PR Study Guide 2

8/3/2019 PR Study Guide 2

1/236

Strategic Communications Planning

Matrix (each step)

Gantt charts

Primary message

Secondary message


2/236

Calendar and Budget

Demographics

Psychographics

Self-interest

Influentials


3/236

Strategy

Tactic

Channel

Absolute ethics

Situational ethics and Utilitarian

approach


4/236

Virtue approach

PRSA

IABC

Professional associations

Licensing


5/236

Copyright

Trademark

Libel and Defamation

Invasion of Privacy

Liability

Accreditation


6/236

Issue management

Risk communication

Crisis

Crisis management

Crisis planning

Annual report


7/236

FTC

SEC

IPO

Sarbanes-Oxley

FDA

BATF

Investor relations


8/236

Plant/facility tours

Corporate social responsibility

Philanthropy

Activist groups

Quantitative research


9/236

Qualitative research

Informal research

Formal research


10/236

Primary research

Secondary research

Reputation audit

Census

Regulatory agencies

Semantic noise


11/236

Triggering event

Copy testing

Advertising equivalency

Environmental scanning


12/236

Focus groups

Piggybacking

MBO

Symmetrical communication

Asymmetrical communication

Hook

Gatekeepers

Communication audits

Pilot testing

The strategic communications

planning matrix approach to solving

communications problems or

challenges


13/236

The four questions that form the

heart of the planning process of the

matrix

Goals and objectives

Characteristics of objectives

Public profiles

Publics and messages

Message exposure, dissemination,

acceptance


14/236

Attitude change and behavior

change


15/236

Effective use of language and writing

clearly and understandably

Believing the message


16/236

Remembering the message

Acting on the message


17/236

The five-stage adoption process

Characteristics of media


18/236

Controlled and uncontrolled media

Strategies and Tactics

Selective perception


19/236

Evaluation Criteria and Tools

Results measurement


20/236

Measuring production, exposure,

awareness, attitudes, action

Message production, penetration and

audience action


21/236

Reasons/justification for doing

research in PR

Research using library and online

databases

Different kinds of interviewing in

research

Questionnaire construction


22/236

The four-step RACE process

Media uses and gratification theory

Professional codes of conduct and

advantages and disadvantages

Steps toward professionalism

Ethics in dealing with news media

Core values of the PRSA Code of

Ethics

Ethics at four levels: personal,

organizational, professional and

societal

Wilsons six rules for ethical conduct

Reputation management and image

restoration

The role of issue management in

dealing with activism

Cycle of conflict and its phases

Communicating during a crisis


23/236

Tim Coombs continuum of crisis

strategies

Exxons crisis response

Possible legal problems facing

companies

Libel and defamation

Fair comment and truth as a defense

against libel

Copyright and trademark law

Lawyers and public relations people


24/236

RESEARCH:

1. Background: Primary and secondary research with information on the industry, external environment, product or

program, market situation, and current trends in opinions and attitudes. Also need demographic and psychographic

data to help determine potential publics.

2. Situation Analysis: This is two paragraphs. The first is the current situation and a description of the challenge or

opportunity based on research. The second paragraph is about any possible problems or difficulties.

3. Core Problem/Opportunity: One sentence about the main problem and potential consequences if the problem is no

addressed.

Action Planning

4. Goal and Objectives: The goal is a one sentence statement at the end, and it does not need to be quantifiable.

5.Key Public and Messages: Key publics include a description of audiences. Need to identify five elements: 1.)

Demographic and psychographic profile 2.) Motivating self interests 3.) Status of current relationship with

organization and issue. 4.) Third party influentials and other opinion leaders. 5.) What objectives they will help you

accomplish.

Messages are public specific and appeal to the public's self-interest. You need primary and secondary messages.

6. Strategies and Tactics: Strategies are a way to send a message to a public through a certain channel to motivate

action. Each public may need more than one. Tactics are tasks required to support each strategy. You will have

several tactics for each strategy that will convey a message through the channels.

7. Calendar: Should be done with a time-task matrix like a gantt chart. Scheduling the tactics and organizing.

8. Budget: Should be organized by public and strategy. specific cost for each tactic. Also shows where donations andsponsorships come in. Need a sub total for each strategy and public.

Communication

is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule. Gantt charts illustrate the start and finish dates of the terminal

elements and summary elements of a project."

Class: The primary messages are like small sound bites that motivate a given public to do what you want them to do.

Appeal to their self-interests.

Book (Matrix): The message strategy is in two parts. The first part involves the development of primary messages

that resemble sound bites. The primary messages encompass what you are trying to motivate the public to do and

include a short self-interest appeal. For example, in a campaign regarding children's nutrition, one primary message

might be:

"Healthy adults come from healthy children. Ensure your child's healthy future with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables

today."

The number of primary messages for a key public will depend upon the number of tasks (objectives) you have set forthat particular public. Typically, a public will have two to four primary messages.

Context: Basically, the primary messages are short, motivating messages that quickly appeal to the self-interest of

the audience.

Class: These messages focus on facts and statistics that support the primary message.

Book (Matrix): The second part of the message strategy is secondary messages. These messages contain all the

facts, statistics, case studies, examples, testimonials, appeals and other information to support the primary message.

Context: The secondary messages are all about supporting the primary messages. Whether it be through facts or

testing or testimonials, the secondary messages should prove that the primary message is a true claim.


25/236

Last steps in the strategic planning process

Calendars and budgets should be organized by public. Why? : to make it easier to see how much the strategy and

tactics will cost for that particular public.

Consider the timing when scheduling an event.

