Final Proposal Letter

December 7, 2010

Mr. Chris Wilson

Wilson Motor Company

328 North Main St.

Logan, UT. 84321

Dear Mr. Wilson:

The Student Health Services, an on-campus health and wellness center that provides students with many different health care services, is hosting an event open to students and the public about drunk, drugged, and drowsy driving.  In our efforts to put on this event and increase awareness about these deathly issues, we would like your dealership to sponsor us $1,500.  This amount would cover expenses including demonstrations, advertising, conference room reservations, and keynote speakers.

Your company is known for its outstanding customer service and commitment to Cache Valley over the past six decades.  Helping our event to increase awareness about safe driving would promote your car dealership positively and allow you to become included in efforts on campus and with the community.  We would place your name on programs, flyers, press release, and all promotional expenditures.  Additionally we would like to offer you time, to speak about the safety features your vehicles provide. 

With your sponsorship, this event increases awareness about drunk, drugged and drowsy driving among many students and community members.  We have no doubt that this event will greatly impact your corporation’s image in the community.  Please do consider our proposal. 

Sincerely,

James Davis

Director, Student Health Services

jim.davis@usu.edu

435-797-3505

December 7, 2010

Dear Wilson Motor Company:

The Student Health Services at Utah State University is an on-campus health and wellness center that provides students with many different services including health care and support groups. The Student Health Services holds many events which students attend to learn more about how to stop smoking, raise money for breast cancer and to be educated about drunk, drugged and drowsy driving. The last event mentioned is known as 3-D week, and is being held in the month of December. We are contacting you requesting that you sponsor our 3-D week this year, by donating $1,500 to this cause.

The money that we receive will go towards promoting the event, and the demonstrations that will be at the actual event. If you choose to sponsor this event, which could have a great impact on many students’ lives, your name will be everywhere at our event. In addition to advertising at the event, we will include your name on all of the advertisements and in the press releases that we send out.  This event is an opportunity for you to freshen-up your image in the community as a company that cares about safe driving and the community members themselves. We would also like to offer you time to tell those in attendance about the safety features of your vehicles.

With your sponsorship this event will reach more students who will know the effects of drunk, drugged and drowsy driving. This event is worth the time and money, and will greatly impact the image of your corporation in the community.

We believe that you are an excellent sponsor for our event. The Student Health Services are not only going to be benefitted from your sponsorship, the community and your corporation will also be at an advantage. This charitable contribution is an excellent source for a tax write-off, and will also promote your corporation within the community. The citizens of Cache Valley see that you, Wilson Motor Company, are working to keep the roads safe and keeping their families safe, they will turn to your corporation when looking for cars. Cache Valley is a family-oriented community and will feel that your company shares the same values.

According to your website, Wilson Motor seeks to serve your “valued customers for years to come.” By promoting your business and the safety features of the cars, you will be able to keep those valued and loyal customers by keeping them safe by keeping them off of the roads when they are drunk, drugged, and drowsy, three of the most dangerous forms of impaired driving. This is what our 3-D week is trying to prevent.

Thousands of car accidents occur each year that raise the number of deaths, injuries, and costs of car insurance.  A good portion of these accidents are caused by one or more of the 3 following factors: drunk driving, drugged driving, and drowsy driving, also known as the three D’s.  In order for us to reach our objectives of informing the public about this problem, we need to raise money.  With the help of your dealership, Wilson Motor Company, we can increase our efforts to increase awareness and prevention, and minimize the results of car accidents. 

Many of the cars you sell at your dealership including Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, and Nissan have built-in protection (i.e. front and side airbags, reinforced doors, head restraints, safety belts etc.) that aid in keeping drivers safe in car accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, air bags have saved the lives of 17,130 people.  As you increase customers’ awareness about car safety features such as these, you can increase your sales.  Just because your customers may not claim to drive drunk, drugged, or drowsy does not mean that they may not be affected by others on the road that do.

