CHAPTER 18: ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS, AND TOURISM
OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter students should be able to:
1. Understand the role of public relations in the entertainment industry and the
opportunities for employment.
2. Describe the nature of celebrity culture and how publicists and media create
celebrities.
3. Use techniques to promote a play, concert, or other entertainment event.
4. Outline the tactics used by public relations staff to promote a sports team.
5. Describe the work of public relations personnel in the tourism industry.
SUGGESTED PROJECTS AND DISCUSSION
Few, if any, textbooks on the principles of public relations devote an entire chapter to the
entertainment and leisure industry. Yet, the public relations and promotional strategies of
this field are pervasive in our society, and students express a high interest in these
“glamour” fields. This text’s authors believe that promotional gimmicks, press agentry, and
hype are subcategories of public relations appropriate to some fields, and they should be
included in a basic text.
1. Ask students to clip entertainment and sports stories from the daily newspaper and
determine what percentage of them probably originated with a publicist on behalf of
a client. Students should find ample examples in the sports, entertainment, and
“living” section of the daily newspaper, and on websites/blogs. Some students may
wish to argue that sports publicity (news conferences, feature interviews, tidbits of
information in a sports column) cannot be compared to the same coverage of a rock
band, and this should provide some lively class discussion.
2. Invite a sports writer or an entertainment section editor of a daily newspaper as a
guest speaker. Ask the speaker to discuss the amount and quality of material
provided by public relations or publicist sources. He or she should also discuss the
newspaper’s policy on accepting “freebies” like tickets, resort stays, trips, and even
products such as albums or restaurant meals. Newspapers also use many publicity
photographs showing rock groups, entertainers, athletes, etc., but rarely give a
credit line. Why is this? Also, note the importance of deadline writing, especially in
reporting sports contests.
3. Go online at http://www.pr.com/article/1020) and locate other websites to develop a
celebrity nickname quiz to test the knowledge of students on celebrity nicknames.
Since there is a fascination with celebrities today, it is likely that students will know
many of the nicknames for the celebrities listed. Nonetheless, following the quiz,
discuss the effectiveness of creating nicknames and labels for entertainment and
sports clients.
4. Ask students to respond to the following scenario:
Your firm was just hired to promote a new teenage musician, Madelyn Smith. She is a
solo artist that is an accomplished pianist and vocalist, and she is especially mature
for her age of 13. Jenny’s friends call her “Maddie Music” because of her passion for
music and her amazing musical abilities. Madelyn grew up in Maine and started
playing the piano when she was three years old in an effort to cure boredom from the
winter snow. At the age of 10, Madelyn performed at Carnegie Hall and had solo
performances with the Philadelphia, Chicago and New York symphony orchestras and
the Boston Pops. She was recently picked up by the ASO recording label and her first
CD will launch in January 2012.
5. Travel publicity usually concentrates on the “glamour” aspects of a location.
Discuss the notion of “fam trips”, the inviting of travel writers to a destination.
What is the nearest city that may merit a fam trip, which specific media might be
good targets, and why? Note the key players involved, including convention and
visitors bureaus, hotel and restaurant associations, airline and other transportation
officials, and local government officials.
6. Discuss how an up-and-coming rock band might become more famous on a
regional or national stage. Tactics such as personal appearances, sending press kits
(with action shots, bios, fact sheets, CD of their music, etc.), and playing in a radio
station studio can increase awareness. Analyze grassroots efforts and press kits of
“once–local” bands that made it big.
7. Celebrities often want their privacy, and when they get into trouble or are involved
in a scandal, public relations counsel often advises them to keep a low profile and
not talk to the press. On the other hand, textbooks tend to emphasize that public
relations people should be open and honest with the media. Do the students think it
is ever appropriate or justified for public relations advisers to recommend that the
client not talk to the press? Some reporters and publications do seem to have an axe
to grind or have a bias toward the sensational—and believe that they won’t get a fair
story.
CASE ACTIVITY: PROMOTING THE AZORES
To begin a promotional campaign for the Azores Islands, students should first conduct
extensive research of the target audience, including demographics, psychographics,
spending patterns, leisure habits, and media consumption. Next, it will be necessary to
determine the “brand essence” of the Azores Islands. Focus groups may be useful here.
What (besides a lack of beaches) is distinctive about the islands, as compared to similar
destinations? Students should then review the results of their research to determine a fit
between audience appeals, message design, and unique brand attributes of the Azores
Islands. After determining goals and objectives, students can move on to strategies and
tactics to carry out the campaign. For inspiration, they should review the best campaign
examples from this chapter. Media relations, along with Internet and social media-based
promotions are likely to play a major role in the campaign, as well.
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW AND DISCUSSION
1. Give some figures or statistics verifying that the industries of entertainment, sports,
and tourism are important segments of the American economy.
(pg. 478) The scale of the entertainment and recreation industries is reflected in some
general statistics from 2012:
2. What constitutes a celebrity today in American society? What are the roles of
publicists and the media in creating celebrities?
3. When pop star Michael Jackson died, the media devoted blanket coverage of his
death and memorial service. Do you think the coverage was excessive? Why or why
not?
4. Magazines such as People pay millions of dollars for exclusive photos of a celebrity
couple’s newborn children. Are such payments justified? Why or why not?
5. Give some reasons why the public is fascinated with the personal lives of celebrities
or develops strong attachments to sports teams.
6. Describe the work of an entertainment publicist. Would you be interested in
applying for the job of press coordinator that is given on page 482? Why or why
not?
7. What is your assessment of incidents that damage the reputation of celebrities such
as Reese Witherspoon or Taylor Swift? Does it require remedial public relations, or
are the incidents trivial and blow over in a few days?
8. How would you create publicity or “buzz” about a new play or musical
performance?
9. If you worked for a sports public relations firm or team, what kinds of duties would
you have on a daily basis?
10. What facts and figures show that global tourism is now a major industry?
11. What country now leads the world in tourism spending?
12. What are the three phases of promoting a tourism destination?
13. Tourism promotion requires creative thinking in terms of staging events that draw
public and media attention. Can you give any examples from the text?
14. Tourism is described as a volatile business. What kinds of threats and crises do
public relations personnel have to cope with when these crises occur?
15. The PR Casebook on page 493 summarizes Carnival Cruise Line’s “public relations
mess” when 4,000 passengers went without air conditioning or toilets for five days.
How well do you think Carnival handled the situation?