Public Relations

MTU-Week 1

Dr. Pedro Coelhoso

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

publishing as Prentice Hall
Ivy Lee: The Real Father of
Modern Public Relations

 Public should be informed

 Critics should be answered
honestly
 Company should strive for
public confidence and
goodwill
 Distinguished publicity and Figure 2-5 Father of public relations.

press agentry from public

relations
  “Tell the truth, because
sooner or later the public
will find it out anyway. And
Lee’s Advice if the public doesn’t like
to Rockefeller what you are doing, change
your policies and bring
them into line with what
people want.”
  Lee featured the Rockefellers
in real-life situations
 Playing golf
Efforts to  Attending church
Humanize the  Celebrating birthdays
Rockefellers  Aimed to present Rockefellers
in terms that every individual
could understand and
appreciate
  In the late 1920’s, Ivey Lee
advised the parent company
of the German Dye Trust
 The parent company was an
“Poison Ivy” agent for the policies of Adolf
Hitler
 Lee was branded a traitor and
dubbed “Poison Ivy” by
members of Congress
  Edward L. Bernays was the
author of Crystallizing Public
Opinion
 He taught the first course in
public relations in 1923
 He recruited the first
Counseling distinguished female
practitioner, Doris E. Fleischman
 Bernays transformed practice
from journalistic-based to one
underpinned by social
psychology
 Edward L. Bernays
 From “publicity
direction” to “counsel on
public relations”
The Growth
 Pioneering counseling
of Counseling
efforts resulted in a
number of public
relations firms Figure 2-6 Dynamic duo.

 Hill & Knowlton

 Burson-Marsteller
  Arthur W. Page’s five principles for
successful corporate public relations
1. Make sure management thoughtfully
analyzes relation to public
2. Create system to inform employees
about firm policies and practices
3. Create system giving contact
Corporations employees knowledge to be polite
(1 of 2) and reasonable to public
4. Create system drawing employee
and public questions and criticism
back through organization to
management
5. Ensure frankness in telling the
public about the company’s actions
  Paul Garrett
 While working for GM,
Garret explained that the
essence of his job was to
convince the public that the
Corporations powerful auto company
(2 of 2) deserved trust
 “to make a billion-dollar
company seem small”
 GM executives often treated
him with wariness
  Social and political upheavals
in the 1960s dramatically
affected public relations
 The Vietnam War fractured
Societal society
Change,  Consumer movements and
Conflict, and
activist groups mobilized
Confrontation (1
of 2)  Minorities began to protest for
rights
 People challenged the
legitimacy of large institutions
  By the 21st century,
nongovernmental
Societal organizations (NGOs) took
Change, the place of consumer
Conflict, and movements
Confrontation (2  Renewed disenchantment
of 2)
with those in charge of
government and business
  Democracy and capitalism
have “broken out everywhere”
 Continuing repression,
Spread of terrorism, and war in the
Democracy Middle East, created setbacks
and  The world is near-completely
Capitalism wired, so the power of
communication and public
relations to build democracy
is profound
  In the 21st century, two-way
communication grew with
online access
Growth of  The Web and social media
Social Media have had a phenomenal
impact on public relations
practice
  Over 200 programs offer
concentrated study in public
relations

Public  Public relations should be

Relations incorporated into business
schools
Education
 Journalists should also be
educated about public
relations
 Public Relations

What is Public Relations, Anyway?

• In the early 21st century, public relations and
social media have emerged as powerful
societal forces.
• Together, they have revolutionised the way
we communicate with key publics around the
world.
• What current events can you think of that
underscore this new reality??.........................
• Knowledge of social media is critical to PR
Copyright © Pearson Education, & MTU 1-15
 PR – “Believe it or not”

“Believe none of what you read and only

half of what you see”

Discuss……
 Learning perspectives
In the age of social media, public relations
professionals must cut through the online
clutter with arguments that are:

persuasive
believable
actionable

Yet, the power, value and influence of public

relations have never been greater. Why?
1-17
 Public relations is a growth industry

• Employment growth is expected to increase faster

than average through the year.
• Public relations has grown rapidly across the globe:
From Europe to China; Latin America to Africa.
• In Ireland PR has also increased in popularity especially with the
recovery in the economy
• More organisations see the value in PR
• Social media can be difficult to control… Hire an expert….

1-18
So what is public relations?
“Public relations is a planned process to influence
public opinion, through sound character and
proper performance, based on mutually
satisfactory two-way communication.”

“Public relations helps an organisation and its

publics adapt mutually to each other. Public
relations is an organisation’s efforts to win the
cooperation of groups of people.” PRSA

1-19
Marston’s four-step “RACE” model describes
the public relations process:

• R = Research
• A = Action
• C = Communication
• E = Evaluation

1-20
No matter how you define public relations, it
is always guided by:

1. Management
To succeed, public relations must report to top
management, unimpeded by any other group. Note
Ivy Ledbetter Lee’s declaration of principles.

