Final Exam Flashcards
RPIE
The proactive and strategic planning process for PR. A solid way to make sure your key messages have the greatest opportunities to reach your target audiences.
RPIE: Research
The systematic gathering of information to describe and understand a situation; check assumptions about publics and perceptions, and check the PR consequences. Research helps define the problem and the publics.
Preliminary/Background Research
A casual review of materials. Helps understand the situation; what we already know and what we can easily figure out. Helpful but not well organized. Often the ‘1st take’.
Formal Research
Structured methodology that is valid, reliable, generalizable, empirical and uses the scientific method. The margin of error is 3 to 5 %. Types of Formal Research: Surveys Content Analysis Empirical Experiments Empirical Observations
Informal Research
Insightful but not as rigorous as formal research. Gains a solid understanding of a problem and the publics. Types of Informal Research: Checking Records/Files Environmental Scanning/Monitoring Interviewing Key Contacts and Content Experts Database Searches Focus Groups Special Committees
Primary Research
Research that you collected or commissioned 1st hand. Time-intensive. Cost-intensive. Reliable. Example: Focus Groups Interviews Advisory Boards Communication/PR Audits Complaint Reviews
Secondary Research
Research that is already collected/available by someone else. Examples: Data Banks Nationally Commissioned Research Library Articles Census/Government Reports News Articles/Reports
Quantitative
Research that can be reduced to a number.
Examples:
Surveys
Content Analysis
Qualitative
Research that can’t be reduced to a number.
Examples:
Focus Groups
Environmental Scans
Informal Research: Environmental Scanning/Monitoring
Organizations systematically exploring and interpreting the environment.
Examples:
Google Alerts
Blog/Clip Reviews
Informal Research: Focus Groups
8-12 people who share demographic characteristics. Open-ended questions and interactions. Provide a depth of feeling.
Informal Research: Databases
Nexis-Lexis
Factiva
Cision
Vocus
Informal Research: Special Committees
Advisory Boards
Blue Ribbon Panels
Planning: Goals
These refer to longer-term, broad, more global, future statements of “being.” Describe ‘hoped-for’ outcomes. How an organization is uniquely distinguished in the minds of its target publics. 9-15 words.
Planning: Objectives
A focus on shorter-term. Steps to achieve on the way to reaching your goal. Quantifiable end states. Should be about changes in the public’s awareness, attitude or actions. Defines what behavior, attitude or opinion you want to achieve from specific audiences, how much to achieve, and when to achieve it (e.g. news placements, social fans, event attendance). Objectives should be SMART.
SMART Objectives are…
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant and Time-Specific
Outcome Objectives
Achieves change in public’s awareness, attitudes or actions. Prove that the campaign moved the needle of public opinion, motivated behavioral change.
Process Objectives
Serve to ‘inform’ and ‘educate’.
Output Objectives
Measure your outreach efforts and activities (e.g. number of contacts or news releases). Help you monitor your work.
Planning: Strategies
Serve as a road map or approach to reach objectives (e.g. enlist so-and-so to accelerate).
Proactive Strategies
Take the initiative.
Reactive Strategies
Respond to an issue/competition.
Planning: Tactics
Serve as specific elements of a strategy or specific tools (e.g. meetings, publications, tie-ins, news releases)
Types of Plans: Tactical
Short-range, more day-to-day. Might involve products/services or employee recognition.
Types of Plans: Strategic
Long-Range. Involves major organizational goals.
Types of Plans: Standing
Standardized. For use in specific situations: employee anniversaries, annual conference, campus convocation. Commonly used for emergencies.
Types of Plans: Single-Use
Developed for one situation. Product introduction, milestone or recover reputation.
RPIE: Implementation
The execution of a plan.
RPIE: Evaluation
Measures the effectiveness of the plan against the objectives (e.g. measures audience coverage, response and the campaign’s impact). Identifies ways to improve and makes recommendations for the future. Adjusts the plan, materials, etc. before moving forward. Can serve as research for the next plan.
Primary Publics
Stakeholders you need to affect for the program. Other publics you need to affect for the program.
Intervening Publics
Act as a channel to shape or change opinion. Independent agents who can pass messages to publics. Often news media and social media influencers.
Secondary Publics
Stakeholders somewhat affected. Others who may be impacted, but not it way that affects organization as much.
Stakeholders
People who perceive themselves as interested/affected that can in turn affect the organization.
Publics can be categorized by…
Their position (i.e. primary, secondary or intervening).
