To contact....or not

I may have been a little late in accessing this article but from the first sentence I was intrigued. It was good to have something that looked at another aspect of PR and how PR is viewed by a stakeholder that holds a primary role in the function. The content of this course has concentrated on PR function, their publics and the organisation and has only briefly touched on the impact of other stakeholders. Journalists have, since the beginning of the PR function and Ivy Lee have had a controlling interest in the success or failure of a PR campaign and it was certainly refreshing to look at some research investigating how journalists perceive the PR function. It was good to see the explanation of the method and how questions were coded.

It made me think about PR in that…it gave an insight into how the PR practitioners are treated and how much (or how little) their work was respected by others outside the industry. The reading also made me think about how important networking skills are in the PR function and why it is necessary to develop relationships with journalists and news editors.

I think the most important part of the readings were….the reading illustrated how important it is too ensure that press releases are formatted correctly, this in turn will add to the usability of the press release. The authors also indicate the necessity for PR practitioners to build rapport with journalists which will help the practitioners develop news stories in a manner that reflects the journalists’ interests.

Sallot & Johnson’s (2006) was perhaps the most useful reading that I have been exposed to in CMNS1290 as it gave a subjective view of the function. For the entire semester we have been subjected to the [sometimes] vague and overly descriptive readings from the Johnson and Zawawi (2004) text and certainly gave a more informed view of how the PR function is positioned in an organisational sense.



References

Johnston, J. and Zawawi, C. 2004, Public relations: theory and practice. 2nd edition. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin

Sallot, L.M. & Johnson, E.A., 2006, To contact…or not? Investigating journalists’ assessments of public relations subsidies and contact preferences, Public Relations Review 32, pp83-86.

i commented on Kellie's blog re: this reading http://cmns1290kellieosullivan.blogspot.com/

Research and Evaluation

This week’s readings covered off research and evaluation in the Public Relations functions. I actually took the more from this reading than any other previous readings, I think that the information Johnson and Zawawi provided was insightful but more than that current! From a marketing perspective and subsequently a public relations viewpoint research has become quite a pertinent issue in the digital world given audience fragmentation and media clutter (Kitchen, 1996). Johnson and Zawawi (2004) outline why research is necessary and what methodologies are available to practitioners in order to enact research.

I particularly liked the references to the need to understand the external environment, something that I really hadn’t seen linked to [market] research before.

It made me think about PR in that…

…practitioners face constraints not unlike marketers involved in market research. Johnson and Zawawi (2004) mention that some PR practitioners might be tempted to skip the research stage of a campaign because of the time that it takes up and in the rush to get a campaign out there it (research) might be seen as unnecessary. While Johnson and Zawawi (2004) mention three constraints to PR research – i.e. time, money and human resource – I think that a fourth, currency, could be added given today’s climate for change. By currency I mean how long the research will remain up-to-date. A model to measure idea currency is the diffusion curve and can be found at http://www.12manage.com/methods_rogers_innovation_adoption_curve.html

…it highlighted the importance to identify how research will provide ROI. Organisation’s today are increasingly being pressured to provide substantial returns to shareholders and accordingly monitor every cent and ensure that investments are returned. It isn’t always easy for PR practitioners to illustrate return on investment and often the returns aren’t seen for several months after the campaign has finished.

…there are more options for research than the traditional survey and PR practitioners must choose the research option that will fit with the campaign strategy and provide the best results.

I think the most important part of the readings were….the explanation of inputs, outputs and outcomes when it comes to phases of research. Inputs come first and provide the base and outputs are made throughout the development and implementation stages of the campaign and outcomes are the insights that PR practitioners take at the end of a campaign. I had never encountered this explanation of research and found it easy to follow (and who knows had I had it during my marketing research course I may have done better). The authors also don’t miss the point that it is important that research is ongoing throughout the campaign so little nuances aren’t missed.

References

Johnston, J. and Zawawi, C. 2004, Public relations: theory and practice. 2nd edition. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin
Kitchen, P. J. 1996, Public Relations in the promotional mix: a three-phase analysis, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 14(2) pp5-12.

this week i commented on Lauries blog http://cmns1290lauriealexander.blogspot.com

Tactics

Ok so not long to go now before we have finished our blogging for this subject….I guess that so far I am still not sold on where the PR function should lie in an organisational structure and I must say that this week’s reading haven’t really helped. I have previously written a blog on strategy which you can find in week four (I think), so this week’s blog is primarily related to chapter 8 – tactics.

