BUSINESS FORMAL

If you know what this means, then you’re all set. However, if you need some more guidance to make sure you make a dashing impression at PR Advanced this year, read on:

Basics -

In business formal, dress to impress. It’s your typical office clothing (suits, pant-suits, dresses), but really it’s a chance to get out those classic pieces and spice them up with some of your own pizzazz. Since PR is a creative industry, it is appropriate to be more creative with your outfit while still remaining classy and office-friendly.

General -

Hair

Clean and neat.

Smell

Subtly is the key. You don’t want to shower others with your smell. People more appreciate wisps of your good smell. That being said, make sure you smell good; meaning you are wearing deodorant and don’t smell like smoke.

Fit

Clothes should be fitted. Not baggy and not too tight.

Women -

Skirt/Dress Length

Your skirt/dress should come down to your knee while you are standing. When sitting, your  thighs should be covered. If your skirt/dress goes just below the knee, it is fine for a slit to go slightly above the knee. However, long dresses/skirts should no have slits above the knee. In business, slits are to facilitate walking and climbing stairs, not to show off your legs.

Shirt/Sweater

Like tailored shirts of blouses, a tailored sweater can be a nice addition. Try to avoid velvet and shimmery fabrics that you would wear to parties. Instead, cotton, silk and blends are better options. Fit should not be tight.

Jewelry/Accessories

Again, since PR is a creative field, you can definitely have fun with your jewelry and accessories. However, don’t go overboard. Keep it classy.

Cosmetics

In general, stick to a more natural look. But still have fun and make it you.

Shoes

Most importantly: BE COMFORTABLE! The last thing you want to do is hobble around the career fair at the end of the day because your shoes were too tight or too tall. Close-toed shoes that coordinate with your outfit are the most appropriate. This is definitely an area where you want to fuse fashion and function.

Hose

We recommend that you wear them with skirts above the knee or if it is cold/snowy/rainy outside.

Purse/Bag

Keep it simple. A structured purse looks more professional than a floppy one. As you know, your purse should coordinate with your shoes. For a some great suggestions as to what you should carry in your purse, go to wardrobeoxygen.com

Men -

Suits

Business formal means business suit. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a matching three piece suit, but make sure you have a jacket and nice slacks. Do not show up in jeans and a denim jacket.

Ties

A tie is necessary and such a great way to add your own element. You can go skinny or large, patterned or solid, loud or subtle.

Shoes

No sneakers. You do not necessarily need to wear shiny polished shoes, but it is important to wear nice shoes. Leather or suede is preferred. Also, you do not have to stick with normal shoes, some business casual outfits would look great with a pair of nice boots.

Facial Hair

Your facial hair should be nicely groomed. Scragglyness is not appropriate. It doesn’t matter if you have a beard, mustache, or nothing, just make sure you look clean and maintained.

Here’s a little business casual infographic from PRSSA

And another infographic about professional style:

Sometimes the possibilities are overwhelming. When trying to keep up with the news, knowing what to tweet, figuring out what to write about in your next blog post, and deciding which internship to apply to, it’s tempting to give up and accept the mayhem.

However, at PR Advanced this year, we challenge you to resist this imminent mayhem by learning how you can embrace the possibilities. Our speakers come from organizations and PR Agencies who have successfully taken advantage of all there is to offer in the communication world today and, as a result, are some of the most reputable organizations and PR agencies of our day.

Registration is open now!

Instead, focus on a few.

Now that so much is available to us, sometimes it’s better not to take advantage of it all. Especially with all the various routes a company can take to brand itself, it is important to use the few most effective. In Adam Singer’s most recent blog post, “It’s What You Don’t Do that Defines Your Success,” he discusses “how concentrating your forces is the surest path to success.”

He continues with this:

A mile wide and an inch deep is to be invisible. Instead, marketers need to figure out what it is that matters and focus on it relentlessly. Add new channels and tactics to your mix that make sense, but be informed enough about the shifts in technology and consumer preference to understand when something should or shouldn’t apply.

The point is social (or any single channel / tactic) is not always the right answer and you should be extremely wary of those who believe it is. There is an ever-expanding mix of channels, digital and otherwise, and you can’t do everything. It’s as much about what you choose not to do as what you do.

