Thursday, September 27, 2007
Week 11 Blog- Research and Evaluation
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
Research and evaluation are both vital steps in a public relations campaign. Research is undertaken at various stages throughout the development of the project. There are three types of research input research, output research and outcome research.
Input research: research into the organisation, situation, publics and proposed message and strategies. This type can be further categorised into exploratory and development research.
Output research: measures the activity of the organisation. Reflects on the delivery of messages, allowing the PR practitioner to fine tune, alter or modify the plan.
Outcome research: measures the achievements. It indicates the level of success or failure and demonstrates how effectively planning and communication have been.
There are a range of methodologies available to be used to research. The methodology needs to be selected on its suitability to the task and the firm. There are both qualitative and quantitative methodologies that can be used.
The task of researching can also be categorised into formal and informal. Formal research is characterised by scientific procedures, methodologies and analysis. Informal research has no agreed rules and procedures, and is cheaper and more immediate.
There are various differing research techniques to select from, these include:
- surveys
- mail
- telephone
- face-to-face
- internet
- in-depth interviews
- focus groups
- ethnographic studies
- case studies
- analysis of existing data
- organisational culture study
- feedback analysis
- media monitoring
- content analysis
- benchmark research
- statistical analysis
- environmental monitoring
- communication audits
- corporate communication archives
- testimonials
- expert review
- internet monitoring
- measurement of online presence
- advertising value equivalents
- secondary information sources
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
Research and evaluation is a vital part of the process when using strategy in a PR campaign. In order to ensure that the aims and objectives of the organisation are being met at all times throughout the planning, design and implementation stages, as well as the final outcomes of the campaign it is important to research. As mentioned above research can take many forms using either quality or quantity measures. Obviously, each unique campaign will require different research techniques and a different approach. It is important to understand that the ethical considerations of research apply to all campaigns. It is through research that the evaluation process takes place.
Research and evaluation are both vital steps in a public relations campaign. Research is undertaken at various stages throughout the development of the project. There are three types of research input research, output research and outcome research.
Input research: research into the organisation, situation, publics and proposed message and strategies. This type can be further categorised into exploratory and development research.
Output research: measures the activity of the organisation. Reflects on the delivery of messages, allowing the PR practitioner to fine tune, alter or modify the plan.
Outcome research: measures the achievements. It indicates the level of success or failure and demonstrates how effectively planning and communication have been.
There are a range of methodologies available to be used to research. The methodology needs to be selected on its suitability to the task and the firm. There are both qualitative and quantitative methodologies that can be used.
The task of researching can also be categorised into formal and informal. Formal research is characterised by scientific procedures, methodologies and analysis. Informal research has no agreed rules and procedures, and is cheaper and more immediate.
There are various differing research techniques to select from, these include:
- surveys
- telephone
- face-to-face
- internet
- in-depth interviews
- focus groups
- ethnographic studies
- case studies
- analysis of existing data
- organisational culture study
- feedback analysis
- media monitoring
- content analysis
- benchmark research
- statistical analysis
- environmental monitoring
- communication audits
- corporate communication archives
- testimonials
- expert review
- internet monitoring
- measurement of online presence
- advertising value equivalents
- secondary information sources
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
Research and evaluation is a vital part of the process when using strategy in a PR campaign. In order to ensure that the aims and objectives of the organisation are being met at all times throughout the planning, design and implementation stages, as well as the final outcomes of the campaign it is important to research. As mentioned above research can take many forms using either quality or quantity measures. Obviously, each unique campaign will require different research techniques and a different approach. It is important to understand that the ethical considerations of research apply to all campaigns. It is through research that the evaluation process takes place.
Week 10 - Chapter 7 - Tactics
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
Tactics-Introduction
Every tactic must relate directly back to its defined purpose: achieving the strategic outcome. There is a huge range of tactics that can be used by a PR organisation including publicity, newsletters, direct mail, advertising, corporate publications, functions, speaking opportunities, internet sites, information kits, media relations, brochures, competitions, videos, lobbying, meetings and competitions. It is a complex environment in which the choice of tactics must be made. PR professionals must be aware of operating in a world in which high level regulation, lawsuits, watchdogs, and corporate governance influence the choice of tactics, their content and how the tactics are implemented.
Controlled vs. Uncontrolled Communication
Controlled Tactics: those which the PR practitioner can maintain control over every aspect of the process, eg- advertising, annual reports, brochures, posters, direct mail and advertorial.
Uncontrolled Tactics: can be altered or even blocked completely, eg- media relations- where the decision to use the material in its original or altered form lies solely with a news gatekeeper. Another example is a public meeting.
The practitioner needs to choose a balance between the two types of tactics to ensure the desired message is actually communicated to the audience.
Methods of Delivery
The chosen method of an item of communication to the recipient plays a critical role in determining its impact and effectiveness. The most commonly used methods of delivery are mail, faxes, news distribution agencies, email, CD-ROMS, couriers, videos, video conferencing, personal delivery and websites.
New Technology and Message Delivery: The internet provides greater access to an organisation’s broader activities, with the benefit of instant access at a time convenient to the user to information on organisations, their activities, philosophies, products and services. It is used together with other communication vehicles in order to provide further, more detailed information. As well as a benefit, the internet can also be the PR practitioner’s worst nightmare. One of the greatest mistakes made on websites is posting information that does not suit the medium. The greatest advances benefiting the PR profession have come with the development of technology that drives a range of already existing tactics.
Tactic Selection
Research
Media Relations: complex tactic, if news generated is of high interest media can provide an ideal and cost effective vehicle, however if minimal interest trying to attract coverage may be counter-productive and may even damage the reputation of the practitioner with the media.
Printed Materials: Brochures, Leaflets and Flyers: used in tandem with other tactics. The suitability of the message to the medium is a consideration when selecting the correct printed material. Other considerations are: Paper sizes- DL publications are standard envelope size, A5 publications are larger, A4 publications and A3 publications (less common).
Colours & embossing- Single colour publications are much cheaper, however two colour publications are a more cost effective option as they are more visually appealing, have more impact and allow greater flexibility than single colour publications. Three, four and five colour publications allow the greatest flexibility, and embossing and gold or silver foiling add status.
Paper stock- Range from matt to semi gloss and gloss stocks, specifically chosen to match the message being portrayed.
Binding- The choice of binding depends on the size and use of a document. The three most common types are saddle stitching, burst bound or perfect bound, and wiro binding.
Annual Reports: Record the highlights and challenges experienced by an organisation, including financial details. There are two sections: the editorial (‘marketing’) copy and the financial and statutory obligations section. The role of the PR practitioner in annual report production varies greatly. One may serve a design and editing role, or may produce it from the ground up.
Newsletters: Provide ongoing communication, usually aimed at building long term rapport with a target audience. Facilitate two way communication through competitions, feedback or opinion polls. There are two types- vertical: distributed only within an - organisation, and horizontal- aimed at readers with a narrowly defined common interest.
Direct Mail: More personalised communication. Has lost ground to the Internet.
Design and production: bringing it all together: Should have uniformity in all documents produced by an organisation. Maintain consistency through:
- Colours
- Typeface and size
- Dot points
- Layouts
- Photographs
- Style of writing and overall graphic design layout
- Grammar
- Icons and graphic design features
It’s advisable for PR practitioners to undertake regular audits of all communication vehicles.
Other tactics that are used by PR practitioners are speeches, videos, DVDs, CD-ROMs, photography, presentations, celebrities and well-known spokespeople, events, community meetings, advertising, community service announcements and sponsorship. All of these have different guidelines to be followed in order to be used effectively.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
This chapter has broadened by knowledge about the different tactics that can be used in a PR campaign. It is not only important to realise the considerations and issues for each one but also the target audience that it is suited to. There is no point using a tactic if it does not address the needs of the target group. In such cases, the tactics are simply ignored. It is always a good idea to choose a theme at the beginning of the campaign and design all the tactics so they support and represent that theme. Consistency is absolutely vital, not only in brand or company recognition, but also in order for the tactics to be successful.
Tactics-Introduction
Every tactic must relate directly back to its defined purpose: achieving the strategic outcome. There is a huge range of tactics that can be used by a PR organisation including publicity, newsletters, direct mail, advertising, corporate publications, functions, speaking opportunities, internet sites, information kits, media relations, brochures, competitions, videos, lobbying, meetings and competitions. It is a complex environment in which the choice of tactics must be made. PR professionals must be aware of operating in a world in which high level regulation, lawsuits, watchdogs, and corporate governance influence the choice of tactics, their content and how the tactics are implemented.