2. Action
True public relations cannot take place without
ethical, consistent action. No amount of persuasion
will cover up for poor performance.
1-21
 Consider Sharpe’s five principles:

1. Honest communication for credibility

2. Openness and consistency for confidence

3. Fairness of actions for to achieve goodwill

4. Two-way communication to build relationships

5. Research and evaluation to determine

actions and to adjust for social harmony
1-22
 Public Relations
Management interpreter

Public relations professionals interpret

management’s

• Philosophies
• Policies
• Programs
• Practices

1-23
Public relations as public interpreter
To management, public relations
practitioners interpret the public’s:

• Opinions
• Needs
• Desires

Management needs to know what the public thinks

about an organisation and its practices!
Why? ….
1-24
Now it’s your turn……

Can you think of a recent case in which an

organisation or person was in the media?

•War in Ukraine, battle for hearts and minds

•Irish Banks closing, Irish Tech Industry layoffs
•Ryan Air, Michael O’ Leary PR - !!
•US Presidential election Joe Biden –
•Donald Trump Twitter ban and Elon Musk
•What were the consequences?
1-25
 The “publics” of public relations

• Practitioners must communicate with many

different publics at once.

• Each public has its own special needs, media

habits, mirror image and communication
requirements.

• Technology has created a complex web

of interrelationships between publics.
1-26
 Ways to view our publics
• Internal and external

• Primary, secondary
and marginal

• Traditional and future

• Proponents, opponents
and the uncommitted
1-27
Public relations, marketing, advertising…
Aren’t they really just the same thing?
Not really!

• Marketing and advertising traditionally promote products

and services.

 Public relations promotes an entire organisation.

 Marketing “Sells”, PR “Tells”.

MTU Copyright 1-28

 Functions of Public Relations

They are numerous:

• Writing • Consumer relations
• Media relations • Employee relations
• Planning • Government affairs
• Counseling • Investor relations
• Researching • Special publics
• Publicity relations
• Marketing • Public affairs
communications and issues
• Community relations • Social media interfaces

Copyright © Finbarr Sheehan 1-29

 The curse of “spin”
• What does the term
mean to you?

• Spin equals distortion,

obfuscation or lying.

• Spin cannot cover up

for poor performance.

• Spin does NOT equal

good public relations!
• Discussion:
Spin & politics ……
Copyright © Finbarr Sheehan 1-30
Becoming a public relations professional
Key knowledge areas:

• The field
• The communications process
• Technology
• Current events
• Business
• Management

1-31
 Becoming a PR professional……
Key personal characteristics:

• A tendency toward communication

• The ability to advocate
• A desire to counsel senior managers
• A strong base of personal ethics
• A willingness to take risks
• A positive outlook on life

1-32
Crisis Management

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education,

& Finbarr Sheehan CIT 2014
 Crisis Pervades Society (1 of 3)

Crisis has become so pervasive, so crippling, that insurance

companies now offer crisis management insurance
The insurance helps corporations pay for turning to crisis
management agencies for help defending damaged brands
from issues such as:
Food contaminations
Environmental disasters
Executive scandals
Government bailouts
 Crisis Pervades Society (2 of 3)

Crisis = “unplanned visibility”

Most well-regarded and highest-paid professionals in public
relations “manage” crises
 Crisis Pervades Society (3 of 3)
Instant Internet communications, round-the-clock social media,
cable news commentary, talk radio, and tabloid news
journalism
The result is an increased number and depth of crises
In government
In business
In education
In religion
In charitable institutions
In journalism
In public relations
 Issues Management (1 of 2)

“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” – W. Howard Chase (1976)
 Issues Management (2 of 2)

Anticipate emerging issues

Identify issues selectively
Deal with opportunities and vulnerabilities
Plan from the outside in
Bottom-line orientation
 Risk Communication and Message
Mapping (1 of 2)
Risk communication = outgrowth of issues management
Began as process
Take scientific data related to health and environmental
hazards
Present them to lay audience in understandable, meaningful
way
 Risk Communication and Message
Mapping (2 of 2)
Position: perception is reality
When stressed, ability to hear, understand and remember
diminishes
In times of high stress, people can miss up to 80% of
message content
Of the 20% they hear, most messages are negative
 Message-Mapping Steps

1. Identify stakeholders
2. Determine specific concerns for each stakeholder group
3. Analyze specific concerns to fit underlying general concerns
4. Conduct structured brainstorming with input from message-
mapping teams
5. Assemble supporting facts and proof for each key message
6. Ask outside experts to systematically test messages
7. Plan delivery of resulting messages and supporting materials
 Message Map Requirements

Three key messages

Seven to 12 words per message
Three supporting facts for each key message
Deeds, not words, are what count in communicating risk
 Signs of a Crisis

