Whether you work in public relations, advertising or marketing, it’s important to understand and keep up with current developments in the field. One of these ongoing evolutions is digital marketing. At Borshoff, we understand digital marketing is about meeting customers where they are most—the Internet. Check out my post on Borshoff’s blog where I dive into this topic in greater detail.
Let’s face it – our world’s gone digital
October 1, 2011
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PR, Work | Tagged: advertising, Borshoff, digital marketing, digital media, marketing, Public Relations | 
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Posted by Jackie
Writing woes: problem words and phrases
April 18, 2011Is it ensure, insure or assure? Epidemic, endemic or pandemic? Ugh.
So, I have a journalism degree, and I work in PR, but that doesn’t mean I don’t question my writing every now and then. In school, professors always told us to use AP Style. At the time, I didn’t think too much of it. I just knew I had to use it to get a good grade. Now that I’m older (and of course, wiser), I’ve found that there is a method to the madness—writing madness, that is. Proper grammar, accurate punctuation, apposite communication—it matters! Sometimes, I find myself thinking, “Wait, is it lie down or lay down? Which is the right one?! Aaarhhh!” Imagine me proofing one of my 50-page graduate papers. I’m so meticulous with my writing, it is nauseating. However, at the end of the day, my attention to detail and word choice makes me a stronger writer.
A couple of weeks ago, I subscribed to an e-newsletter for daily writing tips. Recently, I received an email about the top 50 problem words and phrases. It was awesome! To answer my questions at the top…
ensure / insure / assure: To ensure is to guarantee, to insure is to protect or cover, and to assure is to comfort or convince.
epidemic / endemic / pandemic: An epidemic is the outbreak of disease in a limited place and time; an endemic disease is a recurring one peculiar to a place or population; a pandemic is pervasive over a wide geographical area.
THANK YOU! I printed out the article and keep it above my desk at work. Here are some other good ones I liked:
stationary / stationery: To be stationary is to stand still; stationery refers to letter-writing materials.
since / because: Informally, these terms are interchangeable, but in formal writing, since should be used only to refer to time.
lay / lie: Lay is transitive, associated with a direct object — “Lay that pencil down.” “Yesterday, I laid that pencil down.” “That pencil has been laid down.” Lie is intransitive, not so associated — “Lie down.” “Last night, I lay down.” “It was my plan to have lain down already.
forgo / forego: To forgo is to go without; to forego is to go before (and is generally used only in the forms foregoing and foregone, which are themselves rare).
each other / one another: “One another” is preferred in formal writing when more than two of something are being discussed.
Check out all 50 problem words and phrases. You now have a guide to reference during those quizzical writing times! I wonder what writing tip I will receive tomorrow…
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Posted by Jackie
Advice from a first-year PR pro: 5 personal New Year’s resolutions for 2011
January 3, 2011
Helloooooo 2011!
I welcome you with open arms. With a New Year comes New Year’s resolutions. Along with personal resolutions, this year I also created work-related public relations resolutions. You can read what my five PR resolutions are on Borshoff’s blog.
Now you will know what my PR resolutions are…what are yours?
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Posted by Jackie
A Career in Communications/Public Relations
September 20, 2010
On September 13, Gregory Beyer published a great article in the Wall Street Journal about what a career in communications/public relations looks like. It was titled…wait for it… yes, “A Career in Communications/Public Relations.”
I thought the article really nailed it on the head in accuracy; at least from my experience in agency work (keep in mind this may be different for corporate communications). Instead of summarizing the article, I wanted to share some important highlights.
A Career in Communications/Public Relations:
- It’s a profession that requires you to be proficient with cutting edge technologies. But you should also be grounded in written and verbal communication.
- A common entry-level job is public relations account coordinator and you would work with a team of more experienced colleagues. (This was my first position!)
- In addition to research, pitching ideas, writing press releases, planning events and media relations, other corners of the profession include crisis communications and reputation management.
- Communications/Public Relations also encompasses more creative jobs like graphic designers, production artists, art directors and more.
- No matter your specific job, recruiters say that fluency with social media is becoming more important by the day, and is no longer an advantage, but a necessity. (DING, DING, DING!)
- What People in the Field Say: 78 percent of those who answered a PayScale.com survey said the skills and knowledge they acquired from their undergraduate major were important or very important in their current careers. And 51% said their college in particular prepared them effectively for their careers. Most common undergrad major: Liberal Arts (YEP!)
- You should be social and comfortable multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment.
- Get on the Fast Track: This is a profession where time matters, so you’ll want to not only do your job well, but fast. (But, remember to be ACCURATE.)
- After about a year, you’ll become an assistant account executive (it varies: maybe account executive, account associate, etc.), which brings more client responsibilities.
Though this article is agency-focused, it provides some helpful information for those interested in a PR career or new pros coming into the biz.
I like to share a good read when I find it so here is the original WSJ article.
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Posted by Jackie