Controlled vs. Uncontrolled Communication
Controlled Tactics: those which the PR practitioner can maintain control over every aspect of the process, eg- advertising, annual reports, brochures, posters, direct mail and advertorial.
Uncontrolled Tactics: can be altered or even blocked completely, eg- media relations- where the decision to use the material in its original or altered form lies solely with a news gatekeeper. Another example is a public meeting.
The practitioner needs to choose a balance between the two types of tactics to ensure the desired message is actually communicated to the audience.
Methods of Delivery
The chosen method of an item of communication to the recipient plays a critical role in determining its impact and effectiveness. The most commonly used methods of delivery are mail, faxes, news distribution agencies, email, CD-ROMS, couriers, videos, video conferencing, personal delivery and websites.
New Technology and Message Delivery: The internet provides greater access to an organisation’s broader activities, with the benefit of instant access at a time convenient to the user to information on organisations, their activities, philosophies, products and services. It is used together with other communication vehicles in order to provide further, more detailed information. As well as a benefit, the internet can also be the PR practitioner’s worst nightmare. One of the greatest mistakes made on websites is posting information that does not suit the medium. The greatest advances benefiting the PR profession have come with the development of technology that drives a range of already existing tactics.
Tactic Selection
Research
Media Relations: complex tactic, if news generated is of high interest media can provide an ideal and cost effective vehicle, however if minimal interest trying to attract coverage may be counter-productive and may even damage the reputation of the practitioner with the media.
Printed Materials: Brochures, Leaflets and Flyers: used in tandem with other tactics. The suitability of the message to the medium is a consideration when selecting the correct printed material. Other considerations are: Paper sizes- DL publications are standard envelope size, A5 publications are larger, A4 publications and A3 publications (less common).
Colours & embossing- Single colour publications are much cheaper, however two colour publications are a more cost effective option as they are more visually appealing, have more impact and allow greater flexibility than single colour publications. Three, four and five colour publications allow the greatest flexibility, and embossing and gold or silver foiling add status.
Paper stock- Range from matt to semi gloss and gloss stocks, specifically chosen to match the message being portrayed.
Binding- The choice of binding depends on the size and use of a document. The three most common types are saddle stitching, burst bound or perfect bound, and wiro binding.
Annual Reports: Record the highlights and challenges experienced by an organisation, including financial details. There are two sections: the editorial (‘marketing’) copy and the financial and statutory obligations section. The role of the PR practitioner in annual report production varies greatly. One may serve a design and editing role, or may produce it from the ground up.
Newsletters: Provide ongoing communication, usually aimed at building long term rapport with a target audience. Facilitate two way communication through competitions, feedback or opinion polls. There are two types- vertical: distributed only within an - organisation, and horizontal- aimed at readers with a narrowly defined common interest.
Direct Mail: More personalised communication. Has lost ground to the Internet.
Design and production: bringing it all together: Should have uniformity in all documents produced by an organisation. Maintain consistency through:
- Colours
- Typeface and size
- Dot points
- Layouts
- Photographs
- Style of writing and overall graphic design layout
- Grammar
- Icons and graphic design features
It’s advisable for PR practitioners to undertake regular audits of all communication vehicles.
Other tactics that are used by PR practitioners are speeches, videos, DVDs, CD-ROMs, photography, presentations, celebrities and well-known spokespeople, events, community meetings, advertising, community service announcements and sponsorship. All of these have different guidelines to be followed in order to be used effectively.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
This chapter has broadened by knowledge about the different tactics that can be used in a PR campaign. It is not only important to realise the considerations and issues for each one but also the target audience that it is suited to. There is no point using a tactic if it does not address the needs of the target group. In such cases, the tactics are simply ignored. It is always a good idea to choose a theme at the beginning of the campaign and design all the tactics so they support and represent that theme. Consistency is absolutely vital, not only in brand or company recognition, but also in order for the tactics to be successful.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Week 10- Chpt 7 Blog
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
- PR practitioners need to think and practice strategically in order to be relevant in today’s organisation.
- The stages of the strategic process in PR are:
· Creation of organisational vision and mission statements
· Creation of public relations vision and mission statements
· Establishment of performance indicators
· Budgeting
· Writing of a strategic public relations plan
· Scheduling of public relations activities
- The public relations strategic planning is influenced in social, economic and political contexts. It is influenced by corporate culture, ideology, values and beliefs, systems and business processes.
- Strategic public relations is a very highly valued organisational function, it tends to be valued more highly than the typical department in an organisation.
- PR consultants are held in high esteem by chief executives in terms of skills of communication, media relations and publicity.
- Building a strong corporate reputation is important for the success of an organisation, which strategically managed public relations play a significant role in.
- Vision and mission statements need to be created for the organisation as part of its public relations strategy.
- The vision statement describes the future state of the organisation at a selected time.
- The mission statement is the road map that describes how the organisation will move to reach its vision.
- Key performance indicators are important and practical in general strategic planning, however they are not well suited to public relations strategies because the results of PR work can be intangible and not often repeated on a regular basis.
- PR strategic planning is very similar to the format of the business or marketing plan, which consists of the ‘ten-step strategic communication plan’:
1. Executive summary
2. The communication process
3. Background
4. Situation analysis
5. Main message statement
6. Stakeholders
7. Messages for key stakeholders
8. Implementation
9. Budget
10. Monitoring and evaluation
- Public Relations budgets are categorised into two groups:
· Administrative costs: salaries, on-costs and fringe benefits for full and part time employees.
· Program costs: photography, printing, catering, travel, gifts, production, room hire, accommodation, phone and fax transmissions, website creation and maintenance.
- Scheduling is essential for a public relations plan to be successfully implemented. No one plan no matter how carefully researched and prepared it may be can be implemented effectively without scheduling.
- Lists are useful in the PR function as they ensure nothing is forgotten in the strategic plan. These tools allow the PR process to be outlined, keep order and provide organisation and follow up. Often a checklist is used before an event and another evaluation checklist is used to provide feedback.
- Flowcharts, calendars and Gantt charts are also useful tools to ensure that the PR strategic plan is running on schedule.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
Like organisational objectives the public relations goals and objectives are best achieved when a strategic plan is created and used by an organisation. The plan needs to be effectively planned, implemented and evaluated to ensure that it is beneficial for the public relations practitioner and the organisation as a whole. Budgets are firmly established and the jobs that need to be completed are closely planned and monitored to ensure that nothing is missed or negatively impacts on other jobs. The use of a strategic public relations plan is crucial for the public relations department to maintain the high standard of the organisation. The public relations strategic plan is often very similar to a business plan. Each different public relations organisation will have its own unique objectives and guidelines that will make it differ from other organisations. The strategy, planning and scheduling of a public relations project is detrimental to the implementation of the project and the overall performance of the organisation.
- PR practitioners need to think and practice strategically in order to be relevant in today’s organisation.
- The stages of the strategic process in PR are:
· Creation of organisational vision and mission statements
· Creation of public relations vision and mission statements
· Establishment of performance indicators
· Budgeting
· Writing of a strategic public relations plan
· Scheduling of public relations activities
- The public relations strategic planning is influenced in social, economic and political contexts. It is influenced by corporate culture, ideology, values and beliefs, systems and business processes.
- Strategic public relations is a very highly valued organisational function, it tends to be valued more highly than the typical department in an organisation.
- PR consultants are held in high esteem by chief executives in terms of skills of communication, media relations and publicity.
- Building a strong corporate reputation is important for the success of an organisation, which strategically managed public relations play a significant role in.
- Vision and mission statements need to be created for the organisation as part of its public relations strategy.
- The vision statement describes the future state of the organisation at a selected time.
- The mission statement is the road map that describes how the organisation will move to reach its vision.
- Key performance indicators are important and practical in general strategic planning, however they are not well suited to public relations strategies because the results of PR work can be intangible and not often repeated on a regular basis.
- PR strategic planning is very similar to the format of the business or marketing plan, which consists of the ‘ten-step strategic communication plan’:
1. Executive summary
2. The communication process
3. Background
4. Situation analysis
5. Main message statement
6. Stakeholders
7. Messages for key stakeholders
8. Implementation
9. Budget
10. Monitoring and evaluation
- Public Relations budgets are categorised into two groups:
· Administrative costs: salaries, on-costs and fringe benefits for full and part time employees.
