Do you have a strategy?

Chapter 9- Strategies to Proactively Manage Activity

I think i have talked about strategies in another blog that i did at the start of PR. Strategies are important to a company pretty much because if you don't have a strategy you can consider yourself getting nowhere.

In the book, the definition for strategy in public relations is:

"Strategy is a plan or method by which you are going to achieve a specific goal in a contested environment".

I wrote previously in the first few blogs thats strategies to identify competitors may not be so obvious. I used the cinema example the other time. Like what are the competitors for a cinema? The most obvious answer would be other cinemas. Whereas, in fact competition is mostly likely people's television and play-station games or the computer. These are the things that are keeping your customers away from your cinema, because of the other forms of entertainment.

Strategies are also important in other fields of PR such as when picking out the right media outlets to cover your company image and also using the right angle to gain media interest. Strategies are most important at this point because framing your story in a interesting or unique way will allow you to get media attention. Like say for instance, OCD created an interesting press release and sent it around to different magazines and newspapers. 1. The owner sent it to the mediums newspaper and magazines and 2. She wrote each press release's starting intro in different ways so that it fits the genre of the newspaper. E.g she wrote to a health magazine she would use the links between health and organizing. If she wrote to a men's magazine, she would use a different approach like how woman likes a clean organized bachelor pad instead of a messy one.

To conclude this chapter, i will write down how PRs should go about developing a strategy.

1. Research- As previously mentioned in my blogs, research in vital as it may be the success or failing of your company, depending on the amount of research and whether it was useful.

2. Analysis- There are many approaches to doing this step. One such way is SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats).

3. Goal Setting- Make a particular goal for your company such as "improving awareness of company brand" etc.

4. Setting objectives- Use the SMART approach. Objectives must be specific, measurable, achievable, result-oriented and time-frame.

5. Identifying publics or audiences- Consider who your targeted audience is for this particular campaign or event.

6. Developing Strategies- Develop a plan to reach your specific PR goal. The goal can be both long-term or short-term.

7. Devising and implementing tactics- Remember tactics and strategies are not the same. Strategy is the overall plan of what you intend to do while tactics is each particular step your going do in the strategy. For instance, a strategy may be to do surveys. Tactics would be face-to-face surveys or telephone and mail surveys.

8. Monitoring- This phase is carried out in the implementation stage to see whether changes need to be made etc.

9. Evaluation- Finally the evaluation is where you see if the plan successfully worked or f objectives were achieved.

The 21st Century!

Chapter 12- New Media and Public Relations

I like all topics that are to do with the media because they are much easier to understand then information that raves on continuously about theories, theories and more theories. This weeks reading was easy to understand as it was mainly about the expansion and development of the new media.

Obviously, society is changing and this is through the technology advancement and the introduction to the internet. The internet has allowed the discovery of easy communication, access to information and so much more. The internet has also pushed "freedom of expression" to a whole new level because on the internet, there is no real gatekeeper. It is near impossible to be able to have a gatekeeper for the internet because we are the ones that are making the internet to work the way it is and we are the ones that provide it with the unanimous amount of information. So who are the gatekeepers? We are in such a way.

So what is the correlation with PR and new media? Well, according to some research, PR practice has not really changed even with the widespread used of the new media. This also shows that people working in the PR sector has not really found a particular way to effectively use this new media. Majority of people in the survey research, also said that the new media has widened the horizons for two-way communication and dialogue with the public.

New Media has also allowed the public to get together and become active. It doesn't matter where the person lives, the time zone or anything as long as the person is on the computer. Topics and awareness can be raised together and public relations really need to be aware of what is going on. The topic that they're discussing might concern them. An example given in the text book was about Kryptonite, which is a lock for a bicycle. It is considered an expensive product that is considered to be secure. However, someone posted up a video of actually picking the lock open. This created cyclist over the world to talk about the issue, yet the company was making no response till a while later. I think response needs to be relatively quick because online word of mouth spreads like wild fire! If the company is slow, their reputation is probably tarnished because of it.