Definitions
“A crisis is a situation that has reached a critical phase for
which dramatic and extraordinary intervention is
necessary to avoid or repair major damage.” – Harvard
Business Review
“Anything the CEO says it is!”
Problem is a short-term issue that affects one element or
department can be limited
Crisis is longer-term, impacts the entire organization, affects
many parts of the organization, and runs the risk of damaging
the organization’s reputation
 Seven Instant Warning Signs of Crisis

1. Surprise – unexpected
2. Insufficient information – hard to understand everything
3. Escalating events – crisis expands
4. Loss of control – too many things happening
5. Increased outside scrutiny – responses desired
6. Siege mentality – organization feels surrounded
7. Panic
 Planning in a Crisis

Define the risk for each potentially impacted audience

Describe the actions that might mitigate each risk defined
Identify the cause of each risk
Demonstrate responsible management action
Create a consistent message
 Communicating in a Crisis: Crisis Don’ts

1. Don’t keep all channels of communication open

2. Don’t always make the CEO the spokesman
3. Don’t always take the lawyers’ advice
4. Don’t lean toward withholding information
5. Don’t answer every question
6. Don’t ever, ever lie
 Communicating in a Crisis: Crisis Do’s

1. Be flexible
2. Answer early
3. Speak with one voice
4. Be prepared to move without all the facts
5. Squawk if you’re wronged
6. Seek out your allies
 Handling the Beast

Set up media headquarters

Establish media rules
Media live for the “box score”
Don’t speculate
Feed the beast
Speed triumphs
 10 General Principles for What Is Said to
the Media (1 of 2)
1. Speak first and often
2. Don’t speculate
3. Go off the record at your own peril
4. Stay with the facts
5. Be open and concerned, not defensive
 10 General Principles for What Is Said to
the Media (2 of 2)
6. Make your point and repeat it
7. Don’t wage war with the media; you will lose
8. Establish yourself as the most authoritative source
9. Stay calm and be truthful and cooperative
10. Never lie
 Social Media Crisis Management

Social media does not set the tone for most crises; traditional
media does
Communicate well with mainstream media
Monitor social media 24/7
Dark Web site – bring live for information about crisis
Integrated Marketing Communications

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education,

& Finbarr Sheehan CIT 2010
 Integrated Marketing Communications
Include
Marketing-oriented tweets
Facebook messages
Instagram photos
YouTube videos
Internet publicity
Celebrities as spokespersons
Product placements
Sponsoring concerts
Creating street theater
 Advertising Isn’t Dead Yet

In 2014, the top 200 advertisers in the United States spent a

record $137.8 billion on advertising
Procter & Gamble led the way, spending $4.6 billion, with an
increasing share dedicated to online advertising
AT&T was next at $3.3 billion, followed by General Motors and
Comcast, both of which spent $3 billion on advertising.
Public Relations vs. Marketing/Advertising
(1 of 2)

Public relations is
the marketing of an organization
the use of unbiased, objective, third-party endorsement to
relay information about that organization’s products and
practices
Public relations establishes credibility and tells brand story more
comprehensively than advertising
Public Relations vs. Marketing/Advertising
(2 of 2)

Marketing – selling a service or product through pricing,

distribution and promotion
Advertising – subset of marketing; pay to place message in
media formats
Clutter increased importance of public relations
 Learning Objective 16.1: Discussion
Questions
Describe the different roles each of the following might play in
an integrated marketing communications strategy:
Advertising
Public relations
Database marketing
Sales promotions
How is public relations different from marketing and
advertising?
 Product Publicity
A great deal of what public knows and
believes comes through press
coverage
Can be effective when
Introducing a revolutionary new
product
Eliminating distribution problems
with retail outlets
Small budgets and strong
competition Figure 16-2 The king.

Explaining a complicated product

Tying the product to a unique
representative
 Third-Party Endorsement

Tacit support of objective third-party observer

Advertising perceived as self-serving
Publicity carries no stigma
News is more trustworthy than advertising from a nonobjective
sponsor
Bloggers may be sponsored; print editors sensitive to product
placements
 Spokespersons

Journalistic scorn company

use of well-known
spokespersons to
promote products
Argue patently unethical if
paid endorsements are
not disclosed
Non-profits seem to suffer
less than for-profits when Figure 16-3 It’s my third party, and I’ll sign if I want to.
they use celebrities to
promote their activities
 Public Relations Professional Approach

Realize native advertising isn’t really “news”

Place the content in context
Emphasize consumerism
Discuss philanthropy
Avoid the hard sell
 Building a Brand

Be early – law of primacy

Be memorable – be bold
and unique
Be aggressive – get the
name out and keep it
there
Use heritage – nostalgia
Create a personality
Figure 16-5 Street cred.
 Traditional Integrated Marketing (1 of 2)

Article Reprints – use for maximum sales punch

Trade show participation
Analyze the show carefully
Select a common theme
Emphasize what’s new
Consider local promotional efforts
Evaluate the worth
 Traditional Integrated Marketing (2 of 2)

Use of spokespersons to
promote products has
increased
Should not disguise the fact
that they are product
advocates
Spokespersons need to be
articulate, fast on feet,
knowledgeable

Figure 16-7 The greatest.

