In Defense of Public Relations

Oh how time flies! It’s been a year since I posted the inaugural list of the ten hottest PR chick pics on twitter and I guess with this second edition, the list now becomes a tradition unlike any other.

I did make a few adjustments to the selection process. Instead of me being the sole judge on who makes the hot list, I brought in a committee of PR experts dudes to assist in the selection. For their own safety, they shall remain anonymous although a couple of them probably wouldn’t mind getting whipped by the ladies who didn’t make the cut.  In addition, a number of the sizzling yet smart PR ladies here made it because they pitched themselves and their pitches were on fire.

Unlike last year, this year’s crop of smokiness included a review of their last 10 tweets at the time of this writing (hey, it’s a top ten list) and whether those tweets brought some value to the PR profession. Of course, all of these ladies have engaged me on Twitter, which helped dwindle down the list. And none, I hope, know my true ID.  Yes, it’s still a subjective process, but just like PR, I never claimed this to be an exact science. I’ve also excluded those that were on the list last year not because they lost their sizzle, but because there are many PR chicks on Twitter.

Before you proceed to scroll down this post to see who’s in, I’d like all of you to know that I  have the highest respect for the women on this list. Our industry is composed of a majority of women and many whom I’ve worked with and currently work with are smart, creative, and dare I say it, attractive. I don’t believe anyone working in PR should be judged by their looks and/or physical attributes, but by what value they add to the table. But let’s be honest, there are those who have both (unfortunately, not me–you’ve all seen my pic).  On another note, I don’t refer to any woman as “chick” and never tell them their “hot” unless I’m referring to the weather.

So without further drivel from me, whether you love it or hate it (do let me know in the comments section), here’s this year’s prdude’s list of The Ten Hottest PR Chicks Based on Their Pics and Tweets (not in any order):

1. Julie Perry is the Social Media Director for BLASTMediaPR and has a very interesting background. Yes, she has thousands of followers on Twitter and she’s also the author of the book, “The Insiders’ Guide to Becoming a Yacht Stewardess Confessions from My Years Afloat with the Rich and Famous.” Not sure if she rubbed elbows with the likes of Robin Leach or has ever been on, God forbid, Tiger Woods’ yacht, Privacy. And even though she’s an Android fan [check out her bio here] and what looks to be a typo in the title of her book (shouldn’t the apostrophe be before the ‘s’ if it’s a one insider’s perspective?], Perry makes the list for being “Little Miss Chaterer.” Blast-est tweet from the last ten here.

2. If the movie, Miss Congeniality, had a prequel, Kate Ottavio would be a shoo-in to play the young Sandra Bullock. Her road to PR included years in beauty pageantry as a contestant, and from what I gather from her tweets, as an adviser today for young ladies who want to compete in a beauty (and brains) competition.  She’d also win the Miss Patient prize if there is one in a beauty pageant because she should’ve been on last year’s list. See what a year of waiting does. She’s accomplished so much in that time frame, the least of which is being one of the founding members of the hottest PR blog today, PR Breakfast Club. Beautiful-’est’ tweet from the last ten here.

3. Stephanie Smirnov is probably the most powerful PR chick on this list. She heads up one of the most successful consumer PR firms in the country. If you haven’t heard of DeVries (pronounced De-Vrees not to be confused with DeVry), you haven’t been in PR long enough or you’re not in PR at all. She’s proud of her Russian heritage and sources say she may have been rooting for the Russian hockey team during the last Winter Olympics. She’s proudest being e a mom. Combining her PR profession and mommy duties, an interesting and entertaining hybrid blog was born, check out PR Mama. Mammochka tweet from the last ten here.

4. Don’t let the pink fool you…according to the first slide on J Public Relations’ web site. The only agency to make it on this list. Why? Well, because this and this. I’m sure JPR supports the Susan G. Komen Foundation too, not just because of its company colors, but because its entire team is female. Of course, it also made the list because the agency boasts that it  has won many awards. The fact that the firm has someone named Jamie Lynn Sigler and Sarah Evans [no, not that Sarah Evans who was on last year's list] managing the firm had nothing to do with it. I do wonder how an entertainment reporter reacts when getting a call that starts like this, “Hi, this is Jamie Lynn Sigler, I’m calling for…” Pink-est tweet from the last ten here.

5. Gail Sideman is the consummate publicist with a strong background in sports.  She’s been seen hanging out with some famous folks like James Brown, not the Godfather of Soul, but the CBS Sports broadcaster. She stays on the SIDElines and gives all her clients the glory. She engages everyone on Twitter that’s why a majority of her tweets from my observation are @replies. She’s creative at how she uses the SIDE part of her name (check out her web site). It’s SIDE this, and SIDE that. From this SIDE, it all works seamlessly together. She’s obviously no SIDE dish. SIDE-tweet from the last ten here.

