Edelman Starts a New Division

Recently, Edelman implemented a new division known as the "goodpurpose Division". This new area of their business is designed to specialize in helping companies improve their impact on society (AKA Corporate Responsibility). Full Article

This is a great move by the PR company because as their survey shows, nearly 85% of people are willing to change brands to support a good cause. It is clear that there is a change in what people expect from the companies that they use. This has created a swift movement for organizations to alter their business practices.

I think that this business move by Edelman has the possibility to be very successful and should prove to be a good decision by bringing in added business.

Investigating Millennials

I found this recent blog post very interest due to the fact that it investigates the generation that I am a part of. Original post

For the most part, I found this post very interesting and overall very accurate. Being at the tail end of my college career and having spent my final term off of the campus, many of these points have become very obvious.

On a personal level, I felt like a few of the statements didn't apply to myself but on an overall basis I think are true.

1] It's illegal for Ad's to lie.
It may be the fact that I am in the journalism school, but I have been aware for sometime, that it is illegal to lie on advertisements. I will argue though, that ad's manipulate statistics in a way that promotes their points.

2] Product placements
Again, this may be due to the fact that I am a J-school member and a PR major but I was aware that companies have to pay for product placements and it is generally very easy to pick them out on TV shows and movies.

3] Brands influence buying
I agree with this point completely but I will argue that many of the millennial's are aware of their decision making. Personally, I am loyal to brands and I consciously choose them over other.

I think that the points that I did not apply to me also do not apply to many millennial's that are my age, but are 100% accurate for millennials that are only a year or two younger. I think that you become aware of how a lot of the real world works when you leave the friendly confines of your local college campus.

Emergency Texting

In this recent blog post which discusses the use of text messaging to notify students about emergency situations on campuses, the author makes a lot of good points on how to handle these events. Original post.

I agree with the points made by the author that universities can not depend solely on one media outlet. Instead, they need to cover all of their bases and do everything possible to reach students. This includes the use of emails, posting on the university Web site and TV/ radio outlets. Another system that I think can be useful, is posting an announcement on the log in screen to access the university network. This would mean that anyone on campus trying to access the internet would be made aware of the situation.

Overall I think that text messaging is a great way to contact a large number of people, but I do not think that it should be the only outlet that is utilized.

Dixon is the Epitome of a Team Player

the end of last football season I was unsure about the future of the quarterback position for Ducks during 2007 season, due the deteriorated play and psyche of Dennis Dixon. After starting the season so well, he really feel of the charts, and you could tell from his play that he was very unsure of his skills and it effected his leadership of the team.

This year has been a complete turn around of the skills and leadership of Dixon. I'm so proud of the character and values that he has displayed throughout this great run. As we all know, Oregon's National Championship chances have been eliminated with the loss of a second game to Arizona and Dixon for the remainder of the season.

Nothing shows the passion, desire and team nature that Dennis instills better then him attempting to play the remainder of the season with a completely torn ACL. It has now been announced, by Mike Bellotti, that Dixon actually torn his knee on a fourth quarter hit suffered against Arizona State. The next day Dennis was diagnosed with a completely torn ligament in his knee, but due to the feel and lack of swelling, Dixon was able to talk the coaches and training staff into keeping this a secret to everyone, including his teammates. Most players wouldn't have ever attempt to do this but Dixon instead opted to delay surgery and try and contribute as much as he could to his team.

It was evident how badly Dixon wanted to be on the field by the tears that he shed on the sidelines in frustration. Additionally, the true character of Oregon's stellar QB was on display in his post game interview. When asked about how he though his injury was going to effect his Heisman chances, he replayed by saying that he was never worried about personal achievement and only wanted to help his team win.

Dixon has had his ups and downs at the University of Oregon but I can't remember the last time I have been so proud of a player, and I wish him the best with whatever the future hold for him, football or baseball.

Good luck Dennis!

Don't Dog on Brady

After Oregon's tragic loss to unranked Arizona, I've heard a lot of people dogging and bashing on Brady Leaf. Any chance that Oregon has of making the Rose Bowl, rest on quality play from Brady at the Quarterback position. With the loss of Dixon for the rest of the season, Jonathan Stewart is going to be the focal point of the offense in the remaining 2 games. If Brady doesn't keep the opposing defenses honest with his arm, teams are going to load the box with 8 men and Stew's running lanes are quickly going to close.

Personally, I was impressed with Leaf's performance on Thursday. He played much of the game in a spread offense with limited to no mobility due to a sprained ankle. It was obvious that this affected his play and his timing was clearly off. It's a lot to ask from a guy who has been playing behind, arguably the best quarterback in college football, and play anywhere near the same skill level. It is evident that Brady has been lacking reps in both practice and game situations.

Don't jump of the Oregon bandwagon yet fans. Oregon has one of the best offensive coordinators in the NCAA, Chip Kelly. With a long week to prepare for UCLA, I am confident that the coaching staff can adjust the playbook and game plan to suit Brady and his strength. Plus, we still got J-Stew, who even when banged up is better then 90% of all running backs.

EVIDENTLY Somebody Needs to Prep This Kid!

I want to start by saying that I think Dennis Dixon is a great athlete, I think that he is having one of the greatest season by any Oregon QB and deserves all the publicity he is getting, but seriously? someone needs to do a better job of prepping this kid for an interview. This Thursday, Dennis made an appearance on nationally televised Jim Rome is Burning on ESPN. Throughout this interview, Dennis managed to us the word "evidently" at least once in every sentence. Dixion is a great kid having a great season, but if they plan to keep putting him on television or the radio they are going to need to sit down and take some time make sure he is ready to go. While watching the interview, I was actually embarrassed for him and all I wanted was for the segment to end. These national interviews are a great opportunity for Dennis to gain some pub for his Heisman campaign and for the University as a whole, but his interviewing is going to need to improve if they plan to keep putting him on tv. Dixon on Rome.

I can only imagine how nerve racking it is to be on a nationally televised show but it is job of the University of Oregon's PR department to make sure that Dennis is prepared for the questions that he is going to be asked. They need to make sure that he has a good idea of what he is going to say and how he is going to format his sentences. Dennis is young and hasn't had a ton of experience with interviews of this magnitude but I would love to see university athletes better prepared for their questioning.

GO DUCKS!

Seizing the Opportunity

This week the son of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner made a comment questioning if the biggest free agent on the market, Alex Rodriguez, would prefer to go the hall of fame as a New York Yankee or a Toledo Mud Hen (Detroit Tigers Triple-A team), the Mid Hens jumped on this PR opportunity. Seeing that Hank Steinbrenner had given them an ideal opportunity to steal some of the publicity that A-Rod has been creating, the Triple-A organization quickly drew up a contract offer for the free agent 3rd baseman, who is seeking a contract worth $350 million. The contract is said to have incentives contingent on A-Rod hitting 75 home runs and leading them to a championship. Furthermore, it is believed that A-Rod would need to battle for a starting a job since Toledo's current 3rd baseman is the reigning MVP.

Full Article

This was a great move by the officials of the Mud Hens, knowing full well that they had no chance to sign A-Rod. Instead, they created some free publicity for their team during a dull and boring off-season in minor league baseball. This gave the Mud Hens national coverage in addition to poking fun at a high publicized situation. Great move Hens!