| Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) Advisory Council Update | | Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) continues to make a huge impact within the public relations community as a leading resource for communications professionals. The addition early last year of an Advisory Council to provide leadership with, among other things, key strategies on direction, makes WWPR a formidable force in our nation’s capital and beyond.The council now includes Martha Boudreau, President Mid-Atlantic & Latin America at Fleishman-Hillard International Communications; Frank Kaufman, Senior Counselor at Edelman; Catherine “Kiki” McLean, Counselor, Porter Novelli; Polly Sherard, Manager-Special Projects, ABC7-TV and wjla.com; and Debra Silimeo, executive vice president of Hager Sharp. Working together, they are instrumental in advising WWPR on the advancement of the field of public relations. Martha Boudreau will be the keynote speaker at WWPR’s Annual Meeting and Board Induction luncheonon Thursday, January 23, from noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Hotel Palomar in Washington, DC. For more information about the advisory council, see WWPR Announces Inaugural Advisory Council. Return to top |
| WWPR Annual Meeting and Board Induction Luncheon | | Kick off 2014 at WWPR’s Annual Meeting and Board Induction luncheon with keynote address by Martha Boudreau, DC insider, PR maven and distinguished member of WWPR’s Advisory Council.
The luncheon, a seated three-course affair, will be held on Thursday, January 23, 2014 from noon-2 PM at the beautiful and award-winning Hotel Palomar, located at 2121 P St., NW, 1.5 blocks from the Dupont Circle Metro station.
Cost for WWPR and PRSA members: $39; Non-members: $50. Registration is open! Return to top |
| Professional Development Update | | Shake off the winter doldrums by joining us for a Nonprofit and Philanthropic Communications Panel Discussion on Thursday, February 6 from 6:30-8 PM with our host, Johns Hopkins University’s Masters in Communications program at 1717 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Room LL7, Washington, DC. The panel will include industry experts: - Allyson Burns, @AllieB, Senior Vice President Communications & Marketing, The Case Foundation
- Aaron Sherinian, @ASherinian, Vice President Communications & PR, United Nations Foundation
- Tim Turnham, @TimTurnham, Executive Director, Melanoma Research Foundation
- Alejandra Owens, @frijolita, Senior Advisor, Social Communications, AARP
- Moderator: Kelly Mack, @MsKellyM, Account Supervisor, Environics Communications
Learn about the communications challenges experienced by their nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and how they work creatively and strategically to fulfill their missions. Cost: Free to WWPR members, PRSA members and JHU students; $15 for nonmembers. Space is limited so register now! Return to top |
| Tips from Campus: For Love or Money | | Tips from Campus is a monthly column written by WWPR member Jordan DeJarnette exploring a wide range of topics from a student’s perspective including guidance to young PR professionals beginning their careers in public relations. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Washington Women in Public Relations I discovered my passion for serving while on an alternative fall break trip during the fall semester of my junior year. Over the trip’s three day span we slept on hard floors, ate copious amounts of chicken nuggets and peanut butter and got an average of five hours of sleep every night. As exhausted as I was by the end of the trip, I had never felt so alive. The people we served, stories we learned and conversations we shared uncovered a deep thirst in my heart to help others that I never knew existed. I realized then that I wanted to dedicate my time and talents as a public relations professional to bettering the lives of others. I was naturally steered in the direction of the non-profit and public affairs fields of PR and began researching organizations whose passions aligned with my own. When I shared this career-epiphany with friends and family, more than anything I was asked “You know you won’t make much money, right?” I was taken aback. Most of them were concerned with the volume of cash flow than the fact that I wanted to spend my life doing something that made my heart truly happy. READ MORE Return to top |
| Trends of the Trade: Native Advertising Has Arrived. Are You Ready? | | Trends of the Trade is a monthly column written by WWPR member Cory Churches exploring, well, trends in PR. Follow her @Coricita or reach her at Cory.Churches@gmail.com. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Washington Women in Public Relations Native advertising is not a new concept. Custom content, advertorials, and product placement strategies have long been in the advertiser’s toolbox to help drive brand awareness and user engagement. The New York Times, in relaunching their website this week, posted their first Native Ad and that event alone brings legitimacy and credibility to the practice. The Times has gone to great lengths to inform readers of the paid nature of the content they are reading. However, not all content providers are doing the same. Joe Pulizzi, founder of Content Marketing Institute recently published the Ultimate Guide to Native Advertising, which I found on LinkedIn this week. He methodically goes through the definition of Native Advertising, which he admits is anything but a simple process. According to Pulizzi, the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) created a Native Advertising Playbook that has six different categories of consideration. It’s a worthy document, but to simplify the argument, native advertising is: - A Directly Paid Opportunity. Native advertising is “pay to play”. If a brand or individual did not pay for the spot, it’s not native advertising.
