PR Practices (Test 1)

Research, Action, Communication, Evaluation

deliberate, planned, public interest, management function

Bank of America- free wire transfers to Hispanics who opened a BofA checking
account; Mexican Mother’s Day event; Fiesta Fridays

Publicist

Papa John’s pizza ordering challenge (fastest talker vs. fastest texter) at Mall of
America in Minneapolis

usiness/Economics competence, problem-solving, research and planning
skills/abilities (plus writing skills)

Integrated Marketing Communications

See list p. 27

See names p. 8-9

PR is about advocacy
PR is about getting “free” media coverage
PR is about building relations with various “publics”

The Boston Tea Party

P.T. Barnum

Teddy Roosevelt

Ivy Lee

Edward Bernays

--NASA for its media accessibility
--The U.S. auto industry’s “buckle up” Seat Belt Campaign in the 1980s
--1986’s Hands Across America campaign

70 percent

--Women find PR has a welcoming environment with more
opportunities to advance than in newspaper work for example
-- A woman can start a PR firm without a lot of capital
-- Women can make more money in PR than comparable female dominated fields such as teaching and social work

1990s

Transparency

Ethics

Protecting the Free Flow of Information

The sponsor should always be identified in VNRs, controversial or not

Mark Sanford

Front groups

A higher loyalty to your client or employer than your professional and personal ethics

True

False

Paying journalists to write/produce stories on the “down low” is not
uncommon in some countries, even though the practice is frowned upon by
international PR organizations and those in countries where this happens

pg. 76

“Public relations helps an organization and its publics mutually adapt to each other.”

1. Dileberate
2. Planned
3. Performance
4. Public Interest
5 Two Way Communication
6. Management

1. Corporate Comm
2. Comm and public policy
3. Public affairs
4.Media Relations
5.Publicist
6. Press agent

1.slogganeering
2.flack/flak

research - what is the problem or situation?
action (program planning) - what is going to be done about it?
communication (execution) - how will the public be told?
evaluation - was the audience reached and what was the affect?

PR vs. Journalism -
* scope
*objectives
*audiences
*channels

Public realtions vs. marketing
*objectives
*audiences
*competition vs. opposition
*role in management

Public relations vs. Advertising
*

1. Develop new prospects for new markets such as people who inquire after seeing or hearing a product release in the news.
2. provide 3rd party endorsements
3. generate sales leads
4. paving the way for sales calls
5. stretch organizations advertising promotional dollars through timely releases

concept of marketing communication planning that recognizes the added value of strategic roles or a variety of communication disciplines. ( all PR, advertising, marketing, communication under one roof)

1. writing
2. research ability
3. planning expertise
4. problem solving ability
5. business/economics competence
6.expertise in social media

* launch program called "safe send" allowed free wire transfers
* fleishman - hillard kicked off program on Mexican mothers day
* bank began hosting Feista Fridays ( Spanish materials in the bank to reach out to Spanish demographic)

*19th century master of the pseudo event.
* Tom Thumb became one of americans first celebrities

* probably the 1st presidential press secretary (Andrew Jackson)
* book says became a member of Jacksons "Kitchen Cabinet"
*

* born a slave in 1862
* founder of the NAACP
* refused to move when Railroad conductor made her give up her seat

* established the first in house PR department to promote the concept of AC vs. DC
*AC became the standard in US

*regarded as the first PR man
*the first known instance of a PR person being placed at the management level

*father of modern PR
*emphasize of scientific persuasion

Successful Campaigns include -
* Ivory Soap - soap sculpture contest for kids
*torches of liberty - had a women smoking in a easter parade in NY. Smoking became a symbol of liberation for women.
* lights golden jubilee - in celebration of editions 50th anniversary of the invention of the light bulb. It was his idea that the worlds utilities would shut of the worlds power at one time.

