Public Relations Planning

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Public Relations Planning
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Public Relations

• Often misunderstood as publicity
• Management of image and reputation
• Use of information to influence opinion
• Create or maintain goodwill
• Reputation as a competitive asset
• External and internal audiences
• customers, news media, investment community,
  public, government, stakeholders, and employees

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Definitions

• Public relations helps an organization and its
  publics adapt to each other
• Public relations is an effort to win the
  cooperation of groups of people

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Different from Advertising

• Media - usually not purchased
• Try to persuade gatekeepers to cover story
• Publicity (unpaid) Institutional advertising
  (paid)
• Control - message content and audience
• Less than with ads, difficult to measure
• Credibility - audiences tend to believe
• More so than ads, seen as complete and objective

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The emergence of PR

• Growth of large institutions
• Mass democracy
• Conflict and confrontation
• Heightened public awareness
• Increased public sophistication

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Publics

• Internal and external publics
• Based on organizational boundaries
• Primary, secondary and marginal
• Based on influence
• Traditional and future
• Based on time
• Proponents, opponents and uncommitted
• Based on relationship

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Key Publics
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Focus of PR

• Primary focus is to influence attitudes
• Differs from advertising where attitude change is
  intended to change behavior
• Must monitor and track the attitudes of many
  different publics, no sales data

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Types of PR Planning

• Issue Management
• Image and Reputation Management
• Relationship Management
• Crisis Management
• Marketing Public Relations

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Public Opinion and Issues Management

• Monitor public opinion about issues that are
  central to the organizations interests
• What publics are important?
• What do these publics think?
• Develop programs to to communicate to and with
  the public about these issues

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Corporate Image and Reputation Management

• Takes a long time to build one slip can create a
  negative public impression
• Corporate image is fragile requires a reputation
  management program
• It is the sum total of a companys identity
  efforts and stakeholder images
• It is earned, not created

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Identity to Reputation
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Relationship Management

• Managing relationship with stakeholders
• Government relations - regulators, legislators,
  and activists - lobbying
• Media relations - media contacts who cover
  stories on your category - publicity
• Employee relations - human resources and employee
  unions - internal market
• Financial relations - financial markets,
  financial press, analysts, investors - annual
  reports

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Government Relations

• Executive and legislature
• Federal Government
• State Government
• Local Government
• Lobbying
• Legislative
• Grass-roots
• Political Action Committees

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Employee Relations

• Online Communication
• Print Newsletters
• Management Publications
• Employee Annual Reports
• Bulletin Boards
• Internal Video
• Supervisory communication

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Financial Relations

• Shareholders
• Annual reports
• Company mailing
• Analysts
• Annual reports
• Company visits
• Presentations
• Legislatures
• Lobbying
• Financial Markets
• Business press
• Financial News channels

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Crisis Management

• Surprise
• Insufficient information
• Escalating events
• Loss of control
• Increased outside scrutiny
• Siege mentality
• Panic

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Planning in a crisis

• First, define the risk for each potentially
  affected audience
• Second, for each risk defined describe the
  actions that mitigate the risk
• Third, identify the cause of the risk
• Fourth, demonstrate responsible management action

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Communicating in a crisis

• Speak first and often
• Dont speculate
• Go off the record at your own peril
• Stay with the facts
• Be open, concerned, not defensive
• Make your point and repeat it
• Dont go to war with the media
• Establish yourself as an authoritative source
• Stay calm, be truthful and cooperative
• Never lie

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Marketing through PR

• Product publicity
• Product placement
• Third-party endorsement
• Use of spokespersons
• Trade show participation
• Cause related marketing
• PR advertising

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Marketing Public Relations

• More overlap with advertising
• More consumer and sales focused
• Increase brand credibility w/ consumers
• Can involve a combination of advertising, direct
  mail, merchandizing materials, as well as
  innovations in public relations
• Product publicity product placement
• Endorsements Spokespeople

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Cause and Mission Marketing

• Cause marketing - adopting a cause and sponsoring
  its fundraising
• Targets Take Charge of Education
• Mission marketing - linking a companys
  philosophy and values to a cause
• Body Shop - Animals, Environment, Rights