Figure out how much funding is available before setting the objectives.

classify people by gender, income level, education, ethnic background, and age. Helps determine what type of

decisions people will make and what their self interests are.

classifies people by lifestyle, attitudes, and beliefs. Helps determine what kind of decision maker someone is in

relation to the Rogerss research. Innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, laggards. Pg. 187

2. Self interest is the something in return Some of the basic appeals to self interest include: Power, respect, well-

being, affection, wealth, skill, enlightenment, physical and mental vitality

3. Basically, when you are deciding on messages, strategies, and tactics, you have to know what will motivate your

public to act.

1. Influentials are the ones most likely to sway your publics opinion

2. I did not find anything in the book

3. When you are planning to reach a public, you can work through influentials, they can also be opinion leaders. For

example, for a teacher, and influential could be: the PTA, other teachers, State government, Administrators, etc.


26/236

Part of the Action/Planning step in the RACE process. They identify approaches to send messages to each public

through specific channels in order to motivate action. Usually, multiple strategies are required for each public. They

also:

1.Identify which public you are trying to reach

2. Identify what you are trying to achieve by reaching them

3. Identify what channel is best to get a particular message to a particular public to accomplish the specified purpose.

(Pamphlet)

Two strategies from our class campaign:

1. To motivate teachers to attend the Sera open house through the workplacePart of the Action/Planning step in RACE process. They are communication tools and tasks required to support each

strategy. Strategies have a number of tactics designed to convey key messages to a specific public though the

communications channel outlines in the strategy.

Requires creativity to break through all the information clutter aimed at that public.

Class campaign Tactics (part of the two strategies listed above)

1. School newsletter announcing Sera open house, email from principal, invitation, video

2. Group rate coupon, tour of Sear theater, entertainment, free stuff with advertisement (pencils, stress balls) ,

calender of events,

The situationalist believes that each decision is based on what would cause the lesat harm or the most good. This

is also often called the Utilitarian Approach. This concept was advanced by John Stuart Mill who believed the endscould justify the means as long as the result benefited the greatest number of people


27/236

n the book p. 73

- an approach to ethics

- the Golden Rule-- love your neighbor as yourself or "treat others as you would like to be treated"

- assumes that people will achieve their highest potential if they practice good virtues

In class (11/3)

- values of society are changing but we need to practice good virtues anyway

- don't give up more important things in order to get temporary gain

- others will watch us as LDS to see if we live up to our values

In context

- always strive for integrity in everything

In the book p. 75-76

- largest public relations organization in the world

- headquartered in New York City

- 22,000 members, 110 chapters, 19 professional interest sections

- publishes periodicals Tactics and The Strategist

p. 78

- has a code of ethics

p. 85- established an accreditation program

In class (11/3)

- we discussed ethics in public relations and referred to PRSA's code of ethics as an example

- accreditation verifies that someone is a credible PR person

In context

- ethical codes provide guide for us in PR but our personal standards should be higher than the organization's

(International Association of Business COmmunicatiors)

2nd largest organization

Mission: "Provide lifelong learning opportunities that give IABC members the tools and information to be the best in

their chosen disciplines 15, 000 members in 70 nations.

Members encouraged to be truthful, accurate and fair, a code based on professional communication principle that notonly use legal and ethical tactics but are sensitive to values and cultures.Class:There was nothing said that specifically related to this term besides what was said about the PRSA and the

IABC - and there are separate terms for those.

Book: Professional Organizations have done much to develop the standards of ethical, professional public relations

practice and to help society understand the role of public relations. Examples of these organizations include the

Public Relations Society of America, the International Association of Business Communicators, and the International

Public Relations Association

Context: These organizations or associations exist to offer explanation to the public what the role of public relationsLicensing-

1. In order to get your PR license a PR professional may take rigorous examinations and test of personal integrity to

be called a "Public Relations Counselors." Advocates for PR professionals to get a license say that it will 1. helpdefine the practice of PR 2. establish uniform educational criteria 3. Set the uniform professional standards 4. Protect

clients and employees from impostors. 5. protect qualified practioners from unfair competition from the unethical and

unqualified, and it will raise the overall credibility of public relations practitioners. *At this time though you do not have

to get a license, instead you get accreditation.

2. This is the only thing I wrote down about licensing...

Licensing speech is a first amendment violation


28/236

1. Copyright means- protection of a creative work from unauthorized use. Copyright does not protect ideas, but only

the specific ways in which those ideas are expressed.

-Knowledge of copyright law is important from two perspectives: 1-what organizational materials should be

copyrighted and how correctly to utilize the copyrighted materials of others.

- Under current law, a work is automatically copyrighted the moment it is "fixed" in tangible form.

*Pages 308-312 talk about copyright laws on specific subjects, such as, photography, internet material, etc. I don't

know how specific we would need to know these.

2. We just talked about this in class on Thursday and I'm not sure if she was done telling us about it!

-As PR practitioners we need to be extremely aware of the copyright laws and what we can use and when we can

use it. It would look bad if we were infringing on those laws, so we need to be fully aware of these laws.

3. This applies because in our profession we will be using a lot of different written material and other sources like

that, so we need to be aware of any laws that we might be breaking.

Trademark

1. A trademark is a word, symbol, or slogan that identifies a products origin. Coca-Cola is the worlds most

recognized trademark. Using trademarks: (1) Trademarks are proper adjectives and should be capitalized and

followed by a generic noun or phrase. (2) Trademarks should not be pluralized or used in the possessive form.

Saying American Expresss credit card is improper. (3) Trademarks are never verbs. Saying The client Express

Mailed the package violates the rule.

