Strategic Gift-Giving For PR

“In almost any gift-giving situation, there is some expectation of return, whether it is a tax deduction, a named building, or an enhanced reputation. That’s why anonymous gift giving is so rare. Giving always occurs within a social context that makes a gift reciprocal in nature. Perhaps corporations that give with some expectation of return are only being more strategic and explicit than predecessors who gave with equal expectations but said less about it – or who gave without planning. For a gift to be genuinely altruistic in nature, that is, for it to demonstrate other-centered love, it must have benefit to the recipient as its primary motive and purpose, but not necessarily its only motivation or purpose. Therefore, strategic or “smart” giving may be regarded as ethical.”

from: Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning. Christians, Clifford. 2001.

Is strategic gift-giving ‘ethical’?

     The above quote first made me upset. I was struck by the last sentence where gift giving that was strategic for the giver was paired with the phrase ‘ethical’. But once I re-read the statement, I found the idea of return expectations rather interesting. If these ‘gift-givers’, ‘donators’, ‘philanthropists’ give more with the expectation of a boosted reputation or tax deduction with the benefit of a positive public image, then by all means I accept it. Either way, the recipients in most cases, are receiving what they so desperately need, whether it’s families who need homes, or endangered species.

Examples of organizations that use strategic gift-giving…

     Home Depot’s strategic gift giving of using materials from it’s store to build homes for Habitat Humanity, not only benefits Habitat Humanity, but also serves to establish an image of Home Depot as a positive organization. Home Depot is seen as a company that helps those in need. It would be disconcerting to imagine that if Home Depot could not get recognized for it’s contribution, it would not bother to contribute, and thus families would not receive materials for their home. And I have no doubt in many situations this would in fact be the case. Which is why strategic planning is indeed, ethical.

     Another example strategic giving can be seen in Exxon/Mobile’s use of it’s corporate logo of a Tiger. The company gives donations to protect tigers and their environments, which ties the company to a cause. Establishing it’s logo as a reminder of the positive image it gives off by donating to the aid of Tiger preservation. This is a major strategic move, by using the logo as a reminder, the company strategically credits its image.

     Another example of strategic management can be seen in the product Dawn. Dawn dish soap paired it’s organization with aiding wildlife. Dawn donates dish soap to wildlife rescue so animals in oil spills can be safely cleaned using it’s product. Because of this, Dawn established that it’s product was “tough but gentle” because it could clean the oil off animals without harming their fur. This pairing of the Dawn product with the use of it’s product on the wildlife they donate money to save, boosts the companies philanthropist efforts.

 

PR people and the use of creative commons to distribute content.

Because of societies growing need for fast information, creative commons license has been created to allow for content to be distributed rather than restricted by copyright.

What is creative commons?

Creative commons (CC) is a non-profit organization that defines itself as a commons “to increase the amount of creativity (cultural, educational, and scientific content)” through providing bodies of work “to the public for free and legal sharing, use, repurposing, and remixing.” The CC defines its legal licensing as a valuable tool for allowing creators i.e. those who produce work, to grant permission for others to use their work as opposed to copyright, which denies permission. CC allows the individual creator to choose how much or little limitation they put on their work.

 I believe that PR people should be using creative commons licenses for content they distribute.

 Why should PR people use creative commons licensing?

1. PR practitioners can generate publicity by allowing others to access and use their work. PR people never know when someone else can pick their organization’s message and use it in a new creative way that could end up publicizing and benefiting the organization.
2. PR practitioners can generate new ideas and concepts from the creative ideas of others who use their work. An outside source could use the PR persons work and spin it in a new direction. One example can be seen here: people took the character of Spongbob Squarepants and made Youtube videos of songs voiced over to Spongbob Squarepants.
3. PR practitioners will be contributing to the public’s need for fast information. The use of new technologies as contributed to societies need for immediacy. Society has constant access to information, and allowing work to be used openly allows PR practitioners to share content quickly, where as copyright does not allow others to use the content until the copyright expires.

image courtesy of google images

5 Online tools/services that PR Practitioners should be using

Facebook, Twitter, Worpress Logos found through Google Images.