*world war 1 PR man
*encouraged Americans to save food and invest heavily in liberty bonds

(Credit and Publicity always goes to hose who do something FIRST! )
* believed in being accessible to the Press
* invented the idea of corporate social responsibility

*1st president to make use of news conferences and press interviews to drum up public support when congress was resistant
*took large group of reports and photographers to see Yosemite
to generate public support for national parks

* appointed by FDR as Head of the Office of War information during WWll
*Davis promoted sale of war bonds & press support for war time rationing encouraging the planting for victory gardens
*established Voice of America to carry news of the war to all parts of the world

1. the cival rights campaign - MLK staging events, writing letters and lobbying

2. NASA- TV cameras in the lunar lander in '69 and later, reporters were invited inside mission control during the Appolo 13 mission. Public overlooks high tax cost for such historic moments

3. Cabbage Patch Kids - created "must have adoptable doll"

4.seatbelt campaign - Auto industry got the nation to "Buckle up" using celebrity endorsement, letter writing, and buckling a 600 ft wide safety belt around the HOLLYWOOD sign. Raised seatbelt use from 12% to 50%

5. HandsAcross America- largest gathering in human history was a PR stunt in '86 that saw 7 million ppl across 16 states join hands to raise money for homeless

6.StarKist tuna- negative media coverage threaded tuna industry because dolphins were getting caught. The company changed its fishing practices and publicized its efforts. 90% of public heard of companies efforts.

7.Tylenol Crisis - become a classic model of recall action. Several people died from poisoned Tylenol. company redesigned packaging and make it tamper proof. launched media campaign to keep pubic informed

8. Windows '95 launch - Achieved an unprecedented 99% awareness level before product hit the shelf

9.Understanding AIDS - changed the way that AIDS was perceived by Americans. "Understanding AIDS" brochure mailed nationally, specifically targeted African Americans and Spanish

x

six core values :
*advocacy - serving public interest by acting as responsible advocates for clients or employers
*honesty -
*expertise - Advancing the profession through continued professional development research and education
* independence - providing objective counsel and being accountable
*loyalty - to clients, employers and publics
*fairness - respect the right of free expression

1. not properly identifying the source of the VNR
2. acter poses as reporter in VNR

1.information must be accurate and reliable, avoid intentionally false information
2. must be identified as a VNR both on the videos opening slate and on any advisory material and scripts.
3. sponsor must be clearly identified not the tape , name and number must be provided for journalist to contact
4. persons interview on the VNR must be accurately identified, name title and officiation in the video

1. source of material must be clearly identified
2. you must identify yourself and your connection to any employer or client when promoting any client or service
3. you must disclose your affiliation in chat rooms and if you want to make a personal comment you must say its "your personal opinion"
4. unethical to offer cash or gifts to bloggers for favorable reviews
5. owners of blogs or social media sites must be clearly identified ( no fake blogs or fake names to promote a product)
6. respect copyrights and trademarks
7. respect your audience
8.provide worthwhile information and perspectives

x

A gift of any kind can contaminate the free flow of accurate and truthful information (corrupt the channels of communication)

At what point does the transaction become Pay for Play?

-suspicion that the car of the year on the cover on an Auto Mag is a result of auto makers purchase of advertising space in that magazine.

Legal- lawyers freak out because they are scared that PR people are going to say something that will get the company in trouble.

Human Resources- The conflict is when it comes to communicating to the employees. HR departments want to control the free flow of information

Advertising- The Ad person asks, "will it increase sales?" The
PR person asks, "will it make friends?" This can cause a strategic break down.

Marketing- Marketing tends to it the same way as advertising.. however, there are many publics that effect your business.