2. said she would discuss it during class on Tues Nov 10Libel and Defamation

1. Traditionally, libel was a printed falsehood and slander was an oral statement that was false. Today, there is littledifference in the two, and the courts use defamation as a collective term. Defamation is any false statement about a

person (or organization) that creates public hatred, contempt, ridicule, or inflicts injury on reputation. Private citizen

usually have more success winning defamation suits than do public figures or corporations. Public figures

(government officials, entertainers, political candidates, etc.) require an extra test of whether the statement was

made with actual malice. Corporations are also considered public figures to some degree.

2. She reiterated that defamation is used over libel because with the Internet, it is hard to distinguish between libel

Invasion of privacy: p. 304-306. Employees of an organization are protected from invasion of privacy in employee

newsletters, photo releases, product publicity and advertising, and media inquiries about employees. Keep newsletter

focused on the organization and do not print anything that would embarrass anyone. Must have a signed photo

release for advertisements, but otherwise a person gives "implied consent" when posing for a picture if they are told

how it will be used. Employers should only give news reporters basic info such as confirmation that the person is an

employee, their title and job description, dates worked.Liability: p. 328. Take steps to protect the organization from liability and possible lawsuits at plant tours and

promotional events. For plant tours, plan for logistics, work disruptions, safety, and staffing. For open houses,

arrange for liability insurance, hire security, have medical personnel on hand, and make contracts with vendorsAccreditation Program

oEffort to improve standards and professionalism in PR around the world practitioners voluntarily go through a

process to be certified by a national org (written and oral exam, work portfolio)

oPRSA 1st org. to establish an accreditation program (in 2003: candidate has to take a preview course, complete a

readiness questionnaire, and show a portfolio of work to a panel of professional peers before taking the written

exam 2-5 hrs). Candidates who pass earn the credential APR (Accredited in PR). 20% of PRSA membership earn

APR.

oIABC, PRISA

oSome group are beginning to require continuing education as a prerequisite for professional certification.


29/236

oIdentifying and addressing issues of public concern that affect the organization.

oProactive planning and systematic approach to 1) predict problems, 2) anticipate threats, 3) minimize surprise, 4)

resolve issues, 5) prevent crises.

oRequires 2-way communications, formal environmental scanning, and active sense-making strategies.

oVs. crises management (reactive)

oPR counselors W. Howard Chase and Barrie L. Jones (among 1st practitioners to specialize in issues

management) define issue management in 5 steps:

See Bader Rutter matrix (images do not pull up on this document) if you need me to email it to you let me know

1. Any communication an organization gives to reduce risk for affected publics and for employers. Risk to public

health, safety and the environment are extremely important to PR. Efforts to reduce or deal with risks is least

disruptive in the long run and results in less public outrage. Can minimize adverse effects of risks on publics but also

reduces the risk to the organization itself. When risk communication fails, it results in a crisis for a company.

2. Professor Wilson: Risk communication is part of the strategic phase and is aimed to reduce the risk of crises for

an organization. It helps protect a company from possible litigation should an incident occur.

3. This is part of the Conflict Management and Issues Management part of public relations and is an important tool in

helping to avoid crises for an organization.

as its publics, products, services, or good name" (262). There is a crisis if any of the organization's stakeholders

perceive one. Not all crises are unexpected. The top three triggers for a crisis are financial irregularities, unethical

behavior, and executive misconduct.

2. Professor Wilson: An especially important function of Public Relations is dealing with crises that occur. PR

practitioners should be familiar with strategies to prevent, handle, and deal with consequences of crises.

3. Crises are issues that public relations people focus on preventing through several strategies and should be

associated with the conflict and issues management of public relations.

A Crisis is a major occurrence with a potentially negative outcome affecting the organization, company, or industry, as

By planning ahead of time and putting effort into preparing for the worst, the worst doesnt seem that bad when it

+comprehensive report on a company's activities throughout the preceding year

+intended to give shareholders and other interested persons information about the company's activities and financial

performance (In U.S. a more-detailed version of the report, called a Form 10-K, is submitted to SEC)

+Annual reports often include chairman's report, CEO's report, auditor's report on corporate governance, mission

statement, corporate governance statement of compliance, statement of directors' responsibilities, invitation to the


30/236

jurisdiction to determine that advertisements are not deceptive or misleading (deal w/ product news releases/other

other forms of product publicity (videos/brochures))

+Lanham Act makes anyone liable who helps make false/misleading representation in any advertising

+Some words that trigger FTC interest are authentic, certified, cure, custom-made, germ-free, natural, unbreakable,

perfect, first-class, exclusive, reliable.

+Companies who violate FTC guidelines can sign a consent decree (means company admits no wrongdoing but will

change advertising claims. The company may be fined by the FTC)

Stands for Securities and Exchange Commission, this federal agency closely monitors the financial affairs of publicly

traded companies and protects the interests of stockholders. Regulations that the SEC has include the Fair

Disclosure Regulation, which requires publicly traded companies to broadly disseminate material information via a

news release, Webcast, or SEC filing, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act which came as a result of the Enron and

Worldcom financial scandals. The Sarbanes-Oxley Acts purpose is to increase investor confidence in a companys

accounting procedures. CEOs must now personally certify the accuracy of their financial reports.

Three concepts of the SEC that are pertinent to PR: (pg. 319)

1. Full information must be given on anything that might materially affect the companys stock.2. Timely disclosure is essential

3. Insider trading is illegal.

Initial Public Offering, when a company goes public with stock.

Sarbanes-Oxley:

Matrix--Nothing.

Class notes--Governed by SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission)--requires CEO's of major corporations to

confirm the validity of financial information released to stock-holders and the general public

Context/Teacher--Examples included ENRON, TYCO and other major corporations who've had fraudulent claimsbrought against it regarding financial misstatements. Enacted after ENRON scandal (2003?).

FDA:

Matrix--Nothing.

Class notes--The Federal Drug Administration--basically we as communicators have to occasionally deal with this

regulating agency to ensure we abide by rules set up by it so as to not cause problems and abide by the law.

