Lauren Shapiro « BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas

Posts Tagged ‘Lauren Shapiro’

The New York Women in Communications 2011 Matrix Awards

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

Lauren Shapiro*

The New York Women in Communications (NYWIC) organization held their annual Matrix Awards at the Waldorf Astoria on Monday, April 11^th. I attended the event, which celebrates the achievements of extraordinary women in the communications industry, with my mentor from NYWIC, Sonia Hayes-McNaughton of Goldman Sachs.

The three tiered room decorated in spring colors and flowers held some of the communication industry’s most hard working and well known women of our time.

This year’s honorees included:
Cindi Berger, chairman and CEO of PMK*BNC Public Relations
Gwen Ifill, moderator and managing editor, Washington Week and senior correspondent The PBS NewsHour
Robin Koval, president, The Kaplan Thaler Group
Idina Menzel, Tony award-winning performer
Abbe Raven, president and CEO, A&E Television Networks
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
Gina Sanders, president and CEO, Fairchild Fashion Group

Sandra Lee, editor-in-chief Semi Homemade Magazine, New York Times bestselling-author, and Food Network celebrity, emceed the event. Betty White was honored with a Special Lifetime Achievement Award.

Presenters included:

Rosie O’Donnell, talk show host and comedian
Paula Kerger, president and CEO PBS
Linda Kaplan Thaler, CEO and chief creative officer, The Kaplan Thaler Group
Donna Tyler, news anchor, CBS 2
Mark Burnett, producer
Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief The Huffington Post
Evelyn Lauder, senior corporate vice president, Estée Lauder Companies

The luncheon started with a word from the host and More Magazine editor, Lesley Jane Seymour. Following opening remarks and the presentation of scholarships to the NYWICI award winners, the presenters donned the podium with their hilarious quips, inspirational stories and sincere appreciation for their friend whom they were asked to present with the Matrix Award. Cindi Berger had additional support from friend John Legend who made a special guest appearance at the ceremony and performed two songs on the second floor balcony.

Betty White, Matrix Lifetime Achievement award winner, made her appearance via live satellite from Los Angeles with friend and actress Valerie Harper. Betty joked, “It’s wonderful to be a role model at 89 — it’s wonderful to be anything at 89.”

The 2011 NYWICI Matrix Awards were both inspirational and memorable. Did you attend the event? Then be sure to share your experience with other BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas readers. To see more photos from the event, visit our Facebook page or the BurrellesLuce Flickr page.

***

*Bio: Soon after graduating from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, in 2006 with a B.A. in communication and a B.S. in business/marketing, I joined the BurrellesLuce client services team. In 2008, I completed my master’s degree in corporate and organizational communications and now serve as Director of Client Services. I am passionate about researching and understanding the role of email in shaping relationships from a client relation/service standpoint as well as how miscommunication occurs within email, which was the topic of my thesis. Through my posts on Fresh Ideas, I hope to educate and stimulate thoughtful discussions about corporate communications and client relations, further my own knowledge on this subject area, as well as continue to hone my skills as a communicator. Twitter: @_LaurenShapiro_ LinkedIn: laurenrshapiro Facebook: BurrellesLuce

Tags: 2011 Matrix Awards, A&E Television Networks, Abbe Raven, Arianna Huffington, Betty White, BurrellesLuce, CBS 2, Cindi Berger, communications, Donna Tyler, Estée Lauder Companies, Evelyn Lauder, Facebook, Fairchild Fashion Group, Food Network, Fresh Ideas, Gina Sanders, Goldman Sachs, Gwen Ifill, Idina Menzel, John Legend, Lauren Shapiro, Lesley Jane Seymour, Linda Kaplan Thaler, Mark Burnett, More Magazine, New York Times, New York Women in Communications, Paula Kerger, PBS, PMK*BNC Public Relations, Public Relations, Robin Koval, Rosie O'Donnell, Sandra Lee, Semi Homemade Magazine, Sheryl Sandberg, Sonia Hayes-McNaughton, Special Lifetime Achievement Award, The Huffington Post, The Kaplan Thaler Group, The PBS NewsHour, Valerie Harper, Waldorf Astoria, Washington Week
Posted in Advertising/Marketing, Broadcast, Client Services, Industry Events, Media Industry, Public Relations | No Comments »

Snooki’s Appearance at Rutgers University: Good PR or Poor Reputation Management?

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Lauren Shapiro*

The New York Daily News: Walker/WireImage; Polich/Getty

Rutgers University’s decision to distribute a press release, on April 1^st, regarding Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s speaking engagement was either ironic or genius. Speculation about the April Fool’s Day release had the Internet a chatter about the validity of the story. But as days passed no one from Rutgers came out to take responsibility for the prank.

Rutgers University reportedly paid the Jersey Shore star, Snooki, $32,000 to educate its students on the benefits of tanning, self esteem, and always having a work hard, play harder mentality or in Snooki’s terms, “study hard, but play harder.” The University comes under a fire storm of controversy, not just for inviting the reality TV star (best known for being punched in the face at a bar and being arrested for disorderly conduct) to the campus, but for paying her $2,000 more than Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison, who will speak at the university’s graduation ceremony in May.

