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

Misguided Victoria’s Secret Campaign Result of Inadequate Fan Research

Five years ago, Victoria’s Secret put on its last fashion show. This show was an iconic event each year where viewers would see their favorite models glide down the catwalk in angel wings, wigs, and accessories. The most popular artist at the time would perform, too. A line of models would parade in the brand’s lingerie for around 42 minutes. The tradition lasted for 20 years and was watched in more than 100 countries. It was beloved…until it wasn’t.

 

During a time of heightened awareness for women’s rights, starting with the MeToo movement in 2017, Victoria’s Secret began getting backlash. People started to call out the brand for being out of touch with real women, being the antithesis of what women were trying to accomplish. So Victoria’s Secret retired its wings and its show.

 

Now, VS has decided to rebrand. And that being the case, I’m sharing some insight from the perspective of a branding professional.

 

On September 26, Amazon Prime dropped the film The Tour ’23, which shows all the work the brand has done to change its image and be more inclusive to women around the world. This documentary is mainly about giving women a platform without gaining capital from it.

 

So what’s gotten everyone upset? The campaign choices. Victoria’s Secret has become extremely active on its Instagram, posting daily. One of the campaign themes dropped was “Icons,” featuring some of the most iconic ’90s and 2000s models. People responded well to the older models. Yet some of the new influencers and current models in the campaign were bashed for not being true icons or real supermodels. People also thought the new models looked unkempt and their garments were unflattering. Spectators claimed that they would have preferred the original campaign instead. Feedback from your audience is so important to take note of when running a digital campaign.

 

Overall, I think Victoria’s Secret had the right intentions, but there’s been far more backlash from the new campaign than the original one. The original show was very successful. The VS brand is popular, but it’s been stripped and remodeled, leaving people disappointed. The downfall of this Victoria’s Secret social media campaign was the company’s failure to listen to its massive following. Social media enables the brand to know what followers want, but it seems VS neglected the opinions of its audience. The campaign ultimately backfired, and fans were let down when they didn’t see the campaign they were familiar with. Fortunately for Victoria’s Secret, it’s been a household name for a long time, so it may still have time to repair the damage.

 

Madison Trumino

Account Coordinator

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

Using Social Media for Recruitment: Is Your Next Hire One Meme Away?

Did you know?

  • 96% of employers use social media to hire talent
  • 86% of job seekers use social media to search and apply for jobs
  • 63% of job seekers look at social media for information about a company’s workplace diversity
  • 65% of job seekers read at least 5 reviews about an employer before applying
  • 75% of potential hires are not actively seeking jobs on job boards

Social Media Recruiting– an asset many companies know they should be using social media for, but are unsure where to begin. Some assume getting started would be as simple as creating a social media profile, but really, the first step should be determining your objectives and developing a strategy.

In order to use social media recruiting to effectively hire candidates and promote your employer brand, organizations need to develop a clearly defined strategy, build relevant and engaging content, and have the bandwidth to monitor interactions and track performance– all while ensuring an accurate and professional representation of your brand.

 

 

If you’re thinking about getting started, here are 10 tips to jumpstart your recruitment efforts on social.

  1. Tell your employer brand story

 

  1. Don’t say it, show it.

 

  1. Stay ahead of the curve

 

  1. Engage. Engage

 

  1. Be authentic

 

  1. Empower your team

 

  1. Plan ahead

 

  1. Understand your audience

 

  1. Get leadership buy-in

 

  1. Commit resources

 

 

Contact SCG today to learn more about how we help our clients use social media to reach job seekers and build a candidate pipeline.

Promotional Products Work From Home

Promotional products and apparel are an excellent way for companies to build engagement with customers and employees. Strategies have shifted slightly with so many employees working remotely or in a hybrid schedule. We increasingly take into account what items would improve productivity in a home office or move easily with the employee between home and office.

TECHNOLOGY

All those Zoom meetings mean that we need to stay connected and organized.

