Hartley Mikus is an Account Executive at Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations in Columbus, Ohio. Mikus has been with Fahlgren since October 2007. During her time at the firm she has worked on several accounts including Kroger and Donatos Pizza. Mikus also represents clients in the health care and education sectors. Before she was hired at Fahlgren, Mikus worked as a post-grad intern in the consumer division of Weber Shandwick Worldwide in Chicago, representing a variety of well-known brands, including Harley-Davidson, the got milk? campaign and M&Ms. Mikus is a graduate of Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, and she is a past president of the school's Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter. She was named Ohio University's Outstanding Student in Public Relations in May 2007, and is from Windsor, Ohio. Mikus currently resides in Columbus, where she is the PR committee chair for Central Ohio PRSA and an active participant in Project Mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio. Posts by Hartley Mikus
Hartley Mikus is an Account Executive at Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations in Columbus, Ohio. Mikus has been with Fahlgren since October 2007. During her time at the firm she has worked on several accounts including Kroger and Donatos Pizza. Mikus also represents clients in the health care and education sectors. Before she was hired at Fahlgren, Mikus worked as a post-grad intern in the consumer division of Weber Shandwick Worldwide in Chicago, representing a variety of well-known brands, including Harley-Davidson, the got milk? campaign and M&Ms. Mikus is a graduate of Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, and she is a past president of the school's Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter. She was named Ohio University's Outstanding Student in Public Relations in May 2007, and is from Windsor, Ohio. Mikus currently resides in Columbus, where she is the PR committee chair for Central Ohio PRSA and an active participant in Project Mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio. Thursday 15th - Apr 2010 @ 7:54 AM
Three simple things your crazy event needs to be successful
Fireworks, explosions, skydiving, fire! Do those words get your attention? I bet they do more so than if I would have rattled off: speech, check presentation and ribbon-cutting ceremony. Am I right? If so, then you are like many others out there who want to be entertained.
So if you’re a fellow PR pro, you probably have several friends, family members and neighbors who think you are solely in the business of stunts, rocket packs and anything else that’s completely off the wall. Though event planning is just one of the many areas of expertise in a PR practitioner’s toolbox, pulling off a crazy, attention-getting event is usually no simple feat.
So what are the keys to successfully and strategically controlling chaos? Well since you didn’t take a class in college called How To Conduct A Guinness World Record Attempt, you have to learn as you go, but there are three key components that, if present, almost always make for a successful, entertaining event.
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Monday 28th - Dec 2009 @ 9:43 AM
Tips for building a strong corporate reputation and maintaining it
In high school we thought our reputation meant the world. Everyone tried his or her hardest to protect an image. We were painstakingly set on who we wanted to be and would do anything to defend it. We monitored the conversations going on around us like hawks, always careful to analyze every shred of gossip to see what people were saying about us. And though that time in everyone’s life is difficult, I think we, as professionals, could actually stand to learn a lot from teenagers and their deep commitments to their reps.
I’m not saying we completely revert back to our teenage days of name-calling and pettiness, but I do think that if we take a hybrid sample of our teenage spirit and professional knowledge, it can really start to work in our favor and benefit our clients. In fact, measuring a corporate reputation is increasingly the focus of several professional studies.
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Monday 16th - Nov 2009 @ 8:34 AM
Welcome to Cause Marketing 2.0.
It has been awhile since I’ve been contacted via phone to donate to a cause. I also receive far fewer direct mail pieces asking me to be a local volunteer and help champion a cause than I remember my parents receiving.
Perhaps it’s because I haven’t lived in the same apartment for more than a year at a time or had an actual land line since before I started college. Or perhaps it’s because what we once knew as cause marketing has morphed into cause marketing 2.0.
Social media has grown as a powerful public relations and marketing tool, especially with respect to non-profits and other causes. Original attraction to the emerging medium may have had something to do with the fact that implementation was, and still is, relatively inexpensive, especially when compared to creating a direct mail piece and sending it via snail mail to 10,000 homes. And now, as various social media platforms have evolved and users have become more knowledgeable, it now seems to be the vehicle transmitting several cause marketing and public relations campaigns/initiatives.
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Monday 19th - Oct 2009 @ 10:12 AM
Learning to laugh at work
For those of you who are big fans of the Fahlgren Mortine blog, you may recall a post from last year at this time by agency president Neil Mortine, in which he discussed some of his antics surrounding the very special holiday, Shocktober. Though this special holiday originated many years ago (see other post for history), it is still well-known and revered by all staff members at Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations…that is, all members except newer associates. For one reason or another, the more experienced have chosen Shocktober to be the one workplace topic in which they don’t offer advice. There aren’t any templates to follow, no talking points to include, not even a whisper of what this holiday means, its history or what it exactly entails until it is too late and newer associates fall victim.
I myself have fallen into the holiday’s wily grip (I was one of the associates who found Neil “passed out” by the restrooms last year, as he mentioned in his earlier post). And though I was initially scared to death, I laughed uncontrollably once the plot was revealed. I am one who tends to take myself too seriously from time to time, so being “Shocktobered” and observing its sacredness within office walls has allowed me to relax and keep a positive outlook, even during the most stressful times.
