Thursday, May 6, 2010

LSC Disaster Press Release

Lyndon State College
1001 College Road
Lyndonville, VT 05851
(802) 626-6200

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT
May 4, 2010 Gwendolyn Cook
Gwendolyn.cook@lsc.vsc.edu
603-717-4137

Lyndonville, VT- Lyndon State College had a chance to practice response techniques to a campus wide food poisoning disaster on Friday, April 3. The disaster was a staged event put on as a way for journalist and psychology departments to practice how they would help both report on the event and council the traumatized victims. This was the 3rd year that journalism professor Dan Williams has planned and hosted the event and the 2nd year for psychology professor Peggy Sherrer.

The culprit in this disaster was E-coli in contaminated pineapple. The end result was over 70 students with all of the symptoms of food poisoning and two fatalities. The students who died both had compromised immune systems. One was the daughter of a faculty member.

Journalism students had to find a way to find out the cause of the disaster as well as interview key officials all while remaining professional and doing nothing that might ruin their reputation for future issues. While interviewing victims they needed to practice the gentler approach to getting the story, which is something that they would need to do in a real life situation. This was also a good way for them to familiarize themselves with working in trauma situations. Many reporters suffer a form of PTSD as a result of being at the scene of an accident. This helps them prepare for that.

Psychology students were on hand to council victims and their families while they are dealing with the aftermath of the disaster. They got to practice dealing with high stress situations as well as patients and parents that were panicked. One of the tasks that they had to deal with was keeping reporters and TV crews from only interviewing who they themselves had cleared as well as keeping them in designed areas.

"Overall, I was very pleased with the disaster exercise," Sherrer said. "In hindsight, of course, there's always things you would modify. I was very proud of my students who provided mental health support to the "victims." Sherrer was especially pleased with the volunteers who participated in the disaster drill. "I also think we had some outstanding actor-volunteers this year. I'm especially grateful to the staff and students who gave up their afternoon to help us out."

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Radio ad

This radio ad was done for my exercise science client. The reasoning behind it is to get students to go to the gym.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

new and old print ads






I chose to compare coca cola, Volkswagen, and old spice ads.
The coca cola ads are much simpler now than they were 50 years ago. I believe this is because they no longer need to advertise to build up their name. They need only to keep their name in the publics eye. They can now use their name to help causes like recycling which helps to further enhance themselves in the public’s eye. They are a very smart brand in that they are continually changing their brand to keep the appeal up but they don’t forget the ads that do especially well. They understand that people from all ages drink coke so they bring back nostalgic ads such as the polar bears at Christmas time. The age demographic for the old ad is 4-30. They wanted to appeal to as large of an age group as possible to not only sell to product but to maintain popularity for a long period of time. The new ad appeals to a younger, hipper demographic. The ads are all clever yet simple and include things like recycling. This ensures that the product continues to appeal to young people. The older people care less about the ads and more about the product. They will continue to drink whether they are told to or not.





Volkswagen has changed a great deal. The old ad is one for VW buses, which has a really poor rollover rate. The premesis of the old ad is to buy it to stick out and be individual. The new ad is for the VW Golf. There were 3 different ads to choose from in this series; the one I chose had teddy bears pouring out of the vehicle. The caption in the top right corner says, “12 million children have slept in the back.” The appeal in the car is safety and family. The bus had a lot of room for families but there was no safety element involved. The old ad is directed to the 18-40 age group. The vehicle was hip and exciting so people would want to buy it. Older people would buy it for the storage room. The new ad is directed to young married couples that are hoping for a relatively cheap vehicle that will be safe for their children to ride in.





My final ad was for Old Spice. When I was growing up, Old Spice was for old people. Recently though, the company has been revamped almost entirely in an attempt to appeal to younger people. The old ad lead with the slogan, “sail into dad’s heart” and featured a plain ad of toiletries and colognes. This is the sort of thing you would buy your father or grandfather as a Christmas gift. The new ad features attractive young men sitting in a spa, half naked. The slogan says, “Residue is evil. Stop it.” We have been trained since birth that personal appearance is everything. With Old Spice, we will be able to attract the opposite sex. The target audience for the new ad is 12-25. The audience for the old ad is 30-50.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Quest for the Kingdom Cup- Critic Ad

