Download Types of PR practice

Introduction to PR
Strengths and Weaknesses
 Types of PR practice.

Inas A.Hamid
The major strengths of PR
Good
citizenship
Message
Flexibility
Cost effective
Public
Relations
More
objective
Difficult to
reach
audiences
Crisis
management
Advice on
important
trends
• PR targets important stakeholders and difficult to
reach audiences such as opinion leaders and investors.
Many of them are not interested in advertising or direct
mailing, and even avoid it. On the other hand, they are
often interested in news and may be reached indirectly
by the media exposure generated through PR activity.
• PR professionals can advise companies on important
trends and on the consequences of corporate activities
on marketing effectiveness.
• PR can present the company as a good citizen and as
such contributes to the corporate image and reputation.
• PR offers the opportunity of more message flexibility.
• PR plays an important role in guiding the company
through crisis without too much damage to its
reputation.
• Often, advertising is strictly regulated by governments.
PR offers the opportunity of more message flexibility.
• PR is often relatively cost-effective because the media
coverage generated is free, and this enables the
company to reach a variety of audiences and a large
number of people at a fraction of the cost that would
have been required in an advertising campaign.
• PR is considered to be more objective and therefore
more believable in the perception of the target groups,
news is also generally more exciting, or is presented as
such.
The major weakness of PR
Lack of
control
Public
Relations
Journalists as
gatekeepers
Effectiveness
hard to
measure
◦ The major weakness of PR is the lack of
control over the content of the press coverage
of news release. Evidently, the media have other
priorities and other sources, and the published
story may be quite different from the
information disseminated by the PR department.
◦ Journalists act as gatekeeper: if a story is
perceived as having not enough “news value” it
may be not published, especially in period in
which there is other important news to cover.
◦ The effectiveness of PR is hard to measure.
Often, exposure measures are used, but they
hardly say anything about the long-term effect of
PR efforts on company goodwill or sales.
Case Study:

Three Japanese Toshiba engineers visiting a subsidiary in the USA were
killed and two were seriously injured when a truck accidentally drove
into the restaurant where they were having dinner. Toshiba US responded
quickly, formed a crisis management team and identified a crisis response
leader. Information was released to employees and to the media as
quickly as possible, the spokesman immediately expressed company
concern for the victims and their families and for plant employees. He
did not speculate about the causes of the accident. The company
president was appropriately visible and involved. It was decided to invite
every one in the Japanese families who wanted to come to the USA.
According to Japanese traditions, on their arrival they received flowers. A
day-long trip was organized to show the group how their relatives lived
and where they died. They were allowed to collect the personal
possessions of the victims in their rooms which had been intentionally
left untouched. A meeting was held with the lawyers investigating the
cause of the accident. Internal communication was quick and overt by
means of bulletin bard messages, following the principle “the more you
try to hide, the worse things get”. The only false note in this wellorganised and culturally fine-tuned crisis communications effort was the
fact that the truck driver did not assume any responsibility for the
accident, something that is, according to Japanese culture,
incomprehensible.
Types of PR practice
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Gruing & Hunt (1984)developed four types of PR practice
based on their analysis of the historic development of PR in
the USA.
These types focus on the nature of communication in
different organizations.
The fourth is the best type -according to Gruing point of
view- to achieve PR excellent performance .
These types are :
◦
◦
◦
◦
Press agent- publicity
Public information
Two – way asymmetric
Two – way symmetric
Press agent- publicity:
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Originated in 1830
Its purpose is described as
propaganda .
Little respect for truth.
One –way of communication :
organization
publics.
Measuring feedback is not
important.
Researches may be rare.
Public information:

Tracked back to around 1900.
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Truthful facts.
One-way communication.
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Researches may be minimal.
Two-way asymmetric:
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Heavily used in the 1940s
&1950s.
Following the US propaganda
effort of the war I.
Two – way communication , but
in favour of the sender.
Research may be well substantial
, for the purpose of changing
opinions and habits
To increase the effiency of
communication.
Two-way symmetric:
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Developed by grunig
&Hunt in 1952.
Dialogue are relatively
equal and mutually
respectful.
Two-way flow of
communication ,ideas
&opinions.
It is an ideal.
Types
Press agent
publicity
Public
information
Purpose
Propaganda
Transmit facts Feedback
then
persuasion
Mutual
understandin
g
Communication
One-way ,little
respect to
truth
One-way
,truthful,
complete
facts
Two-way , in
favour of the
sender
Tow-way
,balance
interest.
Research
rarely
May be
minimal
Measuring
attitudes to
affect .
Measuring
attitudes to
modify
policies
Type of
organization
Entertainment
& sport
Organizations
Non- Profit&
governmental
organizations
PR agencies,
competing
organizations
Ratio of usage in
USA
Rare
More
pronounced
%50
Most
Seldom
common type practiced.
%20
%15
%15
Two-way
asymmetric
Two-way
symmetric