Publicity and Public Relations

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Publicity and Public Relations

• Objective Introducing publicity and public
  relations. In the end of this week, students will
  understand the importance of publicity in
  marketing tourism and hospitality products.

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Public Relations

• Building good relations with the companys
  various publics by obtaining favourable
  publicity, building up a good corporate image
  and handling or heading off unfavourable rumors,
  stories and events.
• Hilton International defines PR as the process
  by which we create a positive image and customer
  preference through third-party endorsement.

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Advantages

• low cost
• effective because they are not seen as commercial
  messages
• credibility
• prestige and impressiveness of mass-media
  coverage
• added excitement and dramatization
• maintenance of public presence

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Disadvantages

• difficult to arrange consistently
• lack of control

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Publicity

• It is a direct function of PR.
• It is the task of getting editorial and news
  space as opposed to paid space in print and
  broadcast media to promote a product, service or
  a company.

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Key Characteristics of PR and Publicity

• Message credibility
• No direct media costs
• Loss of control over publication
• Loss of control of content
• Loss of control of timing

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Major Activities of PR Departments

• Press relations The aim is to place newsworthy
  information into the news media to attract
  attention. It is credible since most consumers
  view it as third-party information. E.g. A
  positive write-up of a resturant in the
  newspaper.
• Product publicity It involves various efforts to
  publisize specfic or new products such as a food
  festival, a newly renovated hotel or a nonfat
  desserts have potential for publicity.

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• Lobbying It involves dealing with legislators
  and government officials to promote or defeat
  legislation and regulation.
• Counseling It involves advising management about
  public issues and company positions and image.

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Major Public Relations Tools

• News PR people find or create favourable news
  about the company and its products or people.
  Sometimes news stories occur naturally, and
  sometimes the PR person suggests events or
  activities (e.g. X conference, Miss World) that
  would create news.
• Speeches company executives answer the questions
  from the media or give talks at trade
  associations or sales meetings.

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• Special events ranging from news conferences,
  receptions, press tours (fam trips), grand
  openings to reach and interest target publics.
• Written materials include press release, annual
  reports, brochures, articles, company
  newsletters, magazines to reach and influence
  the target markets.
• Audiovisual materials such as films, video- and
  audiocassettes
• Corporate-identity materials help to create a
  corporate identity that the public immediately
  recognizes such as logos, stationery, brochures,
  signs, business forms, business cards, buildings,

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• uniforms, company cars and trucks become
  marketing tools when they are attractive,
  distinctive, and memorable.
• Public-service activities companies can also
  improve their goodwill by contributing money and
  time to public-service activities. E.g. giving
  donations to street children.

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Publics

• The organizations publics can be broken down into
  two as
• External
• Media TV, radio and press
• Public local communities, general public
• Government local, regional, national authorities
• Internal
• Internal stakeholders shareholders, banks,
  boards of trustees
• Internal representatives staff, trade union reps
• Internal commercial suppliers, intermediaries,
  customers

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The Role of PR

• The role of PR and publicity is larger than
  advertising.
• There are two types of reasons to engage in PR
• Reactive crises management
• Proactive
• In tourism and hospitality, the use of press
  kits are increasing to pull travel writers. In
  case of internal stakeholders, newsletters are
  often used.

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PR Opportunities for the Hospitality Industry

• Individual properties stories in the hotel
• Build PR around the owner/operator
• Build PR around location
• Build PR around a product or service a drink, a
  dessert, a bar and grill, a special entree,
  fireplace in the guest rooms, even ducks in the
  pond, etc.

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Sources

• McCabe, S. (2009). Marketing Communications in
  Tourism and Hospitality Concepts, Strategies and
  Cases. Butterworth-Heinemann Oxford.
• Kotler, P. Bowen, J. and Makens, J. (1999).
  Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism (2nd ed.).
  Prentice Hall New Jersey.
• Kotler, P. Bowen, J. and Makens, J. (2010).
  Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism (5th ed.).
  Prentice Hall New Jersey.
• Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2010) Principles of
  Marketing (13th ed.). Prentice Hall New Jersey.