Public Relations

Session 1

Definitions, concepts and contexts

Learning outcomes

At the end of the session, you will be able to:

• Provide definitions of public relations (PR), reputation, stakeholder management and engagement, social media, propaganda and spin

• Discuss the role that PR plays in defending and promoting an organisation’s reputation

• Analyse how PR complements and interacts with other elements of the communications and marketing mixes in the context of the organisation as a whole

• Evaluate the link between PR and branding in terms of both developing and managing a brand

• Demonstrate how an understanding of market research can assist PR• Explain using marketing concepts how PR applies to international markets• Understand the relevance of various key concepts to PR: reputation, influence,

stakeholder engagement, persuasion, two-way communication and emotional versus rational aspects

(Syllabus references: 1.1 – 1.7)

Definition from Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)• Public Relations Practice is the planned and sustained

effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics

• Public Relations is about reputation - the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you.

• Public Relations practice is the discipline which looks after your reputation with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour.

Definition from Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA)

• Public relations is all about reputation. It's the result of what you do, what you say, and what others say about you. It is used to gain trust and understanding between an organisation and its various publics - whether that's employees, customers, investors, the local community - or all of those stakeholder groups.

Definition from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)

The PRSA 1982 National Assembly formally adopted a definition of public relations, which remains widely accepted and used today: “Public relations helps an organisation and its publics adapt

mutually to each other.”

“Organisation” is denoted in this context, as opposed to the more limiting “company” or “business,” to stress public relations’ use by businesses, trade unions, government agencies, voluntary associations, foundations, hospitals, schools, colleges, religious groups and other societal institutions.

“Publics” recognises the need to understand the attitudes and values of - and to develop effective relationships with - many different stakeholders, such as employees, members, customers, local communities, shareholders and other institutions, and with society at large.

A further definition...

“PR is the art and social science of analysing trends, predicting their consequences, counselling organisation leaders, and implementing planned programmes of action which will serve both the organisations and the public interest”

The World Assembly of Public Relations Associations in Mexico City in August 1978 (Seitel, 1992)

Publics

“Any group that has an actual or potential interest in or impact on an organisation to achieve its objectives”(Kotler and Armstrong, 2008)

1. General – general public, community, pressure groups

2. Financial – shareholders, investors, bankers

3. The media – television/radio, national press, local press, trade press

4. Internal – employees, trade unions

5. Authority – central/local government, trade associations, regulatory bodies

6. Commercial – customers, suppliers, competitors

Managing Relationships with Publics

• Relationships with publics should be positive because they can be vital to a company’s survival and success.

• An organisation can manage it’s publics through:– Press relations - press releases, press conferences, press

briefings– Events – social events, AGM, factory tours– Publications – annual report, magazines, DVDs, brochures, books,

website– Corporate identity– Social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook Instragram, Twitter

etc.)– Internal – staff magazines, staff conferences, staff DVDs, intranet.

Key terms - Propaganda

• Propaganda tries to ‘spread the faith’ and to persuade people to believe something, perhaps through half-truths and distortion.

• Generally treated with distrust or disbelief• Used in First World War by UK

government to convince the public of the necessity of military action – Lord Kitchener’s famous slogan

• Not considered to have a part in present-day PR

Key terms - Spin

• Spin is very biased support of a particular situation.

• It implies deceit, trickery or exaggeration.

• Frequently used by political parties – Alastair Campbell is a famous “spin doctor” of Tony Blair’s new Labour in the 1990s

Key terms – Social Media

• “Monitoring and facilitating customer-customer interaction and participation throughout the web to encourage positive engagement with a company and its brands. Interactions may occur on a company site, social networks and other third party sites.”(Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick, 2012)

Characteristics of PR

• Non paid method of communications - don’t purchase media space or airtime

• Decision on transmission lies with those in charge of media resource (not message sponsor)

• Management has less control over message content• Usually carry greater creditability than those through

paid media• Low costs apart from agency costs• Can be used to meet specific audiences that are hard to

reach in mass media

Why use PR?

• Build corporate identity• Create awareness• Maintain visibility • Promote a positive image – helps to attract customers,

employees and investors• Assist with crisis management• Communicate with publics

PR: An Evaluation

Benefits• Delivers invaluable third party

endorsement • Can help with crisis

Management• Message flexibility – can explain

more easily than other formats• Cost-effective – less expensive

than advertising• Works well with social media• Has long lasting impact • Access difficult to reach

audiences• More objective

Limitations

• Effectiveness can be hard to measure

• Lack of control• Journalists as gatekeepers

Who uses PR?

• PR is used by many different types of companies to defend or promote an organisation’s reputation:– Commercial organisations:

• Corporate communication is no longer a luxury but a necessity as openness and public accountability are essential

• Failure to communicate effectively can lead to a loss of credibility and ultimately financial losses for the business

– Public Sector:• Increasingly important for the public sector organisation to communicate with

publics to encourage a positive opinion.

– Not for Profit:• An increase in not-for-profit organisations as well as their activities, has in turn

created a greater need for PR.• Main role of PR is to inform and educate both the public and media, making

them aware of their work and their activities.

PR and The Communications Mix

• PR is one of the five communications tools – used to support and reinforce messages from other tools

• Marketing communications tends to be relatively short term and commercial in nature, whereas, PR considers long-term goodwill and reputation.

• Good public relations lay the groundwork, creating a platform for successful marketing communications.

• PR has three major roles to play within a communications programme:– The development and maintenance of corporate goodwill– The continuity necessary for good product support– Development and maintenance of suitable relationships

Integrating Communications Tools

PR is important around the pre-purchase stage.

