Week 11 Critique

This week i critiqued Michaela's blog. It can be found here.

Week 11 Blog - Research and Evaluation

Research and evaluation…..after doing much research this week I’ve evaluated that PR students are happy to be finally finishing their public relations blogs. Chapter 6 highlights the increasing importance of research in public relations. The text argues that management is concerned with accountability. Organisational budgets invested in public relations activities must be justified, monitored and accounted for, often with the prospect of achieving funding for future products depending on the cost effectiveness of the previous campaign. The text sited Seitel who adds weight to this argument, he stated “management requires more facts and statistics from PR professionals to show that their efforts contribute not only to overall organisational effectiveness but also to the bottom line.” I found this interesting in that it provides an understanding of how practitioners can achieve and persuade management to allow them to pursue campaigns.

In saying this, the text argues that research should be undertaken at all stages of public relations – in that it makes practitioners accountable for the decisions they make. Research in public relations is used to identify the requirements for a communication program to assist in establishing that program, to check progress and to evaluate the effectiveness as such the text argues that research needs to be ongoing and throughout this research three components are essential. These being inputs, outputs and outcomes. Inputs are those that provide information into the initial planning phases of the communication process. Outputs are the research that is undertaken during the development and implementation stages of a strategy. And outcomes are the research that is conducted at the end of a communication process.

While these are noted in the text as being the stages of research that should be undertaken in a PR campaign the text states that public relations practitioners must be aware of the range of methodologies, available and the ones that will be most appropriate in the planning and development. The text noted that methodologies may be quantitative or qualitative, formal or informal. And the chosen method of research is only limited by the imagination of the practitioner – a concept stretched across the field as the same has been stated for tactics, event management, campaigns etc. While the text covers a long list of the various research methods available to practitioners, including surveys, mail, the internet, focus groups and testimonials, I did not find any of them unfamiliar or uncommon today and therefore there was no need to cover them in this blog, rather just mention they do exist.

The final aspect of this chapter that I found interesting was regarding the ethical considerations that must be considered in research and evaluation in public relations. The text states that “the practitioner must be conscious of coercion, dishonesty, hurtful manner and manipulation of data to meet any other ends than the stated objectives or hypothesis”. For this reason I find it important to note the standards/guidelines that the text provides for practitioners. The text states that the practitioner must:
Give full disclosure of the research procedure
Make sure results are accurately reported and distributed freely and widely
Keep respondent information confidential
Do not promise clients or sponsors what cannot be delivered
Do not harm

This concludes the blogging component of introduction to public relations course. In saying this it has all come together neatly, what I take from this is that the practitioners ability to maximise their success, achieve goals, is only limited by their imagination. The tactics they choose, the research methods they may take depend on the practitioner – there is no set of guidelines that will guarantee a practitioner success, they can only be wise as to the decisions they make and be aware of the options and opportunities available to them.

Week 10 - Critique

This week i critiqued Alex's blog you can find his blog and my critique here.

Week 10 - Strategy and Tactics

This weeks readings discussed the relationship between strategy and tactics. The text highlighted that while these are often used interchangably by students - and while the two are "inextricably linked" it is important to understand the differences between the two and how they fit together. Strategy has been covered in the readings and was blogged about in week 5 - however it would be naieve to ignore it through this weeks readings and therefore shall be discussed in regards to its relationship with public relations tactics.

The text states that there is no guarenteed set of tactics that will ensure the successful implementation of a PR campaign. Once again success relies on the analytical and creative ability of the practitioner and the creative ability is limited only by the practitioners imagination. The text emphasises (as state above) that tactics must relate back to strategy - they are the link between how it is executed or delivered to target audiences. Therefore i will highligh a key point from week 5's readings that a strategic PR campaign is proactive, careful and as always in PR planning is needed to maintain direction and focus.

I found it important to note that tactics can be broken into two major groups controlled and uncontrolled. the text sites that controlled are those that the practitioner maintains control of EVERY aspect, from message creation to crafting the final distribution. For example advertising. On the other hand uncontrolled tactics are those that can be altered or even blocked. For example media release - or the creation of a media release - i nthis case as to whether the material is used at all liew only with a news gatekeeper. I found it most interesting regarding this that the impact of a piece of editorial distributed by uncontrolled means will generally have a higher impact then that of an advertisement. However after considering this for some time this is not difficult to see why. In regards to the delivery of communication the text states that it is critical that practitioners consider this as being of key importance.

In conclusion the text argues that best practice communication relies on consistency and this extend beyond messages to design and production, as these to sends impressions particularly relating to the professionalism of the organisation.

References:

Allert, J and Zawawi, C. (2004). Strategy, planning and scheduling. In Johnston, J., & Zawawi, C. (Eds.), Public relations: Theory and practice.(2nd ed.)(pp.169-197). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.

Hudson, M. (2004). Tactics. In Johnston, J., & Zawawi, C. (Eds.), Public relations: Theory and practice.(2nd ed.)(pp.169-197). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.

Week 9 Critique!

Hey this week i critiqued Abby's blog you can find it here.

Blog Week 9 - Sponsorship and Event Management

This week’s readings considered sponsorship and event management. The text states that the larger the event the more likely it is to require some form of sponsorship often requiring the two tactics to be used together.

Sponsorship was listed as being the purchase of specific rights and benefits associated with an event, organisation or individual. When an organisation enters into a sponsorship deal they expect a return. Most interestingly the text explored the idea of emerging organisational partnerships in regards to sponsorship and stated that these “true partnerships” are seen as being the direction in which the industry is heading.

