What Is Public Relations Flashcards
Primary, secondary and marginal publics
Based on influence
Internal and external publics
Based on organizational boundaries
Traditional and future publics
Based on time
Proponents, opponents, and uncommitted publics
Based on relationship
Other terms common to definitions of PR
Deliberate Planned Performance Public interest Two-way communication DPPPT (d-triple p-t)
A public relations professionals must have skills in
Written and interpersonal communication, research, negotiation, creativity, logistics/management skills, facilitation, problem solving
RACE process
R is for
Research-define the problem
Some form of qualitative or quantitative research is often conducted to define the problem (survey of co morale)
Often, we’ll conduct a situation analysis to summarize the problem and broader situation
Research: the situation analysis
Client background Product/service/brand info Market/comp Consumer profile Brand & marketing analysis SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis Strategic implications and recs
RACE process
A is for…
Action-state the program’s objectives
Differentiate between goals (long-term) and objectives (specific outcomes)
Objectives may be informational, attitudinal/motivational, and/or behavioral
RACE process
C is for…
Communication-develop campaign to meet objectives
Base the campaign on pre-existing research
Base the camp on theory
Base the camp on research conducted earlier in the process
RACE process
E is for…
Evaluation-evaluate!!!
Should be done continuously
Did the camp work?
Alternative depictions of the process
Formative (b4) research and analysis Use research to est. objectives/strategies Develop campaign Execute plan/campaign Evaluative (after) research Use research to adjust future campaigns
Diffs btw pr and journalism
Scope
J is about producing content (news articles, mags features, tv segments
Pr is broader (might be organizing a special event one day and writing press releases the next
Diffs btw j and pr
Objectives
J strives for objectivity in reporting (point/counter-point news writing, giving equal time to both sides of a debate-global warming, intelligent design vs. evolution)
Pr has a goal of advocacy
Diffs btw pr and j
Audiences and channels
J produce content for the med for which they work, but also write for mass audiences (eg Paul Krugman produces articles for the NY Times while Matt Drudge does so for “The Drudge Report” website)
Pr specialists will tailor their materials much more to segments of the public and will often do so through a variety of channels
Diffs btw pr and adv
Tools
Adv use paid placements as their primary tool for work
PR pros might submit news info to journalists for consideration, but also rely heavily on the events themselves to build relationships with publics and other organizations
Diffs btw pr and adv
audiences
Adv are concerned only with an external audience aka consumers
PR concerned with internal (within co) and external (shareholders,vendors,opinion leaders) audiences
Diffs btw pr and adv
scope/function
Adv scope is much smaller and is viewed as a specialized communication function (wal-mart and brand image)
PR is broader, dealing with the performances of the organization as a whole (they deal with not only how consumers view their organization, but also how employees within the organization feel, how customer service is operating, etc.)
Diffs btw pr and adv
cost
Adv can be quite \$\$$ Effective PR (specifically, product publicity) is often viewed as a cost-effective alternative (product publicity is news coverage of a product or service)
There are four P’s in marketing
product, place, price, & promotion), with public relations often called the fifth
Diffs between PR and marketing
focus
Marketing is consumer-focused, with a goal of selling products or services
PR is focused on many diff publics, and while sales are supported by PR, they are not its sole focus (concerned with relationships and trust with publics, concerned with an organization’s values)
Diffs btw PR and marketing
Language
Marketing utilizes sales-oriented lang (they speak for target markets, customers, and consumers)
PR’s lang is less “hard-shell” and more conversational in tone (interested in 2-way communication btw publics and stakeholders that aren’t merely consumers of product or service)
Diffs btw PR and marketing
Method
M is to satisfy economy objectives (influence purchases)
PR might be doing its job if it raises awareness, edu, or informs the public and builds trust in the organization (not economic, rather awareness or trust)
How does PR support marketing?
Develops new prospect as…
Provides third party….
Generates sales leads and opportunities for…
Stretches adv and promotional dollars via…
Provides inexpensive…
Establishes credibility by…
Develops new prospects as people follow up on news releases
Provides third party endorsements via news
organizations
Generates sales leads and opportunities for
sales calls, typically through articles in the
trade press about new products or services
Stretches adv and promotional dollars via timely press releases, etc.
Provides inexpensive sales lit in the form of news articles and subsequent consumer reviews, etc.
Establishes credibility by making the organization the expert on the product, service, or cause
Helps sell minor products that may lack adv budgets
PR is more effective than marketing or advertising at…
Premarket conditioning (Long-term) Strategy development Generating word of mouth Building a brand’s reputation Building corporate reputation Overcoming a crisis
Marketing is generally more effective than PR or adv when it comes to….
Launching a new product or service Promoting a new product or service Acquiring customers Retaining customers Targeting niche audiences
Adv is better than PR or marketing at…
building awareness
Why the shift to integrated/strategic communications?
Downsizing leads to consolidation: oftentimes fewer employees expected to do some amount of work
Tighter budgets: adv can be costly
Increasing attention to how social policy can influence the marketing of products and services
Adv clutter
Using PR to create positive public opinion
Host events
Conduct studies to better understand publics and their needs
Funding activities
Provide info to journalists, consumers, etc.
Do good things
Using PR to prevent negative public opinion
Have a crisis plan
Train your people how to speak to media
Have an open info policy
Don’t have indefensible policies
How PR contributes to the Bottom Line
Building awareness
Inc sales and stock prices thru publicity, promotion, and targeted communications to segmented audiences
How PR contributes to the Bottom Line
Organizational motivation
increase co’s morale thru internal relations and communication
How PR contributes to the Bottom Line
Issue scanning
understanding public opinion early enough in the process thru systematic and comprehensive research methodologies
How PR contributes to the Bottom Line
opportunity identification
discover new markets and opportunities by maintaining dialogues with a variety of audiences
How PR contributes to the Bottom Line
Crisis management
protect your position and reputation by having a concrete plan for handling crisis
How PR contributes to the Bottom Line
counseling execs
help make informed decisions by counseling those in charge
How PR contributes to the Bottom Line
serving as an agent of change
outline benefits and plans for change through dialogue with a variety of audiences
How PR contributes to the Bottom Line
ensuring social responsibility
create a positive reputation and earn community trust by aligning organizations with public interest projects, etc.
How PR contributes to the bottom line
influencing public policy
eliminate political barriers through lobbying and building coalitions with decision-makers
