NEW YORK, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – Amidst the ongoing discussions of women in the workplace and the opportunity for women to assume leadership positions, new research finds that Millennial women, surprisingly, have little interest or desire to assume a top leadership position.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130613/DC31704-INFO)

A recent survey commissioned by Zeno Group, the award-winning global public relations firm, finds that only fifteen percent of 1,000 Millennial women said they would want to be the number one leader of a large or prominent organization.  Of these women, 92% are confident they are on the right track to attain that role and two-thirds (66%) think it will take them less than six years to do so.

A prominent theme emerging from the research is the extent to which millennial women are unwilling to make the personal sacrifices they believe are inextricably linked to their ability to climb the corporate ladder.

• Forty-nine percent say the sacrifices women leaders have to make aren’t worth it, and nine in ten agree that women leaders have to make more sacrifices than their male counterparts
• More than three-quarters of women surveyed (76%) are concerned about their ability to achieve a balance between personal and professional goals
• Less than half of the women (46%) are willing to sacrifice aspects of their personal life to achieve professional goals
• Diving deeper into the data, a strong majority (59%) of millennial moms agree that the sacrifices women leaders make are not worth it in contrast to 40% of those without children share that point of view

“This new data shows we must get smarter and more creative in the recruiting and retention of top Millennial talent,” said Siegel. “We don’t want W-O-R-K becoming the new four-letter word for this generation.”

The survey also found that Millennial women truly value mentorship.  However, surprisingly, less than 60% of these Millennials have mentors. Women who have a mentor are much more likely to believe they are on track to achieve their professional goal than women who don’t have a mentor (82% vs. 60%).

“The findings send a clear signal that we cannot operate business as usual,” said Barby K. Siegel, CEO of Zeno Group and mother of two teenage daughters. “We need to think about doing things differently when helping Millennial women develop their careers and weigh the sacrifices that may or may not be required.  We do not want to risk losing this talented generation of professionals.”

Millennial Women with Children vs. Without Children

Not surprisingly, the Zeno survey unveiled different attitudes when comparing millennial women who have children with those who do not:

• Millennial moms are six times more likely than millennial women without children to say that their career is not that important to them (26% versus 4%)
• Millennial moms are three times more likely than millennial women without children to say that an inability to balance professional goals with being a parent is what is most likely to keep them from achieving their professional goals (35% vs. 11%)

Stay-at-Home vs. Working Millennial Moms[1]

• The study also revealed a difference in perspectives between stay-at-home versus working millennial moms, however, both agree that having a family takes a toll on achieving professional goals. Three-quarters of working moms agree that they’ve had to make personal sacrifices to get ahead (74%), but over half say that the sacrifices that women leaders have to make are not worth it (52%).
• Almost one-third of working moms indicate that the inability to balance professional goals with being a parent would hold them back from attaining their ultimate professional role (30%).
• Almost one-quarter of stay-at-home moms say that the inability to afford child-care or elder-care (22%) could potentially keep them from attaining the professional role they ultimately desire.

The market research firm Edelman Berland conducted this online survey of 1,000 American women ages 21 to 33 who were graduates of a four year college or university was conducted May 14, 2013 – May 17, 2013.   The margin of error is +/- 3% (at a 95% confidence level). Percentages may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

]]> http://pr-diva.com/2013/06/find-your-fearless-millennial-women-question-professional-ambition/feed/ 0 http://pr-diva.com/2013/06/2013-s-h-e-summit-june-14-15-nyc/ http://pr-diva.com/2013/06/2013-s-h-e-summit-june-14-15-nyc/#comments Sat, 08 Jun 2013 00:39:41 +0000 PR Diva http://pr-diva.com/?p=1726

“What would you do if you were not afraid?” — Sheryl Sandberg

Is there something in your life or career you’re holding back on? Are you celebrating what you ARE getting done and being good to yourself? Are you living a passionate and purposeful life? Women’s leadership and lifestyle expert, Claudia Chan, is convening her remarkable women’s network to design the ultimate leadership and lifestyle conference for YOU. Whether you seek more personal fulfillment, practical leadership advice to grow your business or career, habit shifts that will bring you more happiness, or to expand your network of amazing women–DON’T MISS THIS 2-DAY EVENT THAT CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE (for the cost of a fancy pair of shoes).