  • Chargers
  • Ear Buds
  • Mouse Pads
  • Cord Organizer
  • Camera Cover
  • Ring Light
  • Branded Desk Organizers
  • Pens

APPAREL

Since your fellow Zoomers are only seeing the top half of you, you might as well have warm toes with branded socks or slippers. Logoed apparel keeps comfortable clothing professional for those on-camera moments.

TRAVEL

Traveling from home to office is a marketing/recruitment opportunity with branded bags, laptop sleeves, phone wallets, or pop sockets.

GIFT OPTIONS

To keep distribution simple, consider a gift program that allows recipients to select from a range of items that are delivered to their preferred address.

We’ve all seen the social media posts of connections starting a new job with a delivery of employer swag, but I recently saw something even cooler. A departing employee received an Alumni gift thanking them for their service and wishing them luck in their new endeavor. We’ve talked to clients about using “return tickets” officially giving employees in good standing permission to change their minds if the grass isn’t greener within a specified period of time, but this takes it one step further.

There are so many ways to use company swag to reach customers and potential employees. Contact SCG today to brainstorm ideas and make your next event memorable.

 

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.

UNMASKING SCG’s POTENTIAL at the SHRM & NAHCR CONFERENCES

Tina Davis and Natalie Corsaro at NAHCR conference in Minneapolis, MN 2022.

Now that people are traveling again…the SCG sales team took full advantage of opportunities to reconnect with old friends and make new friends.

In July, SCG attended NAHCR’s Annual Conference in Minneapolis and were provided a fabulous learning environment for health care recruiters at all stages of their careers. Everyone in attendance, whether a new human resource specialist, a tenured TA manager or director, or VP overseeing hiring nurses and clinical professionals, gained content from the conference that catered to their professional development needs. NAHCR is the only conference designed by health care recruiters for health care recruiters. It was a great preview of conversations coming next.

Tina and Natalie at SHRM.

Then in September, Tina Davis, VP of Account Services, and I joined as an exhibitor for the 50th anniversary OH SHRM conference at the Kalahari resort in Sandusky, Ohio. This year, the conference drew over six hundred professionals from around the state to network with peers and celebrate the theme “Unmasking Your Full Potential.” In addition to enjoyable and engaging conversations, we had the opportunity to present our capabilities through a video highlighting SCG’s portfolio of client work at the booth. Many of the attendees we met were focused in the Manufacturing and Education sections and shared struggles in filling hourly positions. We were able to share our experience with similar clients and how SCG can help.

The highlight of the Conference was the gala event which was a chance for everyone to relax and have fun dancing to the Spazmatics! Luckily the accommodations at the Kalahari Resort made it convenient for everyone especially as we all danced the night away. It was an enjoyable few days of sharing, learning, and bonding. Such a great conference…we look forward to next year 😊

Whether you’re looking for a new recruitment ad agency, support for your existing in-house team, or a partner on specific hiring challenges, we can help. Today’s communications landscape can be confusing and downright chaotic. New resources are developed each day, and what worked yesterday, may not be as effective today. Staying ahead of the ever-changing media channels is challenging, and definitely a full-time job. We can help. We’re recruitment marketing specialists. Contact us today to find out what solutions we have for you!

Hallowe’en … and the thrill of fear

I suppose I can thank my father. Or blame him.

From the time I was old enough to speak, and maybe before then, he began leading me along the boundaries of what I’ve come to think of as the Otherworld. It’s a place of unease, dread, or even outright terror for many. But through circumstance and perhaps a smattering of inclination, I’m at home there.

It all began with the giddy thrill of fear – with the very first time my father shifted his gaze to look just beyond me, into a darkened hallway, and contorted his face into a mask of utter fright. Then, it was those marvelous Universal horror films, Dracula, Frankenstein, Dracula’s Daughter, The Bride of Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man. And as I matured, it was far too many novels and short stories to count, from Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker, and H.P. Lovecraft to Stephen King and Anne Rice.

Meanwhile, my father was ever ready to reference Celtic, Saxon, or Norse legends from the distant, pagan past. One day it was the fae in their hollow hills, the next it was Merlin and dragons, and then it was Grendel and his hideous mother. All these years later, whenever I pass an untended graveyard or mist-shrouded wood after sunset, I’ll again feel that delicious thrill of fear.

