Category: Public relations

Journalism- Assessment

There is a complicated relationship between the public relations personnel and journalists. In this essay, I shall be discussing the differences and similarities between the two. Journalists are more concerned with giving information to the people through the media while the public relations personnel are geared towards ensuring good relations between the people and the companies or other sectors. These two professionals seem to have several similarities and differences in the way they communicate to the wider public. The argument in this essay shall be concerned with the common issue between these two professions.

Many studies have noted that journalists have a negative attitude towards public relations personnel according to Denis (2001). Journalism and public relations have got very different roles that are interconnected; the big issue here is whether it is possible to separate the two according to the distinctive roles that they play in trying to deliver information to the public. Though the two are different professionals they share several similar characteristics as will be seen in this essay.

The major role of journalists is to give relevant and true information to society. Hurst et al (1994) noted that journalists are usually concerned with the interests of the public and that they use the media to communicate to the public but for the public relation officers they usually release information to the public when it is very necessary to do so. They usually have to agree with the management of the organization they are working for. The management has control over the information the public relations officer releases to the public while journalists have the freedom to go against their own employers without minding if they will keep their jobs or not.

The major difference between journalists and public relations officers is that journalists are known to work for the general public and are supposed to give information that is true to the public. At the same time, they are expected to give full details without fear minding only about the public’s best interest and not what their employers. On the other hand, public relations officers work for a particular organization and they only work for the interest of this organization without minding the public interest. They work according to their client’s wants and also to meet the client’s goals and objectives. That is why journalist has a negative attitude towards these public relation officers since they seem to be a hindrance to them towards achieving their goal of delivering a quality message to the public.

Martin and Hurge (2000) noted that the journalist serves the interest of the general public as a whole. They ensure that they observe the general norms or behaviors in their practices. To the journalists, the needs of the general public come first even before the needs of their employers. This is because they are expected to be the mouth of peace of the public. This contradicts the work of the public relations people who primarily serve the interest of the organization they serve. They give information that protects their client in whatever way possible. This has even resulted in the officers in this field giving the wrong information only to improve the image of the client since it is their major objective and therefore they have to protect the interest of the client. They value their employers more than the general public in their work.

Whereas journalists aggregate information from different sources and report it the public relations practitioners will always try to explain the already delivered message. A journalist usually goes to the field to collect information and delivers it to the people the way it is. They usually ensure that all the information that is collected is of public interest. The public relations officers are always trying to explain the already delivered information for the interest of their clients. They use other people’s information to clarify matters regarding their clients.

According to Bill and Tom (2001), the public relations office in an organization can be seen as a way of advertising the organization; this is because in many cases public relations management is always painting a good image of the organization to protect this organization in the best way possible. They even go to an extent of giving the wrong information to the public to ensure the organization is painted well. But this is not the case of the journalist they usually ensure they give the required information even if it is going to portray a bad image of the individual, organization, or the government. They aim to deliver information to the general public.

Journalists can analyze the views of the public openly and also interview the public in the open which is not the case of the public relations officers. Journalists allow the public to express their feelings on the issues that are vital to them but the public relations officers will always give the information according to how they feel like and they always limit the information that they realize to people. The public relations officers lead their own way while the journalist let the public lead them in whatever way possible.

The similarity between public relations and journalism is that they are both helps to come up with quality news. Public relations are always trying to come up with good news that is of quality and that maintains all the standards that are required for good news. Journalist sees that the public relation is a good way of delivering news to people, therefore, they have to use their effort to deliver the news in a very effective way.

It should also be noted that the two practices use the same skills in delivering their services. Actually, it has been noted that the majority of the public relations were once a journalist. They use the same skills in areas like writing various articles and also reporting skills. It is, very difficult also to differentiate the two because they use the same skills in delivering their messages. Though the curriculum of these professionals in the colleges is different they share a majority of books and information regarding their practice.

Tiffen and Rodney (1989) indicated that the other common thing about these two practices is that the two share the same information. At times when journalists want to get some information they always rely on the public relations officers to give the information. A good example of this is when this journalist wants some information regarding a certain organization. They can only do so by visiting the public relations office to get this information. On the other hand, the public relations officers may as well check on what the journalists have to offer in terms of the information regarding the organization they are working for. (Scott M. Allen H. Glen M. 1999).

The journalist and the public relations professions have both agreed on the concept of truth regarding the information that they give to the public. Ward and Ian (1995) observed that there is accuracy in the information that is released to the public. They are both for the idea that the public should receive information that is free from mistakes. They have also agreed on other principles like fairness in giving information, exercising human rights, freedom of speech, and the democratic principle of the people. These are the basic principles that the two professionals value when delivering their services to the public.

To conclude it all, there is a relationship between journalism and public relations practice. The two share several similarities in their codes of conduct and other related areas. Their guidelines are almost the same. However, there are a lot of conflicts between these two professionals. Peterson and Mark (2000) observed that journalists are known to underestimate the work done by public relations officers.

They take their work as more efficient and unbiased in terms of all the details that they give. They argue that public relations do not present the perfect picture of the information that they portray to the public. They also consider them as the dependants who only depend on the information that the journalist provides. The public relations officers only comment on information and maintain a positive image of the client.

This is what has led to the differences as argued in the body of this essay. We cannot say that public relations and journalism are the same. There exist several differences. This is why the essay has tried to explain these differences in detail. The public deserves to know what is happening around them and that freedom of speech is also supposed to be exercised by every democratic country. At the same time, organizations need to have spokesmen to protect their own interests to ensure that their businesses are running smoothly. Therefore in either way the two practices are necessary to the public. (Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, 2001).

According to Zawawi and Clara (1994), it is very important to have both journalists and public relations officers ensure that the public is well informed. They also need to observe the norms and ethics that are related to their practice to avoid conflict between them. This is what will bring the two practices together. There is also the need for organizations to defend themselves against malicious journalists who would unfairly misuse their names.

Though there are some differences in the two practices, it is clear that they are interconnected and hence cannot do without each other. Several studies have also been done to try and incorporate the two but little success has been achieved due to the traditional mentality that exists. This is the major cause of the conflict between the two professions. However, whenever there arises a need the two usually come together with a common goal.

Bibliography

David B, M. Chaka, D. et al (2007) Public Relations: Fresh Perspectives. Pearson press: South Africa.

Dennis, A., Michael, M. & Rosemary, O. (2001) “Torrent of text overflows the message bank,” in The Courier-Mail. p8.

Hurst, J., Sally, A. & White, O. (1994) Ethics and the Australian News Media. South Melbourne: Macmillan Education Australia. Web.

Martin, Hugh. (2000) “Bringing governments down: the 1999 Victorian election campaign and the Net.” M/ C Reviews.

Pearson, Mark (2000), “Advertorials and the trade practices act: why the ‘Golden Tonsils’ saga might prove costly in the long run,” in Australian Journalism review 22(1), pp 57-67.

Scott M. Allen H. Glen M. (1999) Effective Public Relations (8th Edition) New York: Prentice Hall.

Tiffen, Rodney (1989) News & Power. Sydney: Allen & Unwin: New York.

Ward, Ian (1995) Politics of the Media. Melbourne: Macmillan.

Zawawi, Clara (1994) “Sources of news: who feeds the watchdogs?” Australian Journalism Review 16(1). pp 67-71.

Kovach, Bill and Tom, Rosenstiel (2001) The Elements of Journalism: What News People Should Know and the Public Should Expect. Three Rivers Press, London.

Introduction

The ultimate goal of every business is to sell its products to as many customers as possible in order to make high profits. To achieve this goal, businesses employ various strategies, which include advertising, public relations, publicity, and direct salespersons to market their products. This paper will discuss the importance of each of these strategies in the process of marketing a product.

Significance of a Salesperson

Salespersons make significant contributions to their companies since they possess a variety of values that alternative marketing systems such as e-commerce cannot replace. To begin with, a salesperson is an expert who is well connected in a particular market segment. This enables him to reach out to customers and to identify their needs, thereby creating opportunities for new product development and market share expansion.

An effective salesperson is usually likeable and is capable of building strong relationships with customers. The relationships enable customers to identify with the company’s product, thereby increasing the chances of repeat purchases. Salespeople identify important leads that ultimately turn into huge sales.

They are passionate about the company’s product and explain its benefits to customers in a manner that creates a lasting emotional impact. It is this personal connection rather than the product or brand that turns potential customers into actual customers. In a nutshell, salespersons are very important since they enable companies to take business away from their competitors.

The type of the product being sold determines the significance of the salesperson. For instance, first moving consumer goods (FMCG) such as bread usually do not require a salesperson because the consumers already have adequate knowledge about them. Additionally, the product is so important to the consumer that they have to buy it without being persuaded by a salesperson.

However, for a service such as insurance a salesperson is very important because the product is costly, has complicated features, and is often associated with rip-off. In this context, a salesperson is not only needed to explain the benefits of the product, but also to convince customers to purchase it.

Expectations of a Salesperson

The main expectations of a salesperson include the following. First, a salesperson expects to maintain a high customer satisfaction rate. This helps in reducing customer attrition by improving the loyalty of existing clients. Second, a salesperson expects to maintain a positive and professional attitude.

A positive attitude is important to a salesperson since he is bound to experience rejection in the market. A positive attitude provides the motivation to pursue new leads in order to meet sales targets. Third, a salesperson expects to meet his sales targets within the set timeline. In order to realize this expectation, the salesperson is required to have excellent negotiation skills and product knowledge.

The sales role is a position that I would be interested in. This decision is supported by the following facts. To begin with, the role will enable me to make valuable contributions to the company. Undoubtedly, selling is the most important activity in any company since it directly generates revenue.

The sales role is also important to me because it creates new challenges that have to be addressed through innovative strategies. This not only eliminates boredom, but also provides numerous opportunities for learning and creativity. Working as a salesperson is a highly rewarding career in nearly every company. For instance, most organizations provide their sales personnel with a fixed and a variable pay. The variable component provides the opportunity to the salesperson to increase his income according to his ability.

Advertising Policy

Ethics determine the long-term benefit of advertising. Specifically, the society’s perception or attitude towards an advert can lead to an increase in demand or a total rejection of a product. An advertising activity is considered to be ethical if it demonstrates respect to the target audience.

Showing respect in advertising involves anticipating and addressing the intentional and the unintentional effects of an advert on the society. Based on these perspectives, my advertising policy would be to create responsible desire. This involves using advertising to create desire or stimuli in a manner that does not create harm in the society. Basically, this policy is based on the principle of do good and no harm.

The proposed policy is likely to be effective because it addresses all the elements of a firm’s triple bottom line. The elements include profitability, social responsibility, and environmental responsibility. Creating responsible desires leads to sustainable advertising. Adverts that do not cause any harm to the society and the environment will not be resisted by social activists or banned by the government. Thus, they can be used for a long time to stimulate the public to purchase a particular product, thereby increasing the company’s profits.

Public Relations, Publicity, and Corporate Advertising

Publicity, public relations, and corporate advertising have the following similarities. First, they are all used to create awareness about a company and its products. Second, they all depend on the print and electronic media to convey information about the company and its products.

Publicity, public relations, and corporate advertising are different in the following ways. Publicity is the act of drawing the attention of the media in order to improve the visibility of a brand, product or a company in the public. The main objective of publicity is to garner as much media coverage as possible in order to create awareness about a brand or a product.

Unlike advertising, publicity is often not paid for. Moreover, publicity does not involve controlling what is being covered by the media. Thus, publicity can be positive or negative. For instance, Virgin Cola brand received positive publicity in the US when the chairman of the company that produces it, Sir Richard Branson, drove a Sherman tank down a street in New York in 1998 during its launch. The main strength of publicity is that it enables companies to create brand awareness at a low cost.

Public relations activities are concerned with influencing the public’s opinion through the media. Thus, its main objective is to improve the reputation of a brand or a company. For instance, after the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, BP used public relations in 2012 to regain its reputation as an efficient firm in the oil industry. Thus, the main benefit of public relations is to help companies to minimize the negative impact of various events on their brands.

Advertising involves paying media companies to convey specific information about a brand or a product. Unlike publicity, advertising enables the company to determine the message that the media presents to the public about its product.

The difference between advertising and public relations is that the later positions information as news, whereas the former presents information as an appeal to make a purchase decision. For instance, Nokia Lumia 920 gained market share in the US in 2012 after its advert presented iPhone 5 (its main competitor) as boring.

Publicity in Future

Publicity will continue to play an important role in improving the competitiveness of products in future because of the following reasons. First, publicity ensures credibility since the message about the product emanates from an independent source. As the public becomes more informed about the consequences of consuming various products, publicity will be one of the tools that companies will use to enhance the credibility of their brands.