The difficulty for public relations professionals are using the media in a way that will facilitate two-way symmetrical communication, which is where the public gets involved and there is a two-way communication between the organization and the public. One means of doing this is organizational blogs. People can comment and give feedback to a blog, while the person hosting the blog can also give back a reply to those feedback. This gives a two-way symmetrical communication. Blogs are also very useful researching to understand what consumers may want in a product or service. Other ways under new media are, podcasts, social networking such as facebook, and twitter. However, not all these mentioned can lead to two-way symmetrical

communication.

Its a TREND!

Chapter 2- Trends and Developments

HEY! This is my final blog, which is on chapter 2, which i was also suppose to do 39487 million years ok, but didn't have my book and so forth. So yea. Anyway, before i go on talking about what was in the chapter, what i understand etc. I just wanted to say that i learnt a lot by reading all the chapters :) I'll admit that at first when we were suppose to blog, i thought it wasn't very helpful but yea it did get us reading and so i guess after reading i did manage to pick up on some things.

So this final reading was on trends and developments. I guess that PR is ever changing and developing because of the ever changing trends and technology development in the society. The way trends are set continually change the way PRs have to operate and manage their profession.

One of the driving forces for change is technology. The way PR communicates with the public is dramatically changing. Today's era revolves around the internet and PRs have to be able to use this to their advantage. Blogs, websites, online annual reports, e-zines, journals, e-letters, have become an important facet that PRs have to be able to use to their greater advantage. The main point that must be recognized is that unlike in real life, the internet has allowed the transmission of information and communication to be unlimited and instant. Moreover, these information are exposed to a large number of people online. What PRs need to understand is that these form of "alternative media" will continue to emerge and PRs need to cope with this and learn how to use these new applications to the best of their ability.

In my opinion, PRs not only need to be online but also continue to be offline. As in, yes it is important to be able to provide sources of information and build relationships online using the net, but they should remember not to neglect the offline people- people that do not use the internet. It is definitely not an easy job because of the so many tasks a PR person needs to undertake.

A company's reputation.

Chapter 8- Reputation Management: A Driving Force for Action

Reputation. Yes, it is important. Is it the most important factor for an organization? Some say no, some say yes. In my point of view, i think the reputation of a company should be put as priority and that it should be one that factors that should be the central focus of public relations.

In the book, reputation is defined by the Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary as, "what is generally said about a person's or a thing's character...state of being well reported of, credit, distinction, respectability, good report". The British Chartered Institute of Public Relations describes public relations as "the discipline which looks after reputation".

The correlation between the organization reputation and PR is strong because PR practitioners must be skilled and experienced in such a way to keep a company's reputation good. Companies need to play close attention to how they are portrayed and seen by stakeholders and the public. Positive relationship with stakeholders will benefit the company in many ways. It can lead to improved financial performance and a very good reputation.

As i mentioned, public relations primary focus should be the reputation of the organization; however, this does not mean that they are in charge of creating a good reputation. Reputation of an organization is in the hands of the employees as well. Public relations practitioner's job is to help CEO or other head figures of the organization to communicate effectively by coaching them or articulating key messages. Therefore, they need to be clearly and precisely informed about stakeholders. Corporate PR also play other key roles such as being a facilitator and adviser. They must make sure that stakeholders needs are understood and met. They must encourage consistency in delivering promises and coach employees at all levels to communicate effectively with stakeholders. Further more, they are the ones who frame and articulate messages for others to deliver.

For instance, a famous airline had one of its plane engine failing leading to a plane crush that lead to several deaths and injuries. Now, the corporate PR will have to devise a dialogue for the company head figure, with the media. These PR people will have to be truly experienced and skilled in planning a gesture that will not taint the company's reputation even further. Even more importantly, their job is to try and save the company reputation from the disaster that has taken place.

MEDIA

Chapter 11- Engaging with the Media

Today's blog is all about the media and it is one of the most important functions of PR. But the again, it isn't just an important facet for PR but for the people of this earth. Media and the factors involving media is everywhere and it is difficult for a person to escape the messages that are being streamed through it. The mediums include- radio, television, internet and print, but there is also the billboards, kiosks and so on. Alternative mediums are also a rising trend under the internet. We have blogs, social websites, online newspapers and so on. The fact is, media is ever changing.

I really enjoyed the reading on media because this is the one i truly understand most. I learnt that in Public relations, the media is so important because PR associates constantly have to use the media to increase awareness, improve community relations, attract people to event, explain faults and errors and the list goes on. Thus, because PR associates are constantly using the media, it is also vital for them to be able to create and build good relationships with the people of the media.