 Cause-Related Marketing

Public relations sponsorships tied to philanthropy are another

effective integrated marketing device
Cause-related marketing will continue to grow in the 21st century
Aging baby boomers and millennials express concern about
issues that affect their lives
Corporations want to reassure citizens they are not evil
 In-Kind Promotions (1 of 2)

A service, product, or other consideration is offered in exchange

for publicity
Examples:
1. Providing services or products as prizes offered by
newspaper or charity in exchange for being listed as a
cosponsor in promotional materials
2. Providing services or products to a local business in exchange
for having fliers inserted in shopping bags or as statement
stuffers
 In-Kind Promotions (2 of 2)

3. Providing services or products to doctors’ offices, auto repair

shops, or other businesses in exchange for having brochures
prominently displayed
4. Providing posters of the product or service at well-trafficked
locations
 Social Media Marketing (1 of 2)

The fastest growing category of advertising in the 21st century is

digital
The emerging mechanism to deliver online is mobile
Smart phones
Tablet
Most rapidly emerging integrated marketing technique is using
social media to create “buzz” for a product
 Social Media Marketing (2 of 2)

23% of Fortune 500 companies have a corporate blog

62% of Fortune 500 companies have an active Twitter account
Just about every Fortune 500 company has a Twitter
presence
Google, Whole Foods, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, The
Washington Post, Verizon Wireless, Coca-Cola, and
McDonalds have the highest number of Twitter followers
58% of Fortune 500 companies have a corporate Facebook page
 Brand Integration

Integrate products into the fabric of what is being presented on

the screen or in the song
Advertisers are paying to integrate their products into the
storyline to bypass clutter
CBS’s Survivor financed itself with product tie-ins with
advertisers
Lady Gaga enlisted sponsorships from Miracle Whip to Polaroid
to Virgin Mobile to the Plenty of Fish dating site for her 2009
Telephone song
 Product Placements

Inserting brand names into scenes and dialogue of novels, TV

programs, movies, video games, and cartoons
With more video available via digital streaming, TV marketers
have begun to look elsewhere for placement opportunities
Other brands use tweets or Facebook pages to promote the
placement to followers
 Infomercials

Infomercials were introduced as program-length commercials in

the 1980s
They work
The U.S. market for infomercial products is expected to exceed
$250 billion by 2016
 Buzz Marketing (1 of 2)

Word-of-mouth – another alternative to traditional advertising

that enlists “influencers” or “trend setters”
Paying influencers to facilitate the buzz has become another
source of celebrity income
The practice began with teenagers, who appeared to be popular
It evolved to marketers reaching out for “evangelists” who were
already fans of a product
 Buzz Marketing (2 of 2)

Today, buzz marketing is more often done with the help of

celebrities on social media
Reach the most robust buying sector in the economy, young
people
Example: Coca-Cola paid social media maven Ricky Dillon to post
two cans of Coke on Instagram
Celebrities with young followers may be accused of selling out
 You Name It (1 of 2)

Sport teams
Stadiums used to be named for the highest bidder
Today, sports teams take the name of the sponsor
New York Red Bulls were paid $100 million+ for the
integrated marketing privilege
Online game shows
JetBlue designed its own game show
Centerpiece of $2 million campaign to build awareness of
JetBlue vacation package travel service
US Airways sells ads on airsickness bags
 You Name It (2 of 2)

Hockey teams sell ads on Zamboni ice machines

School districts sell ads on the outside of school buses
Folgers Coffee buys ads on the top of manhole cover
A father looking for money to buy a new car sold rights to a
permanent tattoo on his neck to Web-hosting company
Globat
Globat also purchased a temporary tattoo ad on the pregnant
belly of a St. Louis woman
Media - Publics

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education,

& Finbarr Sheehan CIT 2010
 Paid vs. Owned vs. Earned

Before social media, public relations was mostly aimed at

convincing a journalist to report favorably on your client
Winning unbiased affirmation from a journalist was a “third party
endorsement” – the ultimate goal of public relations
Today, public relations people deal with paid, owned, and earned
media.
 Paid Media

Paid media is media you pay for

The primary format is advertising
Public relations advertising emerged as a combination of
advertising and editorial
Ads on organizational strengths, issues, social responsibility, and
philanthropy are more prevalent today
 Pros and Cons of Paid Media