Context/Teacher--She simply mentioned it and it's just one of the many organizations to be aware of. Example used

in class: natural food stores can't use medical claims to back it's products.

I could not find anything in the book about this, so from the Internet BATF stands for The Bureau of Alcohol,

Tobacco, and Firearms

* Another major component of keeping a companys health and wealth is communicating with shareholders and

prospective investors. Investor relations (IR) is at the center of that process. The goal of investor relations is to

combine the disciplines of communications and finance to accurately portray a companys prospects from an

investment standpoint.

* Individuals who specialize in investor or financial relations are the highest paid professional s in the PR field.


31/236

Should not be taken lightly, should consider the following

-Logistics

-possible work disruptions as groups pass through

-safety

-amount of staff required

-Must be well marked route with trained tour guides

-The following should also be kept in mind as possibilties

-arranging for extra liability insurance

-hiring off duty police and security

-making agreements for food vendorsA policy that would function as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby businesses would monitor and ensure

its adherence to law and ethical standards A policy that would function as a built-in, self-regulating mechanismwhereby businesses would monitor and ensure its adherence to law and ethical standards

-Businesses would embrace responsibility for the impact of their activities on the environment, consumers,

employees, communities, and all stakeholders.

-Businesses would proactively promote the public interest by encouraging community growth and development, and

voluntarily eliminating practices that harm the public

the donation of funds, products, and services to various causes. Public relations departments handle corporate

charitable giving. It is used to build relationships, increase employee and consumer loyalty and serve public interest.

- Class:

Can be formal and informal

Numbers, statistics, scientifically random, probability

- Book:

Polls and survey using highly precise scientific sampling methods

Based on randomness and large number of respondents

Random sampling everyone in the audience has an equal or known chance of being selected for the survey

Sample size 250-500 will give accurate data

Percentage of error should be around 10 percent or lower

- Context:

This is part of the research part of the matrix


32/236

- Class:

Cannot be generalized

Personal interviews, focus groups

Can be both formal and informal

- Book:

Good for probing attitudes and perceptions, assessing penetration of messages and testing messages.

Content analysis the systematic and objective counting or categorizing of information; often used to measure

the amount of media coverage and the content of the coverage

Interviews intercept interview, convenience polls, purposive interviewing

Focus groups informal research procedure that develops qualitative info rather than hard data

Copy testing read or view material in draft form to test for clarity and understanding

Ethnographic techniques observation of group and individual behavior

- Context:

This is part of the research part of the matrix

TEXT BOOK

1. Focus groups are formally defined as informal research because it produces qualitative information rather thanhard data. Focus groups try to promote conversation and discussion to find a conclusion.

Another form of informal research is role-playing. This is when a public relations professional takes on the role of a

public that an organization deals with. This is helpful on gaining insights on the strengths and weaknesses of an

organization.

(Pages 138-139)

2. Dr. Wilson talked briefly touched on informal research. She said that an example of informal research is "the hat

trick" which is when you go out on the street and talk to people randomly.

3. Informal research is typically from a sample that is not represented and lacks a systematic process.

Formal Research

1. Formal research produces results that are highly precise. Making sure that the sample is random and is large isimportant in order to represent the population as a whole. Random sampling is an example of formal research.

(pages 139-140)

2. Dr. Wilson explained that formal research follows the rules and guidelines. It is organized research. It's main goal

is to effectively represent a population as a whole.

3. Basically Formal Research is more carefully and thoughtfully constructed than informal research. It is very specific


33/236

1. New and original information generated through a research design that is directed to answer a specific question.

ex. in depth interviews, focus groups, surveys and polls.

2. She basically just discussed it with us and stressed the importance of doing research.

3. Research is the first step in the RACE process.

1. Uses existing information in books, magazine articles, electronic databases, and so on. Secondary Research is

the first of the three broad approaches to research. (The other two are qualitative and quantitative.)

2. She said that most of our research will be secondary research. It saves time and resources.

3. Research is the first step in the RACE process.

(p.267-268) reputation is the track record of an organization in the public's mind. Reputation audits are research

techniques that can be used to assess and monitor an organization's reputation.The media offers some guides to this, such as the Media Reputation Index (MRI). PR professionals are faced with

tracking and dealing with issues, conveying risks to publics, managing crises as they arise, and apologizing when all

the efforts to manage conflict have fallen short.

this is a type of research method. it can be either primary or secondary. It is usually done over a long period of time

every few years by a government agency. The results are wide-spread and offer general demographic information.* Security and Exchange Commission (SEC): closely monitors the financial affiars of publicly traded companies

and protects the interess of stockholders. Three concepts most pertinent to PR: 1) Full info must be given on

anything that might materially affect the company's stock; 2) Timely disclosure is essential; 3) Insider trading is

illegal.

* Federal Communications Commission (FCC): involved in licensing of radio and television stations, allocating

frequencies, and ensuring that the public airwaves are used in the public interest

* The Food and Drug Administration (FDA): oversees the advertising and promotion of prescription drugs, over-the-

counter medicines, and cosmetics. Any person or firm who causes the misbranding of products through the

dissemination of false info may be liable. News releases must provide fair balance (risks as well as benefits), beclear about limitations of drug, and must be accompanied by supplementary product sheets or brochures that give

full prescribing info.

* Equal Emplyment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): ensures that workers are not discriminated against on the

basis of their religion, ethnic background, gender, or even their English skills.

