Research & Evaluation

I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were that research is undertaken throughout all the phases of public relations practice. Research in public realtions must be done in three different stages, the first being inputs, which is done before formulating public relations activites and involves research into your organisation, your situation, the target publics, your proposed messages, and strategies. The next focus of research is output, which measures the activity generated by your actions and can be used to fine tune or redefine strategy but does not measure effectiveness. That is saved for the last focus of research which is outcomes, which measures the level of success your strategy/plan has achieved in terms of acheiving the criteria set out at the beginning of the planning stage. This research can then be used in the input phase of the next planning cycle.

Practitioners can undertake formal and informal research using either qualitative or quantitive methodologies of which there are many different techniques available such as surveys, mail, telephone, face-to-face and the internet.

The readings made me think more about public relations practice in that it emphasised that it is essential that comprehensive research is undertaken before formulating public relations strategies and plans. It makes sense, how can you know what tactics to employ, who your target publics are, or what are realistic objectives/goals without thoroughly researching beforehand?

The evaluation or research of outcomes also seemed like it would be essential for good practice, as knowing what worked in the past and ways in which you could improve or hone your skills at planning etc makes sense. I think that evaluation would be somewhat overlooked in PR practice as some practitioners would not have the time or financial resources to be able to undertake evaluation to the level that would prove most benefitial. This was outlined in a journal article I chose for the Annotated Bibliography assignment which studied practitioners attitudes towards evaluation. While all practitioners noted its worth, many said they were unlikely to undertake much evaluation at all due to time/financial constraints.

I commented on Kellie's blog this week.

Strategy & Tactics

I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were that tactics differentiate from strategy and planning in that they are the individual elements that make up a public relations strategy. What tactics are used depends on what the objectives of the overall strategy or plan are trying to achieve and whilst many campaigns will require the use of several tactics in conjunction with one another, it is by no means essential. Tactics which can be employed include controlled and uncontrolled tactics such as media relations, sponsorship, special events etc, all of which we have covered in previous week's readings.

The chapter on Strategy and Planning seemed really familiar when I read it and it turns out that I had already done so, in week 5! I guess we were made to read it again in order to get us thinking about our plans. So if you'd like to know what I thought about chapter 7, it is all in my week 5 blog. :)

The readings made me think more about public relations practice in that it emphasised the need for careful consideration of who your target publics are and using that to influence what tactics are employed in order to achieve the set outcomes. I would say that these two chapters will be referred to a lot in the coming weeks as my plan begins to take form.

I commented on Nic's blog this week:

cmns1290nicolemagriplis

Sponsorship & Event Management

I think the key points from the week's readings were that sponsorship and special events can provide opportunities for practitioners to gain good media exposure for their organisations and that in some cases both sponsorship and special events can be used in conjunction with one another to enhance the outcomes. While sponsorship can be an expensive tactic, it is a case of high cost, high reward if handled the right way.

Another point that I found interesting was the need for organisations to be wary of ambush marketing. The case study of Qantas ambushing Ansett's sponsorship of the Olympics reminded me of the journal article I found on the subject of sponsorship for the annotated bibliography assignment. It studied the awareness that was generated for brands who sponsored the Adelaide Grand Prix. It noted that in some instances, simply by being the leader in their respective product market, a brand could be seen to unwittingly 'ambush' a competitor’s sponsorship of an event. When the public was surveyed regarding which company sponsored a specific section of the grand prix, Castrol received nearly as many responses as Shell, which was the official sponsor. I guess a similar case could be made for Qantas and Ansett, although in this case study Qantas could be seen to be undertaking several deliberate 'ambush' tactics.

Event management was shown to be a tactic which probably requires the greatest attention to detail of them all. There are several reasons for holding events and these include gaining media coverage, product demonstration, entertaining of clients and revenue generation. In order to gain media coverage etc practitioners must be creative and extremely well organised.

The readings made me think more about public relations practice in that it detailed the processes which you must go through when attempting to gain sponsorship of an event you are running and also detailed things PR practitioners need to consider when propositioned with a request for sponsorship. The reading made clear that event management required great attention to detail and extensive planning and while it sounded quite stressful I can imagine that the successful completion of event you had planned/managed etc would be extremely satisfying.

This week I commented on Abby's blog:

http://cmnsabbyhallett.blogspot.com/

Writing for the Media

I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were that it is very important to form healthy working relationships with journalists in order to have success in media relations. Getting to know the individual preferences of journalists regarding the way they are contacted and what is sent to them will ensure that journalists will look out for your information rather than dreading seeing it pop up in their inbox. Another point raised in the readings was the disparaging attitudes amongst journalists when it comes to public relations. Whilst some are very positive and seemingly grateful for the work practitioners do, others were suspicious of pr motives and held fast to old stereotypes.

