TOP DOG COMMUNICATION - Dog Blog

unexplored avenues of campaign research

12/10/2018

By Keylee Williams

For the fall semester of 2018, I was the Research Expert for Top Dog Communication. I wanted to leave behind something more than just a PowerPoint over the unexplored avenues of campaign research. A lot of thought went into the idea behind this strip and I decided to turn it into a friendly reminders strip, just odds and ends to remember when writing research and applying it to your client and their campaign. It discusses things such as formatting, reminders and most importantly positive messages to keep the content appropriate and authentic. Up until the spring semester of 2018, I was a studio art major, and now a minor. I wanted to stay true to my roots as a Psychology major and someone who is passionate about art and create something that can be useful to more than just one specific major or one specific campaign.

Introducing experts

10/18/2018

By Sophie Watson

Last semester, I began working as an account associate for Top Dog Communication. I quickly fell in love with public relations as well as working for the firm and with all of the great, dedicated people who are a part of TDC. What I love most about TDC is the dedication to growth that the firm and the people involved in it have.
This semester, the firm has implemented new positions called ‘the experts’ which involve a writing, research, design and two sustainability experts to further assist students, the firm and our clients with the needs of each campaign. The experts applied and were chosen based on their expertise in that position. After working as an editor on the Reflector newspaper for three years, I found myself to be a good candidate for the writing expert, applied and received the position. As the writing expert, I write and edit materials for the firm and clients, as well as mentoring and assisting students on their writing centered tactics. The research and design experts do similar work for the firm, clients and students in each of their skills. The sustainability experts do a slightly different job, as they work specifically with past clients by remaining in communication with them and fulfilling any outstanding needs that they have after their campaign with TDC has ended.
These few months of having the experts have significantly assisted the firm and allowed us to highlight the best people for each type of job to help us with the internal and external needs of the firm. We have made progress in updating the firm website and other aspects of TDC that have made us the award winning firm that we are. Also, the materials that we have been able to send to clients have been improved because we have pointed out the best people for each task and assigned them to it, or given students an outlet to get help. The mentor aspect of the experts, I think, is the best part of the expert program. Students who may not have the best skills in one area are able to get help and have a one-on-one learning session, which is something we’ve never had before. By students getting this help, we are able to improve their abilities in that area and produce higher quality material in the future.
Something that I love about having an expert position is that I’m able to refine my writing skills and have great material for my portfolio in the sector that I want to go into in the future. I’m excited to continue the experts program and see the progress in the firm and watch the students grow.

March 05th, 2018

3/5/2018

By: C. Rev

Sometimes they feel limited and other times the amount of them feel overwhelming. Here at UIndy we have some amazing opportunities to take amazing courses that aren’t really offered anywhere else and our Applied PR class is one of them. But this isn’t the only class you should take it you want to learn an immense about of knowledge or be completely overwhelmed by a professor who has a vast amount of resources and genius.

In the last four years I’ve jumped around nearly every department here on the third floor of Esch, as well as most of the school, but I guess that’s also the benefit of a liberal arts degree.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But the classes I feel I gained the most applicable life knowledge would be every single one of Koehn’s classes. Sure I’ve had my moments where I hated my life because of his tests and moments where I wholeheartedly disagreed with him, but in reflection I realized that all of his lessons I use in my everyday life.

Even if you emphasis isn’t PR or you’re not a COMM major, take Koehn’s classes! Don’t dread going to play basketball in class, it’s truly a learning opportunity! Don’t view those 15 minute inspirational videos as a waste of your time. Really stretch your brain and try to think of they reasoning behind him showing it. Those videos tie into every lesson he teaches. (And the best part about the videos is that you can go back a rewatch them.)

And the way he presents his lectures and notes: EMBRACE IT. Obviously it’s a step away from the status quo and isn’t want you’ve grown comfortable to over the last 12 plus years, but that’s the point. Everything he does is to push you out of your comfort zone, as well as teaching you to listen and not just hear. When you leave your comfort zone you grow and do amazing things, and once your learn to listen and not just hear life becomes more clear.

I’ve had many classes with Koehn and I wish I had more with him. They drive me insane in the best way possible and I hope for those of you who still have a chance to take a class with him…

The Smiley Morning Show (+Emily)

11/20/2017

By Emily Mills

When I exited the elevator, I was greeted by a large set of glass doors. Intimidating. Beyond those doors, the lobby was dark, except for the glowing tank filled with colorful fish. Nikki Reed came prancing down the hallway, happy as a clam. She swung open the door and sang out a cheerful “Hello!”