How active they are with an issue.
Their function (i.e. employees, media, cosumer).
Their demographics
Their psychographic
The amount of trust they have with a organization.
How affected they are by a organization.
Communication Tactics
Tools and technique to reach publics
Channels
Social Media (i.e. interactive and online)
Traditional Print Media (i.e. news, magazines)
Broadcast Media (i.e. news and talk shows)
Collateral (i.e. brochures, inserts and flyers)
Web Sites
Advertising
Events
Meetings/Seminars/Conferences
Speeches/Presentations/Demonstrations
PSA’s
Summative Evaluations
Indicate outcomes of a plan (i.e. how did our campaign do?).
Formative Evaluations
Indicate progress made during implementation (i.e. how are we doing?).
Pre-Tests and Post-Tests
Studies done before and after implementation of a plan with the same/similar group representing your public. Best used in a closed system evaluation (i.e. only evaluates the controlled message elements).
Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT)
Explains how to select crisis response strategies to mitigate attribution.
2 Step Process for Assessing Crises: 1) Identify the Crisis Type
Victim Crisis Cluster (i.e. low attribution)
Accidental Crisis Cluster (i.e. moderate attribution)
Intentional Crisis Cluster (i.e. high attribution)
2 Step Process for Assessing Crises: 2) Identify Crisis Intensifiers
Organizational Reputation
Crisis History
Relationship History
Crisis Severity
Crisis Type: Victim Crisis
Natural Disasters Rumors Workplace Violence Product Tampering/Malevolence (Minimal Crisis Responsibility)
Crisis Type: Accident Crisis
Challenges (e.g. stakeholders claim the organization is operating in an inappropriate manner)
Technical Error Accidents (e.g. equipment or tech failure that causes an industrial accident)
Technical Error Product Harm (e.g. equipment or tech failure that causes a product to be defective or potentially harmful)
(Low Crisis Responsibility)
Crisis Type: Preventable/Intentional
Human-Error Accidents
Human-Error Product Harm
Organizational Misdeed (i.e. management actions that put stakeholders at risk and/or violate the law)
(Strong Crisis Responsibility)
3 Response Postures: Deny Posture
When low concern for victim and low responsibility acceptance are involved. You deny, attack the accuser and use a scapegoat.
3 Response Postures: Diminish Posture
When moderate concern for victim and moderate responsibility acceptance are involved. Use excuses and justifications.
3 Response Postures: Deal Posture
When high concern for victim and high responsibility acceptance are involved. Use ingratiation (i.e. try to be more likeable), express concern, regret and apology, give compensation.
Contingency Theory
Explains why various organization can behave in a variety of manners depending on the situations that an organization is involved in. Says an organization acts along an axis or Advocacy and Accommodation. An organization can be pulled from one pole to the other based on 86 different variables in 11 groups.
Diffusion Theory
How, why and at what rate do new ideas and technology spread throughout a culture.
Processes of change:
Awareness (through personal experience)
Interest (through mass media)
Evaluation (through experts and 3rd parties)
Trial (through friends and family)
Adoption (through sales and advertising)
Adoption Patterns of Diffusion Theory
Innovators: First to adopt new ideas.
Early Adopters: Avoid untried ideas, but the quickest to use tested ideas.
Early Majority: Most often named as “friend and neighbors”
Majority: Rely heavily on influence of early majority.
Laggards: Non-adopters
Diffusion Theory: Influencers
Mass Media (effective at gaining awareness and interest)
Experts (the #2 influence in all stages)
Peers (#1 in last three stages)
Sales (always 4th in influence)
Grunig’s 4 Models
Press Agentry
Public Information
2-Way Asymmetric
2-Way Symmetric
Agenda Setting Theory
Media can influence on what issues people think about. Theory developed via presidential campaigns. McCombs and Shaw followed the presidential race of 1968. Agenda was measured by what the public believed were the issues vs. media content. Conclusion was that media coverage = influence.
Excellence Theory
Theory by Grunig and Hunt that indicates that PR performance is linked to an organization’s relationships with publics also that PR should be a strategic management function. This gets approvals for new PR projects and campaigns, motivates employees to do more in bad times, respond to critics, deal with activist groups and recover after a stumble.
Excellence Principles: Technician
The first, the technician is someone who IMPLEMENTS. This person writes, edits, pitches.
Excellence Principles: Manager Role as Communication Facilitator
A boundary spanner between publics and organizations.
Excellence Principles: Manager Role as Problem Solver
A PR pro who partners with senior management and the dominant coalition on crises and issues.