What is the empowerment without the entertainment? After the #SHESummit sessions – join women influencers in media, tech, social good, wellness, fashion, finance, consulting, culture/arts etc. for post-session music, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, discovery & shopping (featuring 15+ vendors) … and of course, power networking (bring loads of business cards!). Plus pick up your S.H.E. Swag Bag worth $100 in goodies! All full day #SHESummit tickets include 1st access to the S.H.E. Marketplace.

One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to dedicate one hour a day to my career goals after work. This may look like writing a chapter for my first book or reaching out to a LinkedIn connect that I haven’t spoken with in a while. However, arriving home marks the end of any work for me. My husband is usually waiting to be fed, burped, and tended to (I love you honey!) or there is some chore to be done. By February, I was convinced that it was impossible to get anything accomplished outside of my day job. It was time to reassess!

My work commutes are undoubtedly one of the most productive times of my day. It’s one of the rare moments that I am alone with very little distraction! I realized that I can transform my time people watching and listening to iTunes into powerfully productive time blocks. Check out the tools and methods I use to make the most of my work commutes.

Save for Later

I help manage our social media platforms at my day job and so I come across a lot of interesting articles and tips on community management, PR and technology. I’ll archive a tweet or save an article to read later with Instapaper or Pocket. I’ll use my commute to read the material I’ve bookmarked throughout the day.

Audio

Instead of listening to my Beyoncé album… again, I’ll catch up on podcasts that are related to my industry and career. Vlogging has become increasingly popular amongst career blogs, and so this may look like watching a vlog from Classy Career Girl or She Takes on The World blogs for me. I also may carve out a week to listen to an audio book. I love the Audible app for iPhone. You can bookmark your favorite parts and add notes as well.

Brainstorm

As an aspiring author, I may randomly stumble upon something that inspires a topic in my upcoming book. I’ll use my Simple Mind + App for iPhone to create a Mind Map. When I’m experiencing writer’s block, I’ll use a technique called free writing to break the ice (Overcome Writer’s Block Once and For All), and that’s when I’ll whip out my trusty native iPhone Notes app to jot down ideas.

Connect

I’m an avid believer in creating and nourishing your contacts. I try to monitor my LinkedIn feed for people in my network who’ve changed jobs or been promoted, shared interesting material or done something worth giving them a pat on the back for. For you, this may look like participating in a LinkedIn group, responding to emails or calling clients. Just recently, I sent a thank you note to the founder of a staffing agency in Chicago who took the time to conduct an informational interview with me. We’d met a year prior, and it made both of our days for me to let her know how far I’d come in a year and how much I appreciate her taking the time to meet with me.

What you choose to do with your newly found free time depends entirely on your own goals and agenda. Your goal may be to improve your customer service and so you can choose this time to follow up with customers. You may want to learn a new language, read more about a specific topic or write a paper. An hour a day, per work week, adds up to 260 hours a year otherwise wasted.

What are some other times during your day that you can stand to make more productive?

Ebonie Townsend is an administrative professional, freelance writer, and aspiring Marketing guru. Ebonie brings a fresh prospective as a freelance administrative professional who has managed to build her network, resume and skillset via staffing agencies with some of the top organizations and companies in Chicago. Ebonie plans to expand her writing to teach women with untraditional backgrounds how to accomplish their career goals. You can connect with Ebonie on Linkedin and Twitter.

Starting a new business or project is exciting! You’re shaking every hand at networking events, fans are growing on social media, and you may have a customer or two, but you crave more. Then BAM! Life decided to interrupt your plans of billionaire status, and the well-oiled machine turns dry quicker than expected.