Our main approach to the problem of the three D’s is “Be a friend, tell that friend,”  which entails picking one or more friend that you know who participates in activities such as these, and telling them what they learned and expressing their concern. We came to the conclusion that the majority of the people attending our conference about hazardous driving are going to be ones that are currently not drinking or using drugs and then driving. 

We would also like to emphasize the drowsy driving aspect.  According to Edmunds.com the signs of drowsiness include, eyes closing for longer than a blink, head bobbing forward, or staring fixedly ahead without reacting to the environment.  Every driver has the possibility of driving while drowsy. It is a common feeling that many people as drivers do not think is so bad, and that they will be fine.  Drowsy driving kills more than 1,500 people and injures 71,000 each year, according to police reports, but many more fatigue-related crashes go unreported. Through our efforts we will be able to spread the concern to those that attend our conference and those that do not.  

With your help, the Student Health Services has the ability to host a widely successful event with your help. With 15,000 students enrolled at the Logan campus of Utah State, you have the option to have the name ‘Wilson Motor Company’ heard by thousands of people. The idea of 3-D week is to decrease the amount of drunk, drugged and drowsy driving that occurs, and to raise awareness of the effects. We want your company to be known as a credible source, and as a source for safe vehicles. This event is to be directed by Ryan Barfuss, prevention specialist at the Student Health Services. Ryan has been working with Utah State for 10 years, and has directed 60 successful events and campaigns in that time.

We are requesting $1,500 for this event. The money will be spent on demonstrations, advertising, reservation of a conference room, and the keynote speakers that will be present. We will print 55 posters that will be hung up around the USU campus and various locations in the community and 200 printed programs that will be available at the actual event. We are planning to set aside one hour for our keynote speaker, and would like to invite five policemen to come in and interact with the audience using demonstrations such as a “walk the line” test, and “beer goggles,” which will demonstrate how impaired a student actually is while under the influence.

As you can see, this event has the potential to impact the lives of the 15,000 students that are in Logan, Utah, attending Utah State University. The Student Health Services has been hosting events like this for the last 20 years. As drunk, drugged and drowsy driving numbers climb each year, we have taken it upon ourselves to fight back, and we recognize that we need your help. With $1,500 we will promote your company to remind the community why they go to Wilson Motor Company for their car needs. Again, we hope that you will see the need for this event, and will consider this proposal. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

James Davis

Director, Student Health Services

jim.davis@usu.edu
435-797-3505

Student Health Services
1200 North 850 East
Logan, UT 84322

REFERENCES

http://www.duiattorneyhome.com

http://www.nhtsa.gov

http://www.wilsonmotor.com/dealership/history.htm

Final Position Paper

Your quick service restaurant, Burger Planet, is looking to regain support from middle-aged women by recognizing the benefits of being healthy. Because of health concerns that are extending across the country, we would like your support in considering this change.

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of obesity lawsuits against fast food restaurants. You should consider revising the image of Burger Planet by adding a more health conscious menu to help regain support from your female consumers.

To better target these women, we would like to suggest adding healthier menu options to Burger Planet's traditional menu. These items would include white meat chicken breasts, fruit packets with five different types of sliced fruit, which are both excellent options. Along with these low-calorie options, customers will have teh ability to request all Burger Planet food products without the bun, making them low-carb options, which is great for diets such as the South Beach or Atkins diets. Mothers who take their children out to eat want healthier options for their children and for themselves.

Another option we would like to suggest is teaming up Corny the Clown with fitness specialist Jayne Petersen to promote these healthy foods. Women look to Petersen for inspiration in exercise, eating right and living a healthier lifestyle.

In 2009, 33 states had a prevalence of obesity that was equal to or greater than 25%. The movie "Super Size Me" and obesity lawsuits attacked McDonald's claiming their food made consumers obese. To counter these claims, McDonald's changed their name to include healthier food options and alternatives. Studies show that "McDonald's poseted its fastest sales increase in 17 years, a remarkable turnaround credited to its new line of salads and other "healthy" options" (Gumbel).

