EBus chapter 4

• Public Relations


  The public's perception of an individual or organisations, whether correct or incorrect is important
• Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)

  An organisation's efforts to win the cooperation of groups of people and its purpose is to help an organisation and its publics adapt mutually to one another
• Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA)

  Relationships with publics and defines it as the distinctive management function which establishes and maintains mutual communication, understanding, acceptance and cooperation between an organisation and its publics
• Public Relations


  Focuses on long-term patterns of interaction between an organisation and all of its various publics, both supportive and non-supportive while seeking to enhance these relationships and generating mutual understanding, goodwill and support
• Types of publics


  • Internal public (supervisors, managers, clerks, board of directors, shareholders)
  • External public (consumers, financial institutions, suppliers, government, local communities, media)
• PR bridge


  Connects the organisation and its publics
• No business can succeed without its public's support, so PR is vital
• Role of PR in an organisation

  Conventional: Ensure positive relations between organisation and stakeholders by having effective communication strategies and channels in place. Today: Function expected to support Integrated Marketing Communication strategies. Key responsibilities: Promoting products, brands, services; Cultivating and communicating positive organisational image to publics
• Marketing vs PR


  PR: Building goodwill, corporate image, and relationships with stakeholders/publics. Marketing: Attracts, sustains and meets consumer needs.
• Characteristics of PR


  • Constantly changing: Maintaining and building relationships, continual transformation, adjust, adapt
  • Requires logical analysis: Problem solutions require investigation and critical analysis of situations
  • Requires strategy: Objective setting with time and resource constraints in mind to solve problems
  • Relies on implementation and execution: Proactivity and strategies needed to meet stakeholders and public's needs
  • Requires performance assessment and control measures: Critical evaluation of performance against objectives
  • Requires flexibility: Execution of strategy should allow for adjustment to meet satisfaction
• Functions of Public Relations

  • Research
  • Planning and advising
  • Media relations and placement
  • Organising
  • Writing
  • Editing
  • Production
  • Speaking
  • Training
  • Management
• Tools and Techniques of PR

  • Media relations
  • Publications
  • Corporate image
  • Corporate advertising
  • Sponsorship and events
  • Promotional activities
  • Crisis management
  • Lobbying
  • Networking
• Media relations


  The responsibility of facilitating media relations remains one of the most crucial aspects of the PR function. Ensuring good relations with the public is a never-ending obligation that must be managed sustainably over the long term, not only when positive publicity is required. Media 'gatekeepers' see themselves as acting on behalf of the public or audience.
• Publications


  Planning, generating and producing internal and external publications. Successful communication programmes are based on the balanced use of both written and spoken word. Internal publications include staff newsletters, letters from management, memos and employee manuals. External publications include annual reports, newsletters and industry opinions.
• Corporate image


  The net result of the combined experiences, impressions, beliefs, feelings and knowledge people have about a company. This process begins with corporate branding. PR officers must be aware that anything that represents the company and what it does or does not stand for and what is does or does not do will either support or break down this image.
• Corporate advertising


  Involves using advertising in a PR role when an organisation is unhappy with what is being said about it in the editorial sections of the media or when the organisation wants to add its voice to a specific cause. There are three types: General corporate advertising, Investor and financial relations advertising, and Advocacy advertising.
• Sponsorship and events


  Organisations are finding sponsorship of sports, arts and cultural events and the association of their brands with such events to be extremely beneficial as a tool for integrated marketing communication.
• Promotional activities


  Activities such as conferences, teleconferences, exhibitions, direct mail and other special events are considered high profile and media sensitive. PR officers understand the importance of these activities and therefore will spend a lot of time and effort on planning and organising them. These events also require specialised skills and knowledge, which can be provided by other professionals in the fields of accounting, graphic design.
• Corporate advertising


  Type of advertising that tries to influence public opinion on a political or social issue
• Tools and Techniques of PR

