Chapter 9:
Public Relations
Defining Public Relations
Public Relations: Aform of communications designed to gain public understanding and acceptance
Uses publicity that does not necessarily involve payment
Public relations communications appear in the news media and as such, offer a legitimacy that
advertising does not have
◦ This form of communciation is often referred to as marketing public relations or marketing
PR
Goal: To conduct communications in such a way that an organization builds an open, honest,
and constructive relationship with its various publics
Not controlled by an organization but the media determine what is said about the company
regardless of what information the company provides
Internal Publics: The publics with which an organization communicates regularly; can include
employees, distributors, suppliers, shareholders and customers
External Publics: Those publics that are distant from an organization and are communicated with less
frequently
The Role of Public Relations
Public realtions will help an organization anticipate and interpret public opinion that will impact
on its actions
PR will provide the means to plan and implement communications startegies that are in the best
interest of the organization; for example, to devise communications intended to change public
attitudes if necessary
Good PR will help launch new products and create awareness and excitement for them, just like
advertising can and at a much lower cost
Corporate Communciations
Agood public relations plan strives to maximize communications in an unpaid manner, but
there are times when paid communications are necessary
Corporate Advertising: Advertising designed to convey a favourable image of a company
among its various publics
Reputation Management
Public relations play a vital role when a company finds itself in a crisis sistuaiton, because the
final outcome often depends on how effectively an organization manages its communications
during the crisis
When facing a crisis situation, acting quickly and decisively is the approach recommended by
experts
The obejctive is to reassure the public that everything possible is being done to correct the
situation
Look at tips figure 9.3 for handling a crisis situation Product Publicity
Publicity: News about an organization, product, service or person that appears in the media
◦ Publicity is something that a company and the media deem to be newsworthy
One major opportunities for a product or company to generate positive publicity is during a
new product launch
Combination of public relations and other means of communication work more effectively than
any one activity working exclusively on its own
Reality of advertising clutter enhances the opportunity for public relations to break through by
placing effective messages in newspapers
Produce Placement, Branded Content, and Product Seeding
Product Placement: The visible placement of brand name products in television shows, movies,
radio, video grames, and other programming
Branded Content (product integration): The integration of brand name goods and services into
the script (storyline) of a television show or movie. The brand name is clearly mentioned and
sometimes discussed
Product Seeding (buzz marketing): Giving a product free to a group of trendsetters who
promote the product to others by word of mouth
◦ These people use technology and their own social netowrks to spread their opinions about
products
◦ Advantages:
▪ It is low-cost startegy that is nowhere near the cost of an advertising campaign
▪ It can reach a narrowly defined target
◦ Disadvantages:
▪ If the product does not meet expectations, influencers will inform other consumers of
such a fact
Word of mouth Marketing: The transfer of a product message by people (often using
technology) to other people
Communicaiton Relations and Public Affairs
Public Affairs: Strategies to deal with governments and to communicate with governments
Lobbying: Activities and practices designed to influence policy decisions that will affect an
ogranization or all organizations in a paticular industry
◦ Acompany or an organiation wants government policy to conform to whats best for
busieness
Fundraising
Public relations help educate the public about how funds are used
The message is designed to predipose people to give, to solicit commitment, and to make
people feel good about giving
Overall goal of such campaigns is to create a positive image and secure support by sending a
message that clearly states what the orgranization is all about Public Relations Planning
Public relations plans are designed to fit diectly with the needs of organizations marketing
objectives
They can be active (help support a brand or company positively) or reactive (help out in a crisis
situation)
The in-house public relations specialist is a liaison with outside agencies that prepare and
implement public relations plans
Figure 9.5: The Public Relations Planning Process
Public Relations Objectives
Creating awareness, shaping attitudes, and altering behaviour
As markeitng campaigns become more integrated and seamless, the ability both to quantify and
to measure objectives becomes more difficult
What can be measured is the level of publicity generated by a public relations plan
Goal: Is to achieve media exposure, so quantifiable objectives can be established in this area
Publicity objectives should consider the meida trhough which the message will be
communicated and the target audience reached by the meida
Media exposure can be measured in terms of gross impressions, number of times an item was
potentially seen Another objective could entail matching the message with the appropriate medium
Reaching your audience in highly targeted media offers several benefits:
◦ The message will be ead or seen by influencers who will create a word of mouth network,
and the message could influence the editorial agenda of the publication,
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