· Program costs: photography, printing, catering, travel, gifts, production, room hire, accommodation, phone and fax transmissions, website creation and maintenance.
- Scheduling is essential for a public relations plan to be successfully implemented. No one plan no matter how carefully researched and prepared it may be can be implemented effectively without scheduling.
- Lists are useful in the PR function as they ensure nothing is forgotten in the strategic plan. These tools allow the PR process to be outlined, keep order and provide organisation and follow up. Often a checklist is used before an event and another evaluation checklist is used to provide feedback.
- Flowcharts, calendars and Gantt charts are also useful tools to ensure that the PR strategic plan is running on schedule.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
Like organisational objectives the public relations goals and objectives are best achieved when a strategic plan is created and used by an organisation. The plan needs to be effectively planned, implemented and evaluated to ensure that it is beneficial for the public relations practitioner and the organisation as a whole. Budgets are firmly established and the jobs that need to be completed are closely planned and monitored to ensure that nothing is missed or negatively impacts on other jobs. The use of a strategic public relations plan is crucial for the public relations department to maintain the high standard of the organisation. The public relations strategic plan is often very similar to a business plan. Each different public relations organisation will have its own unique objectives and guidelines that will make it differ from other organisations. The strategy, planning and scheduling of a public relations project is detrimental to the implementation of the project and the overall performance of the organisation.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Week 9 Blog- Sponsorship and Event Management
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
Sponsorship: purchase of specific rights and benefits associated with an event, organisation or individual. It expects a return.
- It has changed over the years to be known as ‘corporate partnerships’.
- Sponsorship generates goodwill, as well as providing opportunities to enhance the image and reputation of the organisation by association.
- Sponsorship is one of the most expensive tactics.
- It has moved from being simplistically regarded to being a representation of community partnering.
- The larger an event is, the more likely it is to require some form of sponsorship.
Types of sponsorship: Philanthropic sponsorship- close to a donation as sponsorship can get. It is community based.
· Corporate sponsorship- sponsorship of an event that is not normally connected to the business or organisation.
· Marketing sponsorship- most popular, offers cash and goods in return for tangible revenue-oriented results. This type has a quantifiable effect on the company’s bottom line.
Writing a sponsorship proposal: The officials involved in the decision making about sponsorship include the sponsorship manager, marketing manager, and/or the public relations manager.
- The first point of contact in requesting sponsorship is usually through a written proposal.
- Keep it short and relevant to the reader and most of all be comprehensive about what the potential sponsor is being offered.
Ambush marketing: this occurs when a company misrepresents itself as being associated with an event when it has no official, legal or moral rights to do so.
- This false and misleading information can destroy the concept of sponsorship and the viability of some events.
- There are certain steps that can be followed in order to avoid ambush, these include:
· Ensuring the target audience knows who the real sponsors are.
· Introducing integrated marketing as a component of the overall sponsorship strategy.
- The most common avenues for event ambushing are:
· Advertising in event publications.
· Signage sales
· Sponsorship of an individual or sporting team.
· Sponsoring the broadcast of the event.
· Sponsoring the sub-categories within the event.
· Buying advertising time around relays of the competitor’s event.
· Staging major promotions that coincided with the event.
Event management: Events include- conferences, sports activities, launches, openings, community or political meetings, breakfasts or dinners, and lectures.
- They are an opportunity to make news.
- Common reasons for an event are:
· Generation of media coverage
· Creating a platform for product demonstration
· Corporate/client entertainment
· Revenue generation
- Events can be expensive, therefore an adequate budget and strong financial management are both necessary.
- This often requires good sponsorship support and credibility in the eyes of the sponsor.
- A comprehensive public relations strategy is a vital factor in event management, which needs to be designed specifically for the event.
- Special events usually only provide the opportunity for media coverage for a short period of time.
- Event publicity aims to extend the target audience beyond the event’s spectators and participants.
- Most major events set up a media centre on the premises.
- Can be an ideal forum to launch or market a product with a view to attracting future sales as well as generating publicity.
- Product demonstration can present opportunities for credible third party endorsement of a particular product.
- Some events have the sole purpose of impressing key clients and developing new business opportunities.
- Special events can make money if carefully planned and budgeted for.
Creating events: There are four general steps that should be followed in order to create a successful event:
· Feasibility
· Planning- list of duties and time management plan for implementation, event committee formed. A checklist is a helpful tool.
· Execution- includes the critical path: details exactly what should be happening at any time, and is a fundamental aspect to the effective management of an event.
· Evaluation- there are three primary methods of evaluation:
-Debriefing meeting
- Event assessment- in terms of patronage and financial performance.
- Business activity assessment- helps to gain an indication of the benefit to local businesses by investigating business activity during the event.
Budgeting: Requires an eye for operational detail and consideration of items that are not usually included in the primarily administration focused PR budget.
- The two main areas are income and expenditure.
Risk management: Strong crisis and issues management practices, as well as dedication to risk management required.
- Risk analysis process: identify à evaluate à manage à Output: risk response procedure and documents.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
Sponsorship is a two way street as the responsibility for positive benefits are being taken by the event organiser and the sponsor. It is a very valuable tool for the PR practitioner to use if they can, in order to publicise and create further awareness of the business or organisation. The reading made me realise there is a lot more to sponsorship and special events than I previously knew. They are not just a simple matter of Leighton Hewitt wearing Nike clothing when playing tennis. I like the format of this text book in that it doesn’t just tell you what you should do, but it always provides a list of the things to avoid.
Sponsorship: purchase of specific rights and benefits associated with an event, organisation or individual. It expects a return.
- It has changed over the years to be known as ‘corporate partnerships’.
- Sponsorship generates goodwill, as well as providing opportunities to enhance the image and reputation of the organisation by association.
- Sponsorship is one of the most expensive tactics.
- It has moved from being simplistically regarded to being a representation of community partnering.
- The larger an event is, the more likely it is to require some form of sponsorship.
Types of sponsorship: Philanthropic sponsorship- close to a donation as sponsorship can get. It is community based.
· Corporate sponsorship- sponsorship of an event that is not normally connected to the business or organisation.
· Marketing sponsorship- most popular, offers cash and goods in return for tangible revenue-oriented results. This type has a quantifiable effect on the company’s bottom line.
Writing a sponsorship proposal: The officials involved in the decision making about sponsorship include the sponsorship manager, marketing manager, and/or the public relations manager.
- The first point of contact in requesting sponsorship is usually through a written proposal.
- Keep it short and relevant to the reader and most of all be comprehensive about what the potential sponsor is being offered.
Ambush marketing: this occurs when a company misrepresents itself as being associated with an event when it has no official, legal or moral rights to do so.
- This false and misleading information can destroy the concept of sponsorship and the viability of some events.
- There are certain steps that can be followed in order to avoid ambush, these include:
· Ensuring the target audience knows who the real sponsors are.
· Introducing integrated marketing as a component of the overall sponsorship strategy.
- The most common avenues for event ambushing are:
· Advertising in event publications.
· Signage sales
· Sponsorship of an individual or sporting team.
· Sponsoring the broadcast of the event.
· Sponsoring the sub-categories within the event.
· Buying advertising time around relays of the competitor’s event.
· Staging major promotions that coincided with the event.
Event management: Events include- conferences, sports activities, launches, openings, community or political meetings, breakfasts or dinners, and lectures.
- They are an opportunity to make news.
- Common reasons for an event are:
· Generation of media coverage
· Creating a platform for product demonstration
· Corporate/client entertainment
· Revenue generation
- Events can be expensive, therefore an adequate budget and strong financial management are both necessary.
- This often requires good sponsorship support and credibility in the eyes of the sponsor.
- A comprehensive public relations strategy is a vital factor in event management, which needs to be designed specifically for the event.
- Special events usually only provide the opportunity for media coverage for a short period of time.
- Event publicity aims to extend the target audience beyond the event’s spectators and participants.
- Most major events set up a media centre on the premises.
- Can be an ideal forum to launch or market a product with a view to attracting future sales as well as generating publicity.
- Product demonstration can present opportunities for credible third party endorsement of a particular product.
- Some events have the sole purpose of impressing key clients and developing new business opportunities.
- Special events can make money if carefully planned and budgeted for.
Creating events: There are four general steps that should be followed in order to create a successful event:
· Feasibility
· Planning- list of duties and time management plan for implementation, event committee formed. A checklist is a helpful tool.
