Award winning Arrow Media Group Back in Operation for Second Year at San Diego State University

SAN DIEGO – Arrow Media Group is beginning its second semester as an on campus student- run media agency. Last spring’s agency proved to be a valuable experience for the students, with some of the agency’s members going on to win two Public Relations Society of America Edward L. Bernays awards, a prestigious honor given to top public relations firms in San Diego and Imperial counties.

The media agency course is offered in SDSU’s School of Journalism and Media Studies and is made up of graduate and senior undergraduate students majoring in public relations, integrated marketing communications, marketing, and business.

Replicating the real-world agency environment, students in the class meet with clients on a regular basis, create a public relations plans, and execute those plans in an effective and measureable way to help their clients achieve their business goals. “The agency takes the students classroom learning to a new level,” said Erika DiProfio, course instructor and marketing and public relations executive.

To succeed, students must “treat this like it’s real to get the full benefit of the class,” said DiProfio. “This is an opportunity for students to build relationships with their fellow teammates, with their clients, and with the media which will give them an advantage over others applying for positions in the public relations, advertising, and marketing industries.”

Two groups of students from spring 2014 went on to win Bernays awards for their client work. Staci Reidinger, Tiffany Lindemann, and Michelle Shepard won an award for work done with the SDSU’s Children Center. The group was able to drive awareness for their “A is for Art” gala to achieve their fundraising goal. Belinda Too, Nancy Ly, and Isabella Belotto won an award for their work with the Cedros Avenue. In order to create a stronger awareness for the shops, they planned an event for concierge and media to attend.

The spring 2015 client list for Arrow Media Group includes

• Girls Think Tank, a non-profit organization improving life for the homeless in San Diego
• RAD- LAB, a group of architects opening Quartyard, a new community park in East Village of San Diego
• Dos Desperados, a family-owned micro-brewery in North County
• Junior League of San Diego, the local chapter of an international organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community
• PartnershipWorks, a company transforming the way business is done by providing a paradigm of partnership and leadership for individuals and organizations
• Kaminski’s BBQ, a Poway-based restaurant and catering company
• Price Patrol, a fast-growing, unique, live inventory mobile shopping application

 

The media agency course is funded in part by a donation from SDSU public relations alumnus Scott Pansky, a co-founder of public relations firm Allison+Partners.

Client Summary: CES Craft Beer Program

SDSU’s College of Extended Studies launched the Professional Certificate in the Business of Craft Beer in August of 2013. The program director asked Arrow Media Group to increase the community’s awareness of the program as San Diego’s premier business education resource in the craft beer industry. Because the program is in its infancy, the main objectives were to increase its presence on social media and promote its business incentives for industry professionals.

Our team developed an extensive social media engagement guide for the Craft Beer program, which included the creation of Instagram and Reddit accounts as well as strategic posting guidelines for Twitter and Facebook. Since the strategy’s implementation the program’s following has been steadily increasing.

Additionally, Arrow Media Group was able to form and strengthen relationships with relevant media and restaurant industry personnel. These relationships support the program’s position as the educational leader in San Diego’s booming business of craft beer.

Client Summary: The Agency

Arrow Media Group was a public relations consultant for the Agency San Diego, which specializes in “Advertising 2.0” – or next generation marketing – to encourage consumer engagement and brand awareness. Even though the Agency has great expertise in branding, strategic planning and social media, it needed PR consultants who could devise a PR plan in order to strengthen their presence in San Diego. Our goal was to raise awareness of the Agency amongst the San Diego business community and media as being the experts for advertising commentary. Our team planned action and social media strategies based on research and the client’s needs.

Along with action strategies of getting media attention, planning events, presenting at conferences and applying for awards, our team drafted press releases, pitched on the “Diet Coke, You’re On” campaign, and provided an editorial calendar. For social media strategies, we recommended enhancing their website and social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook – including using infographics and writing content with advertising concepts and perceptions. This should enhance their visual credibility and secure the Agency as the ‘go-to’ experts for advertising commentary.

Belinda Too – Account Supervisor
Nancy Ly – Account Executive
Stella Shin – Account Coordinator

Client Summary: Cedros Avenue

Cedros Avenue is one of Arrow Media Group‘s lifestyle clients that would make any team fall in love with their job. Celebrating their 36th anniversary this year, Cedros Avenue has more than 85 shops on 2 ½ blocks offering interior design, fashion, beauty, and dining experiences. Cedros Avenue is the only avenue with all independent shops in San Diego. This client team was comprised of four young professionals: Belinda Too, Nancy Ly, Isabela Belotto, and Solana Braun.

The initial challenge presented to Arrow Media Group was how to increase foot traffic for a destination that has been around for over 35 years. The client team sought to solve this challenge by promoting Cedros Avenue as a tourist destination and by increasing awareness with local San Diego residents. The public relations plan consisted of managing and executing an exclusive event to invite and educate concierges within greater San Diego and tours companies, who we determined to be opinion leaders for our target publics. In addition, the team promoted a media brunch to reach San Diego residents through journalists, mommy bloggers, and other influencers. A social media plan, mainly for Instagram, was also created.

More than 25 concierges and 9 different media representatives attended the event, including Where Magazine San Diego, The Coast News and Ranch News. The results were seen instantly with positive feedback from attendees, social media engagement, and press coverage. At this time, some journalists have already published articles about #mydayoncedros, and the concierge wrote “thank you”” letters, cementing the newly formed relationships. @cedrosavenue‘s follower count raised over 30% in one week and Facebook reach was at an all time high for the year.