- Fortune 500 Companies now spend 25% of their PR budgets on outside firms in addition almost 90% of those companies use outside PR counsel to varying degrees

* Marketing Comm

* Speech training

* Research and evaluation

* Crisis communication

* Media Analysis

*Community Relations

* Events Management

* Public Affairs

* Branding and Reputation

* Financial Relations

PROS:

Outside firms offer:

- Objectivity
- Variety of skills and expertise
- Extensive resources - abundant media contacts, research materials & data banks
- National offices
- Specialized problem solving skills
- Credibility

CONS -

- Superficial grasp of clients unique clients
- lack of full-time commitment
- need for prolonged briefing
- resentment by internal staff
- costs

1. Basic hourly fee plus out of pocket expenses
2. Retainer Fee - monthly on call charge
3. Fixed Project Fee

Westinghouse

Media Relations

Writing and communications; media relations;
publicity;
strategy and planning;
event planning;
social media maintenance

Objectivity, varied skills/experiences;
extensive resources;
offices nationwide;
special problem-solving skills; credibility

Superficial grasp;
lack of full-time commitment; prolonged briefing period; internal staff resentment;
need for strong direction by upper management;
costs

SanDisk

Rawle-Murdy

Fleishman-Hillard; Ketchum, Porter Novelli; Hill &Knowlton; Burson-Marstellar; Ogilvy;
Weber-Shandwick; Golin/Harris; MWW Group. Conglomerates cited: Omnicom; WPP
Group; Interpublic Group

To achieve credibility with management
To define audiences and segment publics
To formulate strategy
To test messages
To help management keep in touch
To prevent crisis
To monitor the competition
To sway public opinion
To generate publicity
To measure success

Carefully consider wording
Avoid loaded questions
Consider timing and content
Avoid the politically correct answer
Give a range of possible answers

What type of info is needed and in how much detail?
State the objectives of the survey in writing
What groups will receive the survey?
What is the sample size?
State the purpose of the survey and guarantee anonymity
Use close ended questions (multiple choice) as often as possible
Make sure survey design can be easily coded for statistical analysis
No more than 25 questions
Use ranges for age, education and income
Use simple and familiar words
Avoid ambiguous and confusing wording
Context and placement are important
Provide space for comments at the end
Pretest the questions with a rep. of the target audience for understanding and possible bias.

Feedback immediate, personal, skilled phone interviews can get high response rate; Hard to get hold of phone numbers; skeptical public.

Easy to distribute; Low response rate.

Can generate a wealth of detailed information; Expensive, smaller response pool, much advance work.

You can buy a few questions that will be a part of a national survey. Plus side: low cost. Downside: you may only get a small snapshot of what the public opinion is with only a few questions and not the whole opinion.

Plus side: large samples can be generated in a short amount of time, it’s economical, and data can be analyzed as it comes in. Downside: you can’t control the sample size or selection of respondents. However, you can attract respondents with banner ads, email, phone, postcard invitations, offering gift cards or offering other incentives.

Provides focus and direction for formulating strategy to achieve specific organizational objectives.

1) Client/employer objectives.
2) Audience/publics (who are they?).
3) Audience objectives.
4) Media Channels.
5) Media channel objectives.
6) Sources and questions.
7) Communication strategies.
8) Essence of the message.
9) Nonverbal support.

Situation- must be clearly understood in order to create the plan.
Objectives- must be stated and evaluated by asking: Does it address the situation? Is it realistic and achievable? Can success be measured in meaningful terms? Two types of objectives: informational and motivational.
Audience- the plan should be directed at specific publics or target audiences that must be identified.
Strategy- a broad statement describing how an objective is to be achieved,
Tactics- the nuts-and-bolts describing the specific activities that put each strategy into operation. Thus helping to achieve the objectives.
Calendar/Timetable- depending on complexity of the plan, a timetable (or schedule) must be made. 3 aspects: timing of a campaign, scheduling of tactics, and compiling a calendar.
Budget- employers and clients want to know how much it will cost. Two categories: staff time and out-of-pocket expenses.
Evaluation- relates directly back to the stated objectives of a program and evaluates the program to see if the objectives have been met.

the implementation of a decision, the process by which objectives are achieved. Also called the execution step in the RACE process.

Message exposure- getting the message out via mass media, controlled media, and other forms; intended audiences are exposed to the message in various forms.
Accurate dissemination of the message- the basic information of the message remains in tact.
Acceptance of the message- the audience retains the information and accepts the message as valid.
Attitude change- the audience believes the message, makes a verbal or mental commitment to change behavior as a result of the message.
Change in overt behavior- members of the audience make a change in their current behavior or purchase and use the product.