· Execution- includes the critical path: details exactly what should be happening at any time, and is a fundamental aspect to the effective management of an event.
· Evaluation- there are three primary methods of evaluation:
-Debriefing meeting
- Event assessment- in terms of patronage and financial performance.
- Business activity assessment- helps to gain an indication of the benefit to local businesses by investigating business activity during the event.
Budgeting: Requires an eye for operational detail and consideration of items that are not usually included in the primarily administration focused PR budget.
- The two main areas are income and expenditure.
Risk management: Strong crisis and issues management practices, as well as dedication to risk management required.
- Risk analysis process: identify à evaluate à manage à Output: risk response procedure and documents.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
Sponsorship is a two way street as the responsibility for positive benefits are being taken by the event organiser and the sponsor. It is a very valuable tool for the PR practitioner to use if they can, in order to publicise and create further awareness of the business or organisation. The reading made me realise there is a lot more to sponsorship and special events than I previously knew. They are not just a simple matter of Leighton Hewitt wearing Nike clothing when playing tennis. I like the format of this text book in that it doesn’t just tell you what you should do, but it always provides a list of the things to avoid.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Week 8 Blog- To contact.....or not?
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
- The influence of the PR practitioner on the work of the journalist is viewed differently by different journalists, some comments are very positive while others are extremely negative.
- Since the 1960s studies have proven that the crux of the news gathering process is the transactional information exchanges between practitioners and journalists that quite often become the news of the day.
- PR practitioners that are familiar with media processes can most effectively frame a story for the targeted journalists; this is called the framing theory.
- Estimates of the percentage of news content influenced by PR’s subsidies or journalists’ contacts with practitioners range from 25% to 80%.
- From a study conducted on journalists there were many complaints on the use of the PR practitioner as a news source. These included:
· Lack of news sense, values, accuracy, timeliness, and the style of presentation (such as using the inverted pyramid).
· Lack of local angle was a major problem as it is an important requirement for an effective news release.
· 78% of the results included laments about practitioners offering information that was overtly or overly self-serving. Practitioners that represent non-profit organisations are seen as less self-serving and are more appreciative of the publicity they gain which fosters more positive relationships.
· Poor quality of writing.
· Practitioners lacking ethics.
· Practitioners perceived to lack professionalism.
- Practitioners with prior experience as journalists are viewed as more skilled and ethical than those with no prior experience.
- Practitioners engaged in media relations must work harder to sharpen their framing skills.
- They must always be accurate, act ethically, become better writers, and satisfy the local angle requirement to become more efficient PR practitioners.
- Journalists have preferences as to how they wish the PR practitioner to contact them. The most popular is email; however face-to-face contact is following closely.
- To effectively communicate with journalists, the practitioner must lean individual gatekeeper’s preferences and stay with them.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
It is quite clear that PR practitioners are not perceived by the journalist to be doing their job efficiently enough. Practitioners are needed by the journalist and the journalist is needed by the practitioner, therefore the communication problems need to be resolved. Journalists depend considerably on the PR practitioners to help set, build and frame news agendas, which puts greater pressure on the practitioner to perform to a high standard. It is quite simple, if the PR practitioner is not performing to a satisfactory standard the journalist will look elsewhere, which is not good for either the practitioner or their organisation.
- The influence of the PR practitioner on the work of the journalist is viewed differently by different journalists, some comments are very positive while others are extremely negative.
- Since the 1960s studies have proven that the crux of the news gathering process is the transactional information exchanges between practitioners and journalists that quite often become the news of the day.
- PR practitioners that are familiar with media processes can most effectively frame a story for the targeted journalists; this is called the framing theory.
- Estimates of the percentage of news content influenced by PR’s subsidies or journalists’ contacts with practitioners range from 25% to 80%.
- From a study conducted on journalists there were many complaints on the use of the PR practitioner as a news source. These included:
· Lack of news sense, values, accuracy, timeliness, and the style of presentation (such as using the inverted pyramid).
· Lack of local angle was a major problem as it is an important requirement for an effective news release.
· 78% of the results included laments about practitioners offering information that was overtly or overly self-serving. Practitioners that represent non-profit organisations are seen as less self-serving and are more appreciative of the publicity they gain which fosters more positive relationships.
· Poor quality of writing.
· Practitioners lacking ethics.
· Practitioners perceived to lack professionalism.
- Practitioners with prior experience as journalists are viewed as more skilled and ethical than those with no prior experience.
- Practitioners engaged in media relations must work harder to sharpen their framing skills.
- They must always be accurate, act ethically, become better writers, and satisfy the local angle requirement to become more efficient PR practitioners.
- Journalists have preferences as to how they wish the PR practitioner to contact them. The most popular is email; however face-to-face contact is following closely.
- To effectively communicate with journalists, the practitioner must lean individual gatekeeper’s preferences and stay with them.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
It is quite clear that PR practitioners are not perceived by the journalist to be doing their job efficiently enough. Practitioners are needed by the journalist and the journalist is needed by the practitioner, therefore the communication problems need to be resolved. Journalists depend considerably on the PR practitioners to help set, build and frame news agendas, which puts greater pressure on the practitioner to perform to a high standard. It is quite simple, if the PR practitioner is not performing to a satisfactory standard the journalist will look elsewhere, which is not good for either the practitioner or their organisation.
Week 8 Blog- Press Release
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
- The reading shows a beginning PR practitioner how to brush up their writing skills in order to produce a well polished press release.
- There are 10 steps in ensuring that the text of a press release is of a high standard. They are:
· Ensure that you are presenting information that is of genuine worth to the audience and general public.
· Don’t mistake a press release for an advertisement, this means that you shouldn’t have to sell the content of the press release, if you do than it is obviously not newsworthy.
· Always write to your audience. Don’t think that one size will fit all, it is important to vary the style and format for different newspapers.
· Keep it short and succinct, no more than two pages.
· Make the heading relevant and use a sub heading if necessary.
· Be careful and clever with quotes; use a credible third party as their words are usually not subject to bias.
· Do the reporter’s job for them. If you provide support material to the reporter and show them how the story impacts their readers, it is more likely to get published.
· Keep the boilerplate to a minimum; only include a brief company description and some information on when the company was established, number of offices it operates, and contact and web site information.
· Give a tag-team of contacts; put a pair of contact people on the release.
· Check and double check, this includes both spelling and fact checking.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
The reading made me think about how I write a press release and whether or not I follow any of these guidelines. These guidelines will assist me in the future when writing a press release. They are clear, concise and to the point which is beneficial when trying to remember a number of valuable tips and words of advice. I will be keeping these guidelines for further use.
- The reading shows a beginning PR practitioner how to brush up their writing skills in order to produce a well polished press release.
- There are 10 steps in ensuring that the text of a press release is of a high standard. They are:
· Ensure that you are presenting information that is of genuine worth to the audience and general public.
· Don’t mistake a press release for an advertisement, this means that you shouldn’t have to sell the content of the press release, if you do than it is obviously not newsworthy.
· Always write to your audience. Don’t think that one size will fit all, it is important to vary the style and format for different newspapers.
· Keep it short and succinct, no more than two pages.
· Make the heading relevant and use a sub heading if necessary.
· Be careful and clever with quotes; use a credible third party as their words are usually not subject to bias.
· Do the reporter’s job for them. If you provide support material to the reporter and show them how the story impacts their readers, it is more likely to get published.
· Keep the boilerplate to a minimum; only include a brief company description and some information on when the company was established, number of offices it operates, and contact and web site information.
· Give a tag-team of contacts; put a pair of contact people on the release.
· Check and double check, this includes both spelling and fact checking.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
The reading made me think about how I write a press release and whether or not I follow any of these guidelines. These guidelines will assist me in the future when writing a press release. They are clear, concise and to the point which is beneficial when trying to remember a number of valuable tips and words of advice. I will be keeping these guidelines for further use.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
Week 7 Additional Readings
Hi,
Sorry I have not commented on the other two readings for week 7 as I cannot access them from my home connection. I will have to read them at uni. I will blog on them at uni on Monday.
Sorry I have not commented on the other two readings for week 7 as I cannot access them from my home connection. I will have to read them at uni. I will blog on them at uni on Monday.
Week 8- Writing Skills Blog
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
-Public relations students would definitely benefit from media writing courses, news writing courses and public relations writing courses.
- Writing is an essential public relations skill.