Visual- I actually don't have a visual at this moment for my ad. My client sent me the wrong attachment by mistake and the problem hasn't yet been rectified.
Headline- 4-on-4 basketball tournament
Subhead- Want to test your skill against other students and faculty members?
Swing Line- I didn't think this was necessary because the body copy had the same effect.
Body copy- The Quest for the Kingdom Cup is an annual tournament put on by the exercise science department as a friendly competition.
Zinger-The Kingdom Cup is awarded to the last and best team standing.
Call to Action- Get your team together and sign up for the tournament, which takes place at 6 o’clock on Tuesday, April 20.
Logo/Slogan/Tagline- I chose not to include this mainly because the exercise department doesn’t have a slogan, tagline or logo. Making one didn’t seem necessary because it might swing the feel of the ad to something other than it just being a fun event.
Mandatories- Sign up is in the exercise science wing until 4:30 on the day of the event. The cost is $20 per team.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Good and Bad Advertisement

I don't think this ad is very well done mainly because it won't appeal to many people and some if not most will be offended by it. The ad isn't the sort that can be used in many different avenues or magazines. The one bit of writing on there isn't worded well and it appears to be done wrong.








I think this ad was well done because it has a good strategic message, supporting benefits, it is relatively short and eye catching.




Tuesday, March 2, 2010

bad PR

Kanye West, popular musical artist freaks out when Twitter allows fake accounts to spread misinformation about him.
These false facts make his beloved and devoted fans question his personality. They begin to spread slander of their own completely unconnected to Twitter. His record sales plunge. However, drug and alcohol sales grow in Hollywood.
Kanye’s own words, “The people at Twitter know I don’t have a f—ing Twitter so for them to allow someone to pose as me and accumulate over a million names is irresponsible and deceitful to their faithful users.”
Twitter suffered negative press coverage because of their slow response in removing the fake Tweeters as well as not being able to stop the wave of West hate from spreading. The press coverage, though only lasting a short while, was embarrassing to the networking site. Luckily for them, West enjoyed the attention and was kind enough to take most of the brunt away from them. This happened after he realized that citizens cared less about him and more about Twitters’ slow response time.
West, after posting this hateful and angry message about Twitter, joins Twitter and begins to spread his own ridiculous and un-charming things about himself. This will certainly stop people from impersonating him. They will certainly be unable to make him seem like more of an ass than he already is.
Twitter eventually gained something from this because more people joined so that they might be able to read the idiocy’s that came from West’s fingers and mind.

I would have simply been quicker to respond to the false stories and offered a sincere apology. Mr. West has never been one to be gracious so he wouldn’t have accepted it.

http://prprofessionals.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/5-pr-disasters-of-2009/

Snocross

Gwen Cook
Lyndon State is speeding towards potential students
Gregory J. Ledoux is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Lyndon State College Department of Exercise Science. In his spare time, Professor Ledoux races Snocross for Lyndon State College Racing.
Snowmobile racing is a hobby that Ledoux is particularly passionate about. The downside to hobbies is that they all cost money. Luckily for him, his employer caught on to this unique way to advertise.
He is the driver and owner of a Polaris racing snowmobile with Lyndon State College’s logo surrounded by a honeycomb design and Polaris red. His racing number is 14x.
Ledoux-Team Snocross Racing was established in 2004 and is a five-person team that has seen much success. However, Ledoux has been riding for much longer than he has been racing.
“I have been riding snowmobiles for 8 years, and racing for 3.” Said Ledoux. “I was late coming into the sport, as most start when they are 8 years old!
They will again be competing in the Rock Maple Racing and Northeast Snocross Tour Trail division – New York, New Hampshire and Vermont events, including two in Barton.
Lyndon State College is the proud primary sponsor of Ledoux-Team Racing.
Other members of this team Ledoux-Team are:
Jeff Manning the Chief Mechanical Engineer, Hazen Converse the Mechanical Engineer, Andrea Lontine, Team Massage Therapist and Mike Dente another LSC member and the Team Photographer.

In all of the events that they have attended, they have been fiercely competitive and placed well. On February 13th they competed in the International Series of Champions Pro-Snocross event at Rockingham Park in Salem, NH. They managed a respectable 7th place in both heats and a final placement of 6th.

