MSCO 292 Weekly Reminders

Hi Everyone!!

This is your last weekly reminder. I will miss all of you and our class!!

Final exam: Thursday, April 30, 1:30-4pm
see master schedule: http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/academics/schedule/content/2092finalexamsched.pdf

Dr. Rosenkrans

Important Dates
Friday, January 23: Assignment 1: Branding Assignment due
Friday, February 20: Assignment 2: Pickle ad Assignment due
NOTE: Thursday, February 26, 6pm, CCB 257: guest speakers Larry, John and Gary from JWT ad agency. This class will supplant our class on Friday, April 24.
Friday, February 27: Midterm
Friday, March 20: Assignment 3: Press Release Assignment due
Friday, March 27: Assignment 4: Internet Advertising and PR: Basic Media Strategy Assignment  due
Weeks 13-15: Project Presentations; begin presentations Friday, April 3.
Tuesday, April 17: Written Project due

CHAPTER OUTLINES

Public Relations Chapter Notes

Chpt. 1: What is PR (Seitel text)

What is Public Relations?
A planned process to influence public opinion, through sound character and proper performance, based on mutually satisfactory 2-way communication.
See another definition under Defining Public Relations chapter p. 4
What is Public Relations?
Planed process to influence public opinion
Research: research attitudes about issues
Action: identify action of client in public interest
Communication: communicate the action
Evaluation: evaluate the communication to see if opinion has been influenced
What is Public Relations?
For an organization, every phone call, every letter, every face-to-face encounter is a public relations event
What is Public Relations?
PR practitioners are an organization’s interpreters
Interpret policies, programs, practices of their management to public
Convey attitudes of public to management

What is Public Relations
Must know what management is thinking
Role of a PR Practitioner is to communicate management’s ideas accurately and candidly to the public
Public Interpreter
PR practitioner finds out what the public really thinks about the firm and lets management know
See examples of failing to anticipate the true sentiments of the public, p. 7

Public of PR
Public Relations: Relations with the public
See Key Publics figure, p. 9

Publics categories
Internal and external
Internal: inside organization (supervisors, stock holders, board of directors)
External: press, government, educators, customers, suppliers, community

Publics categories
Primary, secondary, marginal (see p. 9):
Primary: can most help or hinder organization’s efforts
Secondary: less important
Marginal: least important
Publics categories
Traditional and future
Traditional: current customers and employees
Future: students and potential customers

Publics categories
Proponents, opponents, uncommitted
Another way of segmenting publics
Use the Values and lifestyles
Go to VALs web site
VALs categories (bottom of pg. 10 and top of pg. 11)
Actualizers
Fulfilleds
Believers
Achievers
Strivers
Experiencers
Markers
Strugglers

Functions of PR
Advertising and marketing promote an individual product or service

PR promotes an entire organization
Functions of PR
Writing (news releases, speeches, brochures, and sometimes dips into ads)
Media relations: dealing with the press
Planning: special events, media events, etc.
Counseling: in dealing with management and its interactions with publics
Researching: attitudes and opinions that influence behavior and beliefs (advertising does this too)

Functions of PR, cont.
Publicity: marketing-related function; generate positive publicity for firm
Marketing communications: other marketing related functions like creative brochures, sales lit, displays, promos
Community relations: positively relaying the organization’s messages and image within the community
Consumer relations: interfacing with consumers through written and verbal communication
Functions of PR, cont.
Employee relations: communicating with internal publics
Government affairs: dealing with legislatures, regulators, local and state and federal officials
Investor relations: for public companies, communicate with stockholders and those who advise them
Functions of PR, cont.
Special public relations: dealing with those critical to particular organizations like African American Women to Asians to Senior Citizens
Public affairs: dealing with public policy and its impact on an organization
Web site development and web interface (advertising does this too)
SPIN
The propensity for respected public figures to lie in attempt to deceive the public has led to the notion that “spinning” the facts is synonymous with PR practice
SPIN
Spin: outright lying to hide what really happened
PR spin has come to mean the twisting of messages to create the appearance of performance, which may or may not be true

PR practitioners should never lie!
Never lie!!!
competence needed in these areas:
Communication and persuasive strategies
Communication and PR theories
Relationships and relationship building
Societal trends
Ethical issues
Legal issues
Marketing and finance
Research and forecasting
Global issues
Management theories and concepts
Knowledge in field
Technological knowledge
Business knowledge
Management knowledge
Bureaucracy knowledge
PR: different from advertising
Advertising
Promotes a product or service or idea

PR
Promotes entire organization
Case Study: Martha Stewart
Read and Discuss
Answer Qs at end
 

