What I've learned this summer interning

This summer, I took an internship with 99x and Rock 100.5 FM in Atlanta. These stations are run by Cumulus Media Partners LLC, or Cumulus Atlanta. They are sister stations along with Q100, 680 The Fan, and Jezebel Magazine. I worked in the promotions department, which aloud me to have a hands on experience being the liaison between the staff at the station, like the DJs and talent, to the listeners themselves. I helped with web design, but updating the websites with blogs, and creating new concerts for the concert calendar and adding images using photoshop. I also put together spreadsheets for the prize winners in order to keep everything organized and running smoothly so when winners came to the station, their prizes were ready for pickup. I also worked many events, from remotes at the Red Cross blood drive, to McDonalds, to The Braves baseball games, to concerts such as Green Day and even movie premiers, such as The Other Guys premier with a partnership with Absolut Vodka Co. I enjoyed this experience and had many opportunities to see how a real station works in a large market setting. I have gained more skill sets while being here, such as learning even more about excel and photoshop. This experience has taught me so much, and I have had a great summer working here!

Online Portfolio Created

I created an online portfolio with some of my experiences and works that I have done in the past. Please check out my website and leave me comments if you would like to! The website is www.laurengilbert.weebly.com

PR in Action: The Senior Luncheon

What It Takes To Be Part of the Dream Team: Evaluation of The 2010 Athletic Auction

It has been about two weeks since the Athletic Auction for GCSU took place. It was a lot of hard work, but in the end, the guests had a good time and we raised money to help further the program. We have spent almost the whole semester planning this one event. To start a SWOT Analysis for this event, I would begin with the strengths. Our strengths were definitely being able to work together as a class. We all get along very well, so that helped us not to clash as much as others would have come up against. We stuck to the deadlines for the most part, and everyone pitched in and did what was expected of them. Our weakness would be how we got rushed for time in the last few days, so we spent a lot longer of a time there than expected, and not every member of the Athletics Department helped us get ready for the event, which meant we did almost all of the work leading up to and taking down things for the event. An opportunity for us was that we were able to reach out to other departments, like the Art Department, who made an incredible mural of King Kong for the event. This partnership also helped us because they allowed us to borrow the easels for our prints, that ended up being sold at the Auction. A threat that we experienced was the fact that it cost a lot of money to go to the event, which did turn some members of the community away because of the economy. This is another reason why we did not sell as much or make as much money this year due to the economy. We also had to budget ourselves so that we would not go over $1000 dollars to put on the event. All in all, the event was successful.Everyone had a nice time and we raised money, which was the main purpose for the Athletic Auction. I was proud to be a part of this team, and have enjoyed being in PR and hope to continue it in my professional career.

Evaluation Of PR Admin

For this week's blog post, I am writing a response to Dr. Carter Miller's Blog about evaluation of the semester. To answer the questions, I thought a lot about what all we as a class have accomplished this semester.

1. What was your event? Describe it, all elements, name your contacts, and describe how you planned the day to work out.

My event was "Flippin Out With Bobcat Basketball". It was the first game of the spring semester, so I had a lot on my plate to make it work. I teamed up with The Elite School Of Gymnastics and Dance in Milledgeville for this game. They brought a halftime routine to perform for the Women's and Men's halftimes. My contact for this game was Al Weston for GCSU Athletics, and Miss Coni who is the owner of The Elite gym. I planned this event by giving my ideas for the game to Al and then meeting with Miss Coni and discussing what I wanted to do with them. I created a flyer and press release before the event that was dispersed throughout the community. The Elite gym performed during both halftimes, which brought a large crowd to both games of the community.

2. Was it a success? How do you know that? What forms of measurement did you use to assess your success?

I do believe that my game was a success because I fulfilled the needs of both of my clients. I got people to attend the basketball games, and people were there also watching the performances from the Elite students. Their parents played a major role in the attendance of the game. To measure my success, I counted the number of people that attended the game, and measured it to the typical number of people who have come to other games in the past.