Subway restaurants hired spokesman Jared Fogle, an overweight flight attendant who lost 245 pounds due to his consumption of Subway sandwiches for both lunch and dinner. After Subway launched their healthy food campaign with Fogle, sales went up by 33%, one of the most successful campaigns in the fast food industry (Chancey).

As you can see, by introducing healthier food options, we can increase sales and gain support from our female target audience. The suggested revisions to your company's image are necessary in keeping up with the company's competitors. Please consider these options, as they will have a dramatic impact on the future of your quick service restaurant, Burger Planet.

REFERENCES

Chancey, Blair. “Subway’s Savior.” QSR Magazine. 07 Aug. 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/features/119/subway-1.phtml.

Gumbel, Andrew. “McDonald’s celebrates its salad days as sales of health meals rocket.” Independent. 23 July 2004. Web: 4 Nov 2010. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mcdonalds-celebrates-its-salad-days-as-sales-of-healthy-meals-rocket-554179.html.

Final Press Release 4: Student Health Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 9, 2010

Ryan Barfuss

Student Health Services

1200 North 850 East

Logan, UT 84322

435-797-1660

UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTER IS GEARING UP FOR FLU SEASON

LOGAN, Utah – Student Health Services, also known as the Student Health and Wellness Center is gearing up for the cold and flu season offering flu shots for $20 each. When students receive the flu shot, they are only required to pay for the shot itself – not for the doctor visit. Ryan Barfuss, Prevention Specialist at the student health center said that it is “Most important that students get the shot, no matter where they get it.”

Along with flu shots, the health center offers many other services such as laboratory tests, x-rays, and physical therapy. The staff is made up of two board certified physicians, two nurse practitioners, pharmacists, a laboratory technologist and many more. The pharmacy at the student health center is able to fill prescriptions that were either written at the health center or prescriptions that have been transferred to the pharmacy.

Only the laboratory tests, x-rays and the pharmacy have fees associated with them, if you just visit the doctor there is no fee. To visit the health center an appointment is preferred. Appointments are   usually scheduled for the day after you call in.

Registered Utah State students are eligible to receive service from the Student Health Services because of the student health fee that is paid when registering for classes. Spouses and dependents pay a similar, but slightly higher fee to access the health center for the semester. Students are not required to have health insurance to visit the health center.

Student Health Services offers many other programs, including alcohol and other substance use screenings and education, free smoking cessation programs and assistance from a dietitian. The Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information (SAAVI) office is also located at the wellness center.

Student Health Services aims to provide basic medical care with outpatient, primary care, pharmacy, laboratory and health education services to Utah State students at a convenient location. The health center is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located directly north of Romney Stadium. For more information regarding the services offered visit www.usu.edu/health, or call 435-757-1660 to schedule an appointment.

Media Contact:

Katie Landgren

801-555-4422

katielandgren@gmail.com          

-END-

Draft Advertisement

Final Media Pitch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 2, 2010

The Herald Journal

Lance Frazier

75 West 300 North
Logan, UT, 84321

435-752-2121

lfrazier@hjnews.com

LOCAL ORGANIZATION PROMOTES FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE

Cache Valley Area Investors Association teaches the community how to generate income without having to go to work.

Dear Lance,

I am writing to you about the Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) to inform you, and your readers, about the club and how they can benefit from attending the free meetings. CVAIA is an organization that seeks to improve the lives of Cache Valley residents by teaching them how to generate a passive income, or how to make money without having to work

The local organization, Cache Valley Area Investors Association, teaches financial independence through education, specifically through understanding passive income. CVAIA wants to teach you how to get your expenses down and passive income up. Passive income is earned when you are not doing anything to earn it, you put something in motion, and you did what it took ahead of time. “You can earn income while you sleep, while you’re on vacation, you don’t have to show up for work and you can still receive passive income,” said Preston Parker, President of CVAIA.  