This chapter gave an insight into the options that PR practioners have at their disposal when creating and delivering a PR message and suggests that there is no one correct method but PR practioners need to utilise tactics that best suit the desired strategy and objectives. Johnson & Zawawi (2004) allude to the growing importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

It made me think about PR in that…it outlined the options available to PR practioners in the delivery of their message. It was a pertinent time to read this particular chapter given the debate topic last night because it provided such a broad range of the options which seem to suggest that the press release, at least in it’s traditional sense, isn’t as effective as it once was. The chapter also explained why choosing the right tactics is important given the media fragmentation and media clutter that has meant consumers are becoming more dissociated with traditional PR tactics (Robinson, 2006).

Johnson & Zawawi also discuss the Internet as a tactic to deliver messages. I think that this is of questionable use given it is subject to manipulation (i.e Wikipedia). The use of ‘new media’ has become more prominent in this day and age as PR practioners attempt to deliver messages to consumers who are time poor and ‘tune-out’ from company advertisements. The other points made about using celebrities to endorse products provide good insights and I am especially thankful that the authors mention ‘fit’ between the message and the celebrity, something that I mentioned critical in last week’s blog re: sponsorship. Sponsorship and events also get another mention this week as a tactic available to PR practioners.

It also made me think about campaigns that use a variety of tactics to get their message across. The most obvious is government – the text makes mention of the GST, but their has also been the recent Work Choices legislation and upcoming election campaigns will no doubt flood our mailboxes, T.V. screens and Internet websites with political messages.

I think the most important part of the readings were…. if I can borrow a quote from Johnson and Zawawi, I felt that the most important part of the tactics reading was “…that public relations professionals need to be aware of operating in a world which high-level regulations, lawsuits, watchdogs and corporate governance influence the choice of tactics, their content and how they are implanted,” (Johnson & Zawawi, 2004, p199).

PR practioners, in deciding on the tactics or methods used to achieve the desired strategy, need to discover how best to reach the desired publics and given the fragmentation of audiences this isn’t an easy task. The other important part from the reading is the need for consistency across branding, it is important given the media clutter that organisational messages are easily identifiable and associated with the appropriate organisation..

Reference

Johnston, J. and Zawawi, C. 2004, Public relations: theory and practice. 2^nd edition. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin

Robinson, D. 2004, Public relations comes of age, Business Horizons, 49, pp247-256

This week I commented on Emma's blog, my comment can be found at http://cmns1290emmamurphy.blogspot.com/2007/09/week-10.html

Sponsorship and Event Management

Sponsorship and Event Management

It’s interesting I am doing a presentation on PR for another subject tomorrow and after doing the research for that, my views regarding PR have changed. Maybe not as substantially for me to re-evaluate where I think the PR function should be in an organisation but enough for me to say that PR certainly does and should have a place in the organisation and perhaps that place is independent of a marketing department because from there an organisation’s PR is likely to gain more credibility. But anyway enough of the confessional and onto this weeks readings…

It made me think about PR in that…it seems that in this chapter more than ever the lines between the marketing and PR functions are blurred. It has been put to me that PR doesn’t involve the transactional aspect that marketing does (meaning that the over-arching objective of marketing involves the push to a transaction). However with this chapter, and more so with sponsorship than event management (although there is still a hint of transactional push in events) there is an influence on the transactional aspect to the messages and arguments presented. There is even a suggestion that integrated marketing must take place to enhance an events profitability!

I was a little bit surprised to read this week’s chapters (for those that have read this blog before you can probably guess why). In previous weeks I have been somewhat surprised when reading about the Public Relations function and how closely related it is to the Marketing function but this week was perhaps the most blatant.

Sponsorship – much like Public Relations itself – is simply an extension of the ‘promotional mix’ from the marketing 4p’s (or for 8p’s). Johnson and Zawawi (2004) indicate that events must fit within an overall PR strategy – this might be so but the research seems to indicate that sponsorship (and events) must fit within not only marketing objectives but also an organisation’s objectives (Shank, 2005). Shank suggests that a sponsorship will only be successful if there is conceived congruence between the sponsored event and the organisation sponsoring the event. Congruence is important because it helps people retain the information after the event. If congruence is limited then the sponsorship can be viewed as ineffective and the organisation wouldn’t have achieved its objectives.