The text details the importance of being able to write a sponsorship proposal – and as seen from last weeks readings being able to write for a variety of mediums is very important in the field of public relations. When writing a sponsorship proposal the text provides a number of helpful hints. It states that when writing a practitioner must consider the motives and goals of the target audience – and a generic sponsorship document will not generate support.

When writing an organisation is most interested in what’s in it for them but the practitioner must be comprehensive about what is being offered and therefore the following should be included: a covering letter, information regarding the background of the event, sponsorship benefits, pictures of past events and specific request of what you are asking from the organisation.

The text explored some the key aspects of event management and stated that the sky is the limit or the practitioner’s imagination is! The text argues that through successful event can achieve a large number of public relations goals and objectives. The text states that reasons for staging an event include the generation of media coverage, creating a platform for product demonstration, corporate/client entertainment and revenue generation.

In regards to media coverage I found the following quote from Ryan and Lemmond very interesting, “cynical consumers are zapping commercials and ignoring printed ads and are more receptive to the editorial message. The “third party endorsement” allows advertisers to sell a new product while enveloping the commercial message in a credible environment.”

I found this weeks readings very interesting – it built on knowledge of the field – providing tactics and what not that will be used in the day to day business of public relations. Once again it highlighted the importance of good writing and planing skills, whilst developing the fabric that is this broad arena.

References

Boyd, S. (2004). Sponsorship and event management. In, Johnston, J. & Zawawi, C. (Eds). Public relations: theory and practice. (2nd ed).( pp. 345- 374). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.

weeek 8 - and another critique!

This week i also critiqued Kellie's blog you can find this here.

Week 8 - Critique!!

This week i critiqued Taegan's blog, you can find this here.

Week 8 - Media Writting

These weeks readings focussed on the importance of practitioners being able to write to the highest standard – not just when writing the media release but also when writing letters to the client. These articles emphasise that if a student can write to high standards for different mediums and publics they will enhance their success as practitioners – also developing relationships with journalists.

The first of the readings studied the inter-relationships of journalists and public relation practitioners. The concept of framing theory was particularly interesting in this article. This theory suggests that “practitioners familiar with media processes can most effectively frame a story for targeted journalists; the closer the correspondence between the practitioner’s subsidy and the journalist’s story expectations, the greater the probability of placement.” This was seen as key in the article in that it states that research suggests that practitioner’s success in placing subsidies with news media to influence the media agenda - in turn influencing public opinion – and the public agenda.

Interesting points that the study raised was journalist’s view of the field of public relations. For instance within the interviews conducted by students journalists complained that public relation practitioners lack news sense and values, accuracy, timeliness and style of presentation. In addition to this the article noted that practitioners are “unabashedly biased” and have a “poor quality of writing”.

The article establishes that stereotypes surrounding practitioners have not diminished within journalistic circles. Journalists perceive practitioners to spread misinformation and withhold detrimental information. Over all this article indicates that practitioners – particularly those wishing to enter the field must work harder to sharpen their framing skills to maximise the benefits of framing theory. In doing this they must consider and adhere to both PR and journalistic standards to take enhance the success for their organisations.

The following readings discuss the standards of writing necessary in the field of public relations, so that students can develop and shape their writing before they enter the field. The first article titled “The Importance of Writing” – and explores this concept in regards to those practitioners who work for an agency. The article argues that in order to be employed by the client practitioners need to be the best there is to work for an agency. It argues that a practitioner’s ability to communicate messages clearly and concisely is what differentiates practitioners.

This article was interesting in that it highlights the different type of writing that students need to develop skills in, in order to make them stand out from other job applicants. Wise suggests that when studying public relations – university’s over emphasise the importance of writing a media release – where in fact skills in regards to writing for the client should be developed as this is equally –if not more important. In addition to this the article also suggests that writing for the web is also important in the new world of public relations – Wise states this requires a different style of writing than other types – including the traditional press release.

In addition to this I found it important that what sets apart practitioner’s is their ability to write for different mediums and audiences equally well. Those practitioners who can change audience or the medium they are writing for whilst still maintaining a high quality of writing will always be more successful in the field. In saying this the article does suggest that this level or quality of writing – while not being properly developed at university’s is developed throughout on the job – and quality of writing increases with experience.

The final article provides a checklist and a how to guide for writing a successful or ‘perfect’ press release. It in effect highlights the key point of both the previous articles in that it highlights how to write a press release in such a way that it meets the needs of the journalist and the final result is written to a high standard. While all ten points are useful there were two that I found particularly useful and worthy of being noted within this blog.

Point two is simple and states that within the press release a practitioner should avoid blatant commercialism – in doing this practitioners may avoid some of the stereotypes suggested by journalists in the first article and bring a sense of credibility to the field. The other point worth mentioning was point three – Don’t think one size fits all. This links in well with the second article – practitioners should always take note of the varying styles between the different formats and that practitioners should consider alternative versions of the news release in order to penetrate the different media – this should be an interesting point for the debate 3 topic.

After these readings it is evident how important writing is within the field of public relations – however students should not focus solely on writing news releases but rather develop writing skills in a variety of forms in order to maximize their success in the field.

References:

How To...Ten Steps to Press Release Perfection.( 2006). PR News. Potomac: Mar 20, 2006. 62, (12), 1.

Sallot, M. & Johnson, A. (2006). To contact … or not?: Investigating journalists’ assessments of public relations subsidies and contact preferences. Public Relations Review. 32(1) 83-86

Wise, K. (2005). The Importance of Writing Skills. Public Relations Quarterly. 50(2) 37.