Part 5
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOLS?
Public relations uses a variety of marketing communication tools just as
advertising does. Advertising is particularly useful in corporate image and
reputation programs. Direct marketing is sometimes useful in sending out
corporate books and DVDs. The Internet is important because the corporate
website is one of the primary ways to disseminate information about an
organization. Public relations activities such as publicity and special mailings of
DVDs can help drive traffic to the corporate website. Sales promotion is used in
support of public relations activities, such as special events.
When researchers asked marketers in what roles they considered public relations
effective, they responded that it was most effective at raising awareness (83%),
followed by providing credibility (67%), reaching influencers (63%), educating
consumers (61%), prompting trial use of products (28%), persuading skeptics
(22%), and driving sales (22%). They also indicated that the most important
contribution to marketing programs is providing media contacts (67%).
The same study suggested that public relations and advertising need to merge or at
least find common ground, as the media fragments and consumers gain more
control of their time and media habits. While messages aimed at reaching mass
audiences in the shifting media environment are less effective, new opportunities
are emerging for public relations, publicity, and product placements to be integral
parts of IMC programs.
The public relations practitioner has many tools, which we can divide into two
categories: controlled media and uncontrolled media. Controlled media include
house ads, public service announcements, corporate (institutional) advertising,
in-house publications, and visual presentations. The sponsoring organizations pay
for these media. In turn, the sponsor maintains total control over how and when
the message is delivered.
Uncontrolled media include press releases, press conferences, and media tours.
The most recent new media are electronic, which might be categorized as
semi-controlled. Corporations and businesses control their own websites, but
other websites (particularly those that are set up by critics and disgruntled
ex-employees), blogs, and chat rooms about the company are not controlled.
Likewise, companies set special events and sponsorships in place, but
participation by the press and other important publics is not under the control of
the sponsoring company. Word of mouth, or buzz, is important to PR programs
because of the persuasive power of personal conversation. PR programs,
particularly employee communication programs, may be designed to influence
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what people say about the company, but ultimately the comments are outside the
company’s control. Table 15.1 summarizes all of the public relations tools.
Advertising
Public relations programs sometimes employ advertising as a way to create corporate
visibility or increase its goodwill with its various stakeholder audiences. The primary
uses of advertising are house ads, public service announcements, and corporate
advertising.
House Ads
A company (or a medium such as a newspaper, magazine, or broadcast station)
may prepare a house ad, which is an ad for use in its own publication or
programming. Consequently, no money changes hands. These house ads are often
managed by the public relations department.
Public Service Announcements
The ads for charitable and civic organizations that run free of charge on television
or radio or in print media are public service announcements (PSAs). These ads
are prepared just like other print ads or commercials, and in most instances ad
agencies donate their expertise and media donate time and space to run them. The
Advertising Council represents a PR effort for the entire advertising industry and
has produced most of the PSAs you see on television and in print.
Getting donated time and space is not easy. The PSA directors at various media
receive a barrage of public-service campaigns every week on different issues and
they have to choose which ones to run. There is no guarantee which markets will
see the campaign elements and there is no guarantee that the same people will see
the print and TV versions of a campaign. Some PSA campaigns do not get any
airtime or print placements.
Studies of PSA effectiveness help guide nonprofit organizations. Professor Herb
Rotfield recognizes that many campaigns have produced effective PSAs to help
address social ills in the APrincipled Practice feature in this chapter. PSAs can
help make people aware of social problems, but they may not eliminate them.
Corporate Advertising
With corporate advertising, a company focuses on its corporate image or
viewpoint. There is less emphasis on selling a particular product unless it is tied in
to a good cause. For that reason, the ad or other campaign materials may originate
in the public relations department rather than the advertising department.
Corporate identity advertising is another type of advertising that firms use to
enhance or maintain their reputation among specific audiences or to establish a
level of awareness of the company’s name and the nature of their business.
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Sometimes companies deliver point-of-view messages called advocacy
advertising. One example of this is GE’s Ecomagination campaign that has been
previously mentioned. Another example is P&G’s campaign for Dawn liquid
dishwashing soap. The soap, known to be tough on grease yet gentle connects
naturally with its advocacy effort to rescue birds and marine mammals harmed by
oil spills. This campaign, which aims to inspire people to get involved, proved
timely in light of the massive BP oil spill in 2010. Donating 12,000 bottles of
Dawn to animal rescuers on the Gulf Coast, P&G enhanced its reputation and
built goodwill based on its longstanding marketing relationship between wildlife
rescue organizations and the brand.
