Dear Freshman Peyton

I'm sitting here doing this the day before it's due even though I've had so much free time these last few weeks. (Don't get your hopes up. Free time will be few and far between these next few years.) Try to be different and don't procrastinate so much. It'll pay off, I promise.

To you, the shy 18-year-old who only knows one person on campus, you may feel like you know no one now, but let me tell you, just wait. You will meet the absolute best people at Auburn. People who push you, people who encourage you, ones who make you laugh, ones who are there when you've had the worst week and those who will celebrate the best. They will love you so well, so make sure you do the same.

You will jump out of your comfort zone so many times in the next four years, and for that, I'm so proud of you. Do it more. Do fun, last minute things. Go break into your friends' apartment at 3 a.m. and decorate it to celebrate them. If you just want a birthday cake for no reason, grab your friends and drive to every grocery store until you find what you want. Go to paint wars. Find friends who will go with you on last minute trips across the country. Learn to let loose on the dance floor (Sorry to tell you, but you still won't have rhythm. Who cares?!). Live 30 seconds away from your best friends. Eat at the Barbeque House more.

I guess I should mention school at least a little. You're going to change your major. Sorry, but PT school just isn't for you. And that's okay!! You will find a major that fits your personality (or at least everyone seems to think so) and one you will love. (Alright, I'll spoil it. SWITCH TO PR) The classes are full of writing assignments and group projects, and I know, you hate those things right now, but you'll learn to love them. Also, you're going to meet some of the best people in these classes. Major friends are cool.

Your internships will rock because of people like this.

Now for the opportunities. Don't doubt yourself and think you're not good enough or creative enough. Apply for that internship and just wait to see how much you'll learn from it. Nothing is too far fetched!

And if you think you love Auburn now, just wait! Four years later, this place is home. Also, November 30th. Just wait. (Heads up, don't fret. Nick Marshall doesn't cross the line of scrimmage when he throws the ball to Sammie Coates so don't stress too much. And when Nick Saban asks for one more second to be put on the board, you can cheer instead of boo and cry.)

College did the best thing for you. It helped you break out of your shell, and what a blessing that was. Even through the four years at Auburn, things will change. Friend groups will change, your personality will flourish, the things that seem important will be different, and it's all for the best. The people you meet freshman year will still be important to you senior year, and it'll take some time to meet some of the most important people in your life. Timing is weird but trust it.

As I think through each of these things, I had nothing to do with how any of them worked out. Trust the Lord, His timing, His plans. What a blessing these four years will be.

You're going to do great, Peyton. Enjoy it. Every. Single. Second.

War Eagle forever,

A soon-to-be graduating Peyton

A Letter to the Undecided Major

To the indecisive person, the one who may have too many options, the one who hasn’t found a passion yet:

It’s okay. I’ve been there. The majority of us have, and if I can give one piece of advice it is don’t sweat it.

Honestly, I didn’t even start college in PR, and when I decided to change my major I didn’t know what to change it to. After a simple suggestion of public relations, I looked into it and went for it. I’m saying all of this to show that if you don’t know what you want to do, it’s okay. If you don’t have the next five years planned out exactly, it’s okay. If you don’t even know what public relations is, it’s okay.

I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’ve been asked what PR is or what I will be doing for the rest of my life, so what is public relations exactly?

The Profession 

One great thing about PR is that it is so broad. There are three big decisions you can make when looking at PR jobs that will make your career different than anyone elses.

The first is a simple either-or question: Do I want to work in a firm or in-house at a company?

The next question is what area do I want to work in? Sports, entertainment, non-profit, travel, the list goes on and on.

A third question is what type of work do you want to do. Social media, event planning, a writing-heavy job.

Just by looking at those three questions, you can see how many options there are and how anyone could find something they enjoy.

Another great plus about PR is the need for it. Every company needs someone handling public relations, and that will never change. While it once involved traditional media, such as television and newspapers, many efforts are now focused on social media. As trends continue, public relations practitioners will continue to fill in and manage these new avenues.