With the advancement of new technologies and the broad scope of the internet in reaching publics, PR practitioners are using online tools and services for PR purposes. I believe these to be the top 5 online tools/services that PR practitioners should be using for PR purposes.

1.Facebook

2.Twitter

3.Wordpress

4.Webpage (website)

5.Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

How can each tool/service be used for PR purposes?

1. Facebook:  A Facebook page could be created by a practitioner to send out invitations to upcoming PR events. Also a status update can keep page followers informed about how each event went.

2. Twitter: A twitter blog could be created to give updates on live events and to provide RSS feeds to followers so that people interested in PR events could stay informed on an organizations events. Twitters character limit makes it ideal for quick information. A PR practitioner could use Twitter from a wireless network while at an event to inform or send pictures of the event to followers.

3. WordPress: A wordpress or another informational blog could be created to inform followers or specific information regarding PR. Unlike twitter, there is no character limit, so paragraphs of information could summarize events. The blog could also allow comments so that an organization can review what its publics are saying about certain events.

4. Webpage (website): A PR practitioner could create a website for an organization so that publics could find information about upcoming events. PR practitioners can also use the website to provide basic information on an organization. A website could also provide different tabs for different events and could have a contact tab, so that publics could send emails to an organization to open a two way communication stream between an organization and its publics.

5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): A PR practitioner could use SEO to move an organizations webpage to the top of a search engine. By creating multiple sites for an organization and linking these sites to one another, a PR practitioner could fill up all the top spots in a search engine.

A PR practitioner and crisis management.

Image by Google Images

During a crisis a PR practitioner must use strategies and tactics to manage conflicts in hopes of benefiting an organization and an organization’s publics. I believe these are the three most important steps a PR practitioner must take to manage a crisis:

1. The first important step is determining responsibility for the crisis.
2. The second most important step is monitoring the media and providing honest information to the public.
3. The third important step is taking corrective action to deal with the crisis.

 These three steps can be seen in past cases where PR practitioners provided management for an organization in dealing with a crisis.

One example of the use of the three steps of crisis management is the 1993 case where Pepsi cola was tampered when syringes were found in bottles of Pepsi. The Pepsi organization knew tampering was done by an outside source and determined the company was not to blame because Pepsi’s packaging was done by machine. Pepsi took corrective action by releasing a video showing the packaging process to the media and did not recall any products. Another example of PR for an organization during a crisis would be the 1982 Johnson and Johnson tampering case where bottles of Tylenol were poisoned. Johnson and Johnson determined that tampering was done by an outside source. Although Johnson and Johnson was not responsible for tampering, the organization recalled the Tylenol and issued alerts to the public. The company took action by placing safety seals on all future products to prevent tampering.

 Can a crisis ever be good for an organization?

I believe the Johnson and Johnson crisis is a good example of how a crisis can actually benefit an organization. Johnson and Johnson went “above and beyond the call of duty” by recalling all of its Tylenol. The organization managed to create a safer seal on its products to benefit its publics.

 What role does a PR practitioner play in solving a crisis and do PR people “solve” crises?

While PR practitioners deal with managing a crisis they do not “solve” the crisis. The PR person is responsible for evaluating, strategizing, and planning communication plans to the public. It is not a PR practitioner who solves the problem. For example if a car is found to have chemical leaks, it is the engineer who fixes the car leak, and thus solves the problem of the leak. The PR practitioner communicates with the engineer and gathers important information by asking questions. Then the PR practitioner reports the information to the media so the public’s, who are affected by the leak, find out what they need to know.

The Difference Between the Uses and Gratifications Theory and the Agenda-Setting Hypothesis

Image courtesy of Google Images.

An effective factor for mass communications practitioners to have is the ability to persuade the publics. This can be done with the support of communication theories. Two such communication theories include the Uses and Gratifications Theory and the Agenda- Setting Hypothesis.

