Safeway: Ingredients for a shorter life

Only five states have lower obesity rates than Oregon. Too bad Safeway isn’t helping the cause.

Please take a moment to check out the “SUPER PRICE COUPONS!” that ran in today’s Safeway advertisement. Jif Peanut Butter, Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies, Ruffles, Quaker Chewy Granola Bars and Safeway Aseptic Broth. Maybe Safeway should rework the title of the coupon section. Any ideas? “Heart Attacks for Cheap” or “Clip-N-Grow” are what pop into my head.

This saddens me personally because I shop at Safeway. I respect Safeway. I admire Safeway! The store is a respected thought-leader in private label organic products. O Organics, launched in 2006, fits the Northwest lifestyle. It’s local, high-quality and delicious. Unfortunately, coupons for these health(ier) products are scarce.

When a company has 1,743 stores grossing over $40 billion in the United States and Canada, it controls (at least on some level) purchasing decisions of its customers. I just wish it was the right message.

Safeway’s coupons on 4/17/2011

Tags: Advertising, Food, Health, Junk Food, Marketing, Obesity, Oregon, Oregonian, Organic, Safeway, Supermarket

“O” boy, the Ducks are the class of the NCAA off the field

The Oregon Ducks are revolutionizing college football. They score. They score. Oh, and they score.

But Oregon football is much more than a scoring machine on the field. The team’s unique brand has been developed to help the Ducks fly to the bank.

I bet brands are more than thrilled to see their logo on a signal board. Especially if the play results in a touchdown.

College athletics thrive on money. It comes from a variety of places, but donors help pave the way. So, what inspires alums, fans and companies to hand it over?

Well, for some, it might include founding a company like Nike. But for the average donor, it can be attributed to having a strong brand. A brand that enhances the community and provides donors access, insight and involvement.

You can say Oregon has that brand. And people across the country are taking notice.

You can begin with the endless combination of uniforms (you can even make your own). Or Puddles, the Oregon mascot. Known for riding motorcycles and partaking in mass amounts of push-ups, the Duck is a frequent Sportscenter topic. Oh yeah, and you have Chip Kelly.

Kelly is a perfect match for college football; he is witty, fast and flashy. Flashy? Yeah, flashy. All the way from the off-the-wall play boards (yes, you can make one of those too) to the “Win The Day” motto.

Combine all of this with a 9-0 record and it is a recipe for success, and as Duck fans are hoping, longevity. Just like the Oregon offense, the Oregon brand is one step ahead of other programs in the nation.

Tags: Autzen, Chip Kelly, Ducks, NCAA Football, Nike, Oregon, Puddles, University of Oregon

EcoChallenge 2010

Take two weeks. You can make a difference in your life. And you can make a difference in our world.

At Maxwell PR, a few of us are stretching ourselves to support sustainability. The agency makes the challenge pretty simple by providing a compost bucket, multiple recycling bins and plenty of encouragement.

Personally, I’m doing little things that don’t largely change my routine. If I try to do something drastic, I know it won’t get done. Check out my checklist of activities I have been changing over the past week:

• Take shorter showers (limit to seven minutes)
• Shave in the shower instead of after
• Use both sides of scratch paper
• Drink tap water
• Reuse dishes if they aren’t dirty
• Wear clothes until dirty
• Don’t use lights if possible
• Ride my bike to local destinations (a friends house, grocery store, etc.) instead of driving

Simple enough, right? And although it’s only been a week, I’m not struggling at all. It’s actually saves me money! Yes, I’m rather giddy to see the water and electric bills this month.

If you need any inspiration, please check out our team’s EcoChallenge page. Good luck!

*Photo compliments of sustainabilityninja.com

Why I suck(ed) at blogging

I suck at personal blogging.

I’m not ashamed to admit it. Read my posts (if you dare). I was once a decent feature writer.

Not having a personal voice can make you go crazy! Don't let it happen to you!

Now, my writing is bland.

It’s concise, but detailed. It flows, but is too professional. And I know why.

I’ve been trained to write like a machine.