The Coursework 

Not only are the types of PR jobs many, but the information you learn in college courses cover a wide range of areas.

News releases, social media strategy, target audiences, campaigns, these will all become part of your daily vocabulary.

After writing more articles than you can count in required journalism courses, you grow to love writing. Once you understand the correct technique and find your voice, you have developed a truly useful skill for whatever future you pursue.

Another side of public relations is communications. As a PR practitioner, it is important to communicate well and effectively with consumers, stakeholders and other employees. You begin to see the importance of nonverbal communication and the best ways to communicate one-on-one versus in a group setting.

The Internships and Opportunities 

One of the requirements for public relations majors is a semester-long internship, but why stop at one? Something I’ve learned while applying for jobs is how much experience future employers seek. Internships are easy to find around campus and the community. Not only are there several, but the opportunities that come with each will exceed your expectations. They also present the option of helping find what areas you like or need to improve.

I could go on for days about my internships and the incredible things I've been able to do because of them.

I've thrown a lot of terms out there that you may have never heard or concepts you're unsure about, but I'd love to be asked to explain more. Come on, you know you're curious!

Simply put, public relations allows you to follow your passions and work first-hand doing what you love in an atmosphere that pushes you to be your best.

Strategic Planning for Spring Break

One more. One final spring break.

I’ve had a spring break for 15 years, but after this week I can say goodbye to that bit of free time. That’s not a bad thing, but I’m excited to make the most of it.

Using a PR approach, I’m going to take you through my plan for this week.

Goal: To have experiences I’ll never forget.

Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. The important thing to remember when it comes to any vacation is taking the whole experience in, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

What’s one place that is known for making a lasting impression? Las Vegas, baby.

Now is the time in the planning process when you set the guidelines to show if you will achieve your goal.

Objective 1: Take part in five fun activities.

One great way to make the most of my trip is to involve myself in many different activities around the city. I’m looking forward to seeing a show or two, wandering around the streets and making spur-of-the-moment decisions.

Strategy: Make reservations.

Tactic: Cirque Du Soleil O.

Shows are one of the biggest attractions in Las Vegas. I can’t wait to see and experience this popular show. Everyone has heard of Cirque Du Soleil, but I finally get to see one for myself.

Tactic: Dinner at a top rated restaurant.

Strategy: Take a ton of pictures.

Nothing makes a memory last like a picture you can keep forever.

Tactic: Take at least three photos at each attraction or activity.

Tactic: Post at least once a day on social media.

Having these pictures to look back at will be a great reminder of this trip.

Objective 2: Limit sleep to five hours per night.

The only thing sleep does on a big trip is get in the way. I can rest when I’m home.

Strategy: Wake up early.

Tactic: Be ready by 7:30 every morning.

Strategy: Late night living.

Tactic: Don’t go back to the room until midnight.

Objective 3: Decrease computer time by 70 percent.

We are constantly consumed by working on the computer nonstop, so this week will be a great opportunity to take a break from that.

Strategy: Spend time with friends and family.

Tactic: Get a meal with high school friends.

Tactic: Take my little cousin out for an afternoon of fun and laughter.

My little cousin is one of my favorite people and we never get to see each other, so I am already planning all of the great things we can do.

Strategy: Baseball.

Vacation can’t last forever and at some point you have to return to work. Luckily my work is great, Auburn Baseball

Tactic: Return to Auburn for the Florida series.

Baseball games are many and each are long, but they offer great plays, great weather and a great atmosphere.

The way I will know if I met my goal of having unforgettable experiences over the break is by looking at each objective to see if I achieved them.

Vegas, here I come!!

3 Steps to a Great Galentine's Day

Galentine’s Day, a celebration we’ve seen more and more in recent years. And you know what? It’s great! The whole idea around Valentine’s Day is to spend time with the one you love. When it comes to Galentine’s Day, you get so much more love from all of your pals and what isn’t great about that?