  • Sponsorship and events
  • Promotional activities
  • Crisis management
  • Lobbying
  • Networking
• Organisations are finding sponsorship of sports, arts and cultural events and the association of their brands with such events to be extremely beneficial as a tool for integrated marketing communication
• Promotional activities such as conferences, teleconferences, exhibitions, direct mail and other special events are considered high profile and media sensitive
• PR officers understand the importance of these activities and therefore will spend a lot of time and effort on planning and organising them
• These events also require specialised skills and knowledge, which can be provided by other professionals in the fields of accounting, graphic design and marketing
• Crisis management


  The proactive process of anticipating, identifying, evaluating and responding to public policy issues that affect organisations and their publics
• Lobbying


  The specialist part of PR that builds and maintains relations with the government primarily for the purpose of influencing legislation and regulation
• Networking


  Building relations with influential people in different levels of industries and structures is extremely beneficial to PR practitioners
• Networks consist of groups of people with different backgrounds who exchange information, experience and contacts for professional or social purpose
• Traditional mass media for PR

  • Broadcast media - radio
  • Broadcast media - television
  • Print media - newspapers
  • Print media - magazines
  • Support media
  • Internal media
• Radio


  • It is an instantaneous medium: immediate announcements and listeners are aware of the message
  • It requires neither literacy nor electricity
  • It is a portable medium: people can listen to their favourite radio stations virtually anywhere
  • It can reach people of different ethnic groups and languages
  • It creates mental imagery: be creative use their imagination
  • In comparison to other media, it is a less expensive medium
  • It is flexible: can change quickly
• Radio


  • There is no possibility for the consumer to refer to the message, in comparison to print media, where consumers can go back to a specific article that is published in a magazine or newspaper
  • Because it is limited to audio only, radio offers no visual appeal to audiences
  • As with television advertising, radio listeners reduce their exposure to advertising content through advertising avoidance, and advertisers struggle to retain listeners' attention
  • People experience a sense of clutter because of the number of competitive advertising messages aired, and listeners have the option to change radio stations to avoid radio advertising messages = overwhelm
• Television


  • Creativity and impact - messages should be intriguing as well as intrusive to attract attention from the specific target market
  • Coverage and cost - Large and diverse audiences can be reached in a cost-effective manner
  • Captivity and attention - With the amount of clutter and overwhelming mass media spam make sure to keep the audience's attention
  • Difficulty avoiding advertisements - They have intrusion value audience's perception without permission, and the audience has no option but to pay attention
  • Selectivity and flexibility - With the growth of television channels and more data available regarding target market information, linking specific messages to specific channels, time slots, geographical areas, and so on
• Television


  • Costs - very expensive because of the very high production and airtime costs
  • Lack of selectivity - Although selectivity can be an advantage of television media, it can also be considered a disadvantage. PR practitioners who want to address niche markets might find that television is not the most appropriate media vehicle to get the intended message across
  • Clutter - As with radio, television messages are in a constant battle to break through the clutter
  • Limited viewer attention - Can avoid commercials more easily, by fast-forwarding through commercials or muting the television while the message is being conveyed
  • Distrust and negative evaluation - can be seen as intrusive, persuasive, uninformative and too repetitive, resulting in distrust and negative evaluation
• Newspapers


  • Less expensive
  • Can add advertisement and reach wider audience
  • Can target a specific region or target market
  • Photographs and captions can be placed
• Newspapers


  • Information ages quickly
  • Only selected audience
  • Numerous advertisers – reduce impact of adverts
  • Quality cannot be good
• Magazines


  • Specific, directed to a target audience
  • Quality of paper and printing = high quality reproduction
  • Level of prestige provided to advertisements
• Magazines


  • More expensive, more specific it is
  • Advertising can be costly
  • Advertising can become cluttered
  • Increase cost in of production of magazine influences frequency
• Support media


  • Outdoor advertising
  • Transit advertising
  • In-store media
  • Directory advertising
  • Oramedia (folk media)
• Internal media


  Used within an organisation (between management & employees) to improve success of organisation
• Internal media tools


  • In-person communication e.g. meetings, grapevine etc.
  • Printed communication e.g. notice boards, internal newsletters etc.
  • Information-technology based communication e.g. email, social networking etc.