Porter Novelli Atlanta Tour

Atlanta Office Lobby

The third stop on the KSU PR Study Tour was Porter Novelli.  The group was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to tour the Atlanta Porter Novelli office, and it was a treat!

Brief History

Jack Porter and Bill Novelli founded Porter Novelli in 1972.  Inspired by the rapid growth of social, digital and mobile, along with their commercial marketing background, Porter and Novelli sought to work with clients and causes that matter.  While working on a campaign for the Peace Corps they had a vision that could change lives of many. Focusing on the greater good and working with the National Institute of Health, they created the National Blood Pressure Education Program.  Porter Novelli practice areas are Global Health & Wellness, Global Technology and Food, Drinks & Nutrition.  The agency’s headquarter is located in New York City and has a presence in100 cities including Atlanta and 60 countries around the world.

A quote from Porter Novelli, “We believe that it is not enough for us to simply be experts at what we do. That is a given. We must also be experts at what you do. That’s when a strategic partnership truly becomes powerful and transformative.”

Porter Novelli clients to name a few include

The CDC, Mars Inc., HP, Uncle Ben’s, T-Mobile, UPS, they have also worked with Morehouse School of Medicine and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.  One of their most successful campaigns was the “truth” an anti-smoking campaign against Big Tobacco targeting millenniums. 

The Porter Novelli Tour

The students of Kennesaw State University Communication and Media Program PR Study Tour, #ksuprtour was given the opportunity to visit and interact with the employees at Porter Novelli’s Atlanta office.  The tour group was greeted on the steps of the One Alliance building by Linda VanBrakle  Porter Novelli’s HR Manager.  The tour group was directed to PN's fourteenth floor office conference room, where visitor badges was distributed and a delicious breakfast was provided for each student.   It was a very warm welcome, our entire group felt well received.

Welcome message from PN

  

The Staff

The tour started with an overview from Melissa Kraus Taylor, Executive Vice President of the Atlanta office about the history and future of Porter Novelli.  A quote she used is “How they want to cause good trouble.”  Ms. Taylor has been with PN for 17 years.  She was followed by a panel of very knowledgeable individuals providing a wealth of knowledge about the work they do and how to be successful at PN.  The panel included Dawn Parker - Health Care team, Lauren Schuster -Technology Practice, Stephanie Pham – HP Account Executive, Nekelia Henderson – Account Executive and Julia Hemingway - Brand/Reputation.   

Because I love to cook I have a significant interest in cooking and being creative with food, which brought my attention to PN’s Orange Palate. Within the Food, Beverage and Nutrition practice The Orange Palate team provides communications services to chefs and food entrepreneurs launching or building food or beverage brands.  With access to Porter Novelli’s worldwide network communications experts, Orange Palate encourages brands to exceed the traditional limits and increase growth in ways that are original and creative. http://www.orangepalate.com/#about

In Closing

The visit to Porter Novelli was a great experience, insightful and informative.  The overview from Ms. Taylor and the information shared by the panel will be helpful in establishing my career path in Public Relations. The information provided by Linda VanBrackle regarding what they expect from students, and pertinent tips on resume preparation when pursuing an internship or position with PN or any organization, is priceless.  A tip that I will remember, is to eliminate bullet point from your resume, and provide a situation that explains the actions taken in the position.  PN believes, “Without significance, you become disposable. Without connection, you are impenetrable.”

PN Atlanta Office

Porter Novelli believes, “Without significance, you become disposable. Without connection, you are impenetrable.”

Porter Novelli provided our group with a wealth of information about their agency and the industry.  If you want more information or have questions please post your questions and comments to this website, and I will be happy to share what I've learned.

Jackson Spalding KSU PR STUDY TOUR

Warm and welcoming, are my words of choice to express the #ksuprtour visit to Jackson Spalding.  Each member the Jackson Spalding team was warm and inviting.  The culture of their office is fun and exciting, the open environment is wonderful, and I really like the no job title policy.  Their office space is a very beautiful facility located in the heart of Atlanta.  I was moved that Glen Jackson was there to greet our group when we arrived.  It spoke volumes to me that he would take time out of his day to be there to welcome the Kennesaw State students.  

We were directed to a large conference room where we met Eric O’Brien.  Mr. O’Brien gave an overview of his duties and responsibilities, and why he has been with JS for 19 years.  His top reason for staying as long as he has is largely due to the people and the relationships he has developed with JS.  One thing that Mr. O’Brien said is to always get the job done, be creative above what is asked of you, and follow directions. 

We were paired with Mary Claire Keane and Sabrina Lewis as our tour guides.  We toured two floors, greeting staff members as we passed their areas.  Once the tour of the facility was over, we met in the breakroom for a panel discussion with Mart Martin – Branding, Desiree Fulton – Public Relations, Brian Steely – Creative, Charles Edwards – Media Coaching/Training, Tyler Hartsook – Digital, Andy Hitt – Marketing and Rita Lzaguirre – HR for an “Ask JS” Session.  We ended with a photo session in their main lobby.  

The JS team discussed how they got to JS and some of their current account, and they provided visuals for us to see of some of the work they created.  I learned that JS broke off from MSNL to start a different type of company.  The culture that JS has allows its employee to move around with the intent of finding what they enjoy doing.  Rita expressed how important it is to be versatile and creative with your resume, be open and flexible.    POD – Proof on Demand is used when necessary, to get a task done. Interns should learn everything possible from as many people in the office as possible. 

This was an awesome tour! I really enjoyed meeting and spending time with JS, and the cookies were delicious.

Edelman Atlanta Tour

The KSU PR Tour visit to Edelman Atlanta office was a great experience!   I'sys, Maria, Ashley, Kera, Katie and Tia provided us with a wealth of knowledge and information about Edelman and the industry.   In addition to the knowledge the team provided it was significant to hear that Edelman is true to its beliefs, and only take on clients and products they believe in.   The day in the life of an intern was explained, by providing an overview of the intern’s day.  I found it to be notable that Edelman provided personal development training for their interns.  

My take away from the Edelman tour is to “Aspire to be necessary”, digital is the wave of the future, always ask question, read as much as possible, stay current on what’s happening in the world and constant networking is a key element.

First week of PR Study Tour

During the first week of the PR Study Tour class, we spoke with Golin via Skype, created blogs, did agency presentations and completed a professional development workshop.  The tour is very informative and one of the best classes I've taken at KSU. 

PR STUDY TOUR

I'm taking an awesome class called the PR Study Tour at Kennesaw State University that allow students to visit and interact with established PR Agencies.

Touring the best PR Firms in Atlanta 

The tour will visit several PR Agencies in the Atlanta area. Golin's Atlanta office is under construction,and the class could not visit their office, however they were gracious enough to allow my class to Skype with two of their associates from the Dallas office.

Having the ability to communicate with seasoned employees with established agencies such as Golin, provides substance and direction for PR graduates.