The PRSSA National Conference was probably one of the best experiences I have had in PRSSA so far. We were 4 out of 1600 students, all a part of the same organization, all having the same goals, ready to learn from the people who are working in the field right now. We were only able to attend the conference for one day, but we got to see some great speakers while we were there. Below are the summaries and what I learned from the sessions I attended.
Planning a Successful Event
Speakers: Daniel Dao, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Integration, Ignition; Carly Nash, Account Manager, Ignition
The speakers for this session work at Ignition, which is a brand management company in Atlanta. Some of their clients include Coca-Cola, Chick-Fil-A, and FIFA, among others. Carly discussed a model she created to display the different kinds of marketing and communication strategies in relation to what Ignition does, she explained this in the form of 2D, 3D, and 4D marketing.
2D is advertising, this is a marketing strategy that is paid for and you have full control. 3D is where public relations comes into play, there are more forms of communication in PR. You gain trust through new channels, and you give away some control with this. The last dimension Carly discussed is 4D which is experiential marketing, this is what Ignition specializes in. It’s a two way interaction, you share control with the consumer, and it’s all about the experience. Below are some examples of what Ignition has done in the past.
The key takeaways from the presentation are to preplan and invest upfront, know your audience, meet the audience where they are, develop a consistent message, use your brand, and create content.
“Retailization” of Health PR
Speakers: Bill Baldrez, President, Fathom Healthcare; Alisa Agozzino, Assistant Professor, Public Relations, Ohio Northern University; Beth Keehn, Director, Brand, Marketing and Communications, St. Rita’s Health Partners
Beth began this session. Organized healthcare isn’t an old concept, it’s only been around for about 150 years. Right now there are a lot of changes going on because of the Affordable Healthcare Act. For example, clinical integration is a new concept which attempts to get healthcare providers to work together instead of separately. Another change is the prevalence of private healthcare, instead of employers providing insurance, it is slowly changing to make people the consumers. So why does this matter?
Patients are in more control of their health choices. The trend is going from just listening to your doctor to going to physicians your friends recommend, or that the internet has good ratings for. The younger generation is much more focused on what people are saying, as opposed to just going to the closes doctor like the more mature generation does. This means that as an industry, health PR needs to adjust to the changing trends. Instead of functioning as a monopoly-like body, the industry will have to adapt to a more demanding patient/consumer.
Tips for Networking
Panel Members: Alisha Thompson, General Manager Atlanta, Edelman; Susan Rosenburg, Public Relations Director, UPS; Moderator: Alyssa Stafford, Communications Specialist, Piedmont Healthcare
The networking panel was very interesting. It was very enlightening to learn how professionals look at networking, and what they expect from students. One of the biggest takeaways from the sessions is to not go into networking scenario expecting a job offer. Even though that may be your goal in the end, networking is about getting to know people you’re interested in.
If you’re nervous about talking to somebody because you don’t know what they do or who they are don’t worry. Start with a question about the industry, and branch off from there. Once you do get to know that person ask if it is okay to keep in touch, once in a while send them an article you’ve read to start a discussion with them. This way you stay on their radar and if any relevant jobs or information comes their way they can reference you if necessary.
Adam Sparks
EKU PRSSA Vice President
PRSSA 