Second, publicity is cost-effective and provides a lot of information to the public. As competition increases in various industries in future, companies are likely to turn to publicity to improve their brand awareness at low costs. Finally, technological advancements such as the use of the internet and smartphones to access real-time information will enhance the suitability of publicity in marketing.

Conclusion

Advertising, publicity, and public relations are used by marketers to improve the brand awareness for their products. Unlike advertising and public relations, publicity is cost-effective and is likely to be used in future by companies that have limited marketing budgets. Apart from implementing the aforementioned strategies, companies should employ salespersons to sell their products. However, the need for a salesperson depends on the characteristics of the product.

References

Amstrong, G., & Kotler, P. (2011). Marketing: An Introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Hisrich, R. (2000). Marketing. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.

Johnsons, M. (2012). Attracting and Retaining Customers in a Competitive Market. Strategic Direction, 28(1), 17-20.

Kazmi, S. (2007). Marketing Management. London, England: Sage.

Pride, W. (2004). Marketing. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Ranchhod, A., & Marandi, E. (2005). Strategic Marketing in Practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Introduction

Sales promotion is a type of product marketing strategy aimed at boosting sales through attracting traffic, introducing a new product and influencing the purchase of a product. Public relations serve to enhance the image of the company to the public i.e., the community.

The objective of this assignment is to investigate how different industries incorporate public relations and sales promotion into their activities (Tench & Yeomans 2009, p. 645).

It is meant to investigate and analyze how best PR and sales promotion can be integrated into a business strategy so as to achieve maximum results and also to show how PR can be used to solve a mistake that can harm a company.

This report chose the publishing industry under the women’s tabloid magazine, as it pertains to media marketing which is a very big player in recording huge sales. The publishing industry is really broad and rakes in billions of dollars every year (Wilcox 2003, p. 421).

The publishing industry incorporates a lot of companies ranging from those that deal with books, journals, newspapers, business media and magazines.

The industry started off majorly as a printing firm but due to its rapid growth and change, digital media is now inevitably an effective way of passing across the message efficiently to the readers.

Executive summary

The chosen industry also effectively relies and incorporates sales promotion and PR into its day to day activities. This industry generates a huge turnover of over £10.1 billion GVA (Gross Value Added). This makes it one of the biggest earners in the media industry in UK specifically.

It has a very big workforce since in the UK it employs more than 190,000 people, which translates to 36% of the media field personnel. It deals with consumer sales promotion, and its strategies are aimed at maximizing immediate and long term sales.

The publishing industry is very competitive. On the side of PR, due to its reliance on image, the publishing sector puts a lot of emphasis on representation so as to maintain its relationship with the community and its customers as a whole.

The report decided to specifically narrow down to two particular magazines – Marie Claire and Woman and Home, as they are among the leading women tabloid magazines and also due to the fact that they produce monthly copies.

This is also because they heavily rely on strategic sales promotion and PR techniques consequently providing an effective platform for evaluation.

According to Mintel, the UK media industry is growing and projects its sales to be in billions, due to the fact that it is now stable after experiencing a challenging year in 2008.

Factors that led to its stability are attributed to sales promotion. This factor is applicable worldwide. This information forms a basis for an investigation on the two women’s magazines.

It will present findings from media information about the publishing industry especially those pertaining to the two chosen magazines. It will also go through a number of the magazine issues so as to specifically pick out sales promotion articles and strategies as well as any information related to PR that is useful to the company.

It will analyze them based on the regularity of the chosen strategy, the target audience which covers the customers, the potential customers and the community and also PR and its impact.

Marie Claire

This is a worldwide women’s magazine sold in countries such as Australia, UK and the United States. It covers topics ranging from fashion, hair and beauty, love as well as sex. It is translated in different languages depending on the language of its target audience. It is published by Groupe Marie Claire which is based in Australia.

Women and Home

It is a worldwide monthly publication magazine. It targets women over the age of 35, and is one of the fastest growing magazines. It focuses on women’s lifestyles especially pertaining to their work and how they live. It also covers hair and beauty, fashion, recipes.

Methodology

Copies of these magazines have been bought and researched on. Digital information from the company’s internet sites have also been accessed as most magazines have adapted the digital platform.

The main aim of this research is to find out how the magazines have adapted sales promotion and PR in their strategy of increasing sales.

This will be achieved through analyzing the articles and deducing the reasons why a particular selected sales strategy was used more than the other and what made it more effective.

The frequency, occurrence and constant use of one sale and PR strategy over the other was also analyzed and researched upon. The research also covered the different strategies used as per the different occasions such as Valentines etc.

Analysis

Similarities

Both companies basically used the same tactics for sales promotion and some were dwelt on more than others due to their pros and cons and eventual results as far as participation, reach and boosting of sales was concerned.

Most strategies were aimed at pulling new readers, by enticing them to have an experience of reading the product. The various strategies used were aimed at targeting the different target groups.

New readers

They tried to draw new or potential readers by offering cuts in terms of discounts and favorable terms so as to encourage them to get copies. This was evident in both scenarios as both magazines had very appealing offers targeted for new subscribers.

The magazines had special offers, coupons and free samples inside. These goods were highlighted at the cover page so as to make a person want to get the issue.

These were things like sample fragrances, coupons to selected stores and even price cuts for various goods with a copy of a selected section of the issue and also inserts containing interesting information. This is effective as it encourages other non-buyers to buy it.

They also use cause related strategies to encourage the community to buy it, with an aim of giving to charity but at the same time boosting their sales and even in some cases ending up in getting lifetime customers due to the first positive results of reading the article.

They also use competitions to make potential clients to want to participate in them. Those who buy the copies which eventually lead to increased sales, offer the promise of potential future readers.

Customers

They both have special conditions that are meant to favor their frequent readers. These sales promotion strategies are meant to appreciate their clients while at the same time giving them a sense of loyalty and also making them to want to keep on buying the product (Gregory 2000, p. 142).

These include special competitions specifically for their frequent buyers or subscribers, in which, only the frequent buyers are eligible to enter. This is a strong sales strategy as it creates a sense of loyalty from the readers.

Special rates to their subscribed customers also encourage the customers as the benefits they derive from membership is more than that of a non-member.

This can also be achieved in the form of their regular newsletter to customers informing them of things like new trends, what to expect and special discounts way in advance. They also issue copies as soon as they arrive, to the customers making them the first ones to get a copy.

They use coupons, free samples, gifts and other products on the cover so as to make their regular clients buy the product.

Charity causes are also used to encourage their customers to get copies through raising awareness and encouraging them to get copies and also out of the need to help those in need. They also give special prices to their readers so as to motivate and maintain them.

Bar graph showing the percentage increase in the rate of purchasing the magazine.

Public relations

They both use public relations to portray and maintain a good public image both to their readers and community. These companies both take part in charity events.

They host and support various charities from all over the world and take part in the publicity of charity events worldwide by covering the events through articles thereby, aiding in getting the word out. They give donations which go towards supporting various charity organizations and the needy.

PR is used in both cases to portray the company’s image positively. This applies to situations like sponsoring of community events. This act of giving back to the community is part of the company’s social responsibility, hence, maintaining its image (Smith 2003, p. 275).

When an unpleasant situation occurs, the PR department is responsible for handling the issue and cleaning or repairing its image, as seen in the Marie Claire’s situation.

They both have a public relations department which is fully staffed with professional employees who are endowed with the task of making sure that the link between the company and community is good.

Types of promotions

A variety of promotions were used depending on the period and intention of the company. The strategies were broad and diverse and were chosen, basing on how effective they would be with the sole intention of increasing sales.

Special sales promotion

This year, most promotions were strategically geared towards Valentine’s Day. They were set in such a way that they would promote the valentine mood, hence, an increase of sales. In Marie Claire, there was the Valentine’s Day sensation contest which was a writing competition whose winner was to be awarded a voucher for a couples massage at a lucrative spa.

Its value was estimated at $500. Women and Home also had special offers during the same period. These methods were effective because they took advantage of the periods and encouraged the readers to participate, consequently, increasing sales.

Price promotions

Both magazines put forward special offers as a way of a sales promotion strategy aimed at boosting sales by enticing the readers to purchase their products.

This technique is effective as it makes the potential clients to take part in the process of purchasing due to the advantage of the deal accordingly, maximizing the company’s profits. It makes an individual purchase an item he/she had not intended to, hence, boosting sales. This included free gifts.

In Marie Claire magazine, there is an offer of an 88% cut in costs for subscriptions for up to two whole years, in which you get the issues for two years for just $10 which is the same as getting 21 issues free of charge

In Women and Home, this is achieved through targeting new subscribers and is done through giving out discounts, double competition entries each time the new subscriber participates in any competition, free prior delivery of issues and avoidance of price increases among other benefits.

In the March issue of Women and Home there is a 20% discount on fashion and beauty products, hence, pulling the consumers and encouraging them to buy the product.

Cause related promotions

This kind of promotion is used in instances of a just cause aimed at going towards charity. The aim is to increase sales while at the same time giving back to the community. This is evident through Marie Claries’ shop for charity where, a certain amount of money from all the products is set aside for charity when purchases are made.

In some cases, all the money goes to charity like in the case of the jewelry in their store in which 100% of the purchase price goes to help a charity in Malawi. It also has other items which goes to those in need like survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence victims etc.

Competitions

Some of the sales promotion competitions in Marie Claire include:

Marie Claire’s 2000^th issue giveaway, which was for readers to send an SMS of the number of the gift they wanted to win.

In Women and Home there was the short essay writing competition, where the readers took part in an essay competition, and stood a chance to win the grand prize and get exposure.

These competitions are meant to draw the customers to the magazine, consequently increasing sales. A common angle of criticism of this strategy is that though it is an effective way of sales promotion, it does not cater for all the readers due to the fact that not all of them can meet the conditions of the competition.

The Women and Homes’ short story essay where the readers are supposed to write a short story before winning and the Marie Claire’s Valentine’s Day sensation contest favor the customers who can write well over the others, hence, it is only effective to a portion of the customers.

Public Relations

PR is also a very effective way of increasing sales through maintaining a link in the form of a positive mutual relationship between the organization and the public. Good PR means increased sales as the public will want to associate with the products of the company while bad PR implies the opposite.

PR can be maintained or enhanced through charity. Charity basically entails helping the community (Seitel 1992, p. 591). Through this act, the company fulfills its social corporate responsibility while at the same time the company’s image is portrayed positively, which may go a long way in creating a favorable image in the prospective clients mind.

PR can either be used to make the company’s image or in some instances to repair the companies bad image in case of a mistake which can damage the company’s image.

These two companies have played a big role as far as charitable events are concerned. In the case of Maria Claire, there was the 2003 charity initiative where it gave out 30 pence of every issue sold in June to be shared between four charity organizations.

All that the community members had to do to support this initiative was to purchase a copy. This prompted increased sales with even other big companies offering their support.

It has also set up a shop for the charity section where selected goods in the shop are sold and a certain specified percentage goes out to aid various causes such as the needy from all over the globe such as victims of sexual assault, domestic violence etc.

It has also organized various charity donations through social media sites such as Facebook, where people were encouraged to donate through their Facebook page. They have also organized a fashion for charity campaign where various clothing accessories were bought to aid children with HIV/AIDS.

It also publishes articles to warn the community as a whole concerning scams and poorly run charities with an aim of protecting the public. This is done so as to encourage the people who are ready to give to charity but are not sure or are insecure or in doubt of whether their money will go to the right place.

It also publishes articles to highlight or inform on good and recommended charity organizations. This was the case in the breast cancer charity scam article which focused on organizations that are not transparent when it came to their finances and credibility.

The Women and Home magazine also publishes articles aimed at supporting charity organizations for example the fashion for charity event that was organized by Naomi Campbell, which was aimed at helping the people of Haiti.

Marie Claire magazine also used PR to maintain a situation that would have damaged the image of the company. This was when the readers responded negatively to a comment from one of its employees against plus-sized people.

The company published articles aimed at correcting the issue and also to maintain the company’s image so as not to lose its customers.

Conclusion

The publishing industry uses a mix of sales promotion strategies and public relation to attract and maintain their customers. The use of both push and pull strategies are evident in their strategies so as to reach out to their customers as well as to the potential customers.

The adoption of this technique depends on the need and they have been used on the grounds of which ones are more effective.

Key factors that stand out are:

The main strategies that are regular each and every month are the use of competitions and offers. These magazines constantly have competitions and offers in all their print copies and regularly in their digital sources. These two strategies play a very important factor in pulling numbers thereby, increasing sales.

Special events and occasions are utilized effectively by these companies with an aim of boosting sales. February sales were very high due to the sales promotion techniques used which were able to influence sales. Competitions, prizes, special price reductions as well as gifts played a major role in influencing sales.