Shows the variety and scope of media and communication tools available to PR professionals. It shows the characteristics (Key use, examples, nature of communication, direction of communication, technological sophistication, channel ownership, messages chosen by, audience involvement, reach, cost per impression, and key challenges to effectiveness) for Public Media, Interactive Media, Controlled Media, Events/Groups, and One-On-One.

larity and simplicity of a message can be enhanced by using symbols, acronyms and slogans. It quickly conceptualizes an idea for the reader.

readers can be confused and turned of by jargon, clichés, hype words, euphemisms and discriminatory language. It is best to avoid all of these things if you want the reader to perceive the message clearly. (Ex. Clichés and hype words- leading, enhanced, unique, significant, solution, integrated, powerful, innovative, advanced, and sophisticated.)

messages prepared by PR people are often repeated several times so that all members of a target audience can hear the message if they did not hear it the first or second time, reminds the audience of the message and helps them retain the info, and helps prevent erosion or opinion change, and can also lead to improved learning and increase the change of penetrating audience indifference or resistance.

AWARENESS- a person becomes aware of a product or service through ads.

INTEREST- the individual seeks more info about the product or service by getting a brochure, pamphlet, magazine, etc.

EVALUATION- the person evaluates the idea based on how it meets specific needs or wants.

TRIAL- the person tries the product or service on trial basis by using a sample, witnessing a demo, or making qualifying statements such as “I read…”

ADOPTION- the person begins to use the product or service on a regular basis or integrates the idea into their belief system.

Innovators- people who are venturesome and eager to try new ideas.
Early adopters- people who keep up with new ideas and products, often the opinion leader amongst friends, family, etc.
Early majority- people who take a deliberate, pragmatic approach to adopting ideas.
Late majority- people who are skeptical and somewhat resistant but bow to peer pressure.
Laggards- people who are very traditional and the last group to adopt a new idea or product.

the measurement of results against established objectives set during the planning process.

Was the activity or program adequately planned?
Did the recipients of the message understand it?
How could the program strategy have been more effective?
Were all primary and secondary audiences reached?
Was the desired organizational objective achieved?
What unforeseen circumstances affected the success of the program or activity?
Did the program or activity fall within the budget set for it?
What steps can be taken to improve the success of similar future activities?

Production- PR people don’t really rely on this method, but its simply counting the news releases, feature stories, photos, letters, etc. over a period of time.
Message exposure- the compilation of print and broadcast mentions.
Media impressions- the possible number or people that may have been exposed to the message. (Ex. If 26,000 people read the P&C and Walmart posts and add or message then the media impression would be 26,000)
Internet hits- the number of people that the message reached over the Internet. Also called a visit.
Advertising equivalency- the estimated dollar amount for the amount of free coverage and publicity that a message or product gets is. (Ex. The CofC basketball NCAA free publicity that would have cost the college $3.4 mill)
Systematic Tracking- computer software and databases that make it possible to track media placements in a more sophisticated way. (Ex. Vocus, Cymfony, and Factiva.)
Return on Investment- determining the cost of reaching each member of the audience. Often used in advertising to place costs in perspective.

the entire communication activity of an organization should be evaluated at least once a year to make sure that every primary and secondary public is receiving appropriate messages.

A various pretest that companies use in different cities to test the message and key copy points to learn how the media accept the message and how the public reacts.

past stories may be categorized under general headings such as 1) management announcements 2) new product development 3) new personnel and retirements 4) features about employees 5) corporate finances 6) news of departments and divisions 7) job-related information. This systematic analysis will show what percentage of the publication is devoted to each category.

when a sample of employees are surveyed and asked which articles they read in the latest issue of the publication. They are asked if they read everything, how much of the article they read, and what it was about. The results are then content analyzed to determine which kinds of articles have the most readership.

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