By Kelly Reiser

Search no more, music lovers! Raleigh is bringing three days of parties, festivities and, of course, great music to you this September. Local bands, international talent and a great time, what else could you ask for in a weekend?

On September 9, 10 and 11, Raleigh will be hosting The Independent Weekly’s Hopscotch Music Festival. Kept hush-hush for months, Hopscotch has gained some very big names in music, drawing attention from across the south, and the highly anticipated event is just around the corner.

The goal of the festival is pairing internationally and regionally recognized artists in order to gain recognition for the rich local talent. Featured will be better-known bands such as Lucero, Public Enemy, Broken Social Scene and Panda Bear, but also some well-know regional bands like Raleigh’s Bowerbirds and Chapel Hill’s The Love Language.

As an indoor/outdoor festival, Hopscotch will highlight Raleigh as a fast-growing and cultured metropolis, where music is in the streets. Artists will not only play downtown on a main stage in City Plaza, but also at the city’s most notorious night clubs, cafes and music venues including Lincoln Theater, The Pour House and Five Star.

From a PR perspective, this event will put Raleigh on the map. Since coming into office in November 2001, Mayor Charles Meeker has worked hard to make Raleigh a noteworthy southern city, and I would say he has done a fabulous job. He has delivered consistent results when it comes to working to revamp the city of Raleigh, among which include building a new convention center and downtown amphitheater, reworking the public transportation system and creating a plan for Dorthea Dix. The Hopscotch Music Festival is another great supplement to these efforts.

For a full schedule of the day events, parties and other information, visit New Raleigh.

Hope to see everyone there!

Here are some links about other Raleigh news and events:

Go Downtown Raleigh

Raleigh News Blog

Visit Raleigh

The Raleigh Connoisseur

Over the past 4 years, I have seen my soon-to-be  alma mater go through numerous changes with the attempt to better the campus, student life and the surrounding community. I am very proud to say that for the second consecutive year in a row North Carolina Central University has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the top public historically black college in the nation.

In previous years, NCCU has collected a lot of negative attention, with the threat of several programs losing their accreditation and low test scores. Since 2006 Central has made a complete turn around while finally gaining some respect amongst other prestigious colleges and universities.  In the U.S News annual listing, NCCU was placed at number 11 among more than 100 black colleges, only dropping one spot from last year. All other institutions that held the top 10 spots were private colleges,  making NCCU the top public school on the list.

To make the list, the HBCU must be an undergraduate baccalaureate-granting institution that enrolls primarily first-year, first-time students. The schools are then judged by a peer assessment survey, which is given to those in position and grades the faculty’s dedication to teaching. Central was also ranked 36th among public Southern regional universities, and 74th overall among schools in the region.

I believe NCCU’s recent national recognition is one of the main reasons why the number of incoming freshman has experienced a huge leap from previous years. As a senior in high school, before I did my research I had no clue what or even where NCCU was. Now they house a very diverse group of over 1300 freshman coming from as far as California, making it one of the largest freshman classes the school has had in years. PR-wise, the new recognition is helping Central build a positive perception around their brand, and the increase in students is also bringing more money into the school and surrounding community. They have also stepped up their social media game up by creating a twitter account and freshman blog, which allows newcomers to document and share their first year experiences.

Image Source

By James Schlegelmilch

The writers here at RPR are excited to announce the launch of MMI Public Relations’ Facebook page!

The staff at MMI looks forward to using Facebook as a resource for sharing content and interacting with the Triangle community. The page will serve as a forum for news, community and client events and conferences, company happenings, blog posts as well as a place for the staff and public to share their favorite examples of current cases of good PR, as well as PR gone bad.

Stop by and check out our staff’s growing collection of photos, favorite fanpages and get easy access to MMI’s own YouTube channel, which is updated with the team’s latest video creations.

Be sure to check out MMI’s Foursquare tab and  jockey for the position of “Mayor.” Don’t forget to read tips left by staff of fun things to check out when stopping by the office.  Consider it a sort of MMI culture treasure hunt.

It has been a great time spending a portion of my time here as an intern contributing to this project, and we all hope you will stop by to give MMI a thumbs up on Facebook and share your comments and feedback as the company expands its presence in the social media world!

So come by and say ‘hello’, share your stories and opinions, meet the staff or just browse our favorite links and pages.  If you like what you see become a fan and tell your friends.  The crew at MMI Public Relations looks forward to meeting you!

Across America bars and restaurants have been filled with fans sporting red, white and blue to cheer on the USA soccer team.  Facebook and Twitter have blown up during games with statuses that show national pride with phrases like “GGGGGGOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!” and “USA! USA! USA! USA!” However, how many of these “fair-weather” fans actually know who the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo are, or understand that the difference between a direct and indirect kick is not just a player kicking a ball outside that little white box at the goal?