Chapter 2: Growth of PR (Seitel text)

GROUPS
Group 1: What societal factors fueled the growth of Public Relations
Group 1: Who is PT Barnum and Ivy Lee and their involvement in PR?
Group 3: What are some issues that confront PR in this century?
Group 4: What is the Tylenol case study and its importance to PR? Also, answer Q #6
 

Chapter 3 PR: Communication

Definition of Communication
A process of exchanging information, imparting ideas, making yourself understood by others
Goals of Communication
Inform
Persuade
Motivate
Build mutual understanding
Theories of Communication
2-step flow: organization beam message to mass media, which sends to mass of viewers, listeners, ad readers for their response
Concentric Circle: by Elmo Roper. People pick up and accept ideas from leaders, whose impact on public opinion may be greater than that of mass media.
Theories of Communication
Jackson’s 5-step process:
Build awareness
Develop readiness
Trigger event
Intermediate behavior
Behavioral change
Theories of Communication
Spiral of Silence: silent majority fears being isolated so they join the majority
Internet—new area

Grunig-Hunt PR Models
Four models by James Grunig and Todd Hunt
Press agentry/publicity: 1-way communication; send message from a source to receiver with the intent to persuade recipient to action
Public Information: 1-way communication design to inform
Grunig-Hunt PR Models
2-way asymmetric: communicators use what they have learned to persuade publics to accept the organization’s position
2-way symmetric: communicator is mediator between organization and publics
SEMDR Comm Process
Source encodes and sends message to decode by receiver
Source
Encoder: words, semantics
Message: popular explanations of message
Content is message
Medium is message
Person is message



SEMDR Comm Process
Decoder:
Language
Stereotypes
Symbols
Semantics
Peer groups
Media


SEMDR Comm Process
Receiver:
May change attitudes
May crystallize attitudes
May create doubt
May do nothing

Definition of Persuasion
Although there’s not one single definition of persuasion, all scholars agree that persuasion is an ACTIVITY or PROCESS in which communication ATTEMPTS TO INDUCE A CHANGE in the BELIEF, ATTITUDE, or BEHAVIOR of another person or group of people through the TRANSMISSION OF A MESSAGE in a context in which the persuadee has some degree of FREE CHOICE
– Perloff, 1993

Read a Question of Ethics
Phillip Morris article, p. 65
Case Study
 

Chapter 5: Management

PR: different from advertising
Advertising
Promotes a product or service or idea


PR
Promotes entire organization

Reporting to top management
Advertising
Defends specific products
PR
Has no mandated allegiance
Reporting to top management
Must have knowledge of organization’s business
Be corporate conscious
Deal openly and honestly with management

Planning for PR
Strategic planning is critical
Review from Chpt 1: Process has four steps
Research: research attitudes about issues
Action: identify action of client in public interest
Communication: communicate the action
Evaluation: evaluate the communication to see if opinion has been influenced


Planning for PR
Set clear goals, objectives and targets
See example on p. 78

Activating the PR plan
Typical PR campaign plan (p. 79)
Background of problem
Prepare the proposal
Situation analysis
Scope of assignment
Target
Research approach
Communication vehicles
Project team
Timing and fees
Implement plan
Evaluate campaign
Setting PR objectives
Strategy: How will we manage our resources to achieve our goals?
Tactics: execution of the strategy
Objectives:
Do they describe end result expected
Understandable to all
Completion date
Realistic, attainable, measurable
Consistent with management’s objectives
Setting PR objectives
PR professionals Mange by Objectives (MBO)
PR professionals Manage by results (MBR)

Budgeting for PR
Two steps:
Estimate extent of resources needed to accomplish each activity
Estimate cost and availability of those resources
Implementing PR programs
4 categories of PR tasks
1. Advice
2. Communication service
3. Public issues research and analysis
4. PR action programs

See examples on p. 84-85
PR as boundary manager
PR professionals function as liaison between organization and external and internal publics—see list on p. 87


PR department and PR agency
PR department
Within an organization
Support primary business of the organization
A new term for PR within an organization is Corporate Commuications
PR agency
Primary task is to help organization earn revenue
Some big agencies include:
Burson-Marstellar and Hill & Knowlton (WPP Group)
Fleishman-Hillard Ketchum, and Porter Novelli (Omnicom Group)
Weber Shandwick Worldwide, and Golin/Harris Int’l (Interpublic Group)
Top 25 Agencies
See list on p. 90
Where are the jobs? Pay?
Nonprofit area: hospitals will expect growth
Industry suffered significantly in 2001, it is projected that PR will grow steadily
Worldwide corporations: need for talented, ethical communications managers
Entry level writers and editors: $20-30K
Managers of press relations, consumer relations and financial communications: $40K plus
Investor relations median salary: $72K