As Adam Singer suggests, the importance of understanding the vast possibilities is vital; however, sometimes it’s about not embracing them all.

For more, we highly recommend reading his full post.

As you could probably tell, this year’s Super Bowl ads heavily pushed social media integration. Though the ads were not as captivating as they have been in the past, it is still interesting to evaluate their success or failure.

SHIFT marketing put together this great infographic illustrating the competition between brands for the most social media buzz.

Speaking of possibilities, Twitter’s new Vine app is full of them. Twitter fused mobile and video (arguably the two most cutting edge subjects right now). The possibilities for publicity, marketing and PR with Vine could be vast if it blossoms.

You only get 6 seconds to film and your video loops when posted on Twitter and Vine’s app page. The interesting thing about Vine is that you can only film while your finger is on the screen. This gives you the chance to play around with multiple shots and stop motion.

“Welcome to Optimism”, a blog from Wieden + Kennedy in London, admits that since Vine is so new, “It’s impossible to start thinking about direct strategies for Vine at the moment.” However, they do say that it can, “be included into part of an existing strategy, adding another element to content creation.” The full post shares other useful information about Vine.

Tom Defren from the blog “PR Squared” cautions brands, “to think outside the 6-second window.” He suggests chapters of information. He uses a tour of a car for an example. For the tour, one video would only show the interior, one would be the exterior, and one could just be the speedometer showing how fast the car can go in 6 seconds. We highly suggest reading his full post, it’s quick and interesting.

Here’s some inspiration from companies that have already started using Vine. These are a few examples from Business Insider. For the full article, click here.

Puppies from Urban Outfitters… of course:

The most important Vine you'll ever see. #uodogs vine.co/v/b5HEYV0IQPJ—
Urban Outfitters (@UrbanOutfitters) January 24, 2013

This tour of the MSNBC studio is a cool idea:

#msnbc behind the scenes caught on @vineapp: RT @caramaresca: All in a day's work @msnbc vine.co/v/b5dI1ZbJOdg—
  (@msnbc) January 24, 2013

Similar to the studio tour, this coffee shop in Virginia shows how they make a latte:

#latte #cafemoka #espresso #vabeach #snowday #hooleyfilmingthisandnotkittens #latteart vine.co/v/b5QMDvJ0wBQ—
Cafe Moka (@CafeMokaVa) January 25, 2013

An example of how Vine can be used for live news coverage:

The #dolphin stuck inside the #Gowanus Canal. Watch live: bit.ly/WYYmKa vine.co/v/b5PlQO6lQId—
NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) January 25, 2013

Finally, here is Gap’s unique way of using Vine:

A trip down #Gap advertising memory lane for our #firstpost on Vine. vine.co/v/b5PeYQOLuLj—
  (@Gap) January 25, 2013

If Vine thrives, it will be interesting to see what brands come up with. Here at PR Advanced, we look forward to the fun challenge of creating compelling content with this new tool.

Brian Solis recently wrote about the increasingly strong relationship between TV and mobile. Our society is quickly becoming full of multi-screeners, which opens up a new realm of possibilities that all PR students and professionals should be itching to explore.

Brian shows these slides from a Google report about this new multi-screening world. The following slides pertain specifically to the role of TV in this multi-screen world.

It is incredible to think of all the creative ways one could integrate the latent act of watching television with active mobile use and search. Google has named this symbiosis “found time”. This refers to the moment in which consumers see a product on TV and then immediately search for it. Brian says, “It is in these ‘micro-moments’ that Google found viewers to search, shop, communicate and keep entertainment across multiple screens. The result? Marketers and advertisers are now presented with additional touchpoints to engage consumers throughout the day.”

He goes on to say, “Marketing around found time and these new micro-moments creates the need for customer experience and journey architecture.” Since a viewer can search for your business with a variety of different sources (phone, computer, TV, tablet), that viewing experience must be designed and optimized for each screen.

Brian leaves us with this, “SEO and SEM is no longer good enough to cater to multiscreeners who engage in found time. Experiences and outcomes now count for everything.”

As our theme suggests, the possibilities are beyond numerous and  just keep increasing. This new symbiotic relationship between TV and mobile is a perfect example. It provides such exciting new terrain for PR students and professionals to explore!

For Brian’s full article, click here.