The Uses and Gratifications Theory gives an individual audience member the power to control which messages they take in and which messages they pass over. The audience influences the media, and the media changes its message to fit the audience. For example, a person who is watching television can see a message on a commercial and can chose to change the channel because they do not want the message.

The Agenda-Setting Hypothesis says that the media does not tell people what to think; instead it tells them what to think about. According to the Agenda-Setting Hypothesis, media does not try to persuade the audience to think one way or another, it merely presents the most important messages through which the audience can chose to accept or deny. For example, news channels often have the same top stories.

The difference between the two communications is this; The Uses and Gratifications Theory is focused on an individual’s connection with a message, while The Agenda Setting-Hypothesis is focused on the media’s influence of what messages are presented to the audience.

The relationship connecting these two communication theories can be seen through the association of an audience to a message. The Agenda-Setting Hypotheses supports the media’s ability to present the audience with the most important messages, and the Uses and Gratifications Theory supports the actions of the audience when they make the choice to take in a message or to pass over a message. An example of the supporting relationship between the two theories can be seen when an individual member of an audience, who is watching the news, makes the decision to either watch and listen to a news story, or to change the channel because they do not accept the message presented in the story.

The role of public relations practitioners is important to both of the communication theories. In the Uses and Gratifications Theory the role of PR practitioners is to feed information and messages into the media through the public. In the Agenda-Setting Hypothesis the role of a PR practitioner is behind the media. PR practitioners feed information and messages into the media and the media presents the messages to the public. Both are effective ways PR practitioners can persuade the publics.

Communications Planning to Generate more Credibility for the PR Profession

 

Image Courtesy of Google Images.

Some might say the PR profession lacks credibility within the United States. If I were the Communications Director for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), this is a communications plan for how I would solve the problem of credibility:

Goal: Educate the publics about the importance of public relations, and present a positive image of public relations practitioners and the work they do.  

Objective 1: To increase awareness by 25 percent among college students in the United States by September 22, 2010.

Tactics: To hold speeches and special events at 655 accreted four-year colleges and universities in the United States. Special events will offer free admission, food, and will have different famous public relations practitioners to host the event, so students will be encouraged to attend and meet experienced PR professionals. A short video will be played explaining the basics of PR and the different famous PR practitioners in history. A free raffle ticket will be given to each student, and at the end of the event a winning raffle will be chosen in which students must be present in order to win a prize.

Objective 2: To increase awareness and improve the image of PR practitioners among one million people by April 22, 2010.

Tactics: The PRSA will encourage the publics to view PR as good, by associating the profession with helping a chartable cause. This will be done through the use of media kits that will be sent out to new stations across the US. Electronic newsletters will also be sent out to magazines. The press release will encourage people to visit the PRSA website where they can make donations to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The PRSA will create an area on the website where donations can be made up until Earth Day on April 22, 2010. The website will also have a donation count showing how many donations have been made and how many more need to be made in order to reach the goal of one million donations by Earth Day.

Why will this plan will be successful in creating more credibility for PR?

Both tactics and objectives aim to increase awareness while personalizing PR with different publics.  Image is a big factor in associating whether or not a public will find a source credible. By personalizing PR to audiences and pairing PR with helping the planet, publics will associate a positive image of PR. Also the PRSA can help a good cause and encourage others to take part in helping the WWF.

The first objective aims at increasing awareness among young people, so a college campus is the perfect location for attaining a young audience. Awareness among college students can be raised by 25 percent by holding special events at 655 of the total 2,618 accreted four-year universities and colleges in the United States. This plan uses the opportunity for students to meet-and-greet experienced PR professionals as an incentive to encourage students to attend the event. Also to encourage students to stay and watch the informational video, a raffle will be called at the end of the event, and in order to win the raffle the students must be present.

The second objective uses media kits and press releases to generate good publicity for PRSA. The PRSA’s tactic of online donations for the WWF will encourage people to visit the website. While on the website making donations they can learn information about PR, at the same time they will associate PR with a good cause. By associating the PRSA with helping world wildlife, a positive image of the PRSA and public relations practitioners will be introduced to the publics that donate and care about earth day and wildlife.