Pros
You can control the content (size, placement, reach,
frequency)
You are able to guarantee the benefits associated with a
placement
Cons
Far less credible
Harder to ensure everyone will see, much less pay attention
to or act on, your ad
 Owned Media

New media channels that we, ourselves, own and operate

Web sites, mobile sites, blogs, Twitter accounts, YouTube
channels, Facebook pages, social media
You control the content
Less costly than paid media
Versatile for reaching niche audiences
Potential to not be trusted
 Earned Media

Legacy public relations “third party endorsement”

Objective reporters are persuaded to write favorably about your
organization
Earned media translates into positive publicity
Most credible format
Risky due to less control over message
No guarantees efforts will result in positive publicity
 Objectivity in the Media (1 of 2)

Dealing with the media has never been more challenging

Reporters more competitive, more aggressive, less concerned
about accuracy, and less objective
Objectivity = fairness with the intention of remaining neutral
 Objectivity in the Media (2 of 2)

Total objectivity impossible; biases & preconceived notions exist

Reporters do not accept party line on faith
Reporters should not distort the official view once substantiated
 Media Importance

Public relations must know how to deal with the press

Press plays “devil’s advocate” role
Public relations professionals should base opinions on objective
facts
Reporters may “break eggs” to ferret out the truth
 Public Relations and the Media: Friendly
Adversaries
Reporters want to get the facts from all sides
Reporters want to be treated fairly and will reciprocate
The reporter wants the “story”
Organizations want things to be presented in the best light
Some executives consider journalists the enemy because they
want to reveal bad news
 Print Media Hangs In (1 of 2)

Newspapers closed or cut back during the recession

By summer 2015, print circulation, especially measured by time
spent on news consumption, was stabilizing
USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times
circulation figures have some improvement
Newspaper reading on the Internet was way up
 Print Media Hangs In (2 of 2)

Print still important among public relations professionals

Newspapers and magazines use news releases and other
publicity vehicles more than network/cable TV (they wait
for print coverage)
Online databases, blogs, and other Web-based media use
releases targeted at print
Number of newspapers and subscribers declined, but
newspapers still set news agenda for the nation
 Magazines

U.S. magazines have moved toward digital

In 2015, the magazine industry reported a 10% growth in its
gross audience, with 91% of U.S. adults reading print
magazine
General magazine sales were down 14% in 2014, but news
magazines only fell 1%.
Some magazines experienced an increase in circulation
 Electronic Media Leads (1 of 2)

Television remains the main place Americans turn for news

about current events (55%)
The Internet is next (21%)
Newspapers follow (9%)
Radio is last (6%)
The average 30-minute television newscast would only fill one
half of one page in a newspaper
 Fake News Is Popular

Jon Stewart and Stephen

Colbert present selective
facts in their satire
Some viewers view the
subjective
pronouncements as
gospel
Stewart’s The Daily Show
reached two million
viewers, 40% in the 18-29
demographic
Figure 9-4 Red, white and truthy.
 Online Media Competes But…

New digital revolutionaries made significant inroads into the

news/opinion nexus
New age of reporting: immediate and freewheeling
Internet hurt journalistic standards and increases rumors
 Electronic Media Leads (2 of 2)

Newspaper websites have grown in popularity and online staffs

continue to expand
“New-age news sources”
Blogs – 227 million and counting
Public relations professionals must foster close relationships
with those who present the news
 Dealing with the Media (1 of 2)

1. A reporter is a reporter
2. You are the organization
3. There is no standard-issue reporter
4. Treat journalists professionally
5. Don’t sweat the skepticism
6. Don’t try to “buy” a journalist
 Dealing with the Media (2 of 2)

7. Become a trusted source

8. Talk when not “selling”
9. Don’t expect “news” agreement
10. Don’t have an attitude
11. Never lie
12. Read the paper
 Attracting Publicity

Publicity is more powerful than advertising

Publicity is most often gained by dealing directly with media
 Differences Between Publicity and
Advertising
Advertising costs money while publicity costs time and effort
(roughly 10% of equivalent advertising expenditures)
Advertising guarantees content, size, location, reach and
frequency while publicity does not
Publicity appears as news so it carries a third-party endorsement
while advertising viewed as sponsoring the organization’s
self-serving view
 Value of Publicity
Announcing a new product or
service
Reenergizing an old product
Explaining a complicated
product
Little or no budget
Enhancing the organization’s
reputation
Crisis response

Figure 9-6 Earning publicity.

