph Holt, a Braves fan and Auburn alum, said he was excited to be at the field to “celebrate America with some baseball.”
The Braves have had on a pretty embarrassing record this season, but they pulled out a win against the Astros 6-2 to end their 5 game losing streak. Jason Perry had his first major league at-bat. Perry was called up to replace Jeff Francoeur on the Atlanta roster after Francoeur was sent to the minor leagues. Still, fans wore Francoeur jerseys (I have one) and Francoeur hats to the game. Francoeur has been a fan favorite of the ladies because of his good looks. I was very sad to hear he was traded, but the team definitely benefited from Perry’s RBI.
The best part of the night was the 4th of July fireworks. Over 8 minutes of fireworks set to patriotic music entertained the crowd. “I liked them because I never knew when they were going to stop; it was like the finale the entire time,” said Davis Ware, a spectator. Children and adults alike enjoyed the show and it was a great ending to a fun game of American pride and tradition at Turner Field.
As the summer is very quickly passing me by, the looming thought of graduation is on my mind. I have until May 2009, but after attending Auburn’s graduation a few short weeks ago and flipping through countless grad announcements, I just can’t get over the realization that my own graduation is rapidly approaching. I have always known that I would major in PR and assumed that I would find a fabulous (paid, of course!) internship for the spring and ease my way into the corporate PR world. Well, as I was flipping through last week’s PRWeek Magazine, an article by Aarti Shah caught my eye. The headline was “MBAs help PR pros to stand out with C-suite execs.” Uh oh! So much for my dreams of going straight from the graduation stage to the office. Is another degree really what we need in PR?
According to the article, not necessarily, but it sure will help. The article quotes Lori Teranishi, CEO of the VPG firm, “The degree instills a certain confidence among executives.” I want executives to have confidence in me! I never thought twice about graduate school, but if the industry is going to start expecting the incoming grads to be more business savvy, maybe I’ll have to reconsider. Business and PR are two fields that need to mesh and work together, and this article really highlights how beneficial it can be to have a formal education in both.
Is it worth the extra 36 semester hours and $2,700+ per semester to get an MBA and still get that same entry level PR salary? I think I’ll need some more guidance about this topic, but it is definitely something that I must consider!
I have always known that I was great at talking… and convincing… and that I usually got my way. In high school, as I was contemplating where I wanted to go to college and what my major would be, because of my rhetorical skills I always knew I would end up in Public Relations. When I told people what my major would be their reply was always, “Wow, that is perfect for you!” I knew what PR was all about and I was aware of what kind of work people in PR do, but I had never really seen it in practice.
As the popularity of Sex and the City grew and grew, I was sucked in like so many other teenage girls and became completely enthralled with the series. The characters were all so quirky and different, you had to love them all. There was one, however, that always puzzled me, Samantha, the beautiful, posh, very social, PR executive. I began to wonder, is this is what PR in the city is really like? How respectable can that be? Is everyone flouncing around in Manolos and Fendi while hosting lavish parties and planning benefits effortlessly? She just shows up at the hottest A-list functions and is her fabulous self. She ends up being a publicist for a gorgeous actor/model and spends her time scheduling photo shoots for him and shopping with him at the biggest designer labels. Her work seems so much fun and so glamorous… is PR just for a party girl with a business card?
What people often overlook is the mundane and strenuous tasks necessary to pull off those lavish parties. To be good at PR you have to be more than someone who is just friendly and talkative with a good fashion sense. You have to be smart and very hardworking. The series does not show Samantha’s early years as an unpaid intern clipping news stories or researching for hours on end. It does not show her climb to the top. Maybe at the top it is all that Sex and the City has it cracked up to be… all I know is that I can rock a pair of Manolos, and still be a respected PR practitioner.
All week long ESPN and other news channels have been playing up the last race of the prestigious Triple Crown on Saturday. Big Brown, the beautiful three-year-old thoroughbred sponsored by UPS, was a shoe-in to win. Bookies collected thousands and thousands of dollars from race followers who were rooting for their favorite horse. Big Brown was a three to ten favorite for the last race. Big Brown came in 9th place that day. Dead last. Talk about hype. Hype is discussed in PR constantly because it can make or break you. Is it worth the risk to talk something up so much that people are destined to be set up for disappointment, or do you ambitiously brag and convince people to think that something is better than it actually is? In Big Brown’s case the hype worked against him. He is a good horse, I’m sure. He may even be a great horse. He won several races and has had a great career, however, he will always be known as that damn horse that lost so many people their allowance for another seersucker suit and more mint juleps. Big Brown turned into one of the biggest flops the Triple Crown has ever seen, all because of media hype.
I am so excited to start my blogs! I love PR!
