Jackson-Dawson Marketing Solutions, South Carolina's second largest integrated marketing communications agency, announced today that it is changing its name to Jackson Marketing Group.

A word for the wise: Don't forget about traditional media.

Let me begin this post with a disclaimer: There are a lot of people in the Social Media space that I respect and I would consider educated, but I have yet to meet anyone who is a true Social Media expert. To all of my readers out there, if anyone claims to be a Social Media expert, be leery.

I am constantly floored by the overwhelming majority (yes, majority) of well-educated individuals in the field of public relations that can't spell, don't know the correct use of punctuation, don't know the difference between words, don't/won't use proper grammar and, most importantly, DON'T CARE!

One of the greatest assets that a public relations practitioner provides is knowing when to be creative and when to get to the point in news writing. It is my pet peeve, as it probably is for other news persons, to wade through pointless copy in order to get to the relevant news. (Get to the point!)

Many people have come to me since last October – clients, colleagues, PR pros, students, etc. – asking what they should do PR-wise to survive in the down economy. While the answers vary for each group or individual, the basics remain the same.

I was reminded recently when one of my colleagues decided to leave Jackson Marketing Group and move back to her home state, how few people actually prepare for a job interview. It never ceases to amaze me those that will enter an interview not knowing one thing about what we do specifically, who our clients are and/or how their skills can help us. In fairness, the ones that do research and come prepared almost always knock my socks off.

Remember when the word “marketing” used to mean advertising, public relations, sales, research and all other forms of communications? It still does to some people, but most, especially Fortune 500 companies, understand the difference amongst communications disciplines. That understanding is also trickling down to the grassroots levels thanks to integrated marketing communications agencies and our brethren in the corporate communications, non-profit and government sectors.

We have all been reminded recently of the importance of proofing and having a crisis communications plan in place. Within the past month, even week, there have been embarrassing uses of profanity that have slipped past multiple editors’ and proofers’ eyes and made its way into the mainstream media for all of America to see and hear. We have also been rocked by scandals from some of our once most respected institutions.