PR Research Classmate Posts

This week I reflect on the posts made by my classmates. I find many great points in these blogs and so much to talk about! The blog posts created by Kevin and Francesca caught my attention the most.


As a PR student and personal trainer, I was interested in Kevin's post. He stresses the importance of research in the fitness industry. He informs his readers of a website containing good supplement reviews. In fact, many of my clients ask me which is the best protein to consume and I too turn to supplement reviews for accurate information. That site is very helpful in finding the latest supplement ratings. I know I am not the only one who uses this website for reviews. It is very popular at my gym. Thus it is so important for the fitness industry to create supplements that reflect the latest scientific research.  The fitness and supplement industry is a highly aggressive (no pun intended) enterprise. I agree with Kevin, "Companies are constantly researching to look for that 'secret ingredient' to achieve better results within their customers.  After they achieve this goal, research starts back up again as customers reveal their results with companies and other customers." New research drives business because it gives the product credibility. Just like in the Milgrim experiment, people trusted what the scientist said. People will always trust scientific research. I guess you can conclude in the fitness industry, research=money! 

On another note, Francesca's Blog on social media is extremely informative. She focuses on celebrities and social media supported by some interesting statistics. She provides a link to a study done on Twitter users that said most people using this form of social media are between the ages of 18 and 34. Companies and celebrities should use these facts to get a feel for their target audiences. Because after all, "Twitter and Facebook, among other social networking sites, are eessentially free advertising tools," as Francesca notes. Kim Kardashian tweets about her new BEBE line of dresses and she provides followers with the link to her product. Yes, maybe I clicked the link to check out the new dresses...so her free advertisement does work! As this picture portrays, the "new sell" starts with exposure on the Internet through social media sites like Twitter. People discover the tweets or posts and share with the community. Once a majority of people hear about the product, then the sales increase. 

To answer the question that Francesca posed, "If social networking sites like Twitter are really social media and networking sites, or if they are more similar to news outlets," I would have to say they are both. However I do believe that celebrities tweet what people want to hear and since everyone wants to get the latest news and gossip that is what we are seeing more of each day. 


The blogs I read were both highly informative and influential. Kevin and Francesca provide followers with their opinions supported by credible facts and links. One think I learned from both of their posts is that research does equal money. I enjoyed looking at my classmates' posts for a change.