CVAIA meets at 7:00 p.m. every first Thursday of the month at the Chamber of Commerce in Logan, Utah, and on the third Thursday at a local restaurant. There is no membership fee to join. For additional information about the upcoming meetings go to www.cvaia.com, or visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cvaia.

Cache Valley Area Investors Association teaches people how to increase passive income, embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance and Law of Exchange. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geographical locations and from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risks of investing.

For additional information regarding CVAIA or to set up an interview, please contact Katie Landgren.

Katie Landgren, PR Specialist

801-555-4422

katielandgren@gmail.com

Draft Press Release 4: USU Student Health Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct. 20, 2010

Ryan Barfuss

USU Health Center

1200 North 850 East

 Logan, UT 84322

435-797-1660

UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTER IS GEARING UP FOR FLU SEASON

LOGAN, Utah – The student health center that is located directly north of Romney Stadium is gearing up for the coming flu season. The Student Health Service offers flu shots for $25 each; students are only required to pay for the shot, and not for a doctor’s visit.

Ryan Barfuss, Prevention Specialist at the Student Health Center, said that it is “Most important that students get the shot, no matter where they get it.” Registered Utah State students, spouses and dependents are all eligible to receive service at the health center. Students are not required to have health insurance because of the student health fee that is paid when registering for classes.

There are many different services offered at the Student Health Center. The staff is made up of physicians, nurses, pharmacists and a laboratory technologist. The center has the ability to do laboratory tests, take x-rays, and they have physical therapists that have been contracted from the Logan Regional Hospital. There is a pharmacy at the Student Health Center that can fill prescriptions that were either written at the health center, or prescriptions that have been transferred to the Health Center Pharmacy.

To visit the health center, it is best if an appointment is made, however, an appointment is not necessary. Most of the appointments that are made at the health center are for the same day that you call in. The laboratory tests, x-rays, and physical therapy visits have fees associated with them, but they will receive payment from students’ insurance – if applicable – Visa, MasterCard and the Aggie Express account on the USU student ID cards.

The Student Health Center aims to provide basic medical care with outpatient, primary care, pharmacy, laboratory and health education services to Utah State students at a convenient location. The Student Health Center is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information regarding the services offered visit www.usu.edu/health, or call 435-757-1660 to schedule an appointment.

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Media Contact:

Katie Landgren

801-555-4422

katielandgren@gmail.com          

-END-

Draft Media Pitch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct. 20, 2010

The Herald Journal

Lance Frazier

75 West 300 North
Logan, UT, 84321

435-752-2121

lfrazier@hjnews.com

LOCAL ORGANIZATION PROMOTES FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE

Cache Valley Area Investors Association teaches the community how to generate income without having to go to work.

Dear Lance,

I am writing to you about the Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) to inform you, and your readers about the club, and how they can benefit from attending the free meetings. CVAIA is an organization that seeks to improve the lives of Cache Valley residents by teaching them how to generate a passive income, or how to make money without having to work

The local organization, Cache Valley Area Investors Association, teaches financial independence through education, specifically through understanding passive income. CVAIA wants to teach people you how to get your expenses down and your passive income up. Passive income is earned when you are not doing anything to earn it, you put something in motion, and you did what it took ahead of time. “You can earn income while you sleep, while you’re on vacation, you don’t have to show up for work and you can still receive passive income,” said Preston Parker, President of CVAIA.  If your passive income is high enough you do not need to work, you can love your job.

CVAIA meets at 7:00 p.m. every first Thursday of the month at the Chamber of Commerce in Logan, Utah, and on the third Thursday at a local restaurant. There is no membership fee to join. For additional information about the upcoming meetings go to www.cvaia.com, or visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cvaia.

If people learn the right mentality and approaches to investing, they can all be successful in what they desire. People should be able to spend their time doing something they love, not just a job that provides an income. Passive income largely makes this possible. There are many organizations with the stated goal of helping people understand the relationship between assets, liabilities, income and expenses. They practice the methods found in the ideologies of books including Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Wealthy Barber, The Millionaire Next Door, Atlas Shrugged, The Automatic Millionaire, and The Secret.

