'From the Everyday to the Bad Day' with Kristie Aylett, APR

Have I mentioned how much I dig Storify? In addition to being super-easy to use (drag-n-drop), it's a great tool for capturing tweets, pics, posts, slide decks, videos, links and more on a topic, event, news item or anything really if you are creative. I recommend PR pros experiment with Storify.

Enough with the unpaid praise for Storify. Here's the latest from the June 2012 Ft. Worth PRSA lunch program with Kristie Aylett, APR.

“Best of Show” at first PRSA Worthy Awards gala goes to Catholic Charities’ “Money School” campaign

City Council member Joel Burns honored as “Communicator of the Year

The first-ever Worthy Awards were announced Thursday May 31 at an inaugural awards gala held at Marquis on Magnolia in Fort Worth. The Best of Show went to Sandra Brodnicki, APR and Gigi Westerman, APR for a campaign they developed for Catholic Charities’ financial education program, rebranded “Money School.”

Judged by the Central Michigan Chapter of PRSA, the new annual competition bestowed 12 Worthy Awards, eight Awards of Excellence and 10 Awards of Achievement. A separate academic category recognized the contributions of faculty at TCU and UT-Arlington to the public relations profession. The Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) established the Worthy Awards this past year to honor excellence in the strategic communications field in the region.

The chapter recognized City Council member Joel Burns as Communicator of the Year for “his willingness to expose his personal story and become a national spokesperson for victims of bullying,” said Bob Ray Sanders, a Star-Telegram columnist who announced the awards. The chapter established the Communicator of the Year award to honor a public figure who exemplifies the principles of honest, transparent communication and effective relationship-building for the common good.

The highest-level Worthy Awards went to:

o   Balcom Agency for its social media for Justin Boots and for the agency’s digital newsletter;

o   Bill Lawrence, Lawrence and Associates, for publicity for “The Cowgirl Who Became a Justice: Sandra Day O’Connor,” an exhibit at the Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame;

o   Chris Smith, Smith Communications for an op-ed published in the Houston Chronicle about a proposed coal plant, written for several environmental groups;

o   Concussion for its approach to launching Enchanted Rock Vodka in the highly competitive, “Texas-made” adult beverage industry;

o   Fort Worth ISD for a video shown by Superintendent Walter Dansby to business leaders about renovations and schools funded by a $593.6 million bond program;

o   Fort Worth Museum of Science and History for the opening of a new exhibit, the 9/11 Tribute: Tenth Anniversary;

o   Gigi Westerman, APR and Sandra Brodnicki, APR for their integrated campaign for Catholic Charities Fort Worth to rebrand and promote a financial education program for low-income families.

o   GCG Marketing for a campaign for Rahr Brewery after the roof collapsed and production was shut down in early 2010;

o   J.O. Design for the agency’s new website;

o   Margaret Ritsch, APR, for an executive report for Balfour Beatty US on the business case for social media;

o   The Trinity River Authority of Texas for a revitalized annual report and a more cost-effective method of production and distribution;

o   TCU Vitals, for a student-led campaign to educate fellow students about the symptoms of alcohol poisoning so they can get help when needed.

Eight Awards of Excellence, the second-to-highest honor, went to:

o   The University of North Texas for a social media blitz;

o   Cash America for a company blog;

o   The University of North Texas for UNT Research, an annual report;

o   Lawrence and Associates for publicity for the Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame;

o   Fort Worth ISD for a “how-to” video in Spanish and English;

o   Mansfield ISD for its election-winning bond ;

o   Concussion for a campaign for the 2011 Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival;

o   Balcom Agency for a campaign to launch the Justin Bent Rail brand.

Ten Awards of Achievement went to:

o   Cash America for a “Cash Rap” video contest and an article called “Bringing Honor” to spotlight employees who served in the military;

o   The University of North Texas for the fall 2011 issue of The North Texan;

o   Balcom Agency for a 2012 calendar/annual report for LifeGift;

o   Hillwood Properties for the AllianceTexas Media Day; 

o   J.O. Design for publicity for Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth’s prom dress sale, a video about the agency’s temporary headquarters, and a campaign to build pride for the Green Wave at Tulane;

o   Fort Worth ISD for a promotional video for South Hills High School's brand new Gold Seal Programs of Choice;

o   Concussion for an art project designed for the “T.”

