Public Relations

1. Public Relations Marketing II – Mr. Yates

2. What is PR? • Public Relations (PR) is a single, broad concept. It is broad since it contains many elements • To simplify it is any purposeful communications between an organization and the outside with the goal of generating goodwill

3. Goodwill with whom?

4. PR is different… • Yes it is difficult to see the difference between marketing communications and PR since there is a lot of crossover. • PR is often expensive, and not free, as some definitions would have you believe. • PR agencies are not cheap.

5. PR Responsibilities • Speeches and speech writing • Interviews • Corporate Literature • Events & Entertainment • Facility Tours • Publicity Events • Sponsorships • Charitable Donations

6. PR Responsibilities (2) • Media Product Placement • a car manufacturer places a car in a movie and the hero drives it, or wears a watch that is looked at by the villain displaying the time • Lobbying Government Bodies • Persuasion of elected officials to champion your cause, or effect legislation

7. PR Responsibilities (3) • Press or media releases, conferences, contact and entertainment are pivotal PR strategies. • The press were the original target (e.g. newspapers and magazines) now it’s the whole media industry forms the target (i.e. radio, websites, TV, Podcasts, and so on). • Media conferences are called often at short notice to inform the media directly on a current event that has just happened, or that is about to happen. • Media contact includes interviews with key personnel, and could include speeches, presentations and speech writing by the PR company. • Finally entertaining the press, or media, is undertaken when trying to gain as much media space as possible. This could be for a product launch or to promote an acquisition.

8. Corp. Promotional Materials • Anything from pens, or other giveaways to promote the company name • The in-house magazine • The other corporate publications (customer magazines) • The Website • Newsletters

9. So what’s it like? • The public often think of PR as a glamorous job. • Public relations people seem to have been tarred with the image of constant partying and networking to find new contacts. • The reality is usually long hours and hard work for anyone involved in public relations.

10. Skills needed • A very high level of communication skills, written and verbal. • The PR person must also be very adept at multitasking and time management. • He or she may also have some form of media background or training in order to understand how the media and advertising work. • Organizational and planning skills are also important in public relations.

11. Pressure! • The PR worker must also be able to cope very well under pressure. • He or she must have the ability to cope with a barrage of questions from the media and the public. • If a company comes under critical attack, it is the PR department who must take control of the situation. • They must effectively answer the criticism and turn it around in order to protect the company’s reputation.

12. Getting the Gig • A public relations worker usually has some form of relevant college qualification. • Competition for jobs in PR is fierce. • A talented public relations person has the opportunity to work up from a junior account executive to an account director in around five years. • This is not a nine to five job; the hours are long and can be stressful. • However, for successful PR workers, the pay is good and the perks may be even better.