Case Study

Chapter 9: Print Media Relations (Seitel text)

Print: #1 medium for PR
Many departments at newspapers and magazines use press releases
Print sets media agenda
1,772 daily newspapers
Total circulations of 55 million
89.5 million read Sunday paper
Power of Publicity
Why attract publicity?
Publicity can be regarded as more credible than advertising
Publicity requires a GOOD working relationship with the media
Objectivity in the media
Presumed goal of journalist
is to be objective
Total objectivity is not possible
Relationship between media and pr people should be that of “friendly adversaries” and not “bitter enemies”

Internet factor
Internet complicates relationship between journalist and PR people
Unfettered medium
Dealing with media
PR practitioners must build relationships between their organizations and the media
Dealing with media
Organization must develop a philosophy for dealing with media
Reporter is a reporter
You are an organization
No standard issue reporter
Treat journalists professionally
Don’t sweat the skepticism
Don’t buy a journalist
Become a trusted source
Dealing with media
Organization must develop a philosophy for dealing with media (cont.)
Talk when not selling
Don’t expect news agreement
Don’t have an attitude with reporters
NEVER LIE
Read the paper
Attracting publicity
Dealing with the media by initiating contact or reacting to inquiries
Publicity differs from advertising!!!!



Attracting publicity
Advertising:
You pay for the advertising so you Control:
Content
Size
Location
Reach
Frequency

Publicity
No controls
Subject to review by editors who might decide to use all or some or none of the PR person’s news releases
Costs time and effort
When appears in news instead of ad columns it carries an implicit third party endorsement
Value of publicity
Announcing a new product or service (publicity should be used here before advertising commences)
Reenergizing an old product (staged events, sponsorships, etc.)
Explaining complicated product
Little or no budget (word of mouth)
Enhance organization’s credibility
Crisis response
Pitching publicity
Pitching: trying to place positive publicity in a periodical. After writing the news release:
Know deadlines
Generally write—don’t call
Direct release to specific person or editor
Determine how the reporter wants to be contacted
Don’t badger
Pitching online
Start with a techno-savvy media database that offer services to deliver releases to online users
Links
E-mail newsletters
Web based news sites
Reuters
Discussion forums
Dealing with the wire services
Wires: vehicles for distributing news
Associated Press (AP): 15,000 client worldwide; PR Newswire; Business Newswire; newstips.com; ezwire.com; pressflash.com
Flat fee: $200-$800 for a release
Dealing with the wire services
Tips for submitting to wires
Always include headlines
Lead is critical
Identify stock symbol
Include contact names and numbers at end
Specify timing (announce news in off-wire times. Busiest times are 8-10am)
Specify targets
Check for accuracy

Measuring publicity
Media directories
Press monitoring bureaus: monitor a company’s mentions in the press and supplies newspaper and magazine clippings about any company.
Web monitoring
www.ewatch.com
www.dejanews.com
2 largest for print:
Burrelle’s
Luce


Measuring publicity, cont.
Media distribution services
outside agencies to assist in distributing releases
Media Distribution Services Mediamatic database
PR Newswire
Profnet
Broadcast services
2 largest:
Radio TV Reports
Video Monitoring Services
Handling interviews
Interviewer wants a good story
Interviewee wants to convey his key messages
See text p. 230 for tips
Press conferences
Generally not a good idea
Before attempting a press conference, ask: Can this information be disseminated just as easily in a news release?
Press conferences, cont.
Press conference tips
Don’t play favorites
Notify media by mail too at least 10 days before
Follow up early and often
Schedule in mid morning 11am-noon
Hold in a meeting room—not an office
Time for conference stated in advance
Keep speaker away from reporters before conference
Prepare materials
Remember TV
Let reporters know when end has come
Cue the reinforcements (in case on one reporter there)
Case Study
 

Chapter 10: Electronic Media

24/7 News
Growth of Cable News Network (CNN)
Growth of cable TV: narrowcasting
Dumbing down of TV news (giving people what they want or think they want to hear)

Handling TV Interviews
Being on TV can be persuasive
Prepare
Be yourself
Be open and honest (establish credibility early)
Be brief


Play it straight (don’t be a comic)
Dress for the occasion
Don’t think everything you say will be aired
Don’t let interviewer dominate
Don’t say “no comment”
Do stop
Video News Releases
Most Americans get their news from TV—PR people must get their organization covered
VNRs (Video News Releases) are news releases in video form
Best VNRs are those that cover breaking news
VNRs delivered by satellite directly to TV newsrooms
Breaking news VNRS are called B-Roll: satellite feeds that are unedited footage
Non breaking news VNRs are called Evergreen: delivered by cassette to broadcasters