No, get those childish ideas out of your head; I am not complaining about my education at the University of Oregon. My instructors have properly taught me how to write, use correct grammar and utilize various public relations skills that I rely on daily.

Nevertheless, one characteristic an instructor cannot teach is style. And I, like so many other students, often lose focus of my own personal voice.

My personal voice is unique. My recent blogging voice sounds like a mix of Mashable and some of my peers. These sources contain useful information backed up with a great writing style; however, it is not mine.

So, I now promise that my style will be unique. To do so, I will stop trying to sound like my opinion leaders. Instead, I will utilize their techniques and incorporate them with my own personal approach.

Goodbye boring blogs. Hello Jeremy Liebman.

*Disclaimer: To establish a personal voice, it is probably a good idea to update a blog more than once a month (I’m working on that one).

Tags: blogging, branding, feature writing, mashable, personal voice, Social Media, University of Oregon

Business + Twitter = OMG!

Ask a CEO of a Fortune 100 company if he or she is ecstatic to use Twitter and humor me with the response.

Twitter and business have a love/hate relationship that will going steady for years to come.

Surf the web and it’s easy to find a great case study of a social media meltdown. Fortune 100 companies enjoy stability, a characteristic that isn’t always associated with Twitter. As recently as February, only 65% of these businesses have accounts on the social networking site.

Look for that number to expand.

The New York Times recently published a piece on its website about the expansion of Twitter…
FOR BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITIONS.

These competitions, including the New Venture Championship (a little shout out to a client of my agency, Allen Hall Public Relations), use Twitter to allow their target markets an opportunity to know vital information: fast results, links to blog posts, and to host miniature events.

As Ed Williams, one of Twitter’s forefathers, said, “Twitter is an open organization. Transparency is like a window. Twitter is a door.”

Business is evolving to allow the general public to bust through these doors. Instead of the former strategy in which businesses market to a vast audience, social media demands a one-on-one approach to reaching a target demographic.

Twitter, and social media, provides a human approach to marketing. Consumers know that marketing is going to talk about the brand; however, Twitter shows them the brand in a personalized form.

For many companies failing to monitor social media, many negative repercussions can happen (See: Motrin Fail). As communication evolves, information will become even easier to come across and to spread!

So while CEO’s of major companies might laugh off the idea of Twitter, do know that it is in the back of their minds.

Online Liability: Where Do We Draw the Line?

Today, an Italian court has convicted three Google executives over the publication to a controversial video that aired on Google Video. The video showed an autistic child being bullied.

Will Google Video and other search engines increase censorship? Time will tell.

The three received six month sentences because they broke “Italian privacy law by not seeking the consent of all the parties involved before allowing it to go online.”

It should be noted that YouTube (an entity purchased by Google in October 2006) serves up over 1 billion videos daily. It appears impossible to be able to monitor every single submission for content.

Richard Thomas, the UK’s former information commissioner and consultant to privacy law firm Hunton & Williams, told BBC News, “It is like prosecuting the post office for hate mail that is sent in the post.”

Thomas makes a great point. The Google executives do not control who posts specific content to the website.

If this decision holds true, the distribution of social materials will be drastically affected because of privacy laws. All search engines might have to become accountable for their results.

It might be a positive ruling. The amount of information found on the Internet is scary, and a decision to limit this can set some of these fears at ease.

However, it limits communication. It limits availability. And, it limits education. Not education in the sense of a’s, b’s, and c’s, but education about the culture, life, and people.

Sites such as YouTube, Google, and Yahoo! are great resources, if used properly, for finding information. Limiting them will only be limiting ourselves.

It will be interesting to see how this case plays out, but I would expect the charges to be dismissed.

Tags: Google, Internet, Italy, privacy, search engine, Social Media

Don’t Hide Behind Your Computer!

Let’s agree on something: Two-way communication is important. It’s essential. It’s necessary.

I recently participated in an online conversation through Twitter with a member of my public relations firm, Allen Hall Public Relations. The underclassman and I discussed odds and ends of opportunities and strategies that we have learned from classes.

Someone doesn't look nearly as appealing with his or her face hiding behind a screen! Photo courtesy of Oprah

Recently, I approached the student to continue the conversation.

