Back to the Classics: A Suggested Reading List

I’m a public relations practitioner, and my profession’s core is communication– the development and expression of ideas and information. I’ve been at it for a long while, but I still find it beneficial to periodically return to the artistic classics of communicating, whether in the form of music, film, or literature. These provide us with a standard of excellence, while reminding us what true clarity of thought looks like.

 

With all this in mind– and also for fun– I’ve compiled a chronological list of seven classic novels (complete with general remarks) I enthusiastically recommend to anyone who’s ready to take a break from the here and now and gaze back upon the exceptional.

 

Wuthering Heights (1847), by Emily Brontë

Fabulously atmospheric, it’s a darkly troubling love story featuring multiple narrators and a series of flashbacks. The fact that this was Brontë’s only novel (she died in 1848, at age 30) is a tragedy for all readers.

 

Dracula (1897), by Bram Stoker

Thrilling, harrowing, and terrifying– this is the gothic novel that laid the foundation for modern horror. Dracula is about the vision of pure, ancient evil, and the circle of friends who dare to defy it.

 

Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Sherlock Holmes canon is composed of 56 short stories and four longer works. Collectively, they’re the origin of modern detective fiction, and this novel is the best of them. Also worth noting, Conan Doyle is a vastly underrated writer.

 

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), by James Joyce

To me, Irishman James Joyce is the greatest writer of modern English– and this is his most accessible novel. It’s a coming-of-age tale, and though set in late nineteenth-century Dublin, it remains stunningly modern.

 

The Great Gatsby (1925), by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Considered by many to be America’s finest novel, it’s a window into a very different time– but with characters and themes that remain entirely relevant. Speaking of those characters, they’re detailed, layered, and brimming with intrigue.

 

Lord of the Rings (1954-1955), by J.R.R. Tolkien

This series is one epic fantasy tale divided into three volumes. Tolkien draws upon the root myths and legends of northern Europe to weave what I consider the most powerfully magical novel in the English language.

 

Watership Down (1972), by Richard Adams

All the main characters are rabbits. Really. It’s a mesmerizing, edge-of-your-seat story with marvelous heroes and one of literature’s most wicked villains. Also– its author didn’t begin writing until he was 46 years old.

 

Kurt Praschak

Vice President, Public Relations

SCG Advertising & PR

Intern Insights: What is Threads?

Social media is constantly evolving. If you blink, you could find yourself behind on the latest app. Not every site will be a juggernaut like Facebook, but you don’t want to be late to the ones that end up succeeding. In this blog, we’ll discuss the new platform Threads, including its pros and cons.   

 

So, What’s Threads?

Threads is a companion app to Instagram that allows users to share text, photos, and videos. It is similar to Twitter in terms of the content and tone of its posts. In its first week, Threads reached more than 100 million users, which may be attributed to being owned by global media giant Meta, which currently has more than three billion daily users.  

 

Pros 

Threads runs smoothly compared to other platforms in the early-release stage. It uses the same design and structure as Instagram,  meaning major issues have been dealt with on Instagram before Threads was introduced. It is also easy to connect with your Instagram followers via Threads. You need to use your Instagram login to access Threads, so everyone you follow on Instagram will be shown to you upon signing up. Threads is also similar to Twitter, a smashing success for more than a decade, which is a positive indicator for its future.  

 

Cons 

Threads is Instagram’s companion app, meaning you need to have an Instagram account to sign up. This has proven to be problematic (At this point, in 2023, anyone who doesn’t have an Instagram most likely has no intention of changing that). Over the years, people have become so comfortable with Twitter that many wouldn’t leave it unless they were left with no other choice. A new platform means starting from scratch, and it takes months for an algorithm to be properly tailored to one’s interests. Lastly, Threads is currently only available on iOS and Android devices, which, despite making the milestone of 100 million users more impressive, isn’t a sustainable model for social media success.  

 

 In the rapidly evolving world of social media, Threads holds promise for individuals and businesses alike. Threads swiftly established itself as a potential powerhouse, and the best way to avoid being left behind in this fast-paced world is to pay attention to the newcomers.  

 

Justin Picciuto

Public Relations Intern

SCG Advertising & PR

Nine Essential Poems

Poetry is doing things with language that exceed the scope of routine communication – it’s rather like painting with words.  I occasionally engage in the process, and a handful of my efforts have appeared in poetry journals.

 

But, I’m a rank amateur; at best, I’ll string together several words in a fashion that isn’t dreadful. Perhaps in my role as a public relations professional I’m slightly more effective at communicating a message. In any case, the nine works briefly discussed below (in chronological order) are examples of poets connecting with the literary otherworld. Though these poems span centuries and represent widely varied styles, each provides a glimpse of poetic perfection.

