2027

In ten years, I will be 32. Thirty-two. I remember when turning 18 seemed like a big deal. In college, growing older doesn’t really seem to make a difference because we are around the people who are around the same age and our responsibilities do not really exceed remembering to do homework and text out parents.

However, when I graduate,  the real world begins. I want to travel. I crave it everyday. Leaving Italy and traveling around by myself really gave me a taste of what I am missing from other places, and it is a dream to travel internationally and in the states as well.

I hope to have a steady job that I love. I really have no idea what job that is at the moment, but maybe when I get to traveling, I can figure that out. By 32, I hope to have started a family and be married.

God has a plan for my life. I may have expectations and dreams, but whatever God wants me is where I will go. Where will I be? Will I be married? Will I have children? These questions can only be answered as the time passes. And I cannot wait to unfold the future God has made for me.

Popular PR Firms in Los Angeles

When looking at the list of PR firms, it was interesting that I did not recognize any of them. Even though this is my first semester in a Public Relations class, I thought I would still be able to recognize at least two names on the list, but to my surprise, I could not.

Because I was not aware of any of the firms on the list, I looked at the locations and clicked on one that would be closest to my hometown of Ventura.  Marketing Maven is located in Camarillo, and they focus primarily on beauty and fashion, professional services, travel and hospitality, home furnishings, food & beverage, entertainment and sports, technology, and social media. Because I am interested in traveling and fashion, I believed this firm would be the best for me. I have first-hand experience that could push me into working at this firm.

With only 19 employees, they are a small tight nit community of hard working people and it would be a pleasure to work for them, especially since I will be so close to home.

Wow, Just WOW

As a traveler myself, when I hear about a deal as great as Wow Air, I almost jump out of my seat in excitement. To travel to Rome, I used Norwegian Air Shuttle, and just about every international flight required long layovers in different countries. I never got a change to utilize the layovers because they were only five hours not giving me enough time to leave the airport, but if I ever got a chance to be in Iceland, I would definitely take it.

What a great way for Wow Air to get more business and for Iceland to receive more foot traffic. The airlines may not offer wifi, snacks, or comfortable seating, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to see more of the world.

As the school year passes, I will do everything I can to save money for a ticket out of the country once again. Wow Air may just be the perfect airlines for me.

Brands that Bandwagon

Every morning when I wake up, out of bad habit, I check my phone. On Snapchat, almost every article has something to do with the Kardashians: what outfit they wore to lunch, what color lipstick they are wearing, or the new car that was just purchased. It isn’t surprising that this family rules the media, especially with the help of their TV show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

The brand and clothing store, Pac Sun, realized how popular Kendall and Kylie were, and decided to use their popularity to their advantage by creating their own clothing line. In my own experience, I was never able to shop at Pac Sun because of the high prices, but I at least heard about the new line of clothes and discovered my friends started shopping there more because Kendall and Kylie were now associated with the brand.

Their sales are on the rise, because both of their names are so well known, everyone is aware of their clothing brand, whether or not they decide to buy the clothing. Being famous definitely helps a brand with advertising, and people are more likely to jump on a bandwagon to buy the product because they are familiar with the inventors.

The Ultimate ‘Uh Oh’ Moment

I can bet everyone watching the Oscars on Sunday evening wore the exact facial expressions as Emma Stone or Ryan Gosling as the “Best Picture” award was announced to the wrong movie. Imagine thinking all of the hard work and long hours put into a film, was being rewarded, and then having that amazing accomplishment being ripped out of your fingers because of one company’s mistake.

PricewaterhouseCoopers responded to the mishap with the comment: “We sincerely apologize to ‘Moonlight,’ ‘La La Land,’ Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for best picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.”

When it comes down to it, mistakes happen. Sometimes, little mistakes go unnoticed and can be fixed easily, while others are publicized in front of the entire nation. PricewaterhouseCoopers did the best thing they could for the situation by apologizing to both parties, and I believe this is the most they could have done. If I was in their shoes, apologizing is the first step I would have taken as well, especially the very next morning as they did.

Even though there were hurt feelings, both movies were amazing productions, and they should be proud to even be nominated for such a prestigious award.

PR in the Bible?

In Ron Smith’s book Public Relations, he goes into detail describing PR tactics that were found in biblical times. Story telling was a big part of teaching moral lessons, and this was done by using short stories and parables. John the Baptist, Aaron, and even Jesus Christ himself all used communication techniques including public speaking, word of mouth, slogans, and symbols, which highly influenced public opinion and generated interest in the Christian religion.