I’d been communicating with Nikki over the past couple weeks to shadow her during the Smiley Morning Show. The day had finally come, and my nerves flew out the door when I was introduced to Smiley, Toni, and Will. A cup of champagne was handed to me, and a pair of headphones were ready for me to use.

I sat back and listened to the flow of the morning show as Toni gave her traffic report, and Smiley and Will made inappropriate comments. Nikki kept me informed on what she was doing to keep the show moving forward. Jokes were made and I was put on the air, able to have my voice heard by tens of thousands of people. I made lifelong connections after a simple two hour visit.

My biggest takeaway from sitting in on the Smiley Morning Show was that taking my job at the radio station too seriously is what’s hindering me from progressing in my career. My time at the University of Indianapolis is limited, so I am appreciative of these opportunities to learn life lessons, and improve my craft.

Post its to the Rescue

10/11/2017

By Cassandra Reverman

If you know me, in any sense, you know that my methods of organization are basically gibberish to anyone. I am a HUGE fan of keyboard slams when it comes to labeling. Most of my photo folders are labeled with keyboard slams. For example the engagement photos I did for a friend last year are labeled “adsflkbj.”

Being hyper organized, in any sense, gives me anxiety. Just recently in journalism I was asked to reorganize the way I label the photos for sections and I about passed out at the thought. My heart started racing and I could see all the folders flying around in my head. It’s kind like that scene from Spongebob when he’s threw out the guy’s name from his memory.

I suppose this weird form of anxiety comes from me feeling that my creative flow is halted when being organized. I feel restricted and I don’t like feeling restricted. I understand where people are coming from when they choose to be super organized. I see how much easier it makes their life. People are always suggesting to me to use a planner or put everything on a calendar in my phone. But just seeing all that information all the time is incredibly overwhelming and freezes my creative flow.
Luckily though, I did find one method that seems to work fairly well. A fun fact about me is I LOVE color. Being able to choose the color to create something is the ultimate “YES” moment for me. Choosing a color defines what you’re trying to convey. Trying to sell your outfit for the day? Color coordinate it. (Or don’t. Same principle.) Working on a theme for your Twitter? Match the theme color with your profile and header photos. Designing a style guide for you client? Work with the colors that go along with your clients vision. SO.MUCH.FUN.
That being said, my method of choice for organization is Post-It notes. On a good, or a busy day, my life is filled with color coordinated Post-It notes. They’re not lined up in any special fashion. They’re posted all over my walls, my computer and my poor attempt to keep a planner going. Instead, they’re organized by color. I despise the yellow Post-It notes, so if something needs to be done ‘like yesterday’ or more likely ‘a week ago’ I write the item on a yellow Post-It note. Pink is for “ya got maybe two days, C”, green is for a “solid one to two weeks before it’s due”, orange is “get it down on paper” and blue is “relax, ya got a month. just think about how you can do this.” I organize it this way because once I finish as task, I get to rip off the Post-It, crumple it up and fail at throwing it in the trash can that’s sitting right by my feet. The faster I get the color I don’t like off my wall the better. And it’s incredibly satisfying to crumple up that little piece of paper and see a space free up.

(Me attempting to organize my thoughts for senior project. The color coding wasn’t an option. All I had were blue post-it notes.)
I hope you all try this sometime, and if you do, feel free to let me know how it works for you!

Twitter Accounts You Need To Follow Right Now

10/11/2017

By Kristen Gandenberger

These days, you’re not really a PR pro unless you have a social media presence. Most college kids already have this in the bag. However, an important aspect of working in public relations is being able to… well, relate to people. Media relations experts have to know the journalism world in and out. Anyone focusing on community relations better be aware of any big event rolling through town. As a student, I have no need to specialize but I have started to be a little more strategic about how my Twitter timeline can educate me. Here are 4 types of Twitter accounts that make me a better PR practitioner.

