ADPR Distinguished Visiting Scholar discusses effects of violent humor

Professor Marc Weinberger, AdPR Distinguished Visiting Scholar, described his research that explores the effects of violent humor in advertising. Dr. Weinberger delivered his talk Tuesday, February 14, at the Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

Dr. Weinberger, an emeritus professor of marketing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, is the foremost academic expert on humor in advertising. In 2006, Weinberger coauthored Humor in Advertising: A Comprehensive Analysis, and has published many humor articles in the academic literature.

Dr. Weinberger described how the presence of violent humor in advertising has increased during the last few years. He then detailed two studies he recently conducted that assess the effects of violent humor. Interestingly, women respond more positively to low levels of violent humor compared to men. Men's responses were the same regardless of the level of violence. Dr. Weinberger discussed these findings and their implications for advertisers.

Recent Alum Spotlight: Molly McFerran

Molly McFerran graduated from UGA in 2007 with degrees in Public Relations and Spanish and is now living in Atlanta.

What are you doing now?

I am currently working at The Reynolds Group, a boutique public relations and marketing firm based in Atlanta and Charleston, S.C., that specializes in the restaurant, hospitality, and lifestyle industries and represents clients across the Southeast.

What is your favorite Grady memory?

Being on the Bateman team and winning first place at the national competition my senior year.

What advice do you have for current AdPR students?

My best advice would be to apply for and have as many internships as you can. As you get further along in your college career and have more flexibility with class scheduling, try to have classes all on Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday so you can have completely open days for internships. Try to intern in different situations to see what you like best and where you can use your talents — in-house at a non-profit, small agency, large agency, communications department of a large company, etc. Be sure to intern in different industries, too, from fashion and hospitality to technology and healthcare. You don't know what you like, or don't like, until you have different experiences. When you are an intern, take initiative and go above and beyond what is asked of you. Try to be as proactive as possible, taking the extra step to present multiple solutions to a problem or question if one isn't crystal clear. Think outside of the box and be creative. Also, be resourceful! There are so many opportunities to find the right answer or look for examples; it's okay to ask questions, but it's always nice when an intern demonstrates that he or she has exhausted all other options before asking.

Learn how to manage your time. So much about PR is prioritizing tasks and then re-prioritizing them when something else, often unexpected, develops. You constantly have to juggle projects at work, and also juggle work and your personal life, so it's best to work on your time management skills while in college so you are more prepared after graduation.

Sports Promotion: Home run for new ADPR class

If the Sports Promotion and Publicity class is any indication, Grady College's new Sports Journalism initiative is sure to be a hit. Students gain firsthand knowledge of the various components of the sports communications world through a unique combination of experience, diversity, collaboration, and emersion.

Instructor and sports promotion specialist Bryan Harris brings his own years of experience of working with the Atlanta based PR firm, Jackson Spalding. In addition, students hear from guest speakers, such as sports journalist Welch Suggs, ESPN reporter Michelle Steele (joining via Skype) and others who share their expertise on topics such as athletic team promotion, corporate sports sponsorships, athlete management, media relations, contemporary sports writing and event planning.

To supplement the classroom experience, students keep up with current events through a subscription to the Sports Business Journal, as well as contribute to a blog in collaboration with Grady's sports writing class. Senior PR major Tina Theriault said, "The weekly assignments are not only a helpful way to stay engaged and be prepared for class discussion, but they are interesting! I've always been driven to work in the sports industry, so I am looking forward to the real-world insight the multitude of speakers will provide."

The classroom diversity of notable as well. While all of the students are Grady majors, not everyone showed an initial interest in sports promotion. Senior advertising and graphic design major Caroline Eddleman said, "I took this class because I needed another Grady elective, but I have been so impressed with how Mr. Harris goes out of his way each class to make connections between what we are discussing and my interests. He has really opened my eyes to the limitless options available to me."

Other guest professionals this semester include SI.com's Holly Anderson; UGA Sports Information Director Claude Felton; Atlanta Falcons's VP, Football Communications Reggie Roberts; The Coca-Cola Company's VP, Public Affairs and Communications Scott Williamson; Bloomberg News' Mike Buteau; CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell; Jackson Spalding's Cultivation Team and several others.