Excellence Principles: Manager Role as Expert Prescriber
Operates as a consultant/advisor suggesting options.
Budgets Increasing…
40% of public company respondents expected their PR/Communication budgets to increase for 2014 over 2013.
Staffs Growing…
40% of respondents experiencing staff growth in 2014. Industries including energy and natural resources, finance and insurance, manufacturers/marketing of B-to-B products, professional services, retailing and transportation/shipping.
5 Most Used Channels
#1 Content Spread by Social Media #2 Twitter Growing #3 On-line Videos #4 Facebook #5 Print Newspapers
Emerging Channels
Editorial Websites Multimedia Content for Mobile Devices Instagram Crowd Sourcing Pinterest Vine
Products and Services Segmentation
Corporate Media Relations Product Media Relations Other Public Affairs and Community Relations Special Events Investor Relations
Media Relations
Still dominant, but rise of social media has given us new channels that are fundamentally changing PR. Press coverage has been a core PR activity, and remains one today. The role as influencer continues. 95% of “new” in online content stems from articles generated by traditional news media. Digital gives PR and consumers more options. Traditional media landscapes are waning.
4 Primary Media Roles
Provide Information
Sell Entertainment
Public “Watchdogs”
Make a Profit
The Media: Newspapers
Readers aged 35 and up. Suited for more complex, in depth information.
3 National Dailies: NY Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal
Regional Dailies: Washington Post, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Constitution Journal, Baltimore Sun
Area Weeklies: Gazette
The Media: Newswires
AP, Reuters and Bloomberg. Feeds news to broadcast, print and blogs. PR Newswires: Business Wire Vocus PR Newswire US Wire
The Media: Magazines
22,000 Mainstream Mags
Media Relations: Inherent Tension
Reporters want... a good story access to top exclusive and experts quotes, anecdotes, examples facts and figures fast turnaround when on deadline PR wants... raise awareness of product of organization differentiate them from competitors recognize them for excellence bring attention to problems/issues help shape public opinion Journalists pride themselves on being... 4th estate watchdogs agenda setters PR acts as... advocates for clients and causes
According to the American Press Institute: How Americans Get Their News i.e. What device or technology did you use to get news in the last week?
#1 Television #2 Laptop of Computer #3 Radio
According to the American Press Institute: How Americans Get Their News i.e. How much do you trust the information you get from…?
#1 Electronic News Alerts #2 Directly From News Organizations #3 Search Engines
Top 15 News Websites
Yahoo! Google News Huffington Post CNN The New York Times Fox News NBC News Mail Online The Washington Post The Guardian The Wall Street Journal BBC News USA Today LA Times
News and Digital Circulation
More print than digital.
Tools Reporters Turn to 2013
99% Industry Sources 80% PR Contacts 77% Press Releases 74% Wire Services 71% Email Pitches 56% Blogs 44% Micro-Blogs 39% Social Networking Sites 18% Podcasts and Usernet Newsgroup 9% Social Bookmarking
Older Model for PR and Reporters
Pitching Stories
Agenda-Setting/Agenda Building
Newer Model for PR and Reporters
“Media Catching” and “News Jacking”
Social Media
Changing communications & PR to make information more instantly available, more accessible and “democratic”, lessen filters/gatekeepers, add more opinion, more open to misinformation and disinformation, add viral marketing as way to spread of ideas that spur social movements/trends and focus on engaging the publics.
As of January 2014…
74% of online Americans use social networking sites.
As of September 2013…
71% of online adults use Facebook 17& use Instagram 21% use Pinterest 22% use Linkedin 19% use Twitter (age counts though)
Digital Natives
Grew up with the internet and instant information. Under 35. Generation Y — Born 1975 - 1994.
Digital Immigrants
Grew up with gatekeepers and news aggregators. Had to learn the internet. Over 35 i.e. born before 1975.
Digital Omnivores
Consumer across several channels and touch points throughout the day.
What makes media social?
Real-Time Community Personal Interactive Measurable
5 Big Changes Driving Digital and PR - Edelman
1) Explosion of channels. Adding social channels quickly. Changing traditional channels.
2) Multi-screen World. Many consumers use multiple screens, sometimes at the same time.
3) Every company is a media company. Produce web content and content for videos, photos and stories.
4) Stories are social. Write them for social platforms.
Adapt them across platforms: from news to videos to web.
5) Stories that last forever. Once a story or image is online, it stays online. Remember “the long tail”.