I sat in a restaurant to watch the USA’s tough loss to Ghana and was heart broken when we lost. But as I talked to my friends, I realized that a lot of them knew nothing about soccer. I grew up playing soccer so I knew who Landon Donovan was before the World Cup and the rules of the game, but I found myself having to explain the most basic rules, like what a penalty kick is.

Why is it that such a popular sport for kids when they are a little and even into high school can become obsolete when you get into college and the professional league, MLS (Major League Soccer). Take the UNC women’s soccer team, for example. The program has won 21 National Championships over the years.  Anson Dorrance, who is the head coach, became the first coach in NCAA history to win 20 titles in a single sport, yet their following isn’t as prominent as other sports.

The United States became more involved in following soccer in 2007 when David Beckham, with his family, made his way from England to become a member of the LA Galaxy. His first match in the Home Depot Center in nearby Carson, Calif. was to a sold out crowd where fans and celebrities alike showed their support, but not too long after, everyone stopped following soccer.

A YouTube video circulating shows the reactions fans had to the amazing Landon Donovan goal that put the USA past Algeria, and the support that the USA showed for their soccer team.  How long will this support for soccer last?

As a soccer player of 13 years, I understand where people come from because it’s not as fast paced as basketball, but it’s still the same sport that you loved to watch a few weeks ago. If you became a huge Landon Donovan fan after the World Cup, he will still be playing soccer even if not for the U.S. anymore, but for the LA Galaxy. Games will still be on ESPN during the soccer season and so will college games. Continue to follow soccer if you really enjoyed watching the World Cup because all of the principles are still the same, just different players.

Photo Source: Flickr

By: James Schlegelmilch

The Triangle’s aging office space is getting a new lease on life.  Pardon the pun.

Developers and corporations owning some of the buildings in and around Research Triangle Park are spending millions to rehab and reface the properties in order to make them more attractive to and more functional for area businesses.  With the expanding presence of pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, and local start-ups like CREE, a LED lighting company headquartered in Durham, previously vacant space is finally seeing new use.

GlaxoSmithKline recently announced that it plans to spend $70 million on building updates in the next few years.  The local pharmaceutical firm currently owns 40 buildings around RTP, some of which were built during the age of the typewriter.  CREE also plans to move some of its workers into buildings that were built for and owned by IBM during the 1980s.

With nearly a third of the office space in RTP being more than 20 years old, serious remodeling is the only way to make this space functional for today’s business needs.  Spending the money to make these buildings 21^st century compatible is more economically efficient than demolishing and rebuilding.  Despite the savings that come with remodeling, some companies are seeing demolition as the only way to make their properties work for them.

The re-construction and rehabilitation of old RTP properties is a good sign for the area’s businesses.  It means that the businesses are growing to a point that they need more space.  Secondly, it is providing work for local construction companies as well as design and technology infrastructure firms.

Keeping money and work in the Triangle is always a good PR move, whether or not it is an intentional move.  The growth of these companies will continue to bring work and workers into the area.  And the remodeling will continue to keep workers who are already here, busy.  While the demolition of older buildings may lead to some environmental issues (deforestation on a small scale and large amounts of debris and trash), a working Triangle is a happy Triangle.

Photo Source: Ildar Sagdejev

By Ryan Gibson

I became a newcomer to the whole Twitter realm a few months ago, but I have become a fanatic ever since. I promised myself I would never give in, but eventually did for business reasons (or so I told myself). Now it has become the 3rd website I visit every time I turn on my computer, following Facebook and e-mail. I started out following just my friends, and have since moved on to become a full blown Twitter-er . I now follow the likes of Barack Obama, Dane Cook and The Script, just to name a few.

Twitter has also become a useful tool for large and small businesses, and people of all walks of life to promote their products or services through the social media outlet. But is there a point where great PR becomes unsafe? Take Justin Bieber for example. He has become one of the most influential pop artists of the year with millions of fans that live off of his every word.

On May 3, 2010 Kim Kardashian started tweeting about having “Bieber Fever.”  Bieber referred to Kim as his “girlfriend” at a White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, and they tweeted pictures together. It didn’t take long for Bieber’s fans to not take kindly to this. Kardashian started getting death threats from Bieber’s fans to the point where she had to ask Justin Bieber to make them stop via his Twitter account.

