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Last week the entertainment industry and political circles were abuzz with the talk of Sarah Palin’s appearance on Saturday Night Live. It seemed everyone had some sort of commentary on her appearance, whether it be a cheer or a jeer. With all the talk surrounding her much anticipated appearance, this begs the question: Was this good or bad PR for her?

First of all, there is no question that Palin’s appearance was a ratings jackpot for NBC and SNL. Her appearance delivered the network the highest ratings of an SNL episode since 1994. With the election only a few weeks away, it seems the country was interested in seeing if the potential vice president was cut out for comedy.

For the past several episodes, SNL has done parodies of Sarah Palin starring former cast member Tina Fey. This time, however, the real deal was on the show. Palin appeared during the opening sketch alongside Alec Baldwin as well as on the “Weekend Update” segment where she danced to a rap.

Whether or not you agree that Palin was funny in the sketches or if she has a potential future career in Hollywood (if the VP thing doesn’t work out), I think this was definitely a good PR move for her.

Those who disagree that Palin’s appearance on SNL was a good PR move might say that it made her look silly and not serious or professional enough to be a vice president. While this might be true, it did make her look like a good sport and demonstrate that she finds humor in being mocked.

Since SNL targets to a 20-something demographic, as displayed by many of their skits, Palin’s appearance on SNL allowed her to show young voters a different side of her. Throughout this political campaign, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have been aggressively targeting young voters more than the McCain-Palin ticket has been. While a guest appearance on a show such as SNL may not swing a vote, it definitely could change someone’s opinion of a candidate.

According to a study conducted by HCD Research and the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, Sarah Palin’s appearance on SNL contributed to a favorability ratings increase among all parties. The study found that Democrats, Republicans and Independents all had more favorable opinions of Palin after they viewed her appearance on the show.

Critics of Palin will say that her appearance on SNL added fuel to the argument that she is merely a puppet used to attract attention, while fans will say she added a much-needed breath of fresh air to this political campaign. Regardless of your thoughts on whether her appearance was good or bad PR, she certainly contributed a huge ratings boost for NBC and also exposed herself in a more playful light to a younger demographic.

Being from Nashville, I understandably am a huge Tennessee Titans fan. With the Titans’ 6-0 winning streak, and the fact that they are the only team in the NFL that is still unbeaten, it is a good time for me in terms of football.

On the other hand, the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys have recently been put in a very bad light because of the actions of one player, Pacman Jones.

I am going to look at the situation involving the Cowboys and Pacman Jones from a PR perspective.

It all started in 2007 when Jones, who was playing for the Titans at the time, was suspended by the league for off-field issues involving a fight and a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club. Pacman took it upon himself to be his own PR practitioner and took out an ad in the Tennessean newspaper, reassuring fans that he would regain their trust and make up for his actions. He also said he planned to re-enroll in college and graduate.

The PR efforts were unsuccessful, as Pacman was traded to the Cowboys the following season.

A few weeks ago, on Oct. 8, Pacman was involved in a fight with his bodyguard in a Dallas hotel; however the bodyguard decided not to press charges against him. Immediately after this incident, both the league and the Cowboys had no comment.

The fact that both of these organizations had no comment on this incident, one of many in recent history for Pacman, is off-putting. Shouldn’t they have had something to say about the fact that this one man has shamed an entire league with his actions?

Owner Jerry Jones exhibited extreme spin control in the days following Pacman’s hotel incident. He was attempting to minimize the damage that this latest incident would do to the Cowboys organization and to himself for signing a known thug.

Jones was quoted as saying, “”If I suspended Pacman Jones over something like this, I would have had to suspend half the team over the last 20 years.” Um, yes, Jerry, but did you consider the fact that Pacman is coming off a season-long suspension and has been arrested six times?

Seemingly in a PR attempt to distract from the negative headlines involving Pacman, Jones made a trade on Oct. 14 to get receiver Roy Williams from the Detroit Lions.

Although this may have worked in taking people’s focus off of Pacman, it will be short-lived.

The Cowboys are currently in a public relations nightmare, which they got themselves into, and have not done a great job of getting themselves out of.

The actions of Pacman have hurt the image of the entire league in general. Two teams have given this man multiple chances, and it seems that the Cowboys have still left the door open for him if he wants to return after his stay at an alcohol treatment center

It wasn’t until this semester that I realized the huge impact and importance of social media in public relations. Obviously I knew what Facebook was (after all, I am a college student), but I just recently became acquainted with Twitter through one of my teachers.