When asked why he raced, other than to advertise for his job he said this; ““I had a crazy friend in high school that raced, and I got sick of watching him have fun,” said Ledoux. “I love it because it allows me to express my more aggressive side. I have never felt a rush like I do when I race.”
While Lyndon State is their primary sponsor, they have the Village Bike Shop from Littleton, NH as their secondary source and many other tier three sponsors that enable them to compete and travel to all of the events.

So far this year they have competed in four races and improved a great deal, even having three team firsts. On January 23, they qualified for their first final in team history at their race in Belmont, NH. They had their best race to at the Orleans County Fairgrounds in Barton, VT on February 27th, day one of the two-day event. In the first heat, Ledoux got 2nd place, which is the best finish in the team history. In the second heat, they sped to a 3rd place finish and in the final event they landed at 3rd place, which was their first podium finish in team history.

The final race of the year takes place once again in Barton, Vermont at the Orleans County Fairgrounds on March 6th and 7th. Anyone is welcome to attend not only to watch the races but the cheer on one of LSC’s finest.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

speech

Gwen Cook
Academy Students are heading to India to build a health center
Twelve St. Johnsbury students are in the village of Poriyar, India helping to improve the lives of some of their most impoverished people.
The project was coordinated by the Academy’s Colwell Center for Global Understanding. While there, the group will build a small health center in the village, which is located in the coastal region. The area was struck by the catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Other projects they hope to accomplish are to install smokeless stoves in homes, to create and educate about malaria and pre-natal care, and to begin the process, which would start health files for the area.
The people living in the village, which has a population of around 7000, are all members of India’s Dalit caste and are known as “untouchables.” They all suffer from severe poverty as well as high illiteracy. The unemployment rates are very high in the area.
They left for India on February 12th and they will return on March 3rd. The students have been meeting every other week since the start of the school year to prepare and plan for the trip. They were in charge of researching cultural and health issues that the area faces as well as fundraising the $5000 to build the health center and to help pay for the group’s other projects for Poriyar.
The chaperones for the trip will be Colwell Center director Glenn Ehrean and the Academy’s Director of Health and Wellness, Sarah Garey.
The idea for this service trip began two years ago as a senior Capstone research project. Ehrean refined the proposal and then got the proposal approved by the Academy Headmaster, Tom Lovett.
The project got a lot of help and support from Ann Peck, who is the director of the Help-Kids-India, Inc. Help-Kids-India, Inc is a non-profit organization based in Topsham, Vermont that helps to provide education to underprivileged children in rural Indian villages by starting small schools. These schools are called chreches. Peck helped to identify the Poriyar region’s needs and potential solutions to the problem. She will also accompany the students while they are in India.
Ehrean wanted to stress that the trip is not a travel tour. They wont be traveling at all actually. Instead, they will be doing hard labor and hopefully improving the access to community health for the entire village.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Exercise Science Press Release

Lyndon State College
1001 College Road
Lyndonville, VT 05851
(802) 626-6200

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT
February 10, 2010 Robert Huyler B.A.
robert.huyler@lsc.vsc.edu

LSC exercise science students will attend New England spring conference

Lyndonville, VT– On April 16th, exercise science students will attend the spring New England American College of Sports Medicine conference (NEACSM).

The theme of the seminar is “To Cut or Run: Prevention and Treatment Strategies for Obesity.” The speakers for the conference are foremost and high-ranking figures in the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Many respected professionals will speak on topics of controlling obesity through exercise and diet.

The students who will be attending are taking a full semester one-credit course called Professional Experience AHS-1260, which will prepare them to get the most out of the conference. It is being instructed by Robert Huyler, who is a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) certified personal trainer.

The students are required to practice their networking skills while attending the conference. They also need to pay special attention and hopefully gain insight into the most cutting edge research within their field.

The follow up to attending the conference is the completion of a two page reflection paper on the conference as well presenting proof that they networked as best as they could.