 

Beowulf (circa 800?), author/authors unknown

Available to us only because a single, hand-written copy somehow survived through centuries of British history, this Old English epic offers a vision of a world where heroism is the most valued currency. I recommend Burton Raffel’s 1963 translation, and also suggest listening to several lines in the original language to experience the ancient music in words that now are understood only by select scholars.

 

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day / Sonnet 18 (1609), by William Shakespeare

In the pantheon of English writers, Shakespeare occupies the best seat. In addition to nearly 40 dramatic works, he penned 154 sonnets – and this is likely his best. It’s certainly his most often quoted, and while the Bard’s language can be challenging for 21st-century readers, “Sonnet 18” is quite straightforward. Few would argue against it being the greatest love poem ever written.

 

The Old Pond (1686), by Matsuo Bashō

I love the Japanese haiku, with its five-syllable, seven-syllable, five-syllable format and emphasis on nature imagery. Matsuo Bashō is revered as the greatest of haiku masters and his “The Old Pond” – all 17 syllables of it – is generally considered the closest anyone has ever come to writing a flawless haiku.

 

My Heart’s in the Highlands (1789), by Robert Burns

In Scotland, the “ploughman poet” rose from rural obscurity and became his nation’s most beloved writer of verse. Remarkably lyrical, most of Burns’ works function equally well as song lyrics or poetry. In just 21 lines, this particular poem captures the wild beauty of the Highlands, as expressed by a narrator who misses them desperately.

 

Ozymandias (1818), by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Among the best-known of the English Romantics, Shelley’s works were infused with his progressive socio-politics. Using the brilliant metaphor of a half-buried statue, his “Ozymandias” requires only 14 lines to express the transience of human power.

 

I Am the Only Being Whose Doom (written 1836), by Emily Brontë

No other writer fascinates me as Emily Brontë does. She died at 30, leaving behind a single novel, which became a seminal work of English literature. She also produced some 200 poems, which are renowned for the same emotion and wildness that defines her novel. “I Am the Only Being Whose Doom” articulates loneliness and despair with a startling directness.

 

The Raven (1845), by Edgar Allan Poe

Many readers mistakenly think of Poe as a quirky writer of dark tales and the occasional clever verse. In fact, the combined brilliance of his poetry and prose are unmatched by any other American writer. Since being published, “The Raven” has become perhaps the world’s most famous poem – and certainly the only one after which an NFL team is named.

 

Song of Myself (multiple versions published from 1855 to 1891), by Walt Whitman

The centerpiece of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass volume, “Song of Myself” faced immediate hostility because of its structural and rhythmic uniqueness. More recent critics have suggested that every 20th and 21st-century American poet has been influenced by the 1,300-line work.

 

Howl (1956), by Allen Ginsberg

As a college student in 1984, I sat in an undersized lecture hall some 15 feet from Ginsberg while he read “Howl.” It was absolutely spellbinding. The work, 112 lines of free verse, is a shrieking, sometimes harrowing attack on modern society. America’s Beat Generation yielded some remarkable literary works, and “Howl” may well be the finest of them all.

 

Kurt Praschak

Vice President, Public Relations

SCG Advertising & PR

The Best Playlists for Working Productively (and having fun)

As a musician, it’s natural for me to listen to some type of music playlist while I’m in the office working. I certainly don’t restrict myself to any one genre. Lately, the biggest musical trend has been the rise of Lo-Fi. Lo-fi music is characterized as a type of downtempo hip-hop music known for being relaxing and hypnotic. Due to these qualities, students and professionals alike are listening to Lo-Fi playlists while working.

 

According to HBR.org, listening to music can boost workplace concentration, mood, and performance. Additionally, according to the BBC, it may even increase your productivity by up to 15%.

 

So, next time you need a pick-me-up to get you going, put your earbuds in or turn on your portable speaker, and listen to music while you work. I’ve even created two Spotify playlists to get you started.

 

Work Playlist

Work Playlist: Lo-Fi

 

Lupe Dragon

Public Relations Specialist/Account Executive

SCG Advertising & PR

Revolutionizing the World: How AI platforms are shaping the future

10 ways to utilize ChatGPT today

Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t new – and it’s been impacting our economy, society, and culture for years. Some of the most frequently utilized tech tools, including virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Home and recommendation systems used on streaming services already integrate AI.

 

What’s new is the power, ease, accessibility, usability, flexibility, integrability, and approachability of open AI tools like ChatGPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer) from OpenAI and Bard from Google. Both are chatbots that take a more “human-like” approach and have a strikingly wide range of applications.  Thanks to these advances, more than 2000 new AI tools have been launched during the past 30 days.