There are many theories that are under media and communication. My favourite theory would have to be "Spiral of silence theory" by Noelle-Neumann. In my own understanding, the spiral of silence theory is describing how people express their ideas and opinions publicly only if it is an opinion or idea shared by the remaining of the people. Thus, many ideas and opinions go unshared and unknown of because people feel afraid to express their ideas because they do not want to feel like an outcast and embarrass themselves or even because they don't want to be the ones to start a disagreement. Moreover, as more people feel that their objectives are not worth hearing because they are different, there is a potential that there may be more than the minority with the same idea. The media comes in the picture because they generally give the impression that most people are in agreement with a particular issue and therefore, the public will become less willing to say what they want because they may think that they're wrong.

An example of this theory can be given with the German Nazis. Hitler advocated the idea that Jews were unacceptable in society and that inhuman things should be done to them. The media was under Hitler and thus, it also advocated the same message to the people. The public was sharing the same mind set as Hitler. What my point is, during that time, the spiral of silence theory can be applied because i am sure in the public were far more than one individual who thought that torturing and being against Jews was wrong. Yet, these individuals did not express this viewpoint because they were afraid knowing that their lives would be at risk if they did express such opinion and also, as they thought that they were the only ones thinking in such a way.

However, i do not think that the spiral of silence occurs in much of today's society. In America, there is the freedom of expression and people are willing to voice out what they think is right or wrong. The internet has also allowed such things to happen with blogs and forums. I do believe that there are still countries in the world that can be applied with this theory. Countries such as, Burma, North Korea and others which are ruled by dictatorship, still lacks freedom of expression because the citizens of the country are still afraid to speak out.

Moving on, another important aspect of the media is that there are gatekeepers who control the media in some sort of way. Gatekeepers include editors, directors of news and other members of the media who control and choose what messages and information should be placed and what not to be. There is a criteria for which a gatekeeper can choose news from such as how interesting a story is to the new's reader or whether whether if the news fits in with the editorial policy. However, i think gatekeeper's in society nowadays are exploiting their power over the news. Just take a look at Rupert Murdoch as an example. Fox news which is owned by Murdoch displays biased information all the time. Murdoch makes sure that when there is a presidential election on such as the one with Obama and McCain, the stories presented to the public are all for McCain and not for Obama. It isn't only Murdoch doing this. Just take a look at the Straits Times. Never information or news on the opposing party, unless its something negative. So the question is, "Are gatekeepers really doing their job?".

Gatekeepers should stick to picking news that have news value. According to the book some factors to see whether a news is newsworthy are: truth, timeliness, proximity, conflict, eminence and prominence and consequences and impact, human interest, the unusual or remarkable, fit the focus of each medium.

The book also mentions how bad news is more newsworthy than good. Honestly, i do not think the statement is necessarily true. Yes, bad news attracts more readers because it is human nature to find out the crisis of what is happening because everyone is afraid it might affect them. Moreover, we need to know what is happening in the world today and plenty of it is quite bad. The thing is, there is good things too and at times they can be more newsworthy. I guess the main thing is the content. News are newsworthy because it is important information people need to know of or what to know of. Newsworthy news can be both good and bad.

As for PR's, it is vital for them to be able to make something that might be not so news worthy and turn it into an article that the public is worth hearing. Thus, PR's should have the ability to write really good media releases so that they can attract the media.

Environment matters!

Chapter 7- Public Relations Management in Organizations

In today's reading there were plenty of things relating to the environment and this was something i found interesting. I am a person that believes that the earth's survival is the responsibility of humans and that is why i thought this chapter was one that i could relate to and understand about. Moreover, the chapter explains about using systems as a way to help resolve public relations problems and of course the environment is one of them. So here goes :D

As more and more people are becoming concerned with the environment, people expect businesses to stand up and commit themselves to tackle the issues that pose a threat to the environment. Communities and stakeholders have high expectations and therefore, businesses need to consider the impact an operation may have on the environment.

