Class 10 - Public relations Flashcards
What is PR ?
PR: Marketing communications function that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.
Goals
- Increase awareness of company. Brands, products, activities
- Promote a positive image/perception
- Protect from negative news/crises
“Free” publicity (indirect costs can be substantial), highly credible, low control, hard to measure
Who does PR promote to ?
Customers (“Media Relations”)
Employees
Investors
Governments (”public affairs”)
Members of local communities (“community relations”)
Tools of PR
Press release
A written report concerning a change in the organization (e.g., new product, awards, new contracts) is released
Short and written to attract the attention of news outlets
Press conference
A member of the organization speaks to the press directly
Press kits containing full reproductions of statements, photograph and background information should be provided
Used for a major event wherein a press release cannot convey appropriate tone or required detail
Interviews
A representative from the company sits down to speak to a news organization directly
The representative reports the company’s view on an issue or event
The Two Functions of PR
Promote
Protect
PR for Promotion
Events
- Products events
- Corporate events
- Community events
Media relations
Hashtags
Events
Products events
Events centered around a product
In addition to attracting media attention, may be designed to generate sales
Corporate events
In addition to getting media attention, the goal is to provide entertainment.
Examples include:
Open-door events wherein consumers can see the working environment (e.g., factory, brewery)
Donations of products to local events
Community events
The company generates goodwill by helping the local community
In addition to getting media attention, the goal is to help the community within which the business functions.
Media relations
You want to become a trusted source for journalists who cover your field.
They will be more likely to come to you for comment on relevant stories
They may be nicer to you in a crisis
To do so, you might…
Accept media requests when offered
Provide accurate information to media in a timely manner
Pitch an interesting story about your industry to journalists
Hashtags
Increase discoverability (by consumers and journalists)
They search a hashtag like #montreal and your video comes up
Creating a hashtag for a campaign can help it spread (meaning it may be more likely to get media coverage)
The ideal is 3-5 hashtags per post, more than that and the algorithm will deprioritize your content!
PR for Protection - 1. Some examples of PR for protection
A public figure (CEO, influencer, celebrity) does or says something disagreeable
Will Smith
A product or policy does not work as intended
Lululemon leggings
The public are interacting with your product in a way that is bad for your brand
Les gens qui mangeait des Tide pods
- Recognizing a Crisis
What is a crisis ?
“Events that either cause harm to or have the potential to harm an individual or organization.” (or an entire industry)
Crises are defined by degree of harm
Not crisis
Quand il y a une publication de hate mais que tu as pas besoin de faire un cas
Crisis
quand c’est qqch qui pourrait affecter l’entreprise
Types of crises
Tangible harm
Any crisis that causes harm to the functioning of the business.
Intangible Harm
Any crisis that causes harm to to the reputation of the business
The 3Vs :
Victim, Villain, Visuals
Social media raises the stakes
More is public (assume everything)
SPEED
SCALE
LOW (EVEN LESS) CONTROL
But, more of what happens becomes public – assume anything does
News travels far and FAST, and companies have minimal control over the message
- Crisis planning
This is not a strategy
Planning process
1. Brainstorm as many types of crisis as you can
2. Prioritize based on probability and harm
3. Write down the plan and distribute it
a) The media may approach anyone when a crisis is breaking, so…
b) Everyone needs to know what the plan is for when these crises inevitably arrive (even if the plan for most people is to not respond)
4. Update the plan on a regular schedule (every 6 months)
5. Keep your ear to the ground
a) Use some of the engagement tracking strategies we talked about last lecture
What goes into a plan ?
Who is the crisis response team?
Who are all the people who need to be involved (names, roles and contact info)?
Who has the “keys” to any relevant systems? (social media accounts, IT systems, etc.)
Who will the spokespeople be?
Who are the leaders and communication staff who will respond to press requests?
Does everyone know who to send requests to?
Audiences
Who is most likely affected by this crisis?
What do they care about?
Communication Channels
How do we best reach those audiences? (incl. social media)
Fact sheet
What are the existing facts and information relevant to this crisis?
Prepare a visual narrative (images, video clips)
Talking points
If this happens, what are the organization’s key messages?
Draft the messages
Write out draft emails, statements, social media posts …
MUCH easier to edit than start from scratch
Be strategic, not spontaneous
Some general best practices