For additional information regarding CVAIA or to set up an interview, please contact Katie Landgren.

Katie Landgren, PR Specialist

801-555-4422

katielandgren@gmail.com

-END-

Final Press Release 3: Cause Promotion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct. 5, 2010

Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA)

851 N. Main St.

Logan, UT 84321

Preston Parker, president

801-555-1234

FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE TAUGHT BY LOCAL ORGANIZATION

LOGAN, Utah – Local organization, Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA), teaches financial independence through education, specifically understanding passive income. CVAIA wants to teach people how to generate a passive income. They teach you how to get your expenses down and your passive income up.

Passive income is earned when you are not doing anything to earn it, you put something in motion, and you did what it took ahead of time. This income can come from investments, or being paid back with interest from a loan. Passive income can be generated by living a regular lifestyle, changing a few things and understanding which risks are worth taking.

The goal of CVAIA is to make it so people do not have to go to work for the money; they want the people to be happy with their jobs. If your passive income is enough you do not need to work, you can love your job. “You can earn income while you sleep, while you’re on vacation, you don’t have to show up for work and you can still receive passive income,” said Preston Parker, President of CVAIA.

There is no membership fee to come to the meetings. CVAIA meets at the Chamber of Commerce in Logan, Utah, on the first Thursday of every month with invited guests and refreshments. On the third Thursday the club meets at a restaurant, which is typically where the bigger investors show up. All meetings start at 7:00 p.m. If you come to the CVAIA meetings you will learn how to increase your passive income.

If your passive income becomes greater than your expenses, you no longer have to work or make decisions based upon your finances. You can do whatever job you want and love it and be happy. The most important thing that anybody can do, especially students, is to spend time getting an education, and it will impact your income for the rest of your life.

Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geographical locations and from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risks of investing.

For additional information regarding passive income, CVAIA, or the upcoming meetings go to www.cvaia.com, or visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cvaia.

Media Contact:

Katie Landgren, PR Specialist

801-555-4422

katielandgren@gmail.com

If people learn the right mentality and approaches to investing, they can all be successful in what they desire. People should be able to spend their time doing something they love, not just a job that provides an income. Passive income largely makes this possible. There are many organizations with the stated goal of helping people understand the relationship between assets, liabilities, income and expenses. They practice the methods found in the ideologies of books including Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Wealthy Barber, The Millionaire Next Door, Atlas Shrugged, The Automatic Millionaire, and The Secret.

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Draft Press Release 3: Cause Promotion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct. 5, 2010

Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA)

Preston Parker, president

Address

Contact

Phone

HEADER

LOGAN, Utah – Local organization, Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA), teaches financial independence through education, specifically understanding passive income. CVAIA wants to teach people how to generate passive incomes; how to get your expenses down and your passive income up.

Passive income is earned when you aren’t doing anything to earn it, you put something in motion, and you did what it took ahead of time. This income can come from investments, or if you lend money to somebody and they pay you back with interest. Passive income can be generated by living a regular lifestyle, just changing a few things. Understanding which risks are worth taking, and which aren’t worth it.

The goal of CVAIA is to make it so people do not have to go to work for the money, it wants people to be happy with their job. CVAIA is sick of people complaining about their jobs  enough jobs in America that there should be no reason to complain. If your passive income is enough you do not need to work, you can love your job. “You can earn income while you sleep, while you’re on vacation, you don’t have to show up for work and you can still receive passive income,” said Preston Parker, President of CVAIA.