When technical and bureaucratic jargon is delivered to a general audience; interferes with the message and impedes

the receiver's ability to understand it


34/236

Patrick Johnson came up with the concept that public relations practitioners should think more about what behaviors

they were trying to motivate in their publics, rather than on the information that is being communicated. This basically

means that public relations practitioners should find an event that will cause people to act the way they want them to

act. An example would be the launch of the iPhone or a book like Harry Potter, which triggered people to actually go

out and buy those things.138 180 181 Copy testing is a method used to make sure that the information one wants to get across is suitable for

their target audience, meaning that what one particular audience may be able to understand, another might have no

idea what it means. Another example would be that maybe to a more elite audience, something might be offensive,

but another audience might find that material to be just fine. So, copy testing is used to make sure that the publics

they need to get information to are able to understand it and not be offended. The most widely known readability

formula is by Rudolph Flesch, and also by Barr, Jenkins, and Peterson. Both are based on aerage sentence length

Advertising Equivalency is often an issue that is raised in connection with Media Content Analysis studies.

Basically, advertising equivalency is a means of converting editorial space into advertising costs, by measuring the

amount of editorial coverage and then calculating what it would have cost to buy that space, if it had been

advertising.Environmental scanning is a process of gathering, analyzing, and dispensing information for tactical or strategic

purposes. The environmental scanning process entails obtaining both factual and subjective information on the

business environments in which a company is operating or considering entering.

There are three ways of scanning the business environment:

* Ad-hoc scanning - Short term, infrequent examinations usually initiated by a crisis* Regular scanning - Studies done on a regular schedule (say, once a year)

* Continuous scanning (also called continuous learning) - continuous structured data collection and processing on

a broad range of environmental factors


35/236

a type of qualitative research, are used to help identify attitudes and motivations of important publics. Another

purpose of focus groups is to formulate or pretest message themes and communication strategies before launching a

full campaign. Focus groups usually consist of 8-12 people who represent the characteristics of the target audience,

such as employees, consumers, or community residents. During the interview, a trained facilitator uses nondirective

interviewing techniques that encourage group members to talk freely about a topic or give candid reactions to

suggested message themes. the setting is usually a conference room, and the discussion is informal. A focus group

may last one or two hours, depending on the subject matter. Research cannot be summarized by percentages or

even projected onto an entire population. Nevertheless, focus groups are useful in identifying the range of attitudes

an opinions among participants.also called omnibus surveys): an organization "buys" one or two questions in a national survey conducted by a

national polling firm. Advantages: An organization pays much less to participate in such a poll than to conduct its

own survey and firms such as Gallup or Harris have the skill and organization to do a survey properly and efficiently.

Management by objective. There is nothing about it in the book and all she said about it in class was enough to

define the term. She also said it was Time Warner's business objective.

In Book:

see p. 230-237

Clarity, good timing, in context, audience participation, emotional appeals... These are important ways for messages

to "hook" publics to get them to act.

In Class:

People are motivated by self-interest. In PR the "hook" in a message is what appeals to a public's self-interest. Itmotivates them to act on on the message.

In Context:

Need to remember to keep people's self-interests in mind when creating messages.

1- The entire communication activity of an organization should be evaluated at least once a year to make sure that

every primary and secondary public is receiving appropriate messages. David Hilton-Barber of PRISA wrote "The

most important reasons for an audit are to help establish communication goals and objectives, to evaluate long-term

programs, to identify strengths and weaknesses, and to point up any areas which require increased activity." pg 208

It is an analysis of all communication activities and is the best time to conduct focus groups, telephone calls, etc.

2- Once a year a company will look at the different methods they have used to get their communication out. They

look at the methods that they have used and they also look at if their message was conveyed in the way that they

wanted it to be.


36/236

Under step 5 of the Matrix, Key Publics and Messages on p. 4, there are 5 elements to identify:

1. demographics/psychographics, 2. self-interests, 3. Status of current relationship with the organization, 4.

influentials, 5. objectives they will help you accomplish.

Public Relations firms will gather information from various forms of media, whether it is a small company that gives

one staff member the responsibility to gather information by reading a newspaper, or a large company which uses

monitoring services to gather information from television newscasts, local and national talk shows, internet chat

groups, podcasts, blogs, and so forth. The Public Relations firm Burrelles/Luce claims it can monitor 40 million blogs,

16,054 Web news sources, 10,355 daily and non daily newspapers, 7,893 magazines and trade journals, and 926 TV

and cable stations. Monitoring service National Aircheck monitors 8,000 hours of news talk radio each week.

President Rob Wexler of the firm told ODwyers PR Report We should be able to tell someone within 10-15 minutes

where and when theyre being talked about. The purpose of all the electronic research done is to find out how many

media stories are generated by a program or campaign. The Tyson Foods fight against Hunger campaign generated

260 stories online, and in print and broadcast. The Cranberry Marketing Committee educated the public health

professionals on the health benefits of cranberries with 184 media stories.

Media impressions determine how many people have been reached through different media channels. The numberof audience members (20 million) for example, will determine the media impressions. Auditing organizations

determine these audience sizes for radio and television stations. Media Impressions are also estimated by other

potential outlets that may allow people access to the channel who are not subscribers (like many people in 1 house

reading a newspaper for 1 subscriber, or co-workers reading the paper of an office subscriber). So there may be

130,000 media impressions, but with 4 household members who read the paper, there now results 520,000 media

impressions. Frito-Lay, for example, made the announcement to swap cottonseed oil for sunflower oil and generated

175 million impressions, including 93 million television news impressions, 11 million impressions for an audio news

release, and 13 million print media impressions. Media impressions are used in advertising to document the

penetration of a particular message.