The student froze. The conversation was awkward. It was forced. It was like pulling teeth.

Students must realize that hiding behind a computer will not equate to a successful relationship. Social media is booming and should be utilized; however, it does not constitute everything within the world of communications. Many businesses do not even condone the use of social media.

Oh no, the technologically saavy college student ponders, what is this world coming to?

It’s not what this world is coming to; it is what this world is adapting to. A mixture of online and physical networking compose our society. Sure, Twitter can help some people pull internships, but the large majority of us are not some people.

The most efficient way to communicate is through direct, physical interaction. And there are plenty of opportunities for schmoozing with executives in the work force. Journalism schools across the nation, including the University of Oregon, Indiana University, and the University of Missouri all offer opportunities to meet references. And these journalism departments are simply the first three produced from a broad Google search.

So, please students, I beg you. Do not fill my Twitter feed with conversational mentions that are only intended virtually. That does not mean to abandon social networking all together. Just use it wisely. What we say carries weight both online and in society. And as our parents have told us from day one: Our actions speak louder than our words.

Tags: Allen Hall PR, Networking, public relations, Social Media, SOJC, University of Oregon

Getting a Civil War Ticket: Your “How To” Guide

The biggest football game of our college careers is coming up and everyone wants to go. Yet, there are only tickets for few. Please use this as a guide as a resource for your best chance to receive a ticket.

Know the distribution time
Currently, the distribution time for student tickets is scheduled for Sunday, November 29 at 6:00 p.m. This is subject to

Student tickets will be available for sections 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. This is similar to distirbution for the USC game.

change, as distribution times were staggered for each class during ticket registration for the Arizona State game. Any changes will prompt an email from the athletic department to your University of Oregon email account.

Make sure you are registered to receive a ticket
If you have gone to an Oregon athletic event, don’t worry about this. If not, make sure your account is activated and linked to the Paciolan (the ticketing program) system. To do so, simply follow the short steps to set up your account.

Do not log in too early
Logging in hours early does not assure the guaranteed opportunity to receive a ticket. Once the tickets are placed in the system, students are placed in order to receive them from when they log in. Typically, this process does not occur until approximately 5:30 p.m. Thus, logging in before this time does not benefit a student’s chances of receiving a ticket.

Update your browser
Many students had problems with the word verification screen for the Arizona State game, equating to many missing out on a ticket. The problem occurred with outdated browsers. Make sure your browser is updated to the newest version possible. Most can be downloaded free of charge online.

Also, keep in mind that Google Chrome is not an acceptable browser for this process. The goducks.com website will not allocate tickets to people who use this browser.

Utilize the flaws in the system
There is a gaping flaw in the system and most students know about it. The wait that many students go through was created to allow only a specific amount of people to access the server at a specific time. Once a patron has access, he or she is able to log in to an unlimited amount of times for different people. It is suggested to sign up for tickets with a group of friends. If one person gets in, utilize their computer to receive tickets for everyone by logging in and out of different accounts.

Good Luck!
Remember, these tickets are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. It’s a crapshoot. Feel free to comment with any questions. Hope to see you all at Autzen next Thursday night!

Learning From the Past Allows Us to Lead Toward a Better Future

As a PRSSA Chapter President, it is important to be a leader. Yet, it is equally important to be a resource, a motivator, and a student.

To do so, many steps must be taken and qualities must be adapted.

At the PRSSA National Conference in San Diego, CA, I attended a workshop presented by Leisa Brug Kline, President of the Orange County PRSA Chapter. Kline focused on the importance of leadership skills and taught me some valuable tactics:

Focus on cohesiveness: At the University of Oregon, public relations students have multiple options for involvement. Allen Hall Public Relations (AHPR) offers opportunity for select students, upon hire, to be a part of a professional-caliber student-run firm. Others venture to PRSSA, where we welcome all students that attend the University of Oregon.

University of Oregon PRSSA provides opportunities for event planning, leadership, and internships; however, I believe it is important to become more cohesive with the desires and talents of our members. Kline emphasized the idea that each individual brings something unique to a situation. Some members provide experiences in different aspects of public relations that diversify our student group.