A PR professional knows that issues concerning the environment can potentially affect the health of the organization. Experts believe that the time is up for businesses to sit around and do nothing and that action has to be taken now. Therefore, a PR professional has the responsibility to identify and understand the needs and expectations of the organization's environment such as those relating to climate change and by understanding such causes, they need to be able to create appropriate responses or action.

After reading, the introduction of the chapter, i realized that a lot of things mentioned were true. People are becoming more concerned but there was still the lack of action to tackle the effects of global warming. I also think that organizations play an important part because they are one of the factors that greatly impact the environment.

So moving on, how do corporations adjust to problems, such as being environmentally friendly? Apparently, the answer to this is understanding systems. Once we understand systems, we will be able to identify, analyze, and resolve public relations problems. However, after reading what may be a whole bunch of things relating to what is a system and the types of systems, i still found it very hard to grasp the true understanding of it.

The things i did manage to understand was open and closed systems. Closed systems were those that isolated themselves from the environment and other systems. This form of organization may follow the regulations and procedures but they are unlikely to interact with the public. They tend to have a one-way communication perspective as they do not consider the public. When issues or crisis occur, the PR in this firm are more likely to deny anything to happen and cover-up the incident.

The other form is open systems. From what i have read, open systems are view their environment as an important factor to survival. Open systems will continually seek information from their environment and will respond to any pressure or issue that may affect the survival of the organization. The organizations using this system knows that two-way communication is important. Therefore, organizations not only need to listen to public opinion, but also to build relationships with stakeholders and key organizations within their environment.

The chapter also mentions how PR is important to fields of an organization. PRs must have links and communication between other departments of the organization and these include, marketing, legal and human resources. At times, these three main departments compete with the PR department for resources from the organization.

The Practice

Chapter 6- Public Relations Practice

Today, i found out that contemporary PR practitioners require more than just one skill. In fact they need to be multi-skilled. Organizations rely heavily on PRs because these people help achieve organization goals. As we all know it is difficult for an organization today because they are faced with pressure all the time. That is why PR is crucial for an organization. PR practitioners are the ones to find solutions to problems, to changes, to build relationship with the public, create dialogue, improve organization image, manage issue and improve awareness and understanding of the organization. With all this to do, they also have to understand what is ethical or unethical and find appropriate ways to help the organization in a way that does not negatively affect the public. With all the responsibility that is required in a PR job, being a PR practitioner is definitely no easy job.

So what really is ethical or unethical you might wonder. The readings provided an interesting title, "Our actions are guided by our values". People all around the world have different interpretations to things, observe things in ways that aren't the same and predict upcoming events in different perspectives. The fact is, everyone grew up in different communities, experiences, schooling, family and religion and these factors affect the way values are established in an individual.

There are many types of organization a Public Relations practitioner can work in. The first is the non-profit-sector and these include organizations such as Red Cross and World Vision. PR's working under Non-profit forms need to be skilled in various fields. However, there is a limitation in working in a non-profit company as there is usually a lack of governance and accountability. People give money to help and assist victims, but at many of the times there have been cases where the money that they give do not reach the victims at all.

Another type of organization to work in is the corporate sector. The corporate sector is mainly existing to provide returns for its stakeholders and their main priority is to ensure the future viability and ongoing profitability of the business. The PR's working in this field has the role of facilitating the business through relationship management, support the achievements and corporate goals and to be able to contribute in enhancing the corporate reputation.

The third form is the public sector. The PR's working under this sector has the role to deliver government messages about programs, services and initiatives to the general public. They give the community information that people need to know about. These things include, drink driving and quit smoking campaigns. Public relations in this field also have the role to portray the government in a positive light as they are working for the government.

The final form of organization is the consultancy. Consultancies generally work as individual businesses. They make income by providing PR services to clients and by satisfying their client's needs. Consultancies are competing against other consultancies to gain business and therefore, the more knowledge and skills, the better chance for the consultancy to be more successful against its rivals.

Organizations need to be aware of their community connections and basically, why they want to deliver to the public. Organizations need to build strong relationships and connections that outline their values and principles. Every corporation has its own approach on community connections. For instance, BHP Billiton's approach is: "Critical to our long-term success is our ability to build relationships and work in a collaborative and transparent way with business partners, governments, non-government organizations and host communities. Wherever we operate, we commit to engaging regularly, openly, honestly with people interested in and affected by our operations."