Client Summary: RAD-Lab

The RAD-Lab team implemented a successful PR plan that aimed to improve the media relations of a local up-and-coming architecture and design firm. The plan’s overall goal was to increase engagement of RAD-Lab with their latent and active publics through media, and raise awareness amongst the community of RAD-Lab’s newest community project, Quartyard.

Arrow Media Group drafted a press release that included endorsement quotes from a local politician and a prominent investor of the Quartyard project. Because RAD-Lab is already receiving attention from local media, our team conducted formal media training and provided RAD-Lab with a thorough media engagement guide. Arrow Media Group also provided RAD-Lab with a comprehensive media kit. This included written biographies, past media placements, a company overview, and a thorough oversight of the company’s design projects.

In order to increase RAD-Lab’s social media engagement, our team provided a thorough analysis of the company’s social media use. We then provided recommendations and assistance in engaging with publics, resulting in a steady increase in interaction over the three-month period. Ultimately, Arrow Media Group provided RAD-Lab with the tools they need to implement successful media relations.

Client Summary: SDSU Children’s Center

Arrow Media Group implemented a successful public relations plan in support of San Diego State University’s Children’s Center which is a non-profit organization providing care for up to 200 children of SDSU students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Our plan’s overall goal was to raise awareness of the SDSU Children Center’s “A” is for Art fundraiser and increase relationships with local artists, the SDSU community, and potential partners. Ultimately, the plan sought to raise at least $10,000 from this year’s fundraiser, something that has only been done once in the 10 years of the event.

In an effort to promote the fundraising gala, our team coordinated a media day event, and developed press releases and wrote two internal stories which were pitched to more than 15 local media outlets. This resulted in a featured segment on San Diego’s Channel 6 news and two stories in three local publications.

Arrow Media Group also provided the Children’s Center with hard collateral to promote the event. These were distributed at the Center and through social media. In an attempt to attract emotional appeal from the public for the fundraiser, our team produced a 6-minute multimedia presentation that told the story of “A” is for Art. The video also included personal testimonies of alumni parents and volunteer artists of the program.

In order to increase the Children’s Center social media engagement, Arrow Media Group assessed the Center’s online presence and assisted with optimizing the Center’s “A” is for Art Facebook page resulting in a 150% increase in interaction over the three-month period. In the end, the SDSU Children’s Center successfully raised for the first time in 10 years more than $11,000, while increasing relationships with primary target publics along the way.

Client Summary: SDSU X-Team

The SDSU X-Team, one of 30 teams remaining in an international contest to develop a mobile handheld healthcare device (the “Tricorder”), approached Arrow Media Group to help develop public awareness of the team and their efforts. Our goal was to position the SDSU X-Team as the winning team by increasing awareness amongst potential partners and donors, the SDSU community, and the Greater San Diego area as a whole through media coverage, key public engagement, and social media and website optimization.

Our team secured coverage in the UT San Diego Community Spotlight and wrote three stories showcasing the capabilities of the SDSU X-Team. One of three stories were published on the SDSU Newscenter website and shared through social media. Additionally, our team developed the SDSU X-Team’s mission statement, provided media training, and developed a key engagement strategy. Our efforts in this strategy have helped create additional awareness for the SDSU X-Team, while also allowing team members a chance to shine as individuals.

The SDSU X-Team’s website was also lacking meaningful content, as well as their social media presence. By revamping both, Arrow Media Group created new and improved web platforms for audiences to learn more about the team, interact with them, and as a way to grow pride amongst San Diegans. This, combined with media training and engagement consultation, has afforded the SDSU X-Team the awareness and information they need moving forward.

SDSU Introduces Student-Run Media Agency

SAN DIEGO — The SDSU School of Journalism and Media Studies is offering this spring a special course that will not only give students real-world experience running a media agency, but also teach them the basics of starting their own media company.

The course, called “Media Agency and Incubator,” is comprised of graduate and senior undergraduate students working in teams to service real clients needing help with public relations, advertising, marketing communications, digital media, and more. The client roster for the agency is diverse and includes nonprofits, corporations, and small-businesses.

“A traditional internship is a great resume builder and teaches the entry-level basics of working in an agency,” said course instructor Erika DiProfio, a longtime marketing and public relations executive, current vice president of marketing and public relations for Slater’s 50/50, and SDSU lecturer. “This course takes it up a few notches by giving students an opportunity to not only create a plan, but to execute against that plan on the clients’ behalf. It is results-driven, just like in the real world.”

The media agency, named Arrow Media Group at San Diego State University, requires students to strategize, meet with clients, pitch media, manage client budgets, and report results to clients – job duties rarely given to interns in conventional agencies.

The course is funded by a donation from SDSU Journalism and Media Studies alumnus Scott Pansky, co-founder of public relations firm Allison+Partners.

The client list for Arrow Media Group includes RAD-LAB, an architectural group spearheading the Quartyard project in the East Village of San Diego; Cedros Avenue in Solana Beach; the Craft Beer Certification Course in the SDSU College of Extended Studies; the SDSU Children’s Center; The SDSU X-Team, a group of students who are finalists in the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE competition; and the Agency, a creative group in San Diego.