Just like the perfect Valentine's date, your Galentine’s party could use some organization, so here are three steps to having the perfect time with all your gal pals.

This public relations process is easily transferred to a simple idea like Galentine's. Using research, strategies, planning tactics and logistics can really help take your fun event to the next level.

Step One: Planning

Girls. We plan. It’s in our nature. Which is good, because a lot goes into this step.

First, you want to figure out who’s coming and how many people you want there. This leads you into your research phase. What do your friends want to do? What do they enjoy? How can you make them feel special?

There’s really so many options. You could go have a nice dinner with a couple close friends, or you could throw a huge dance and dessert party for all the single friends in your crew. There’s also the popular option to curl up with a Rom-Com and eat way more candy than you should.

Once you decide the direction of your gathering, the next step: FOOD. Besides all of the love being shown, I think we can all agree the food options are key. It’s ultimately what everyone is thinking about.

Another question on peoples' minds: what picture they can post. These days it’s all about that Instagram post, the perfect picture with a clever caption. Think about giving your girls a good backdrop. As for the caption, go ahead and start planning the one to make all of your friends say “Yesss, best caption ever. Best night ever.”

Need some inspiration? This article has ideas for each part of the party! Food, activities, decorations, Julep.com has you covered.

Now that the fun night is planned, on to the next step.

Step Two: Implementation

Two big things go into this phase of Galentine’s Day, the first being making the plans happen.  

You’ve got the night planned, now you need to do all of the little things to set the plans into play.

• Send out the invites. (Go with E-vites if you’re cool or a group text works)
• Cook/order the food
• Pick up a good Chick Flick or a fun game
• Hang a cute Galentine’s Day sign

Another thing to think of is the logistics of all of the plans. Be sure to plan out your day accordingly to have enough time to get everything done. It's also good to ask yourself if you want your friends to bring anything, if you need help setting up or if you've missed anything.

Now that set up is complete, it’s time for the fun. The next thing to do here is to enjoy yourself!

Step Three: Evaluation

The fun night is over and you were able to spend time with all of your best buds.

How was it? Did your friends enjoy themselves? How was the food? Along with looking at the event as a whole, you should also see how well you stuck to your plan and ask yourself if the tactics you used were the best choices. 

Just take some time to soak in all the memories made. Was it fun?

❤                          ❤                          ❤                          ❤                          ❤                          ❤

A lot of people would never think to apply a professional process or idea to an everyday event or get together, but this PR process is an easy, great choice to ensure the best time!

Here's a simple recap of the three-steps used; Planning, Implementation, Evaluation. P.I.E. Pie. I think you should add pie to the dessert list for you Galentine’s Day fun.

Do Augmented Reality and PR go hand-in-hand?

Public relations professionals are constantly looking for ways to be more creative, update the way they send messages and attract their audience. Something they've noticed and you probably have too is a phrase that has been floating around a lot lately, augmented reality.

What exactly is augmented reality?

It's a techy word that doesn't exactly spell out what it means. AR is a way to incorporate a new digital life into your current day-to-day life. Different than virtual reality, it doesn't put you in a whole new, separate world. And honestly, it's cooler realizing that it's based on what you do on a daily basis.

How can it be used in PR?

Engagement. One of the biggest aspects of public relations is engaging users, consumers, the audience. That's exactly what AR can do, pull in the customer. A PR Week article said, "the long-term value of these apps is to deepen consumer engagement with a brand by using an app that 'adds value' to a consumer's life"

But apps aren't the only way to incorporate augmented reality in a PR campaign.

Examples and Ideas.

ARmarketing gave an incredible idea of using AR to revamp the traditional press release. When you think public relations, you think press release. Why not update it?

"PR agencies can exploit the technology in a number of ways: digital content such as video interviews can be easily overlaid on the press release, bringing the somewhat staid corporate results release to life for example."

