The rise of new media

Due to the popularity and consistent use of the internet, people of all ages are continuously “surfing” the internet for information. The decline of newspaper sales is because more people are getting their information/news via the web. Despite what people are saying I don’t think newspapers will completely be absolute in the future. Older generations, those who don’t have internet connection and those travelling on public transportations still read the newspaper. Looking around while travelling on the tube I spot many people reading newspapers from the Guardian to Times. I believe people still do and will continue to buy newspapers.

The internet provides people with up-to-date information whereas newspapers can’t. I think that’s one of the many reasons why people read the news online because it’s consistently updated. For example, I personally have 5 websites that I religiously read daily and sometimes view up to 3 times a day. I keep checking CNN’s website because I like to be informed on current information from all over the world. Since CNN keeps updating their page almost hourly, I like to see if there are any new stories or information.

I also enjoy reading Perez Hilton’s website, the popular American celebrity gossip blogger. It was stated in class that bloggers just repeat what they read in newspapers however I believe that to be untrue, I believe for the most part it’s the other way around. I think newspapers read popular blogs or online magazines to see the newest celebrity gossip. On Perez’s website he states celebrity news that later I read in the newspaper the next day. Perez has become so famous that celebrity agents and paparazzi contact Perez about new stories so he is able to break that story first since over a million people read his blog daily.

With the popularity of bloggers, people argue that this demonstrates democracy because it creates a forum for people to express their opinions and get feedback. That is why PR agencies are now using popular bloggers like Perez to promote their clients or product. These blogs are a good a PR tools because it’s a third party endorsement however the downside is that these bloggers can also write negative pieces on products/celebrities. So I think it’s important that PR practitioners use both traditional and new media in promoting products to reach a wider audience. I think new media will continue to increase and become popular because more people are going online.

Reference:
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/celebrity/article3397552.ece
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/16928530/perez_hilton_the_queen_of_mean

The most dreaded word...dissertation

One suggestion I would like to make for next year’s students is having dissertation classes in November or December. That way we, the students, can start thinking about what we want to write about and can have time to discuss it with others. The main complaint that I have heard from my classmates is time, we were not given enough time to start planning our dissertation. We knew we had to write it however, none of us knew that it would be this difficult in narrowing our topic and making sure it is plausible. We are all frustrated which showed in today’s class when no one raised their hand that they are confident in their topic. I feel that we had plenty of time last term to do the dissertation classes and we could have been refining our topic during the Christmas break.

Like most of my classmates have stated we have too much on our plate this term with taking on 3 classes and then preparing for our dissertation. Last term we only had 2 classes and it would have been more feasible to have taken the dissertation class then. All of my flatmates for their class had to submit their one page proposal in November, have met with their professor one-on-one and now have their topic approved. In talking to them they know exactly what they are going to write about and feel confident. Whereas I feel like my classmates and I are running around trying to get our topic approved and the dissertation is due in 5months. I know it was stated that we were taking the dissertation class in February however, we should have had it in November or at least been given the option to vote on our preference.

For next year, I hope that my suggestion is taken into consideration and it is stressed early on how difficult writing a dissertation is and for students to start thinking of their topics. I think only in today’s lecture my classmates and I fully realized how specific these dissertation have to be.

Corporate Social Responsibility

I think CSR programs are a win-win situation for both businesses and society. Some of the arguments of CSR as stated in Public Relations-Critical Debates and Contemporary Practice, is that businesses participate in CSR activities for economical and reputational reasons. My response is so what, if it helps companies improve their reputation or gain more revenue, these critics are missing out on the big picture. It is great that companies are trying to be more socially responsible and create sustainable programs to make people aware of environmental causes and trying to improve the future.

In America it is very common for companies to invest in programs that help society. All throughout my childhood my schools received their computers through Dell or Microsoft companies. Coming from a low economic school district without these companies help, my schools wouldn’t have had that many computers in our classrooms, so it helped students. Because of this and the good things companies try to do for my society, I am more willing to buy products from a company that is committed to helping social and environmental issues.

For example, Toyota was the first car company to create Hybrid cars which is fuel efficient and its emission is cleaner than other cars. By Toyota creating the first Hybrid car in 1995, more car manufacturers have followed in their footsteps. I don’t see how CSR can be bad, if car companies are trying to promote cars that emit and use less gas which help the environment. I can understand that some critics say that cars are still emitting dangerous gases however, cars will still be produced due to supply and demand. If these car manufacturers are going to produce cars at least they are cleaner and use less gas. Toyota didn’t have to create these Hybrid cars but decided to commit to good ethical behaviour through CSR. Yes, it helped increase their sales but these cars are at least safer for the environment. That is why these cars have become popular because they are more environmental friendly.

I think more consumers are becoming aware of CSR and support companies that provide sustainable programs. Although CSR can help businesses appear more social responsible, my argument again is its a win-win situation for society. These CSR programs will have a lasting impact on society and its future, so I don’t understand how it could be considered bad. I think if businesses gain economical profit because of their good causes, I don’t have a problem with it because they are at least doing something to help society. More companies should commit to CSR programs because they are in the spotlight and consumers trust them, so they should be giving back to society.

Source: Toyota: http://www.toyota.com/about/our_commitment/environment/vehicles/hybrids.html

Diversity in PR

Wednesday’s guest speaker was very interesting because I never knew that there was a field in PR that was specifically for helping create diversity in companies. I didn’t realize that these diverse PR agencies were developing strategies to help target certain ethic groups for businesses. For me, I just thought that companies are trying to be more socially responsible by representing different minorities in their campaigns or advertising. I was even more surprised that foreign companies are resisting to reach out to different minority groups or fully representing them in their campaigns. It is important for business/companies to mirror their diverse customers, so that they can feel like companies cares about them and recognize them.

In reading Managing Public Relations by J. Gruing and T. Hunt, they argue that it is vital that companies outreach to different minority groups. These authors state that most companies respond to different minorities groups by putting more “pictures of blacks and Hispanics in their advertising”. However, they argue that companies should: “conduct research to determine how the organisation is regarded in minority communities”, and target ethnic-orientated publications to fully reach diverse customers. Through these methods these authors state companies can fully embrace their diverse audience.

Coming from California which holds the largest Hispanic population, businesses are constantly outreaching to this ethic group. Hispanics are the largest minority group in the U.S, so companies make sure that they include them in their advertising or campaigns since they are a huge audience and/or potential consumers. Since Spanish is the second most spoken language in the U.S due to the Hispanic population, most companies provide their information to consumers in both English and Spanish. For example, Time Warner Cable the largest cable service in CA provides an option for English or Spanish language when you call them, get pamphlets or view their website. Therefore, Time Warner Cable is making sure that their public relations material targets their diverse audience.

I do feel it is important that companies reach out to their diverse cliental base. Companies including different ethnic groups in their campaigns will not only help in their sales but signal that they recognize different minority groups in society which is important.