  

The Value of Accreditation to Public Relations Professionals

The job opprotunitys of public relations in the field of mass communications is broad and growing rapidly. More and more clients within the business world develop services that need to be advertised and conveyed to various publics with the intent to stand out among the other vast amount of other similar services available to the publics. With the immense amount of information presented to numerious publics, it is no wonder many sources with misleading content slip through. This is why I believe  the standards of current public relations, and the standards of future public relations practitioners should be encouraged to gain accreditation which certifies their qualifications as a Profession, rather than  a Trade.

The difference between the two are this: A trade does not require certification, while a profession does. The benefit of this is, in order for a PR practitioner to to keep accreditation they must have proficient knowledge of PR practices and they must behave in an ethical manner. If they practice in an unethical manner, they would lose their accreditation.

The PRSA  defines the Accreditation as :”… a mark of distinction for public relations professionals who demonstrate their commitment to the profession and to its ethical practice, and who are selected based on broad knowledge, strategic perspective, and sound professional judgment. ”

Why is this important?  These statistics give an idea as to why accredation is important. TheAPR’s accreditation vs. no accreditation– statistics state that,“Based on the 2005 PR Week/Korn Ferry Salary Survey, accredited public relations professionals earn $102,031 vs. $85,272 for those who are not Accredited, or 20 percent more.” Not only is the money important but the standards of personal ethics to keep accreditation are a valuable asset to the field of PR.

Unfortunately, many employers in the field of public relations are not aware of the proposed accreditation. This is why I suggest the PRSA take these three steps in assuring that PR and other businesses associated with PR, become educated and understand why the accreditation of their PR workers would be beneficial.

1. Through Ethical Meetings: If business leaders want to assure that their PR practitioners act in an ethical manner to uphold the quality and image of their business they would consider the value of accreditation. The PRSA can contact businesses and meet with them to inform them of the possibility of accreditation. These meetings will explain ethical importance and behavior that is unethical, and would be cause for practitioners to lose accreditation.

2. Through Advertisements: The PRSA can advertise accreditation in brochures, news releases and or media kits that can be sent to businesses. In the news releases and media kits information explaining accreditation will be provided. The ethical value of establishing a truly professional standard of their practitioners will be the highlight of the media kits and informational brochures that will be delivered directly to businesses.

3. Through Degree: The PRSA can try and establish a requirement for PR practitioners to become accredited, possibly through Universities directly, so that the future PR practitioners uphold ethical integrity. Meeting with PR students who are nearing graduation can be a valuable tool in assuring that the future generations of PR practitioners know about accreditation. Hopefully, informing students studying to become PR practitioners can help to circulate accreditation among the PR community. 

By using ethical meetings, advertisements, and degree requirements, the PRSA can educate the PR profession and businesses associated with PR. Accreditation can be used as a valuable tool for assuring that PR practitioners uphold ethical responsibilities. Also accreditation can aid in advancing PR practitioners to higher standards and higher qualifications resulting in higher pay.

5 Essential Skills/Traits to Succeed in Public Relations

While the field of public relations is broad, and the traits and skills a public relations practitioner needs varied, there are five skills that remain essential to assuring, though not always guaranteeing, a successful career in the field of mass communications in public relations.

1. Outstanding Organizational Skills : Organization skills are a basis for most jobs and are certainly a must for jobs like this entry level position as a Public Relations Assistant. Many firms work with more than one client and/or project at one time so it’s no wonder even entry level positions into the field require applicants to prove an ability to organize.

2. Ability to Solidly Meet Deadlines : Practitioners being able to meet deadlines is another basic skill public relations as well as all other fields of mass communications require. Like this job, where clients need to have their news releases and product launches to the media in a timely manner as different events or products are released. Also planning media kits and attending meetings with clients require professionals to meet deadlines or else it can result in losing a client and or valuable media outlet.

3. High proficiency with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook: Technical skills with computer programs is a requirement for practitioners. Many public relations jobs require a practitioner to work alongside designers and advertisers in order to create graphics for designs or news releases for a clients. One example would bethis job, working as a public relations practitioner for a high ranking chain of hotels.