On the internet, media impressions are measure by the number of visits to a particular website. Purple Moon is one

such software developer that measures media impressions on the internet, which used its programs to drive traffic

resulting in 700,000 visitors in the first 6 months and an average of 6 million impressions per month. The Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention reported 540,000 visitors and 50,000 materials downloaded on its site in its efforts to

increase awareness on autism. The U.S. Potato Board reported visits to PotatoHeadQuarters.com of 7000+ ofpeople researching the health benefits of potatoes with the assistance of Fleishman-Hillard. Longwood University

reported a 185 percent increase in to its website after its efforts to recruit more students.

The value of message exposure is measured in the same way that advertising costs are. This is called Advertising

Equivalency (AVE). A news article in a publication is charged similarly the way an ad is due to the space it takes up.

News stories are believed to have greater credibility, and because of that, are sometimes charged as much as 3 to 6

times more than ads. Cranberry Marketing Committee, and its public relations firm, Publicis Consultants, used a


37/236

Another key component of the communication process is source credibility. Perception is reality, and if the

audience perceives that a source is credible, than that source is a credible source for that audience. Organizational

spokespersons have the challenge of encounter difficulties because they already have a bias with key publics. Many

people believe that if a large organization, particularly a business, is accused of wrongdoing, then they are not to be

trusted. This is why companies look to outside sources, like celebrities or other experts, as representatives who can

deliver their message. Sources that are deemed to not be credible may share credible information, but the audience

may accept the information without accepting the source. On the flipside, sources that are deemed to be credible that

share certain information have the influencing power enough to where people will have changes of information based

on what they say. The context of a message is important also, because it is a reflection of an organization that

practices what they preach. A bank that spends thousands of dollars to reflect being friendly must have friendly

employees. The irony of certain messages shows through at times. At one press conference conducted by the U.S.

Chamber of Commerce, the message was about the importance of buying American and commemorative coffee

mugs were passed out with print on the bottom which read Made in China.

Other obstacles to the believability of messages include the predispositions of an audience, which can be

characterized by the old saying Dont confuse me with the facts, my mind is already made up. This goes along with

Leon Festingers theory of cognitive dissonance, which says that people will not believe a message contrary to what

they believe unless information is given by a communicator which causes them to question their beliefs. Dissonance

can be created by making the public aware that circumstances have changed. Secondly it can be created by

updating the public on recent developments, and thirdly it can be made by using an unexpected spokesperson, such

as a credible source to key publics. Involvement is the last factor regarding how publics process messages.

Audiences of high involvement are those who are directly affected by an issue, or who have high stakes, or interest,or concern for a particular issue. These audiences pay greater attention to logical argument and detail. Then there

are audiences of low involvement, who simply appeal to the message due to factors like an attractive spokesperson,

humor, or the number of arguments given. Those with low involvement appeal to the message due to its presentation

rather than about the actual issue at hand.

Remembering a message is important for key publics, and the best tool for helping in the retention of a message for

key publics is repetition. Messages are repeated because not everyone sees or hears a particular message at the

same time. Audiences may read a newspaper or tune in to the television at different times during the day. Repetition

helps to remind an audience of the message repeatedly and assists in the deterioration of opinion change if the

source is highly credible. Repetition is necessary because it helps reinforce the actual message. Repetition can also

help an audience become educated on an issue and understand something better to the point where resistance or

apathy may decrease. It is necessary to repeat the message because the noise or all of the distractions during a


38/236

Communication is the act of transmitting information, ideas, and attitudes from one person to another, and can only

take place if the sender and receiver have a common understanding of the symbols to convey a particular message.

Words are the most commonly used symbols. Messages do not always translate clearly, however. Communication

effectiveness depends on factors such as education, social class, regional differences, nationality, and cultural

background. Communication effectiveness encounters difficulties in a global economy. A greater amount of diversity

in the workforce brings communication challenges as well. One study shows that 85 percent of new entrants into the

workforce are now white women, immigrants, African Americans, Latin Americans, and Asians, for most of which

English will be a second language. The challenge is now upon the industry to understand cultural differences. The

goal will be to communicate messages in the simplest form possible. Studies show that 42 percent of American

adults are on the lowest level of literacy, and one in eight employees read at no better than a 4th grade level.

The key to producing effective messages is to match the nature of the audience and their level of literacy. For

example, the Illinois Public Health Department wrote a rap song to increase AIDS awareness to lower income, poorly

educated groups known as the Condom Rag. However, the song was cancelled by elected officials who were

offended by it. This is one example of the dilemma in creating messages that both management can agree with and

that an audience can relate to. The goal is to create messages that will effectively reach an audience and help

management to understand what an audience wants. The key, once again, is to keep messages simple. Rudolph

Flesch, along with Barr, Jenkins, and Peterson formulated models for readability which indicate that the longer and

more complex a sentence is, the lower the readability is (Im assuming that you are all intelligent people). The Cloze

procedure was implemented by William Taylor, and measures readability by having test subjects read passages

where every fifth or ninth word is removed. Their ability to fill in the missing word can determine their familiarity with

the pattern of the words, and a general understanding of messages.Symbols, acronyms, and slogans are a way to quickly convey a simple and clear message. The world is full of well

known symbols: the Christian cross, the Jewish Star of David, the sword of the American Cancer Society, the

Mercedes Benz star, the Nike swoosh, and the apple of Apple Computer. The concept of symbol recognition is

known as branding, which corporations spend considerable time and money towards so that their name can become

well known and recognized. Acronyms are words formed from the initials from other words, such as the Group

Against Smokers Pollution, or GASP; the Juvenile Opportunities in Business (JOB), and political organizations such

as the National Organization for Women (NOW). Acronyms are used for simplistic purposes. AIDS is used instead of

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or UNESCO instead of United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural

Organization. Slogans are a way to shorten a broad concept. Dont Leave Home without it is associated with

American Express, as is The Ultimate Driving Machine with BMW. The priceless theme has been used

extensively by MasterCard over the years in its marketing process.

