Platform Magazine

Many think of big cities and hot spots like New York City and Chicago when it comes to public relations. However, the state of Alabama has grown tremendously in this industry. From Birmingham to Gulf Shores, there is a vast amount of PR professionals in this “sweet home.”

Patti Conwell, APR Patti Conwell, APR, became her own boss in 2017 when she founded PeeTee Communications LLC. “I always wanted to work on my own,” Conwell shared. “My interest post-college was working in a position of service to others. I was not definite on what that looked like, but it was always a dream of mine for many years to work on my own and be my own boss.”

When COVID-19 turned the world upside down, many industries and events were severely hit. The music industry — particularly music festivals — left many wondering what its future holds. Would eager festival-goers ever go back to crowded sets across the globe? When the news initially hit, several communications teams for upcoming music festivals had to act on their feet to please ticket-holders while remaining successful businesses.

CMA Fest CMA Fest, an annual music festival in Nashville, Tennessee, hosts up to 80,000 country music fanatics at Nissan Stadium and other locations throughout downtown Nashville. In its place, a panel titled “CMA Fest Through the Years” was held on June 4 for organization members. This was the first time the festival had been postponed in 48 years.

As the United States gears up for one of the most critical elections in the nation’s history, social media has become essential in keeping up with the news. While there are many benefits to living in a heavily technology-based world, false information can spread like a wildfire. Many popular social media platforms have been working to inform and encourage users to take the election seriously.

Statistics have proven that emotions can serve as a large indicator, especially when voting. “With the diminishment of arguments which appeal to reason or logic — that is, “logos” in our country — people seem to now rely on emotion,” said Jennifer Neubauer, chairwoman of the Lake County Republican Central Committee. “One need not be an expert in any topic to uncover the holes in another person’s assertion of truth, but people seem increasingly unable to use logic to do just that.”

It’s no secret that when you sign up to be on a reality TV show, you’re opting to have your entire life publicized. Not only does the entire world begin to know every waking detail about you, but your following and influence level skyrocket.

The “Real Housewives” franchise first hit TVs nationwide in 2006 with “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” Since then, the successful franchise has become popular in hot-spot cities across the country. While those chosen for the show are already somewhat known to begin with, these housewives have turned to unique business ventures and used popular PR strategies and tactics to further increase their fame.

When Kim Kardashian announced that popular reality show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” (KUWTK) would be ending in September after over 20 seasons, the nation was in awe. Now, a household name, the Kardashians have changed the world of social media and influencers as we know it.

KUWTK first aired in 2007 as one of the first reality shows on E!. At the time, the family was best known for late attorney Robert Kardashian. The Kardashians turned their prior reputation into a now almost billion-dollar worth enterprise through tactical cross-promotion and entrepreneurial skills.

When I first heard about McDonald’s latest campaign with rapper Travis Scott in AdAge’s Creativity Daily newsletter, I was intrigued. As an advertising major, I was excited to see what the campaign would consist of regarding its branding and, of course, McDonald’s new product release. However, I was astonished to find that this buzz-worthy collab was just three of McDonald’s existing menu items slapped under the new name of “The Travis Scott Meal.”

Aptly named, “The Travis Scott Meal” contains three of Scott’s “McDonald’s favorites, all for the low price of $6.” The meal includes a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon and lettuce, medium fries with barbecue sauce, and a Sprite. The section on McDonald’s website advertising the meal mentions both an email list sign-up for updates and a collaborated merch line. Tactically presented, the link connecting to the merch only offers a space to add in your email, noting that the company would soon reveal the merch.

As a member of the design team, I had the opportunity to create graphics for Platform Magazine’s Instagram. Story templates were also created in order to advertise to current students from both past and present editors.