While advertising is usually about taking

to customers, PR defines a much

broader range of target audiences,

encompasses a wide variety of

communications needs & objectives not always geared

towards achieving a sale.

Fill, 2013

Comparisons of Key Communications Tools – 4 C’s Framework

Fill, 2013

Online PR

“Maximising favourable mentioned of your company, brands, products or websites through third-party websites which are likely to be visited by your target audience” (Chaffey, 2013)

• Communicating with media and journalists online• Managing how your brand is perceived online• Link building• Blogs, podcasts, RSS, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn• Creating an online buzz

Differences between Online PR and traditional PR:

• The audience is connected to organisations – consumers can now communicate back to organisations after PR activities

• The members of the audience are connected to each other – through publishing their own websites (blogs, Twitter, Facebook) information can be rapidly distributed from one person to another, or group to group

• The audience has access to other information – Internet facilitates rapid comparison of statements and checking of statistics or facts

• Audiences pull information – now multiple sources of channels of information, making it harder for PR activities to stand out.

20

Results of Online PR

• Reputation • Influence opinions• Increase brand

awareness• SEO • Quality back links• Optimised Press

Releases• Content Generation • Additional Content

• Offline stories• Thought leadership

positioning • Social Media • Crisis Management• Cross Channel

Messaging

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and PR

“The continuing commitment to business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.”(World Business Council for Sustainable Development)

Includes:• Sponsorship – sport, arts, TV• Charitable donations• Good business processes eg recycling schemes, Fairtrade products,

etc.

PR is used to communicate CSR policies e.g. when there is a disaster such as the BP oil spillage

Employee Communications

• PR communicates with employees, expressing• The vision and mission of an organisation

provide the framework for all the formal internal communications,

• and are integral to corporate culture, the character of the organisation and what it feels like to be an ‘insider’

• Employees have the desire to see shared values

The Link Between PR and Branding

• PR is often used by companies to develop and manage a brand. This is to:– Build reputation and credibility – e.g. if a new product is entering

a marketplace– Protect brand from attack by competitors– Manage crises that might damage the brand e.g. RBS and the

CEO bonuses– Reach opinion leaders and opinion formers e.g. through social

media or content marketing programmes– Encourage online dialogue about the brand – e.g. social media

platforms, forums, etc.

Marketing Research and PR

1. Market analysis– Measure current or potential consumers by age, gender, social

class, geography, lifestyle, personality type– Knowledge of target market gives information as to which media to

target for your press releases eg if your target market are aged over 50, consider the SAGA magazine for promoting your hotel.

2. Benchmarking– Research key competitors and compare their marketing mix with

your company ie product, price, place, promotion.

3. Techniques for evaluating impact– Pre-testing, tracking studies (during a campaign) or post-testing

helps the PR manager determine the effectiveness of a campaign.• Measured by shift in attitude, and sentiment

Research can also be used within PR communications

PR by nature must be OBJECTIVE therefore

most communications have to be supported by:• Secondary Research (existing sources of information)• Primary Research (Ad hoc/continuous research projects)• Quantitative data (numerical/statistical based data)• Qualitative data (researched values and beliefs)• Consumer research (end user focused research)• Industrial/B2B research (focused on specific publics)• Social Research findings (based on behaviour in given

societies)

A Framework of PR

Dimensions of PR

Dimension of PR Explanation

Direction Refers to whether communication is on-way (disseminating) or two-way (exchange)

Purpose The degree to which there are communication effects on both parties

Channel Interpersonal communication refers to direct, face-to-face communication. Mediated communications is indirect and routed through media.

Ethics The degree to which PR-based communications are ethical

Fill, 2013

Arguments for Adaptation

• Differing customer needs• Infrastructure variations• Varying levels of

education• Economic, cultural and

political conditions vary• Inconsistent local

management experience, abilities and skills

Arguments for Standardisation

• Larger number of buyer similarities

• Easier to control campaigns from central source

• Technological advances allow a consistent brand image to be maintained

• Economies of scale

International PR programmes

Factors for consideration

• Language• Culture & tradition• Legal & regulatory requirements• Buying habits and motivational factors• Institutions and groups• Beliefs and values

• Standards of living• Media availability and usage• The competitive environment• Symbols

Possible International PR Objectives

• The consumer my need to be familiarised about the company, it’s policies, products, servicers and personnel

• Importers, agents and distributors may need to be educated about the company, it’s policies, products, servicers and personnel

• Opinion leaders, government officials and politicians may need to be educated about the company, it’s policies, products, servicers and personnel

Exam Practice

You have been asked to give a presentation at your local chamber of commerce (or other business networks) to explain the role of PR.

Prepare six slides, including speaker's notes, to show how PR can add value for a business and use examples to illustrate how PR both enhances and defends a reputation.

(25 Marks)

(June 2010)

Exam Practice

A senior manager in your organisation is about to appear on a leading current affairs radio programme to talk about why public relations can make a real difference to a brand’s reputation.

Prepare notes for your colleague that provide both a series of tips for good radio performances and the key arguments in support of the programme’s theme, i.e. public relations and a brand’s reputation.

(25 marks)

(December 2008)

Bibliography

• Brassington, F and Pettitt, S (2006), ‘Principles of Marketing’, Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall

• Chaffey, D and Ellis-Chadwick, F (2012) “Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice”, Fifth Edition, Prentice Hall.

• Fill, C (2013) “Marketing Communications”, Sixth Edition, Pearson Education• Harrison, S (2000), “Public Relations – an Introduction”, Second Edition, Thomson

Learning• Kotler, P and Armstrong, G (2008), “Principles of Marketing”, Twelfth edition, Pearson • Davis, Anthony, (2007), ‘Mastering Public Relations’, Second Edition, Macmillan.