Transcript
PUBLICS OF PR Overview
This lecture will identify various jobs required to be performed by public relations department. In fact the kind of work carried out by a PR manager and staff will obviously differ from one organization to another and can be composed of many variables. We will also discuss different publics of public relations, its definition and its importance.
A To Z Of Work Undertaken By PR Department
As has been reiterated before PR department has multifarious duties to perform, so these are generally enumerated as below:
Writing and distributing news releases, photographs & feature articles to the press, compiling press
lists.
Organizing press conferences, receptions and facility visits.
Maintaining a media information service.
Arranging press, radio and television interviews for management.
Briefing photographers and maintaining a picture library.
( f) Editing and producing staff magazines or newspapers and organizing other forms of internal communication e.g. videotapes, slide presentations, wall newspapers, etc.
Editing and producing external journals aimed at distributors, users, customers, etc.
Writing and producing print material such as educational literature, company histories, annual reports, induction literature for new staff, educational posters for schools, etc.
Commissioning audio - visuals such as synchronized slide presentations and videotapes together with their distribution, cataloguing, showing and maintenance.
Commissioning and organizing PR exhibitions and displays, including provision of vehicles.
Commissioning and maintaining all forms of corporate identity and house styling e.g. logos, color schemes, print house style and typography, livery of vehicles, distinctive clothing, etc.
Handling PR sponsorships.
Organizing works or similar visits, e.g. facility flights, sailings, site tours, etc.
Attendance at appropriate meetings of the board and meetings of production, marketing, sales and other executives.
Attendance at sales and dealer conferences.
Representation of the company at trade association meetings.
Liaison with PR consultancy if one is employed.
Training PR staff.
Commissioning opinion surveys (or other research). (t) Supervising advertising - liaison with advertising agency (u) Liaison with politicians and civil servants.
Official openings of new premises – arrangements for VIPs, guests and press.
Arranging visits by royalty, MPs, VIPs, foreign visitors.
Celebrating centenaries, Award for Industry, etc.
Organizing feedback of press cuttings, radio and television transcripts, monitoring and other reports from outside.
Analysis of feedback and evaluation of the results of efforts in relation to the declared objectives.
Publics Of PR
Although the publics of Public relations can be various yet these can basically be divided in to two major categories.
a) Internal b) External
But with operations, problems and expectations increasing manifold, these have expanded a lot. For understanding purposes a generalized list is given below:
Expanded Publics.
The Community;
Potential Employees;
Employees;
Suppliers of services and materials;
Investors --- the money market;
Distributors; – Consumers and users;
Opinion leaders.
Why Should We know Or Define Publics?
Unless we know our Publics, it will be almost impossible to plan a proper and useful PR campaign. Basically following are the purposes of determining and defining the Publics.
To identify all groups of people relative to a PR program;
To establish priority within the scope of the budget & resources;
To select media & techniques;
To prepare the message in acceptable & effective forms.
What Happens If We Do Not Define Publics?
As has been mentioned above, following problems will have to be faced if we do not define or know our publics.
Efforts & funds will be scattered indiscriminately in the attempt to reach too many publics;
The same message will be issued irrespective of its suitability for different groups of people;
Work would not be timed to make the most cost effective use of working hours, materials & equipment;
So in short we should remember that if it happens as enumerated above then the:
Management would be dissatisfied with the lack of results & management would be justified in regarding PR as being intangible & worse still, a waste of money and resultantly the PR practitioner may be branded as incompetent which will be total disaster from PR point of view. Few Examples Of Publics
Members, donors, voluntary workers,
Beneficiaries and users of the service;
Potential supporters and helpers;
Suppliers of services and materials;
Politicians, political parties;
Various Groups;
Central and local government officials;
Medical and health professionals;
Charities;
Opinion leaders.
MPA ‘s; MNA’s Senators; Government Officials; Distributors, - travel agents;
Convention organizers;
Transport operators - rail, sea, air, road;
Banks, credit card and travelers’ cheque operators; Currency dealers;
Hotel owners including international hotel groups;
Visitors - holidaymakers, business people, students;
Conference delegates, sportspeople;
Opinion leaders - writers, politicians, teachers;
Community in vicinity of a manufacturing industry;
Potential staff - local factory/office labor, management and sales staff from other firms;
All grades of management, office, factory, warehouse, transport, sales staff;
Suppliers of local services, e.g. public services, and suppliers of raw materials, packaging, advertising and other professional services;
Stock market - city editors, investment analysts, institutional buyers and shareholders;
Consumers - present and potential, including school children;
Trade unions, trade associations;
PLANNING PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAMMES
Overview
This lecture will explain about the methods and essentials of planning public relations program. It is important to consider and determine as to how these can be planned for tangible results. Although once again we will be talking on broad scale yet this can be adapted to suit particular or more modest requirements.
4 Reasons for Planning PR Programmes.
Set targets for PR Operation -- (Against which results can be assessed.)
Estimate the working hours and other costs involved for such PR Plan.
Select priorities which will control the number and timing of different operations in the program.
Decide feasibility of carrying out declared objectives according to availability of:
Sufficient staff of proper caliber.
Specific equipment like computers, cameras, vehicles etc.
Adequate Budget.
6 Point PR Planning Model
In order to plan a successful and result oriented PR plan following model should be adopted;
Appreciation of the situation.
Definition of objectives.
Definition of publics.
Selection of media & techniques.
Planning of a budget.
Assessment of results.