It is amazing to believe tactics that people use every day were in use thousands of years ago. Even though we have made technological advances and can reach people all over the globe using one computer screen, the strategies we use were also used by Jesus himself. Press releases, speeches, and persuasive arguments are all helpful ways to relay information to the public and these same techniques were used to influence people during Jesus’ time. Because they have lasted so long in history, I do not think we as a society will stop using them anytime soon.

All Media is Good Media?

After Donald Trump tweeted an analogy comparing Skittles to people, the candy brand had an opportunity to use all of that media coverage as a way to become more popular. However, they decided to not swoop so low to match Donald Trump’s persona, as the company would have been blamed.

Even though Skittles would have most likely been trending on Twitter because of this incident if they would have responded, it was better for them to take a step back and realize people are not candy. The refugees struggling to stay alive are not colorful pieces of candy that can be tweeted about as such.

Going viral for the wrong reasons does nothing good for a business for company name. It is even possible that Skittle’s sales sky rocketed because they refrained from making a statement that agreed with Trump. It is important for a brand to stick up for what they believe in, even if that means losing followers or support. Skittles can relish in the fact that they took a stand in the right direction, and hopefully, the rest of the world will too.

Messages Found in Super Bowl Commerciasls

Unlike most of the nation, I did not participate is the grand Sunday experience that was the Super Bowl. Not only does football not interest me one bit, but I was driving home from a relaxing weekend back at home. Besides the point, although I did not actively engage in watching the game, the widely talked about (slightly controversial) commercials were easy to find all over the internet.

Some of the commercials such as Square Space and Bai Brand, had no underlying message. They were simply selling their product in catchy ways that would make the audience remember the product. However, there were others like Mr. Clean and 84 Lumber that clearly had hidden messages throughout the entire 30 second commercial. Mr. Clean may have just been a catchy, funny light hearted short video, but there were sexist undertones, implying that if a man cleans one time, he will “get lucky”, which sadly reinforces gender stereotypes. And, 84 Lumber made a lot of noise with their short video, so much so, that their website crashed after thousands of people were trying to watch the second part of the video. Was their message simply about selling lumber? Or was it deeper, about boycotting vs. supporting the presidential election?

Although most audience members watching the Super Bowl either do not pay  most attention to the commercials or just find them to be funny or witty, there are others, like myself, who find deeper messages hidden in the shadows. The question stands whether or not companies have the right to promote their brand using noise from political activity. In my opinion, as long as a company stands up for what they believe in and fights whole-heartedly for it, while sacrificing something in the process, they can take a political stance, especially in 30 second videos. I will continue to look for  hidden messages more in my day to day life, as I never would have thought I would have found so many in Super Bowl commercials.

The Fight with Uber

When a person with high power does something that is controversial, especially the president of the United States, there will be opinions on both side. In the past week, Donald Trump issued the travel ban, setting a wave of emotion throughout the nation. The first piece of the domino effect began with Uber saying they would not stop their surge fairs, allowing people to still get home from the airport at a fast rate, unlike Lyft who was joining in with taxi companies to rebel against the new ban. Uber later apologized on Twitter saying in no way did they mean to upset anyone, but it also comes down to realizing what they do will have an impact on society. What they do will be criticized, and even if they did not feel like what they did was an issue, next time, Uber will have to look at both sides of the spectrum. Because people will deleting the app in opposition, their next step is to come up with a campaign to have those people resign up, and a good PR representative would do just that.

What is PR?

Before I started this Spring semester with my new major of Public Relations, I really had no idea what public relations was. I switched my major from Sociology because I was not interested in the material, and PR seemed very intriguing because I would be required to take a mix of PR, communications, and journalism classes. When I thought of public relations, the one thing that came to mind was famous people needing help with their image in the media, and the PR workers would do their best to lift them up in a positive light. It’s safe to say I was not correct.

Even though school has only been in session for a couple of weeks, I feel like I have already learned so much about not only this major, but public relations in general. An article we were required to read for class described that public relations is used for individuals or firm’s that need assistance promoting their brand or company. And a way PR agencies do this is by paying close attention to the public’s opinions, in order to know the best way to support the individual or company. This can be done by writing press releases, speeches, and pitches, creating special events and finding out marketing information on the firm’s messaging, promoting their social media, and helping to dissolve any bad media found on the firm.

Essentially, public relations can be used by anyone that needs help with their image. It is an open canvas of possibilities that supports companies or individuals based on their needs. Whether that be organizing press conferences or setting up social media websites, public relation agencies are an asset to anyone who wishes to expand their business and climb the ladder to success, especially in a positive light.