The readings made me think more about public relations practice in that it reinforced the notion that you really have to be a people person and on the ball in regards to keeping media relationships maintained in order to have success in this field. It also made me realise that a lot more goes into media relations than just sending out a media release to every media outlet you can think of. Practitioners need to target specific media in a much similar way to what they do in targeting their external and internal publics/stakeholders etc.

See Steve, I told you it would all be revealed in due time, don't you feel enlightened? haha

I commented on Laurie's blog this week.

Media Relations

I think the key points to remember from this week’s readings were that media relations are a large part of public relations practice. It is one of the few roles that practitioners undertake that have tangible and easily measured results. Understanding the way the media works and developing relationships with its members was outlined as essential to practitioners. Another key point was that there is a developing interdependence between the media and the public relations profession.

The readings made me think more about public relations practice in that it outlined the importance of the media to the profession of public relations and gave a detailed analysis of the ways in which the media operates by giving examples of the structure of a news room, outlined the news values that media gatekeepers use to decide whether or not a story is news worthy, and described the differing types of media such as print, radio and television.

The chapter's outline of the different tools practitioners have at their disposal when dealing with the media such as media kits, fact sheets, backgrounders, feature articles expanded my knowledge of such things to more than just the media release, which I was familiar with from the professional writing course we all did last semester. I also found the section on holding media conferences really interesting ,and going by the amount of attention to detail required and the quote - “remember, at a media conference no one will notice the things that go right, but they will notice and remember the things that go wrong” - it sounds like somewhat of a thankless job!

I commented on Alexandra's blog.

http://cmns1290alexandranorman.blogspot.com/

The Legal Environment & Ethics

The Legal Environment

I think the key points to remember from this week’s reading on the legal environment were that it is very important for a public relations practitioner to be aware of the legal environment in which they are operating when making decisions, as the function that they perform can leave them open to the torts of defamation and negligence. Formulation of a legal strategy is essential for organisations in order to prepare themselves against any problems that may arise in these areas.

Before reading this chapter I was not aware of the extent that legal matters effected PR practitioners in their day to day roles. It reinforced to me the fact that public relations practice is a serious business that plays a role in higher management of organisations.

Ethics

I think the key points to remember from this week’s reading on ethics were that in order to further enhance the standing of public relations as a professional practice it essential that practitioners act in an ethical manner in all respects. The reading outlined that practitioners may often be faced with ethical challenges whereby they may have to choose whether what management believes to be in the best interest of the organisation is also in the best interests of its publics or stakeholders. This is where the best practice model of two-way symmetrical communication comes into play, with a practitioner mediating between the organisation and stakeholders in order to provide actions which are in the best interest of both parties and are undertaken in an ethical manner.

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that ethical considerations will come into play when playing the roles of counsellor, advocate, corporate monitor and corporate conscience within your organisation. As with the Law readings, it reinforced the fact that the role of PR practitioner encompasses many different functions of an organisation.

I commented on Nicole's blog.

http://cmns1290nicolemagripilis.blogspot.com/

Week 5 Readings - Strategic Planning

I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were that undertaking careful strategic planning is of paramount importance when putting together a public relations program.

The Johnston & Zawawi reading highlighted the importance of strategic thinking to PR practitioners when planning a PR program and outlined the steps to be taken when formulating strategy. These included mission statements, which they say should run parallel with the overall vision of the organisation that the plan is being formulated for. Key performance indicators, or KPI's for short, where suggested as being valuable in evaluating PR performance, although in some instances results in this field can be difficult to quantify. The reading also mentioned the importance of budgeting, scheduling, checklists and calenders to strategic planning.

The Tymson & Lazar reading went along somewhat similar lines although I found it to be a lot clearer and easier to understand, and also a lot more interesting. It provided a basic model of a PR program which it breaks up into four main stages, those being:

Set objectives -> Plan & Budget -> Implement program -> Evaluate

These four stages can be fleshed out significantly by listing the specific functions and tasks of each section of the model in order to provide a more detailed plan. It also noted that in some instances the evaluate stage would then lead back to the setting of objectives. This being in the case of a similar program being planned or in the instance of a long term program which may play out over a long period of time and which would require constant evaluation & evolution of every part of the model.

The reading made me aware of the ways in which practitioners define target audiences, establish current opinions through research, the different methods of research that can be undertaken, and the ways you can ensure you are setting sound objectives when planning a public relations program. It also outlined the different types of campaigns that can be undertaken within a PR program, the different types of media that can be utilised, ways to prepare budgets, the pro's and con's of in-house and consultancy PR work, and important things to do when implementing a program.

