PRAM

PRAM Awards $1,500 in Scholarships

Kristie Aylett, APR — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:35:57 +0000

Scholarship Winners Recognized
PRAM-MS Beach recognized its 2008 scholarship recipients during its October meeting.
Carmelita Hanshaw, recipient of the chapter’s $1,000 Thomas V. Fredian Memorial Scholarship, is a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in public relations at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast campus. Hanshaw earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Dillard University in 2004.
Hanshaw is currently employed as a program officer for Enterprise Corporation of the Delta and HOPE Community Credit Union, where she is responsible for outreach in the lower three coastal counties, developing partners and providing financial literacy. A dedicated volunteer in the community, Hanshaw serves as treasurer for the Biloxi Branch of the NAACP, entertainment committee chair for Coastal Women for Change, member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., member of the National Council for Negro Women, Urban Coast Connection and the National Alumni Council.
Jace Ponder, recipient of a $500 scholarship, is a student at the University of Mississippi working toward a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Currently, Ponder serves as a staff reporter and photographer for the Daily Mississippian, the campus newspaper. Among many other accomplishments and activities during his undergraduate years, Ponder is a former AmeriCorps member, completing more than 1,700 community service hours during a 10- month commitment. While serving with AmeriCorps, Ponder handled media relations for the National Civilian Community Corps service group based out of Denver, Colo.
Upon receiving the scholarship, Ponder said “having this scholarship would ease the stress of working long hours part-time to pay rent, tuition and book fees. Money for tuition would allow me to focus on my studies and afford me time to work with the Daily Mississippian.”
“Jace and Carmelita are outstanding examples of the next generation of public relations professionals, and we are pleased that we can support their studies as they pursue degrees in the field,” said Kristie Aylett, APR, chapter president.
The PRAM-MS Beach chapter has awarded scholarships to Southern Miss students since 2001 and established a second scholarship for students attending Mississippi universities and residing in Hancock or Harrison counties in 2006.
The chapter established the USM scholarship in memory of Thomas V. Fredian, a founding member, senior practitioner and chapter president who died in 1999. In honor of the chapter’s 15th anniversary this year, the chapter doubled the amount of the scholarship given in his memory to $1,000.

Cause Marketing teleseminar Nov. 21

Kristie Aylett, APR — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:31:57 +0000

Lunch ‘n Learn Teleseminar Focuses on Cause Marketing
The final in PRAM’s 2008 series of Lunch ‘n Learn teleseminars will focus on “Social and Cause Marketing: Creating Value, Building Relationships.”
Kristian Darigan, APR, of Cone, Inc.; Melanie Miller, APR, from the Sugar Association; and Cassandra Miranda, APR, from the American Heart Association, will discuss how nonprofits and associations are implementing social marketing and cause marketing campaigns to develop new relationships with key publics and encourage deeper engagement and loyalty. They’ll examine best practices and share how to apply these evolving techniques.
The seminar will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21.
The Lunch ‘n Learn seminars are provided free of charge to PRAM members and Tulane students. The fee for non-members is $5.00. Participants are welcome to bring a lunch to the seminar. Tulane University’s School of Continuing Studies is co-sponsoring the series, and all sessions take place at its Biloxi campus located in Edgewater Mall.

“Weaving the Social Web” seminar materials

Kristie Aylett, APR — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:12:17 +0000

Ed Schipul, of Schipul – the Web Marketing Company, presented the following presentation during a three-hour seminar to more than 70 PR professionals Nov. 10, 2008 in Gulfport, Miss. The Mississippi Beach chapter of PRAM sponsored the seminar.

Weaving the Social Web - Social Media Marketing with a PR twist

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

He also presented an abbreviated version of this presentation on Mobile Marketing during the lunch portion of the meeting.

The Mobile Web for PR Pros

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: mobile web)

November 2008 ImPRessions

Kristie Aylett, APR — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:18:45 +0000

ImPRessions newsletter, November 2008

Articles in the November 2008 issue of ImPRessions include:

More than 50 pre-register for Nov. 10 “Weaving the Social Web” seminar.

Officers proposed for 2009.

Community service projects continue with “Santa’s Elves.”

Chapter awards $1,500 in PR scholarships.

Lunch ‘n Learn teleseminar Nov. 21 focuses on Social and Cause Marketing.

October 2008 ImPRessions

Kristie Aylett, APR — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 22:33:42 +0000

ImPRessions newsletter, October 2008

Articles in the October newsletter include:
Representatives from Southern Miss and Tulane PR programs to speak at Oct. 6 meeting. 2008 scholarship recipients to be recognized.

Social media seminar, “Weaving the Social Web,” scheduled for Nov. 10.

School supply drive continues.

“Weaving the Social Web” seminar Nov. 10

Kristie Aylett, APR — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:42:26 +0000

The Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama bypasses the mass media and uses a text message to announce Joe Biden as his VP pick. Facebook now boasts 100 million active users. Technorati is tracking over 112 million blogs, and your boss is asking your opinion about starting one.
Confused by the ever-evolving social aspects to Web 2.0 and wondering about the role PR practitioners are playing in it? Then clear the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 10, on your calendar and plan to attend a half-day seminar sponsored by the Mississippi Beach chapter of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi. “Weaving the Social Web” will follow the chapter’s regular luncheon meeting at the Great Southern Club, One Hancock Plaza in downtown Gulfport, Miss.
The seminar will be led by Ed Schipul, founder and chief executive officer of Schipul – The Web Marketing Company . His presentation will focus on how public relations professionals can adopt the latest technologies, such as RSS, blogs, podcasting, social networking sites and wikis, to engage in a conversation with their audiences and outpace the competition.
Seating is limited so please register today. Simply download the registration form and mail it in to reserve your seat.