Journalists. Like anyone wanting to be an informed citizen, I follow all major news outlets. But recently I’ve started to follow journalists whose work I like. Maggie Haberman gives me the White House scoop. Gregg Doyel keeps me current on Indy area sports. Bekah Pollard and Hannah Sparling give me insight to colleagues my age in the journalism field, something that can benefit me as I strive to make professional contacts with media personnel in a couple years. In a world of media distrust, I think it’s important to understand the structures and systems that give us information. Having individual, off the record professionals on my timeline is helping me do this.
Verified Locals. My homerun recommendation in this category has got to be Neal Taflinger, who not only has the blue checkmark by his name but also happens to work for Borshoff. His tweets help me keep a pulse on a certain segment of the Naptown population (post-college males, to be exact) that I don’t hear from much. John Green rarely tweets about Indy specifically, but he is (outside of athletics) probably the most famous person that lives here which I find valuable. Lara Parker is a Hoosier transplant at Buzzfeed who proves that you can go from UIndy PR to looking like an Instagram model daily (while creating digital content)!
Your dream workplace. I know I’m a true millennial because I found out about my most recent internship on Twitter, which proves that clicking the follow button can literally pay off! Since I’m on the prowl for future internships in the nonprofit field, I follow everyone from the Arts Council of Indianapolis to Music for All.
#Goals. I always try to keep a steady stream of funny, insightful role models trickling through my timeline. Professionally, this means watching how PR entrepreneur Heather Whaling stays professional while talking politics. Recently I found out that my favorite Refinery29 contributor, Ashley Ford, is from Fort Wayne which endeared her to me even more. And of course, Jenny Slate never fails to make me laugh with her quirky, rose tinted tweets that prove just how much you can fit into 140 characters. I’ll end this post with one of her inspirational nuggets:

An Ode To My Planner

10/11/2017

By Shelby Zellmer

Dear My Planner,
First off, I was not sure if capitalizing your title was appropriate, but you deserve the capital letter. To be completely honest you deserve caps lock. You deserve YOUR WHOLE NAME TO BE LIKE THIS SO OTHER PEOPLE THINK I’M YELLING.
We have grown up together, and have transformed into an updated and better version of us. I am a 19-year-old college student. You are a 2017-2018 spiral bound book that manages to keep my life from falling apart. When we were first thrown together in fourth grade, you were the bane of my existence. The audacity my teacher had making me remember to get you signed every night made my eleven-year-old self-want to scream. Since then I am happy to say that I have grown up, a little bit.
In the past, our relationship was rocky. I would start to use you for a few months, but the moment I left you, because I “did not need you anymore” my life would quickly fall apart. Tasks would not be completed. Events would be left on the back burner. Worst of all you would be left alone. As your days would go to waste I would go about mine, with the constant feeling of something being forgot because you were not there to complete me. We have had a good thing going this past year and I plan on keeping it up.
I spend most of my days running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but who needs a head when everything is in your weekly layout? You go through a lot every day and you do it for me, and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your hard work.
With all my love and… “hold on I need to add something to you…” I forgot what I was talking about.

When You Wish Upon A Star...

10/11/2017

By Claire Gilbert

When I’m not studying or re-watching Gilmore Girls, I work on the BizHounds Team as a Student Recruitment Manager for the UIndy School of Business. We take a unique approach to recruiting students to attend UIndy and study business. Not only has this position helped me network like you wouldn’t believe, it also allows me to flex my creative muscles. We will often attend state-level professional conferences to create awareness of the UIndy brand among high schoolers. Think Business Professionals of America, DECA, and more. In May, I had the opportunity of a lifetime. We’d been toying with the idea of attending one last conference at the end of the school year. As luck would have it, the Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference was being held in Orlando, FL in May. During one of our meetings, as somewhat of a joke, I said “Let’s go.” The following weeks progressed quickly and before I knew it, this comment became a reality. While visions of palm trees danced in my head, my team and I boarded a flight to Florida. We unpacked, settled in our sunny digs, and prepped for the amazing week ahead. Over the course of 5 days, we attended one of the largest high school level professional conferences in the country. As someone in Marketing, you can understand how excited I was to put the UIndy School of Business brand in front of students from every single state. We attended the conference for two days. On the first day, we setup our booth and interacted with over 200 high school students, sharing our UIndy stories and helping them get excited to write theirs. Day two brought a new group of students and an exciting challenge. We’d prepared a presentation outlining our experiences and lessons learned from internships, organizations, and people at UIndy. This was one of my favorite parts. Sharing my tips and acting as a mentor for these students was something I’ll never forget. Of course, we also had some fun on the trip. We dedicated a whole day to sampling the sweet treats on Main Street and strolling through Cinderella’s Castle like regular princesses. Not only did I get to spend a day at the happiest place on Earth, but I gained valuable experience in mentorship and networking. My interactions with executives in the National BPA organization leading up to the conference helped form a partnership between the UIndy School of Business and National BPA. The BizHounds Team is now planning our next partnership with BPA, a webinar later this month. As a marketer, it makes me so excited to know that students from across the country are being exposed to the UIndy brand and all because BizHounds took a chance on something we’ve never done before. And the reward was well worth the risk.