Judged by faculty at Belmont University in Nashville, academic Worthy Awards went to Amiso M. George at TCU for the newly published Case Studies in Crisis Communication: International Perspectives on Hits and Misses and her leadership for the student-led Vitals at TCU; and Julie O’Neil at TCU for her review of white papers and books on PR research, measurement and evaluation. UT-Arlington’s Department of Communication received an Award of Achievement for coursework in which students conduct research and develop strategy, tactics and key messages for various community partners.

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May is all about leadership

by Allyson Cross, Greater Fort Worth PRSA Chapter President

On May 31 we will host our first Worthy Awards Gala at The Marquis on Magnolia beginning at 7:00 PM. We will honor the year’s best in public relations work and leadership. Bob Ray Sanders will serve as emcee and will also present our award to the Communicator of the Year, an individual who is not in day-to-day public relations but who exemplifies communication leadership.

I’m so pleased to announce that at 49 submissions we exceeded our awards entry goal. Feedback from across the country suggests that this is a fabulous response for an inaugural awards program. I hope you’re as excited as I am to see the judging results.

Our May 9 luncheon will feature Sam Sims, PRSA’s Southwest District chairman for 2012. Mr. Sims will speak to us on communications and leadership — a great topic as we honor our own local communications leaders! And speaking of leadership, kudos to Dr. Amiso George, APR, Fellow PRSA, with the launch of her new book, “Case Studies in Crisis Communication: International Perspectives on Hits and Misses.” (On April 26, Dr. George, pictured below at left, shared her thoughts during a chapter mixer on coordinating and editing her book's production with contributors across the globe.)

For a final note on leadership, it’s a good time to honor those in our chapter who have been designated PRSA fellows. The PRSA College of Fellows is an honorary organization of more than 400 senior practitioners and educators, each of whom has left a footprint on our profession. Our local fellows are Carolyn Bobo, APR, Fellow PRSA; Mary Dulle, APR, Fellow PRSA; Dr. Amiso George, APR, Fellow PRSA; Bill Lawrence, APR, Fellow PRSA; and Dr. Doug Newsom, APR, Fellow PRSA. Special thanks to each of you for your tremendous impact on public relations.

Worthy Award Filing Tips

By Carolyn Bobo, APR, Fellow

The Worthy Awards – a first for our chapter – are designed to provide area communications, marketing and public relations professionals with an opportunity to celebrate creativity, strategic thinking and professional ability.

Don’t be hesitant about entering. Think about your activities since 2010 (as a first-time contest, we have a broad entry time frame) and go for it. Here are some tips for preparing your entry.

A solid entry will address these points:

· What was done?

· Why did it matter?

· How was it measured?

Here’s how to prepare your entry.

Carefully read the entry parameters.

The judges (Central Michigan chapter) will look at each required area and base their scoring on how well the four entry areas are explained. Entrants should address each required point, and thoughtfully explain their good work so that it is excruciatingly clear to judges not familiar with our area.

Rationale (Tactics) and Research (Campaigns, Projects)

Explain any type of research, and why it was used. A textbook campaign would include formal, original research, but that isn’t always feasible or necessary. Judges know this, so entrants should clearly describe what was done. For example, a brainstorming session, a review of media clips or discussions with clients may be described as secondary, qualitative research … literature review … content analysis … anectodal reports.

Objective/Purpose (Tactics) and Planning (Campaigns, Projects)

Why did you do this? Possible reasons are to increase sales, raise funds, create name recognition, affect public behavior. Describe any factors about the project/tactic that will help judges understand the purpose and the market. Note that the purpose must - absolutely must – match the outcome. Read on to the Evaluation section.

Execution (Campaigns, Projects)

Explain which tactics were chosen and why. When there are several tactical options, the entrant should state, for example, that “these tactics were selected to expand the reach of our message,” identify and justify each tactic. Remember that the judges won’t know that your decisions and efforts were special unless you tell them.

If your entry states that “TV station XYZ sponsored the event,” you must explain that “TV station XYZ rarely supports activities in Fort Worth.” Or, “TV station XYZ sponsors only three events per year and we convinced the station to choose ours.”

Another hypothetical example: If your target market/public prefers electronic media over print, your entry should state, “Secondary research found that our target demographic prefers to receive electronic communications.” Such data may be obvious to you, but your entry narrative also must make your decision obvious to the judges.

Execution (Tactics)

Here’s where to explain who wrote the copy, designed a magazine, edited content, provided photos, approved the budget and negotiated with a vendor. The tactics section of The Worthy Awards is an explanation of who did what. If an unusual price or component was negotiated, say so, so the judges will understand your extra effort.

