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Public Opinion
Lecture #5
In Class Assignment #2
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Name 5 things that influence a fashion brand’s
public opinion
Public Opinion
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Suffering a loss of public opinion is not a small issue
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No individual or organization can suffer to tarnish their reputation
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A negative public opinion can result in a loss of prestige and/or
business
The way customers, vendors, suppliers, retailers, the media, and the
community perceive the brand has an effect on the organization
In most cases this leads to a loss of $$$$
Public Opinion
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Public- a group of individuals who share a common
interest in a specific subject
Opinion- the expression of an attitude on a particular
topic, when attitudes become strong enough they
surface as an opinion, when opinions become strong
enough they lead to verbal or behavioral actions
Attitudes Opinions Actions
Public Opinion- the compilation of many individual
opinions on a particular issue that affects a group– a
consensus
Public Opinion
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The best PR campaigns in the world cannot be built
if reality is destroying it
It is difficult to change individuals’ minds.
It is even harder to move them away once they have
formed an opinion
Most PR programs are meant to
 Persuade
individuals to change their minds
 Crystallize uninformed or undeveloped opinions
 Reinforce existing opinions
What is an Attitude?
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We all have one, but what are they?
Attitudes are evaluations that we make about
specific problems or issues
They are positive, negative, or nonexistent; for
something, against something, or neutral
Attitudes and behaviors are both situational-influenced by specific issues in specific situations
When others with similar attitudes reach similar
opinions, public opinion is born
How Are Attitudes Developed?
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Personal- physical and emotional; size, age, social status
Cultural- Rural and Urban, North and South
Educational- an individual’s level of education alters their attitude
about specific issues or events
Familial- we acquire our parents’ tastes, biases, and political views
Religion- allows us to form attitudes about specific topics
Social Class- when status changes, so does attitude
Race
Friends
Celebrities and Community Leaders
The Product
Changing Attitudes
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It is very hard to change the minds of individuals
who strongly support or oppose an issue or
individual
This is why those in the middle, or who remain
neutral to an issue or individual are important to
shaping public opinion.
Those in the middle are usually the easiest to sway
one way or another, because typically these
individuals are passive or indifferent.
Changing Attitudes
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Cognitive dissonance- the idea that individuals
avoid information that is dissonant or opposes their
own points of view, and they tend to seek out
information that supports their attitudes
Social Judgment- individuals may have a range of
opinions on a certain subject, anchored by a clear
attitude
While it is hard to change individuals’ positions,
communicators can work to modify an individual’s
opinion
Motivating Attitude Change
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Motivation is key to changing anyone’s attitude from
latent to aware and finally active
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs helps us understand what
motivates us:
Psychological Needs- food, water, sleep
 Safety Needs- security, protection
 Love Needs- love, belonging, affection
 Esteem Needs- recognition and prestige
 Self-Actualization- becoming what is capable of becoming
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According to Maslow, all 5 lead to motivation
Power of Persuasion
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Perhaps the most powerful tool for influencing public
opinion is persuasion
Persuasion- getting another person to do something
through advice, reasoning, or arm-twisting
A person may be in two minds in order to be
persuaded to believe in a particular position or take a
specific action.
Systematic- an individual who has carefully considered an
argument
 Heuristic- an individual who has skimmed the surface and
not really focusing on the intricacies of a particular position
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Power of Persuasion
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Everyone is persuaded by different things, making it
difficult for PR professionals to persuade individuals
People understand things in terms of their own
experience
If you want to persuade someone, you must cite
evidence that coincides with their own beliefs,
emotions, and expectations
Types of Evidence
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Facts- indisputable, a good PR professional always starts
with research
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Emotions- people respond to emotional appeal
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Personalizing- people respond to personal experience
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Appealing to “you”- what is in it for me? It is always
important to think in terms of what will appeal to the
audience when trying to persuade
Influencing Public Opinion
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Public opinion is a lot easier to measure than it is to
influence
The opinions being changed of modified must be
identified and understood
Target publics must be clear
PR professional must have a sharp focus of the
“laws” that govern public opinion
Influencing Public Opinion
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Highly sensitive to important events
Generally determined by events more than words
In critical times, individuals become more sensitive to the
adequacy of their leadership– if they have confidence
in it they are willing to assign more responsibility, if they
lack confidence, they are less tolerant
Once self-interest is involved, opinions are hard to
change
People have more opinions and are able to form
opinions on goals more easily than on methods of
reaching goals
Image and Public Opinion
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Organizations and individuals in the spotlight must
understand that credibility is crucial to gaining
public support.