Twitter is a social networking site that allows users to send and read other peoples’ updates. The website asks users the questions, “What are you doing?” and the user then responds to that question in 140 characters or less in what is called a “tweet.” It is similar to the idea of a Facebook status update.

I was a little unsure of Twitter at first, as I didn’t really understand the point of it. Why would anyone care what I was doing right now, and how could this site possibly help me at all?

After navigating through Twitter and “following” several Auburn alums on it, I realize why my teacher wanted us to start using it. It is a great outlet for making connections in the professional world. Many PR practitioners actively use Twitter, and some of the most widely-known bloggers and journalists use Twitter as well. It has over 2 million registered users right now, and it only launched in 2006.

Even large media outlets have begun using Twitter. A few weeks ago, I was sitting doing homework with CNN on in the background when I heard them say the word Twitter. I immediately tuned in to the TV and discovered that Rick Sanchez, one of their anchors, was accepting viewer questions via Twitter. That really showed me the impact of social media and how much the mainstream media is embracing sites like Twitter.

I recently noticed that the Today Show even has a Twitter account. I immediately began following their updates when I saw this since I love the Today Show. One of their updates was asking for families that are cutting back on holiday spending for an upcoming story. I thought it was pretty cool that someone like me could provide an outlet like the Today Show with story leads just by using a site like Twitter.

Twitter is also pretty useful for journalists since it only allows you 140 characters to say what you want to say. If you are following a journalist on Twitter, you could pitch them a story they might find interested in this amount of space.

Twitter is a great tool for college students in PR since it allows them to make contact with many PR professionals. I have even heard stories of students landing internships at agencies because of Twitter.

The only downside to Twitter is something I read about called “brandjacking.” This is when a user makes up an account pretending to be a company, which could potentially be very harmful. Although Twitter is a fun site, it’s important to make sure you are monitoring your brand or name if you’re a professional.

Seeing the advantages of using a site like Twitter has gotten me even more excited about the field of PR. It’s a great way to make connections and learn about PR, and I will definitely be using it as I begin my career.

It is safe to say that Google is one of the most innovative and widely recognized companies. They have grown immensely since their inception, and it seems they are always coming up with new products and ideas.

After months of much speculation, T-Mobile and Google announced last week that they have teamed up to launch a new smartphone. The G1 phone will operate on Google’s Android operating system, which many consumers have been eagerly anticipating.

The phone has a touch screen front and opens up to a full QWERTY keyboard. It also incorporates Google software including Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube.

T-Mobile will be the exclusive carrier of the phone, which is meant to compete with AT&T’s extremely popular Apple iPhone. The G1 will go on sale in the U.S. on Oct. 22 and will be priced lower than the iPhone at $179.

Like the iPhone, which comes with iTunes software, the G1 will come loaded with Amazon’s digital music store.

The announcement of the G1 phone was a great PR move for both Google and T-Mobile. Google it seems has added their name to almost every niche in the marketplace to try to compete with companies like Apple. This is the best thing they could have done for themselves if the G1 phone proves to be successful and problem-free. The iPhone had many problems when it launched, so hopefully Google won’t experience the same thing.

T-Mobile, which is the fourth-largest U.S. wireless carrier, has made an excellent PR move by associating their name with Google. They have received a huge amount of attention for this partnership and for being the first to operate using the Android operating system. This will definitely raise the status of T-Mobile and put their name on a more exclusive tier.

T-Mobile will also be putting on a huge marketing campaign prior to the launch of the G1.

I think the G1 will be a great success for both Google and T-Mobile. Many people are not fans of the iPhone, including myself. I think a lot of people were turned off by them after all the problems users have experienced with the phones when they first launched. The G1 will be a great alternative to other smartphones such as the iPhone and BlackBerry.

I think that just being associated with the Google name will draw many consumers to want to buy the G1. Personally, I wanted one the second I heard Google was launching a phone. I had no idea what it looked like or what features it would have, but I wanted one just because I use all of Google’s other products, and Google is the only search engine I use. Since I don’t have T-Mobile as my cell phone carrier, it looks like I won’t be getting a G1 any time soon, though.

I look forward to seeing the G1 in person and seeing if it is successful or not. There is no doubt that this was a great PR move for both companies involved with its creation.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/09/23/google.phone.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch