Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Public Relations: Among the Best Jobs in 2010


The Wall Street Journal recently published a list of the best and worst jobs in 2010, based on a CareerCast.com study that encompassed five criteria: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress.

The five best jobs (in order) are:
1. Actuary
2. Software engineer
3. Computer systems analyst
4. Biologist
5. Historian

The five worst jobs (in order) are:
1.Roustabout
2.Lumberjack
3.Ironworker
4.Dairy farmer
5.Welder

The job of “public relations executive” is ranked #79 among the best jobs…ahead of attorney (#80), architect (#86), veterinarian (#90), newscaster (#95), psychiatrist (#98), physician/general practice (#128), newspaper reporter (#184) and photojournalist (#189).

Oddly, the job of philosopher is ranked #11…well ahead of public relations. Wow. Well, there are definitely more opportunities in PR than philosophy. A recent search of the Jobs section of The New York Times yielded no “help wanted” ads for a philosopher and over 100 for public relations professionals.

Labels: , , , , , ,

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Green Update: Minnesota Taxes Carbon Emissions…from North Dakota

It can cost more to be an environmentally-responsible manufacturer (at least initially), so how does government level the economic playing field for a manufacturer who uses renewable energy? By levying carbon tariffs against a competitor who pollutes, reports Boing Boing.

Minnesota recently passed a measure to stop CO2 at its border with North Dakota. To encourage the switch to clean, renewable energy, Minnesota plans to add a fee (ranging from $4 to $34 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions) to the cost of coal-fired electricity produced in North Dakota, beginning in 2012. Besides being the greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions, coal has been implicated in asthma, diabetes, heart disease and neurological damage.

State officials in North Dakota—who are arguing that the carbon tariff would unfairly discourage coal-powered electricity sales in favor of renewable energy—are suing the state of Minnesota, the Bismarck Tribune reports. Anticipating this, Minnesota has set aside a half million dollars to fund its fight.

Technorati Tags: sustainability,
renewable energy,carbon emissions, carbon dioxide,
minnesota, environment,communications, public relations, Makovsky

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

A Brief History of Logo Design


Bored Panda (via The Presurfer ) has an interesting visual tribute to the evolution of logo design that’s definitely worth a look.

The 21 powerful brands with iconic logos include IBM , Microsoft , Coca-Cola , Apple , Nike , FedEx and Google , among others.

One of the oldest logo designs still currently in use is the distinctive red triangle of Bass Brewery. Click here to see Bass’s distinctive red triangle logo prominently featured on the bottle on the far right corner of a bar at the Folies-Bergère, as painted by Edouard Manet in 1882.

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thursday, January 7, 2010

The BIG News in 2009

Media relations — knowing how to craft a news hook and shape a client’s messages to create a strong editorial story — is one of the most important skill sets for public relations firms and individual PR practitioners.

But tunnel vision can sometimes be a challenge for public relations pros when it comes to crafting a strong pitch. That’s why I think that the infographic produced by GOOD magazine is worth a look.

Based on data provided by Journalism.org, the interactive chart offers media relations experts an enlightening look at the broad range of news stories that grabbed our attention last year. In 2009, the two biggest stories were the economic crisis and healthcare reform — no surprise there! — but the mammogram policy change appears to have gotten just as much coverage as the Tiger Woods scandal.

Journalism.org reviews the news from 55 outlets every week, calculating what percent of the week’s print, television, radio, and internet reporting is devoted to each story.

Labels: , , , , , ,