Public relations is a vital component to any successful business since, if it is well utilized, it can lead to increased profits for a business (Smith 2004, p. 287). Its main task is to make sure that the company’s main image is maintained.

Price promotions are the most important and prevalent sales strategy as they directly register in the company profits. Despite the fact that price promotions are so popular, they cannot be used all the time as there are factors like public relations that heavily influence it and its effect are felt more with its mix amid other strategies. Though price promotions are important components in sales promotion, they cannot stand on their own.

References

Gregory, A 2000, Planning and managing public relations campaigns, Kogan Page, London.

Seitel, F. P 1992, The practice of public relations, Macmillan Pub. Co., New York.

Smith, R. D 2003, Becoming a public relations writer instructor’s manual: a writing process workbook for the profession, Routledge, London.

Smith, R. D 2004, Strategic planning for public relations, Routledge, London.

Tench, R., & Yeomans, L 2009, Exploring public relations, Pearson Education, New Jersey.

Wilcox, D 2003, Public relations: strategies and tactics, Allyn & Bacon, Boston.

Abstract

International events bring many people from different regions together. When organizing internationals events, organizers should have competence skills so that they can be able to make such events successful and enable the customers to appreciate the products. During preparation of internationals events, public relations and relationship marketing skills play a major role in ensuring that the event is successful (Bernays, 2004).

This paper will assess the effectiveness of public relations and relations marketing in ensuring that international events become successful. To acquire a broader understanding, this paper will discuss numerous theories of public relations and relationship management. This paper will also use the Miss Universe Pageant 2011 as the case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of public relations and relationship management.

Introduction

Events industry is crucial in informing the public about future events (Peck, 2001). Mostly, events industry is influential in ensuring the public supports local and international events. Notably, marketing plays a major role to ensure that such events become successful. Marketing refers to any positive effort used by a company to cultivate a good relationship between the customer and the company (Bernays, 2004).

These efforts refer to the various approach techniques aimed at achieving the set objectives. Marketing helps individual and companies to obtain positive results through developing channels where they can be able to exchange products, ideas, and values. However, it is important to understand that balancing the company’s need and those of the customer is a crucial step, and any strategy used by the company in the marketing process must be guided by certain goals. Such objectives must meet customers’ expectations (Smith, 2004).

Today, there is a serious competition and event organizers must become innovative in order to out-smart other competitors in the same field. They must also be very creative to develop better strategies that will catch the attention of the customers. On the other hand, it is important that event organizers to have the ability to maintain customer’s base (Marconi, 2004).

A good marketer is able to maintain a good relationship with the customers and therefore ensuring that the marketer also retains his customers (Wilcox and Cameron, 2011). Because of competition, marketers should work towards retaining their customers. However, this is not easy and it requires a well developed relationship between the marketer and the customer. Therefore, public relation and marketing go hand in hand.

Public relation is a management practice which aims at promoting goodwill between the organization and the public, community members, employees and the customers (Brown, 2009). It also involves different procedures that influences public’s attitudes, defines procedures of a company, and develops the action plan to earn public acceptance (Breakenridge, 2008).

When a company develops new products, public relation informs the public about the new products. The public relation department then studies the public to observe their reaction or respond to the new product. This is the reasons why event organizers must organize an event that will be productive.

Relation marketing is a form of marketing which has emerged as a result of customer response. This form of marketing involves being aware of customers need in order to satisfy them (Smith, 2011). Relation marketing aims at developing a strong and long lasting relationship with the customers.

Literature review of public relation theories

In this section, this paper will review numerous contemporary theories of the public relations and relation marketing especially those theories that have emerged in the recent. This theories will demonstrate how new developments have emerged in this crucial areas of public relation and relation marketing.

Rhetoric theory of public relation is one of the public relations theories that emerged long time. This theory was proposed by Robert Heath in the 1980. “Heath proposed rhetoric to be the essence of an organization’s relationship to its environment” (Mackey, 2003). According to Heath, expressing marketing ideas through speech plays an important role in promoting public relations.

Heath also argues that, a good and successful organization is one that is able to communicate well to the customers (Mackey, 2003). Therefore, rhetorical theory plays a major role in facilitating public relations and it accounts for the symbolic aspects of communication that are significant in public relations activities (Mackey, 2003). Rhetoric theory helps to focus on the stakeholders, bring different interpretations, and creates meaning.

The Commitment-Trust theory of relationship marketing. Morgan and Hunt, (1994) argues that relationship marketing is about creating and maintaining quality “relational exchange.” In order to have a successful relation marketing, commitment and trust are key ingredients required to maintain focus to the set goals. Relation marketing involves developing network so that the company can be ahead of other competitors.

Morgan and Hunt (1994) say that, “true marketing companies” become successful by establishing strong networks that are held together by norms such as commitment and trust. Within a network, competitors need to develop a strong trust to cooperate well.

On the other hand, there are other many factors that may contribute to success or failure of relation marketing but commitment and trust are central to success of relation marketing because they encourage investment among marketers, encourage commitment to short term and long term goals, and they promote efficiency leading to supportive behavior (Morgan and Hunt, 1994).

Symmetrical model of public relations. This theory was brought forward by Grunings and has its foundation from political science theories (Turney, 1998). Interest group liberalism is a political theory, which believes that in a society, groups have different interests and there is need to indentify a point of harmony.

For instance, in a country groups of activists or trade unions must be formed to protect the public from exploitative behaviors (Turney, 1998). The symmetrical model in public relations argues that, public relation officers are hired not only to make sure the organization benefits but also to ensure that the targeted groups benefit (Turney, 1998).

This theory also argues that public relations occur when people want to secure and develop their expectations. For these reasons, people have to engage in dialogue and arguments to solve current issues and prevent conflict in the future. Public relation is a continuous practice and hence it is important to form long lasting relationships (Turney, 1998). It is also important to listen and understand others to ensure effective communication.

Back ground information about Miss Universe 2011

In fact, Miss Universe 2011 attracted million of viewers across the world. This is also a current event that will help in reflecting how public relation and relation marketing have developed today. Miss Universe 2011 will also help in assessing the current marketing strategies especially the social media and how it has contributed to success of events.

Miss Universe is beauty pageant project that was founded in the year 1952 by California Pacific Mills Company (Miss Universe Organization, 2011). This event is held every year with the main event usually being held in the months of May or July.

The first contest was held in California. Miss Universe 2011 marks the 60^th anniversary of the Miss Universe event; it was held in Brazil September 12, 2011 (Miss Universe Organization, 2011). The 2011 pageant was broadcasted across the world and it had over 600 million viewers. In this event, the finalists were interviewed and the runners up were decided based on this criterion.

According to the organizers, the winner must meet certain standards and must posses some traits such as intelligent, quality discipline, and cultural values (Miss Universe Organization, 2011) and therefore Miss Universe contest is more than a beauty pageant. The event celebrates the intelligence, integrity, and personality of women (Miss Universe Organization, 2011).

In recent years, Miss Universe has been chosen by popular internet vote. Voting of the winner was introduced to the viewers where people’s choice was voted in Miss Universe 2011; the winner and her runners-up were given special awards (Miss Universe Organization, 2011).

The main objective of this event is to recognize and appreciate qualities that define a woman. On the other hand, the funds that are raised for this event are used to promote charity work across the world. It also promotes cultural values and helps to spread hope in the planet.

Internal stakeholders in the Miss Universe 2011 include all involved participants such as staff, promoters, donors, contestants, and Miss World Organization, which is the main organizer. Externals stakeholders include all affected parties such as the, host country, community, and the media (Miss Universe Organization, 2011).

Public relations strategies used on internal stakeholders

For such a big event managing public relations may seem difficult. However, it is important to grab any opportunity to ensure that organizing of this event becomes successful (Ledingham and Bruning, 2001). Foremost, an effective public relations strategy on internals stakeholders will include press release.

As an event organizer, it is important that all contestants, employees and other stakeholders be aware of any news concerning future events. Therefore, it is important to write a press release and distribute it to all involved stakeholders to ensure effective communication.

Secondly, another public relation strategy that should be used on internal stakeholders is making use of the internet (Johnston and Zawawi, 2009).The company should create a blog. The company’s blog can play a major role to provide good public relations to the management and contestants. When your blog is part of the public relations it helps in enlightening the involved parties about the product and the events is exposed to the customers as well; it is a form of advertisement.

Another strategy is working with the media. Public relation is the ability to create and develop free publicity (Hougaard and Bjerre 2003). As such, working with the media ensures that the event gets enough coverage. Once the event gets enough publicity, the company establishes new contacts with other interested parties including donors and volunteers (Bowdin, 2010). Working with the media will ensure that the event acquires more donors and contestants become interested too.

Additionally, organizing media events can be a good public relation strategy on internal stakeholders (Smith, 2004). As an event organizer, one can organize several media events such as special shows. This will help in getting many media outlets and it offers the event an opportunity to have a good exposure (Breakenridge, 2008).

By gaining a good exposure will motivate the contestants because they also become aware of what is expected in the main event. On the other hand, the organizer should be very creative and come up with excellent ideas. Through such ways, the organization may encourage more promoters and donors to contribute towards supporting this event (Poster, 1995).

The use of all public relations is effective in one way or the other. The use of press release, working together with the media, utilizing the internet, and organizing special events can ensure success of the main event (Bowdin, 2010). It will be effective since it provides good exposure, it motivates the contestants, encourages promoters, enlightens the staff, and it does attract more customers. However, creativity is required to provide good public relations to ensure that the event becomes successful.

Relation marketing strategies used on external stakeholders and its effectiveness

Relations marketing strategies should ensure that external stakeholders are informed concerning events (Ledingham and Bruning, 2001). First, the marketing relations should set up a forum that will allow community and media representatives to give their views pertaining to the upcoming event.

The hosting community determines the security level of the place where the event is occurring. For this reason, the relations marketing should ensure that the community is treated with dignity and respect (Marconi, 2004). Secondly, community members should be assured that the event would not violate their norms or interfere with their way of life.

Thirdly, marketing relations has to ensure that the community and the media are rewarded for participating in the event and giving the event organizer a positive image (Smith, 2011). The event organizer should understand that all the stakeholders including the hosting community and the media can make this event successful (Hougaard and Bjerre2003).

Relation marketing should also appreciate the community and the social media for their support in the past; this will help them understand that the company recognizes their role and appreciates their effort (Brown, 2009).

The media is responsible in promoting the event and the image of the company to the outside world and hence, the marketing relations department must ensure that the media is informed about the progress of the event from planning stages to the final detail.

Additionally, the company should create a blog where it can communicate to the community and get instant feedback concerning the upcoming event. Alternatively, event organizer should promote community projects as a social corporate responsibility to bring the hosting community and event organizers closer creating good image and trust (Egan, 2008).

Creating good communication between the event organizers, hosting community, and social media will ensure that the company meets the expectations of the stakeholders. When the community feels appreciated, they will support this event and many others because community members have earned trust; this will contribute to success of the event (Peck, 2001).

Generally, everyone likes to be appreciated and valued by the people they interact with. For instance, a media group that has supported the company before will be positive about this event because the company has rewarded them for their loyalty. This will ensure that, they will give the Miss Universe beauty pageant more media coverage (Egan, 2008).

Conclusion and recommendations

Managing relations with the media is so much inclined on public relations than relation marketing. For a long time public relations has been looked as synonymous with the media and this is not true.

Public relations maintains positive image of the company to the public. Public relation officers use the social media and press release to communicate to the public. Therefore, public relations department must establish a positive relationship with the media; this is important to prevent any negative communication from the media (McKee and Dave, 2010).

Communication is an important aspect in promoting event industry. To ensure that communication is effective, public relation and relation marketing should focus on exposing events online.

Social networks can play a major role in this area. Organizers can communicate about Miss Universe event through face book and twitter because majority people are using these social networks. This way, it will attract more participants and encourage customers.

To ensure that the event industry becomes successful in the future, organization should develop good relationship with the media because the social media plays a big role in public relations. Therefore, organization should always ensure that they relate well with media because they are also stakeholders (Poster, 1995).

Alternatively, organization should also consider promoting special events. The company can opt to promote any event at the community level with an aim of promoting charity work. Through this way, the community will developed trust towards the organization (Harrison and John, 1996)

The company should develop a good relationship with their clients. Relation marketing department should create avenues that will enable the company to understand the changing needs of their customers (Egan, 2008). Customer relationship can also be improved by providing the clients with good experiences at all times. Engaging the customers by getting their opinion will enable the customers to feel appreciated and valued.

Reference List

Bernays, L., 2004. Public Relations. Cleveland: Kessinger Pub Co.

Bowdin, G., 2010. Event management. London. Rutledge.

Breakenridge, D., 2008. New media, New tools, New audiences. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Brown, R., 2009. Public Relations and the Social Web. London: Kogan Page.