 

Certainly, there are legitimate and serious economic, ethical, accuracy, and social concerns related to AI. That said, the reality is that AI won’t be going away, so we need to prepare ourselves for what’s to come.  As Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

 

Used properly and ethically, artificial intelligence has the potential to become an integral part of our problem-solving process.

 

My contribution to this discussion isn’t my AI expertise — quite the opposite, in fact. Rather, I can only offer my readiness to learn. And with that said, here are 10 ways I’ve attempted to integrate ChatGPT and Bard into my work and life:

 

  1. Research, ranging from simple questions to detailed data dumps. I’ve used it to help explain complex topics and make sense of data I’ve pulled from various sources.
  2. Validate work, asking it to review content to align messaging and information.
  3. Simulation role play, to identify different perspectives and outcomes
  4. Enhance engagement and outreach, to discover new influencers, partners, and collaborators.
  5. Plan, from developing checklists to travel plans.
  6. Generate ideas, helping to spark strategies and action.
  7. Create content, offering both updates and enhancements.
  8. Jump-start a project, offering tips for assignments or tasks.
  9. Broaden my perspective, through prompts enabling me to “dialogue” with defined characters.
  10. Train, test, and quiz with specific prompts

 

What can be accomplished with AI is limited primarily by our creativity in generating effective prompts, as well as by the accuracy of available information and by the ethical questions that have already begun to arise.

 

For those organizations that may wish to benefit from our initial experiments with AI, we’d be happy to discuss – just reach out to us at scgadv.com

National Day of Unplugging 3/3

The average daily volume of media content consumed by an American during 2022 (per Oberlo) was 494 minutes, or about 8.5 hours. So, given the time we spend sleeping, that means roughly half of our waking hours involve media consumption. It’s even harder when screen time is a large part of your typical workday. Each year, National Day of Unplugging is celebrated on the first Friday in March, and encourages people to step away from their digital devices and unplug for a 24 hour period. Let’s talk about ways we find ourselves stuck on screens, and how to unplug.

My iPhone indicates my own daily screen time averages about 6 hours and 46 minutes. That’s no surprise, since I use my phone for nearly everything, including:

  • Listening to music
  • Meditation apps
  • Social media
  • Texting and calling family / friends
  • Taking photos
  • Accessing Duolingo
  • GPS support while driving
  • As an alarm clock

 

Of course, there’s also my Apple watch … and my laptop for the office … and my personal laptop at home.

 

Because I work as a social media specialist, all this online time is both normal and necessary, since I need to keep up with best practices and the latest trends. But, is it healthy for me in the long run? Is all this time spent consuming media content healthy for any of us?

 

One benefit of my particular profession is that I have access to all manner of technology for actually reducing the time I interact with a screen. For example, I can automatically schedule social media content, and I don’t need to conduct a lengthy search to determine the most effective time of day for posting. Technology also makes it remarkably easy for me to locate media coverage of our clients and to find contact information for journalists. In other words, technology actually helps to reduce the time I must spend consuming and processing media.

 

There’s also lots to be said about how to enjoy workday breaks without involving your phone or laptop.  On my breaks, I like to:

  • Walk outside
  • Read books
  • Play pool (the office building in which we’re located has a terrific lounge area)
  • Write poetry or new song lyrics

 

These are some of the fun things I do that help me avoid unnecessarily using my phone. I mean, it’s not always beneficial to be aimlessly scrolling through TikTok (although, I must admit, I really do enjoy TikTok).

 

So, on this National Unplugging Day, what’s one activity you could undertake that wouldn’t require use of your phone or laptop?

 

How to Work Comfortably at Home While Sick

After falling ill about a week into January, I learned a thing or two about working remotely in the midst of an awful cold. I don’t know precisely what I had, but it featured body aches, sweats, chills, coughing, a stuffy nose, and pretty much everything in between. Yet, I still managed to get a good bit of work done from the comfort of my bed and couch.

 

The following are a few tips. Maybe they’ll help you the next time germs get the better of you.

 

  1. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t be entirely productive. Nobody plans to become sick. And sometimes, illness arrives during a big client event or when a major project is due. One of the benefits of working for an agency is that there are typically extra hands on deck to assist when you’re just too sick to function.
  2. Take extra breaks, whenever needed. Sometimes, you’re simply too worn down to continue working. If this is the case, brew a cup of tea and even consider a power nap. Your output can only be as good as how alert and healthy you feel.
  3. Stay in communication with your colleagues. Even if you’re a bit groggy, seek out updates from your colleagues. This will help you continue to move items off your plate, and they’ll likely appreciate the extra effort you’re putting in.
  4. If possible, get some fresh air via a 5-minute walk around the neighborhood. If you’re sharing the outdoor space with others, be responsible and wear a mask. Also, be sure to take appropriate vitamins/supplements to help in the battle against your illness.
  5. Speed your recovery up by getting plenty of rest both day and night. Working remotely has its perks, but there’s definitely something to be said for the daily routine at the office. So, make sure you rest as much as your body demands – it’ll help you recover and get back to normal as quickly as possible.