What happens when more doesn’t come, and all the work previously invested has been lost among life’s demands? Unfortunately, when you lose momentum, the quality business reputation you have started to build may be tarnished. Here are ways you can overcome the lack of momentum, continue to build your business, and keep your sanity when life interrupts.

To avoid losing momentum, you can:

1. Pace yourself and know your limits – My grandmother used to say, “Girl, you have too many irons in the fire!” If you are writing a novel, building a clientele, teaching a class, with a day job, how much do you expect to get complete? Not much. Only handle one to two projects at a time, and stick with them until complete.

2. Get help. Again, I say GET HELP.  After spending night after night attempting to get things done, I realized, after burn out, that I did more harm than good. And what did get done, wasn’t up to the quality standard I wanted to present. This will release you from many minor tasks, and free up time to tackle bigger things.

3. Prioritize Goals. Write down goals in order of priority by the quarter, month, week, or even day. And even better, look at all the time you waste with things that don’t matter. DVR your favorite shows for the weekend, or have a cut-off time for long winded friends. It comes down to how bad do you want it.

If you’ve already lost the momentum, and want it back, you can:

1. Reconnect and communicate. Don’t shut down the business or project without communicating to team, contacts, or supporters. Explain your hiatus so no one is wondering where you went. I’m sure most, if not all will respect your honesty, and will continue to support you. We do business with people we like, so ultimately sharing a few details about your struggle to juggle, and reaching out may work in your favor.

2. Network. The great thing about networking is you can attend cool events, and speak to people doing something! Iron sharpens iron, and being in the presence of other industry professionals will help reignite the fire. Plus, you have the potential to meet future team members, collaborators, and fabulous people willing to barter services.

3. Consider Re-Branding. If all the time you’ve invested didn’t produce the results expected, a re-branding may be in order. That could mean new logo, or a re-packaging of products and services.  Don’t think about the money or time spent, this may be just the thing you need to implement the lessons learned from the previous venture attempt.

With these tips you will be able to continue the road to billionaire status, or at least be able to quit, and do what you love full time!

Originally from San Francisco, now residing in New York City,  is a freelance writer, and publishes an online magazine called The Journey Suite. It is a publication for urban women not afraid to ask life’s faith questions, and discuss taboo topics. Her work on business, love, and the hot mess of life can be seen in online, and print publications around the country. Visit www.thejourneysuite.com, and subscribe for updates.

Let’s take it back to elementary school when we used to get a list of summer reading books to be read by the end of summer. These books will help you reload while you relax. Here are 5 picks for the public relations pro’s summer reading list:

Rogue Elephants: One PR Girl’s Fight Through the Human Jungle by Miss Jane K Hunt

Rogue Elephants: One Girl’s Fight Through the Human Jungle is the witty and self-deprecating auto-biographical account of a PR career stretching from the mid-80s to 2012, written by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ winner of the national title of ‘Best Freelance PR Practitioner’ 2012. Filled with both humour and poignant episodes, the book takes the reader on a journey, beginning with Jane’s floundering around with a PhD at Cambridge University and then taking on the cultural challenges of working as the executive secretary for a Japanese stockbroker. It sees her launched into a career in in-house PR, before leaving the PR profession for a while to face huge personal challenges, from alopecia to death threats. Her return to the industry and subsequent move to the agency side of the PR world is then sprinkled with funny episodes, bizarre encounters, famous faces and moments of public relations triumph, which will have both those in the PR profession and beyond laughing and wanting to read on, to find out how Jane then created a regional PR consultancy (Catapult PR), based in a sleepy Lancashire location which could create one award winning PR campaign after another. The book ends with Jane’s ultimate title triumph in 2012, when she grabbed her award from the hands of Olympian, Colin Jackson and wasn’t prepared to let go! This book is a must for anyone working in PR or considering a career in public relations, but is also a witty read for anyone who likes books in the spirit of ‘It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet’, any woman trying to juggle motherhood with a career or running their own business and anyone who is seeking inspiration to overcome life’s obstacles.