Publicity
Next, we will move away from controlled messages and consider the various tools
and techniques used by media relations specialists to get publicity in the news
media on behalf of a company or a brand.
Media relations is seen as the most important core competency for PR
professionals. Media relations specialists know media that would be interested in
stories about their companies. They also develop personal contacts with reporters
and editors who write regularly on topics related to their organization’s industry.
In addition to personal contact, the primary tool used in media relations is the
news release, along with press conferences and media tours.
News Releases
The new release is the primary medium used to deliver public relations messages
to the various external media. Although the company distributing the news release
controls its original form and content, the media decide what to present and how
to present it. What the public sees, then, is not necessarily what the originating
company had in mind, and so this form of publicity offers less control to the
originating company.
The decision to use any part of a news release at all is based on an editor’s
judgment of its news value. News value is often based on timeliness, proximity,
impact, or human interest.
News releases must be written differently for each medium, accommodating space
and time limitations. Traditional journalism form is followed. The more carefully
the news release is planned and written, the better the chance it has of being
accepted and published as written.
The news release can be delivered in a number of ways—in person, by local
delivery service, by mail, by fax, or by e-mail. Sometimes a company is hired that
specializes in distribution, such as U.S. Newswire. Originally these companies
sent news releases by mail or delivery services, but today news releases are more
likely to be distributed electronically through satellite and web-based networks.
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If your organization decides to use e-mail, here is a set of guidelines for delivery.
Use one reporter’s name and address per “to” line.
Keep subject line header simple.
Boldface “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” on the first line above the date.
Catch attention with a good headline.
Limit length (shorter than print’s 500 word limit.)
Use the 5W format.
Do not include attachments.
Link to a URL, where other background information and photos are posted.
Remember readability and use short paragraphs, bullets, numbers, and lists to
keep it scannable.
Put contact information below the text.
Close with conventional end signs such as “30” or ####.
Video news releases (VNRs) contain video footage for a television newscast.
They are effective because they show target audiences the message in two
different video environments: first as part of a news report and then later in an
advertisement. Of course, there is no guarantee that such a release will be used.
Pitch Letters
Ideasfor feature stories, which are human interest stories rather than hard news
announcements, have to be “sold” to editors. This is done using a pitch letter that
outlines the subject in an engaging way and sells a story idea. Companies use this
form to feature interesting research breakthroughs or corporate causes. Not only
is the distribution of press releases moving online, but the letters pitching editors
with story ideas are moving online also.
Press Conferences
A press conference—an event at which a company spokesperson makes a
statement to media representatives—is one of the riskiest public relations
activities because the media may not see the company’s announcement as being
real news. Companies often worry whether the press will show up for a press
conference. Also, they wonder if the press will ask the right questions or instead
will ask questions the company cannot or does not want to answer.
To encourage reporters to cover press conferences, companies may issue a media
kit, usually a folder that provides all the important background information to
members of the press, either before or when they arrive at the press conference.
The risk in offering media kits (also called press kits) is that they give reporters all
the necessary information so that the press conference itself becomes unnecessary.
Media Tours
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A media tour is a press conference on wheels. The traveling spokesperson makes
announcements and speeches, holds press conferences to explain a promotional
effort, and offers interviews.
Publications
Organizations may provide employees and other publics with pamphlets,
booklets, annual reports, books, bulletins, newsletters, inserts and enclosures, and
position papers. The SEC requires that all publicly held companies publish an
annual report. The annual report is targeted to investors and may be the single
most important document the company distributes.
Some companies publish material in print and online, often called collateral
material, to support their marketing public relations efforts. Corporate
publications, marketing, and sales promotion departments and their agencies also
produce training materials and sales kits to support particular campaigns.
eZines provide another outlet for businesses. At the eZinearticles.com website,
contributors write their own content and publish it online, making it available for
others to publish on their own sites as well. The site doesn’t like overtly
promotional content, but the company can provide a service piece related to its
business.
Other Tools
In addition to advertising, publicity, and publications, public relations practitioners have
various types of materials and activities in their professional toolkits.
DVDs, CDs, Podcasts, Books, and Online Video
DVDs and podcasts have become major public relations tools for many
companies. Corporate books have also become popular with the advent of
simplified electronic publication. Videos are not inexpensive. However, they are
an ideal tool for distributing in-depth information about a company or program.
Speakers and Photos
Many companies have a speaker’s bureau of articulate people who will talk
about topics at the public’s request.
Displays and Exhibits
Displays and exhibits, along with special events and tours, may be important
parts of both sales promotion and public relations programs. Displays include
signage and booths, racks and holders for promotional literature. Exhibits tend to
be larger than displays; they may have moving parts, sound, or video and usually
are staffed by a company representative. Booth exhibits are important at trade
shows, where some companies may take orders that generate much of their annual
sales.
