part 5 principles: imc and total communication copyright © 2012 pearson education, inc. publishing...

Chapter 15: Public Relations

Part 5Principles: IMC and Total Communication

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 15-1

What is public relations?

What are different types of public relations programs?

What key decisions do public relations practitioners make when they create plans?

What are the most common types of public relations tools?

Why is measuring the results of public relations efforts important, and how should that be done?

Questions to Explore


What is Public Relations?


Public relations is a communication discipline covering a wide range of functions that help an organization connect with the people it touches.

These functions include:

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall


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• Internal relations• Publicity• Advertising • Press agentry

• Public affairs• Issues management • Investor relations• Development

Public relations is used to generate goodwill for an organization.

One useful definition:

“Public relations is the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends.”



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Public relations focuses on all the relationships an organization has with various publics.

Publics are all the groups of people with which an organization interacts: employees, members, local communities, shareholders, customers other institutions.

Stakeholders: people who have a stake in a company or organization.



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Public relations is practiced by a range of organizations.

Public relations is a dynamic, global profession.

To learn more, visit the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) at: www.prsa.org



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http://www.prsa.og/

Public opinion refers to what people think; their beliefs based on perceptions or evaluations of events, people, institutions, or products.

Public relations strategists want to know:◦ What publics are important to us now and in the future?◦ What do these publics think?

Opinion leaders: important people who influence the opinions of others.


Public opinion

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Public goodwill is a company’s greatest asset; it is the job of public relations to create it.

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”

Integrity is not just about having a positive image, it’s a result of a company’s actual behavior.

Public relations is the conscience of the company, with the objective of creating trust and maintaining the organization’s integrity.


Reputation: goodwill, trust, and integrity

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Public relations takes a longer, broader view of the importance of image and reputation as a corporate competitive asset and addresses more target audiences than advertising.

Media use Public relations seeks to persuade media

gatekeepers to “cover” their companies. Gatekeepers are writers, editors, producers, talk-

show coordinators, and newscasters. This aspect of public relations is called

publicity.


Comparing public relations and advertising

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Control With news stories, public relations strategists are

at the mercy of the media gatekeeper.

There is no guarantee that your story will run. The story may be rewritten or reorganized.

In contrast, advertising runs exactly as the client who paid for it has approved, and as scheduled.



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Credibility The public tends to

trust the media more than they do advertisers.

Consumers assume a story is legitimate if it appears in the media.



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What Are The Different Types of Public Relations Programs?


Here are the specialty areas focusing on relationships with key publics:

Media relations◦ Focuses on developing media contacts.◦ One must know who in the media might be

interested in the organization’s story.◦ Relationships must be built on honesty,

accuracy, and professionalism.


Types of public relations programs

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Employee relations Programs that communicate

information to employees.

Related program is called internal marketing.

Communication efforts aimed at informing employees about marketing programs.



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Financial relations Communications aimed at the financial

community.

These could include: ◦ Press releases to business publications◦ Meetings with investors◦ Annual reports



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Public affairs Communication with government and the public

on issues related to government and regulation.

Lobbying to get legislators to support a bill.

Issues management : monitoring, communicating to and with public.



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Fund-raising The practice of raising money

by collecting donations.

Used by nonprofits: museums, hospitals, Red Cross, and others; directed at potential donors.

This is sometimes called development or strategic philanthropy.



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Students in Boston University’s student-run agency, Adlab, created an online video aimed at recruiting students to BU’s ROTC program.

Cause marketing Here, companies associate themselves with a

cause, providing assistance and financial support.

For examples, review:◦ “The Ultimate Road Trip” story in this chapter. ◦ “Häägen-Dazs Loves Honeybees” in Chapter 3.



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Corporate reputation management Corporate relations focuses on an organization’s

image and reputation.

The overriding goal of reputation management is to strengthen stakeholder trust.

Corporate image is a fragile commodity.



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Crisis management Anticipating and planning for disasters from a

media perspective and with stakeholders.

