US Airways is trying to make it easier for their customers to save a little money while flying with them. I read an article today called Free Soda for Everyone, US Airways Drops Drink Fee. The article discusses how US Airways made a large profit off selling beverages during flights. The company has used this money to make the many improvements that the company has become proud of. However, they realize that by being one of the only companies that sells beverages it takes away from the improvements. Starting March 1st the company has decided to go back to giving free beverages to all passengers.
The company is thinking that by doing this customers will choose their airline without the added on fee of beverages and they are also hoping that all the improvements in baggage handling will also be noticed. The airline will still be charging for other services such as pillows, blankets, and bag checking. They hope to make 400 to 500 million from these things this year.
I think US Airways are making excellent strides to helping customers lower their spending. They are falling in the steps of airlines such as United Airlines, who also supply complementary beverages. US Airways realized what the way the economy is today and wanted to help its customers and still make money while selling more tickets. On long flights passengers might have a few drinks and that adds up especially if they are traveling with their families. Giving free pop, juice, and other non-alcoholic beverages will bring in more customers and they will put out a larger profit in the end. I think that since plane tickets already are so expensive if the company also offered free pillow and blankets they would bring in even more people. US Airways are making great steps toward better Public Relations already, but they could do even more.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Facebook Buckled to Keep Good Public Relations
Like myself I am sure most of you are Facebook users. So when I came across an article on CNN.com, Facebook backs down, reverses on user information policy, it caught my attention. Facebook has changed its policy back to the old one after a lot of negative feedback from its users. About a month ago Facebook changed a sentence in its policy. It used to say that Facebook could not claim any rights to what its users uploaded. They changed it to "You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. ... (H)owever, you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content. After an uproar by about 64,000 users who either cancelled their accounts or created petitions online Facebook decided to go back to the original policy.
When I was on Facebook today I read the message that was sent to its users about this, but I didn’t know what it was all about. I also didn’t take the time to look into it further. I am glad that so many people look at the policy and realize this because if I ever do cancel my account I would like to know that anything I put up isn’t able to be used by others. I don’t think it is right for Facebook to change their policy to they own everything you upload without letting us know. I didn’t know it was even changed till after it was put back to the original.
The Facebook owners are definitely trying to keep good public relations with everyone on this topic. The Chief Executive has made statements saying Facebook never wanted the policy to look like they were taking the rights of people’s information. It is nice to see they are bending to their user’s wishes. They are also working on rewording the policy to make it easier to understand.
When I was on Facebook today I read the message that was sent to its users about this, but I didn’t know what it was all about. I also didn’t take the time to look into it further. I am glad that so many people look at the policy and realize this because if I ever do cancel my account I would like to know that anything I put up isn’t able to be used by others. I don’t think it is right for Facebook to change their policy to they own everything you upload without letting us know. I didn’t know it was even changed till after it was put back to the original.
The Facebook owners are definitely trying to keep good public relations with everyone on this topic. The Chief Executive has made statements saying Facebook never wanted the policy to look like they were taking the rights of people’s information. It is nice to see they are bending to their user’s wishes. They are also working on rewording the policy to make it easier to understand.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Phelps and the Public
As many of you have heard Michael Phelps the 8 Olympic Gold winning swimmer was caught smoking pot. I am not saying that this action is ok; however the way that he got caught is in my opinion wrong. A picture of him smoking a bong was released to the tabloids. The picture was taken on someone’s cell phone on November 6, 2008. Why did this person wait so long to send in this picture? Were they trying to get the most money that they could? Now that the picture has been released it is all everyone is talking about. You see it on the news, on TV specials, and in tabloids.
This photo has changed the role model and American hero to someone to be mocked and trashed. As a role model for so many it is true that he should have known that anything he does could be exposed to the world. However, we have to look at the fact that he is a 23 year old college student. Mistakes can happen; I know I have made mistakes that I wish I could take back. I just don’t think every little thing needs to be shown to the public just because they are famous. I am sick of shows about celebrity rehab and seeing actors all over the tabloids drunk or getting arrested. These things happen to regular people every day, but because these people are famous we have to hear and see it.