Rethinking Reputation: How PR Trumps Marketing and Advertising in the New Media World by Fraser P. Seitel and John Doorley

Good public relations is no longer just icing—it’s a strategic imperative more important to your competitive success than even advertising or marketing. This is true whether you’re a century-old multibillion-dollar corporation or a penniless startup. In Rethinking Reputation, public relations guru Fraser Seitel and John Doorley, founder of the Academy for Communication Excellence and Leadership at Johnson & Johnson, examine a fascinating new set of case studies—including the BP oil spill and the launch of CitySlips—to glean the PR dos and don’ts for the new media world, covering both standard reputation maintenance and crisis management. They also show start-up companies and entrenched organizations how to use the power of word-of-mouth to jump-start business like never before. This is a wake-up call from two industry legends—for public relations professionals as well as entrepreneurs, CEOs, and anyone else tasked with representing their organization to the world.

Women in Public Relations: How Gender Influences Practice by Larissa A. Grunig, Linda Childers Hon, and Elizabeth L. Toth

Are You In? Inc: PR’s Alter Ego by Nicole Garner

PR Rock Star  (A Little Brand Book) by Cyndy Hoenig

What makes a successful public relations program? Does my business really need it? Can I do it myself? Unless you are a hot celebrity, a top CEO, or just discovered the cure for the common cold, good PR just doesn’t happen on its own. It takes a lot of skill, and consistent hard work over a period of time. It’s part art, part science and when practiced correctly, the results are very rewarding. Former Hollywood publicist, Cyndy Hoenig, provides little brands with the tools to create a successful PR campaign to start getting your brand the recognition it deserves. “Cyndy’s entertaining and very personal approach outlining a powerful blueprint to be effective in public relations is formidable. To think like a PR person helps anyone to better partner with their PR firm to maximize results. Cyndy Hoenig is a seasoned PR Professional who rose through the ranks at the prestigious Los Angeles PR firm Bender, Goldman & Helper, where she served as Director of the Consumer Television Division. Her area of expertise centers on planning and executing media relations programs that achieve high levels of coverage. Hoenig is the founder and principal at Pure PR.

What books are on your summer reading list? Please share in the comments below!

1. Press Outreach Skills Still Considered Most Important ht.ly/kFPuo

2. “Don’t worry so much!” Great advice from these Power Women CEOs ht.ly/kEUOn

3. 7 ways to write a compelling headline bit.ly/ZRFx2x

4. Is Social Media Advertising or PR? ht.ly/kBKT7

5. 15 Industry Conferences for Fashion Publicists and Marketing Professionals ht.ly/kBtD

6. Questions All PR People Must Be Asking ht.ly/kFPBo

7. What Would Happen To The Media If Facebook Collapsed? ht.ly/kByBU

8. 7 traits of a solid PR professional bit.ly/ZiMG7o

9. Five Tips on Public Speaking bit.ly/ZZdNmV

10. How do you plan to stay relevant & employed in communications throughout your career? ht.ly/kE9It

Please feel free to add some of the best articles, posts, tweets, etc that you came across this week!

According To Forbes, more than 37 million Americans at over 3.5 million workplaces participate in Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Originally called the Take Our Daughters to Work Program, founded by Gloria Steinem and the Ms. Foundation for Women in 1993, the concept was created in response to research that found many girls lacked confidence and were dropping out of school by the eighth grade.  Ten years later the name was changed to ‘‘Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work’’ so that boys, who are subject to many of the same problems, could also participate.

We are empowering youth to realize their hopes and dreams with this remarkable day. The theme for 2013 is “Work in Progress” and teamwork. It reminds our youth to dream big, collaboratively, and aim for success!

I am spending the morning with my oldest son who is writing his first blog post (coincidentally about teamwork!), learning to use Vine, and creating a targeted media list of his favorite sports journalists using Vocus. I wanted to show him a teensy bit of my work day but also spend time with him. My younger son decided to go to school (it’s a half day). In the afternoon, he will spend time with my husband learning more about his work.