There is no membership fee to come to the meetings. On the

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Call to action [for more info]

Media Contact:

Katie Landgren, PR Specialist

801-555-4422

katielandgren@gmail.com

[Boilerplate – cause]

Final Press Release 2: Image Building

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:  Sept. 28, 2010      

Burger Planet

1934 Burger Blvd.

Gary, Indiana 46406

Contact: Hans Ketchup
VP of Communications
219-555-2345

BURGER PLANET TO INTRODUCE HEALTHY MENU ITEMS

GARY, Ind. – Quick service restaurant, Burger Planet, has launched a campaign on health by adding healthy items to their menu, and by teaming up with a celebrity fitness expert. Burger Planet aims to show its customers that they not only care about their customers, but that they are also committed to offering healthy choices.

Jayne Petersen, president and CEO of Looking Glass, Inc., author of bestselling book “Looking Good in a Leotard,” and fitness trainer for Opal Whitcomb, one of the most beloved talk show hostesses of all-time, has teamed up with Burger Planet for the new health campaign. Burger Planet’s Corny the Clown will be joining Petersen in health-conscious appearances at restaurants and shopping malls all over the country. On May 12 Petersen will be at the health campaign kick-off at the Burger Planet franchise at Times Square in New York, New York.

The new menu items that Burger Planet added include gourmet salads, white meat chicken breasts and fruit packets. The fruit packets come in re-sealable plastic bags and can be substituted for the Hemisphere French Fries in any of the traditional Burger Planet combo meals.

Petersen said “Burger Planet has been a leader in the Quick Service Restaurant industry in offering healthy menu choices. The company believes in encouraging customers to live healthier, active lifestyles and I have spent my life trying to teach women that lesson.” The message she emphasizes most is that of moderation. She wants women to know that it is okay to have a hamburger and fries as long as they stay active and eat healthy.

James E. Mullenbach III, CEO, said that for the last seven decades Burger Planet has been successful because of the emphasis on their customers. By listening to their customers and putting them first Burger Planet is the best in the industry. “Our customers desire healthy choices, of which we offer many,” Mullenbach said, “The hiring of Jayne Petersen fits perfectly in the company’s overall focus on healthy lifestyles.”

Burger Planet was founded in 1934 by James E. Mullenbach I, current president of the QSR Association. Since then, Burger Planet has served over 52 billion customers at their 8,921 franchises in every state and in 17 countries. Burger Planet is headquartered in Gary, Indiana, and is the current leader of the Quick Service Restaurant industry.

Media Contact:
Katie Landgren, PR Specialist
801-555-4422

katielandgren@gmail.com

-END-

Draft Press Release 2: Image Building

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:  Sept. 28, 2010      

Burger Planet

1934 Burger Blvd.

Gary, Indiana 46406

Contact: Hans Ketchup
VP of Communications
219-555-2345

BURGER PLANET TO INTRODUCE HEALTHY MENU ITEMS

Jayne Petersen will team up with Burger Planet’s Corny the Clown in health-conscious appearances at restaurants and shopping malls all over the country.

Burger Planet has teamed up with fitness guru Jayne Petersen to launch a new campaign on health. On May 12 Jayne will be at the health campaign kick-off at the Burger Planet franchise at Times Square in New York, New York.

For this campaign, Burger Planet has added some new healthy choices to their menu. These include gourmet salads, white meat chicken breasts and fruit packets. The fruit packets come in re-sealable plastic bags and can be substituted for the Hemisphere French Fries in any of the traditional Burger Planet combo meals.

Jayne Petersen helped Opal Whitcomb, one of the most beloved talk show hostesses of all-time, to lose weight and keep it off. Jayne preaches messages of moderation, and said that she joined the Burger Planet team because “Burger Planet has been a leader in the Quick Service Restaurant industry in offering healthy menu choices. The company believes in encouraging customers to live healthier, active lifestyles and I have spent my life trying to teach women that lesson.”

James E. Mullenbach III, CEO, said that Burger Planet cares about their customers and that they are committed to offering many healthy choices. By listening to their customers and by putting them first, Burger planet has been able to be successful for seven decades.

Burger Planet was founded in 1934 by James E. Mullenbach I, current president of the QSR Association. Since then, Burger Planet has served over 52 billion customers at their 8,921 franchises in every state and in 17 countries. Burger Planet is headquartered in Gary, Indiana, and is the current leader of the Quick Service Restaurant industry.