Other celebrities have also spoken out against problems with Twitter as well. Twilight star Kristen Stewart had her own choice words about this new Internet craze in her interview with Flaunt magazine:
“Twitter [Edited for content, this is a PG blog!] me over every day of my life. Because people go, ‘I’m sitting next to Kristen Stewart right now’ and then they show up. I see people on their phones and I just want to take these cookies and throw them. It’s like ‘Get off your [Edited for content] phone and get a life!’ I get so mad. It’s like you’re trampling on someone’s life without any regard. And it’s rampant. Everyone can do it now. Buy a camera and you’re paparazzi; get a Twitter account and you’re an informant. It’s so annoying,” said Kristen Stewart, in Flaunt magazine.

So when does Twitter stop becoming a great PR tool for people and become a harmful tool that can lead to problems with privacy and one’s own personal safety? My suggestion is just like anything these days: keep it professional and make sure you understand how to use the privacy settings. Celebrities lead lives with little to no privacy, but that’s not an excuse. Everyone can make a strictly business account to promote their newest business ventures and a separate personal account for you and your friends. Always be on guard with what you are releasing into the World Wide Web so you don’t end up being attacked by crazed Bieber fans for getting too close to him.

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

By Jessica Lam

From Beanie Babies to Pokemon, we’ve all had our fair share of fads. These items through rain or shine, we had to get our hands on. And the newest fad these days is Silly Bandz.

These “bandz” are shaped rubber bands that people ages five to even 20 wear on their wrists. They come in a variety of colors and shapes, such as crowns, dolphins and letters. Although sporting several Silly Bandz on your wrist is the coolest thing at school to do, teachers and other school officials don’t agree. Wake County has become the latest school system to ban students from wearing these bands in their schools.

But what does this have to do with PR? Everything. Throughout history, fads have always lived a bell-curve lifestyle. Products are introduced into the market with little buzz, then suddenly BAM-they’re the “in-est” thing to have. And eventually, their prominence dwindles into ancient history (perhaps it’s called “fads” for a reason, the item “fad(e)s”).

PR has played a quintessential role in Silly Bandz popularity, especially at their current status. With millions of children wearing their product, Silly Bandz had to keep up with their fans. Their Web site offers their products for sale and information about future product lines, like T-shirts and carabiners.

But what’s more impressive is their ability to channel themselves through social mediums for the brand and their fans. Silly Bandz have a Facebook page, Twitter profile (@sillybandz )and their overall website to reach fans of all types. They know their audiences and encourage their active participation through photo uploads, letters to the company, news blog and their own “Silly Blog.”

Silly Bandz has surely taken two-way communication to the max. The continued interaction between brand and user is surely one of the ways Silly Bandz maintains their popularity status. This makes me wonder what it would have been if Beanie Babies had access to social media during their prime years? What if you could follow Pikachu on Twitter? Or if Easy-Bake ovens had a Facebook fan page where fans posted their own recipe creations? The possibilities are endless, but one thing is for sure – public relations is key.

Photo Source: Google

by Amy Gretenstein

Normally this blog acknowledges the good and the bad of the local PR scene. We occasionally make note of some national PR movements, but mostly we’re pretty self-centered (in a positive way!).  But today I want to highlight the awesome PR efforts the social media world, especially Twitter, are doing in relief efforts for the Nashville flooding.

Not only have charities started trending topics (Sofias Heart Foundation has been trending on Facebook and Twitter), but many have taken to spreading ways to assist the relief efforts.

Twitter has also offered to be a place to voice harsh criticism that the mainstream media are not doing enough to cover the flooding. Anderson Cooper made note (@andersoncooper From ac: been getting a lot of emails saying “where is the media” in TN covering the flooding. They are right. We haven’t done enough on it) and offered a live chat about the situation.

What has impressed me the most has been the outpouring of celebrity activism that appears to be for the good of Nasvhille and not just an opportunity to get more spotlight time. Nashville’s sweetheart, Taylor Swift, has noted how devastating the flood’s destruction has been on the landmark Grand Ole Opry  (@taylorswift13 Please keep Nashville in your heart. Seeing a picture of the Grande Ole Opry (sic) halfway underwater was a kind of heartbreak I can’t describe.)

Moreso, Kenny Chesney took to the airwaves to talk about the flood and how to help out. (@CNN Kenny Chesney talks to CNN about the Nashville flood, his own riverside property being flooded and appeals for help… http://ht.ly/1HP5Z)

Others, such as Michelle Branch, have been expressive of their concerns and offered to help in different ways. (@michellebranch May or may not be playing a top secret show to raise money for flood victims tomorrow. You didn’t hear it from me;) who else wants to play?)