This quote resonated with me as it truly captures the spirit of the day:

“Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” isn’t about showing your kids how you make money. It’s about having an excuse to spend extra time with your children. Take it from me: that extra day means a lot to them… – John Ketchum 

Did you take your child to work today? Are there children in your office today learning about your workplace?

On October 18^th, hundreds of communicators will descend upon Springfield for a weekend of professional development, networking, and fun during the 2013 Association for Women in Communications (AWC) National Conference, “Worth Every Penny”, held at the Hilton Springfield. The Springfield (IL) chapter of AWC is hosting this premier professional event for the communications industry and it is open to all communicator specialists.

The conference, themed as, “Worth Every Penny”, reflects the need for communicators to effectively use their personal brand and/or business to charge what they are worth. Women communicators especially must work towards bridging the wage gap to receive equal pay for work of equal value.

“We are very excited to hold the AWC National Conference in Springfield, a city loaded with rich and vibrant historical attractions, to bring together and celebrate communicators while promoting the advancement of women.” says Maria Henneberry, AWC Chair.

One conference highlight is the International Matrix and Clarion Awards Reception and Dinner on Saturday, October 19^th. All Clarion Award winners will be honored and presented with their Clarion Awards at this reception and dinner.

Bonnie St. John, dubbed “one of the most inspiring women in America” by NBC Nightly News, will be honored with the 2013 AWC International Matrix award. For over twenty years, Bonnie St. John has circled the globe as a keynote speaker and leadership consultant for over five hundred different companies, non-profits and associations. Bonnie has risen to the highest levels of achievement in a variety of endeavors throughout her life. Despite having her right leg amputated at age five, she became the first African-American ever to win Olympic or Paralympic medals in ski racing, taking home a silver and two bronze medals in downhill events at the 1984 Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Bonnie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, taking an M.Litt. in Economics and was appointed by President Bill Clinton as a Director for Human Capital Policy on the White House National Economic  Council. The celebrated author of six books, Bonnie co-authored her most recent #1 bestseller, “How Great Women Lead,” with her teenage daughter.

Bonnie has been featured extensively in both national and international media including: The Today Show, CNN, CBS Morning News, NBC News, PBS, NPR, and The New York Times, as well as People, “O”, and Essence magazines, to name just a few. NBC Nightly News called Bonnie, “One of the five most inspiring women in America.”

Author and media personality Sarah Petty is the opening Keynote Speaker. Sarah Petty is co-author of “Worth Every Penny: Build A Business That Thrills Customers and Still Charge What You’re Worth”, and a highly-acclaimed internationally sought-after speaker, presenting to audiences around the globe on how the boutique business model can strengthen their companies. Petty began her career in the marketing department at the world’s largest brand, Coca-Cola Enterprises, and went on to direct the marketing campaigns of many small businesses at a top regional advertising agency. After earning her MBA, Petty opened her boutique photography studio and was named one of the most profitable photography businesses in the country after just five years in business by the Professional Photographers of America and had grown a multi-million dollar business. Her second company, Joy of Marketing, is where she teaches small business how to compete in any economy without using price. Petty’s practical no-nonsense approach will leave the audience inspired and with clear action steps for getting on the right path.

On Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, various distinguished speakers will present at educational break-outs to share best practices on networking, leadership, and emerging technologies. On Saturday afternoon, conference attendees will be able to “give their two cents worth” by sharing ideas, experiences, and personal triumphs during the Unconference.

“The AWC Unconference is a new and exciting addition to our National Conference offerings,” explains AWC Board member Sheila Scarborough, “It is completely participant driven and any conference attendee can initiate a discussion on a topic they are knowledgeable and passionate about during a set time.”

Sponsorship opportunities for the 2013 AWC Conference are available. Anyone interested in sponsorship opportunities or for registration information, can visit www.womcom.org or call (703) 370-7436.