Media Contact:
Katie Landgren, PR Specialist
801-555-4422
katielandgren@gmail.com

Final Press Release 1: Announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:  Sept. 14, 2010      

Social Media Club of Cache Valley                                                                                

851 N. Main St.

Logan, UT 84321

Contact: Preston Parker, President

661-772-7537

SOCIAL MEDIA CLUB OF CACHE VALLEY TO MEET FOR QUARTERLY “TWEET-UP”

LOGAN, Utah – The Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV) will be gathering on Tuesday at 6:30 at Café Sabor to educate people about social media, like Facebook and Twitter. The club is very hands-on, and everybody is welcome to attend the meetings. These meetings provide excellent networking opportunities with people who have professional experience with social media.

The SMCCV is a non-profit organization that is very focused on helping people. Not only can people benefit from the club, but businesses in Cache Valley come to find out how to better promote themselves. The club doesn’t do the social media for people or businesses, but it provides an education and gives people an opportunity to apply what they learn. Preston Parker, President of SMCCV, said that “most members are trying to promote themselves or their organizations … there tends to be a reason for why they want to learn about social media.”

The club meets every month on the second Tuesday, and once a quarter SMCCV meets at Café Sabor for a “tweet up,” a night where the members focus mainly on Twitter and spend time “tweeting” back and forth. For the months that the club isn’t at Café Sabor, the club meets at Borders.

The meetings aren’t just theoretical, philosophical discussions, SMCCV has fun at their meetings too. They get together once a month and discuss a variety of topics and share ideas, they have door prizes, name tags, and they like to give stuff away.

SMCCV was started in August of 2009 after Preston Parker and two of his colleagues went to a social media conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. This conference made an impression on the three men and they decided that Cache Valley could benefit from a club of its own. All seven of the board members are volunteers, and they all have previous experience consulting as individual for social media.

There is no membership fee to join the Social Media Club of Cache Valley, just go online to http://www.SMCCV.net and click on “Join Now,” or go to http://www.facebook.com/smccv and click on “Like.”

Media Contact: Katie Landgren, PR Specialist

Phone: 801-555-0826

E-mail: katielandgren@gmail.com

Draft Press Release 1: Announcement

Social Media Club of Cache Valley                                                                                            

851 N. Main St.

 Logan, UT 84321

Contact: Preston Parker, President

661-772-7537

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:  Sept. 14, 2010       

LOGAN, Utah – The Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV) will be gathering tonight at Café Sabor to educate people about social media such as Facebook and Twitter. These meetings provide excellent networking opportunities with people who have experience with social media consulting.

The SMCCV is a non-profit organization that is very focused on helping people, the board members are all volunteers. Preston Parker, President of SMCCV, said that “most members are trying to promote themselves or their organizations … there tends to be a reason for why they want to learn about social media.” Not only people can benefit from the club, a lot of businesses in Cache Valley come to find out how to better promote themselves.