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Monday 6th - Jul 2009 @ 9:51 AM
Midwest-based, internationally connected.
I’ve lived in Ohio my entire life, so I am used to all the ridiculous questions from out-of-towners about my geographic location. Some people truly believe there is nothing in the entire state of Ohio but farms and grazing cattle, that we are actually shut off from the entire outside world. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Though Fahlgren Mortine is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, we are experiencing good geographic growth. We have expanded to offices located in Dayton, Ohio, and Denver, Colo., and our client roster is growing too. In addition to our national clients, we are also working for clients with a presence on five of the seven continents.
With this rapid international explosion comes excitement as well as added professional challenges. The importance of global knowledge is elevated, and must be, to practice strategic and effective international public relations.
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Tuesday 16th - Jun 2009 @ 3:09 PM
Adapting life lessons from the business world.
I have been fortunate to have worked on a variety of different public relations initiatives since I began my career at Fahlgren Mortine in 2007. Learning more about crisis communications, media relations, social media and several other areas have been great experiences. And as I near my two-year anniversary with the firm, I was recently given a project in a completely different realm, internal communications.
A client with whom we are currently working has charged us with managing all aspects of their new company unveiling. As the launch date quickly approaches, my team and I have been arranging video programs, coordinating on-site activities and corresponding with contacts across several continents and numerous time zones. (Creating a work plan is difficult when you can’t figure out if it is today or tomorrow for the responsible party.)
Start talking!
This project has taught me several important key strategies that must be employed when unveiling a new brand to internal and external audiences alike. Coincidentally, they all involve communication. Shocking, I know.
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Monday 4th - May 2009 @ 12:52 PM
The search is on…for the perfect mentor
As a junior pro, the importance of a strong mentor is increasingly evident each day. The true value of a person who’s “been there, done that” is priceless in the world of public relations - possibly the most valuable tool in a professional’s utility belt. Mentors are there to calm your nerves before an important presentation and available to offer guidance before embarking on the unchartered waters of a new project. We all recognize their value, but what many of us still struggle with is how to actually select a mentor for ourselves.
Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match!
I recommend searching around your office, community or professional groups for people with similar styles. Identify people you admire and the reasons you admire them. A senior-level colleague of mine suggests finding someone whose work style resembles yours. If you strive to emulate their styles, they might be an appropriate choice. These are just some ways to informally identify a mentor. Formal programs may also exist within your company. At Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations, we are in the process of launching such a program in which more senior level employees are paired with junior level associates. If your company has something similar, I strongly encourage you to participate.
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Monday 13th - Apr 2009 @ 1:55 PM
If not, maybe it should.
Each year as the weather breaks, people throughout central Ohio can be found in T-shirts and flip flops when it is barely 50 degrees. We are thrilled to throw our winter coats into the back of our closets and enjoy each sign of spring. We wash our cars and clean our homes, eager for a new beginning.
Since we are already conditioned to take advantage of this fresh start that comes each April, why not incorporate the concept into our professional lives as well?
We all say each year that we need to be better about reading the news or developing new skills, fine-tuning existing ones or becoming more knowledgeable in a particular area. And since we are PR people, we have the gift of gab and keep talking about it. Now, it’s time to make our carefully planned and strategic volitions actual realities.
Where do you want to improve? My answer to this question is always “all areas listed below,” or something to this effect. If you are like me, or even if you only have one area you need to improve upon this year (doubtful, but I’ll give you the benefit), check out the list below.
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Thursday 5th - Mar 2009 @ 1:11 PM
Embracing change while we brush up on public relations basics.
As we continue to sink deeper into this strong economic downturn, companies and families alike work hard to stay within their budgets. Layoffs are popping up in all directions. Luxuries are out of style, and bargains are becoming trendy again. So as we embark upon this rugged professional climate, full of bear markets and rising unemployment, how do we illustrate our worth as PR professionals? How do we compete in a world of shrinking news outlets and slashed client budgets?
Though the climate is undoubtedly complex, I am starting to believe that the answer is quite simple. To communicate our value to our clients and duke it out with the elements amid harsh economic times we must do just a few things, BUT we must do them better than we have EVER done them before. We must be adaptable while also being cognizant of the tried and true methods that have always worked in the past.
Monday 26th - Jan 2009 @ 9:26 AM
Socializing online isn’t all fun and games.
As a junior PR professional, I am constantly amazed by all of the knowledge and expertise floating around
me each day at the office. Some colleagues have been professionals in the field for 10, 20 or even 30 years and seem to know everything there is to know about strategic communications, plan development, client service and agency life.
This wealth of knowledge is extremely inspiring and allows me to set large professional goals and dream big. I feel I am learning new and valuable information every single day, and that I’m privileged to be surrounded by such experts. But at times it feels as though I am drowning in a deep pool of intelligence, and painfully aware of my “greenness.”
My solution to this ever-present problem has been social media. I can boldly say social media has saved my life - well maybe not my life, but at least my confidence as a young professional. The rise of social media is still fairly new and is continually developing, which means pros who have been in the business 20+ years, have only been interacting with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and so many other social networking sites for just a short time, just like me.
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