People want it faster than instantly

  

         Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Robert Lowery. He gave me a new way of thinking and was very humble with the work he has done. 

      Here is the interview:

       What is your position here at Central Washington University?

Director of content development.

       What did you major in college? Was it your first choice?

Communications and Political Science, two bachelors degrees from Washington State University.

        What’s your view on social media now a day?

Its expanding at a tremendous rate, and in my position its important to keep up with social media and try to determine what’s going to be the next big “thing”. What’s trending and what’s important now. How much effort do we put to stay in touch with those social media platforms.  Every thing now is very specific.

        What was your work experience like?

I did radio in Seattle, Yakima, Wenatchee, and Spokane. I came to Ellensburg to be the play-by-play announcer for sports. I did a lot of on air news, behind the scene news gathering and reporting. Since then I got hired as a part time news writer, became a full time writer then went on to be the media relations officer and now I am here as the director of content development.

       What is a typical day at work for you?

No such thing. Every day is unpredictable. Things have to get pushed back if something else important comes up.

         What is your insight on how businesses target their audiences today? Has it changed over the years?

It has changed; 20 years ago you can get people to come in if you have hot dogs and popcorn. Now, consumers are savvier and more particular. Attracting students is not easy. You need to pitch the programs they want, the information, how programs will affect them, how they make you marketable and how program focused it is.

         Do you think advertising and public relations intertwine with one another?

Yes, they do. They do but they are distinct. Advertisement is a small part of public relations.  Not a big part of PR. It’s wider than just buying an ad; we make our ads to advertise to future students.

       

        Any advice for public relation majors or people in the communications department in general?

       Learn English, and know how to write well. The common denominator is writing. Delivering a message quickly and short. First 8 words are what really draw in the readers. Learning how to write for different platforms is a must because who knows what the next biggest thing will come around.

At first I went in for an interview, but after hearing what Mr. Lowery had to say about social media and the different aspects we have to understand made me want to stay and just talk to the man. He said, " People want things right away, back in the day consumers were patient enough to watch 2 minute commercials and now if you have a commercial running for more than a minute then you already lost your audience. They want it faster than instantly."