TITLE OF THE RESEARCH

PUBLIC RELATION & MEDIA MANAGEMENT:

POLITICAL PR STRATEGIES AND TOOLS FOR ELECTION CAMPAIGNS

SUBMITTED BY
Muhammad Aniq
Adnan feroze
Gulam Abbas
Johnson Aftab

SUBMITTED TO
COURSE INCHARGE NAME
SYED BILAL RAZA

TENTATIVE RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC

ADMINISTRATION, UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE Fall 2023

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Table of Contents

1.1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................2
1.2 What is earned media?...........................................................................................................2
What are examples of earned media?......................................................................................2
1.4 REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................3

1.1 INTRODUCTION

The Public Relations (PR) department within an organization is a crucial component responsible
for managing and maintaining the organization's reputation, fostering positive relationships with
various stakeholders, and effectively communicating its messages to the public. PR professionals
play a pivotal role in shaping how the organization is perceived by its target audience, which can
include customers, investors, employees, regulators, the media, and the general public.
The primary objective of a PR department is to create and maintain a positive public image for
the organization, enhance its credibility, and ensure transparency in its communication efforts.
PR departments work to build trust, manage public perceptions, and address potential crises or
challenges that may arise. They utilize various communication channels, including media
relations, social media, internal communications, and community engagement, to achieve these
goals.
Effective PR departments are skilled in strategic communication, crisis management, and
building strong relationships with the media. They work closely with senior management to align
their messaging with the organization's values and strategic objectives.
In addition to external communications, PR departments often play a role in fostering positive
internal communications among employees, ensuring that staff is well-informed about the
organization's mission and initiatives. Furthermore, PR departments may also engage in
government relations, investor relations, and corporate social responsibility activities, depending
on the specific needs and goals of the organization.
Ultimately, a well-functioning PR department serves as a bridge between the organization and its
various stakeholders, helping to create a positive and consistent image that supports the
organization's success and growth.

1.2 RESPONSIBILITIES OF A PR DEPARTMENT IN A BANK

1. Media Relations: PR professionals in a bank work with the media to ensure accurate and
positive coverage of the bank's activities. They may issue press releases, hold press conferences,
and respond to media inquiries.

2. Crisis Management: In the event of a crisis, such as a financial downturn, security breach, or
other adverse situations, the PR department helps manage the bank's response and communicates
with stakeholders to minimize damage to the bank's reputation.

3. Reputation Management: PR professionals work to build and maintain a positive public

perception of the bank. This may involve managing online reviews, social media presence, and
other online and offline channels.

4. Internal Communications: The PR department also plays a role in communicating with the
bank's employees to ensure that they are informed about the bank's initiatives, values, and
strategic goals. Effective internal communication can help align the staff with the bank's mission.

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5. Regulatory Compliance: Banks are subject to various regulations and reporting
requirements. The PR department may work closely with compliance teams to ensure that all
communications are in line with regulatory standards.

6. Community Engagement: PR professionals in a bank may coordinate community outreach

programs, sponsorships, and charitable activities to engage with the local community and
demonstrate the bank's commitment to corporate social responsibility.

7. Investor Relations: For publicly traded banks, the PR department often manages
communication with shareholders and potential investors. This includes conducting earnings
calls, producing annual reports, and responding to investor inquiries.

8. Government Relations: Banks must often interact with government agencies and regulators.
The PR department can help establish and maintain positive relationships with these entities.

9. Branding and Marketing: PR professionals may work closely with marketing teams to create
branding and marketing campaigns that align with the bank's image and messaging.

10. Social Responsibility: Many banks have social responsibility and sustainability programs.
The PR department helps communicate the bank's efforts in these areas to stakeholders and the
public.

The PR department in a bank is essential for building and preserving the bank's reputation,
ensuring transparency in communication, and fostering positive relationships with various
stakeholders. Effective PR can help a bank gain the trust of its customers, investors, and the
public, which is crucial in the highly regulated and competitive financial industry.

1.3 WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF EARNED MEDIA?

Recognizing various types of earned media can help you understand what strategies might work
best for your brand. Here are some common examples, each offering unique benefits:

1. Press coverage: When your brand is mentioned in a news article or blog post, it’s a form
of earned media. This kind of publicity, often achieved through successful press releases
or news-worthy events, can greatly enhance your brand’s visibility and credibility.
2. Social media mentions: Social media is a powerful platform for earned media. When
users share your content or mention your brand, it increases brand awareness, reach, and
engagement. Consistently publishing high-quality thought leadership blog posts and
sharing them across social media channels is a proven method of earning social media
mentions.
3. Influencer partnerships: When influencers voluntarily endorse or mention your
product, it’s earned media. Influencers have a significant impact due to their large
follower base, and their endorsements can be incredibly beneficial for your brand.
4. Reviews and testimonials: Positive reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers
can serve as potent earned media. This feedback, often shared on review platforms or
social media, can boost your brand’s reputation and trustworthiness.