Another questionable point that Johnson and Zawawi make is in regards to the over-arching reasons why organisations employ sponsorship. They make assertions that marketing sponsorships are the only type that are invested in with the primary objective being ROI. I dispute this assertion because, with regards to the responsibility that organisations owe shareholders, surely any sponsorship entered into has the objective of ROI; it may not be short-term direct return, but definitely long term indirect gain (Shank, 2005).

The third aspect to this chapter I found somewhat interesting was the point made in regards to leveraging the sponsorship. Johnson and Zawawi rather broadly suggest that organisations invest four times the amount in leveraging the sponsorship. I know that Johnson and Zawawi have numerous years more experience than I, but perhaps when they are making assumptions as such it could be backed up with references as it would support their point of view. Research does suggest that for organisations to achieve sponsorship success that they must invest three times the amount (Shank, 2005).

Another interesting point made was in regards to ambush marketing and how organisations can protect their investments from the misrepresentation of other organisations. This is less likely to happen now given the strict laws governing this but certainly at the time of writing this would have been a major concern for organisations looking to sponsorships.

I think the most important part of the readings were….planning is vital (be it marketing or PR planning) and the lack thereof can lead to the downfall of any promotional, sponsorship, event management and even business plan. It is important that these plans take into account SMART objectives and also elements of crisis management. Crisis management is more than just another marketing buzzword but rather an evolution of the world that we live in. Organisations must take into account all manner of things that can go wrong in the execution of a plan and devise strategies for how they will minimise the possible impacts that said crisis might have. O’Toole and Mikolatitis’ framework will become critical for this.

The other aspect to take from this reading concerns the importance of “…selling the sizzle not the steak…” (Johnson and Zawawi, 2004, p351) given the fragmentation that is occurring in the media, and also the competition that events face given the saturation rate, it is critical that PR practioners (or marketers!) must become more and more creative in developing plans and events.

Finally I think that the most prudent part of this reading was the fact there was no reference or discussion with regards to what can go wrong in the sponsorship of events. We have all noticed news of late regarding Andrew Johns but taking it further with drugs in cycling and footballers behaving badly these events all have repercussions on their sponsors none of which have been discussed by Johnson and Zawawi.

References

Johnston, J. and Zawawi, C. 2004, Public relations: theory and practice. 2^nd edition. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin

Shank, M. D. 2005, Sports Marketing: A Strategic Perspective (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.

I have just looked at Emma's blog.....http://cmns1290emmamurphy.blogspot.com/.....Emma makes some good points about the benefits of sponsorship and who is benefits the most (sponsors or the event). She also outlines how important planning is in the sponsorship and event management

Media Relations

This week’s readings covered the public relations function and media relations. Like the previous weeks readings from the Johnson and Zawawi (ref) text, I found it to be more descriptive than insightful. Perhaps I am still trying to readjust to a different academic discipline…? Regardless the chapter from the text was helpful in determining how important media relations are not only in times of crisis but also in setting the agenda. What was interesting was the interconnectedness of the media industry within Australia and how the recent changes to media ownership laws will affect how the ‘news’ is delivered to Australians.

I think the most important part of the readings were….the media provides the most critical link for the PR function. Even with the onset of ‘new journalism’ if a PR practioner requires their message to have credibility it needs to be in one of the main media channels on a major station or periodical. Without this credibility by association the message simply becomes more ‘spin’ in an environment where the consumer’s are becoming more knowledgeable about it and less susceptible to it.

It made me think about PR in that…it suggests to me that the adage “it’s not what you no but who you know” rings true in elements of PR and how those contacts are (for lack of a better word) manipulated in the delivery of the organisation’s message will affect how the message is received. That is just one of the elements of PR, the text outlines that knowing how the media industry is run provides helpful assistance to the aspiring PR practioner in how they must work with the industry and how best to do that.

this week i commented on Nathan's blog http://cmns1290nathanswan.blogspot.com/

Law and Ethics

Ok so this week our readings were concerned with law and ethics related to the public relations function. I found that this two chapters and the content were particularly pertinent in the environment of today where public disclosure and corporate social responsibility is premium. Corporate collapses such as Enron and closer to home HIH and OneTel have meant tighter controls on disclosure and organisational due diligence. Laws and ethics relating to organisations have been implemented not only to protect publics (stakeholders) but also the organisations.

