Case Study: The 2012 Dove Awards Cyber PR® Marketing Plan by the Advanced Cyber PR® Class at Middle Tennessee State University

Charlie B. Dahan
Associate Professor
Middle Tennessee State University

    In the Fall 2011 semester, the Recording Industry department (RIM) at Middle Tennessee State University partnered with Ariel Hyatt (Ariel Publicity and Cyber PR®) to create a Cyber PR® course. The Cyber PR® process marks the intersection of social media with engaged behavior, PR, and online marketing. The students use “Music Success in Nine Weeks” by Ariel Hyatt and “Musicians Roadmap to Facebook and Twitter” by Ariel Hyatt, Carla Lynne Hall and Stefan Malliet as their textbooks.

    Upon completion of the course, the student may sit for the two hour Cyber PR® Certification (CPRC) exam. The certification alerts potential future employers that these students possess experience and solid fundamental understanding of Cyber PR®.

    The course’s popularity led RIM to add a second Cyber PR® section and an Advanced Cyber PR® class (RIM 4820) for the Spring and Fall 2012 semesters. The Spring 2012 advanced course contained five students from the inaugural class and seven students with social media and PR experience. The students were tasked with designing, analyzing and implementing Cyber PR® strategies for The Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards on April 19, 2012. Thanks to their generosity, the class learned and used Next Big Sound’s Premier and Topspin Media’s Plus applications to aid in their marketing and analysis.