VNRs
Should have 40-50 station airings with 2.5-2 million viewers
Distributed any way the reporter wants—satellite or cassette
Tailor for local interest
Some stations don’t use VNRs
Good VNRs tell a story, has sound bites, graphics punchy style
VNR subjects: anything that’s newsworthy and visual
Cost: $20K minimum

Satellite Media Tours (SMT)
Series of preset tours conducted via satellite
Corporate execs, experts, celebrities
B-Roll: should be available to further illustrate the topic
Brief spokespersons (names, locations of interviewers during an SMT
Public Service Announcements (PSAs)
PSA
a TV or radio commercial
10-60 seconds long
Broadcast at no cost to sponsor
Nonprofit organizations are active users of PSAs
Limited amount of airtime – don’t have a sya where it will be run; most top stations dedicate 17 seconds/hour (5 seconds in prime time)
4 categories of PSAs
Public affairs : information about environmental or public policy
Public relations: information about free-of-charge government, association or corporate services (like blood drives)
Marketing communications: information about safety, health, lifestyle issues that allow brand ID and promotion of products in a generic way (like food, fitness or nutrition)
PSA writing
Unlike news releases, PSAs are written advertising style

3 primary criteria to determine which PSAs will air
Sponsorship
Relevance of message to community
Message design (reputation of sponsor for honesty and integrity)

Videoconferences
Consider origination site
Consider visuals
Consider interactivity (allow vieweres to ask questions)

Talk Radio
22% of American adults listen to news/talk radio
Controversy sells
Tips
Have a focused message
Keep local angle
Be enthusiastic and positive
Timeliness of message

Case Study
 

Chapter 11: Employee Relations (Seitel text)

Who is the employee public?
Senior managers
Supervisors
Staff and line employees
Union workers
Per diem employees
Contract workers
others
Communicating effectively
Respect
Honest feedback
Recognition
Encouragement
A “voice”
CREDIBILITY is key
Management must be truthful
Must build trust
Communicate early and frequently
Share bad and good news
Involve employees by asking for ideas and opinions
SHOC (p. 227)
How do you build trust when employee morale is brittle?
Strategy
Honesty
Open communication
Consistent communication

Employee Communication Tactics
Internal audits
Online communication
Intranet
Print publicationsAnnual reports
Bulletin boards
Internal video
Suggestion box

Case Study: Chairmen’s email
Answer the Qs at the end of the case study

Chapter 12: Multicultural Community Relations (Seitel text)

Chapter 13: Internet Advertising and PR
 

Chapter 14: Consumer Relations (Seitel text)

Why is dealing with consumers so important for PR?
Objectives
Keeping old customers (respond to customers’ concerns)
Get new customers
Marketing new items or services
Handling complaints
Reduce costs

Ombudsmen
Complaint handling center for an organization
Consumer generated media
Encompasses the millions o consumer-generated comments, opinions, experiences posted online
Federal consumer agencies (p. 298)
Justice dept
FTC
SEC
FDA
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Consumer Affairs
 

Chapter 16: PR Writing

Fundamentals of Writing
Idea must precede expression
Idea must relate to reader
Idea must engage reader’s attention
Idea must concern reader
Idea must be in reader’s interest
Prepare draft
Logical organization
Fundamentals of Writing
Simplify, clarify
Avoid jargon
Clarity critical
Target audience
Must write to target market
Flesch Readability Formula
Use contractions like isn’t, it’s, doesn’t
Leave out the word that when possible
Use pronouns like I, we, they, you
When referring back to a noun, repeat the noun or use the pronoun. Don’t create eloquent substitutions
Use brief, clear sentences
Cover only one item per paragraph
Use language reader understands
Public Relations Writing
Avoid big words
Avoid extra words
Avoid cliches
Avoid Latin
Be specific

Be convincing
Be understandable
Be active
Be simple
Be short
Be organized
Inverted Pyramid
See p. 401
Lead is most critical element
Lead: One sentence that tells it all:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
Occasionally how
News Release
The “Granddaddy” of public relations vehicles
PR Newswire service issues about 1,500 news releases a day
It’s the basic interpretive mechanism to let people know what an organization is doing
One of the best ways to announce news about an organization, its products and applications
Most news releases are not used verbatim
Newsworthiness
Impact (major announcement that affects organization, community or society)
Oddity (unusual occurrence or milestone)
Conflict (dispute or controversy)
Known principle (greater the title of the person making the announcement,the greater chances the release will be used)
Proximity (how localized and timely the release is)

News Release News Value
Ensure your release reflects news
Should include the following:
Reason for sending release
One central subject in each release
Make sure it’s news worthy
Include facts –no puffery
No jargon
Appropriate quotes
Products specs
Brief description of company
Write clearly, concisely, forcefully


News Release Style
Style is almost as critical as content
Follow style of major newspapers and magazines: Associated Press (AP) or New York Times style
Capitalization: use caps sparingly. Use downstyle
Abbreviations: See AP style guide (months, days of week, spell out first mention of org, etc.)