Of course, for denizens of the Otherworld, there’s no moment bigger than what we know as Hallowe’en. It falls on October 31, because that’s when our Celtic ancestors – and likely their predecessors, too – celebrated the ancient feast of Samhain, when the veil between the Otherworld and the realm of the living was thinnest. And … when it sometimes frayed.

These days, I care little for trick-or-treating or candy corns. But I embrace the fearful folktale that through long centuries became inexorably linked to Samhain night. This is the Wild Hunt, when fae of the Unseelie Court, or perhaps demons, or maybe even unrepentant souls, sweep across the dark, autumn sky, howling madly, and seek souls to snatch away.

This October 31, I expect to spend some time admiring my grandchildren’s clever Hallowe’en costumes. But once darkness falls, I’ll heed the call of the stirring breeze and slip outside to gaze into the autumn night. And awaiting the Wild Hunt’s frenzied horde, I’ll relish that age-old thrill of fear.

 

 

Kurt Praschak is SCG Advertising + Public Relations’ vice president/Public Relations.

Education Hiring Bonuses

As the 2021-2022 school year approaches, there is a noticeable teacher shortage across the country. In a survey by Frontline Education, two-thirds of 1,200 school and district leaders have reported a teacher shortage, especially among certified and special education teachers. According to another survey, taken at the end of July, of 2,690 members of the NEA (National Education Association), 32% said the pandemic is making them leave their profession earlier than expected.

Schools are combatting this shortage by offering signing bonuses to attract staff and to give veteran teachers and staff incentive bonuses to stay on. Below is a list compiled of bonuses throughout the country in the education space and how they are paid out to employees. Also listed are the local schools in New Jersey who are using hiring bonuses to attract staff.

Snapshot of Hiring Bonuses Around the Country

July marked the peak hiring season for Shelby County schools in Memphis, Tennessee, and they are enticing full or part-time teachers and staff with $7,500 sign-on bonus. All bonuses have a one-year obligation. With the first half being paid after the first semester and second half being paid after completing the last semester of the year.

Durham Public Schools in North Carolina are offering $3,500 for new hires. Additional bonuses are offered by grade level and field of study and could top out as high as $8,000 for a total bonus. However, these bonuses will be distributed over a three-year period. The first installment will be given in September of 2021.

Wake County schools are offering a $3,500 bonus to the 100 special education teachers they plan to hire. The first half will be paid after the first three months of employment, starting in September. The other half will be paid in November of 2022 if the teacher is still employed by the county school.

The certified teacher shortage is so impactful in Waco, Texas, that the Waco Independent School District is planning to give $8.6 million in bonuses. Giving their teachers up to $10,000 in bonuses and custodians and cafeteria workers up to $1,000 in bonuses. All the bonuses will be paid in three installments, starting in December 2022 and end in September 2024.

New Jersey Schools Offering Sign On Bonuses

Lead Charter School, in Newark, NJ, is offering, potentially, a $4,000 bonus to a special education teacher with the appropriate certifications.

The Guidepost Montessori at Mahwah is offering a $1,000 sign-on bonus to Montessori-trained infant and toddler Lead Teachers.

Even the South Mountain YMCA is offering teacher assistants $500 bonuses. The Learning Experience in Ledgewood, NJ, is offering a $500 sign-on bonus as well, for their toddler teachers.

Locally, sign-on bonuses vary depending on the position available. A lot of the generous hiring bonuses from school districts in other states are coming from stimulus funds they have received and need to be spent by 2024. This has led to complaints from parents and others who claim such payments violate the intent of the federal funding. The schools and school districts say that these type of bonuses are a one-time incentive to attract new hires and also serve as a “thank you” to veteran teachers, in hopes to stave off resignations.

SCG Advertising + PR helps over 300 schools in New Jersey with their recruitment advertising. Please email mmangan@successcomgroup.com if you would like to place an ad or visit our website at www.scgadv.com.