Although a controversial decision, one wrought with repercussion from both parents and students, Hollywood Reporter announced that 2,000 people came to Rutgers to hear Snooki’s pearls of wisdom. Jersey Shore fan or not, there must be an underlying reason for choosing such a mainstream star to rock the boat. As we have all noticed, the economy has taken a toll on every institution, with no exception to the institution of higher education. Tuition has gone up, expenses are higher than ever and students are looking for a good education at a good price. Is it true that any publicity (positive or negative) is better than no publicity at all?

Rutgers paid $32,000 to Snooki and in return received nationwide coverage for the school, coverage that would have cost them a pretty penny and publicity Rutgers’ budget may not have been able to afford. Is Rutgers trying to ride the wave of Snooki’s fame? Was the Snooki gig a genius PR move or a detriment to the school’s reputation?

Please share your thoughts with me and the readers of BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas.

***

Tags: BurrellesLuce, Fresh Ideas, Hollywood Reporter, Lauren Shapiro, PR, publicity, reputation management, Rutgers, Snooki, Toni Morrison
Posted in Client Services, News Coverage, Public Relations | 1 Comment »

Who Needs Netflix When You Can See Your Favorite Films on Facebook? It depends!

Friday, March 18th, 2011

by Lauren Shapiro*

With over 20 million subscribers, Netflix has been dominating the at-home-movie scene. As a subscription-based platform, Netflix allows users to watch unlimited TV episodes and movies via the Internet on either a Mac or PC or stream the content to a television using devices such as Xbox 360, Wii, or PS3. A subscription, according to their website, is $7.99 a month for unlimited streaming video or for DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming video, plans start at $9.99 a month.

However, Facebook’s 500 million friends will not be counted out, as soon to be seen (pun intended), the social networking site will be a potential competitor to Netflix. Warner Brothers’ announcement of their availability on Facebook comes with little surprise as telecasts on Facebook have become more and more popular. Even the President and First Lady have taken to the Facebook airwaves to promote the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention on March 10^th.

The Warner Brothers’ Facebook application will allow users to choose from a select number of full-length films priced at 30 Facebook credits. Facebook credits are an online currency that allow users to purchase applications and games on the site. Thirty credits equate to $3. Users can also acquire Facebook credits through applications and games also available on the site. Once the credits are redeemed, in this manner, the user has 48 hours to watch the movie.

But don’t think that Facebook is alone in the quest to provide pay-per-view movies. Google’s YouTube has been offering online movie rentals since 2010, allowing users to access independent films and recently more popular films like Scary Movie 4 and Hannibal Rising. According to the YouTube Store, movie rentals range between $2.99 and $4.99. Other lesser known services have begun to crop-up as well. For instance, Zediva streams new releases through what amounts to a loophole in copyright law. The site offers “new release movies you can’t get on Amazon, Netflix, or iTunes that cost $2 for a digital rental that lasts two full weeks,” explains this Wired.com article. “The company literally rents you a DVD and a DVD player, with your computer, tablet or Google TV as the remote control.”

Will Facebook give Netflix a run for its money? It seems that Netflix users and Warner Brothers Facebook application users will be targeting different consumers. Netflix users are avid movie watchers and actually save money by paying a monthly fee rather than a paying per view. However, Facebook may gain viewership with users who are on the go and want to rent one movie at a time inexpensively. Also, Facebook users who accumulate credits have the ability to use their credits to rent movies. The Warner Brother’s Facebook app pales in breadth and depth to the movie selection offered by Netflix, however, only time will tell how much of a threat Facebook’s movie rentals will truly be to the reigning streaming-video service.

If you are a subscriber of Netflix and a user of Facebook, will you be trading in your subscription? What about for one of these other services increasingly becoming available? Please share your thoughts with me and the readers of BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas.

***

Tags: at-home-movies, BurrellesLuce, Client Services, Facebook, Fresh Ideas, Google, Lauren Shapiro, Netflix, Public Relations, Social Media, streaming video, The White House Conference on Bullying Prevention, Warner Brothers, YouTube, Zediva
Posted in Client Services, Media Industry, Mobile Media, Online Video, Public Relations, Social Media | 1 Comment »

Barcodes and The Media

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Flickr Image: The American Library Association (ALA)

Barcodes have been used in the retail, logistics, inventory/warehousing and governmental environments since the 1970’s. There are numerous types of 2D barcodes, but for this post, I’ll be referring primarily to Quick Response (QR) codes – which didn’t come into existence until 1994. QR codes have been popular in Japan for quite some time and even have been used in some European countries but have struggled to gain acceptance here in North America.

About a year ago, my BurrellesLuce colleague, Lauren Shapiro, wrote about the world being a giant barcode and how this might affect the public relations and marketing realm. In September 2010, I attended a PRSA professional development day (hosted by SWMO PRSA) where Ben Smith, Social: IRL agency, talked about PR and media uses for QR codes – that’s when it started to “click” for me. Then, a few months ago, another colleague, Denise Giacin, wrote about a book by a New York Times reporter and his perceptions of the changing media landscape – each chapter beginning with a QR code.