Is it right for us to get our entertainment out of their mistakes? Is it right for photographers and amateurs to make millions of dollars off of the mistakes of others? One photo can ruin the entire public view of a person. In the case of Michael Phelps I still think he is an American hero. His accomplishments at the 2008 summer Olympics do not get erased because of a photo someone took at a college party and then waited 4 months to get it spread all over the world. It makes me sad that we have to do this to the people that children all over the world look up to. Are we setting good examples ourselves?
This photo has changed the role model and American hero to someone to be mocked and trashed. As a role model for so many it is true that he should have known that anything he does could be exposed to the world. However, we have to look at the fact that he is a 23 year old college student. Mistakes can happen; I know I have made mistakes that I wish I could take back. I just don’t think every little thing needs to be shown to the public just because they are famous. I am sick of shows about celebrity rehab and seeing actors all over the tabloids drunk or getting arrested. These things happen to regular people every day, but because these people are famous we have to hear and see it.
Is it right for us to get our entertainment out of their mistakes? Is it right for photographers and amateurs to make millions of dollars off of the mistakes of others? One photo can ruin the entire public view of a person. In the case of Michael Phelps I still think he is an American hero. His accomplishments at the 2008 summer Olympics do not get erased because of a photo someone took at a college party and then waited 4 months to get it spread all over the world. It makes me sad that we have to do this to the people that children all over the world look up to. Are we setting good examples ourselves?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Power of Persuasion
Persuasion is the power behind Public Relations in my eyes. It is a very powerful tool to get the public to believe in your company or purchase your product. In chapter 3 of Public Relations Writing by Newsom & Haynes persuasion is discussed a lot. The part that sparked my interest was about the steps of the Persuasion Process. I didn’t know there were steps I just thought you were either persuaded about something or you weren’t. Somebody sends out a persuasive message and it works or it doesn’t.
The six steps are presenting, attending, comprehending, yielding, retaining the new position, and acting. Presenting is where the persuasive message is; for example a newspaper or on TV. Attending is the public actually viewing and paying attention to the message. Comprehending is the viewer actually understanding the message. Yielding is when the viewer understands the message and actually stops and likes the message. Retaining the new position is getting the viewer to keep liking the message after their initial interest. Acting is after the viewer sees the message enough times and then does whatever the message is persuading them to do.
After reading this section in the chapter it makes sense that all of these steps need to be accomplished before the persuasive message works. If one of the steps is missed the goal of the message won’t be accomplished. On TV I have noticed that certain commercials are played over and over and over. It gets annoying, but I understand that the more the commercial is seen the more people will remember the message. Are there any commercials that stick out in your head that you see over and over? The Febreze Company has their commercial on almost every commercial break on more than one channel. Sometimes I get annoyed with these commercials. Do you think over showing of a commercial will make the public hate the message even if it really is a good message?
I also did further research and found a self help magazine that explains 7 steps of persuasion. I found it very interesting to read the views of another writer. Check it out if you want to learn more!
The six steps are presenting, attending, comprehending, yielding, retaining the new position, and acting. Presenting is where the persuasive message is; for example a newspaper or on TV. Attending is the public actually viewing and paying attention to the message. Comprehending is the viewer actually understanding the message. Yielding is when the viewer understands the message and actually stops and likes the message. Retaining the new position is getting the viewer to keep liking the message after their initial interest. Acting is after the viewer sees the message enough times and then does whatever the message is persuading them to do.
After reading this section in the chapter it makes sense that all of these steps need to be accomplished before the persuasive message works. If one of the steps is missed the goal of the message won’t be accomplished. On TV I have noticed that certain commercials are played over and over and over. It gets annoying, but I understand that the more the commercial is seen the more people will remember the message. Are there any commercials that stick out in your head that you see over and over? The Febreze Company has their commercial on almost every commercial break on more than one channel. Sometimes I get annoyed with these commercials. Do you think over showing of a commercial will make the public hate the message even if it really is a good message?