Depends on source credibility. New articles more credible than advertisement. Because of difficulty gain credibilities,

companies use respected outside experts and celebrities for messages.Influencers of credibility:

1-Sleeper effect people will separate source from information from a company.

2-Context action must match the message

3-Predispositions cognitive dissonance theory people won't believe information against their believes unless new

information causes them to question their beliefs.

4-Involvement public's interest in the issue (what is said vs. who says it)


39/236

Message must be repeated often because:

1-Message not heard by everyone at same time

2-Reminds audience

3-Helps audience to remember

4-Increases chances of penetrating indifferent or resistant audience

During message repeat important info several timesUse multiple communication channelsActing on the Message

Ultimate purpose of message is to motivate action

Adoption process:

1-Awareness (of idea or product)

2-Interest (to learn more)

3-Evaluation (whether it meets their needs)

4-Trial (experimentation with it)

5-Adoption (uses product on daily basis)

Affectors of adoption process:

1-Relative advantage (over idea it will replace)

2-Compatibility (with existing values)3-Complexity (of understanding or using it)

4-Triability (able to try it)

5-Observability (can see others do it)

Approaches to innovation:

1-Innovators (eager for new ideas)

2-Early Adopters (opinion leaders)

3-Early Majority (pragmatists)

4-Late Majority (give into peer pressure)

5-Laggards (traditionalists)

Where information comes from in each step:

Awareness: mass media, especially TV commercials, radio, direct mail, etc.Interest: mass media, especially in-depth articles

Evaluation, Trial, and Adoption: peers have more influence than mass media. This is why Word of Mouth campaigns

became popular, which is done through opinion leaders.


40/236

aware of idea or product, interest - seeking more info , evaluation - person sees how it meeds their needs and wants,

trial - person tries it on experimental basis and finally adoption - begins to use on a regular basis


41/236

Controlled media - you decide when and how the message is delivered (advertising)

-Uncontrolled Media - someone else decides how the message is delivered (Public Relations)

how we view our reality based on cognitive bias as well as our attitudes and beliefs.


42/236

Results oriented criteria are easiest to evaluate. To identify criteria, restate your objectives in terms of success, and

then identify the method or tool for measuring that success. Each objective should be converted into a criterion with

a method for measurement identified. Measuring tools are the same kind of tools you used previously in research

(surveys, sales records, event attendance) This information then becomes the background and research for future

communications effort. more indepth information found in matrix 38

measurement of what you achieve against your objectives through production, message exposure, audience

awareness, attitude, action, and supplemental activities. In the end it can enhance performance and evaluate

whether your goals have been met. For more indepth look at pages 210-211


43/236

Measuring production: A quantitative measurement of to account for the actual production of the PR agent by

counting the number of news releases, feature stories, photos, and letters are actually produced.

Measuring message exposure: Is measured through the complilation of print and broadcast mentions. Through

media impressions, or the potential audience reached by a certain medium, they measure how much exposure the

message is receiving.

Hits on the internet also show the buzz the message is creating, and can measure the exposure by counting the

number of downloads of related material.

AVE or Advertising Equivalency measures the value of message exposure. It uses the price of what anadvertisement would cost if ran in its place and applies that value to the value of the PR story. Some people double

or triple the price saying that a PR story is more valuable than advertisements.

Systematic Tracking uses new technology to store the data of media placements and can account for many

variables. Other measurements include, ROI and Audience attendance.

Measurement of awareness: Measured through survey research to determine if the audience understood the

message and benefitted them.

Measurement of Attitudes: Can be evaluated through benchmark study, measuring the opinions of the audience

before during and after the PR campaign.

Measurement of Audience Action: Is measured through the affect the campaign has on the company or

organization, for example, increase in sales or the election of a candidate.

Message production, penetration and audience action: Messages must be constructed with all the research and

objectives in mind. They must be tailored to get the recipients attention to produce the desired action.

Penetration depends the amount of the desired audience is reached. The more clear and less distorted the

messages, the more effective they will be in penetrating its desired audiences.

Audience action: The success of a message is in its effect on the recipient. Time is needed for one to adopt a new

idea or product. Word of mouth campaigns are being used more often to take advantage of peer influence and


44/236

Research is the groundwork of PR. It is used in every phase of the communication process. Decisions for the

company cannot be made if not properly informed, and without research most campaigns would be a waste of money

and would most likely fail every time. The more effective the research process is, the more effective the public

relations process will be.

-intercept interview (also called convenience polls b/c of its easiness to conduct): short interviews 2-5 min with

people in a shopping mall or at a mtg. Considered unscientif ic/unreliable but gives an organization some sense of

current thinking/exposure to certain key messages

-purposive interviewing: in-depth interviews which get more comprehensive information; interviewees are carefully

selected based on their expertise, influence, or leadership in the community.

-focus groups: helps identify attitudes/motivations of important publics. Pretests message themes/communication

strategies before launching a full campaign. Nondirective interviewing techniques which encourage group members

(8-12) to talk freely about a topic or give candid reactions to suggested message themes. Develops qualitative info

rather than hard data. Identifies range of attitudes/opinions among participants. (many focus groups conductedPg. 141-144

-Carefully consider wording: make the words used a matter of semantics

-Avoid loaded questions: questions are "loaded" when they are intentionally skewed to generate a predictable

response. Advocacy research in public relations is key.

-Consider timing and context: polls and surveys should be conducted when the organization isn't in the news orconnected to a significant event that may influence public opinion. Companies use benchmarking which is the use of

software programs to track and monitor a client's reputation.

-Avoid the politically correct answer: some companies use courtesy bias which is designing questions that tend to

elicit the correct response. Respondents tend to choose answers that they think are politically correct in these

situations. Try to avoid politically correct answers by making questionnaires confidential and anonymous.