So, if this is not new, why am I just now writing about this? Because it seems to me that it’s no longer just speculation by the thought leaders, but it’s actually catching on. (I’m a wait and see kinda gal, after all Missouri is the “Show Me State.”) With the popularity of smart phones, QR codes are now more practical than in the past and are probably destined to become even more so in the future. Google Places began using QR codes, issuing window decals, in December 2009 as a quick way to see reviews and coupons for local businesses. There’s a myriad of uses in the communications field and I’ll talk more about that in my next post.

A number of print media outlets are now using barcodes to connect the reader’s print and online experiences. Mobile barcodes offer publishers an easy way to bridge the gap between traditional print mediums and digital media. The barcodes allow them to offer a more personalized and interactive experience – like linking from an advertisement to a coupon or recipe. But it’s going beyond advertising now.

The Washington Post recently began including QR codes to offer “digital jumps” to additional content. Lucky Magazine uses QR codes to link to hair and makeup instructional videos. South Florida Sun Sentinel uses QR codes to link to digital content. USA Today announced last week that they are making a commitment to use at least one Microsoft Tag (a proprietary 2D barcode) in each daily section that will provide mobile access to photos, videos and other online content. Even some college papers, Cal State Fullerton for one, have begun using these barcodes in the print edition.

The naysayers are convinced of the demise of print media; however, new technologies like QR codes offer the ability to make their content more interrelated. It provides readers with a more interactive and productive experience.

Is this just what print media needs or is this a stop-gap measure on the downhill slide? I look forward to you sharing your thoughts with our readers.

Tags: advertisements, advertising, barcodes, Ben Smith, BurrellesLuce, Cal State Fullerton, communications, coupons, Denise Giacin, digital, Fresh Ideas, Google Places, governmental, Lauren Shapiro, local businesses, logistics, Lucky Magazine, marketing, media, media landscape, Microsoft Tag, mobile, New York Times, online, outlets, photos, PR, print, PRSA, Public Relations, publishers, QR codes, quick response, retail, reviews, smart phoens, Social IRL, South Florida Sun Sentinel, SWMO, The Media, The Washington Post, traditional, USA Today, videos
Posted in Advertising/Marketing, Media Industry, Media Relations, Mobile Media, Public Relations, Technology | 3 Comments »

Will Social Networks Replace Traditional Résumés?

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

by Lauren Shapiro*

I graduated from college when Facebook started its transition from being open to only users with college/university email addresses to the general public. With this transition, my college began the crusade to educate students on how to make their Facebook profiles “employer friendly.” They laid out the common sense do’s and do not’s of Facebook use and even started to make real-world examples, out of certain students, by utilizing the social network as a way to crack down on underage drinking on campus by finding photos posted to students’ profiles.

The key message that my college was sending has come to fruition – your Facebook profile is no longer just a fun place to tag photos and post your favorite movies and quotes. It is your personal résumé… a representation of who you are, even if you are not using the site professionally. Now, with the popularity of LinkedIn soaring, potential employers have two opportunities to do extra homework on employment candidates. On LinkedIn, employers can see your past experience and educational background; on Facebook, they can see your personality and who you are as an individual.

Since employers are already finding out everything they need about a candidate on the Internet, will social media sites eliminate the traditional résumé?

According to a study of Canadian human resources professionals by OfficeTeam, a staffing agency, it could go either way. As reported in the Montreal Gazette, the survey revealed that 43 percent of managers thought it was “somewhat or very likely that profiles on such websites as Facebook and LinkedIn will someday replace resumes for getting jobs.” However, 55 percent of managers thought it was “not very likely or not likely at all that social network profiles will completely replace resumes as job seeking tools.”

In short, the data found comes to an outstanding, “We don’t know if social networks will replace traditional résumés.” Nevertheless, OfficeTeam provides the following advice for handling your own social media accounts – job seeker or not.

Make sure you have a visible profile picture
Highlight your key skills and experience
Limit public access to pictures and other things that might not go over well with a prospective employer
Keep in mind the people you’re connected with might be contacted as references
Keep your online profile up to date

And with regards to privacy settings, Dianne Hunnam-Jones, OfficeTeam’s district president in Toronto, states: “I think the reality of the world is that [privacy settings] don’t matter; it’s still out there, somebody will find parts of it somewhere.”

Do you think Facebook and LinkedIn will ever completely eliminate the need for a personal résumé? How do you use social networking in evaluating potential employees or employers?

***

Tags: BurrellesLuce, candidates, Dianne Hunnam-Jones, employment, Facebook, Fresh Ideas, human resources, Lauren Shapiro, LinkedIn, OfficeTeam, PR, professional, resumes, Social Media
Posted in Career Advice, Client Services, Public Relations, Social Media | 1 Comment »

Call Us: 1 (800) 368-8070

Posts Tagged ‘Lauren Shapiro’

The New York Women in Communications 2011 Matrix Awards

Snooki’s Appearance at Rutgers University: Good PR or Poor Reputation Management?

Topics

Authors

Recently Posted

Follow Us

In PR and Media