Open The Dialogue

Laura Halsch is the newest Digital Strategist on MWW Group’s digital media team, DialogueMedia, having joined our team in May 2009. Laura will help develop and execute strategic online communications programs for a number of our top clients. Before joining our team at MWW Group, Laura was a digital specialist in the 360˚ Digital Influence Group at Ogilvy Public Relations, and also served as an account executive in Olgivy’s Washington D.C. office. Laura is a graduate of Georgetown University, and can also be found on Twitter at @lauraah. – AB

DM: My first question is the class job interview question: Why did you want to become a PR professional? Was this something you always wanted to do?
LH: I always liked writing and was interested in art and design, but I was an English major in college and didn’t really know where that would take me. My Junior year, I started taking journalism and marketing courses and that set me on track to work in PR. While I do have a traditional PR background, I’ve always liked looking at the intersection of PR and other marketing disciplines.

How did you get into social media? Were you on Facebook in college?
For me, social media was always a part of my online experience. I remember getting all these emails inviting me to join Facebook during my semester abroad in college, and it became this great way for my friends to keep track of each other while we were all around the world. I read blogs, watched online video, and joined local social networks, but it was always just for fun.

When I started in the Consumer Marketing group at Ogilvy PR, I was drawn to the work being done in the Creative Studio and the Digital Influence Group. By hanging around their team, and picking up work when they were over-capacity, I started to learn about creating social media programs as part of PR efforts, and was eventually invited to join the team full time.

What do you like about working in digital media, versus traditional media? Why do you think it’s important for companies to be involved in social media?
The reasons I like digital media fall in line pretty closely with the reasons for companies to get involved, so I’ll answer these together. It allows companies to connect directly with the people who are passionate about them to create additional value, reward their fans, and help their detractors. It is constantly changing and evolving, which creates a challenging work environment but a huge opportunity for companies to try new things and grow and evolve with the landscape. Especially as younger generations age, digital media is becoming the primary source of information, and it is our obligation as PR practitioners to make sure our clients are represented there.

You’ve also worked in Washington D.C., when you worked for Ogilvy. Do you notice a difference in how social media or public relations are approached between D.C. and NYC?
Government organizations and partners obviously have a big role in everything that’s happening in DC. It was exciting to be a part of and watch as government organizations started getting involved in social media and really began to see results from their efforts. In DC, I had the opportunity to work on more issues-driven projects, whereas here in NY my work has largely been in the consumer space.

What advice does Professor Halsch have for all the newly-minted graduates about to start working in public relations, especially when it comes to landing a job?
The job market is definitely different now than it was when I started out. Recent grads need to work to stand out among their peers and demonstrate their passion. The best advice I’ve read recently was from Charlie O’Donnell, over at Path 101. If you follow these steps, you’ll be more than set.

What are three blogs you think everyone should visit?
For quick-bites on WOMM and Customer relations, Church of The Customer.
For technology, healthcare and social media, and just a really passionate guy, Andre’s Blackman’s Pulse and Signal.
And to get some laughs from a smart social media enthusiast: Catch-Up Blog.

We’ve been pretty radio silent here at OTD as 2008 wound down and we launched head-first into 2009.  We’re back at it today with a very exciting announcement.

100 Words for 100 Days

With President-Elect Barack Obama officially taking office just days away, MWW Group is launching a national initiative today asking YOU about what change America is ready for in the first 100 days of his presidency.  We’re searching for both individuals and organizations to tell us about their idea of positive change that can be effected within the first 100 days of the Obama administration.

The winning organization will earn three full months of PR support from MWW Group (worth $30,000) to help implement that change. The winning individual will earn a $5,000 paid internship at any of MWW Group’s ten offices to learn PR skills that will help them affect change.

How do you win?

Both written and video entries can be submitted here:  mww.com/change.   The winning organization and individual will be chosen within 30 days of Obama’s inauguration.  The PR support and internship will begin thereafter.

Why is MWW Group doing this?

Every President since FDR has been measured by his accomplishments during the first 100 days in office.  The purpose of this initiative is to make sure Barack Obama isn’t the only one focusing on moving forward during that time frame.  We want to do our part and challenge America to think about how we all can make a difference.  In return, we’re offering our services to help you further the wave of positive change our country so desperately needs.

Please help spread the word.  We’re looking forward to watching, listening and reading all of your submissions.

mww.com/change

Official press release

Questions?  Leave a comment or e-mail us.

I want to take a moment here on OTD to make some brief announcements as well as give you a peek into what the future will bring us.  My name is Saurabh Wahi and I’m a senior vice president at MWW Group and, now, our DialogueMedia practice. I’ve been with the firm for over seven years, and during the last three, I’ve immersed myself in digital media strategy behind the scenes as I sought to bridge the gap between traditional public relations and the digital media world for our clients.

It’s been a great ride so far. I’ve learned a tremendous amount, made my fair share of mistakes, created campaigns I’m very proud of and most importantly, made some great friends along the way. And although my erstwhile partners in crime, Tom Biro and Chris Thilk, have moved on to pursue their own individual passions (movies for Chris, rock stars for Tom) – I will definitely treasure the great friendship and partnership I enjoyed with each of them and the amazing work we’ve collaborated on for our clients.

Change, as they say, is the only constant and our industry has seen more of it in the last 24 months than perhaps several years preceding.  DialogueMedia has evolved successfully, maintaining its lead through every wave of new technologies and trends and continuing to deliver great results for our clients.

The next evolution of DialogueMedia is now underway. Tectonic shifts in the media landscape have changed consumption habits. New ideas and technologies have been introduced and the role of public relations has continued to evolve. And all this has got us really, really excited here at DialogueMedia. Without giving away too much about our near term plans, I will say that you can expect some exciting new thinking and perspectives, some new faces in addition to the familiar ones, and a whole lot of innovation.

Oh and, after all this talk of change, let me just finish off by mentioning some things that won’t change.  I remain incredibly passionate about my photography and Nikon remains one of my all-time favorite brands to work on. So that won’t change. I’ll continue to lead that business while replacing my group management responsibilities with strategic initiatives for DialogueMedia.

The team and I will be ramping posts up again in the next few days and you can look forward to hearing a range of different perspectives from folks at MWW Group and DialogueMedia.

We look forward to a dialogue with you.

Hey all – we’re working on some server migration issues right now, which is why some recent posts have disappeared momentarily and why we’re not posting the last couple days. Things are progressing, but first we need to run into town for some power converters. We’ll be back soon.