Egan, J., 2008. Relationship Marketing: Exploring Relational Strategies in Marketing. New Jersey. Financial Times Prentice Hall.

Harrison, J. and John, C., 1996. Managing and partnering with external stakeholders. Academy of Management Executive, 10 (2), pp. 48-60.

Hougaard, S. and Bjerre, S., 2003. Strategic relationship marketing. New York. Springer.

Johnston, J. and Zawawi. C., 2009. Public Relations: Theory and Practice. Sidney: Allen & Unwin.

Ledingham, A. and Bruning, S., 2001. Public Relations as Relationship Management: A Relational Approach to the Study and Practice of Public Relations. London: Routledge.

Mackey, S., 2003. Changing vistas in public relations theory. Web.

Marconi, J., 2004. Public Relations: The Complete Guide. New York: Thomson Learning.

McKee, J. and Dave. E., 2010. Social Media Marketing: The next generation of Business Engagement. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Miss Universe Organization, 2011. Miss Universe. Web.

Morgan, R. and Hunt, S., 1994. The Commitment-Trust theory of relation marketing. The Journal of Marketing, 58 (3), pp. 20-38.

Peck, H., 2001.Towards a framework of relationship marketing: a case study approach. Cranfield: Cranfield University Press.

Poster, M., 1995. The Second media age. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Smith, R., 2004. Strategic planning for public relations. London: Routledge.

Smith, M., 2011. The New Relationship Marketing: How to Build a Large, Loyal, Profitable network. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Turney, M., 1998. Asymmetric v. symmetric public relations. Web.

Wilcox, L. and Cameron, T., 2011. Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics. Ottawa: Pearson education.

Introduction

Communication is universally recognized as the cornerstone of all relationships. As such, effective communication is deemed as a necessity for the success of all organization. For an organization that deals with the public, the probability of achieving effective communication, and therefore reaching organizational goals and objectives, is significantly increased by engaging in public relations.

Public relations is defined as the process of coming up with and managing a strategic communication relationship with a certain target audience. For public relations to be most effective, it is necessary to plan in advance. This plan, which showcases the strategies and tactics to be used to achieve set goals, is of great importance. This is because communication strategy, which is a combination of various communication tools, assists in reaching the intended targets.

Statement of the Problem

Regent’s College is a London Based institute offering a wide range of programs with an international focus. Although the college boasts of a strong history and has attractive features to offer, it still has low student enrolment rates. Presently, the school has approximately 4,000 students who are from over 130 countries.

The school is also perceived as a small private college by the general population. This perception of Regent’s College as nothing more than a small private college, has resulted in declining enrollment and a diminishing reputation for the institute.

Regent’s College is not viewed as one of the giant educational institutes in the country. Its popularity is no where near that of the major public universities such as Oxford or Cambridge. As such, there is the possible risk of the College being referenced as a “small private college” in the news clippings. Regent’s College aims to offset this image and present itself as one of London’s education powerhouses

Situation Analysis

Despite its low visibility, Regent’s College has a lot to offer, and if its public image is improved, the college can spring to new heights. The current strengths of the college at the present are as follows:

• Educational Programs

Regent’s College comprises of 7 specialist schools which comprise of: “European Business School London, Regent’s Business School London, Regent’s American College, Webster Graduate School London, London School of Film, Media & Performance, School of Psychotherapy & Counseling Psychology and Internexus English Language School”. The College offers both British and American degree programmes and has an active student exchange programmes.

• Location Advantage

Due to its positioning at the center of London’s Regent’s Park, the college is accessible from all parts of the capital therefore making it very convenient for students. The college also has scenic views and offers first class conference facilities. The attractive meeting rooms are complemented by the perfect environment with impressive gardens and extensive lawns.

• International Focus

Regent’s College prides itself in its diversity which is evident both from the number of specialist Schools that Regent’s College houses and the diverse citizenry of its student body. As a matter of fact, the institute was founded with the core purpose of providing a study abroad program.

Opportunity Statement

The opportunity that has presented itself to Regent’s College is the imminent visit to the institute by the President of the United States, Barack Obama. The visit by the US president is monumental since it is his first state visit to Britain. President Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech at the College. This speech will attract thousands of people including over 400 members of the news media.

Planning and Programming

A strategy is the specific approach that shall be undertaken to fulfill the goals of the institute. The adoption of a communication strategy is of great importance for Regent’s College for a number of reasons. A strategic public relations program will enable the school to achieve its goals and objectives. By use of public relations strategies, Regent’s College will be able to emerge from obscurity to high visibility as well as increase its credibility.

Target Audience

An understanding of the major target audience for the Regent’s College is of great importance. This is because it will be necessary for the school to tailor communications to suit the specific needs of the specific audience. The audiences are going to be prioritized into 3 categories. The first category will consist of the primary audience who are the main priority for the program. The second category will consist of secondary audience who are deemed as important. The third category will consist of marginal audience who are seen to be of some value.

• Primary Audience

Potential students to the institute will be among the primary Audience. By reaching this group, the college will grow as a result of increased enrollment. This will result in higher revenue for the college therefore enabling it to improve its facilities even further and expand.

The other primary target audience for the program is current students of Regent’s college. The reason for targeting this group is to help increase retention rates as well as maintain a relationship that will extend even after the students have become alumni. The current students are an important facet to the institute since they are responsible for the growth and development of the institute.

Parents will be among the primary audience for the program. This is because parents are mostly the ones who finance the education of their children and as such, they have a huge say in the selection of the school for their children.

• Secondary Audience

The education “industry” will also be included in the Secondary audience category. The members of the education industry consist of teachers to high schools as well as lecturers in institutes of higher learning. This audience is important since the college want to gain peer recognition.

• Marginal Audience

Industry associations will be in the Marginal categories. These people are important since they can help in networking as well as providing opportunities for faculty members.

Obtaining of data regarding the views of the key target audience before the event will be necessary to assist quantify the success of the program later on.

Key Messages

It is important to define the communication objects for this will form the basis of the plan. In Regent’s College case, the primary objective is to increase the visibility of the school to the public, as well as raise the profile of the institute. This plan recognizes that the message aimed at the audience is the core product of the program. With this in mind, a lot of time and effort shall be invested in crafting a powerful message. Specifically, an audience-centric approach shall be adopted when coming up with the message.

It will be crucial to imbed relevant and consistent key messages in Regent’s College’s communications. In particular, the key things that the college wants the key target audience (potential students and media) to remember will have to be articulated.

Primary Messages:

• Regent’s College is a First Class International college
• Regent’s College is committed to enriching the lives of the students by offering them with quality education with specific emphasis on development of special skills
• Regent’s College courses are structured with development of student’s skills and employability at the core.
• Regent’s College has a strong research orientation and the college organizes conferences and seminar series which attract a number of scholars with common interest.

Secondary Message

• Regent’s College boasts of tranquil surroundings which are ideal for education
• Regent’s College offers bursaries every year for deserving undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Regent has unique facilities including an intra network with new technology infrastructure.

Implementation

Goal 1: Increase the visibility of Regent’s College through the use of the Mass Media

Strategy: Engage in an aggressive publicity campaign

Tactic: Develop a media contact list from the huge pull of media personalities who will be in attendance for the president’s speech.

Tactic: Create a number of written pieces that will be assembled into a press kit and issued out during Obama’s Visit. This press kit will include:

• A brief but articulate background of Regent’s College
• Biography of Regent’s Principal, Professor Aldwyn Cooper and other renowned members of staff.
• Pitch letter emphasizing on Regent’s College International reach.
• Distribute brochures containing images of the scenic views of the Regent’s Park to showcase the conducive learning environment present at the school

Tactic: Actively share information on the achievements of the school in the past 5 years.

Strategy: Update the media personalities on the College’s Current programs and future plans

Tactic: Hold an on-campus breakfast for the media personalities who will be covering the event with the school’s principal presiding over the event.

Tactic: Issue out press kit and establish a long term working relationship between the schools PR officers and members of the media.

Strategy: Pursue broader media exposure

Tactic: Issue brochure highlighting Regent’s College’s international studentship as well as the broad curriculum offered by the school

Tactic:

Goal 2: Brand recognition for Regent’s College as a provider of quality education.

Strategy: Capitalize on the past successes of the school by publicizing them.

Tactic: Obtain testimonials on the school’s website from leading personalities in finance, government, commerce and the arts who have studied at Regent’s College

Tactic: Make use of the star alumni that Regent’s College boasts of. In particular, get TV Chef Anjum Anand and European head of Marketing for Apple, Stephanie Vidal who are alumni of the school to give brief interviews stressing on the role that the school played in propelling their careers.

Strategy: Establish Regent’s College as home to credible tutors

Tactic: Establish the school’s Principal and chief executive, Professor Aldwyn Cooper as an expert in the industry.

Tactic: Highlight Professor Cooper’s Credentials including his Fellowship at Stanford and Berkeley to the media

Tactic: Submit regular opinion pieces by the principal to newspaper editorials and be highly responsive to higher education issues in the country pitching Professor Cooper as an expert.

Tactic: Make Regent’s College Principal and the heads of the respective schools visible at industry levels therefore propelling the schools status.

Tactic: On a continuous basis, host conferences and seminars and participate in discussions on current research themes. Also increase publications in relevant journals and publications.

Goal 3: Establish a link between Regent’s College and the public

Strategy: Establish that Regent’s College is in touch with the community and its concerns

Tactic: Demonstrate the school’s environmental consciousness by highlighting that the college was recipient to the Green 500 Award in 2010 for its commitment to a sustainable environment.

Tactic: Regent’s College is committed to ensuring deserving undergraduate and postgraduate students can progress with education despite financial hardships through its bursary programs.

Evaluating the Program

There have to be specific and measurable goals and objectives so as to underscore the effectiveness of the public relations plan. These measurable entities will help tell if the program achieved what it hoped to. Defining metrics both for tracking and evaluating outcome is important to enable one to access the measure of success achieved by the PR plan.

Communications outputs are the short-time or immediate results of the PR plan are the first measure that shall be used to gauge success. These outputs will represent results that are apparent to everyone and will include how well Reagent’s college presented itself to the public.

Since this is a media relations effort, the output will be measured in the number of stories concerning Reagent’s College that appear in the media. If there are a significant number of articles and stories in the media, the outputs measure will be favorable. This is because many stories imply that a higher number of people will have been exposed to the story. The institute will therefore have received a fair amount of exposure.

However, the total number of “impressions” will not be the only measure of output. Media content which is the overall content that appeared in the media will have to be analyzed. In this case, favorable content will include a positive and in-depth look at Regent’s college as an educational institute of choice.

An even more important measure of success will be the measure of communications outtakes and outcomes. Outcomes are the measure of whether the target audience which the PR plan aimed to reach actually received the message and understood it as intended.

Outcomes measure whether the communication efforts resulted in favorable response. In this case, a favorable response will include the change in opinion and attitude about Regent’s College. The current view of the college is as a ’small private college’. A successful program will overturn this opinion resulting in people thinking of the institute as a “One of the Leading Educational Institutes in London”.

A behavioral change on the targeted audience would include increased inquiries about the college’s programs as well as a higher enrollment level. Research techniques such as quantitative surveys will be used to measure communications outcomes. Surveys that will be used include face to face, via e-mail and in malls. These surveys will help measure changes in attitudes towards the school.

Findings Report

The final step shall be an elaborate report on the findings of the entire project. This is a vital step in communications planning since it will contribute to future improvements. In case mistakes are made, this report shall ensure that future projects do no suffer from the same. The Best Practices and lessons obtained from this plan shall be applied to future activities that may be undertaken by the PR department.

Situation Analysis

Background Information

The state government of Australia is proposing to construct desalination plant a hundred kilometers South West of the state capital of Melville. Desalination plant is meant to convert sea water into drinking water. Reason behind this government proposal is to find a solution to water shortage to the people living in Harbour town, Melville, and its neighborhoods. The government needs a large track of land to do this, opting to go for the farming and bush-land situated to the coastal region and which also happens to be the countrys top tourist attraction site (Hannan, & Wallace, 2007).

This proposal is at first welcome by Harbour Town Rural Council on the ground that it would establish job opportunities and bring publicity to the region in the course of its construction. Unfortunately, this did not go well with local community who rejects the proposal for fear that it will interfere with their booming tourism site, given that the sea views are the main target for the project. Local community also argues that construction of desolation plant will further pose a big threat to both the marine and wildlife creatures which may consequently reflect on their residential property values. Additionally, this proposal appears to have been weakened in terms of support after heavy rains came and levels of water reservoir rose again (Hannan, & Wallace, 2007).

