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Who’s there?
PRSSA students from across the midwest and a few from across the nation.
PRSSA who??
Is this a joke?
Actually, this was no laughing matter. This was the situation we faced at Edelman on Thursday, February 11, 2010, when I attended the DePaul PRSSA Regional Activity, ‘Get in the Loop’ in Chicago, IL.
A group of 28 fellow PRSSA members and PR pre-pros led by Kellyn Wieland, VP of Special Events at DePaul PRSSA, trekked from DePaul’s Loop campus to Edelman’s agency downtown. Oo-ing and Ah-ing as we approached the skyscraper gleaming in the sunlight, we walked through the glass doors and waited to be ushered through the building. Giddy with the excitement of being at a “big” agency, we took a seat on the couches and ledges, patiently waiting to be led upstairs to the land of Edelman.
But that initial excitement turned into deep disappointment. We sat in the lobby for 45 minutes, never to be let in to the agency.
Kellyn spent the entire 45 minutes trying to call her Edelman contact, only to be asked to “come back tomorrow.” To note, Kellyn had dutifully sent email after email weeks before to confirm the visit. However, we later found out that it was the day the Edelman Trust Barometer was released and the entire agency was booked in meetings.
Sitting with 27 other restless college kids in the lobby, I decided to tweet via text from my non-smartphone to David Armano, Vice President of Edelman Digital, about the Edelman fiasco.
Even with my annoyance at the wait and confusion, I was astounded when Rick Murray, President of Edelman Digital, responded within seconds of my tweet (read from bottom to top):
Heather Crowley from Edelman HR came down to the lobby with another Edelman internship coordinator to tell us a little bit about Edelman, its internship and employment programs and to answer any questions we had about Edelman.
Had we been kicked out of the lobby like the security guards wanted, all 28 future PR pros would have not only left empty-handed, but with a bad taste in our mouths.
It still amazes me what one tweet can accomplish. Congratulations, Edelman Digital, for listening when no one else would hear us.
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Comments
02.18.10
Strong example of how Twitter levels the playing field of communication.
02.18.10
Beautiful. This is an awesome story! Kudos to Endelman.
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02.18.10
One word. WOW. Even though I’m not in public relations, I’m a big fan of David Armano’s ideas. It must have been a great feeling to have the Edleman president and vice president speak about their disappointment re: PRSSA’s wait. =]
02.18.10
This is great news. People are paying attention, and we can see people behind brands as well.
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