ROI of PR teleseminar Sept. 19

Kristie Aylett, APR — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:18:42 +0000

PRAM’s next Lunch ‘n Learn teleseminar will focus on “ROI and Proof-of-Performance Metrics That Demonstrate Success” Friday, Sept. 19, at Tulane University’s campus at Edgewater Mall in Biloxi. Attendance is free for PRAM members and Tulane students and only $5 for guests. We’ll start gathering at 11:30 a.m. and begin the teleseminar at noon, followed by a brief group discussion until 1:30 p.m. Attendees are welcome to bring their lunch to the brown-bag event.

Speakers are Angela Jeffrey, APR, vice president, Editorial Research, VMS; David Kistle, senior vice president, Padilla Speer Beardsley; and David Rockland, Ph.D., partner, global director of research/chairman, Ketchum. They’ll discuss how to define the right metrics, correlate media coverage to business outcomes and ROI (Return on Investment, Impressions and media Impact). Citing several white papers from the Institute for Public Relations’ Commission on Public Relations Measurement and Evaluation, this research-based session takes a laser-sharp approach to generating proof-of-performance and ROI metrics connecting media relations with business results through specific formulas, case studies and “how-to’s.”

September 2008 ImPRessions

Kristie Aylett, APR — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:36:55 +0000

ImPRessions newsletter, September 2008

Articles in the September issue include:

Erin Moseley, of the Oak Crest Mansion Inn, will speak at the chapter’s Sept. 8 meeting.
Members asked to bring school supplies for next community service project.
Dues reduced to $30 for new members for remainder of 2008.
Lunch ‘n Learn seminar scheduled for Sept. 19.

Thompson, Drum Named SPRF Senior Practitioners

Kristie Aylett, APR — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:10:14 +0000

The Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF) honored two members of the PRAM Mississippi Beach chapter among its 2008 class of 21 professionals named “Senior Practitioners.” They are Lauren Thompson and Kevin Drum.
The Class of 2008 was announced during SPRF’s annual conference July 27-29, 2008, in Sandestin, Fla.
Lauren Thompson joined the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources as its Public Relations Director in June 2000. She is responsible for public information, media relations, community relations, educational outreach and special events. Lauren holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is a past president of the Rotary Club of Edgewater Sunrisers and has 25 years of combined experience as a journalist and public relations professional. She is the 2008 Community Service Chair for the PRAM MS Beach Chapter.
Under her direction, the DMR Public Affairs Bureau has received 17 public relations awards: nine awards from Southern Public Relations Federation Lantern Awards competition, including a Lantern Award in 2006 for the DMR’s 2007 Marine Information Calendar and one in 2004 for the 2003 Mississippi Coastal Cleanup event, and eight awards from the National Association of Government Communicators’ Blue Pencil Awards Competition.
Kevin Drum has been in public relations for over 20 years, specializing in Golf Destination Marketing. After attending Newberry College and the University of South Carolina, he was recruited for a “once in a lifetime position” at the 1984 Olympics and became the PR representative for Tenneco Corporation on site in Los Angeles for the games.
After four years of developing successful marketing, public relations and sales programs for Tenneco, he started his own firm – Drum Marketing & PR – and moved back to Pinehurst, N.C. His company worked for some of the top golf brands and the top golf resorts and destinations in the country. In 2001, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Golf Association asked Kevin to help it create a strong public relations and marketing program to increase golf tourism and promote the area’s great golf, coastal climate and gaming. Shortly afterward, the Golf Association hired him full-time to serve as its first executive director.
Kevin has received 10 SPRF Awards, eight PRAM Awards, and three ADDY Awards for his work, and one project was honored as the “Tourism Promotion of the Year” by Governor Barbour and MTA in 2005. He also served on the board of the PRAM MS Beach chapter in 2007.
With these new honorees, PRAM MS Beach now counts 19 Senior Practitioners among its membership.
SPRF established the senior practitioner designation to recognize its members as veteran public relations professionals with high ethical standing. Nomination and selection is made by each local chapter based on criteria set by SPRF.
To receive the Senior Pracitioner designation, a recipient must qualify in three of the following four criteria: have 15 years of full-time public relations experience; hold the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation by the Universal Accreditation Board; serve or served as an officer or board member at the chapter, state and/or SPRF level; and/or receive recognition of professionalism as evidenced by a SPRF Lantern Award, practitioner of the year award, or similar peer-reviewed, competitively selected, public relations-related recognition or honor.

August 2008 ImPRessions

Kristie Aylett, APR — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:57:48 +0000

ImPRessions newsletter, August 2008

Articles include:

PRAM-MS Beach Chapter celebrates 15th Anniversary at Aug. 18 meeting. Special guests include SPRF President Sabrina McLaughlin, APR, and state PRAM President Jarrod Ravencraft.

MS Beach chapter members bring home awards from SPRF conference.

Thompson and Drum named Senior Practitioners.

Lunch ‘n Learn seminar Aug. 15 focuses on Rebuilding Your Brand.