6. Katherine Barna describes herself as “just a city girl figuring it out as I go.” Well, whatever ‘IT’ is, she’s got plenty of ‘IT.’ Kath, as she’s called by friends on Twitter, has found a little space to fill. She may have a little space to herself, but she’s got a big  job working as a publicist for Newsweek.  Yes that news magazine that we, PR dudes and dudettes, want to get our client in at least once in our career even if circulation has been cut in half (more on this here). I’m sure with Kath’s PR skills, she’s helped get circulation back up if that falls under her responsibility.  Space-filled tweet from the last ten here.

7. A Minnesotan that recently graduated at Florida Gulf Coast University who is now working in New York City, Abby Schoffman is hungry to learn more about PR (based on her tweets) and calls herself a social media enthusiast. Thank goodness, she didn’t write guru or expert. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made this list no matter how hot she is on her pic or in real life.  I don’t know much about her except that selection committee members who’ve met her are adamant she be on this list. I hope to get to know her more on Twitter in the future. Tweet why she belongs on list from last ten here.

8. Yes, Kellye is spelled with a ‘y’ and ‘e.’ Not spelled with an ‘i’ or just ‘y.’ Now that I’ve cleared up that it isn’t a typo, KellyE Crane has single-handedly changed the lives of solo PR pros for the better with #solopr and Solo PR Linked In group. One of the challenges faced by solo PR pros is not having a team to brainstorm ideas or share resources with.  Thanks to Kellye, they are now able to do so.  The Solo-ist tweet from the last ten here.

9. I have a lot of faith in Jessica Randazza who has taken on the task of changing the world, not just the PR world, but the entire planet. That’s a thousand times more challenging than what I’m trying to do [check this blog's tagline].  Her blog is a mishmash of all things PR, branding, social media and life. Based from what I’ve read, she likely hails from Seattle, where Starbucks is headquartered, but is a lover of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, which is not available in Seattle. Thankfully, she’s now in New York City, where there’s Dunkin’ Donuts every few blocks.

10. The PR Tweeter crowd has spoken. Filling in the 10th and final slot is Tiffany Winbush. It was a close race between her and @SashaHalima to the end. Both are amazing young ladies who’ve accomplished so much at such a young age (not that I know how old they are–just taking an educated guess here) so kudos to them and their loyal followers. I’m sure none of them voted multiple times (hey, we live in the American Idol age).  Tiffany, who received 50 percent of the vote, has amazing credentials  (based on her Linked In profile) and runs a blog, Women Making Moves, that is devoted to the accomplishments of women. I’m thinking she should feature herself on her blog since she is one woman who is making moves (dudes, in your dreams, get your minds out of the gutter).  Tweet that moved the needle here.

The fabulous final five also included @missusP @rochelleveturis @FLASHrelations. All five were nominated among many to become on of the Ten Hottest PR Chicks Based on Their Pics and Tweets (2nd Ed.)  Final results here.

Calling all PR Dudes on Twitter: If you think you’re a PR Dude with the Smoothest Moves (on Twitter), feel free to pitch yourself as long as you weren’t on the last year’s list. Please send pitches to prdude@indefenseofpr.com.  Post slated for Friday, April 30.

Disclaimer: Any similarities of descriptions to anyone living or dead is not intended and must be taken with a large dose of humor.

[From original post: 10.]Don’t act so surprised.  Haven’t you heard crowdsourcing is the ‘hot’ buzzword of the season?!?  We live in a social media world so the last, but not least PR chick to grace this list, will be your choice. Simply send your suggestions in the comments section of this post or tweet me @prdude.  The PR Dudes selection committee will collect and select five of the ‘hottest’ PR chicks you suggest, then we’ll open the floor for a vote. There are only two rules to follow when nominating: 1) Nominee must be a woman or at least looks like a woman working in PR and 2) She must have a Twitter handle.

I was about to let this blog die a slow death. Thanks to Coke, I’ve been rejuvenated to add one more post, No, I’m not O.D.-ing on caffeine. Seriously, I’ve been slammed the past few weeks and sharing my thoughts in 140 characters is just so much easier.  So how did Coke motivate me to write something longer than 140 characters? Simple. They launched a social media campaign.

What irks me about Coke’s social media campaign involving three hand-picked adventurers visiting 206 countries in 365 days is the clear lack of strategy and creativity that Coke is known for. It seems like they were trying so hard to come up with a cool idea that they ended up with a mishmash of Burger King’s Whopper Virgins campaign and the Amazing Race.