Founded in 1909, the Association for Women in Communications, with 2,500 members, is the premier professional organization that champions the advancement of women across all communications disciplines by recognizing excellence, promoting leadership and positioning its members at the forefront of the evolving communications era.

3337 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314 USA

Phone: (703) 370-7437 | Fax: 703-342-4311

E-mail: info@womcom.org | Website: www.womcom.org

Anthoni Allen, a former Talent Manager who has worked with Snoop Dogg, David Banner, Michael Strahan, Nicole Murphy, Criss Angel, Quincy Jones, P. Diddy, R.Kelly, and others - gave up her management hat to pursue her passion for Branding & PR. Graduating from Clark-Atlanta University with a degree in Mass Communications, Allen knows the importance of uniting brands with the masses. Young, full of energy, and accessible with bi-coastal experience, she believes in “creating brands” by managing the flow of information between an individual or an organization and the public. Anthoni’s past experience in various aspects of the music industry give her a unique, broad-based perspective. Even more importantly, she focuses on the highly specialized field of publicity in her day-to-day business and utilizes her “hustle ambition” to further her clients’ brands.

Founded in 2011, Allen’s firm, AAllenPR is a full-service public relations agency specializing in editorial, celebrity and event driven press in the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle industries. Clients include young design talent, established premium designers, and innovators in the world of fashion, beauty, and accessories. AAllenPR has a proven track record of combining editorial press, celebrity dressing, promotions, and events to assist in developing successful household-name brands.

PR Diva had the opportunity to interview Anthoni Allen on starting a firm and she provided words of experience, advice, and encouragement for other professionals wishing to embark on the same journey.

Why did you decide to start your own firm?

The demand for PR/Branding consultants is a limited resource for small lifestyle brands. I wanted to provide a service for small brands that can give the platform to build their business within their margin. There are millions of start-up companies with small budgets but they are unable to find the resources they need to help them build their brand. That demand has to be met; I started AAllenPR to target these lifestyle markets.

What obstacles have you overcome? What motivates you?

Being a small company myself, a client must be willing to trust you with their brand. What makes my small company compete with larger firms?  A lot of time the clients want the “name brand” PR agencies. Having to familiarize my company with each client is a constant task, but once they meet me & grasp my passion for what the service that I provide the outcome is always income.

What keeps me motivated are my client results. Once I get them the results promised, I feel as if I’ve been an asset to their brand. That alone makes me want to do more and see them to the next level. My passion motivates me, the art of loving what you do is motivation enough to keep going.

What is the best advice you can give someone thinking of making the big jump to start their own PR firm and/or going the freelance route?

GO FOR IT!! You will never know how far you can go if you don’t believe in your own capabilities. Being raised around a bunch of single women, I know that you must depend on yourself to get things done. I say start out small, work your day job & have your company on the side. Build your business and INVEST in yourself. Move in silence and let your success speak volumes. Having stability is the scariest part of venturing off on your own….but as long as you believe in yourself & a higher power it’s up to you to #MAKEMOVES!!!

What do you see in the future of PR and branding?

Branding is foundation of any successful business, other than having a worthy product. Your PR/Branding campaign is KEY! This is a multi-million dollar business. I look at Steve Stoute and see the wonders he has done with the careers of these entertainers and there’s NOT LIMIT to what the future of this business holds.

How has social media helped you in your pursuits?

I’m really low-key on the social media scene, (contrary to what I tell my clients) my company doesn’t solicit business from the public. So my job isn’t to constantly advertise on these sites. Whenever I see PR companies selling PR kits etc., I think it’s a form of con-artistry. 90% of my business comes from referrals, which speaks volumes. My clients are so satisfied with my services that they refer me to others, I love that. I have an open-door policy with all my clients which also ables me to comfortably build their brand. Twitter/IG/FB are fun but at the end of the day I’m too busy working to post my every move.

What can we expect from your firm for the remainder of 2013?