—Carly Nash

Pictured above: Spencer Hall of the blog Every Day Should be Saturday and Holly Anderson, blogger for SI.com lead the class with Bryan Harris

Ad students conduct taste research for Bob Evans

Meat and potato lovers in the Grady College were in heaven January 26. Dr. Strausbaugh-Hutchinson's capstone campaigns course took time out to 'discover farm-fresh goodness'.

This semester, the ADPR 5740 students are tackling an integrated marketing plan for Bob Evans Food Products, and will be developing communications geared toward consumers of the brand's frozen and refrigerated offerings. The products are a nationally distributed line extension of the popular mid west Bob Evans restaurant.

The capstone students, along with faculty, staff, and many other Grady College students, were able to sample everything from savory sage sausage links, to the brand's original roll sausage, to thick-cut bacon, to garlic mashed potatoes. "Yum," said Department Head Tom Reichert. "Bob Evans can be apart of my diet any day of the week. A big thanks to Matt Wilson at SBC Advertising for making this possible."

It was a delicious way to truly get to know their client's products and to get a taste of what they'll be selling this semester!

UGA's PRSSA hosts third "PR Workout" to benefit campus organizations

On Saturday, January 28th, PRSSA hosted its third annual PR Workout, a conference aimed at teaching student leaders how to implement effective PR strategies in their organizations. PRSSA wanted to serve the UGA community by sharing its PR knowledge and expertise with fellow student organizations. At this year's event, PRSSA members led five informational sessions in the following subject areas: Event Planning and Fundraising, Media Relations, Social Media, Member Recruitment and Campus Legalities. Over 28 student leaders attended the conference and learned how to improve their organizations' communication efforts. Whether they learned the ins and outs of Twitter or the secret to pitching a press release, attendees walked away with something.

Not only did PR Workout serve as an educational opportunity for individuals, but the student leaders also benefited from networking. Many organizations were represented, from the Asian Children Mentoring Program to the UGA HEROs organization. In additiona, attendees discussed issues with each other, offered solutions to others' problems and asked session leaders for their input. Overall, this event was another success for PRSSA and UGA's students orgranizations. A big thanks goes out to the PRSSA Diversity Committee for coordinating PR Workout 2012.

AdPR Alum Spotlight: Evita Broughton

Evita Broughton graduated from UGA in 2004 with a degree in Advertising and a degree in African American Studies. She currently resides in Atlanta.

What are you doing now and how did you get there?

I'm a senior account executive at Fleishman-Hillard, an international communications agency, where I support AT&T's public relations initiatives surrounding device launches and third-party surveys. I began my career in public relations as an intern at Cingular Wireless' corporate headquarters where I worked for two consecutive summers in college. That experience helped me to land my first post-college position as an intern at Edelman, a top public relations firm. At the end of my three-month internship, I was offered a full-time position. During my tenure, I provided writing, grassroots outreach, strategic counsel, event planning, and media relations for Edelman's marquee clients in retail, entertainment, travel/tourism, and consumer health. In 2010, I accepted an offer to join Fleishman-Hillard's team where I am currently employed.

What is your favorite Grady memory?

Lively class discussions during Dr. Brooks' Race, Gender, and Media course. Also, hearing a certain Mid-Western professor pronounce the state Missouri. It cracked me (and the entire class) up every time!

What advice do you have for current AdPR students?

Hone your writing skills. Aside from leveraging intentionally-formed relationships, nothing will serve you better. Also, stay abreast of societal trends as well as top headlines in local, national and global news.

ADPR welcomes Dr. Weinberger as visiting scholar

The Department of Advertising & Public Relations at the University of Georgia is pleased to welcome Dr. Marc Weinberger as an in-residence visiting scholar. During the Spring 2012 semester Dr. Weinberger will be looking for opportunities to work collaboratively with graduate students and faculty in the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication.

Weinberger comes from the Department of Marketing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he served as Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Research in the Isenberg School of Management. Among numerous articles and presentations, Weinberger coauthored Humor in Advertising: A Comprehensive Analysis (2006), a definitive source on the topic.

Weinberger plans to continue working on humor-appeal projects and he has interests in measuring corporate brand attitudes, reputation management, and the effects of negative information in the marketplace. He is available for meetings as well as occasional guest lectures.