 

It used to be that even if you were horribly sick, you’d pushed yourself to go to the office just to show your dedication and push through. Now, it’s more important to protect all your coworkers and not spread germs by working remotely, if you can.

Customer Service: Similar Hats in a Different Environment

This year, I was honored to be selected to serve as a Poll Worker/Election Official in November’s general election.

Being a poll worker allowed me to put my customer service skills as an Advertising Account Manager to good use when assisting voters coming in and out of the precinct. It was challenging work that took many hours of in-person and on-line training, but so worth the effort to use my current skill sets in a different environment.

In my current position at SCG, I need to have strong multi-tasking and communication skills in order to work with team members, clients and vendors.  Since a poll worker handles all aspects of the voting process from precinct set-up, voter check-in, record updates, ballot distribution, and even passing out those little “thank you for voting” stickers, my skills at SCG helped considerably.

It was great to see individuals from every generation casting their votes. We had a first-time voter that got our applause when his dad brought him to vote for the first time. The son was a bit embarrassed, but our team was impressed! We also had several individuals who required assistance; they were determined to get through the check-in process and cast their ballot! Many new citizens were excited to be voting for the very first time! Even a few quick rainstorms didn’t stop people from lining up at our door.

It was a very long 14+ hour day. But when you finally clock-out and you tear down tables and pack-up bins, you feel like you’ve accomplished something very important. I enjoyed doing my part while using old skills and learning new ones. I hope to do it again for the next election(s).

(Although I’m employed full-time with SCG, I’m glad they give me the ability to take a day off in order to use my skills in a different environment. Thanks, SCG!)

World Mental Health Day (My Story)

World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma.

This is my story.

Since I was 15, I’ve been in and out of counseling. My anxiety disorder was diagnosed when I was a high school freshman, and that was when I realized something was wrong. Or, at least, that I needed help reshaping the way I think about the world so I could begin to feel better.

Anxiety can be extremely debilitating, with constant worrying about things that might never even happen. This often stems from some type of untreated trauma. For a long while, I thought I’d be struggling with anxiety forever. I simply didn’t have a support system that told me it was okay to process my feelings and to sometimes step back from whatever I was doing just to consider how to deal with things.

I’m 23 now, and I’ve worked hard to learn how to calm my anxiety disorder and live life to the fullest. It took years, and I lived through a lot of things that contributed to changing how I thought. It was often a struggle, from waiting until I was 19 to get my driver’s license, to a lack of support related to my college studies and music career. But in the end, anxiety didn’t hold me back – I found a way to push forward. Anxiety became my motivation – to graduate and then find an employer that prioritizes a healthy work/life balance and embraces the importance of mental health awareness.

When I arrive at the office, I know I can step away when needed to take what I call my “daily afternoon walks.” This helps me recharge and recenter, and when I’m back at my desk, everything’s still there and everything will get done on time. We also have many other mental wellness activities in our lounge space including yoga classes and an art studio. This encourages our team to take a step back from work when the day gets too stressful. Beyond work – in all aspects of day-to-day life – periodic mental health breaks don’t make you lazy. Instead, they’re an excellent tool for remaining calm, focused, and centered. I encourage anyone reading this to not hesitate to reach out when you need help… even if it means stepping back from work until you can be in the right mental health space. There are many resources to connect with including the newly founded 988 suicide hotline. Please, take care of yourself. Sometimes the work CAN wait.

 

Happy World Mental Health Day! 

Lupe Dragon

The Public Relations Side of Music

Lupe DragonA lot of musicians think that blogs and online publications are an “outdated” way of finding music, but I tend to disagree with that. As a PR professional and a musician myself, I use public relations to help boost engagement with potential fans. When you google my name, you see tons of interviews and reviews of my music from the past four years. These are in the form of podcasts, news coverage, blog posts, and social media content. It’s what we call being “social proof.”

Social proof is “the idea that consumers will adapt their behavior according to what other people are doing.”

Here are some key examples of how you can attain “social proof.”

  1. Expert’s stamp of approval
  2. Celebrity endorsement
  3. User testimonials
  4. Social media shares
  5. Earned media (i.e., news coverage)

Check out this article for more information on examples of social proof. 

A musician without public relations is the same as an author without an agent – an absolute nobody. If the general public doesn’t know you exist, how do you expect to get results?

In 2022, musicians need to be both talented and business savvy. It’s a harsh reality, but if you put even half as much effort into your marketing and PR as you do into your next single, you will be making it easier for yourself to branch out to a broader audience. That’s the reward you’re looking for.