I also did further research and found a self help magazine that explains 7 steps of persuasion. I found it very interesting to read the views of another writer. Check it out if you want to learn more!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Public Relations for the People
While reading chapter one in Public Relations Writing by Newsom & Haynes (this is where you can buy an online copy of this text book) I stumbled across a point that I usually wouldn’t think about when I think of Public Relations. When I think of Public Relations I think of advertisements and articles and poster about upcoming events or new projects of a company or a certain group of people. However it says in the text book that Public Relations not only has a responsibility of reporting to the public, but it also has a duty to report what the public thinks back to management.
When you dig deeper into the meaning of this it makes a lot of sense. If the Public Relations Department’s goal is to attract the public then shouldn’t they first find out what the public wants? While researching more about public relations I found an article titled What is Public Relations? In this article it discusses how the main goal to public relations is to enhance a company’s reputation. It also discusses how it is their responsibility to find out what about the company makes the public happy.
I am probably the only one who didn’t know that a company’s Public Relations department dealt directly with the public. I thought it was just their job to make the company look the most appealing they could and then whatever the public’s opinion became is just what happens. However, maybe a few of you were like me and learned something new as well.
I wanted to look at a company and their public relations to see if they were dealing directly with the public. I researched Kellogg Cereals and looked into their media room. They have new releases and event calendars that help let the public know what is going on the company. They also have a place for surveys and polls so they can get feedback on the not only the products, but also on opinions of how the public would like to receive updates and news on the company. I think it is very important to find out what the people think in order to achieve better and more effective public relations.
When you dig deeper into the meaning of this it makes a lot of sense. If the Public Relations Department’s goal is to attract the public then shouldn’t they first find out what the public wants? While researching more about public relations I found an article titled What is Public Relations? In this article it discusses how the main goal to public relations is to enhance a company’s reputation. It also discusses how it is their responsibility to find out what about the company makes the public happy.
I am probably the only one who didn’t know that a company’s Public Relations department dealt directly with the public. I thought it was just their job to make the company look the most appealing they could and then whatever the public’s opinion became is just what happens. However, maybe a few of you were like me and learned something new as well.
I wanted to look at a company and their public relations to see if they were dealing directly with the public. I researched Kellogg Cereals and looked into their media room. They have new releases and event calendars that help let the public know what is going on the company. They also have a place for surveys and polls so they can get feedback on the not only the products, but also on opinions of how the public would like to receive updates and news on the company. I think it is very important to find out what the people think in order to achieve better and more effective public relations.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
PR and the IRS
On ABC News I found an article about how the IRS and Free File Alliance are helping tax payers get e-filing software. The article is titled Tax Software 2008: A Big E-File Freebie. There are many companies that offer programs and assistance to help with stressful taxes. However, the IRS is offering E-filing for free. The goal is to have as many tax payers file their tax returns electronically rather than paper mailing them in. It cost $2.87 to process paper returns and only 87 cents to process them electronically. E-filing will save the IRS a lot of money; however along with the money saver it will also improve public relations with the tax payers greatly. Who wouldn’t want free help to do their taxes? Last year there was a record turnout of 60% of tax returns being electronic. There are still a lot of people that file their taxes on paper and the IRS is coming up with plans to help change that. Right now all tax payers that earn a yearly income of $56,000 or below can receive the free e-filing through the IRS. The plan is to make the income higher so more people will be able to receive it as well. Also, there has been discussion that if you file electronically the due date could be extended passed April 15th.
I think the IRS has a good strategy overall. I know that their main goal is to save money, however those who receive free e-filing will definitely view the IRS in a better way. Most of the time if the IRS is in the news it isn’t good news. Stories about people getting arrested for lying on their taxes or the IRS taking everything a family has and leaving them completely broke. This e-filing plan is a great public relations improver. I also think that people will like the extended tax due dates if that is put in place.
I think the IRS has a good strategy overall. I know that their main goal is to save money, however those who receive free e-filing will definitely view the IRS in a better way. Most of the time if the IRS is in the news it isn’t good news. Stories about people getting arrested for lying on their taxes or the IRS taking everything a family has and leaving them completely broke. This e-filing plan is a great public relations improver. I also think that people will like the extended tax due dates if that is put in place.
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