Monday, November 29, 2010

YouTube PR

Besides just learning what PR is and how it's practiced in the real world, it's also used to get a message out to the public quickly after a scandal or crisis has broken.  YouTube is an outlet for communication between the PR company and the public, providing a simple and sure fire way to get people's attention.

Using YouTube as an Effective PR tool

How PR Pros are using YouTube
One of the biggest scandals of 2009-2010 was Tiger Woods and his infidelity. His public apology was posted on youtube as well as a couple videos of him trying to get back on track a year after everything went down. Videos about his on YouTube were pouring in, which was an effective PR tool.
Tiger Woods Scandal


Political campaigns videos are highly viewed on youtube.  People post political debates, campaign trail videos and still shots, and interviews with candidates.  It's a fast and easy way to keep the online world in the loop with the political world.

McCain vs. Obama speech

YouTube is a good PR tool because it reaches a larger audience.  It captures the attention of the younger generation because we are the majority of YouTube visitors and social media advocates.  YouTube is also an international website, reaching the public of Europe if needed or Egypt if need be.  It's a universal tool and serves as a forum for the whole world.

Viral videos are huge these days. Viral videos are used to promote a certain item or person and they are shared through the internet, mostly YouTube and become instantly popular.  They can promote products, music, people, animals, anything.  For example:

Viral Video

This video helped promote Chris Brown's "Forever" without meaning to.  What a great way to get the public's attention!

Why YouTube?

Monday, November 8, 2010

YouTube

There are countless ways for people to learn the basics of PR.  There are online classes, college courses and books written about the ins and outs of PR strategies.  YouTube has become one of the most popular outlets for learning about the industry, with both funny and educational videos, YouTube has joined the rest in efforts to school the world about PR.

To start off this string of blogs about YouTube and PR I thought I'd include some videos that explain what PR is by working professionals and experts in the industry.  As I go on throughout the semester I intend to upload some videos that were used to promote items, companies and people but let's start at the beginning.  What is PR?

Public Relations 101

Just because I like to hear what the average, everyday kind of person says about topics, I included this "man on the street" interview in which the reporter asks random people what they think PR is.  It's crazy how little people know about something we've been learning and have become so educated in the past four years.

Man on the Street

First of all, we all know PR is not just about working with celebs and clearing the break up rumors.  However, there are lots of people out there who don't know enough about the industry that they believe that's all we've learned to do. This video is a spoof on PR, showcasing two celebs represented by a PR company that's trying to get the word out there that they're dating.  It's clever and entertaining, but it shows the side of PR that us college students and professors don't like to be pegged as.

Spoof on Public Relations