Being a leader, I often have visions for PRSSA. Yet, as Kline mentioned, it is important to embrace the ideals of each individual member. This includes taking a step back, breathing, and allowing life to happen! This transitions nicely into Kline’s next tactic…

Drop the ego: When elected president in the spring of 2009 by my peers, I swelled with a sense of pride. I also immediately began to envision how I could stamp my ideals on the chapter. Looking back on this, it was not my best option.

I have come to realize that the best leaders are able to delegate tasks in an efficient way, not necessarily do them. Perfectionists of the world, myself included, often find it essential to stick a nose in every project. The thought of ‘if I do it, I know it will get done with quality and will be done right’ might seem correct, yet is not always realistic.

Thus, as a leader, I must remember…

Members are volunteers: Every individual that attends a PRSSA meeting is doing so on their own time. Every student is there because he or she wants to learn and become involved. Thus, I must put trust in them.

This especially is true for my executive board. My board is extremely motivated. I receive emails, tweets, and phone calls at all hours of the day and night with suggestions and ideas for our chapter. I am humbled at the dedication that my team has provided.

Each member of my team is valuable in different ways; therefore, I cannot under-utilize anyone. Without contributions from all nine members, the University of Oregon PRSSA chapter would not be what it is today.

Yet, there is still large room for improvement in the development in our chapter. Kline suggested the most efficient way to do so…

Listen: Listening seems so simple, yet it is quite complex. Ask a college student. Most information muttered at many of us in class exits our thoughts as quickly as it enters. The same theme exists for student groups.

Members of my executive board and members of PRSSA have great ideas to benefit the University of Oregon chapter. It is my job to listen to them. I must be open to all ideas and comprehend the benefits of them to be able to fully embrace members equally.

I do realize that listening will garner a mutual respect between the executive board, the members, and myself. This respect is crucial for the success and growth of our chapter.

With this in mind, I look forward to the future, as I am be able to use tactics that I have learned through Leisa Brug Kline, my PRSSA chapter, and the PRSSA National Conference to become a better leader and a better resource for my members.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Have you been in a similar situation? What tactics do you feel are necessary to be a strong leader?

Tags: leadership, PR, PRSSA, public relations, SOJC, teamwork, University of Oregon

Grounding Yourself – The Key to Success

Early in my public relations career, I found myself facing major pitfalls. Confusion. Crisis. Stress. Anger. All have been prevalent at a variety of levels over the past few years.

Insert Zack Schwartz.

Schwartz, an award-winning author and psychologist, granted 12 seniors 90 minutes to discuss his tactics as a professional working in a high-stress industry.

Zack Schwartz preaches relaxation under pressure.

Upon arrival, our guest looked anything but professional. Sporting a gray, shaggy beard to match his equally elongated hair, Schwartz appeared more prepared for a rock ’n’ roll concert than an intensive question-and-answer session.

“Please stand up,” Schwartz first told us in a relaxed, congested voice. “Now, shake yourself loose because it’s important to be relaxed in order to be grounded.”

Grounded. I had never heard of the term. According to Schwartz, grounding oneself is the key to success.

Throughout the question-and-answer session, Schwartz continually spoke of grounding oneself when dealing with pressure, both professionally and socially.

“Grounding yourself unhooks a person from everything and allows you to go back to step one,” Schwartz stressed.

And he’s right.

When confronted with an uncomfortable situation, I, like many of my peers, often freeze up with panic. Although I am using my full effort to complete a task that best represents Allen Hall Public Relations, the New Venture Championship team, and my client, I have found myself in situations where I am caught in the moment and not using my best judgment.

Now, I simply stay grounded by taking a deep breath and regaining my focus. It allows clear and rational thoughts and prevents loose cannon mistakes.

Each individual has his or her own technique for grounding oneself. It may be as time-consuming as exercise or as simple as my deep breath approach.

“It’s important to find what works for you,” Schwartz said, “because doing or saying something you regret can ruin your credibility for a lifetime.”

Now, because of grounding, my credibility can stay safe and I can represent my client, my firm and myself in a professional and successful manner.