- Regular practitioner assessment is conducted to ensure that specific programs are established to teach public relations students to write well.
- Surveys have shown that PR practitioners believe writing constitutes at least 71% of their work.
- The most common complaint about the writing of entry level PR practitioners was based on grammar, other common problems were run-on sentences and paragraph structure.
- Writing for the web requires a different style of writing compared to that required for standard press releases.
- This writing has to be very direct and concise to hold the attention of the reader.
- The best skill of a good writer is to be able to tackle different types of writing tasks, as versatility is the key to success.
- More learning time needs to be devoted to client-focused writing assignments rather than media-focused assignments.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
Beginner level public relations practitioners do not have the writing skills that are required of them when they first enter into their jobs. Universities and other educational associations need to integrate quality writing programs into their courses to enhance the ability of their graduates to write well. Students not only need to be able to write press releases and feature articles, but also need to be able to write for the web and for clients. The importance of client-focused writing is growing; it has even started to take over the need for media related writing skills.
-Public relations students would definitely benefit from media writing courses, news writing courses and public relations writing courses.
- Writing is an essential public relations skill.
- Regular practitioner assessment is conducted to ensure that specific programs are established to teach public relations students to write well.
- Surveys have shown that PR practitioners believe writing constitutes at least 71% of their work.
- The most common complaint about the writing of entry level PR practitioners was based on grammar, other common problems were run-on sentences and paragraph structure.
- Writing for the web requires a different style of writing compared to that required for standard press releases.
- This writing has to be very direct and concise to hold the attention of the reader.
- The best skill of a good writer is to be able to tackle different types of writing tasks, as versatility is the key to success.
- More learning time needs to be devoted to client-focused writing assignments rather than media-focused assignments.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
Beginner level public relations practitioners do not have the writing skills that are required of them when they first enter into their jobs. Universities and other educational associations need to integrate quality writing programs into their courses to enhance the ability of their graduates to write well. Students not only need to be able to write press releases and feature articles, but also need to be able to write for the web and for clients. The importance of client-focused writing is growing; it has even started to take over the need for media related writing skills.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Week 7 Blog- Chapter 10
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
- Media relations are often used synonymously with publicity.
- Media relations can refer to two different things; it can mean dealing with a few select contacts on a regular basis; or managing hundreds of media personnel at a national event.
- The impact and power of the media should never be under-estimated.
- Operation of media outlets by volunteers or small staff often means a reliance on information from public relations outlets.
- PR has become one of the most important external influences on journalism as it is now practiced.
- The movement of information between PR practitioners and the media is two way. Public relations provide information to the media and the media provides information to the public relations profession.
- The practitioners use the media in many of their roles including the issues manager, monitoring trends, government policy and legislation, debates and opinion.
- For PR practitioners to use the media the value of news must be determined, this is achieved through the use of the eight news values: impact, conflict, timeliness, proximity, prominence, currency, human interest, and the unusual.
- It is important for PR professionals to know their media, this is achieved by understanding:
· Deadlines- it is essential that practitioners who deal with different media become familiar with all styles and deadlines in order to work within them.
· Who’s who in the newsroom- learn who makes the decisions and who writes the news. PR practitioners should make good positive relationships with journalists and editors in a news organisation. It is critical to have the respect and trust of the media.
- Differences in media styles also need to be observed- the practitioner should consider the medium’s particular needs. The key for PR practitioners is to avoid being too promotional while providing useful visual material that allows journalistic input, especially in the areas of the voice-over and script.
- All releases by PR practitioner’s need to target a specific audience. Selecting the best media for the message is extremely important.
- Media tools are used to deal with the media; these include the media release, media kit and media conferences.
· Media release- write in news style where possible, use inverted pyramid or narrative structure.
· Media kits- made up of a variety of items to make the journalist’s job easier, including fact sheets, backgrounders, feature articles, profiles or ‘biogs’, business cards, media passes, maps, posters, t-shirts, key rings, caps, newsletters, brochures, annual reports and calendars.
· Media conference- needs to consider questions such as; why hold a media conference? When to hold the media conference? Who to invite? How to invite them? Where to hold the media conference?
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
The relationship between the public relations practitioner and the media is one that needs to be given special attention by both parties. Each of the subjects relies on each other for success in their position. The PR practitioner relies on the media to use their stories and promote their organisation, and the journalists require the news releases from the PR practitioners to base their stories on. This reading has emphasised the many links between the journalist and the PR practitioner. The tools that can be used by the PR practitioner are numerous and varied, therefore they should be able to perform their job to a high standard.
- Media relations are often used synonymously with publicity.
- Media relations can refer to two different things; it can mean dealing with a few select contacts on a regular basis; or managing hundreds of media personnel at a national event.
- The impact and power of the media should never be under-estimated.
- Operation of media outlets by volunteers or small staff often means a reliance on information from public relations outlets.
- PR has become one of the most important external influences on journalism as it is now practiced.
- The movement of information between PR practitioners and the media is two way. Public relations provide information to the media and the media provides information to the public relations profession.
- The practitioners use the media in many of their roles including the issues manager, monitoring trends, government policy and legislation, debates and opinion.
- For PR practitioners to use the media the value of news must be determined, this is achieved through the use of the eight news values: impact, conflict, timeliness, proximity, prominence, currency, human interest, and the unusual.
- It is important for PR professionals to know their media, this is achieved by understanding:
· Deadlines- it is essential that practitioners who deal with different media become familiar with all styles and deadlines in order to work within them.
· Who’s who in the newsroom- learn who makes the decisions and who writes the news. PR practitioners should make good positive relationships with journalists and editors in a news organisation. It is critical to have the respect and trust of the media.
- Differences in media styles also need to be observed- the practitioner should consider the medium’s particular needs. The key for PR practitioners is to avoid being too promotional while providing useful visual material that allows journalistic input, especially in the areas of the voice-over and script.
- All releases by PR practitioner’s need to target a specific audience. Selecting the best media for the message is extremely important.
- Media tools are used to deal with the media; these include the media release, media kit and media conferences.
· Media release- write in news style where possible, use inverted pyramid or narrative structure.
· Media kits- made up of a variety of items to make the journalist’s job easier, including fact sheets, backgrounders, feature articles, profiles or ‘biogs’, business cards, media passes, maps, posters, t-shirts, key rings, caps, newsletters, brochures, annual reports and calendars.
· Media conference- needs to consider questions such as; why hold a media conference? When to hold the media conference? Who to invite? How to invite them? Where to hold the media conference?
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
The relationship between the public relations practitioner and the media is one that needs to be given special attention by both parties. Each of the subjects relies on each other for success in their position. The PR practitioner relies on the media to use their stories and promote their organisation, and the journalists require the news releases from the PR practitioners to base their stories on. This reading has emphasised the many links between the journalist and the PR practitioner. The tools that can be used by the PR practitioner are numerous and varied, therefore they should be able to perform their job to a high standard.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Week 6- Chapter 5 Ethics
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
- Ethics is a key aspect that every organisation needs to understand an employee.
- Without ethics a company will never survive in the public environment.
- In a nut shell, ethics is about doing the right thing, but in more complex terms it is the personal values that underpin the behaviour and moral choices made by an individual in response to a specific situation.
- Public relations ethics involve both the individual practitioner and the organisation.
- The Potter Box is an analytical tool used to resolve conflicts based on ethics.
- Ethical organisational conduct should be developed by all organisations.
- There are four major roles that PR practitioners play that have ethical implications. These are:
· Counsellor
· Advocate
· Corporate monitor
· Corporate conscience
- Ethical challenges for a practitioner can occur on a number of levels including:
· Interpersonal
· Organisational
· Stakeholder
- There are a number of professional association codes and codes of conduct that need to be followed by specific stakeholders and practitioners. These are:
· PRIA: Public Relations Institute of Australia
· MEAA: Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance
· PRSA: Public Relations Society of America
· IABC: International Association of Business Communicators
· ABA Inquiry: Australian Broadcasting Authority Inquiry
- An ethical culture is central to good corporate governance, and good ethical behaviour is encouraged by all employees.
- Employees of an organisation should be able to recognise ethical issues as they arise and be aware of the resources available to help them act ethically and according to organisational culture and policy.