The Horbour Town Rural Council is compelled to lobby state government to consider minimizing possible effects that construction of desalination plant would have on regional environment and the local community. State government insists on construction of this plant, with an aim of providing adequate water supply to residents. The state, however, takes into account concerns raised by Harbour Town Rural Council on reducing possible environmental effects and negative impacts on local community. Minimizing the effects on environment, sea views and local residents include maintenance and protection of wildlife habitat and marine parks (Department of Planning and Community Development, 2010).

In support of the local community is a newly established action group known as Green Gift. Green Gift activists are engaged in lobbying state government, media and local residents regarding environmental issues. This group is in support of sufficient water supply in the region, but is sternly against any project that is seemingly hazardous to environment (Hannan, & Wallace, 2007).

Research Methodology

Using a quantitative research method, this campaign will be seeking answers to questions such as how is state government proposal construed by the local community and the environmental activists i.e. Green Gift group; why are the locals against or in support of the plan; what are the issues in conflict between the locals and the council, the green Gift and the council, the locals and the Green gift group, and lastly, are there certain issues that are of common interest to all?

A quantitative research is concerned with quantities. It involves interviews, data sampling and use of questionnaires as some of the most utilized tools in this research methodology. In this scenario, the publics to be interviewed will include local residents and the Green Gift Group. Two different sets of questionnaires will be served to both publics, that is, the Green Gift group and local residents who will have to respond to specific questions. The following table gives an outline of interview questions.

This survey will involve about 50 respondents from the local community and one representative from the Green gift group. The interview questions will be in the form of questionnaires, phone calls, online survey, and/or discussions.

Problem/Opportunity Statement

With regard to SWOT analysis discussed by Wilcox, and Cameron, (2009) among other researchers, we can identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that Harbour Town Rural Council will come to terms with in its endeavor to achieve certain goals. The council enjoys full support of government, as it proposes construction of the plant. This, however, places it in a difficult situation of having to convince both the locals and the Green Gift groups that all will be well in spite of prevailing conflicting circumstances.

The Green Gift Groups is potentially influential over the local community as the two share common interests. This makes Green Group to be a big threat to the council in executing its PR campaigns. The opportunity that the council has lies in common interests it shares with the Green Gift Group and the locals.For instance, agreeing to protect the environment by preserving wildlife and marine creatures.

The problem is therefore concentrated between the council and local community. The local community feels that if state government goes ahead with its proposal, they will incur losses more than the promised benefits. The council is on the other hand for the idea that with the desalination plant coming into place, there will be job opportunism, the problem of drought would have been resolved and other development opportunities will be available.

Objectives

The objective of Harbour Town Rural Council is to convince the local community and the Green Gift Group that within a period of three months after construction of desalination plant, there will be increased job opportunities to the local residents; there will be enhance development of public facilities, and there will be sufficient supply of fresh drinking water. The objectives of the council thus include.

1. To ensure there is sufficient drinking water in future
2. To create more job opportunities for local residents and its regional areas
3. To pave ways for development of public facilities in the region i.e. roads

Creation of job opportunities will act as source of income in the vent that construction of desalination plant interferes with the residential property values. The council will be enforcing for construction of high technology plant that will provide sufficient drinking water to the locals and its neighboring regions to prevent recurrent of drought in future. Because the locals have a feeling the project will interfere with the wildlife and marine creatures, farming lands and tourist attraction sites, the council has put in place measures that will ensure protection and preservation of environment, especially the wildlife and marine species. Besides sufficient drinking water and job opportunities, the council is also assured of development of public facilities within the region i.e. roads.

Target Publics

Before the Council can achieve its stipulated objectives, it will be targeting two main publics. Target publics in this context are those who are against construction of the desalination plant proposed by state government and initially supported by Harbour Town Rural Council. These target publics are the local residents and the Green-Gift group.

There is likely to be a big challenge in lobbying Green-Gift activists, as they are also active in lobbying media, local community and state government at the same time, making them to be construed as potential force of resistance against the proposal. The Green Gift Group is likely to be constituted with individuals who are well educated, and have experience in environmental issues.

The local community on the other hand is composed of individuals of various kinds, some are educated, others are illiterate, they are however adults with sound minds and therefore they know what they want. Achievement of objectives mentioned will require the council to engage itself in communication with both the locals and the Green Gift environmental activists.

Best ways to communicate between the Harbour Town Rural Council and the local community will be through lobbying, public presentations, conferences and public events, holding discussions at grassroots levels, and use of media i.e. radio and television. Appropriate ways to communicate between the Council and the Green Gift Group will include all the above stated in addition to telephone conversations, newsletters, and brochures.

Persuasive Strategy

Strategy

In endeavor to persuade local residents and Green Gift Group that development of desalination plant will bring more benefits, the council will first deal with concerns raised by the Green Gift group that is, solving environmental issues. The Green-Gift environmental activists argue that construction of desalination plant at the coastal region will be a big threat to both wildlife and marine creatures and will hamper regional tourism views. These happen to be the same assumptions held by local residents, making Green Gift group to be on the upper hand in stifling with execution of the project and possibly manipulating views of the locals. The Council presents them with logical and highly convincing benefits to supersede the shortcomings already clouding the minds of both activists and locals.

As long as the environment is not badly affected by this project, the Green Gift activists will have no reasonable grounds to reject it, and they will likely stop lobbying the media, state government and local community to be on their side. This is going to make things easier for the Council to lobby locals, gain full support of media, state government and the activist group

Key Messages

When the plant is established, there will be constant and sufficient supply of clean water, job opportunities will be available, development of public facilities will take place and environmental concerns will still be taken care of. On the other hand, if the project is rejected all together, there may still be a dire shortage of water supply in future; there will be no new job opportunities available to local residents, no development of new public facilities such as roads.

Tactics

The tactics to be used in communication and deliverance of key messages will include public presentations, conferences and public events, holding discussions at grassroots levels, and media releases for communication between the Council and the local community. Appropriate ways to communicate between the Council and the Green Gift Group will include all the above stated in addition to telephone conversations, newsletters, and brochures.

Calendar-The Gantt chart

The campaign is scheduled to run for three Months within which the mentioned objectives aught to be achieved. As Keith (2011) posits, timescale is crucial in Public Relations Campaign as it allows for coordination of tactics and presents clear awareness of deadlines to be met. The three Months campaign would be best done during dry seasons when there is minimal rainfall and demand for clean water.For instance, if the months between April and June are characterized by low rainfall, the campaigns will be conducted within these months.

In the first Month of campaign, the Council will be involved in public events, conferences presentations, discussions, and intensive lobbying and involving both the locals and the Green Gifts. In the second month of campaigns, there events of previous Moths will continue but not as intense as in the first month. There will also be use of newsletters, brochures and media releases. The campaign will finalize in the third Month where it will concentrate on media release to continue reach out for the target publics. The table below depicts the occurrence of events per month within a span of three months.

Reduction in the number of tactics used will be directly propos anal to the cost per Month. The cost is meant to reduce monthly as the campaigns proceeds with lesser tactics used. There will be heavy expenditure in the first Month, the expense will reduce in the second Month and it will be lowest in the last Month of campaign where only Media releases will be used.

Evaluation

Here, we will be assessing whether our objectives have been achieved or not. To evaluate whether there are job opportunity created as a result of constructing the high-tech water plant, a survey involving approximately 50 respondents from the local community will be conducted. The survey will also help in assessing whether the desalination plant served the purpose for which it was intended, that is, supplying drinking water to all the local residents and its neighborhood. Other objectives such as establishment of new public facilities and environmental conservation will be assessed through an audit plan.

References

Department of Planning and Community Development, (2010). “Victorian Desalination Project”. Victorian Government. Web.

Hannan, E, & Wallace, R, (2007). Desalination plant caught in middle. The Australian Online Newspaper. Web.

Johnston, J & Zawawi, C., (2004). “Public relations: theory and practice”. 2nd Edition. Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW.

Keith, H., (2011). “Public Relations Theory and Practice”: The Public Relations Industry Background. Deakin University of Australia. Geelong, Victoria 3217. Web.

Stephen, D., (2011). “The 12- Steps to successful Public Relations Campaign”. Web.

Tompkins, J. (2005). “Organization Theory and Public Management“. Thompson Wadsworth. ISBN 978-0-534-17468-2.

Wilcox, DL., & Cameron, GT., (2009). Public relations: strategies and tactics, 9th Edition. Pearson Education, Boston, Massachusetts.

In a global economy it is important for an organisation to manage the flow of information in order to keep stake holders updated at all times.¹ In the case of a publicly traded company there is no excuse in keeping customers and shareholders in the dark in times of crisis.²

Yet, even multinational companies that have mastered the art of public relations, they can still be criticised for using public relations solely for reputation management. Although many companies are aware of the power of public relations to alter public perception it is erroneous to say that it is only useful for reputation management.

A Critical View of Pubic Relations

On April 20, 2010 a methane gas escaped several metres deep from a BP oil rig off the Gulf of Mexico and caused an explosion that killed eleven people and dumped millions of gallons of crude oil into the sea.³

One can just imagine the impact to the environment, the coastal communities, and thousands of people who depended on natural resources for their livelihood. BP oil’s public relations team had to work round the clock to disseminate information, answer questions and win the hearts and minds of the people closest to the site of the accident.

In the aftermath of the disaster stake holders had to re-evaluate the way they perceive the company. Public relations officers have a crucial role to play immediately after the explosion, in the battle to stop the flow of oil and in the clean-up operations that has to be done afterwards.

A public relations team has to work hard to deal with the problem even after the incident fades away from the consciousness of the general public. It is imperative for the public relations team to do their work but there are those who will always view them in a negative light.

According to experts in the field of PR work, “the term ‘public relations’ is often either misunderstood or deliberately misinterpreted, so that it is used in a pejorative way, associating it with propaganda, ‘economy of truth’ or evasion.”⁴

This negative view of public relations is the result of decades of PR manoeuvring that has the masses reeling from the brazen cover-ups and manipulation of half-truths initiated by erring companies and unscrupulous individuals desperate to silence their critics.

“There are some individuals, often highly placed in industry, who expect public relations to be used as a tool for whitewashing reputations, or for covering up acts of ineptitude or dishonesty.”⁵

As a result it is easy for people to be cynical every time a company announces an upcoming activity that seems to appear as an obligatory act to spruce up the company’s image and not because it is to give back to the community and help those who are in need.⁶

The same reaction was observed when the IBM Corporation launched their Corporate Service Corps (“CSC”) and tapped the company’s public relations officer to release the following statement: “IBM wanted to market itself as a company that people and society could trust.”⁷

The purpose of the CSC is to select and train IBM’s best crop of corporate leaders and send them to Third World countries to serve as resource personnel working in conjunction with partner agencies. IBM can do whatever it wants when it comes to maximising the company’s resources but the last statement given by their communications officer can be easily misconstrued as nothing more than a PR scheme.

Cynicism of this kind is expected considering the increased awareness when it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility and the pressure to give back to the community is now part of corporate policy.⁸ It seems that the public wanted a more genuine response to the needs of the community and not just a PR stunt designed to enhance the company’s image.⁹

Although it can be said that companies use public relations to its advantage it is erroneous to say that public relations strategies are all about reputation management.

Public Relations is not Reputation Management

A competent public relations officer is not only concern about his or her company’s reputation but also on “the identification and analysis of the impact of events, issues, new developments, competitor activity and policy changes on the public perception of the organisation’s business, goals or reputation.”¹⁰

Another way to look at it is the use of public relations work as a means of anticipating problems when it comes to how the public perceives the company.¹¹ Thus, the company cannot be accused of manipulating half-truths but proactive in telling stake holders and shareholders about the truth regarding an issue or problem.

In theory, firms are supposed to be proactive and always thinking of ways on how to avoid situations where the company’s image becomes unattractive to investors and customers.¹²

But most of the time a well-conceived public relations strategy is a knee-jerk response to a crisis and aptly described by one commentator who wrote that it is a mere “…product of turbulent criticisms and the changes that an angry public seek to impose on business policies and practices.”¹³

In reality consumers are dissatisfied with how firms deal with their complaints and how corporations are oblivious to the simmering discontent felt by many.

The correct attitude as suggested by Ronald Smith is to, “…anticipate emerging issues and respond to them before they get out of hand.”¹⁴ Smith adds that any organization willing to practice correct “issues management” must be prepared for potential change.

Public Relations is all about Communication

The company has to keep providing information. If the public relations officer is not doing his work then critics will do it for him. A good example of being one step ahead of negative press is to anticipate the needs of the public and assure them that the company is being responsible and not neglecting its duty to provide high-quality products and services.¹⁵

One example is the superb handling of the salmonella problem encountered by Nippy Juice an Australian-based company. In 1999 it was embroiled in a scandal where at least 400 hundred people purchased and consumed Nippy’s juice that was contaminated with salmonella. The company agreed to pay 400 hundred people around two to four thousand dollars each.