Let us now study the above enumerated parameters of successful PR plan model individually.
HOSTILITY
PREJUDICE
APATHY
IGNORANCE
SYMPATHY
ACCEPTANCE
INTEREST
KNOWLEDGE
Appreciation Of The Situation
NEGATIVE SITUATION
POSITIVE SITUATION
Methods Of Appreciating A Situation
In order to prepare an effective strategy to counter a situation it is important that the gravity of situation should first be assessed and appreciated. Following are the universally tried and accepted methods of appreciating a situation.
Opinion, attitude or image surveys.
Press clippings, monitored broadcasting scripts.
Sales figures trends & sales report indications,
State of competition within & from imports.
Share price if Public Company, dividends, balance sheet etc.
Industrial relation situation.
Customer complaints, test reports & product performance.
Discussion with sales force & distributors.
Prices & effect of price changes.
Market forces, economic, social & political.
Definition Of Objectives.
Change the image because company has changed its activities.
Improve the caliber of job applicants.
Tell people about little known story of the company & gain credit for achievement.
Make company known & understood in new local & international markets.
Prepare stock market for a new share launch.
Improve community relations following public criticism based on misunderstanding of company’s intention.
Educate installers, users or consumers about the product.
Regain public confidence after a disaster which had portrayed company as inefficient in any way, the cause having been rectified.
Establish a new corporate identity.
Support a sponsorship scheme.
Make politicians better informed about company’s activities, perhaps because of some impending legislation which could affect the company unfavorably.
Propagate company’s research activities.
When we determine the objectives it is essential that we should first of all identify the public we want to target from various publics, as already enumerated in the previous lectures also. Broadly speaking there are two major publics classified as internal and external while following are the expanded publics in the modern day.
Expanded Publics.
The Community.
Potential Employees.
Employees.
Suppliers of services & materials.
Investors --- the money market.
Distributors.
Consumers & users.
Opinion leaders.
Selection of Media & Techniques.
Once the objectives have been worked out and the publics selected, it will be necessary to select the media and technique to be adopted for the achievement of the desired objectives. It is important as in relation to the objectives, determined publics identified, only the selection of proper public will yield positive results. Following is the classification of different media as in use in the present days.
Print Media Electronic Media
Press. 1. Radio
Printed Material. 2. Television.
Direct Mail.
House Journals
Misc. Media
Exhibitions.
Air balloons & ships.
Electronic Bill Boards.
While determining the media and required techniques it is essential and important that before launching a public relations plan a budget should also be worked out. In this context following is the five point strategy. 5 Points For Planning PR Budget
To determine, what will it cost to carry out a PR Plan.
What sort of plan can be carried out for a given sum of money?
After agreeing to a cost & Plan, budget provides a check list to tasks, to be done as per a time table.
Budget sets a discipline for both expenditure & over - expenditure.
After completion of campaign, results can be measured against the budget. Assessment Of Results
Once all essentials like objectives, proper identification of publics and selection of media and techniques are in place and the cost involved for such plan has been worked out on the above explained strategy, it is imperative that an assessment should be made with regard to the public relations plan about the results or achievement of the objectives on following lines even if these may be qualitative and not quantitative.
Evaluate results.
Adopt proper evaluating methods.
Compare results against Objectives.
Sometimes the results may not be measurable statistically, but by experience and self evident qualities such as the evidence that now job applicants are better educated and more proficient or in some other way more suitable than before. These are basically the qualitative results. However, the quantitative results may show increased sales, awareness and reduced number of complaints, increased job applicants, oversubscription of shares or even increased number of mentions of the company name in the media.
MEDIAS OF PR
Overview
In this lecture we will explain about various Medias of public relations and its various classifications and usages. It will be basically a broad outline at this stage however; these will be individually dealt with in later lectures.
Medias Of PR
I Print Media:
Press.
National & Regional newspapers, magazines, directories, year books & annual reports etc. Printed Material.
Educational, informative, prestige, promotional, balance sheets etc. Direct Mail.
Personal letters, direct correspondence, mailing information etc.
House Journals.
Company newsletters both internal and external.
II. Electronic Media:
Radio -- National, Local, International etc.
Television – National, Regional, Tele text etc.
III. Other Media:
Exhibitions: Special PR exhibitions, Trade & Public shows, trade fairs local and overseas.
Airships: Gas filled air balloon ships for promotional purposes.
Electronic Bill Boards: New concept & replacements for conventional bill boards. Mobile Vehicles: New type of scrolling computer aided advertisements.
Media for Internal Publics (Co Newsletter) Objectives.
The value of understanding, teamwork and commitment by employees in achieving bottom line results.
The need to build a strong management-employee communication network for more than job related also key business & public issues.
7 Conditions for better working
Confidence & Trust between employer & employees.
Candid information flowing freely up, down & sideways.
Satisfying status & participation for each person.
Continuity of work without strife.
Healthful surroundings.
Success for the enterprise.
Optimism about the future.
Media for External Publics.
Newspapers.
Magazines.
Radio.
Television.
Working with the Media (Basic Principles)
Understand Media.
Know each Media.
Essential Points to know about Press
Editorial Policy.
Frequency of Publication.
Copy Date.
Circulation Area.
Readership Profile.
Distribution Method.
Principles of Good Press Relations
Maintain 2 ways Relationship.
Establish reputation of reliability.
Provide good copy.
Cooperation in providing material.
Provide Verification Facilities.
Building Personal rapport with the Media.
