JCOM 2300 Thoughts...PRSSA

I wanted to make a post about the amazing opportunity I've had to be a member on the executive board of PRSSA (public relations student society of America). I have learned so much with these girls about public relations and more importantly about leadership.

The picture above is when we were able to attend the PRSA (public relations society of America) monthly luncheon in Salt Lake City. There were so many public relations professionals in the room and it everything to keep me from asking all of them how they got to the position they are in now. They had a Halloween themed luncheon where each table got a 'scary' case study that needed to be fixed. The case study my table received was on a Dell Inc. announcement of the largest recall in the history of consumer electronics. The actual event happened on August 15, 2006, where Dell faced a number of challenges on the PR front and the news of "exploding batteries" first surfaced six weeks prior to the recall. Controlling the timing of the announcement was critical and ultimately, another organization leaked the announcement to the press. As a result, Dell accelerated its launch plans by about 12 hours -- including launching the recall Website early.

We talked about immediately accessing Dell's social networks with Twitter and Facebook status updates and changing everything online. We wanted to get the CEO to admit the error and clarify what happened through an online video. We also talked about a PR Newswire distribution of a letter and putting signs in a display window or all Dell's computer stores. After we shared our idea and listened to the other group's situations, I learned that the first priority when it comes to a PR crisis should always involve the consumers and customers. Holding a press conference to consumers and the media should come before anything else. If possible, notifying the consumers and investors simultaneously is also a good idea.

I learned so much about PR crisis situations at this luncheon. We were also able to hear from Sarah Reale, Utah State University's Public Relations and Marketing director. She has really put Utah State in an amazing light and has come up with a lot of ideas including a video series, Don't' Apply, that advertises attending Utah State University. I've been grateful for my opportunity to work within PRSSA and all that I have learned through being involved outside of the classroom.