Campaigns: Look at the Real World

Each semester in our PR Campaigns class here at Kent State a client is selected and the class is divided into groups who form agencies and compete for the client by developing a plan during the semester. I have been working with my group, AntHill Communications, to create a public relations campaign for KeyBank. This Friday we have 20 minutes to present weeks and months worth of research, planning, developing and design to our client, who will then choose a winner.

To be honest, at this point I don’t care whether or not that’s me. This class has been such an eye-opener to me about what goes on in the real world, and at a probably much more intense and strict pace than what I’ve been working at. It’s also been a fantastic opportunity to culminate all of my classroom and internship experiences into a final product that I will have with me the rest of my life. I’ve heard wonderful success stories of students taking their final casebooks to interviews and really having an upper-hand with the experience of creating and presenting an original campaign to a client already under their belt.

This has also been a stressful semester for me, having to work so closely with a group of people for so long. I only remember enjoying a few group projects during elementary, middle and high school, and that was when I was able to choose a team of like-minded individuals who I knew would complete their portion of the work, assuring me that I would get my A.

This semester has really changed by perception of group work in a number of ways, and since I’m about to enter an agency experience this summer, this realization couldn’t have occurred at a more appropriate time.

• Delegation=Trust
  As product manager of my group, learning to delegate tasks, and trust that they would be completed and done well, has been a huge challenge. I am the boss that would just rather do it myself so that I know the final product meets my rigid standards of perfection, but I’ve learned the hard way that not only is this impractical but impossible. There is just too much work to do, and perfection is not always possible when a last minute project occurs and you only have an hour to complete it. It’s not that I’ve lowered my standards, I just think I’m a little more realistic.
• Not the Best
  When we began this project, I easily saw myself fulfilling every position, and filling them well. I have a 4.0 in my major, so clearly I would be capable, I thought. I’ve learned that while I may be more than capable, I’m not always the best. It has been hard letting other group members ‘own’ a part of our final project, but after seeing the creativity, design work and outstanding outcomes, I know there’s no way I would have been able to create something that was as effective or as good. This was also a hard lesson, but I hope I will remember to rely on other’s talents when I’m in my next group setting, and not only believe that someone else has greater expertise in an area than me, but learn from them as well.
• Embrace Diversity
  I am a hard-fast believer in deadlines, ‘to do’ lists and sticking to a plan, and I’ve come to realize that I may be the only person in my group like that. It’s been a trying and rewarding experience to work with individuals who are much more laid back than me and learn that not everyone works at the same pace or the same level of stress, but that doesn’t mean their method doesn’t work for them and help them produce the best results. In fact, a number of times I was stressing out when we still had several days until an element of the campaign was due. I realized it’s not always possible to get things done ahead of time, and that’s ok. Sometimes it’s the final product that matters, not how quickly or efficiently you got there.
• Lighten Up
  Although I’ve heard about other groups in our class having personality issues, I am so thankful that was not a problem with my group. Every time we met we discussed how our weekends went, roommate issues, the recent catastrophes of owning pets and relationship issues. We weren’t just coming together to complete the project, we were working together to learn one another’s strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes and how we could use that knowledge to create a final product that showed that integration and showcased all of our diverse abilities. I couldn’t believe that some of my group members had never been in a class with me before even though we are all in our last semesters in the same program. If you spend too much time concentrating on the project, you miss out on the fun you can have getting to know your companions. PR is all about building relationships, and lightening up and allowing that to happen within the group setting is an essential start.
• Common Sense
  Sometimes I would sit back and look at my group, my work and our project as objectively as possible, and wonder how in the world it could come together in the end. I heard stories from other groups and wondered if we were really all seniors who had completed the same classes to get here. I’ve realized that everyone gained different knowledge from our classroom experiences, and everyone has different levels of comfort from completing internships, and although we should all technically have the same education, that was really a false impression. Like most things, and like I’ve been trying to work out for myself in this blog, what it really comes down to is applying what you know but throwing in some personal insight and common sense. There is not a book answer for every challenge, and while case studies and current events are helpful, they might not be the best act to follow when faced with a unique challenge. Remembering that a campaign in the end is designed to affect the attitude and behaviors of real people like myself helped me put into perspective how we could accomplish our goal. Sometimes you have to put away some of the bookish answers and think about how things work in the real world.

I heard horror stories about this class, and I do believe how your group works together will make or break your final outcome, but I will be promoting it to undergrads and potential PRKent students as much as I can. I don’t know if other PR programs offer students this opportunity, but the final product is well worth the pain and agony of devoting a semester entirely to a project.

I also wanted to include links to some helpful sites about completing group work. I had to learn some of this the hard way…

• What is the benefit of working in groups
• How to successfully work in groups
• Communicating effectively in group settings

I am so thankful for my group members, and even if I don’t win the campaign or get that coveted A, I know I have gained immeasurable experience and feel prepared for what’s to come.