Or how to run a successful campaign

Tench & YeomansChapter 10 & Chapter 12

PR as Planned Communication,p.182-207

Audiences, Stakeholders, Publics, p.234-249

Why it’s important to plan• Successful PR programmes don’t just happen • They are the result of good research, careful

planning and implementation• Sometimes, PR practitioners need to react,

but that’s usually as a result of a crisis only.• If you take time to plan, you make sure that

the campaign is aimed at the right people, uses the right channels of communication and stays within timescales and budget!

The Four-Step Process Is a Basic Foundation For The Practice Of Public Relations

ResearchResearch

PlanningPlanning

ActionAction

EvaluationEvaluation

Planning PR process

What’s happening now?Situation Analysis

StrategyWhat should we do and say, and why?

How did we do? Assessment

ImplementationHow and when do we do and say it?

1. Defining public relations problems

Planning & Programming

3. Taking action &communicating

4. Evaluating the programme

Cutlip et al. (2000) Planning model

Planning process• What is the problem? (Researching the issue,

using tools such as a SWOT analysis, situation analysis

• What does the plan seek to achieve? (What are the aim / the objectives?

• Who should be talked to? (Which publics do you want to develop a relationship with)

• What should be said? (Content of the message)

How should the message be communicated? (What channels should be used for dissemination?)

How is success to be judged?(how will the work be evaluated against the

objectives?)

Analysis / Research

Aim and Objectives

Publics

Content for messages

Strategy

Tactics

Timescales

Budget

Evaluation

PR Planning model

Analysis / ResearchSWOT analysis (Strength/Weaknesses -

internal factors and Opportunities / Threats - external)

Strength•Well established entertainment venue•Good traffic links/central•Established reputation as a company

Weaknesses•Lack of employees•Expensive

Opportunities•Student population is growing •Tourism to Scotland is growing•Opportunity for cooperation with retail e.g. a big outskirts shopping centre•Potential to become Scotland’s leading entertainment venue chain

Threats•Opposition from anti-clubbing pressure groups•Opposition from local community•Economic downturn

Example: Tiger Tiger wants to open another venue in Glasgow

Research continued• Analysing the environment (open /closed

organisations ) • Any issues arising from that?• For that you might need to carry out your

own dedicated research • This could be desk research (Internet/

media/library)• Or it could be surveys / focus groups /

interviews

Analysing publics• Identify publics (thinking about active / latent

/ inactive publics etc)• Research their opinions (formal / informal)• Personal contacts• Key informants (e.g politicians, journalists,

experts)• Focus groups / surveys• Monitoring of mail/complaints/online sources• Monitoring of media

Publics Active (those involved in an issue)Latent (those with potential to have an

interest)Inactive (those uninvolved and uninterested)

Depends on how well known an issue is and also how it affects the individual / group

Example: Campaign to reduce dangerous driving among young drivers aged 17-25

Setting objectivesTo set realistic objectives it is necessary to

know the size & nature of the communications task

All objectives should be SMARTSpecific, measureable, achievable, resourced

and timebound

Examples for objectivesEmployees: ensure every employee is aware

of our new corporate plan by 10 November

Community: Use sponsorship of 20 local junior football teams to promote more positive opinion about company (change of 5% this year)

MessagesWhat should be said?Traditionally PR practitioners have focused

on messages. (Can be explained through journalistic background of PR, where ‘getting the story out’ is seen as important)

Particularly important in public information campaigns

E.g. road safety campaigns have memorable slogans such as ‘Don’t drink & drive’ or the ‘Think’ campaign

Strategy This is the 5th basic question: How should the

message be communicated?Falls into two categories – strategy and

tacticsTemptation to jump straight into tactics, to

come up with a raft ideas without thinking about a rationale

However, strategy is important as it gives the overall direction two your work!

Strategy…is the ‘overall concept, approach or general

plan’(Cutlip et al. 2000)

…it can be the co-ordinating theme or factor, the guiding principle, purpose or ‘the big idea’

It should have one of those guiding principles!

Example: New environmentally friendly cosmetics product rangeObjective: Publicise new product range

amongst 16-30 year old females, increase awareness by 20%

Strategy: Education campaign about animal testing using celebrity endorsement Sandy Thom

Tactics: Mount media relations strategy, Press conference, news releases, exclusives, features, competition

Target media: Women’s magazines, fashion supplements in daily press

Example: Excercise Encourage people to exerciseStrategy: Drive home health policy through

memorable messageTactics: Media Campaign, posters,

competitions, bus adverts, schools programme, launch event etc.

TacticsWide range of tactics

Media RelationsExhibitionsCommunity relationsSpecial eventsCustomer relationsLobbyingSponsorship

ResearchFinancial relationsCorporate identityCrisis managementUse of opinion

leaders for endorsement

Corporate Social Responsibility

Timescales and BudgetingDraw up a schedule

with an activity plan for every tactic

Check that resources are available (is there enough staff etc)

Resources required are:

1.Money / Finance2.Human resources3.Equipment

EvaluationImportant to see whether your campaign is

workingTwo types of evaluation – ongoing monitoring

(to see whether you need to adapt) and evaluation at the end (output evaluation)

Methods: media content analysis, clippings, statistics, surveys, interviews, informal methods and more