WVU Marketing Communications Today

Public Relations Student Society of America National Committee members and undergraduate PR student, Zane Landin, will discuss how young professionals are breaking into the marketing communications industry and adapting during these times. Zane will be discussing how young pros can stand out, contribute to the evolution of traditional ideas of marketing, and overcome obstacles in professional development in the face of COVID-19.

WVU Marketing Communications Today is hosted by Matthew Cummings from West Virginia University which is a program on the Funnel Radio Channel. 

About Matthew's guest:

Zane David Landin, PRSSA 2020–2021 vice president of career services, is a non-graduating senior from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He will graduate in December 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations. He has a strong passion for academics, design, social issues, creative writing, and learning new things all the time. Upon graduation, he hopes to be accepted into the master’s program in strategic communication from Columbia University to work at a public relations firm, the government, a nonprofit, or a university. He plans on working in the industry, earning his PR Accreditation, and eventually completing his Ph.D. in either Disability Studies with an emphasis in Communication Disorders or Public Relations to become a university professor and conduct research on accessible communication practices advocating for universal design.

Landin recently joined PRSSA this year, and has grown a passion for the club and organization as a whole. Landin’s passion for career services grew from his involvement in PRSSA and acknowledging how important and vital internship opportunities are. Landin has served in multiple internship roles all ranging from different agencies, departments, and companies. He has interned at the Environmental Protection Agency, Pomona Hope, the County of Orange local government, Access Services, the NASA CPP Business Startup Program, Score A Friend, and many departments on his campus.

He wants to help students prepare for a job in the public relations industry. His multiple internship experiences and involvement in PRSSA has improved his skills in the workplace, interviewing, cover letter writing, refining resumes, and general professional etiquette. He plans to bring these experiences to advise and assist students to land their dream internship.

Landin is always available whenever you need him to help you highlight your skills and showcase them on Portfolium, help start your LinkedIn account, personal website development, review your cover letters and resumes, aid with social media branding, personal and professional development, etc.

Landin is excited to serve on the national committee and looks forward to working with the amazing members of PRSSA and PRSA.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, every business is soul searching and wondering how to move forward with their marketing communications. Some common themes have emerged as to how businesses are trying to further humanize their brand, generate empathy from the public, and simply “do the right thing.”

As data become easier to access, manage, and analyze, the responsibilities of data professionals have changed. Once the wild west of specialization where few companies were really investing in “data” people, today companies are a lot better at democratizing insights and closing the data literacy gap. This shift has resulted in an evolution of the data professional where pivot table gunslingers are a thing of the past and now communication skills are coveted above all else.

For decades, marketers have considered the wisdom of Al Ries and Jack Trout to be the gospel of positioning.  In their two books, “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind,” and “Marketing Warfare,” Trout and Ries explained their concept that:

Well before the current frenzy over “tweets gone wild,” Joe Barnes walked into businesses, for-profits, and non-profits, and would ask: “What’s your social media policy?” The usual response was: We don’t have one, or “Go talk to marketing about that.”

Why Tzeitel Haviland Makes Sense

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Digital technologies have transformed the media landscape and are integral to virtually every industry and field, and marketing is no exception. Today, marketers must integrate both the creative aspects of the discipline with more technical aspects. Data-driven marketing strategies have become fundamental to the new marketing model. Emerging technologies have accelerated the speed, reach, and relevancy of marketing campaigns and inadvertently opened a virtual pandora’s box of ethical uncertainties that cause us to call into question issues of privacy versus convenience.