United Breaks Guitars

        Dave Carroll, an aspiring country music singer, was in Chicago, Ill., on a layover in spring of 2008. While he was there he witnessed the United Airlines baggage loaders throwing his guitar around down on the tarmac. His $3500 Taylor guitar was broken. This was not a welcome sight to the musician who was on his way to Nebraska for a week-long tour. He alerted three of the United employees who failed to do anything about the situation. Carroll later contacted United Airlines to ask for compensation. The Airline refused to pay for the damages, and as you can imagine, this was a frustration for Carroll.
        Since country music is about telling a story, the misfortunate situation provided Carroll with an opportunity to write a song. He and his band, Sons of Maxwell, wrote a song, “United Breaks Guitars,” and made a music video out of it that they posted to YouTube. Today, this song has over nine million views. The popularity of the video let Carroll to write two more songs about his experience. These YouTube videos caused United Airlines’ shareholders to lose $180 million.
        In 2009, United Airlines finally changed their position on the issue – they offered to pay for repairs for Carroll’s guitar, and they also offered Dave $1,200-worth of travel vouchers. This would have been a great public relations move had this been the immediate response from United Airlines. Unfortunately, United Airlines failed to recognize this public relations opportunity and lost more than customers. Once United offered Carroll compensation, he turned down the money and suggested that they donate it to a charity of their choice.
        Many major corporations, like United Airlines, need to improve their public relations. They need to get past the idea that since they are a large corporation, they can get away with almost anything. If United Airlines would have been more cooperative and customer-oriented from the beginning they could have avoided the whole fiasco.
        Some of the biggest things that United could have done to improve Carroll’s experience would be to immediately apologize for the damages the baggage handlers caused, and to tell Carroll that the baggage handlers involved would be spoken to in order to remind them to respect the passengers’ items, especially the fragile items like Carroll’s guitar.
        Another action that would have spoken volumes to Carroll would be to quickly repair, or replace his guitar. That is all that he wanted in the first place. Since Carroll is a musician, one of his most important tools is his guitar. Had this action been taken, perhaps such a harsh song would not have been written about the experience. United Airlines could have been perceived by the public as a company with excellent public relations; they would have retained many of their customers and also saved millions of dollars.
       Doing the right thing is not especially difficult. United Airlines needed to admit that they were wrong. Sometimes just wishing for the “wrong” to go away can bring some serious repercussions. United failed to see the big picture of their immediate actions and they found themselves to be in big trouble. Being in a customer oriented industry you have to be willing to sacrifice to meet the needs of your customers and to keep them happy.
        United Airlines’ public relations department had the opportunity to take this unfortunate event to show off how great their organization is. With these acts alone not only will Carroll think twice before flying United, but so will I. The decision to not compensate Carroll right away has hurt their reputation. Perhaps many of United’s clients would not have the power to wreak havoc like Carroll did, but experiences and word of mouth can do almost as much damage as a single YouTube video. Perhaps if an event like this occurs in the future, United will be more sympathetic towards their client and will think twice about how to handle the situation.

Letter to Cousin

Dear Tucker,

Just the other day you asked me about my intended career as a public relations professional. The questions that you raised were excellent, and I have some answers for you. Just to remind you, you asked me what Public Relations is and what Public Relations professionals write about.

The job of a Public Relations practitioner, essentially, is to relate to the public. I know that it may sound very basic, but it is actually a very complex position. Public Relations professionals typically work at any given organization. They are in charge of knowing human behavior and knowing the best way for the organization to best serve itself and its public, which is any given group of people that have the same thing in common. The PR professional is in charge of getting information out to its public, whether it is on the television, the internet, or in the newspaper.

There are still more questions remaining, however. What is information, and how do public relations people get it to the media? The “information” that I am referring to is anything newsworthy, such as a big event that an organization is preparing for, a crisis within the organization, or even a new product that is being released. I am a little bit hesitant to add this last item to the list – I do not want you to confuse public relations with advertising, as advertisements are paid for, and the goal of public relations is to get the media to want to run a story.

Public relations includes a lot of writing. One of the main ways a professional gets information out to the media is by sending out a press release, which essentially is a news story. A press release gives a journalist all of the facts and quotes that are necessary for the story; they typically include the specifics for the story or event that is being promoted, general knowledge about the organization, and contact information in case the journalist has any questions. If done correctly the journalist shouldn’t need to change anything from the press release as they send it out to the public.

There are many different responsibilities of a public relations professional. Many highly-developed skills are needed, but a broad understanding of the public they are relating to is most important. The PR professional must be able to adapt and change as fast as their public does. Communication is the key for a PR professional to be successful; without communication nothing would be possible.

Tucker, I hope that this has helped you understand what I am going into. I love understanding people and trying to find a way to relate to them. It is a very challenging, but also a very rewarding career.

Sincerely,

Katie