Results (Tactics)

Tactics are created to meet a specific need, and are skillfully and professionally prepared. An evaluation of effectiveness and impact, based upon defined objectives, can be simply stated. However, the results must - absolutely must – match the purpose. If the purpose was “to generate five media stories,” the result must show five (or more) media reports. If the purpose is “to raise awareness,” the results must show a measurable increase in awareness.

Evaluation (Campaigns, Projects)

Explain how the targeted market, public or audience responded and how you learned about its response. This is the time to include quantitative data and analysis. Such measures may be a replication of preliminary research or measures of other activities. For example, measures can be election results, a sales increase, ROI, donor or donation increase, or the number of participants/responses that exceeded expectations. Include as much measurable and anecdotal response as possible, and describe future plans. If comprehensive research was not needed, say so. For example, “More than 5,000 people in our target public responded to the activity. We expected only 3,000, so we did not repeat our preliminary research to measure interest in the topic. However, we will analyze the experience of these respondents to plan future campaigns related to this issue.”

Good luck to everyone. See you at the May 31 awards presentation.

(Don’t forget to submit nominations for Communicator of the Year. There is no fee.)

Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or would like more information:

The Worthy Awards Committee

Michelle Clark<mailto:clarkm@trinityra.org>, Trinity River Authority of Texas

Margaret Ritsch<mailto:m.c.ritsch@tcu.edu>, APR, TCU

Carolyn Bobo<mailto:cgbobo6311@att.net>, APR, Fellow PRSA, University Relations, UNT

Allyson Cross<mailto:cross@gcgadvertising.com>, president, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

Liz Heck<mailto:liz@jodesign.com>, JO Design, Marketing, Public Relations

Megan Murphey<mailto:murphey@gcgmarketing.com>, GCG Marketing

Rita Parson<mailto:rita.parson@tccd.edu>, Tarrant County College District

Are You Worthy?

By Michelle Clark

The Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA is thrilled to embark on its inaugural Worthy Awards competition – designed to recognize the highest level of professional performance in our industry and our region. The awards committee – co-chaired by Margaret Ritsch, APR, Carolyn Bobo, APR, Fellow PRSA, and me, and with the tremendous support of Allyson Cross, Liz Heck, Megan Murphey and Rita Parson – has worked incredibly hard over the past year to research the best ways to introduce a rigorous yet attractive competition to our area.

Worthy Awards will be given in three separate categories – first, a strategic communications programs and campaigns category that includes integrated communications efforts; a tactics category that evaluates specific campaign components as stand-alone items; and a separate category for academic contributions to the public relations profession. We’re very proud of that last category – all indications are that the Worthy Awards will be the only regional competition in the nation that includes an academic category. Our chapter has a long history of academic support from our local universities, and we want to make sure to celebrate the work they do to prepare future members of our profession. Awards in this category will recognize everything from textbook chapters to published academic articles and formal presentations.

We’re also throwing in a dash of the unexpected: a Communicator of the Year selected from outside the public relations field. One of our key roles as public relations professionals is mentoring the leadership teams of our organizations in the art of open, effective communications with various publics. This award seeks to recognize that kind of commitment to public discourse, and nominees are sought from across all avenues of public life – clergy, elected officials, business leaders, educators and more.

We’ll celebrate our winners May 31 at a dinner ceremony at the Marquis on Magnolia – a fittingly elegant setting in which to recognize our region’s highest professional achievements. Star-Telegram Columnist Bob Ray Sanders will serve as master of ceremonies for the evening.

Early entries are due by March 19, and the final entry deadline is April 6. All entries will be judged by an out-of-state PRSA chapter. Our most recent chapter luncheon addressed the importance of the Research, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation model for developing award entries. If you weren’t able to attend and are curious to know more, I hope you’ll reach out to the awards committee for help with crafting effective entries.

You can find everything you need for your entries at the Worthy Awards website – worthyawards.com. The site offers a detailed explanation of each category, and you can fill out entry forms and submit nominations for Communicator of the Year. You can also find the contact information for awards committee members if you need someone to address a specific question.

This is our time to showcase the outstanding work we all deliver every day as members of GFWPRSA and the public relations profession. I, along with my colleagues on the awards committee, encourage each of you to enter – and to invite others to do so, regardless of whether they are PRSA members. Let’s make our inaugural competition a tough act to follow.

Communicators as Change Agents

Linda Jacobson, APR (@LindaJacobson) shared her program on Change Management. Get the full presentation on Slideshare.