 Pitching Publicity
1. Be time sensitive
2. Write first, then call
3. Direct release to specific person or editor
4. Determine how the reporter wants to be contacted
5. Don’t badger
6. Use exclusives but be careful
7. Do your own calling
8. Don’t send clips of other stories about your client
9. Develop a relationship
10. Never lie
 Online Publicity

Online publicity still a relationship business

Journalists moving toward social media
Paid wires guarantee use of material
Paid wires reach newsrooms and have enhanced web use
options
Staging online events can draw reporters and publics
Bar for web events has been raised
 Sponsored Content

Sponsored content, sponsored journalism, branded content, or

native advertising is a wrinkle in online publicity
There is a blurring of the lines between earned publicity and
paid advertising
Sponsored content is a descendent of advertorials, which are
ads in the form of news stories
 Handling Media Interviews

Coordinate interviews for organization’s executives with media

Executives are generally unfamiliar and uncomfortable in
interview situations
Reporters may ask impertinent questions
Executives not used to being put on the spot
First question: What purpose will this serve the organization?
 Media Interview Dos and Don’ts (1 of 2)

1. Prepare – know interviewer’s point of view, interests,

questions
2. Know your lines
3. Relax
4. Speak in personal terms
5. Welcome the naïve question
 Media Interview Dos and Don’ts (2 of 2)

6. Answer questions briefly and directly

7. Don’t bluff
8. State facts and back up generalities
9. There is no such thing as “off the record”
10. Don’t say “No comment.”
11. Tell the truth
Community - Publics

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education,

& Finbarr Sheehan CIT 2010
 Multicultural Diversity (1 of 4)

In 2012, more than half the children born in the U.S. were
minorities
More recent indications are that non-Hispanic whites account
for 50.4% of the population less than one-year-old.
The country’s minority population increased from 32.9% of U.S.
residents in 2004 to 37.9% in 2014.
 Multicultural Diversity (2 of 4)

Four states – Hawaii, California, New Mexico, and Texas – along

with Washington, D.C., are now majority-minority.
Fifty four million Hispanics live in the United States,
approximately 17% of the U.S. Population
Mexicans 64%
Puerto Ricans 9%
By 2060, Hispanics are expected to reach 129 million,
constituting 31% of the U.S. population
 Multicultural Diversity (3 of 4)

African Americans, including those of more than one race,

accounted for 15% of the U.S. population (45 million people)
Those who identified only as African American made up 13.2% of
the U.S. population (41.7 million people)
 Multicultural Diversity (4 of 4)

Twenty three million Asians represented 5.6% of the U.S.

population
Chinese 3.79 million
Filipino 3.41 million
Indian 3.18 million
Vietnamese 1.73 million
Korean 1.7 million
Japanese 1.3 million
Multiracial Americans = fastest growing U.S. demographic
 CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility

Social responsibility source

of pride pre-1990s
Give back to society
through participation in
(voluntarism) and
contributions to
(financial support) not-
for-profit organizations
Financial support was cut
with the recession
Figure 13-2 Mighty community relations.
 Trends in Corporate Giving

Charitable giving rose for the fifth consecutive year in 2014,

reaching $358 billion
Individual givers, including Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren
Buffet, are partially responsible for the increase
The “Giving Pledge” of billionaires had 137 members from 14
nations in 2015
 Corporate Social Responsibility (1 of 2)

Giving back to one’s community is largely an American

phenomenon
Corporate giving is becoming more focused
Matching gifts are a high priority
International giving is on the rise
 Corporate Social Responsibility (2 of 2)

Corporate leaders taking

active stance in
confronting societal
challenges
Corporate contributions
depend on profits
Millennials are aware of
and concerned about
contributions to society
(the firm’s and their
own) Figure 13-3 From this . . .
 Alex’s Lemonade Stands

Alexandra Scott, a young

cancer patient, earned a
Volvo for Life award
She sold lemonade to raise
money for pediatric
cancer
A year after Alex died, the
car company sponsored
Alex’s Lemonade Stands
Figure 13-4 . . . to this.
throughout the country
 Corporate Giving
Table 13-1 Largest Corporate Foundations by Total Giving
In 2013, the top 10 companies contributed approximately $1.5 billion to charity

Rank Name/(State) Total Giving ($)

1. Novartis Patient Assistance Foundation, Inc. (NJ) 452,981,816
2. Wells Fargo Foundation (CA) 186,775,875
3. The Wal-Mart Foundation, Inc. (AR) 182,859,236
4. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc. (NC) 175,299,789
5. GE Foundation (CT) 124,512,065
6. The JPMorgan Chase Foundation (NY) 115,516,001
7. The Coca-Cola Foundation, Inc. (GA) 98,175,501
8. Citi Foundation (NY) 78,372,150
9. ExxonMobil Foundation (TX) 72,747,966
10. Caterpillar Foundation (IL) 55,998,836
 Community Relations Expectations

1. Determine what the community knows and thinks about the

organization
2. Inform the community of the organization’s point of view
3. Negotiate or mediate between the organization and the
community and its constituents if there is a discrepancy
Community relations are critical
 What the Community Expects