I will admit I found the law chapter particularly boring (perhaps it was just me). That said it was helpful in defining the different aspects of law the PR practioners must be aware of in order to correctly protect not only themselves but clients and also respective publics. Laws are often evolutions of ethics, whereby that community value is thought high enough of to warrant legislation. Laws are often legislated by government bodies and have penalties, such as fines and jail, imposed if they are broken. Particularly interesting was the defamation information – interesting because of the electronic world that we live in nowadays and how defamation is affected by the Internet and our global community. PR practioners aren’t offered the same protection as journalists, although there have been moves to change this (Walsh, 2006), and as a result they must thoroughly ensure that the message delivery follows the letter of the law. The concept of ‘new journalism’ (Walsh, 2006) has afforded some increased protection however this is not absolute.

Ethics is a particular aspect of PR (more so Marketing) that I find very interesting and therefore I found the second chapter much easier to read and more insightful. Ethics, as opposed to laws, are often more complex in nature as they refer to one’s person and moral values. Organisations abide by a code of ethics that might be communicated by an industry regulatory body (such as PRIA or the AMA) and often penalties are condemnation by that regulatory body. Johnson and Zawawi highlight that PR has gone through an evolutionary change in regards to ethics and highlight that they are no longer subservient to organisation’s commands but rather they should be an active participant in the formulation of organisation strategy.

The key parts for us to remember from these readings is that the laws governing the dissemination of information in the PR functions is highly complex and often requires specialist information. With the increase in court action in regards to defamation and consumer protection, it is often the PR professionals in the front line and therefore they need sound legal advice to protect themselves, clients and the stakeholders. From the ethics chapter I took that PR are now more actively involved in setting the organisational agenda and they should always take an objective view when working with clients.

References

Johnston, J. and Zawawi, C. (2004) Public relations: theory and practice. 2^nd edition. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin

Walsh, F. (2006) Qualified privilege: A defense for the public relations function, Public Relations Review 32, pp377-385

today I commented on Larissa's blog http://www.cmns1290larissaadamczyk.blogspot.com/

Strategy and PR....

Strategy and PR….an interesting concept and one I am yet to make a decision on where is fits in the organizational structure. Last weeks tutorial/workshop provided insight into where a ‘PR’ function might fit into the organizational structure and it really helped me in realizing that separating the Marketing and PR function might be necessary for a company, however this weeks chapter from Zawawi and Johnson, just brought me back to thinking that PR and Marketing are too much alike to be separate functions.

I agree with Zawawi and Johnson that strategy is important because it provides the underlying rationale that guides an organisation (as one of my lecturers might say “strategy is the blueprint, the mission, vision and objectives are the recipe”). I also understand that in order for the strategy to be successful it needs top-down commitment and involvement from employees on all levels of the organisation.

The Zawawi & Johnson reading was all about strategy from how important strategy is, to outlining a strategic plan for an organisation. The begin with a rough outline of the history of strategy – eluding to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Zawawi and Johnson go onto to say that strategy evolved into a managerial skill, again something that I am not totally agreeing to. Sun Tzu’s book, written over 2,500 years ago, was a military textbook, but today is used mainly as a management textbook. Planning is vital to the success of strategy but to say that strategy is a managerial ‘skill’ is a fallacy.

Zawawi and Johnson replicate Porters ‘ten-step strategic communication plan’ however it is lacking detail in the definition of the steps. It is also outdated; we live in a world of rapid, volatile, discontinuous change and Porters doesn’t emphasise the importance of the situational analysis. Sahlman (1997) believed that plans today don’t have enough emphasis on the main issues – the people, the opportunity, the context and risk and reward. I believe that Sahlman’s framework can be applied to not only a business plan but also a Marketing plan and more importantly (at least in this context) a PR plan.

But where does a PR plan fit into the organizational structure? The text book gives a great outline as to what a strategic plan must entail and will no doubt prove useful in the formulation of our final project. But it is my view that it lacks some of the direction as to how it fits into the overall structure, sure it provides a case study of how PR can be used in the completion of a strategy (in the case study example of EKL) but it misses the point the PR isn’t involved in the completion of every strategic plan.

References

Sahlman, W.A. 1997, How to write a great business plan. The Harvard Business Review 75(4), pp98-119.

Johnston, J. and Zawawi, C. 2004, Public relations: theory and practice. 2^nd edition. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin

I have just posted a comment on http://cmns1290kellieosullivan.blogspot.com/2007/08/tymson-lazar-reading-and-chapter-7-on.html