When Kelly Wright agreed to wear a chicken suit as part of a public relations campaign for her class project, she had no idea she would be riding around Albertson’s parking lot on a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
What surprised her and the group of “Six Chicks” even more was the eight barrels of food and $275 donated to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank as a result of their class project.
Public Relations Campaigns, a 4000-level class taught by mass communication professor Lori Boyer, uses the knowledge acquired throughout all mass communication classes in college to conduct a real public relations campaign.
This was the first year Boyer taught the class and said it began as an experiment.
“It’s about doing an event from start to finish,” Boyer said. “We want to make sure when they leave, we help them have that experience that will land them that first job.”
At the beginning of the semester, the class divided into three groups of about six students who began planning a one-time event for a not-for-profit organization in Baton Rouge.
Leagh Ann Unglesby, a mass communication senior, participated in the campaign for Bishop Ott Shelter. The shelter is the only one in Baton Rouge where women can gather during the day to participate in job placement searches and day programs.
The group’s goal was to get 150 pounds of toiletries, clothing and bedding, plus one volunteer, for the shelter. In Free Speech Alley last Thursday, they received more than 400 pounds of donations, three volunteers, a car and three cell phones. The group was featured on the 10 p.m. WAFB news.
“It was a much, much better learning experience,” Unglesby said of the class project.
Emily Cochran helped conduct a campaign for Capital Animal Area Welfare Society, an organization consisting solely of volunteers, which would help people differentiate between CAAWS and Baton Rouge Animal Control.
They also wanted to help the pet adoption process, naming their campaign “All Four Paws.”
The students who participated in the All Four Paws campaign held their adoption and donation drive at Noah’s Quality Pets and Supplies. They set a goal of four animal adoptions and $500 in donations.
Through their campaign, they helped find homes for four dogs and a cat and received $300 in donations.
Along with Wright, the students in “Six Chicks” surpassed their goal of five barrels of donations and received an additional $275 in monetary donations. They appeared on WBRZ and on the Big D and Bubba morning talk show on WYNK.
Bonnie Fanguy worked for two months to get permission from Albertson’s to hold their food drive outside the store. The hands-on experience made a huge difference, she said.
“We’ve done media analyses,” Fanguy said. “But until you actually do it, you don’t learn about the obstacles that come up.”
Boyer said the best advice for anyone trying to get the media’s attention is to put the event on paper. The biggest problem she finds are people who forget to include contact information, such as an e-mail address or a cell phone number.
She had one last piece of advice.
“Whatever you’re going to do, have good pictures,” Boyer said.
Maggie Adams said the group knew the Baton Rouge Food Bank had a good reputation, but they were still surprised by the response from the community.
“So many people are willing to give,” Adams said.