Overall I found this comprehensive reading to be extremely helpful in making me aware of what goes into the planning of a public relations program. The reading made me think more about public relations practice in that it broke down the process of planning and implementing a PR program into specific sections and provided a case study (AMP Olympic torch relay sponsorship) which enabled me to gain a better understanding of said processes.

I commented on Taegan Reid's blog:

http://taeganreidcmns1290.blogspot.com/

Week 4 - Readings

This weeks reading from Career FAQ's: Public Relations made me think more about public relations practice in that it gave examples of jobs that PR professionals undertake, and provided insight into what the people in those jobs think about what they do, what they love and don't like about their job, and what their working week usually consists of.

I found this to be of great assistance in gaining an idea about what type of career paths are open to PR students, the best ways of going about getting a job and what type of workload these professional positions require. The fact that many of the individuals interviewed loved their job and had a reasonably flexible work environment definitely made me more comfortable with the idea of a career in a similar field.

Our other reading for the week, chapter 11 from the Johnston & Zawawi text, focused upon internal public relations, and the fact that I recognised many of the techniques for effective practice in this area in action at my current workplace definitely made me aware of how much of a role public relations plays in most organisations.

I think the key points to remember from this weeks readings were that the myths about PR, such as that it is all champagne and parties, are just that, myths. PR practice, while it can be highly rewarding and lots of fun, can also be hard work and requires a lot of enthusiasm and dedication in order for practitioners to be successful.

In the case of the internal public relations reading, the key point was that internal relations is often considered to be the first priority in public relations practice. By keeping employees informed about the direction of the business, acknowledging good practice, and acting in ethical ways towards employees, organisations generate employee goodwill which will have positive effects upon the culture of the business.

I commented on David Elliot's blog this week.

Theoretical Perspectives

The readings made me think more about public relations theory in that they outlined the most prominent theories used within public relations, the ways in which they can be put into use, the importance of the theories and the limitations evident within them.

In reading the journal article Public Relations Research at the Crossroads by Karla K. Gower, it became apparent that the dominant theoretical paradigm in the field of public relations practice was that of two-way symmetrical communication, one of the four models explained by Grunig & Hunt (1984). This model, also known as the "excellent model" (Gower, 2006, p. 2), refers to PR practice which ensures that the publics targeted by the public relations program benefit as much as the programs' originators or sponsors (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 55). According to Grunig & Grunig (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 55) research shows that programs which operate under the two-way symmetrical model are more ethical which ultimately helps the bottom line. They also note that studies have shown that the other 3 models they presented, those being the press agentry, public information, and two-way asymmetrical models, have proven ineffective.

The other model which figures prominently within the literature of public relations theory is that of the 'relationship management' approach (Gower, 2006, p. 1) which is based upon different aspects in the relationship between the organisation from which the public relations work originates and that of the publics targeted by the project.

Some other theories I thought to be interesting and/or useful were:

The general systems theory, which views organisations as operating within either a closed or open system and helps practitioners to map out the public relations and information processes of an organisation (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 47).

Semiotics, which is the study of signs and can be used to explain the ways in which certain signs can be used to manipulate our thoughts and the ways we think about things (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 48).

I think the key points to remember from this reading are that the theoretical approaches highlighted by these readings can help PR practitioners to map out problems, raise questions and provide frameworks within which practitioners can analyse events and processes. Whilst the use of a singular theory would prove helpful, I think using several theories in conjunction with each other in order to attack a problem or situation from different angles would be the best way to operate.

The journal article highlighted the fact that despite the dominant paradigm of PR theory being strong and effective, criticisms raised by those coming from other perspectives such as postmodernism and critical/cultural should be taken into account and that scholars should embrace new ideas and methodologies in order to move forward and keep up with the times.

I commented on Eryn's blog at http://cmns1290erynsullivan.blogspot.com/

Chapter 1 - What Is Public Relations?

This chapter cleared up some misconceptions I held in regards to what the role of a public relations practitioner entailed.

All I was really sure about in regards to what a practitioner in public relations was responsible for was the release of information to the media and to work to ensure the organisation they were employed by was portrayed in a favourable light.

By reading this chapter it has become clear that the role of public relations practitioner involves a lot more such as promotions, integrated marketing, issues and crisis management, financial relations and event management.

Something else i found interesting within the chapter was the fact that up to 80% of public relations students are female. I was previously unaware that the profession is dominated by women but the fact that I am one of three males in our workshop out of the 20 odd students really reinforced that fact!

I commented on Kellie O'Sullivan's blog

http://cmns1290kellieosullivan.blogspot.com/