The payment was just the tip of the iceberg in the whole strategy to combat the scandal and it was revealed by their lawyer Peter Humphries who said: “Well I don’t know that they were asking for anything in particular other than to be fairly compensated, and it lines up pretty well with a settlement scheme involving Kraft Food, who had some salmonella claims rising out of peanut butter two or three years ago.

And this is comparable to that.”¹⁶ This was a good move on behalf of the company.Corporate leaders work closely with public relations officers not only to save the company image but also to coordinate an appropriate response in the event of a crisis. Another example of how teamwork with public relations officers can avert a potential disaster can be observed in how Johnson & Johnson dealt with their Tylenol problem.

According to one report “In September of 1982 there were several people that died from the use of Tylenol capsules that were laced with cyanide.”¹⁷ A closer look at this case reveals that this is a work an unknown person who deliberately opened the capsules and mixed the said poisonous substance with the drug. Therefore Johnson & Johnson was actually blameless with the death of seven people.¹⁸

Just like Nippy’s Juice, Johnson & Johnson decided to become proactive in dealing with the problem at hand. The first thing that they did was to issue a recall of all Tylenol capsules at a cost of $100 million.¹⁹

What is more amazing though is that looking back there was probably no threat in other cities and that it was only an isolated case.²⁰ Johnson & Johnson did not stop there, they quickly offered to exchange capsules with tablets.

Then they went one step further and two months later, “…Tylenol was reintroduced in triple-sealed, tamper-resistant packaging.”²¹ In short Johnson & Johnson was able to turn disaster into a marketing campaign for a much improved product.

Nippy’s Juice and Johnson & Johnson could not have turned around a major crisis into something that benefited the company in the long run without the help of public relations officers.

It is time to acknowledge the importance of public relations. According to seasoned veterans in the field of PR work, “Public relations is a complex profession… it is also a powerful one that is growing and, to an extent, gaining respect throughout the world today.”²² It must not be limited to reputation management.

Conclusion

A public relations officer must be adept when it comes to developing short and long-term communication plans.²³ A public relations officer must respond to emerging issues and at the same time respond to enquiries from customers, constituents or investors.²⁴

In other words public relations is a constant flow of information created for the general public as well as for stake holders desiring to be updated with regards to a company that they care about deeply or an organisation that has the potential to change their lives in the most profound way.

A public relations officer must not only be skilled when it comes to the above-mentioned competencies but also has a passion to do what is right and to accomplish it in the most excellent manner. Finally, public relations must not be limited to reputation management.

Bibliography

ABC Rural News Australia. “Orange Juice Class Action”. ABC News. 2001. Web.

Allen, Nick. “BP Oil Disaster: How a deadly methane bubble triggered explosion.” BBC News. 2010. Web.

Baum, Neil. Take Charge of Your Medical Practice. MD: Aspen Publishers, 2002.

Bivins, Thomas. Handbook for Public Relations Writing: The Essentials of Style and Format. IL: NTC Business Books, 1999.

Crowther, David & Lez Rayman-Bacchus. Perspective on Corporate Social Responsibility. UK: Ashgate Publishing, 2004.

Dobsonia, A. & Valencia, A. Citizenship, Environment, Economy. UK: Routledge, 2005.

Domini, A. Socially Responsible Investing: Making a Difference and Making Money. IL: Dearborn Trade Books, 2001.

Harrington, J. Investing With Your Conscience: How to Achieve High Returns Using Socially Responsible Investing. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1992.

Heath, Robert. Strategic Issues Management: Organizations and Public Policy Challenges. UK: Sage Publications, Ltd., 1997.

Henslowe, Philip. Public Relations: A Practical Guide to the Basics. UK: Kogan Page, 2003.

Kotler, Philip & Nancy Lee. Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing the Most Good for your Company and your Cause. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005.

Marquis, C. & R. Kanter. IBM: The Corporate Service Corps. MA: Harvard Business School, 2009.

Regester, Michael & Judy Larkin. Risk Issues and Crisis Management: A Casebook of Best Practice. UK: Kogan Page Limited, 2002.

Smith, Ronald. Strategic Planning for Public Relations. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2002.

Warnaby, Gary & Danny Moss. The Role of Public Relations in Organisations. Edited by J. Kitchens. UK: Thomson Business Press, 1997.

Footnotes

1. Gar Warnaby & Danny Moss, The Role of Public Relations in Organisations. Edited by J. Kitchens (UK: Thomson Business Press, 1997), p.7.
2. Thomas Bivins, Handbook for Public Relations Writing: The Essentials of Style and Format (IL: NTC Business Books, 1999), p.77.
3. Nick Allen. “BP Oil Disaster: How a deadly methan bubble triggerred explosion.” BBC News. 2010.
4. Philip Henslowe, Public Relations: A Practical Guide to the Basics (UK: Kogan Page, 2003), p.1.
5. Ibid.
6. Michael Regester & Judy Larkin, Risk Issues and Crisis Management: A Casebook of Best Practice (UK: Kogan Page Limited, 2002), p.5.
7. C. Marquis & R. Kanter, IBM: The Corporate Service Corps (MA: Harvard Business School, 2009), p.8.
8. Philip Kotler & Nancy Lee, Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing the Most Good for your Company and your Cause (New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005), p.27.
9. J. Harrington, Investing With Your Conscience: How to Achieve High Returns Using Socially Responsible Investing (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1992), p.12.
10. Warnaby & Moss, p.7.
11. David Crowther & Lez Rayman-Bacchus, Perspective on Corporate Social Responsibility (UK: Ashgate Publishing, 2004), p.12.
12. A. Dobsonia & A. Valencia, Citizenship, Environment, Economy (UK: Routledge, 2005), p.14.
13. Robert, Heath, Strategic Issues Management: Organizations and Public Policy Challenges (UK: Sage Publications, Ltd., 1997), p.15.
14. Ronald Smith, Strategic Planning for Public Relations (New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2002), p.22.
15. A. Domini, Socially Responsible Investing: Making a Difference and Making Money (IL: Dearborn Trade Books, 2001), p.9.
16. ABC Rural News Australia. “Orange Juice Class Action”. ABC News. 2001.
17. Heath, p.283.
18. Neil Baum, Take Charge of Your Medical Practice (MD: Aspen Publishers, 2002), p.402.
19. Ibid.
20. Heath, p.283.
21. Baum, p.402.
22. Henslowe, p.1
23. Warnaby & Moss, p.7.
24. Ibid.

Introduction

The president of the United States, Barrack Obama is expected to visit Regent College during his first official visit in the United Kingdom. Mr. Obama is among the most respected intellectuals in the world. Regent College is a private Christian institution that offers a wide range of programmes.

This includes certificates, diplomas and degrees (undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate). Despite its excellence and credibility, the institution has not gained a lot popularity locally, nationally and worldwide. Due to this fact, the institution does not have enough students to sustain its facilities and capabilities.

Barrack Obamas visit to the college gives this institution a golden opportunity to raise awareness to the general public about the college to increase the number of students who will enrol in the university. The visit by the American president will be covered by more than 400 local, national and international media houses.

They will therefore be the avenue to use to pass this information to the target audience. The target audience for this project will be students, academicians, parents and the society all around the world. Once this goal has been achieved, the number of student enrolment in the institution is expected to increase due to the high level of recognition that it gained from the media coverage.

However, achieving this goal is not easy. It requires proper planning and excellent execution. The project will therefore follow a four point plan.

This includes the definition of the problem, the definition of the audience, identification of the communication avenues and finally employing the best tactics and strategies to ensure that the project is successful. In the end, an evaluation will be conducted to measure the success of the project.

Definition of the Problem

The success of any project depends on proper identification of the problem¹. Through proper identification and definition of the problem, the factors which need to be worked on are clearly determined and identified.

This will assist in the determination of the strengths and weaknesses of the programme. The project will therefore formulate procedure, guidelines and policies which will work on maximizing the strengths of the project and improving on the weaknesses.

The main problem that Regent College is facing is the low level of publicity that the institution is experiencing. The institution has always been referred to as a small private college in the regional media coverage. It is mainly familiar to the regional societies who also view it as a small college.

This notion has lead them to believe that the college does not have enough competence to meet their educational needs and requirements. As a result therefore, the student turnover at the institution is very low.

The main goal of this project is to raise the awareness of Regent College. Once this goal has been achieved, student turnover in the university is expected to be much higher. To achieve this goal, a lot of considerations have to be put in place. First of all, the target audience has to know what the university is all about.

They should therefore have the information concerning the history of the college, the programmes which are offered by the college, its goals, objectives and achievements and the impact it has created on its students, the surrounding community and in the world. By having this information, the target audience will have a rough idea of what the institution is all about.

Gaining trust from the audience is also another objective which has to be achieved. At this level, the growth and development of this institution mainly depends on the trust gained from the society. Trust can be gained in several ways. The mere fact that Barrack Obama is visiting the institution gives it a lot of trust and credibility.

This is because the institution has gained international recognition and has attracted many big names including the president of the United States. This fact has to be made clear to the audience in the course of the project.

To add on this, the institution should also create a list of alumni who have been successful in their professions. Once this picture has been created, people will have more trust and belief in the institution, a move which will result to an increase in the number of students in the college.

With increased awareness, the number of students is expected to increase. People normally like to be affiliated with success and good reputation. The current status of Regent College has none of these. As a result, the number of students who enrol in the institution have been low as compared to the expectation of the management.

In the course of Obamas visit, the institution should therefore create an impression and atmosphere which will change the attitudes and perceptions of the audience. By the end of the visit and media coverage, people should have increased their confidence and trust towards the institution.

By achieving this, the institution would have improved its reputation to the target audience. It will be more recognised locally, nationally and internationally thus attracting students from far and wide. The expected end result of this progress is the rise in number of student enrolment in the institution to pursue the various programmes which it offers.

The Audience

It is also important to identify the audience which the programme is targeting. This is because the success of this programme depends on a clear understanding of the audience. For the programme to be effective, it has to meet the needs and requirements of the audience.

Therefore, before the commencement of the programme, it is important for the project team to identify the audience, determine their needs and formulate means through which it will meet and satisfy them².

The audience of this programme comprises of individuals from all over the world. This includes prospective students, current students, parents, visitors, alumni friends and partners within the region, nation and the entire world.

These are the stakeholders of their institutions hence their needs and requirements should be met. In doing so, the programme will be successful both in the short run and long run.

Prospective students are those individual who would wish to join the programmes which are offered by the university. Senior students in high schools, students who have just completed their secondary education and academicians are just but a few of the individuals who form this group.

The individuals of this group would want to join an educational institution which offers the best education and has the necessary facilities and equipments to support the available programmes. They would also like to be members of a reputable institution.

This programme will therefore advertise the various programmes which Regent College has, its expertise, facilities and success. Once this group has this information in hand, most of them will definitely join the various courses that are offered by the college.

It is of great importance to also have in mind the current students of various schools and faculties that constitute the college. These students play an important role of sustaining the institution. As a matter of fact, they are the institution.

This project should therefore be used to improve their self esteem and motivation. This can be achieved by assuring them that they are part of a great institution which highly reputable all around the world.

This self actualization will motivate them, make them feel comfortable and motivate them to work even harder to achieve their goals and dreams. This will also improve the academic excellence of the institution and in turn, its reputation will also become better.

The parents and visitors who would have come to the ceremony are also another target group for this initiative. The parents need to be assured that their students members of one of the best institution of higher education in the world. This will satisfy them psychologically and mentally.

The visitors to the institution should also know more about the college. They should be aware of the programmes offered, the facilities available and the success which is affiliated by the institution.

The last group to be captured comprises of alumni, friends and partners. The alumni to the institution would need to know the developments which have occurred since they left the institution. This initiative should also be a forum through which the institution strengthens the bonds it has with its friends and partners.

It will also be a good time for it to get new friends and partners. Friends and partners can assist in improving the education system, research and funding various projects which the institution might be undertaking. These developments will lead to the growth of the institution and more importantly, its reputation.

The audience therefore plays a critical role in ensuring that the college achieves its goals and objectives. That is why this initiative is putting a lot of effort the creation of awareness of Regent College to them.

The audience is the determinate of whether the initiative becomes successful or fails. It is therefore important to understand them, determine their needs and come up with methods of achieving them.

Communication Avenues

Communication is the most critical step of this project. Choosing a poor mode of communication will lead to the failure of the project. In choosing the best avenue to pass information, it is important to analyse the audience which the information is intended to reach.

This project targets students, parents, friends and partners. There are several methods which can be used to pass the Regent College message to them.

The ceremony will be covered by over 400 local and international media houses. This will be the best mode of communication to use to pass information to the audience. Currently in the world, media is the most commonly used and effective means to pass information.