- Professional ethics interacts with professional conduct and is part of an overall search for excellence.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
This chapter has made me think more about the extreme importance of ethics in public relations. The practitioner needs to have good personal ethics in order to be able to practice ethically in the organisation and ensure that the organisation is based on positive ethical behavior. It is crucial for an organisation’s reputation that they always act in an ethical manner, have good ethical guidelines, as well as a well structured plan to deal with ethical dilemmas. Along with the law, ethics needs to be kept at the forefront of the organisational objectives of the organisation.
- Ethics is a key aspect that every organisation needs to understand an employee.
- Without ethics a company will never survive in the public environment.
- In a nut shell, ethics is about doing the right thing, but in more complex terms it is the personal values that underpin the behaviour and moral choices made by an individual in response to a specific situation.
- Public relations ethics involve both the individual practitioner and the organisation.
- The Potter Box is an analytical tool used to resolve conflicts based on ethics.
- Ethical organisational conduct should be developed by all organisations.
- There are four major roles that PR practitioners play that have ethical implications. These are:
· Counsellor
· Advocate
· Corporate monitor
· Corporate conscience
- Ethical challenges for a practitioner can occur on a number of levels including:
· Interpersonal
· Organisational
· Stakeholder
- There are a number of professional association codes and codes of conduct that need to be followed by specific stakeholders and practitioners. These are:
· PRIA: Public Relations Institute of Australia
· MEAA: Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance
· PRSA: Public Relations Society of America
· IABC: International Association of Business Communicators
· ABA Inquiry: Australian Broadcasting Authority Inquiry
- An ethical culture is central to good corporate governance, and good ethical behaviour is encouraged by all employees.
- Employees of an organisation should be able to recognise ethical issues as they arise and be aware of the resources available to help them act ethically and according to organisational culture and policy.
- Professional ethics interacts with professional conduct and is part of an overall search for excellence.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
This chapter has made me think more about the extreme importance of ethics in public relations. The practitioner needs to have good personal ethics in order to be able to practice ethically in the organisation and ensure that the organisation is based on positive ethical behavior. It is crucial for an organisation’s reputation that they always act in an ethical manner, have good ethical guidelines, as well as a well structured plan to deal with ethical dilemmas. Along with the law, ethics needs to be kept at the forefront of the organisational objectives of the organisation.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Week 6: Chapter 4 Blog
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
- Practitioners need foundation knowledge on several bodies of law as there is no one over-arching body of law covering public relations.
- PR decisions must be made in context of the legal environment.
- It is often more beneficial for an organization to negotiate a settlement or seek some alternative means of resolving conflict than to expose clients to public scrutiny.
- The bodies of law that govern PR are diverse and complex.
- The key areas to be considered in the legal environment are:
· protecting reputations
· protecting creative ideas
· the practitioner’s duty of care
· legal risk management
· technology and future legal directions in a public relations context
- Reputations are integral to contemporary PR.
- “A reputation is generally something an organization has with strangers, but a relationship is generally something an organization has with its friends and associates.”
- Legal issues can affect reputations and relationships.
- The tort of defamation limits what a PR practitioner can publish, but it also allows practitioners and their clients to protect their reputations.
- A PR practitioner can defame someone unintentionally and without even knowing that person exists.
- At common law the defenses to defamation are truth, fair comment and privilege. These vary between the states and territories.
- The court will take three factors into account when determining whether there is a duty to publish to the world:
· the extent of the publication
· the proportion of readers who have a legitimate interest in receiving the communication
· whether the publication is for commercial gain
- A defamatory publication is costly in terms of reputations, time and money.
- The Trade Practices Act 1974 is set of laws that PR practitioners need to consider.
- Section 52 of the act and the equivalent state provisions impose onerous obligations on organizations and those people who communicate the organization’s message.
- There are many legal aspects related to the real and creative property in public relations.
- The main rules to follow are:
· Real property law
· Personal property law
· Intellectual property law
· Copyright Act 1968
- It is unlikely that a PR practitioner would take action against a media outlet for circulating their message, as this would be the primary intention of releasing the communication.
- Confidentiality agreements are important within an organization, they are crucial in keeping the ‘trade secret’ within the organization.
- Contract law is required in public relations to both define and maintain the relationships between all parties involved.
- Duty of care in public relations is when advice is given to a party and both the adviser and the receiver know that it is okay to trust that advice, in other words the PR practitioner is trustworthy to the client.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
This chapter made me aware of the intense legal environment which public relations are a part of. There are many legal situations that can arise and a public relations practitioner needs to be aware of the strategies to minimize harm to both the organization and the public. The PR practitioner needs to keep their knowledge up to date with the current laws governing their actions such a property laws, copyright laws, common law and contract law, as well as many others that influence their operations. One slip up concerning the laws of public relations could mean the end of a career and also the failure of a major organization. These mistakes can at least cost an organization its reputation or in a worse case the organization can be destroyed.
- Practitioners need foundation knowledge on several bodies of law as there is no one over-arching body of law covering public relations.
- PR decisions must be made in context of the legal environment.
- It is often more beneficial for an organization to negotiate a settlement or seek some alternative means of resolving conflict than to expose clients to public scrutiny.
- The bodies of law that govern PR are diverse and complex.
- The key areas to be considered in the legal environment are:
· protecting reputations
· protecting creative ideas
· the practitioner’s duty of care
· legal risk management
· technology and future legal directions in a public relations context
- Reputations are integral to contemporary PR.
- “A reputation is generally something an organization has with strangers, but a relationship is generally something an organization has with its friends and associates.”
- Legal issues can affect reputations and relationships.
- The tort of defamation limits what a PR practitioner can publish, but it also allows practitioners and their clients to protect their reputations.
- A PR practitioner can defame someone unintentionally and without even knowing that person exists.
- At common law the defenses to defamation are truth, fair comment and privilege. These vary between the states and territories.
- The court will take three factors into account when determining whether there is a duty to publish to the world:
· the extent of the publication
· the proportion of readers who have a legitimate interest in receiving the communication
· whether the publication is for commercial gain
- A defamatory publication is costly in terms of reputations, time and money.
- The Trade Practices Act 1974 is set of laws that PR practitioners need to consider.
- Section 52 of the act and the equivalent state provisions impose onerous obligations on organizations and those people who communicate the organization’s message.
- There are many legal aspects related to the real and creative property in public relations.
- The main rules to follow are:
· Real property law
· Personal property law
· Intellectual property law
· Copyright Act 1968
- It is unlikely that a PR practitioner would take action against a media outlet for circulating their message, as this would be the primary intention of releasing the communication.
- Confidentiality agreements are important within an organization, they are crucial in keeping the ‘trade secret’ within the organization.
- Contract law is required in public relations to both define and maintain the relationships between all parties involved.
- Duty of care in public relations is when advice is given to a party and both the adviser and the receiver know that it is okay to trust that advice, in other words the PR practitioner is trustworthy to the client.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
This chapter made me aware of the intense legal environment which public relations are a part of. There are many legal situations that can arise and a public relations practitioner needs to be aware of the strategies to minimize harm to both the organization and the public. The PR practitioner needs to keep their knowledge up to date with the current laws governing their actions such a property laws, copyright laws, common law and contract law, as well as many others that influence their operations. One slip up concerning the laws of public relations could mean the end of a career and also the failure of a major organization. These mistakes can at least cost an organization its reputation or in a worse case the organization can be destroyed.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Week 5- Chapter 4/ Additional Reading
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
- A typical public relations program follows the following model: set objectives --> plan and budget --> implement program --> evaluate.
To be continued......
- A typical public relations program follows the following model: set objectives --> plan and budget --> implement program --> evaluate.
To be continued......
Week 5- Chapter 7 Blog
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
- PR practitioners need to think and practice strategically in order to be relevant in today’s organisation.
- The stages of the strategic process in PR are:
· Creation of organisational vision and mission statements
· Creation of public relations vision and mission statements
· Establishment of performance indicators
· Budgeting
· Writing of a strategic public relations plan
· Scheduling of public relations activities
- The public relations strategic planning is influenced in social, economic and political contexts. It is influenced by corporate culture, ideology, values and beliefs, systems and business processes.
- Strategic public relations is a very highly valued organisational function, it tends to be valued more highly than the typical department in an organisation.
- PR consultants are held in high esteem by chief executives in terms of skills of communication, media relations and publicity.
- Building a strong corporate reputation is important for the success of an organisation, which strategically managed public relations play a significant role in.
- Vision and mission statements need to be created for the organisation as part of its public relations strategy.
- The vision statement describes the future state of the organisation at a selected time.
- The mission statement is the road map that describes how the organisation will move to reach its vision.