They also mentioned it could be used to make product launches and press conferences more interactive. 

Pepsi Max used augmented reality in an incredible, London marketing campaign. 
Check it out!


It obviously got people involved and interested and still made it clear who the sponsor was.

And of course, PokemonGo.

Maybe it's not being used exclusively for PR, but why shouldn't business use the world-wide phenomenon to interact with customers. At one time, Yelp added "PokeStop" to the list of additional information for businesses. This was obviously a key player for where people would go, and Yelp recognized that. 

Businesses and organizations could easily bring in customers by promoting with PokemonGo.
For example, run specials for Pokemon users. The campus Rec and Wellness center could incorporate the app into activities going on through the days. 




All in all, augmented reality is a huge step the PR world should take. Make it new. Make it unique. Have some fun and invite your audience to the fun too.

The Marketing Long Tail

Chris Anderson gives a look into the changing of trends in technology in his 2004 TED Talk, “Technology’s Long Tail.” He states that timing is everything. New technologies and new ways to find unique products that customers desire have created what is known as the “long tail.”

Anderson’s TED Talk never specifically discussed the long tail but more on the life cycle of most products in the technology industry.

“All important technologies go through four stages in their life,” Anderson said. Every product will go through at least one step, while others will achieve all four.

The first stage is when the product falls below the critical price range.  He gave the examples of gene sequencing and Aids drugs. Honestly, I was confused at what he meant when he said “fall below the critical price” because the numbers he threw out were still very large. I don’t see the world in numbers like some business people do so that may just be my lack of knowledge.

Anderson’s second stage referred to the point when the product will rise above a critical mass or its penetration into the market. Depending on the product and its popularity, this stage could last for an extremely long time. Anderson said Wi-Fi has still not moved past this point, and we all know how huge Wi-Fi is.

The thing Wi-Fi hasn’t done yet is take the place of another technology, which is the third stage in a product’s life cycle.

Further into the technology’s life, it will begin to commoditize and become replaceable, also leading it to become “free.” With today’s  technology, long distance calls have definitely hit this last stage. It used to cost so much for every minute, but today long distance fees are becoming more and more obsolete.

These examples were from 2004, and in technology 12 years is an extremely long time which allows so much change. Hearing Anderson’s examples gave me a clearer picture into what he was talking about, so I would love to know what some 2016 examples would be.

Chris Anderson didn’t actually talk about the long tail. The title of the video was "Technology's long tail", and he never once even mentioned it or told what it was. Thanks to Google, I was able to find his explanation. 
"The theory of the Long Tail is that our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail," according to longtail.com
So in simple terms we are no longer confined to finding the most bought, most popular products at large retailers. Any product out there, especially online, has just as much chance to be purchased and grow in the market. I guess that's where the life cycle of technologies ties in. It's possible for a small online retailer to sell a product that could eventually make it to the third or even fourth stage.

Image from: http://www.longtail.com/about.html

Back to the long tail, in the graph the vertical axis refers to sales, and the horizontal represents products, according to Anderson. This is where the term long tail comes from. There are so many products apart of the tail that don't necessarily sell a lot. That's not necessarily the case anymore. With so many choices, these niche product groups are getting easier to access and find, leading to a bump in sales. Companies are able to make more personalized and targeted products, and customers love that. 
Its actually pretty cool to think about, especially for a retailer that has unique products on the wed. I'll be curious to see how this trend grows in the future. 

Check out Chris Anderson's TED Talk here!

What were you doing, Ryan?

Ryan Lochte, 

What was going through your head in Rio? Were you down about a weak finish in competition? I don't understand what you did and why you let the lie continue. According to Twitter, you have a chance to go to jail and that's crazy. Still a fan, but so confused.

If you missed any part of the Ryan Lochte Rio scandal, here's a quick rundown of what happened in Twitter's eyes.