4. Willingness to Travel: In many firms, PR practitioners are required to travel in order to make professional connections with clients and other firm locations across the country. Some firms even require PR practitioners to travel internationally. While not all public relations jobs require travel, for many this is the case.

5. Know How to Write: Writing is the main focus, the absolutely most important skill any mass communications worker should not only have but excel at. Public relations workers release their research, news, and collected information on their clients and or events, to media sources through press releases. As Robert Deigh from RDC Communication advises in the video below, writing is essential for a public relations worker.

Though the field of Mass Communications is broad, and many of these skills are specific to public relations, most of these skills can be applied to both advertising, broadcast, print, and marketing communication jobs, as well as other professions in the field of communications.

I think it’s also important to note that another essential skill/trait that is key to succeeding in the field of public relations (if you consider advancing in the field succeeding) is experience. Internships, and working from entry level positions to higher positions in order to gain experience is hard work. It takes hard work and dedication as well as adaptability to adjust and learn from new positions and jobs. Advancing takes time and constant job hopping, which means constant adapting, to move up and succeed. Most importantly in public relations, it’s all about the value of driven management in order to build relationships between an organization and the publics that can affect its success. Thus people skills are a must for utilizing all of the five skills of success.

Public Relations Relating to Advertising and Marketing

Image courtesy of google images and take one media source

 

“Public Relations should never be ranked below marketing or advertising within an organization. Marketing and advertising should be placed under the umbrella of public relations because they usually target only one group – the consumer.”

Public Relations, Marketing, Advertising…three categories with the commonality being the fact that all three  represent the publics, though not always the same public and not always simultaneously. Many mass communications practitioners, even practitioners in the three specific fields in question, are at a loss to the differences of each field, because the line between the three are often times blurred. Sometimes marketing organizations have PR and advertising within its organization and vis versa depending on the organizations roots.

In reality, each branch is considerably different because each complete different tasks within the communication industry. Therefor all three should be considered equally as important as the other two because each relies on the other to keep an organization afloat. To simplify the matter, PR should never be considered below either marketing or advertising within an organization; however neither marketing nor advertising falls under the realm of PR control. So what exactly is the difference between the three and why are they equally important within an organization?

Advertising is paid for by advertisers, and the outlet is chosen by the advertiser, making the ad exposure controlled by the advertiser. Wikipedia defines advertising as a form of communication aimed at selling products and services. The product is endorsed and the advertiser chooses the source to advertise in and pays specifically for a certain amount of time and space. In advertising the source to promote a product or service is all choice, all paid, and all known. In advertising the aim is to draw the consumer’s interest.

Marketing on the other hand is a communication defined by dictionary.com as  ” 1.the act of buying or selling in a market.  2.  the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods”. In marketing the future of the market is examined(being the need for a product or service) and the change of consumers wants and needs are reviewed which helps organizations and businesses adjust the products and services marketed and provided as changes take place. In marketing the consumers needs are monitored and marketing adjust to changing trends of goods produced.

In Public Relations the need is based on promoting and representing a client or company. Dictionary.com defines public relations as  “1.  the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc.” In public relations the outlets and media time is unknown, and the PR person can only present his or her news releases to the media giving the media the choice of how much time and through what means a service is promoted. The most important aspect of PR is the goal of building mutually beneficial relationships, and this is not only with clients but also with other branches of communications as well.

Within a company the three should be equally ranked, while advertising produces ads and pays for sources to specifically promote a product or service, marketing is the foundation of the ads because marketing gives support for advertisers by monitoring consumers needs, i.e., deciding what ads would be most effective in appealing to consumers. In a company the public relations practitoner researches and provides background on a client and consumer to promote and provide the public with information on the client, and the client is promoted to the consumer in hopes of catching the consumer interest. Without the market’s ability to adapt to change, the advertisers ability to pay for promotion and the public relation practitioner’s ability to promote to the consumer, the communication of the consumer through the client, service, or company would not make a connection.

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