3. What was the best takeaway learning moment you got from your event?

The best takeaway learning moment for me was that I can juggle the task of trying to please two clients at once. It is all about balancing my time and energy equally and make sure the details are flawless.

4. What is the one thing you wish you could do over?
I would like to hopefully get more students involved in the game and would want a better line of communication between myself and the Thundercrew (student spirit section).

5. If you had to grade your event, what grade would you give it?

I would like to give myself an "A" because I felt that I successfully created an event that was fun and appealing not only to GCSU students, but also to the Milledgeville community.

6. What's your one best idea to keep "Mean in Green" ALIVE?

My best idea to keep it alive would be to keep the GCSU spirit up and keep people talking about it. If they keep seeing it on campus, the nit will become repetitive, and then will coincide with school spirit and athletics. It must continue to stay strong and be out there, but reinvent itself in new ways with the same attitude, which is a passion for GCSU Athletics.

My New Brand!

This is the brand I have chosen for my portfolio.

Seeing PR and Radio Together

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to the WSB station in Atlanta with WGUR 88.9 FM, which is the college radio station that I work for. I am the Public Relations Manager for the station. We got a chance to take a tour of the clear channel/cox stations of WSB, which are News Talk 750 AM, Kiss 104.1, 97.1 The River, B 98.5, and 95.5 The Beat. The main focus was on 95.5 The Beat. We had the chance to go into the DJ booth and meet some of their DJs. The program manager, Cagle, showed us around the station along with the Sales Director, Andrew. I also had the opportunity to meet some of the promotions staff and talk with them about how they run promotions, how long it takes them to start planning an event. They have a strategic process they follow which makes them look at what do they want to do at the event, what are the prizes, who will attend, and much more to make their events successful. They also have a prize closet, filled with fun promotional items. Being able to have a budget definitely makes a difference. I learned that you must have a plan if you want to have not only successful events and contests, but to have a successful radio station and a thriving business.

Belated Post-Evaluation of Mean In Green

My thoughts about the Mean In Green Basketball season are definitely diverse to say the least. Some things went really well, some did not. The whole process was definitely a learning experience. I feel like I have grown in my Public Relations "self" as I like to call it. I know how to work together in planning and executing things not only in a team, but by myself. I know that some people are willing to help you accomplish a common goal, while others will turn away from you, and even stand in the way of your visions. But there are more good helpers than evil ones, and with that being said, I feel like the success of the program overall went well. I would want to change the number of games that the group who does this project takes on, to not spread themselves so thin. Mean In Green was definitely something that was fun and exciting and I really have enjoyed it.

The Tipping Point

Through reading the novel, "The Tipping Point", I have come to identify myself as a connector. I feel as if I have that "special gift for bringing people together" as Gladwell writes on page 38. I feel as if I am a very motivated person who enjoys meeting others and making personal relationships with them. I feel like I know a lot of people through the different clubs and activities that I partake in, as well as getting to know my classmates. I think that I am effective when it comes to creating a brand and spreading the word about it. In the example of the "Mean In Green" brand, I told a lot of my friends in other classes about it, and I feel like more of them now attend games. At last night's game, my friends who are in the marketing classes used "Mean In Green" on their flyers and posters. This shows that the word is spreading and it is becoming a staple for GCSU Athletics. Some great examples of connectors that were given are Paul Revere, Lois Weisberg, and Rod Steigers. Connectors know how to deal with others and enjoy doing so. The second question is how can the Mean In Green team tip the athletic auction. Since I am a connector, I believe that getting the word out to the community is key. The invitations must be enticing and make the average person in the community want to attend the event. Everything needs to be flawless so that the community who attends has a great time and gives money to GCSU Athletics. In the words of Gladwell, we need to make the event sticky. It must appeal and entertain everyone. Once we get the word out about the event itself, we must keep the guests attention going by enticing them with food, decorations, drinks, and an all around great atmosphere. All in all, I believe that our team can pull it off to have a successful Athletic Auction in April 2010.