My Favorite PR Moment

4/25/2017

By Bailey Timmers

Top Dog Communication was first introduced to me when creating my schedule for the
second semester of my freshman year here at the University of Indianapolis. I began my college
journey as a Communication major who had yet to choose an emphasis until a few weeks before
the closing of my first semester. After much deliberation and FaceTime chitchats with my Mom,
I finally declared Public Relations as my emphasis and was immersed into Applied PR only a
few weeks later. After the first class period I felt overwhelmed to say the least, but equally as
excited to build upon my skills and get my first taste of what working in PR is actually like. As
the weeks went on I was creating more and more tactics for our client and began feeling
comfortable and enthusiastic about what was being assigned to me. The feedback I was receiving
and the expectations I set for myself kept me focused on what I was trying to achieve throughout
the course.
Fast forward to the night of March 6 th , almost two months into the semester. I was sitting
in class just as I do every week, but this time something special and out of the ordinary
happened. Our firm director, Reagan, stood in the front of the classroom and started introducing
the student who was chosen to be Associate of the Month for February. She explained the
reasoning behind the selection also and what was said by their account executive in regards to
this student’s work ethic. Keep in mind, up until this point I had never turned something in that I
was not 100% satisfied with, but in no way did I think my efforts would be recognized in front of
the entire class. The students in Top Dog Communication are incredibly talented and I was
somewhat insecure about my lack of experience in comparison to them. However, Reagan began
dropping hints that it was in fact me who earned this award and I could feel myself about to burst
with excitement. When she said my name, I tried to play it cool and graciously accept the award
without completely going crazy. Don’t worry though, I called my Mom immediately after class
ended and celebrated.
Fast forwarding again to present day, two weeks before I will be leaving campus for the
summer. I am reflecting on my first semester in Applied PR and can without a doubt say that
being Associate of the Month was the highlight. It gave me the confidence I needed to think
outside of the box and push myself even farther than I knew I could. It has motivated me to keep
improving and producing the best work possible because I don’t want to disappoint myself or
those who believe in me. This course has had an incredibly positive impact on my life thus far
and I am beyond excited to continue challenging myself and learning new things through it.
Discovering your strengths and putting them towards a career you are passionate about is advice
everyone has probably heard, but I feel incredibly lucky to be putting those words into action
because of Top Dog Communication.

Where I see myself in 2 years

4/25/2017

By Kayla Cook

With only 19 days remaining until graduation I can’t help but think about what is
going to happen next. For the past 22 years of my life I have had structure and knew
what I needed to achieve and how to go about doing so. I would go to school, work,
and work over summer until school started again. But this is all about to change in a
short 19 days…
After graduation I am moving to Nashville, Tennessee to take on the role of being an
account executive in a social media management company. I have had a couple
social media internships throughout college and thoroughly enjoyed my time during
them. I am excited for the journey but a little nervous due to the fact that I only
know one person there.
Nashville is known for the entertainment scene, particularly in regards to country
music. This provides the perfect opportunity as a public relations professional to
dive into the entertainment industry. In the next two years I see myself beginning
my career in social media management and then transitioning into an entertainment
PR firm in downtown Nashville and furthering my freelance logo and web design
side gig.
While I am nervous that I am going to lose my sense of structure and security of
knowing what I should be doing, I am so excited to begin my career in public
relations. I love what I am doing in the classroom and am eager to take that
knowledge and watch it flourish in the real world. The knowledge and experience
we gain through Top Dog Communication is so prestige and known by professionals.
When you say you are in Top Dog people know the work we do and the skills we
have. I fully believe that our experience and knowledge from Top Dog
Communication puts us ahead of other applicants due to the quality of work we
produce and the expectations and standards we are held to.