Even national brands have taken to Twitter to show their efforts. (@Verizon: We deployed mobile comm stores in Nashville to support those affected by flood connect w/family http://bit.ly/daBBXY)

In my search of the Twitter trends, I even found news outlets in other countries reporting on the devestation. @PubliMetroMundo, of recently rocked Chile, “Residentes hallan desolación al regresar a sus casas en Nashville http://bit.ly/9u6Vtt” (Translation: Residents find desolation when returning to their homes in Nashville)

This is just another powerful example of the impact that social media can have on news, natural disasters and how our ever growing community responds.

Photo: mherzber

by Mallory Pfeffer

She may quite possibly be the most famous woman in the world. She is found in more than 150 countries, represents 50 nationalities, and graces playroom shelves in billions of little girls’ homes. Her name is Barbie, and she is blond, beautiful, unrealistically proportioned and about to turn the big five-zero.

In celebration of Barbie’s 50th birthday, the North Carolina Museum of History is hosting a small exhibit which will provide a  glimpse into the history of the little doll that became a worldwide phenomenon. The exhibit, lasting now through July 5, showcases a variety of Barbie outfits, a group of her friends, her sports cars and 16 personal stories provided by North Carolinians  about what Barbie has meant to them.

While the exhibit sounds interesting and like something that even I would want to see, it raises a few questions: What is it about Barbie that has made her so appealing? How has she managed to remain popular for half of a century and have museum exhibits dedicated to her existence?   What is it exactly that makes her so great?

The fact is, she is unrealistically scaled. The concern has been raised that little girls could develop body image issues by idolizing Barbie and dreaming of her figure. Controversy has circulated around the doll, cautioning young girls and parents to realize that only one in 100,000 women could ever have her body type. Some even speculate that if Barbie were human, she would topple over because her waist would not support her chest…just look at Heidi Montag who strived to emulate the doll. OK, so with all of that said how can Barbie still possess the power she does today?

The answer to all of my questions lies in Barbie’s ability to change and adhere to the current trends. She spans an endless amount of careers, professions, hobbies and interests and she is always contemporary and dynamic. She has been everything from an astronaut to Princess Diana, so she has a persona that relates to almost every individual.

Public relations plays an important role here as well. Mattel, the makers of Barbie, have done an excellent job at responding to the criticisms that circulate around the doll. The trend in the late 90s was to hate on Barbie for the  messages she sent to young women regarding body image. This  also happened to be around the time eating disorders were on the rise, so image was certainly a hot topic. Well, in 2000 Mattel responded to the criticism, not by hiding behind the doll that was still popular after 40 years, but by listening to what the public had to say and designing a new Barbie that had a more natural figure. Mattel’s sales were dropping, but by deciding to bring Barbie into the 21st century and making her more realistic, they avoided a potential crisis.

See, even after 50 years the beautiful, blond, unstoppable Barbie still relies on public relations.

Photo Source: jen_rab

by Audrey Beckett

I have spent the last two semesters analyzing how others are doing in the world of public relations. My posts on this blog have examined the good, the bad and the ugly of what’s going on and how it is being communicated in the Triangle. Now, the time has come to apply what I’ve seen to myself and my friends in the class of 2010.

Beginning my job search has highlighted the relevance that the PR principles we have examined in  this blog have on individuals and particularly job seekers.

Branding Ourselves

We know it’s important that companies take special care to brand themselves well. Perhaps a less-common idea is that we should also carefully brand ourselves as individuals. The branding process encompasses a lot. For starters, what image of ourselves are we presenting to the world? A few questionable Facebook photos may make a stronger impression on a potential employer than the impressive resume that belongs to the same individual. When it comes to branding ourselves, it’s a good idea to keep Facebook private and be intentional with how we use our blogs, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. These are great opportunities to highlight writing skills and assert our career goals and interests.

Proactivity

The best organization in the world gets an “F” in PR when they approach communications passively. Good press won’t fall into their laps, and we can’t expect our dream jobs to drop into our laps, either. It is important that we take a proactive approach to our job searches. This means networking, following up on applications and seeking out opportunities.

Professionalism

This one may be obvious. As we seek professional jobs we have to act like professionals. Here we can take a cue from the organizations and individuals whose communications we study. The disorganized press conference makes us cringe (or sometimes laugh) while the well-executed one can create a wealth of favorable coverage. In the same way, we must do our homework prior to interviews and be ready to talk about where we’re going in life and why we should be at that organization. Like it or not, our presentation and appearance are important aspects of professionalism. Our dress and demeanor should be carefully thought out before that big interview.

Class of 2010, we may not be members of the professional workforce yet, but let’s not forget the important public relations principles that will help us as we work to get there. Whether or not we are intentionally crafting them, our “personal brands” are being established and the wise job seeker will recognize this.

Photo Source: Google