In order to earn and keep that support, they must
operate with the trust of the public in mind
Those concerned with public opinion are focused on
managing their reputation
Image and Public Opinion
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Reputation is based on what one does, not on what one
says and is present throughout our lives.
Many PR firms have introduced reputation management
divisions, and have even called themselves reputations
managers
Relationship management aligns communications with an
organization or individual’s character and actions
Create recognition, credibility, and trust among
constituents
Managing reputation is a front-line responsibility of
public relations
Image and Public Relations
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There is the image that the brand tries to build
There is the image that the media portrays of the
brand
The image the society itself thrusts upon the brand
Together they all shape the composite of the brand
In fashion, PR is usually responsible for shaping
public opinion through unpaid media exposure
opportunities
The Media and Public Opinion
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PR aims to control the image projected in the media
and community
What the media says about the company and what
the community thinks are both concerns of the PR
professional
It is important that an organization obtains a
favorably public opinion because when a consumer
has to decide between an organization and its
competitor, the consumer usually goes with the
company who has the best public opinion
Public Opinion and the Organization
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Public opinion is responsible for the success and
failure of an organization or individual.
It can directly or subliminally affect the buying
habits of the organization’s potential consumers.
Because individuals have different attitudes toward
issues it makes the task of managing public opinion
difficult for the PR professional
Public Opinion and the Organization
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If your organization sells furs and leathers, you may
offend a group that does not support animal products.
You may also alienate the group that desires the
products if you do not carry these products
Similarly, if word gets out that your organization uses
sweatshop conditions in it manufacturing processes, the
attitudes of your consumers may range from being
deeply upset to not caring much at all.
This shows how PR professionals struggle to appeal to
its consumers, while also remaining ethical
Public Relations Shaping Image
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If you do not have a public image, the public will be
happy to create on for you.
 No
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image = Bad Image
When advertising and promotional efforts are
properly used with PR, organizations can
proactively shape public opinion of a brand.
Products that uphold the promises that are made to
consumers help shape a positive image.
Media and Shaping Image
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Must take a proactive approach to soliciting media
coverage.
Must conduct research
Must build relationships- have the right contacts for the
right story
Send story ideas to media personnel that cover topics
related to your idea
Keep the ideas newsworthy, concise, and follow up after
the press release is sent
Working with the media is the only way they will help
shape your organization’s opinion
Shaping Image by Word of Mouth
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Create a buzz- individuals pay attention to the buzz
When you combine communications, with press releases,
community activities, and marketing with the objective
of getting the word out about the brand, you create
excitement in the community about the brand.
These activities give life to the brand.
Getting involved in the community and events is a great
way to start the buzz and ensure success of a word-ofmouth campaign.
Shaping Image With Ethics
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Unethical behavior of an organizations will most
likely have negative repercussions.
Developing ethical standards and adhering to
those standards can help positively shape the image
of an organization and its brands.
Final Thoughts
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Public opinion is a series of developing attitudes and
opinions into behaviors
There are a series of elements that help individuals
shape their attitudes
Community, media, word of mouth, vendors, suppliers,
consumers, and employee all help or hurt public opinion.
Once your organization has a negative public opinion it
is difficult to change.
You can create a positive public opinion by acting
ethically, being honest, delivering quality products, and
remaining credible.
References
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Seitel, F.P. (2011). The Practice of Public Relations.
Prentice Hall: Boston.
Sherman, G.J., & Perlman, S.S. (2010). Fashion
Public Relations. Fairchild Books: New York.