Patrick Cioffi Jr.'s Schools

• CW Post College and Hofstra University , Class of 1985 Bachelors in Business Administration

Patrick Cioffi Jr.'s Publications

• The Origins of Visual Entertainment, Patrick Cioffi Jr. September, 2010 One of the most celebrated and classic forms of visual entertainment, theater dates back to Egypt circa 2500 B.C. During this time, performers acted out the myth of Osiris and Isis. The performances were given at annual festivals throughout the region, which cemented the long-standing relationship between religion and theater. It was not until the era of the ancient Greeks that theater became a form of art. The Greeks worked laboriously to elevate theater to an established art form, creating genres such as comedy and tragedy that still stand in modern times. Satyr plays, another form of Greek theater, were riddled with portrayals of drunkenness, satyr choruses, merriment, sight gags, and humorous pranks. Additionally, the Greeks introduced dramatic criticism and the idea of acting as a career rather than as an occasional hobby. Equally important, the Greeks originated theater architecture and the iconic comedy/tragedy masks consisting of a smiling face representing comedy and a downcast face representing drama. The masks became symbols of the theater and are still used today. Theater continued its evolution throughout the 18th century, moving from a type of drama put on by Greeks toward realism, a trend solidified by the Industrial Revolution. Other forms of theater also sprang up: hand puppets were embraced by many countries around the world, and the founding of America brought about a unique type of theater. Musical theater features numerous dance routines with movements and steps performed according to certain types of music. Although modern forms of entertainment such as television and cinema have eclipsed the popularity of theater, it is still considered a more personal and interactive form of art compared to contemporary visual entertainment.

• The Difference between Public Relations and Marketing by Patrick Cioffi, Jr. April, 2011 by Patrick Cioffi, Jr. One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make in the quest to promote their company lies in their confusion about the purposes of public relations and marketing. While both functions offer an important service to companies, they possess inherently different qualities. In the old days, business gurus touted marketing as an operation that required dedicated funding and heavy areas of research. This idea, actually, contains a lot of truth. Marketing generates the “want” for a product in order to drive sales up. A company establishes such factors as the price, distribution, and packaging of its products and services to ensure that they appeal to their audience and stimulate sales. Having such an important function for the firm, it makes sense that marketing entails significant levels of customer and audience research as well as professionals who understand the many different facets of this field. Some companies hire in-house marketing employees, while others take advantage of businesses that provide the benefit of a wider range of capabilities than a small department as well as a critical, outside eye that enables them to expand upon marketing activities. On the other hand, until fairly recently, public relations generated the notion of free exposure. Smart businesses, however, utilize the benefits of public relations to ensure that their marketing and sales efforts pay off in the long run. Public relations requires contacts to be made and renewed constantly, as well as a thoughtful approach to dealing with a variety of news organizations and other potential groups. The field of public relations revolves around the concept of managing reputations, a vitally important tool for any company. My belief is that the two functions, while being very different, should be considered as integral parts of a business plan that also involves sales and other departments. In many ways, the skills used in public relations reflect a subset of those used in marketing. Both functions exist to make the public aware of your products and to promote it. In most cases, marketing focuses on demand, competition, audience, and potential customers to sell the product rather than working on upholding the good qualities of the company that makes the items. In addition, marketing anticipates future demand to ensure that the products meet the expectations of an audience that usually wearies quickly of existing items and wants to move on to the “next big thing.” For companies that offer a time-proven product, marketing generally resolves how to maintain the product as a needed commodity or desirable luxury in the eyes of potential consumers. In most instances, a company’s public relations efforts concentrate on how the public views the firm, and, in some cases, its leaders. The overall emphasis of public relations centers on the long-term good name of the company to ensure that its viability. Staying abreast of public relations during good times enables a business to more effectively weather the storm in the wake of threats to the its reputation.

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