Special Events and Tours
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Some companies stage events to get maximum publicity and generate positive
attitudes toward the sponsors by celebrating milestones, such as key anniversaries
and introductions of new products. These are high-visibility activities designed to
get maximum publicity. A classic special event is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
period, a tradition started in 1924. Corporate sponsorship of various sporting
events has evolved into a favorite public relations tactic.
The late Steve Jobs is considered to be one of the world’s greatest public relations
people, according to industry executive Thomas Harris. When Jobs took the stage
to announce the Apple iPhone, the product launch generated an estimated $400
million in free publicity. By the time the iPhone went on sale six months later, it
had already been the subject of 11,000 print articles and had generated 69 million
hits on Google.
Events can also be important in internal communication. Learning objectives and
employee buy-in are often accomplished through meetings, seminars, and
workshops sponsored by a company, typically in conjunction with training
materials and other publications. To facilitate internal marketing, town hall
forums are sometimes used. Forums provide management with an opportunity to
make a presentation on some major project, initiative, or issue and invite
employees to discuss it.
In addition to media tours, tours of all kinds are used in public relations programs,
such as plant tours and trips by delegates and representatives. The campus tour
used by colleges in recruiting new students is another example.
Online Communication
While the Internet and social media have changed communications forever, they
have not replaced human relationships as the essence of societal communication.
Nor have the new techniques replaced human relationships as the essence of the
practice of public relations, according to public relations practitioner and author
Fraser Seitel.
Intranets (which connect people within an organization), extranets (which
connect people in one business with its business partners), e-mail, Internet
advertising and promotions, websites, social media such as blogs, Facebook and
Twitter have opened up avenues for public relations activities. The AMatter of
Practice featured in this chapter illustrates how social media can be a useful tool
in public relations because it stimulates word-of-mouth. Word-of-mouth is one of
the most powerful communication tools available to marketing communicators,
and particularly to public relations campaigns.
External Communication
A conference speaker at a workshop on the Web’s usefulness in public relations
notes, “The World Wide Web can be considered the first public relations mass
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medium in that it allows managed communication directly between organizations
and audiences without the gatekeeping function of other mass media.”
Corporate websites have become an important part of corporate communication.
These sites can present information about the company and open up avenues for
stakeholders to contact the company. Website newsrooms distribute a company’s
press releases to the media and other interested stakeholders.
In addition to websites, the Internet has become the favorite tool of media
relations professionals as well as journalists. Most press releases are now
distributed online either by sending them directly to reporters or to such services
as PR Newswire, which then handles mass distribution online to appropriate
publications.
Internal Communication
E-mail is a great way for people at separate sites to communicate. You can get a
fast reply if people at the other end are checking their e-mail regularly and it is
inexpensive. A public relations downside is that e-mail can be used in court. Some
of the most damaging evidence the federal government presented against
Microsoft in its 1998 antitrust suit came from e-mail messages exchanged within
the company.
Internal company networks do have great benefits. Intranets and corporate portals
encourage communication among employees in general and permit them to share
company databases, such as customer records and client information.
Web Challenges
The Internet presents at least as many challenges to public relations professionals
as it does opportunities. Search engine optimization is a major issue for online
experts who continually try to improve the process of key word searching that
leads interested Web users to their sites.
While the Internet makes it possible to present the company’s image and story
without going through the editing of a gatekeeper, it is much harder to control
what is said about the company on the Internet. It used to be that you could
control the information because you’d have one spokesman who represented the
company. Now, where you have thousands of employees who have access to an
e-mail site, you have thousands of spokesmen. All employees have “an inside
view” of their company, whether sanctioned by the public relations department or
not.
Gossip and rumors can spread around the world within hours. Angry customers
and disgruntled former employees know this and have used the Internet to voice
their complaints. Unhappy people have set up websites such as I Hate
McDonald’s and Toys R Us Sucks. As a defense against this negative press, some
companies are registering domain names that might cause them trouble. Some
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companies monitor the Internet to see what is being said about them so they can
respond to protect their reputations.
How should organizations respond to negative information on the Internet or
social media? Entrepreneur Mark Suster warns about the dangers of overreacting.
“If you make a majormistake, own it early,” he advises. “If negative information
is posted and you believe your company is in the right, see if the story gets much
reverberation. If it’s not picked up repeatedly in the media, social or otherwise,
resist the temptation to respond because the response itself might make people
aware of the issue unnecessarily.”
END-OF-CHAPTER SUPPORT
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