AAllenPR is launching a series of Women’s Empowerment Brunches, from LA-ATL-NYC. Where we get the most affluent women in each industry (Beauty/Fitness/etc.) to have an open forum discussion’s on how they got to their position. To motivate, empower and give back. We just partnered with the Downtown Women’s Center of Los Angeles, to gain proceeds as a charity partner in all of upcoming events. We are currently launching 3 large lifestyle brands which are due to launch mid- summer. I’m in the process of writing a self-help book called “Hustle Juice” A Girl’s guide to reaching your Goals. Those wishing to connect can follow our Instagram and Twitter @AAllenPR. 

“PR girls, girl_PR, PRinHEELS,” is generally a connotation to women, which are the majority of the public relations realm. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my female counterparts, but there are a few diamond in the rough PR BOYS/MEN that stand out and are just as conducive to their industry.

The text book definition of PR is traditional pitching, email campaigning, press release wiring, brand development and JUST RECENTLY: Social Media. I have taken social media just as important, if not more, than the aforementioned tactics. The mentality behind any successful social media maintenance is to run like a magazine. Relevance being the number one value. In a world as time sensitive as fashion, trends come and go within the blink of an eye, it is key to running a social media campaign that can keep up with the speed.

Twitter: The Universal Cocktail Party

As I have described to all my clients, Twitter, is a cocktail party.Y ou are the host and you communicate with all the attendees. Those invited, better known as your followers, and the guests; those who you want to reach out to via common interest (AKA the #). I have met numerous industry professionals at one of two places: at industry events or through social media. I use twitter religiously and as the root platform always communicating information, pictures, and videos from (takes deep breath) Vine, Instagram, Tumblr, Blogger, Facebook, Foursquare, Snapchat, Youtube, Polyvore, Lookbook & anything I may have missed.

It is quintessential to growth, and development to stay alert and on top of the world. Staying within industry is, of course, extremely important to state relevance to our industry- whether it be food, fashion, wall street, politics or anything- it brings more to your brand, and sets you apart when you can take bits and pieces of other industries and convert it to your own. People love to read a twist.

Social Media: Rebranding

With the higher end stores such as DKNY, Oscar De La Renta, and Bergdorfs they took social media as a tool to reach public who wish to be a part of the high-end world but maybe can not afford it. They tweet, facebook, tumblr, and use pinterest to give out their voice as a brand, to update on their fresh press, upcoming projects, events, and what is to come. These brands were able to break this wall of perception, and allow anyone into their luxurious culture while speaking to their usual audience.  The moment we see a sneek-peek picture on any platform, we become engaged and excited with that brand more and more.

When viewed in a business aspect, Twitter is an extension of you and your brand. By nature, I depict that of a convivial persona, people and the creativity they bring to the world has always been my first love (fashion my second). At the root of my career path, is my ability to engage, listen, and build relationships. Since a young age, I always had many friends, and more often than not, of different “networks”. During college, I wanted to pursue psychology but that was a bit one-on-one, I wanted to fuse business, people, writing, and psychology all in one. PR is just that, probably to the t. Fashion PR addresses the times we live in, reflects trends, and the ability to express our desires and serve as a projectile mirror of ourselves onto the world (or the closest it will ever get).

 ABOUT BYRON CORDERO:

Originally from New Jersey, Byron Cordero started his professional career at college by enlisting in the PRSSA National Organization. From the start, networking, creativity, and people have been his passion. He has grown in the industry, interning in PR departments from a startup job search engine company to fashion. His first step in fashion PR began with interning at a luxury cashmere fashion house in midtown: Minnie Rose. From there all PR efforts and tactics took off at immense speed, as New York City is the heart and soul of movement. Since working in New York, and a commuter, he has learned the intricacies behind brand development. Byron is an advocate of social media and uses it religiously in all PR campaigns to give his followers and readers an inside scoop to the world that takes up his day. No job too grand or too small for the young professional to endure, he takes pride and moves with finesse while moving forward day by day.

To connect with Byron, follow him on Twitter @NYCPRboy, Pinterest, Tumblr, and on Vine and Instagram under NYCPRboy.