Consider these now-famous public relations crises: ◦ The Tylenol poisonings ◦ The Toyota recall◦ Tiger Woods◦ The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Preparing for a crisis helps organizations weather the storm.



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Public communication campaigns These are intended to change public opinion and

discourage harmful behaviors

Recall the “Truth” campaign to discourage smoking.

To learn how public communication campaigns operate on a global level, see: “A Matter of Principle: Can Advertising Help the U.S. Government Sell Ideas and Attract Tourists?”



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Marketing public relations One of the fastest growing areas of public

relations.

The planning and delivery of programs to drive sales and build customer satisfaction by communicating to address consumer wants and needs.



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What Key Decisions Guide Public Relations Plans?


A communications audit assesses the internal and external environment.

Benchmarking identifies a baseline from a previous audit, or a competitor.

Gap analysis measures differences in perceptions between publics, or between a public and the organization.


Research and SWOT analysis

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Public relations practitioners categorize publics so they can develop effective plans to address issues.

Three types of publics:

1. Latent publics are unaware of their connection to an organization an associated problem.

2. Aware publics recognize their connection with a problem but don’t communicate about it.

3. Active publics communicate and act on a problem.



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Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

A SWOT analysis helps companies understand the nature of the problem so they can target the right publics to address it.

A SWOT analysis may cover a variety of issues:◦ Changes in public opinion◦ Industry and consumer trends◦ Economic trends◦ Government regulations and oversight programs◦ The effect of corporate strategies on stakeholders



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Research identifies appropriate target audiences.

From “The Ultimate Road Trip” in this chapter: ◦ When Hampton Hotels asked Americans their opinions, they

found that 9 out of 10 people believed that roadside landmarks should be saved.

◦ 83% believed that corporations should share the responsibility.

◦ Research provided a key insight: creating the “Save-A-Landmark” campaign was a natural connection between consumers and the innkeeper.


Targeting

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Public relations objectives are to change the public’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to a company, brand or organization.

Typical public relations objectives focus on:◦ Creating credibility◦ Delivering information◦ Building positive images, trust, and corporate goodwill

Before changing behavior, a communication program may need to change beliefs, attitudes, and feelings.


Objectives and strategies

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Change agent strategies can be internal, focused on employees, or external and focused on other publics such as customers or other stakeholders.

Involvement strategies: used to intensify stakeholder involvement with a company or brand.

Involvement can create interest and excitement, and more importantly, drive loyalty.


Objectives and strategies

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Creative ideas are just as important in public relations as in advertising.

A Nevada conservation program used a 50-year-old tortoise as a mascot to promote desert ecology.

TBS’s Cartoon Network used electronically lit cartoon characters on buildings and bridges to promote their show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” causing bomb scares in Boston.

The stunt cost TBS $2 million and the network head resigned.


The big idea

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The big idea

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Mojave Max is a desert tortoise used as a mascot for adesert conservation program in Nevada.

In integrated programs, advertising and public relations aim at selected targets with different but complementary messages.

Public relations uses a variety of marketing communication tools, just as advertising does.

Public relations and advertising need to merge, or at least find common ground, as the media fragments and consumers gain more control of their time and media habits.


PR’s role in IMC

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What Are The Most Common Types of Public Relations

Tools?


Controlled media: the sponsoring organization pays for media and controls how and when the message is delivered.

Uncontrolled media: the sponsoring organization doesn’t pay for media; the media controls how and when the message is delivered.

Semicontrolled media: includes electronic media over which companies maintain some, but not all control; examples include outside websites, blogs, and chat rooms.


What are the most common public relations tools?

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House ads: used in a company’s own publication or programs for self-promotion.

Public service announcements run free on TV, radio, or print for a charities or civic organizations.


Advertising

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This public service ad was designed to reassure Chicagoans that their donated food and money was well spent.

Corporate advertising is focused on the corporate image or viewpoint.

Corporate identity advertising is used to enhance or maintain their reputation among specific audiences.