In my humble opinion, social media is a channel to build new relationships and cultivate existing relationships. When I first got wind of this campaign, I immediately asked myself, “why should I care?” I have no existing relationship with the three travelers  If I will be following the adventures of the three Coke amigos, I’d like to know  more about them. How they were chosen? Did they beat out millions for the job? What have they accomplished? It just seems so random. They’re almost an afterthought to the entire campaign.

Another thing that bothers me is the name of the campaign itself. “Happiness Goes Around” is just, in a word, dumb. It’s as though they heard the song by Donovan that goes, “happiness runs in a circular motion..,” used in two TV commercials that I know off (Delta Airlines and Cheerios), and then decided let’s go with that. In the case of Delta and Cheerios, the jingle worked well.

As for me and many others, HAPPINESS is simply a state of mind and searching for it in 206 countries might yield some memorable times, but true “happiness” is a choice. Pardon me for being preachy or sounding like Tony Robbins, but then again, Coke might do better in connecting to its customers (that includes me) if they sent us to one of Tony Robbins‘ motivational seminars. I’ll even capture it on video and upload on their site. This would’ve saved Coke tons of money. Whatever Coke saves dough, it should donate to the American Diabetes Association. Now, there’s a campaign that will connect with me on a personal level.

Feel free to share your un-happiness here.

Taking a page from People magazine’s annual list of sexy men, I decided to create a list of the hottest PR chicks based on their pics on Twitter.

This list is based solely on my honest opinion/personal taste, a totally unscientific formula. I hope you understand that this is all in good natured fun so DON’T TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!  If you feel there are others who should be on this list,  all you have to do is submit her twitter handle in the comments section.  The only requirement is that she must work in PR.

To the lovely ladies on this list, please DM or email me if you’d like to be removed, and I promise I will.  I am not a douche bag though I’ve been called that at least once in the past.  For the record, I have the highest respect for the women on this list. They have been carefully chosen for both their sizzle level and PR accomplishments.

This is my #followfriday for today so feel free to follow the ladies whose names grace this list (unless you’re a stalker).  List not in any order:

@rachelakay — Rachel Kay is aka as the queen of PR. I gave her this title when she showed @prcog and I her power over her twitter subjects (okay followers) when she honored us with a #followfriday.  Her majesty’s majestic looks makes men bow.

@amandasena — Don’t mess with Amanda Sena, she’s an Army vet who can kick a$$. Don’t say anything bad about the Mizzou Tigers.

@nataliekeiko — A loyal subject of her majesty, Rachel Kay, Natalie is a woman of many hobbies (just check her profile). Makes me wonder if there is an attractiveness requirement at RKPR.

@jessisjuicy — The youngest of the bunch. Jess showed her creative genius when she suggested the 1st masked tweetup in NYC #masquertweet.

@prsarahevans — Sarah has the largest number of Twitter followers among this group.  She single-handedly put Elgin Community College on the map.

@afashionista — A golfer and fan of Big East basketball, need I say more? Oh yes, Alexis is a West Virgina Mountaineer fan.

@luxuryprgal — Her twitter handle definitely captures her personality. Christine does luxury PR and does it well. And the fact that she does PR for the Club at PGA West has nothing to do with her being named on this list. (Still angling for that comp. round)

@stephaniewebb — Don’t know much about Stephanie except that her toe must be aching. Her sideview profile was enough to get her on this list.

@melissapr — She’s created a demand for ZooLoo.com even if no one knows what it is except for her. Melissa said I was wrong when I asked if ZooLoo was what the Brits call the bathrooms at their zoos.

@PR_Couture — The only one on the list who is not a person, but if you visit their site, you’ll know why it belongs on this list. Founded by fashion hottie Crosby Noricks.

Next week, it’ll be a list of the PR dudes with the smoothest moves (on Twitter). I will not be on the list due to conflict of interest. If you’re a PR dude and think you should be on the list, pitch me at prdude@indefenseofpr.com.  Stay tuned.

When I read Don Bartholomew’s post, “You Might Be a PR/Social Media Redneck If…,” I was filled with laughter, yet at the same time sadness, just because there are so many PR agencies out there, including the one I work for, that can’t seem to adapt to the changes in the industry.

There is fear and ignorance that seem to plague many PR firms to take the step in changing the way they measure PR programs.  PR pros are so good at talking the talk about using social media in PR, but many are clueless as to what it entails. Furthermore, they don’t know how to sell their social media ideas to clients.

Here’s hoping that PR firms, including my own, will begin to embrace new ways of measuring PR. (Thanks to C-Money for forwarding Don B.’s post.)