Planning PR Events during Homecoming

This week for Georgia College & State University is Homecoming 2010. For the past several weeks, Myself and my Pr Team at the college radio station, WGUR 88.9FM The Edge, have been working on our float for the 2010 parade through downtown Milledgeville, as well as tailgate events at the Sean Kingston and MUTEMATH concert tomorrow night and the Basketball games Saturday afternoon. I have learned this week that it is essential to have a team helping you when you are planning and executing an event. Without the help of others for manpower, idea bouncing, and simply spreading the word about the event, the event will not go smoothly or be successful. You cannot do everything by yourself, and you need others to lean on. Event planning can be very stressful and you need others around you that you can count on to get the job done. I have also been helping the current SGA Vice-President with the concert decorations and everything that encompasses the VIP area in the Centennial Center. The job has been very stressful on her due to the fact that she does not have a committee helping her. I realized that the use of others is vital to not only the events themselves, but for your own sanity.

Athletic Auction Pitch

Tuesday, our PR class pitched our ideas for the 2010 Athletic Auction here at Georgia College & State University. I was the A.E. for my group which consisted of two other class members. Our idea centered around the success of the GCSU Athletics Department. Last year, GCSU won the Peach Belt Conference's Commissioner's Cup, which means that GCSU had the most successful Athletics Department in the conference. Because we wanted to convey that image to our guests, the image that they would be giving to a program that is successful, we thought that they attendees would spend more money. We also brought in local aspects that would be familiar to our guests. GCSU is located in an area in Georgia called "Lake Country". We are within a close distance to many lakes. The theme that my group chose was "Fishing For Bobcat Success". We wanted to show how successful our teams our while placing it into a comfortable lake setting. Although our idea was not chosen, we know that the Athletic Department appreciated our time and efforts. The theme chosen was a Hollywood theme. I am anxious to see the final results and have full confidence that the event will be wonderful and flawless and that the guests will have a great time and spend money to help our school.

Trip to Flager College

Last week, I was able to go on a trip to Flager College with my Public Relations class. We spent a few days there getting to know the campus and exploring everything that Saint Augustine has to offer. We also got a chance to see our men's and women's basketball teams defeat the Flager teams at the Monday night game. We also had a chance to meet with a Sport's Marketing Class and discuss how we have been working with GCSU Athletics in branding a new identity for the department. We discussed how to create a successful theme and move it throughout the season, and maybe even for years to come. We also had a chance to meet with their PRSSA chapter, who showed us the exciting PR firm that they created with their advisor. We also showed them how to get involved with Athletics. Overall, the trip was a successful way to network and share ideas with other college students.

The Flyer from "Flippin' Out With Bobcat Basketball" event on Wednesday, January 13, 2010!

How to Work With More Than 1 Client at the Same Time

Last Wednesday, I was in charge of working with two clients at the Georgia College & State University Basketball game vs. Georgia Southwestern. The first, GCSU Athletics, wanted to have a theme for the different games along with an event that coincided with that. So, I went to The Elite School of Gymnastics and Dance to coordinate a performance of their students between the men's and women's halftime games. Through the use of flyers, a press release that was distributed throughout the local area, as well as Facebook groups to spread the word about the event. Through this process, I have learned that in order to effectively communicate both of the client's goals, you have to use all methods of PR communications to brand this event and help your client have a better business. The goals of both groups were to get more people attending the basketball games and to get exposure for the Elite school. The game was overall successful, with a higher than normal attendance for both of the games, which helped attain both of my clients goals. You must stay in constant communication with both clients and reevaluate each of the clients goals sporadically so that you can stay organized and help them reach their goals successfully. Overall, working with both clients has been a rewarding experience.

Day 1 of PR Admin, the beginning of the end

So this is my first official blog post. It is the first week of classes and it is my last semester as a college student. It is definitely bittersweet. Welcome to my world!