Positive contributions to the community’s

Appearance – contribute to quality of life with attractive
facilities
Participation in civic functions, activities, and education
Stability so the company can help grown with the area
Pride that they are residents
 What the Organization Expects

Municipal services
Fair taxation
Good living conditions for employees
Good labor supply
Reasonable degree of support for the business and its products
 Community Relations Objectives (1 of 2)

1. Tell the community about the operations of the firm

2. Correct misunderstandings, reply to criticism, remove
disaffection that may exist among community neighbors
3. Gain favorable opinion of the community, especially when
there is labor unrest
4. Inform employees and their families about company
activities and developments
 Community Relations Objectives (2 of 2)

5. Inform people in local government about firm’s contributions

to community welfare & to obtain support for legislation
6. Find out what residents think about the organization
7. Establish a personal relationship between management and
community leaders
8. Operate a profitable business – provide jobs and pay
9. Cooperate with other local businesses to advance economic
and social welfare
 Serving Diverse Communities

41 million Americans (16% or 1 in 6) are foreign born

Mexicans account for 11.6 million immigrants in the United
States
Women, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, LGBT people,
seniors, persons with disabilities, etc. important members of
labor force and sources of discretionary income
 Public Relations Frustrations

The field has failed to attract sufficient numbers of African

American practitioners
PRSA has increased outreach efforts to attract and retail African
Americans
Attracting African Americans to the field remains a great
challenge to public relations leaders
 Nonprofit Public Relations (1 of 2)

Nonprofits serve social, educational, religious, and cultural

needs of community around them
Primary source of employment for public relations graduates
Nonprofits seek to broaden volunteer participation for their
efforts
 Nonprofit Public Relations (2 of 2)

Media advocacy = public

relations without
resources
Protests
Marches
Demonstrations
Media photo
opportunities Figure 13-7 Grin and bear it.

Stealth Internet
campaigns
 Master of Many Trades (1 of 2)

Positioning the Organization – “break a few eggs” to

achieve a clear and differentiable identity
Developing a Marketing/Promotional Plan – raise non-
profit’s profile, respect and levels of support
Cause-related quotient must be included in
communications messages
 Master of Many Trades (2 of 2)
Media Relations – “free” media is critical; media advocates champion
mission and cause
Support Fundraising – depend on donors for support
Steps for a successful fundraising campaign:

1. Identify campaign plans and objectives – set financial goal

2. Organize fact-finding
3. Recruit leaders
4. Plan and implement strong communications activities
5. Periodically review and evaluate
Social media - PR
The Practice of Public Relations
Social Media & PR

Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
 New Media Examples

President Barack Obama, use in first campaign

Emergency landing in Hudson River tweet from ferry passenger
spread the news
Facebook went public at a value of $104 billion
Opportunities and pitfalls
Immediate and pervasive
Has not replaced human relationships

Social Media & Storytelling

 Public Relations and the Net (1 of 2)

Public relations departments have interactive specialists and

groups responsible for communicating via social media
Journalists embraced the Internet as a primary source for
research and reporting – Note “Journo request”
Personal contact with a journalist via a relationship is still the
best way to get your message heard.
Note the use of SaaS services like Media HQ
 Public Relations and the Net (2 of 2)

Practitioner Internet usage growth predicted due to

Demand to be educated vs. sold
Quest for conversation
Need for real-time performance
Need for customisation
Familiarity with Internet and its use are requisites for practice.
Opportunity for graduates….
 Learning Objective 10.2

Discuss the digital vehicles with which public relations

professionals should be proficient, including Web sites, email,
and the rest.
 Websites

“First face” of organisation to public

Serve multiple functions (e.g. find information, conduct
business)
Permit organization to speak in its own voice
Make websites as navigable as possible
Have a clearly identifiable “Media” icon and organised
subsections – Make it easy for the media….
Opportunity to control “Owned Media”
 Developing a Winning Web Site

1. What is your goal?

2. What content will we include?
3. How often will we edit?
4. How will we enhance design?
5. How interactive will it be?
6. How will we track use?
7. Who will be responsible?
− Search Engine Optimisation
 Email

>90% of adult Internet users surveyed regularly use email

The number of email accounts will reach 5.5 billion by the end of
2020
Pervasive internal communications vehicle
Face-to-face best; email viable alternative
 Internal Email Newsletters

More immediate and interactive than print

Allow for feedback
No more than one page
Job-relevant information
Link content
Regular dissemination
Test, Test, Test
Link with CRM
 Instant Messaging / Texting

IM is closely related to conversation

Texting using Short Message Service (SMS)
Person-to-person messaging most common
IM growth is fueled by mobile technology
 Blogs (1 of 2)

Bloggers recognized as bona fide news sources in 2010

Embraced by professional communicators, print and broadcast
media; encourage dialogue
People turn to blogs for information
 Blogs (2 of 2)