Due to this fact, it has developed a lot of trust and credibility from societies all around the world. Furthermore, it is the fastest and most efficient mode of communication.

To create awareness about Regent College, the media should mention the college name quite often in their stories. They should highlight on the history of the college, its programmes, activities which it is involved in, its strengths, success and its credibility.

The media should therefore be briefed by the college administration before the coverage of the event begins. They should have a clear understanding of the college so that they give out a comprehensive story.

Once this strategy is in place, the name of the institution and its reputation will be transmitted within the region, nationally and internationally. This information will reach thousands of people all around the world.

The college will get a universal approval and people from different corners of the world will be interested in the programmes offered by the college. This will have an end result of an increase in the student numbers that was anticipated by the college executive.

To supplement the media, other subsidiary methods will also be used. The college executive could request the chief guest of the ceremony, Mr. Barrack Obama to give in a good word for the college in his speech. Brochures, newsletters, magazines and other books and journals should also be distributed to the guest during the event.

These materials should contain detailed information of the institution. This move should be viewed as advertising in marketing. By putting all these measures in place, the name and reputation of Regent College will certainly grow.

Strategies and Tactics

For the operation to be effective and efficient, several strategies and tactics have to be followed. To achieve this, the project should follow the basic steps and procedures. It should be simple, measurable, attainable, and reliable and it should have a time limit within which it should be completed. This should be the first step for the approach while designing the project.

Furthermore, the project should have a good management model that clearly states the duties and roles of the various individuals involved in the project. It should incorporate a programme management, portfolio management and project management.

The programme management level should ensure that the project is aligned to the visions, goals and objectives of the institution. This can be achieved by setting clear priorities of the project, factoring in the risks that might be involved and ensuring that the project has good governance.

The portfolio management level is concerned with evaluating the project to ensure that it has a maximum value. It also ensures that there are good communication channels to pass the information to the audience.

The level of project management should ensure that all the requirements of the project are implemented within the stipulated time. The project should also have a desired outcome in terms of quality and should be completed within a certain given time.

Having this approach in place will ensure that the project will be completed in schedule. This will be because the members of the project team will be working under strict conditions of achieving the goals and objectives that have been set by the college executive.

Through the efficient communication channels, each team member will know his/her roles and duties which he has to perform to perfection. This approach will also ensure that there is cooperation among the different units of the project.

It will also enhance teamwork among the project team members. Through working together, it will be easier for the project team to achieve the goals and objectives that have been set by the academic executive.

The success of the project can be determined by several indicators. First, if the number of students who want to enrol in the college increases during the next admission period, then the project was successful. Another indicator of success of the project will be the increase in the reputation and credibility of the project.

This can be measured by conducting a survey by using simple questionnaires. I believe that if every step of this proposal is followed, Regents College will utilize the visit by Barrack Obama to its advantage and gain a lot of publicity locally, nationally and even all around the world.

Conclusion

Regent College has been referred to as a small private college by the media for a considerable length of time. This move has made the college to have a small number of students as compared to its capacity and capabilities. However, this is about to change.

The academic executive of the college are planning to use the visit to the college by President Obama to create awareness to people from all around the world. The visit will be covered by more than 400 media houses. A project has therefore been proposed to utilize this opportunity to increase the awareness of the College.

This project will achieve this goal by decimating information about the institution through the media in the best way possible to capture the hearts of its audience. This will help to improve the popularity of the college changing it from a local college to an international university of academic excellence.

Works Cited

Stoehr, T., Managing e-business projects: 99 key success factors. Springer: New York, 2000.

Toenniges, L. and Patterson, K., Managing Training Projects: Tips, Tools, and Intelligence for Trainers. American Society for Training and Development: New York, 2006.

Footnotes

¹ Thomas Stoehr, Managing e-business projects: 99 key success factors, Springer, New York, 2000, p. 128

² Lisa Toenniges, Karyn Patterson, Managing Training Projects: Tips, Tools, and Intelligence for Trainers, American Society for Training and Development, New York, 2006, p. 4

Company’s Name and Logo

The name of the company is New Startup Company. This is a chain of stores that deals with two sets of consumer goods. There is a segment that deals with consumer goods and the segment that deals with fashion. This is a new name that is supposed to help in reestablishing the brand of the company. The company’s logo will also be changed.

Executive summary of the situation

The case presented in this paper focuses on a company that performed excellently in the past. However, the company no longer performs well in the present time. Several managerial problems or weaknesses are linked to the declining popularity of the company in the market.

The company has lost its stability and is about to be closed. There are declined sales, lower customer turn up and dead stocks. The management of the company has been focusing on how to deal with this unremunerative situation. It is pointed out that the main cause of poor performance of the company is lapses in management. This is seen in a number of business trends, which have been seen in the company for the past few years.

They include regular complaints from customers about the services that they receive from the company, complaints about high prices of goods and services and frequent employee strikes in the company. The company has also been accused of being inactive. This means that it has failed to promote its goods and popularize its services in the market besides shunning corporate social responsibility.

All these issues point to one thing; the failure of the company to embrace public relations in its practices. Therefore, a public relations oriented plan is crafted in this paper. It is aimed at revenging Smarktlinks. In the plan, business objectives, as well as public relations objectives are clearly stated and explained. The strategies of reviving business are outlined and incorporated into public relations programs.

Business Objectives

According to Gaulden & Brown (2007), business objectives are quite critical as they give any company a path to pursue its activities. In this case, business objectives will be structured in such a way that they will guide the management in solving the problems that have led to the collapse of the company.

The main business objective will be to rurn the company back to the performance path. This is the core objective of business improvement. This objective will be attained through the formulation of other minor objectives. Minor objectives help in setting out the operations and strategies which eventually results in the fulfillment of the main objective.

The first objective is to attract customers through the implementation of service quality strategies. This objective was developed based on research outcomes that denoted a high level of dissatisfaction among the customers of the company. Service quality improvement is a broad exercise which will necessitate changes in direct as well as indirect operations. The second business objective is to revert the profit making trend in the company.

The company operates at a loss because it loses its customers. A company can hardly sustain its operations when it is operating at a loss. Losses in a business are eliminated through a combination of efforts. When the efforts are well articulated, they eliminate the threats to the business and help the business to regain its stability and its profit making trend (Gaulden & Brown, 2007).

Creation of competency in the business is another objective for Smarhtlinks. This is the leading path towards the creation of competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is often the end product of the cumulative performance strategies that are applied by the company. It follows that competitive advantage is the final business objective that will be pursued by the company.

In fact, it comes automatic in the sense that when the activities leading to the attainment of the other mentioned objectives are pursued, competitiveness is automatically attained. Pursuing public relations objectives will also help in bringing about competitiveness (Dubois, 1993).

Public Relations Objectives

There is a need to develop comprehensive public relations objectives. These objectives are critical in reviving the image of the company (“Business: The ultimate resource”, 2003). The revitalization of the image of the company will be helpful in attracting customers and improving the performance of the company.

Public relations objectives in a company are often crafted after a deeper look into the demands of a business. Given that the company had been deteriorating, the objectives will focus on renewing the internal business environment which is comprised of the staff and management of the company.

The chief objective of the company is to restore the image of the company in the face of publics. This is further broken down into minor objectives. The first objective of public relations is to better the internal environment of the company. The objective also centers on renewing and bettering the external environment of the company.

The external environment of the company is comprised of customers who are termed as the most valuable assets of a company. This entails the rebuilding of the relationship between the company and its publics. Of key importance, is the relationship between the company and its customers (Morris & Goldsworthy, 2012).

The first objective under this category is to improve the internal environment of the company. The improvement of the relationship between management and staff of a company is often desired. Wrangles had been reported between the staff and management in the company.

Those internal conflicts were one of the cause of poor customer service in the company. The needs of employees are critical to the performance of any organization. Wrangles between employees and managers often resonate from the lack of fulfillment of the needs of employees by management of organizations.

This is explained in many texts that discus organizational behavior. The second objective, which concerns the molding of the internal environment of the company, is to improve learning in the organization. Creating an environment that encourages employees to be innovative is a bold step that will encourage creativity and improve the performance of the company (Stephenson, Mintzer & Stephenson, 2008). Concerning the improvement of the external environment of the company, there are two objectives to be pursued.

The first objective is to increase the rate of development and implementation of corporate social responsibility activities. Corporate social responsibility is a tool that links the company to its external publics. It is argued that most companies perform well in the market, not because of the nature of goods and services that are offered by them, but because of their active implementation of corporate activities.

The second objective is to foster the sense of customer responsibility in the company. Customer centered approaches are desired in different types of business. The main aim of customer centered services is to pull customers towards the company. This in turn, helps the company to understand its customers and consequently offer them appealing services (Stephenson, Mintzer & Stephenson, 2008).

Strategies

Without proper strategies, the company can hardly meet its objectives. Strategies help a company respond to urgent issues. Both long-term and short-term goals are accompanied by strategies. Failure to develop and enforce favorable strategies hinders a company from meeting its goals and objectives (Eigenhuis & Dijk, 2007). For the company, the developed strategies will help realize objectives that are embedded in set goals.

The two sets of objectives, business and public relations, have to work in close relation so as to revive the company. As the person mandated to oversee the revival of the company, I will ensure that there is a strong sense of coordination of activities so as to avoid collusion and confusion which is likely to bring more complications to the company. Each stage of improvement will be marked and will act as a learning point for the company and a bridge for meeting other objectives (Swann, 2010).

The objectives will be addressed according to their urgency. The reconstruction of the internal environment of the company is a critical step in reviving the firm. It will be given the first priority as far as the implementation of the objectives is concerned. A company often grows from internally. Building and encouraging climate in the organization will motivate and encourage employees to work for the betterment of the company.

A stakeholder meeting will be summoned up and all issues that have brought friction between the management and employees will be deliberated upon and sorted out. A solution to the friction will be reached through consensus. This will be followed by the introduction of performance management in the company.

Performance management introduction is meant to raise the level of performance of the company employees by inducing best human resource practices (Swann, 2010).

After the activities geared towards improving the internal environment are implemented, the company will embark on business oriented practices. These practices are supported by the internal environment of the company; mainly staff and the existing operational procedures and practices in the company.

Business practices entail raising of finances to stoke the company. The company has two segments of operation. Reviving all these segments at once will be quite challenging for the company because it does not have sufficient funds to do so. Therefore, it will be logical to start with one segment; in this case, the segment comprising of consumables.

As this segment picks up with the backup of the widely practiced corporate activities, the company will raise money to be used in opening another segment; the fashion segment. Business growth is at most times a logical process that pegs on progressive achievements (Hutchins, 2008).

The targeted point of growth of the company is the period when the two segments of business in the company are run side by side and generate profits for the company. This will ensure stability and the regaining of competitiveness of the company. Strategic changes will be introduced at different stages of the business developmnet depending on the demands which will arise as the business progresses.

According to Sekhar (n.d.), monitoring and evaluation aid in identifying the performance of a business at a given stage. Areas of strength, as well as areas of weakness, are easily identified through monitoring and evaluation outcomes (Brennan & International Institute of Business Analysis, 2009). Through this, the company management will be able to introduce adjustments to the identified areas of weakness.

Failures in business often emanate from the failure of management to keep assessing the progress of the programs that are already running. Weakness may result from inconsistencies which are hard to detect. Such inconsistencies can only be identified through a thorough audit of the company.

Auditing checks into all the details of business performance to determine whether they are efficient or inefficient (Arter, 2003; Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2013). Therefore, both internal and external auditing will be applied in the company in order to help maintain the required track of growth.

Public Relations Programs

According to Stacks (2011), public relations programs are composed of a series of activities that aim at strengthening the relationship between a company and its publics. For a business company, the most critical publics are the customers. Strengthening the relationship between a company and its customers is one sure way of increasing sales for the company (Heath, 2005). Several public relations programs will be run by the company.

There are two main objectives of these programs. The first objective is to increase the awareness of the customers about the company and its products and services. This is a marketing inclined objective. The second objective is to raise the sense of corporate social responsibility in the company.

Corporate social responsibility serves as a promoting tool for the company in the market. Engagement of companies in corporate social activities has multiple benefits for a company. It enhances marketing and advertisement functions and helps interact with its customer. Research shows that companies that embrace corporate social responsibility, end up spending less money on advertising and marketing functions (Weiner, 2006). CSR activities serve these functions. Two main public relations programs will be run by the company.

Promotion of media relations is the nature of public relations functions that will be run by the company. Media relations programs are often extensive. They help communicate with a wide audience from which the customers are derived. Different kinds of media, for instance, the print and the audio-visual, as well as the social media, will be used in passing messages to the publics (Johnston, 2013).