- Key performance indicators are important and practical in general strategic planning, however they are not well suited to public relations strategies because the results of PR work can be intangible and not often repeated on a regular basis.
- PR strategic planning is very similar to the format of the business or marketing plan, which consists of the ‘ten-step strategic communication plan’:
1. Executive summary
2. The communication process
3. Background
4. Situation analysis
5. Main message statement
6. Stakeholders
7. Messages for key stakeholders
8. Implementation
9. Budget
10. Monitoring and evaluation
- Public Relations budgets are categorised into two groups:
· Administrative costs: salaries, on-costs and fringe benefits for full and part time employees.
· Program costs: photography, printing, catering, travel, gifts, production, room hire, accommodation, phone and fax transmissions, website creation and maintenance.
- Scheduling is essential for a public relations plan to be successfully implemented. No one plan no matter how carefully researched and prepared it may be can be implemented effectively without scheduling.
- Lists are useful in the PR function as they ensure nothing is forgotten in the strategic plan. These tools allow the PR process to be outlined, keep order and provide organisation and follow up. Often a checklist is used before an event and another evaluation checklist is used to provide feedback.
- Flowcharts, calendars and Gantt charts are also useful tools to ensure that the PR strategic plan is running on schedule.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in
that …
Like organisational objectives the public relations goals and objectives are best achieved when a strategic plan is created and used by an organisation. The plan needs to be effectively planned, implemented and evaluated to ensure that it is beneficial for the public relations practitioner and the organisation as a whole. Budgets are firmly established and the jobs that need to be completed are closely planned and monitored to ensure that nothing is missed or negatively impacts on other jobs. The use of a strategic public relations plan is crucial for the public relations department to maintain the high standard of the organisation.
- PR practitioners need to think and practice strategically in order to be relevant in today’s organisation.
- The stages of the strategic process in PR are:
· Creation of organisational vision and mission statements
· Creation of public relations vision and mission statements
· Establishment of performance indicators
· Budgeting
· Writing of a strategic public relations plan
· Scheduling of public relations activities
- The public relations strategic planning is influenced in social, economic and political contexts. It is influenced by corporate culture, ideology, values and beliefs, systems and business processes.
- Strategic public relations is a very highly valued organisational function, it tends to be valued more highly than the typical department in an organisation.
- PR consultants are held in high esteem by chief executives in terms of skills of communication, media relations and publicity.
- Building a strong corporate reputation is important for the success of an organisation, which strategically managed public relations play a significant role in.
- Vision and mission statements need to be created for the organisation as part of its public relations strategy.
- The vision statement describes the future state of the organisation at a selected time.
- The mission statement is the road map that describes how the organisation will move to reach its vision.
- Key performance indicators are important and practical in general strategic planning, however they are not well suited to public relations strategies because the results of PR work can be intangible and not often repeated on a regular basis.
- PR strategic planning is very similar to the format of the business or marketing plan, which consists of the ‘ten-step strategic communication plan’:
1. Executive summary
2. The communication process
3. Background
4. Situation analysis
5. Main message statement
6. Stakeholders
7. Messages for key stakeholders
8. Implementation
9. Budget
10. Monitoring and evaluation
- Public Relations budgets are categorised into two groups:
· Administrative costs: salaries, on-costs and fringe benefits for full and part time employees.
· Program costs: photography, printing, catering, travel, gifts, production, room hire, accommodation, phone and fax transmissions, website creation and maintenance.
- Scheduling is essential for a public relations plan to be successfully implemented. No one plan no matter how carefully researched and prepared it may be can be implemented effectively without scheduling.
- Lists are useful in the PR function as they ensure nothing is forgotten in the strategic plan. These tools allow the PR process to be outlined, keep order and provide organisation and follow up. Often a checklist is used before an event and another evaluation checklist is used to provide feedback.
- Flowcharts, calendars and Gantt charts are also useful tools to ensure that the PR strategic plan is running on schedule.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in
that …
Like organisational objectives the public relations goals and objectives are best achieved when a strategic plan is created and used by an organisation. The plan needs to be effectively planned, implemented and evaluated to ensure that it is beneficial for the public relations practitioner and the organisation as a whole. Budgets are firmly established and the jobs that need to be completed are closely planned and monitored to ensure that nothing is missed or negatively impacts on other jobs. The use of a strategic public relations plan is crucial for the public relations department to maintain the high standard of the organisation.
Week 4- Chapter 11 Blog
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
- There are two main groups of internal publics that continually need to be satisfied by the organisation, these are the organisation’s employees and the association’s members.
- It is important to maintain employee goodwill as it only takes one employee to be treated harshly and almost the entire organisation will know. Word of mouth is a very powerful communication method and in the case of an unhappy employee, the grapevine operates rapidly.
- There are many tools and methods of communication that an organisation can use to ensure their relationship with their employees is healthy. These include:
· Newsletters and company newspapers: publications that follow the format of the mainstream newspaper or news magazine, however they cater to the specialised audience: the employees.
· Noticeboards: also known as bulletin boards.
· Memos: brief letters that are exchanged by staff on a particular issue.
· Awards: recognising employees for their performance through the use of a certificate, cash bonus, gift, or travel packages.
· Events: socialising with colleagues outside work hours.
· Intranets: network of computers within the organisation.
· Interpersonal communication: face-to-face communication and staff meetings.
- Community relations need to be maintained in order for the organisation to be accepted and supported in society. It is extremely important for companies to show that they actually care about their community.
- There are many approaches to community relations that an organisation can choose to adopt, including:
· Consultation: developing a two-way relationship between the community and the organisation by asking community leaders to participate in the planning and decision making process.
· Scanning the environment: knowing what the community stakeholders are thinking, feeling and doing.
· Filling the gaps: providing as much information as possible to the public to avoid the creation of rumors.
· Collaborations with community groups: audience participation where publics are involved in the communication.
· Negotiation: mutual gains approach is used which involves the values of respect, humility, trust and commitment to a joint solution to an issue.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
Public relations is not simply about organising events and displaying an organisation to the public, but it has a strong role to fulfill in satisfying the internal and community groups. The internal publics are extremely important, as without these people the organisation would not be able to function effectively. There are many different ways that the relations between the company and the employees can be maintained to a high level, many of these approaches should be adopted by a successful organisation.
Community relations are also extremely important as the company needs to be accepted in society and preferably supported by the community stakeholders. It became clear that it is paramount to an organisation that community members are involved and committed to supporting the organisation.
- There are two main groups of internal publics that continually need to be satisfied by the organisation, these are the organisation’s employees and the association’s members.
- It is important to maintain employee goodwill as it only takes one employee to be treated harshly and almost the entire organisation will know. Word of mouth is a very powerful communication method and in the case of an unhappy employee, the grapevine operates rapidly.
- There are many tools and methods of communication that an organisation can use to ensure their relationship with their employees is healthy. These include:
· Newsletters and company newspapers: publications that follow the format of the mainstream newspaper or news magazine, however they cater to the specialised audience: the employees.
· Noticeboards: also known as bulletin boards.
· Memos: brief letters that are exchanged by staff on a particular issue.
· Awards: recognising employees for their performance through the use of a certificate, cash bonus, gift, or travel packages.
· Events: socialising with colleagues outside work hours.
· Intranets: network of computers within the organisation.
· Interpersonal communication: face-to-face communication and staff meetings.
- Community relations need to be maintained in order for the organisation to be accepted and supported in society. It is extremely important for companies to show that they actually care about their community.
- There are many approaches to community relations that an organisation can choose to adopt, including:
· Consultation: developing a two-way relationship between the community and the organisation by asking community leaders to participate in the planning and decision making process.
· Scanning the environment: knowing what the community stakeholders are thinking, feeling and doing.
· Filling the gaps: providing as much information as possible to the public to avoid the creation of rumors.
· Collaborations with community groups: audience participation where publics are involved in the communication.
· Negotiation: mutual gains approach is used which involves the values of respect, humility, trust and commitment to a joint solution to an issue.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
Public relations is not simply about organising events and displaying an organisation to the public, but it has a strong role to fulfill in satisfying the internal and community groups. The internal publics are extremely important, as without these people the organisation would not be able to function effectively. There are many different ways that the relations between the company and the employees can be maintained to a high level, many of these approaches should be adopted by a successful organisation.