The conference will be held at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Hospital gets new head of purchasing department

Mountain East Medical Center’s Johnny Toler has been promoted to head of the purchasing department.
Toler has filled the position, which was previously filled by Bob Wilkinson, who had been with the company since 1975. Wilkinson will be taking a job with City Memorial Hospital.
“This hospital means a great deal to me and my family, and I will give my best efforts to making our purchasing department the best,” says Toler. “I learned from a fine man-Bob Wilkinson- and I hope I can continue to build on the foundation he established.”
Toler, who has a background in pharmacy, has been with MEMC for over 13 years and previously held the position of assistant head of the department. Toler’s wife, Carolyn, is head of the department of gynecology at Mountain East Medical Center.
“Johnny Toler is a person we can all depend on to do whatever is necessary to keep this department going,” says hospital administrator Harry Illscott. “I have great faith in him and in this hospital.”

Fact Sheet- Exercise Science

Lyndon State College
1001 College Road
Lyndonville, VT. 05851
802-626-6200
Fact Sheet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
February 2, 2010

Gwendolyn Cook
Public Relations consultant
802-626-6200
Gwendolyn.Cook@lsc.vsc.edu

Exercise Science program at Lyndon State College receives prestigious accreditation

What: LSC’s exercise science program was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
Who: Exercise science program at Lyndon State College
Where: Lyndonville, Vermont
When: Exercise science programs will require CAAHEP accreditation in the very near future. Any person who wishes to take the national undergraduate certification exam in exercise science (American College of Sports Medicine Health Fitness Specialist) will need to be graduates of accredited programs such as CAAHEP and NSCA.
Why: Exercise science program has been National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Recognized since 2005. With both the CAAHEP accreditation and the NSCA, this makes LSC one of only five schools in the nation to be accredited with both. With this recent accreditation, the program will be able to offer even more. The application included a self-study, program organizational chart, faculty biographical sketches, an explanation of educational outcomes and other data.
President Carol A. Moore said in an email to the Lyndon community, “Congratulations to the Exercise Science faculty. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to offering the highest quality programming and for seeking to continually improve the Exercise Science program.”

Good and Bad Press Releases

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/velazquez-comments-on-small-business-administration-budget-for-fiscal-year-2011-83362972.html

I feel this is a bad press release or at least poorly done. The title isn't something that would catch my eye and draw me in to read more. Also, all it comprises of is a small paragraph for an opener and the rest is her comment which is more like a speech.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/postal-service-offers-love-letters-from-ella-83369942.html

A good press release is well written to the point that when it is turned into an actual news story. Upon reading this one, I felt that it was ready to go straight to print. The title was catchy and the story well written and appealing enough for me to want to read it straight through.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/volkswagen-of-america-announces-january-sales-83370002.html

This press release is well done because it emphasizes growth in America. They make sure to point out numerous times that there has been a gain in profits which is a very important thing and will appeal to readers, given the depression our country is facing. Having lots of stats are good things to include in a press release concerning sales figures.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sinovac-announces-closing-of-common-share-offering-83376957.html

This press release is very negative. They state the closing of the common share offering and the reasons why it is closing but offer no positive outlook for the future. At the end of the press release they say that the announcement includes many forward-looking statements but they say quite clearly that they will not update them according to changes occurring. They don't care about including forward-looking statements and I think that the press release emphasizing that fact doesn't make for a very good release.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Public Relations Examples

Public relations is all around us. A great deal of what we view or read appeals to us because a public relations advisor was hired to put the content of what we read in a good light.

One example being the Dove campaign. They are trying to appeal to the masses by showing that all women and all skin types are beautiful. The use all types of women who are all sizes, shapes and colors in their ad. They have a catchy slogan to go along with it, "we see beauty all around us" and in the end this makes the consumer relate to Dove products so we will buy more or switch to their brand.

An online article on cnn.com was questioning the use of stimulus money going to the wrong places. The article was saying that many unemployed Americans are going to the food pantries so they can eat. The government doled out millions of dollars to well known companies in order for them to "donate" to food pantries. When asked why they didn't spread out that money to struggling food companies a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture stepped up to defend them in a way that the US citizens would still support them.

An article on Businessweekly was talking about the Apple phone being in competition with Google over the search engine and who can make a better one. Apple's spokeswoman declined to comment on it's advertising plans or its relationship with google. Google's spokeswoman also declined to comment on the issues at hand instead opting to put it in a better light and say that they value their relationship with Apple and will continue to work closely with them. By avoiding the issue they kept the public in the dark as to what is really going on. Apple users and Google users wont be able to worry too much because of how much they are left in the dark.