This week, we were asked to read the blogs of other students in the PRR 332 course. Although my blog has been focusing mainly on the Public Relations research strategies of major fashion corporations, I wanted to venture out this week and read a few blogs that look at other facets of Public Relations.
The first blog I looked at was written by Kevin Nestico, a classmate. Titled Sports PR: Fitness and Supplement Industry, Kevin's blog focuses on the PR research and tactics "fitness and supplement companies use to promote their latest, cutting-edge product to put you over the top of the competition for a better body". I thought that this blog would be interesting to read, as I have absolutely zero background knowledge of the subject. The blog entry that I felt was most interesting and controversial was his second post, Research Ethics: Are they Forgotten?. Kevin looks at several different supplements and how their advertising and labels can be misleading- one such product claims to gain the user 14 lbs of muscle in only two weeks, something Kevin points out as being clearly misleading and untrue. Yet these companies still print information such as this and get away with doing so, conning people into buying their products, without giving any solid research to prove their claims are true. I never thought that supplement companies would be able to get away with providing misleading information without being regulated by the FDA, but I was proved wrong, as it happens everyday. Additionally, Kevin points out that the problem has been getting progressively worse. I really enjoyed reading his blog, seeing as I know now the truth behind the seemingly perfect fitness and supplement industry.
The second blog I looked at was classmate Blaine Dulkerian's blog, E. PR, which looks at Public Relations in the entertainment industry. In her first posting, Blaine asked her readers to think about one question, which was 'what would entertainment even be without PR?'. This question really got me thinking, seeing as so much of the entertainment industry is focused on Public Relations. If a celebrity doesn't have a driven and successful PR team standing behind them, there's almost a 100% chance that they will either fall out of the limelight, or when faced with scandal, never be able to recover their reputation. Celebrities like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan are great examples of this, for obvious reasons. In her second post, Blaine looks at Lady Gaga's controversial Video Music Awards dress- which was entirely made of meat. Blaine points out that "celebrities care more about getting noticed in the media to gain more fame" (as Gaga faced extreme scrutiny from some media outlets and PETA), rather than maintain professional relationships with Public Relations practitioners. I fully agree with this statement, as it seems like the entertainment industry is an 'every man for himself' type of world. I thought Blaine's blog was very interesting and different, and it made me take on the entertainment industry from a different perspective, and not just at face value.
Reading the blogs of other students has really helped me think of new ideas to talk about in my own blog. Looking at Public Relations from someone else's perspective is helpful, and can be a great source of knowledge if you are ever faced with a Public Relations crisis in the future.
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