The media will be critical in communicating the company’s brands to the customers. The other reason for the embrace of media relations is that media plays a strategic role in crisis communication. Though the media, the company will quickly pass messages to the publics.

The second form of public relations programs that will be conducted by the firm is the development of internal communication channels. Internal communication channels are critical in establishing the corporate identity of an organization. Proper communication channels will be developed in order to define the flow of information in the company. A proper structure of communication is helpful in the flow of information. It will increase the flow of transactions and speed up decision making even in times of crises (Heath, 2005).

Reference List

Arter, D. R. (2003). Quality audits for improved performance. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: ASQ Quality Press.

Brennan, K., & International Institute of Business Analysis. (2009). A guide to the Business analysis body of knowledge (BABOK guide). Toronto: International Institute of Business Analysis.

Business: The ultimate resource. (2003). Beijing: Citic Publishing House.

Dubois, D. D. (1993). Competency-based performance improvement: A strategy for organizational change. Amherst MA: HRD Press.

Eigenhuis, A., & Dijk, R. (2007). High performance business strategy: Inspiring success through effective human resource management. London [u.a.: Kogan Page.

Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2013). Business ethics: Ethical decision making and cases. Mason, OH: South-Western/Cengage Learning.

Gaulden, D. E., & Brown, S. Y. (2007). Right makes might: Reviving ethics to improve your business. Austin, Tex: Bridgeway Books.

Heath, R. L. (2005). Encyclopedia of public relations: 1. Thousand Oaks, Ca. [u.a.: Sage.

Hutchins, D. C. (2008). Hoshin Kanri: The strategic approach to continuous improvement. Aldershot, England: Gower.

Johnston, J. (2013). Media relations: Issues and strategies. Crows Nest, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin.

Morris, T., & Goldsworthy, S. (2012). PR today: The authoritative guide to public relations. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

Sekhar, G. V. S. (n.d.). Business policy and strategic management. S.l.: I K International Publi.

Stacks, D. W. (2011). Primer of public relations research. New York: Guilford Press.

Stephenson, J., Mintzer, R., & Stephenson, J. (2008). Ultimate homebased business handbook: How to start, run and grow your own profitable business. Irvine, Calif.: Entrepreneur Press.

Swann, P. (2010). Cases in Public Relations Management. New York: Rouledge.

Weiner, M. (2006). Unleashing the power of PR: A contrarian’s guide to marketing and communication. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Situational analysis or introduction

A good relationship must be built between the Wind Future and its publics. Wind Future is planning to build a wind farm to help in the generation of electricity. In conducting this exercise, they will use modern technology and they intend the farm to meet world standards. However, the key problem is that they want to build the structure along the sea near a resort. This is a public place in will elicit a lot of reactions and protests from the relevant stakeholders.

The project comes at a time when there is intensive pressure on firms and industries to drastically cut down their carbon emissions and to develop sustainable and environmentally sensitive firms. Wind Future has done thorough research into the viability and practicality of the project and they have completed environmental studies on its location. Therefore, they anticipate that the energy produced by the turbines will be substantial and clean enough to power 10,000 homes.

The projects viability is enhanced further by the support that it has received from the government. Relevant government organs have approved the project because its policies are attractive and are geared towards advancing environmental causes, such as clean power. The main challenge comes from its skepticism of the impact on the local environment and its publics who are the community. The project is positive in that it is likely to reduce unemployment through job creation; it will generate publicity for the location and it will lead to rapid industrial growth (Grunig & Hunt 2004).

Despite the underlying benefits of the project, the local residents are outraged since they consider that it is likely to interfere with their tourism activities and will likely have an impact on biodiversity. This necessitates a public relations plan to enable the operations of WindFuture to proceed in a tranquil environment. The Windy City Council cannot stop the establishment of the Wind Future project but must assure the local community that it is taking proper care of its affairs.

Objectives of the Public Relations Exercise

Public Relations strategies should be implemented to ensure the effectiveness and productivity of the company’s work and to highlight changes made to enhance its image (Lindsay 2004, p. 155). In support of Windy City Council marketing objectives and community relations, the following objectives of its PR plans are:

1. To increase the council’s recognition and credibility. Wind Future needs to be accepted by the community for it to operate smoothly. Through PR, it is likely to advertise itself to be recognised by the community and use media to attain credibility as people read about the company in the relevant media (Fitch 2004).
2. Quality prospects of the council are likely to be attained through substantial media coverage. When credibility is attained, society believes in the council and its operations since their impression is positive (Grunig & Hunt 2004).
3. Enough publicity makes an organizations more efficient than any one of the major players in the market. This enhances the council as well as the firm’s competitive advantage when compared to other firms operating in the same industry (Fitch 2004).
4. Successful public relations help a firm develop aspects of competition other than price. It is worth noting that the media is a powerful tool in building good public relations. Through media coverage, the public knows the issues at hand (Bridges & Nelson 2000, p. 102), and the firm’s products and hence will not mind the prices charged.
5. Good public relations save on the marketing budget and hence are a saving on the cost of the council’s operations. This is because news coverage is not normally paid for, therefore, the cost of a good PR program is much less than for media.
6. A good PR plan is one of the best ways to introduce a new product to the market. When a product or a brand is new, the media will find it fascinating as a news item and hence give it airtime (Fitch 2004). The Windy City Council also has the objective of restoring public confidence in the operations of WindFuture within its locality. They also intended to enlighten the community on the likely benefits they will receive from the project. Through the PR program, the Windy City Council will gain credibility and integrity, WindFuture also benefits by introducing its products, attracting a labor force, attaining a tranquil operating environment and generally achieving success in its operations (Cutlip, Center, Broom 2005).

Target publics

1. Local community The target audience in the PR exercise is the local community. This is because the local community needs to be convinced that the project is relevant and important to them (Fitch 2004). The intention is that the wider concern around the negative impact of the project on tourism will be reduced through proper research and a convincing PR strategy. The local community is likely to be reached through organised public campaigns where awareness on environmental issues is done. Seminars will also be held to address the localities about the progress of the general project, the benefits and disadvantages and any recommendations. Through such seminars, the community will be encouraged to accept or reject the project based on the facts provided (Marconi 2004).
2. Government The other side of the target public is the government who must gain support since the project will help fuel their programs involving industrial development and employment creation.
3. The company Another target public is the Wind Future company which needs the Windy City Council to create for them an enabling environment to start running their operations. Such operations are intended to be highly environmentally sensitive reducing environmental costs.
4. Strategies The strategies involve the basic planning and expanded planning strategies which may include crisis management, relationships within the company, public information, risk communication, etc. (Thomlison 2000, p. 185). At the basic planning stage, the Windy City Council develops both proactive and reactive strategies. Through public initiatives, expanded programs are put in place. The council organises forums where they perform and make presentations to the public; during such forums the public is provoked to respond to the arguments presented (Mickey 2003).

Through alliances, fully funded sponsorships and intensified activist activities the main ideas are spread and the targeted publics get informed. Communications are also passed through relevant media entities such news programs on TV and radio to help reach those who do not attend forums. After the public is provoked into a reaction, their responses are received through certain tools. The responses may be receptive to the project or the community may reject it. The publics may be highly defensive towards the prospects of the proposal to an extent that they reject it providing reasons and justifications for their position.

The proposal is designed in a way that it is able to illicit responses and reactions from the respondents, and the data aids in the development of an action plan. The formed action plan should have a clear framework for its implementation (Scott 2007). The council would undertake an investigation procedure to correct the reasons for disagreement and discontent; the strategy would initiate a program to change peoples’ perception of the intended project. After which the WindFuture Company (Scott 2010) would freely undertake the program. The major aim of a strategy is normally to persuade forces from both the positive and negative divide to support the course of action for the benefit of all.

Tactics

Tactics involves the activities to be undertaken so that the objectives set are met. There are set plans in place for the whole period and for Windy City Council, and they entail the following:

1. A calendar for press releases should be put in place. This shows the frequency of release of each news item throughout the period. This is responsible for clear focus and direction (Caywood 1997).
2. Media outreach. Before establishing a PR program, research should be conducted on several media personalities and media houses and then they should be categorised on how they are likely to impact and add value to the PR program. Once a media list is formed, they should be slotted in the calendar in the order of the outreach meetings that discuss the issues at stake (Wolfe 2005).
3. Case studies. The council should develop case studies as a way of reaching the wider public. Case studies need to be prepared when researchers intend to reach the media successfully and in time. The only challenge with this is that it will require the direct participation of the public who may be biased at first instance; hence there is an obstacle (Wolfe 2005).
4. Use of social networking media and blogs. This is most appropriate for the ‘dot.com’ generation since the targeted publics are informed and motivated to receive and spreads the message. However, the blogs should be related to the information that is to be passed (Caywood 1997).
5. Crisis plans in place. This is an integral part of any PR program since it covers unfortunate occurrences and responses to them. The awareness of the criteria of handling a crisis should be passed to every colleague in equal measure. Plans may not be exact but they are for direction and guidance so that the track is not lost. (Scott 2010)

Calendar of events

The Public relations exercise is intended to last for a duration of three months

The actions under each category of activity are split so that the findings are conclusive in nature.

Budget

This budget provides information on the funding that is needed to complete the project. The sources or intended sources are listed to give direction on how to ascertain the funds. The total expenses will show the actual cost to be incurred in the project.

Evaluation

For a public relations program to realise effectiveness and efficiency in terms of accurate measurements, communications, sales and marketing evaluation and assessment of the procedures must be conducted (James 2011). In such evaluations, the Windy City Council will use both the qualitative and quantitative data that was collected, documented and analysed. Though qualitative data will be engaged, more emphasis is paid upon quantitative data since it provides a guide as to the reliability and validity of the numbers and hence clarity on the exact differences noted. The changes are mostly realised due to the campaign efforts that are exerted in the process (Smith 2002).

The need and importance of the above campaigns has grown in the recent past to enable the effective use of relevant tools and tactics to affect the campaigns. This is derived from business leaders’ demand that their PR officers be transparent and accountable. At the same time they must justify the acts that they are engaged in. The PR officers of the council should document whether the programs they designed and placed into action actually worked to change the course of the public attitude towards the desired direction (Smith 2002). The evaluation stresses four major aspects of the PR program process:

1. It ensures that the objectives set were specific, measurable, achievable, reliable and timely. This is to realise the effectiveness of the objectives (Heath 2010).
2. Evaluation also quantifies the output and- it looks at whether the input produces the justified output. Output in this case is the measure of the image of the firm to the targeted publics (Heath & Vasquez 2001).
3. Evaluation is also geared towards finding and documenting the campaign outcomes. This is shown by whether the target audience actually received the communication and how they reacted to it. The method used to counter the reaction is also highlighted (Heath 2010).
4. Evaluation also measures the outcomes from the institution. The outcomes should be geared towards realising an increase in the business and societal relations of the business. This is witnessed through an increase in market share, improved customer satisfaction and market penetration (Heath & Vasquez 2001).

Reference List

Bridges, JA & Nelson, RA 2000, “Issues Management: A Relation Approach”, in J Ledingham, & D Bruning (eds.), Public relations as relationship management a relational approach to the study and practice of public relations, Erlbaum, Mahwah.

Caywood, C 1997, The handbook of strategic public relations & integrated communications, McGraw-Hill, New York.

Cutlip, S, Center, A, & Broom, G 2005, Effective public relations 6th ed, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs.

Fitch, B 2004, Media relations handbook for agencies, associations, nonprofits, and Congress, TheCapitol.Net., Alexandria.

Grunig, J & Hunt, T 2004, Managing public relations, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York.

Heath, R & Vasquez, G 2001, Handbook of public relations, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks.

Heath, R 2010, The SAGE handbook of public relations 2nd ed, Sage Publications, Los Angeles.

James, R 2011, Public relations and marketing for archives: a how-to-do-it manual, Society of American Archivists, Chicago.

Lindsay, AR 2004, Marketing and public relations practices in college libraries, Association of College and Research Libraries, Chicago.

Marconi, J 2004, Public relations: the complete guide, South-Western, Mason.

Mickey, T 2003, Deconstructing public relations public relations criticism, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, Mahwah.

Scott, D2007, The new rules of marketing and PR: how to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing, & online media to reach buyers directly, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken.

Scott, D 2010, The new rules of marketing and PR: how to use social media, blogs, news releases, online video, & viral marketing to reach buyers directly 2nd ed, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken.

Smith, R 2002, Strategic planning for public relations, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah.

Thomlison, TD 2000, “An interpersonal primer with implications for public relations”, in J Ledingham, & D Bruning (eds.), Public relations as relationship management a relational approach to the study and practice of public relations, Erlbaum, Mahwah.

Wolfe, L 2005, Library public relations, promotions, and communications: a how-to-do-it manual (2nd ed.), Neal-Schuman Publishers, New York.