In each case, public relations earned media is the result of organic and voluntary actions taken
by independent individuals or entities, making it a highly trusted and credible form of
publicity.

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1.4 BENEFITS OF EARNED MEDIA IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
1. Building credibility

Genuine information about your product or services coming from a third party feels more like a
friend’s recommendation — as opposed to a straightforward ad. If any material comes from you
directly or is marked as sponsored, there’s always a pinch of caution.

Your readers expect you to be biased and therefore try to find more impartial info on Google
or in relevant offline media. And it’s here that PR activities can bring you earned media —
and more credible sources for your potential clients.

2. Increasing brand visibility

Earned media helps you gain visibility for your brand exactly where you need it. However, it can
bring you lower numbers, in terms of traffic, compared to the usual ads or sponsored articles in
popular media. Fear not, though — the quality is usually higher.

The logic that stands behind this is simple: you get earned media from outlets that know
their audience would be interested in your story.

Also, you can gain more visibility from search results. When your product or service is a part of
“X best [category],” you’re more likely to reach a new audience — as those posts often get the
highest places in Google.

3. Establishing authority

Getting featured by reliable sources (even in niche communities) helps in positioning your
brand as an authority. As they can’t afford to lose their hard-gained reliability, they’re usually
cautious when it comes to sharing others’ materials.

That’s why when they finally share yours, your brand gets a share of that authority. When it
appears across different, high-quality outlets, it all adds up and positions your brand as the
industry’s top voice.

4. Enhancing trust

Think about a scenario when you’re about to buy a coffee machine. There’s one option you like
better, judging from their homepage, and another one that is okay, and backed by several
(positive, of course) opinions across different sources. If the stakes are high, like with your
money and the day-to-day comfort of making a good coffee, you’ll probably go with a more
popular — thus safer — choice.

Enhancing trust is the direct benefit of earned media.When your brand appears in multiple,
reliable places, like services with verified reviews, bloggers specialized in a given industry, or
YouTube reviews, it’s a sign to your potential customers that they can trust you.

5. Cost-effectiveness

What does earned media mean for business? The placements are free, which, compared to
regular ads, helps you save on budget. That’s what can convince the board to give it a go.

There’s an important note, though. Even though you don’t pay for the placement, you still need
to invest to get earned media opportunities. For example, by pouring your time into PR
activities and using tools that support them.

Nevertheless, it’s still worth it. A well-executed earned media plan can bring you immense
results and support the brand’s paid marketing actions.

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Why do others let you earn media?

When you look at it from just the brand perspective, it’s all just too good to be true: getting free
ads and multiple benefits for a bit of extra effort. Yet, it’s a mutual exchange: you give them
something valuable to talk about (basically, content for their channels), and they give you
exposure.

Let’s start with an extreme earned media example. Some people, events, brands or institutions
are just news worthy — anything they do or say instantly appears in multiple places. Think Elon
Musk, the Super Bowl, or Google. The most important voices in the industry are eager to
comment on each.

Even if you’re not in this club (like most of us), there are still a lot of people willing to share
your story. And you can reach them with smart PR activities.

1.5 Successful earned media campaign examples

After all these years, it still makes for one of
the best earned media campaigns.In 2012,
Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver,
broke the sound barrier as the first person to
do so without any form of engine power,
jumping from almost 40 000 m (over 130
000 feet).

This impressive project translated into equally huge PR numbers. As Red Bull claims on their
site, the event was watched live by 8 million people (when they expected 2-3 mln). It also
generated 100 million playbacks on YouTube in the first weeks after the jump, adding up to
almost a billion 10 years later.

This Red Bull example is enormous, yet it stays in line with the company’s vision to break
human limitations. When you find an equivalent for your brand and industry, it’ll make the news
— even if on a smaller scale.

2.1 REFERENCES
News Article was published by Prowly.com on Zuzanna Dora November 24th, 2023.
NewsArticleLink: https://prowly.com/magazine/earned-media/#Benefits%20of%20earned
%20media%20in%20public%20relations