Archive for August 2008
Ch. 13 PR and Marketing
Posted on: August 29, 2008
The Decline of Mass Marketing
Gone are the days when a company could place their product ad on TV and reach a gazillion people. Today, with the large number of networks and cable channels, the audience is fragmented, and so it is harder to reach such a large number of people. TV channels are targeted to very specific groups of people, so messages must be personalized. This has led to marketing taking on more characteristics similar to PR.
Public Relations, Advertising, and Marketing: Working Together
They all follow the same process: Research, Planning, Communication, and Evaluation. But PR focuses on many publics, not just consumers. Marketing has a narrower focus.
A Closer Look at Marketing
The bottom line is that marketing is making people want to buy your product. The four P’s of marketing are Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. PR usually enters in the Promotion category. They promote a product by building a relationship.
- In: Responses
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This past summer, I interned in the marketing department of the hospital in Aiken. There were two women who headed up the department: one worked mostly in marketing, and the other mostly in public relations. But, as evidenced by them both being in the same department, there was a lot of overlap between their jobs. I learned a lot during the internship, but one of the things I remained unclear on was where the dividing line is between PR and marketing. But now, after reading this blog and Ch. 13 in the textbook, I am starting to better understand the differences.
Ch. 1 What is PR?
Posted on: August 26, 2008
Public Relations: Everywhere You Look
Some people think that PR is something that is designed to deceive people–that when an organization does not want you to know the bad stuff, they employ the PR pros to keep it hidden or tweak it to make it more positive. Most of the time, people just do not recognize that anything they hear about a company in the news is from the desk of a PR person. PR practitioners are often the ones who come up with ad campaigns. It is all about getting the word out there and connecting with the community, as well as fostering and maintaining good relationships. They must make sure they keep in mind their publics’ goals and values when making decisions.
Job Elements
- PR is a management function. They provide counsel to the organization’s leadership on how they should communicate with their publics.
- PR involves two-way communication. Listening to the publics is a major part of the job, as it shapes further interactions with the community.
- PR is a planned activity. Before an organization takes action of any sort, they must make sure it is compatible with their publics’ goals and values.
- PR is a research-based social science. Organizations must have a full understanding of the environment in which they operate.
- PR is socially responsible. PR practitioners are responsible for making their organization respectable in the community.
The Hunt-Grunig Models of PR
- Press agentry/publicity model–focus is to get favorable coverage from the media. Accuracy and truth are not number one essentials.
- Public information model–dissemination of objective and accurate information. They are essentially “journalists in residence.”
- Two-way asymmetrical model–research is used in an effort to bring the public around to the company’s way of thinking. Not so good for conflict resolution.
- Two-way symmetrical model–Conflict resolution. Promotes a mutual understanding between an organization and the community.
A Profile of Practitioners
- PR agencies–contract to provide or supplement PR services for others
- Corporations–PR units within companies
- Government–tax-payer supported; offer counsel on government policies
- Nonprofit organizations or trade associations–not-for-profit groups or special interest groups
- Independent PR consultants–self-employed
Traditional Four-Step Model
- Research–discovery phase. Use of formal and informal methods to learn about the organization and its publics, challenges, and opportunities
- Planning–strategy phase. Use the information gathered to develop effective and efficient strategies
- Communication–execution phase. Direct messages to the specific publics, but be flexible, because changes will sometimes be needed. This is a two-way process.
- Evaluation–measurement of how effective the plan was
BB Reading Assignment 1
Posted on: August 23, 2008
Babble Soft blogger
When I read this, I was reminded that through recent technologies (especially blogging), we are all essentially journalists. We each have the ability to report our own thoughts and even change public opinion, as Jennifer Laycock did. I am also impressed at how Aruni Gunesegaram handled the situation. Instead of issuing an immediate press release refuting Ms. Laycock’s comments, she decided to work constructively with her to create a more positive correspondence.
Red Cross social media
The fact that the Red Cross and local media are now turning to social media sites such as YouTube and Flickr shows just how pervasive these websites are becoming in our society. It also shows that they are no longer strictly for entertainment, but can be used for effective distribution of important information. These sites are familiar to people who do not work in news media, and therefore make it easier for them to get the information they need, such as how the relief efforts are going, or where the nearest open shelter is. Plus, since the journalists cannot be everywhere at every time, it gives the “citizen journalists” a chance to report on what they see and thereby spread the news more quickly.
Best Buy + Sex & the City movie
I think Geek Squad’s idea was very clever. They knew that this was going to be a huge movie and that it would draw large crowds, so they took advantage of it in a creative way. Since so many people would be seeing the movie, attaching their name to it was a great way to remind the men out there to come to Best Buy the next time they need something from an electronics store.
Mars explorer on Twitter
I think NASA’s goal with these postings was to connect everyday people with news of what was happening with MarsPhoenix. The newspapers and the nightly new broadcasts will only have enough space and time to hit the highlights. But for people who are interested in the space mission, this provides an easy way for them to keep up with the more insignificant, but still interesting, developments.
City of Greenville Parking Bunny
Honestly, I think this whole idea is a little bit silly. But then, I guess it will get people’s attention when they see a giant bunny hopping around giving people warnings. And it is always better to get a warning than a fine. But parking enforcement should ask themselves if it is the good kind of publicity they want, or if it will just make them a laughingstock.
Clinton’s Hilarious Spelling Gaffe
As someone who is commonly referred to as the grammar and spelling police, I must say that I am appalled at this blatant spelling error. There is absolutely no excuse for having spelling and grammar errors in published or otherwise prominent materials. Think about it–how many people had to design this banner and approve it, and yet no one noticed the error? Inexcusable.
GM FastLane blog
This blog is an effective public relations tool because of the way it is written. Having the higher-ups at GM write the articles makes the company seem more personable. The executives are not just the ones who make the big bucks; rather, they are individuals who care about the safety and satisfaction of the everyday people for whom they design the vehicles. Also, the posts are written in a conversational style that people like me (who know absolutely nothing about cars) can understand. This all makes the company seem more connected to its customers.
jetBlue Video
I liked this video. I like that CEO David Neeleman took the time to make a video reassuring the customers that they are still number one. It seems that so often in the even of a crisis, a company spokesperson or representative will release a short, impersonal, not-so-informative statement to the media. But this video is different, because he apologizes for their recent mistakes and promises to correct them in the future–to continue “taking care of” jetBlue’s crew and passengers.
Clemson #22
What I liked about this press release and video was that President Barker talked about how we at Clemson “can work together to achieve anything.” This helps us as students feel more connected with President Barker and more like a Clemson family.
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