Author Archive

How to Maintain a Good Reputation..in the Office!

Friday, August 3rd, 2012

Everyone experiences blunders to their reputation, it is just part of life. As one can see on this blog, some of the most influential people in our society such as celebrities and CEOS are not exempt from this misfortune. However, as an intern at Evergreen Partners, I know I can speak on behalf of all of us when I say that maintaining a positive reputation at the office this summer was important to us. Our time spent here was an amazing experience and a wonderful learning tool, but here are a few helpful tips to all Public Relation interns to keep your company viewing you in a positive light.

-Find out as much as you can about the client you’re working for on your assigned project. The more you know, the more interesting and important your work will be to you. The people you work for will also be pleased at your eagerness to learn.

-Always ask what else you can do when you finish a project. The more you accomplish the happier your bosses will be. You want them to see you as someone who is motivated, rather then someone getting by doing the bare minimum. This will also allow you to make the most out of your time.

-Try your best not be late. Of course, on those earlier mornings this is easier said then done. However, you want to give yourself enough time to get settled in. Also, when you obtain a job in the future, you will already have established a positive habit.

-When given spare time, get off of Facebook and read the news! Cultural literacy is key in Public Relations. Staying updated on breaking news will give you more ideas to update your company’s blog with, and you will be surprised how much more you have to say after work!

-CisonPoint is your friend. The more familiar you are with this service, your work will become easier and you can complete your tasks faster.

Following these basic guidelines will not only make you more successful but will also help you get the most out of your experience. Good luck future interns!

Posted in Tips from the Evergreen Playbook | No Comments »

When Egos and Money affect over 20 million people

Thursday, July 26th, 2012

Just last week it was hard to go anywhere without hearing some sort of advertisement from corporation giants DirecTV and Viacom. During that duration, twenty six channels including popular networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon were pulled off the air so Viacom could demand more money for their channels from DirecTV subscribers. DirecTV claimed they were holding out and refusing this demand and gave viewers their ‘DirecTV promise’. Meanwhile, Viacom played consistent radio announcements asking listeners to call DirecTV demanding back their channels.

So what actually happens when two key money-making players go head to head? The first result was 20 million homes losing channels that held some of their favorite programs. The second result was that Viacom was hurt more then they probably anticipated, with ratings going down for their shows and their competition networks such as Disney beating them with ratings by twenty percent. The third and end result was a vicious battle that all of America watched. All the blackout channels played a repetitive message from the DirecTV CEO explaining their side of the argument. Viacom then lashed out and played their message on the radio as well as pulling their shows off their internet websites, so DirecTV viewers had no alternate means to watch their beloved shows.

Even though most DirecTV viewers gave a heavy sigh of relief the morning of July 20th that the rest of their programs were back, both sides were still hurt.  DirecTV now has to pay 20 percent more to Viacom, but emerges as the winner since the Viacom network suffered a major blow to their reputation. The fight enabled DirecTV viewers to perceive Viacom as just another greedy corporation that does not genuinely have the public interest in hand and only wants more of their consumers’ money. However, DirecTV still does not come out of this fight with a squeaky clean image either. For a bit over a week the whole country was able to sit back and witness one of the largest ‘television blackout’ cat fights, where two sides were pinned against each other over reputation and money.

Posted in Reputation Headlines | No Comments »

How far is too far?

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

When well-know comedian Daniel Tosh recently dipped into controversial territory with his jokes, not everyone was applauding. On a July show at the Laugh Factory a female audience member became offended by Tosh’s jokes about rape and yelled back at the comedian, saying “rape jokes are never funny”. Tosh took things even further by replying, “Wouldn’t it be funny if that girl got raped by like, five guys right now? Like right now? What if a bunch of guys just raped her?” The incident soon went viral, forcing feminists and other outraged people to express their hostile feelings toward the comedian.

Since the incident, Tosh has tweeted both an apology and a somewhat-sarcastic explanation, letting his fans know “the point I was making before I was heckled is there are awful things in the world but you can still make jokes about them ‪#deadbabies.”

Whether Tosh was out of line can only be determined by one’s own opinion. However, the real issue in question is the effect this will have on both Tosh’s reputation and career. A public apology was definitely taking a step in the right direction. His show is currently one of the highest-rated shows on Comedy Central, and he is looking to launch an adult-oriented animated series for the network in the fall. Producers of the new show removed all rape jokes from the pilot soon after this incident occurred, but whether Tosh will be removed from the comedy network is what is in jeopardy. While a petition to keep Tosh on the air has been instated, the internet site Change.org received 36,000 signatures as of this Thursday for a petition created to permanently remove him from the channel as well. In response, it seems Tosh and his team have done everything they currently can to fix the situation, but whether or not his questionable remarks will blow over or ruin his career is something we’ll have to wait and see.

Posted in Celebrity Reputation | 1 Comment »

Med Student Stopped in his “trachs”?

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

Reports came out this week about a 2008 incident in the UK involving student Phillipp Jungerbluth and Bristol University professor Martin Birchall. The two men had a set plan when they came to EasyJet airline with a strict time limit: they only had sixteen hours to deliver a trachea to a sick woman in Barcelona, Spain. However, they were faced with a very serious problem when both the airport guard and supervisors said wouldn’t allow them to board the plane, saying that their bottle exceeded the 100 millimeter limit.

easyjetNow, most people would not expect to walk onto a plane with a human body part and be allowed access to a flight no matter what country you’re in. This is exactly why Birchall had prearranged the situation and told the airline beforehand. That didn’t matter so much, however, since the airline claimed they had no such record. What followed was a back-and-forth of “Who was responsible?”. EasyJet automatically assumed that they were not at fault, which was their first mistake. Instead of trying to fix the problem, EasyJet refused to believe they could be wrong. Regardless of who is truly at fault, EasyJet made a mistake that not only stood in the way of a successful scientific breakthrough, but also put a woman’s life on the line. (Fortunately, Professor Birchall found an alternative private fight and the trachea was delivered in time.)

Normally when an incident of this nature occurs, the media is quick to pounce and provide coverage right away. EasyJet now has to figure out how they are going to deal with a problem they put behind themselves a few years ago. It is EasyJet’s best interest to readdress the situation and take partial responsibility, so they can move forward and restore their name. Yet, time can only tell their fate as this news story unfolds.

Posted in Legal Reputation, Reputation Headlines | No Comments »