1.) Research

2.) Planning

3.) Communication

4.) Measurement

Provides the information required to understand the needs of publics and to develop powerful messages.

It is the controlled, objective, and systematic gathering of information for the purpose of describing and understanding.

AKA Evaluation

Executives justifiably demand accountability from PR practitioners.  These techniques provide a means for demonstrating to management that PR is achieving objectives and contributing in a meaningful way to the organization.

Related to message strategy.

Making a message more appealing and persuasive to the public.

Affords researchers rich insights and understanding of situations or target publics.  It also provides "red flags," or warnings, when strong or adverse responses occur.

"Soft" data

Usually uses open-ended questions

"fishing expedition" type research

Valid, but not reliable

Rarely projectable to larger audiences

generally uses nonrandom samples

Ex. Focus groups, one-on-on, in-depth interviews, observations, participation, role-playing studies, & convenience polling

Often more expensive and complicated, but it allows for greater extrapolation to large populations.  If enormous amounts of money are to be spent on a national campaign, it may be best to make an investment in this type of research.

"Hard" data

Usually uses close-ended questions

Requires forced choices

Highly Structured

Generally uses random samples

Ex. Telephone polls, mail surveys, mall-intercept studies, face-to-face interviews, shared cost/omnibus studies, and panel studies.

Pollicy Statements, speeches by key executives, past issues of employee newsletters & magazines, reports on past public relations & marketing efforts, & news clippings.

AKA Archival Research

The systematic & objective counting or categorizing of content.

Appropriate for the analysis of documents, speeches, media releases, video content & scripts, interviews, and focus groups.

Must be done OBJECTIVELY

Informal research procedure that develops qqualitative information rather than hard data.  Results obtained through this research technique cannot be summarized by percentages or even projected to an entire population.

Helps identify the attitudes and motivations of important publics.

Lasts 1-2 hours

8-12 people

Based on two important factors:

1.) Randomness

2.) Large # of respondents

Highly Percise

1.) Mail Questionnaires

2.) Telephone Surveys

3.) Personal Interviews

4.) Piggyback or Omnibus Surveys

5.) Web & E-mail surveys

AKA Omnibus Survey

An organization "buys" a question in a national survey conducted by a survey organization such as Gallup or Harris.

1.) Client/Employer Objectives

2.) Audience/Publics

3.) Audience Objectives

4.) Media Channels

5.) Media Channel Objectives

6.) Sources and Questions

7.) Communication Strategies

8.) Essence of the Message

9.) Nonverbal Support

What is the purpose of the communication, and how does it promote or achieve the objectives of the organization?

Ex. "to make consumers aware of the product's high quality."

Identifies what is to be done, why and how to accomplish it.

Is informed by proactive research and involves tracking issues to asses potential competition or threats.

Helps determine how much of a threat the situation poses to the organization.

1.) Situation

2.) Objectives

3.) Audience

4.) Strategy

5.) Tactics

6.) Calendar/Timetable

7.) Budget

8.) Measurement

PR professionals cannot set valid objectives without a clear understanding of the situation that led to the conclusion that there was a need for a PR program.

*3 Situations often prompt a PR Program: The organization must conduct a remedial program to overcome a problem or negative situation; the organization needs to conduct a specific one-time project; or the organization wants to reinforce an ongoing effort to preserve its reputation and public support.

Should not be the "means" but the "end."

Complement and reinforce the organizations objectives.

They are either informational or motivational.

Designed primarily to expose audiences to information and to increase awareness of an issue, an event, or a product.

Can be evaluated by asking three questions:

1.) Does it really address the situation?

2.) Is it realistic & achievable?

3.) Can success be measure in meaningful terms?

Expose audiences to information and increase an awareness of and issue, event, or product.

*One difficulty is measuring how well a particular objective has been achieved. They are abstract and hard to quantify.

Bottom-line oriented

Based on clearly measurable results that can be quantified.

Goal is an increase in product sales

Target specific publics within the general public through market research that identifies key publics based on such demographic factors as age, income, social strata, education, existing ownership, or consumption of specific productst and residence.

Need to be informed, persuaded, and motivated

Describes how a campaign will achieve objectives; it provides guidelines and themes for the overall program.

*Statements provide a rationale for planned actions and program components.

*Should determine key themes and messages to reiterate throughout the campaign on all publicity materials.

"Nuts & Bolts"

Describe the specific activities that put strategies into operation and achieve the stated objectives. Reach primary and secondary audiences with key messages.

6.) Calendar/Timetable

3 Aspects:

1.) Deciding when a campaign should be conducted.

2.) Determining the proper sequence of activities.

3.) Compiling a list of steps that must be completed to produce a finished product.

"How much will this program cost?"

Organization establishes an amount they can afford and then asks the PR staff or firm to write a program that fits the budget.

Two categories:

1.) Staff Time

2.) OOP (Out of Pocket) Expenses

Use two columns.  The left column lists the staff cost for writing a pamphhlet or compiling a press kit.  The right column lists the actual OOP

The element of a plan that relates directly back to the stated objectives of the program.

Should be realistic, credible, specific, and in line with client or employer expectations.

Entails a compilation of news clips, analysis of key message pint appearance, determining the # of brochures distributed, estimated # of viewers who saw a video news release, sales or market share increases, # of people who called a toll-free # for more information, or benchmark surveys that measure people's perceptions before and after a campaign.

Consume the lion's share of any PR budget.

Not unusual for 70% of the program cost to consist of salaries and administrative fees.