- Usually Content Based. The information is useful, interesting and highly targeted to the specific readership. So, in all likelihood, it’s not an advertisement promoting the company’s product or service directly.
- Delivered In-Stream. To truly be a native ad, the user experience is not disrupted. The advertising is delivered in a way that does not impede the normal behavior of the user in that particular channel.
Again, the goal of native advertising (at least for definition purposes) is to not disrupt the user experience…to offer information that is somewhat helpful and similar to the other information on the site so that the content is engaged with at a higher rate than, say, a banner ad (this is good for advertisers, and if the content is truly useful, good for consumers). READ MORE Return to top |
| Public Relations in Politics | | The Role of Public Relations in Politics is a monthly column written by WWPR member Margaret Mulvihill, examining the role of PR in politics. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Washington Women in Public Relations INSIDE A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN There are many great women who live and breathe public relations in politics. This month, one of these great women takes us inside a recent state-level campaign from the PR side of the fence. By way of introduction, Anne Marie Principe is a veteran public relations specialist. A former President of the award-winning New York From the Ground Up, and deeply involved in the September 11 aftermath, she helped break through and redefine Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations. From the Ground Up (FTGU) was instrumental in re-shaping public policy to help deliver federal funds and grant monies to assist small business owners in rebuilding and retaining the Ground Zero Community. LOBBYING IN THE POLITICAL ARENA From there it was a natural progression into lobbying and politics. In an unusual twist, her family dentist provided the inspiration for her most recent political campaign. Her dentist is New Jersey State Senator Gerry Cardinale, (R) 39th District (straddling Bergen and parts of Passaic Counties). While discussing politics with him, she learned about his opponent, Jan Bidwell. As Cardinale has become best known for his anti-women, anti-minority public statements, Principe was intrigued. After some research, she decided to reach out to this long-time New Jersey resident, social worker and single mom, offering her public relations expertise to the campaign. Coming late to the party, her first involvement was in the fundraising arena, later expanding to encompass the traditional public relations role of arranging press appearances and keeping her candidate on message. READ MORE Return to top |
| Membership | | December New Members – Jacqueline Temkin, Total Wine & More – Catherine Saunders, Burson-Marsteller – Jacki Flowers, Office of Minority Health Resource Center – Jessica Everhart, Student – Randee Ulsh, Odell, Simms & Lynch – Mary LoJacono, Fleishman Hillard – Vanessa French, Pivot Point Communications – Stacie Manger, The Aluminum Association – Kathryn Falk, Cox Communications – Leslie Isler, Washington Redskins – Katy Hopkins, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators – Jacqueline Wurzelbacher, Adfero Group – Adrienne Sheares, Vocus – Breeanna Straessle, Vocus December Renewals – Jamie Nolan, Stratacomm – Stephenie Fu, SLF Strategies – Laura Keiter, Media Matters for America – Holly Wetzel, American Gaming Association – Cory Churches, What Box? – Rockhelle Johnson, Conference of State Bank Supervisors – Kathy King, Fleishman-Hillard – Avelyn Austin, Ketchum – Liza Smith, Student Return to top |
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