-Give a range of possible answers: provide answer choices that cover a range of opinions, do not give yes or no

questions because they don't do a very good job at examining respondent's perceptions and attitudes and instead

use answers such as strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree.


45/236

1. Book talks about this in a little different terms (1. Research 2. Policy Formation 3. Programming 4. Communication

5. Feedback-->Program assessment and adjustment--->back to the beginning) However, I think Professor Wilson

will mostly pull test questions from the matrix (she wrote it :)

2. The notes are simply a re-explanation of the matrix.

--Research--all data and information about campaign necessities done here

--Action PLANNING--a formula for achieving desires objectives (focus on planning)

--Communication--Preparing the messages to the key publics selected along the appropriate channels and effective

strategies.

--Evaluation--What was done right/wrong and what could be done better (although it should be continually used

throughout the process so no time is wasted in strategic development)

3. Professor Wilson wants to make sure everyone knows this. I would recommend reviewing more in-depth notes* Audience= individuals who demand something fromt he communication to whch they are exposed, and who

select those that are likely to be useful to them.

* The communication process is interactive

* Communicator wants to inform and persuade

* The recipient wants to be entertained, informed, or alerted to opportunities that can fulfill individual needs

* Theory assumes that people make highly intelligent choices about whch messges require their attention and fulfill

their needs. If true, PR must tailor messages that focus on getting the audience's attention

- Scan the environment to look out for any activist movements that might affect your organization

- Activists are at the fringe, but can become more mainstream with time (such as environmental activists)

- Have to negotiate with them in order to truly manage issues and protect your organization from future crises

- Example from class: Dao Chemical and environmentalists created environmentally-friendly processes even

before the environment became a concern among everyone, avoided future issues such as having to conform to

* Put the public first

* Take responsibility. An organization should take responsibility for solving the problem

* Be hones. Don't obscure facts and try to mislead the public

* Never say, "No comment." A Porter Novelli survey found that nearly two-thirds of the public feel that "no

comment" almost always means that the organization is guilty of wrongdoing* Designate a single spokesperson

* Se up a central information center

* Provide a constant flow of information. When information is withheld, the cover-up becomes a story

* Be familiar with media needs and deadlines

* Be accessible

* Monitor news coverage and telelphone inquiries

* Communicate with key publics


46/236

make sure your company is not violating trademarks or copyrights; or if your company has either one of those, you

must be on the constant look-out to make sure your trademark/copyright is not misused.

-also, if a company violates any laws set by government agencies and commissions, the company is in danger of

being fined or licensing may be taken away.

-this is true for commissions such as the FTC, that regulates advertisements and public news releases on products. if

the documents or ads do not meet all the requirements, the company will be fined.

* Defamation: any false statement about a person (or organization) that creates public hatred, contempt, ridicule,

or inflicts injury on reputation.

* "Defamation" used as a collective term for "libel" and "slander"

* Libel suit if it can be proven that: false statment was communicated through print, broadcast, or electionric

Criticism about a good or service done with "honest purpose and lack of malicious intent.


47/236


48/236


49/236


50/236


51/236


52/236

well as its publics, products, services, or good name. Perception is realit


53/236


54/236


55/236


56/236


57/236


58/236


59/236


60/236


61/236


62/236


63/236


64/236


65/236


66/236


67/236


68/236


69/236


70/236


71/236


72/236


73/236


74/236


75/236

----it doesnt matter what you say, its what is seen that creates the peoples opinion. Crisisexpert


76/236


77/236


78/236


79/236


80/236


81/236


82/236


83/236


84/236


85/236


86/236


87/236


88/236


89/236


90/236


91/236


92/236


93/236


94/236


95/236


96/236


97/236


98/236

.com found out the 14% of the crisis were unexpected. The remaining 86% were smoldering crisis or one


99/236


100/236


101/236


102/236


103/236


104/236


105/236


106/236


107/236


108/236


109/236


110/236


111/236


112/236


113/236


114/236


115/236


116/236


117/236


118/236


119/236


120/236


121/236

s that the organization was aware of a potential business disruption long before the public found out about it


122/236


123/236


124/236


125/236


126/236


127/236


128/236


129/236


130/236


131/236


132/236


133/236


134/236


135/236


136/236


137/236


138/236


139/236


140/236


141/236


142/236


143/236


144/236

. Also mismanagement caused about 76% of the crisis.While many organizations have plans for crisis, the


145/236


146/236


147/236


148/236


149/236


150/236


151/236


152/236


153/236


154/236


155/236


156/236


157/236


158/236


159/236


160/236


161/236


162/236


163/236


164/236


165/236


166/236


167/236

re are a lot that duck and deny serious problems that eventually will ignite and cost them millions of dollar


168/236


169/236


170/236


171/236


172/236


173/236


174/236


175/236


176/236


177/236


178/236


179/236


180/236


181/236


182/236


183/236


184/236


185/236


186/236


187/236


188/236


189/236


190/236

and lost management time.When people believe that because nothing has gone wrong, nothing will go w


191/236


192/236


193/236


194/236


195/236


196/236


197/236


198/236


199/236


200/236


201/236


202/236


203/236


204/236


205/236


206/236


207/236


208/236


209/236


210/236


211/236


212/236


213/236

rong, they court disaster. you always have to have a plan.89% of Fortune 500 companies reported that a


214/236


215/236


216/236


217/236


218/236


219/236


220/236


221/236


222/236


223/236


224/236


225/236


226/236


227/236


228/236


229/236


230/236


231/236


232/236


233/236


234/236


235/236


236/236

Date post:	07-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	mpalbright
View:	221 times
Download:	0 times

PR Study Guide 2

Documents