Numbers: See AP style guide (spell out numbers through 9 and use figures for 10 and up, know when to use figures)
Punctuation: colon, comma
Avoid exclamation points
Use hyphen carefully
Spell correctly

News Release Format
Format is important for print and online
Spacing: double spaced on 8.5x11 paper
Paper: inexpensive stock paper
Identification: name, address, phone number in upper part of release
Release Date: Always date when to release (for immediate use or specify date)
News Release Format, cont.
Margins: wide enough for editors to write in (1-1.5”)
Length: no more than 2-2.5 pages, and no more than two screens for e-mail
Paragraphs: short, no more than 6 lines.
Slug Lines:
“more” at the bottom of page when release continues to another page
“30” or “###” to denote end of release
Page numbers and 1-word description of topic
News Release Format, cont.
Headlines
Folded with head showing
Boilerplate: final paragraph describes organization , what it is, and what it does
Proofread your release
Timing: be sensitive to deadlines
Internet prudence: check a reporter’s preferred way to receive your release

News Release Content
Must be newsworthy
Must have lead
If product announcement it should follow lead—include quote
If management change it should follow lead and have local angle
Internet News Release Writing
Be brief and succinct
Appeal to the eye because computer screen more difficult to read
Short paragraphs
Short sentences
Frequent lists
Bullets, dashes and numbers
See Samples of News Releases
Edit and proof your work
See your AP style book
Case Study
 

Chapter 17: IMC

What is IMC?
Interrelationship of marketing, advertising, and public relations
What is Marketing?
Selling of a service or product through pricing, distribution, and promotion.
Marketing can range from free samples to buzz campaigns

What is Advertising?
Subset of marketing.
Paying to place your message in media formats: internet, out of home, print, broadcast TV and radio
What is Public Relations?
Marketing of an organization and the use of unbiased, objective, third part endorsement to relay information about an organization’s products and practices.
Integrating Marketing with PR
Article reprints


Trade show participation
Spokespeople (advertising does this too)
Cause-related marketing (advertising does this too): supporting a worthwhile cause, iften donates a % of product sales
In-Kind promotions (like bartering)

Chapter 19: Crisis Management

Issues Management
Definition by W. Howard Chase:
“Issues management is the capacity to understand, mobilize, coordinate, and direct all strategic and policy planning functions, and all public affairs, public relations skills, toward achievement of one objective: meaningful participation in creation of public policy that affects personal and institutional destiny.”
Issues Management
Counseling management
Reputation management
Reducing risk


Issues Management Elements
Anticipate emerging issues
Identify issues selectively (like 5-10 specific priority issues to deal with)
Deal with opportunities and vulnerabilities
Plan from outside in: driven by external factors
Bottom line orientation (defend organization and enhance business)
Action timetable
Deal from top: Chief executive involvement critical
Managing in a Crisis
Crisis: major accident or disaster
Harvard Business Review’s definition: “A crisis is a situation that has reached a critical phase for which dramatic and extraordinary intervention is necessary to avoid or repair damage.”
See side bar
Figure 21.2
Recognizing a crisis
Usually unexpected
Insufficient information: rumors fly, everyone wants to know what’s happening
Escalating events: crisis expands. News services want to know if organization will issue a statement
Loss of control: erroneous errors hit news wires
Increased outside scrutiny: media feed on rumors
Siege mentality: organization feels surrounded
Panic
Planning in a crisis
Define the risk (ex: the poison in the pill will make you sick)
Describe actions that will mitigate risk (ex: don’t take the pill)
Identify cause of risk
Demonstrate responsible management action (be in control—let people know the organization has a plan and is implementing it)
Communicating in a crisis
Tell it all and tell it fast
Terminate the crisis quickly
Limit damage
restore credibility
Communicate through media
Engaging the media in crisis
Set up media headquarters where all authorized communication will flow
Establish media rules: which parts of organization are off limits. Which execs will not be available, etc.
The grislier the crisis specifics the better (how many fired, cost of damage, etc.)
Don’t speculate
Feed the media
Speed triumphs
Cable rules

Case Study