Community relations are also extremely important as the company needs to be accepted in society and preferably supported by the community stakeholders. It became clear that it is paramount to an organisation that community members are involved and committed to supporting the organisation.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Week 4
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
There are many different roles/jobs that a Public Relations Practitioner can take. The role a practitioner takes in one organization may be the same as the role that another practitioner takes in a different organization, however because of the dynamic nature of each different organization this role can be very different. Some of the common PR jobs include:
- Marketing and communications assistant
- Account manager
- Communications consultant
- Media and communications manager
- PR consultant
- Core values and corporate communications manager
- Marketing communications manager
- National sales and marketing manager
- Communications director
- Marketing manager
- Assistant director, media and public relations
- Media adviser
- Managing director/owner
- Executive director, charitable foundation
- Owner/sole operator
As you can see the jobs range from entry level employee to the higher level executive roles within an organization. Throughout one’s career, most practitioners aim to build their career to the higher level role. While the majority of dedicated practitioners do achieve this goal, depending on the organization other employees may remain stationary in a position for a large length of time.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that
Any job in public relations is going to be a busy fast-moving job. After reading the different case studies, it became obvious that PR is a full-on occupation of long hours and hard work. It is not the glamorous, dinner-dining job that most people often believe. To succeed at a PR practitioner’s career one needs to be motivated and enthusiastic about their job. It is also important to try to gain employment in an organization that interests you because you need to believe in what you do and believe in the firm’s aim. There is no way one can do their job to the best of their ability if they do not ‘live and breathe’ the goals and philosophy of the organization.
There are many different roles/jobs that a Public Relations Practitioner can take. The role a practitioner takes in one organization may be the same as the role that another practitioner takes in a different organization, however because of the dynamic nature of each different organization this role can be very different. Some of the common PR jobs include:
- Marketing and communications assistant
- Account manager
- Communications consultant
- Media and communications manager
- PR consultant
- Core values and corporate communications manager
- Marketing communications manager
- National sales and marketing manager
- Communications director
- Marketing manager
- Assistant director, media and public relations
- Media adviser
- Managing director/owner
- Executive director, charitable foundation
- Owner/sole operator
As you can see the jobs range from entry level employee to the higher level executive roles within an organization. Throughout one’s career, most practitioners aim to build their career to the higher level role. While the majority of dedicated practitioners do achieve this goal, depending on the organization other employees may remain stationary in a position for a large length of time.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that
Any job in public relations is going to be a busy fast-moving job. After reading the different case studies, it became obvious that PR is a full-on occupation of long hours and hard work. It is not the glamorous, dinner-dining job that most people often believe. To succeed at a PR practitioner’s career one needs to be motivated and enthusiastic about their job. It is also important to try to gain employment in an organization that interests you because you need to believe in what you do and believe in the firm’s aim. There is no way one can do their job to the best of their ability if they do not ‘live and breathe’ the goals and philosophy of the organization.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Week 3- Theoretical Perspectives
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
There are many different theories that have been developed by scholars to understand Public Relations. Understanding these theories is important in understanding the way that PR is used in the public sphere. There are many theories that were developed before PR itself and others that have been developed from within PR.
Each different theory has a different method of functioning and different influence on PR practice. Each also has its own importance and own limitations that are useful to be aware of.
The different theories include:
- Agenda Setting
- General Systems Theory- includes open and closed systems
- Semiotics (the sign)
- Habermas, Critical Theory and the Notion of the 'Public Sphere'
- Grunig's Models- press agentry, public information, two-way asymmetric and two-way symmetric
- Heath and 'Rhetorical Theory'
- The 'Relationship Management' Approach
These are the main original theories that can be used to interpret PR. There are also some newer theories that have been developed from within PR. These include:
- Situational Theory
- Social Learning Theory
- Social Exchange Theory
Basically, there are a number of theories that can be adapted. Although there is a dominant theory, the two-way symmetrical communication theory, many critics believe that different theories are more suited to PR and for many different reasons.
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2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
There is more than one theory that can be adapted to Public Relations. No one theory covers all the areas of PR and PR practice. There are various limitations for each theory, therefore making no theory the absolute best. Over time the two-way symmetrical theory has become known as the dominant theory of PR as it allows both the organisation and the public to communicate, however one still needs to consider the power relationship and consider the question, do the publics have equal power to the organisation?
The readings helped me to understand Public Relations theory in a much more detailed way. By learning about each theory and how it is used, I realised that one can actually form their own opinion on which theory is best suited to PR. To be honest I believe a few of the theories are well suited, however do agree that the dominant model of two-way communication is appropriately suited to PR.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Additional Reading for Week 3
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's additional reading were....
(this is in regards to the additional reading- 'Public Relations Reasearch at the Crossroads' By Karla K. Gower.)
Two-way symmetrical communication is definitely the most popular form of communication model for a PR practitioner. The model is known as the "excellence" model, due to its profound use and popularity. Although this is known as the best model, in the past it has not been unusual for organisation's to use all the different models of Public Relations at different stages in time.
The reasearch on Public Relations has come to a crossroads which has been largely influenced by the many different criticisms from postmodernists, critical/cultural theorists and international scholars.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that...
There is not one complete opinion on PR that all public's take. Different people believe that different models are more effective for a PR practitioner to follow.
The growing research into international issues, diversity and publics also interests me, as I am suprised that this area of research has not already been focused on.
(this is in regards to the additional reading- 'Public Relations Reasearch at the Crossroads' By Karla K. Gower.)
Two-way symmetrical communication is definitely the most popular form of communication model for a PR practitioner. The model is known as the "excellence" model, due to its profound use and popularity. Although this is known as the best model, in the past it has not been unusual for organisation's to use all the different models of Public Relations at different stages in time.
The reasearch on Public Relations has come to a crossroads which has been largely influenced by the many different criticisms from postmodernists, critical/cultural theorists and international scholars.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that...
There is not one complete opinion on PR that all public's take. Different people believe that different models are more effective for a PR practitioner to follow.
The growing research into international issues, diversity and publics also interests me, as I am suprised that this area of research has not already been focused on.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Week 2
1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
that public relations has many different aspects to understand. It would be quite easy for someone to confuse public relations with media and advertising if they didn't understand the different dimensions of public relations.
There is a strong link between marketing and PR. Many areas of PR have actually been identified as overlapping with areas of marketing. This may cause confusion, but an easy way to distinguish between the two is to think in monetary terms. In marketing, a firm has to purchase advertising space and choose the time an adverstisement will be displayed. Marketing is considered to be controlled . Whereas PR publicity space is free, but the practitioner has no control over whether the material is used, therefore publicity is considered to be uncontrolled.
The role of a public relations practitioner is quite diverse as there are many different areas one can go into including events management, communication, publicity, politics and many more.
It was also interesting to note the history of public relations and how the industry has changed today to be more female dominated.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
before starting this course I thought that I had a good knowledge base of what public relations is, however I am starting to realise it is much more interesting than I thought. As I've only just started the course, the readings have helped to define public relations in different ways and open up my mind to the different areas of public relations, as well as the different career paths that a PR practitioner can take. Understanding the history of PR in Australia also helped to get a bit of background on the area.
I also feel that there is a lot to learn about PR and it is a professional area that would require hands on experience to polish one's skills, however this is an introduction for further study to be built on.
that public relations has many different aspects to understand. It would be quite easy for someone to confuse public relations with media and advertising if they didn't understand the different dimensions of public relations.
There is a strong link between marketing and PR. Many areas of PR have actually been identified as overlapping with areas of marketing. This may cause confusion, but an easy way to distinguish between the two is to think in monetary terms. In marketing, a firm has to purchase advertising space and choose the time an adverstisement will be displayed. Marketing is considered to be controlled . Whereas PR publicity space is free, but the practitioner has no control over whether the material is used, therefore publicity is considered to be uncontrolled.
The role of a public relations practitioner is quite diverse as there are many different areas one can go into including events management, communication, publicity, politics and many more.
It was also interesting to note the history of public relations and how the industry has changed today to be more female dominated.
2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
before starting this course I thought that I had a good knowledge base of what public relations is, however I am starting to realise it is much more interesting than I thought. As I've only just started the course, the readings have helped to define public relations in different ways and open up my mind to the different areas of public relations, as well as the different career paths that a PR practitioner can take. Understanding the history of PR in Australia also helped to get a bit of background on the area.
I also feel that there is a lot to learn about PR and it is a professional area that would require hands on experience to polish one's skills, however this is an introduction for further study to be built on.
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