“What the Public Relations Lab seeks to do is create individuals (and) students, and bridge them from the academic world into a professional setting so that we can go from students to colleagues,” Associate Professor Fran Matera said.
The work of students Cassidy Olson, Rachel Steingard, Rachel Sutherland and Adam Wolfe was showcased. They all were in the Fall 2011 Public Relations Lab class and worked with various companies creating campaigns, websites, logos and slogans.
“It’s an agency for all intents and purposes,” Matera said. “These are individuals that have worked in-depth with their clients.”
Christie Silverstein, director of marketing and public relations for Valley Forward and president of the Phoenix chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, announced that PRSA’s 15-member Board of Directors approved a $15,000 donation to the PR Lab.
Kicking off the Must See Monday, Matera gave information on the curriculum in the PR Lab.
“It’s an interactive learning environment,” Matera said. “You have an opportunity to exercise your creativity but with direction.”
The lab works with students who are enrolled in the lab for three, six or nine credit hours, and they also work with other partners to keep all the parts of the lab working. They work with students from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU, as well as the Art Institute of Phoenix.
The students’ clients in the fall 2011 semester ranged from big-name to start-up companies, including Intel, the Tempe Coalition and Retreat to Tontozona. One of the clients this spring was Avnet.
“You can conduct research and execute a campaign, you may plan and only execute parts of a campaign, or work on specific projects,” Matera said. “There is an opportunity to learn many different things.”
One of the class’s first tasks was to create a team name, logo and bio. The process is called team branding.
Olson and Steingard came up with the name Bridge 21 when they started working for the Tempe Coalition.
“Our campaign was focused on underage drinking reduction campaign and our idea for our logo was to bridge the gap between those who are under 21 and those who are not. And we chose our colors because they go along with the city of Tempe colors,” Olson said.
Olson also mentioned the cohesion between the campaign and the City of Tempe was important to the group.
“I think Dr. Matera’s motto is if you think about it enough and do your research it will kind of just come to you, in like a ‘moment’,” Steingard said. “So I think we just had that ‘moment.’”
Matera gave advice about crossing platforms and making sure a brand, logo or other icon can be transferred across different platforms including print, digital, retail and more.
Several of the groups created websites for their clients. The Bridge 21 group used wix.com and wordpress.com to create multiple potential websites for their campaign, and then the client chose which one they liked the most.
Students also worked with television commercials. Intel wanted a commercial that demonstrated Intel’s new embedded technology.
Sutherland and her group were assigned Intel and created a commercial that mimicked E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial with Intel’s embedded technology.
The night ended with Matera asking the panel about this class being an advantage for a recent graduate’s portfolio.
“The fact that you learn these new skills, really benefited me overall and especially in my work experience,” Wolfe said.
Contact the reporter at aldugan@asu.edu