Advocacy advertising is intended to deliver various point-of-view messages.


Advertising

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News releases◦ Deliver public relations messages to external media.◦ They should answer the five “Ws and the H.” ◦ For an example, see the Weber Shandwick news release in

Chapter 15 of your text.

Video news releases (VNRs)◦ Contain video footage for a television newscast.

Pitch letters◦ An engaging letter about a feature story idea sent to editors

who have to be “sold.”◦ They usually stress a human interest angle.


Publicity

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Press conferences◦ An event at which a spokesperson makes a

statement to the media. ◦ A media kit may be sent ahead of time.

Media tours◦ A “press conference on wheels.” ◦ A spokesperson makes speeches and

announcements, holds press conferences, and offers interviews.


Publicity

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Pamphlets Booklets Annual reports Collateral material Books Bulletins Newsletters Inserts and enclosures Position papers


Publications

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This Health Profile brochure is an example of collateral material.

DVD, podcasts, books and online video These are now major public relations tools.

Books can be published simply with electronic publishing.

Videos are expensive but are ideal for distributing in-depth information.

YouTube is being used for corporate messages.


Other tools

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Speakers and photos◦ A speakers’ bureau is a group of articulate people who

will talk about topics at the public’s request.◦ Public relations departments maintain up-to-date file

photos to provide to the public.

Displays and exhibits◦ Displays include booths, racks and holders for promotional

literature, and signage.◦ Exhibits are larger than displays and may have moving

parts, sound, or video.


Other tools

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Special events and tours Special events celebrate company milestones:

◦ Open houses◦ Birthday celebrations◦ Corporate sponsorship of events

Tours and trips by delegates and representatives◦ The “truth” youth smoking-prevention campaign tour

reaches 500,000 teens annually with information about the harmful effects of smoking.


Other tools

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Intranets connect people within an organization.

Extranets connect people in one business with its business partners.

External communication◦ Includes websites, email contact with reports, press releases

distributed by email, or PR Newswire.

◦ To see how a corporate website can be interactive, go to: www.hamptonlandmarks.com

◦ Here, Hampton Hotels involved the public by letting people learn about the landmark project and vote directly on which ones should be refurbished.


Online communication

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http://www.hamptonlandmarks.com/

Internal communication◦ Tools such as Intranets and e-mail connect people

in separate sites and are inexpensive.

◦ However, they can be used in court against a company.

Web challenges◦ Search optimization is a major issue.

◦ Anyone can post anything about your company; rumors can spread around the world in hours.

◦ However, companies can monitor what’s being said about them.


Online communication

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The Bottom Line


To help your message break through media clutter:

Wrap your story around a bigger idea. Keep it short and personal. Pay attention to Web basics. Host events. Publish a newsletter.


The bottom line

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Evaluation is based on measurable objectives established in planning.

It is difficult to measure how public relations impacts the bottom line.

Rapid changes in the media environment further complicate measurement metrics.

Practitioners evaluate process (what goes out) and outcome (media use, effect on the target audience).


Why measure public relations results?

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(Figure 15.2 visual here)

This variation of the Facets of Effects model shows that even in public relations, the media and messages must work together to deliver communications objectives.


Why measure public relations results?

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In Chapter 16, we will look at a variety of direct-response practices.


Where We’re Headed Next

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“Milestones for Hampton’s Landmark Campaign”

Hampton’s “Save-a-Landmark” campaign created awareness, which increased hotel revenue and generated goodwill.

Hampton Hotels earned its good reputation in part by becoming a civic-minded industry.

Media took notice of these good works, and covered the campaign extensively.


It’s a Wrap

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“Milestones for Hampton’s Landmark Campaign”

Key lessons: Goodwill is invaluable, but companies can’t thrive on

goodwill alone. They must also be profitable.

Campaigns such as this can help strengthen relationships with key publics, leading to greater sales.

As a class: What others can you think of?


It’s a Wrap

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part 5 principles: imc and total communication copyright © 2012 pearson education, inc. publishing...

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