CEO blogs have received mixed reviews

CEO blogs should not read like warmed-over press releases
The reason for the proliferation of blogs is audience preferences
are shifting
Fashion
News
Many interests and hobbies
 Social Networks

Social networks attract a variety of age groups and interests

Expanding opportunities for public relations practice
Public relations professionals must be proficient in using
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and
YouTube
 Facebook

Biggest social networking service

1 Billion + daily users
Ideal for sharing news, photos, videos, playing games,
supporting causes and connecting with people with common
interests
 Facebook for Public Relations
Attract attention
Two-way communication
Conversation monitor
Interactive activities
Internal communication
Halo effect
Network with media
Crisis management
Link to other materials
 Twitter

Micro-blogging – tweet to alert friends and followers

Active users = 270 million; one-fifth of all U.S. Internet users
Multi-person text message service
 Twitter for Public Relations (1 of 2)

Finding your publics – and learning what is important to them

Finding the influencers who might be influential in speaking
about brand
As a news sources – used to break news or pitch stories
 Twitter for Public Relations (2 of 2)

Providing valuable content – tips and insights

Recycling valuable content – retweeting what other people said
about your company or client
Building a community – tweet daily to engage followers
Crisis management – issue statements and post updates
 LinkedIn

Facebook for the professional set

Connect with like-minded professionals
Discover business or employment opportunities
Develop network of contacts
 LinkedIn Public Relations Functions

Notes – notify others of events, job openings, recommendations

Publish news
Groups – forums, alumni groups, conferences
Answer Forum – advice from professionals
Polls
 YouTube

Began as outlet for “15 minutes of fame”

Organizations use for marketing purposes
Target specific user groups
Messages must be short and simple
Some organizations have gotten into trouble because of
YouTube posts
 Networking Sites to Consider (1 of 2)
Pinterest
Pin pictures on a virtual bulletin board
Use site as canvas to create “ideal self”
Infographics are visual representations of information, data, or
knowledge
Survey results may be cumbersome in lengthy text format
Statistical data can lose fleeting interest of a reader
Comparison research has more dramatic effect with visuals
Images are a universal language/can target multilingual audiences
 Networking Sites to Consider (2 of 2)

Instagram
Snapchat
TikTok
 Social Media Measurement in the Public
Relations Industry
Content sourcing and methods –
Reach and impressions more difficult to come by in social media
Engagement – business outcomes like sales; other outcomes like
blog posts, video comments, retweets
Influence and relevance – subjective human research
Opinion and advocacy – qualitative measure
Impact and value – financial results and reputation impact
Analytical tools have improved over time
Olytico - Stephen O’ Leary
 Online Communication Vehicles

Intranets
Extranets
Podcasting
RSS
QR Codes
 PPT – PR
Tools and Techniques
Media planning
Media planning and relationships
with media
 Differences Between Publicity and
Advertising
Advertising costs money while publicity costs time and effort
(roughly 10% of equivalent advertising expenditures)
Advertising guarantees content, size, location, reach and
frequency while publicity does not
Publicity appears as news so it carries a third-party endorsement
while advertising viewed as sponsoring the organization’s
self-serving view
 Value of Publicity
Announcing a new product or
service
Reenergizing an old product
Explaining a complicated
product
Little or no budget
Enhancing the organization’s
reputation
Crisis response

Figure 9-6 Earning publicity.

 Pitching Publicity
1. Be time sensitive
2. Write first, then call
3. Direct release to specific person or editor
4. Determine how the reporter wants to be contacted
5. Don’t badger
6. Use exclusives but be careful
7. Do your own calling
8. Don’t send clips of other stories about your client
9. Develop a relationship
10. Never lie
 Online Publicity

Online publicity still a relationship business

Journalists moving toward social media
Paid wires guarantee use of material
Paid wires reach newsrooms and have enhanced web use
options
Staging online events can draw reporters and publics
Bar for web events has been raised
 Sponsored Content

Sponsored content, sponsored journalism, branded content, or

native advertising is a wrinkle in online publicity
There is a blurring of the lines between earned publicity and
paid advertising
Sponsored content is a descendent of advertorials, which are
ads in the form of news stories
 Handling Media Interviews

Coordinate interviews for organization’s executives with media

Executives are generally unfamiliar and uncomfortable in
interview situations
Reporters may ask impertinent questions
Executives not used to being put on the spot
First question: What purpose will this serve the organization?
 Media Interview Dos and Don’ts (1 of 2)

1. Prepare – know interviewer’s point of view, interests,

questions
2. Know your lines
3. Relax
4. Speak in personal terms
5. Welcome the naïve question
 Media Interview Dos and Don’ts (2 of 2)

6. Answer questions briefly and directly

7. Don’t bluff
8. State facts and back up generalities
9. There is no such thing as “off the record”
10. Don’t say “No comment.”
11. Tell the truth