PR Ch. 9-12 – Flashcards
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tactics
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specific recommended actions designed to help an organization achieve the objectives stated in a public relations plan; channels with a message
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PR tactics
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values in action
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three kinds of channels
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special events, controlled media, uncontrolled media
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special event
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a planned happening that serves as a PR tactic
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cliche to describe the message-sending power of a special event
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actions speak louder than words
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pseudo-event
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a special event, often of questionable news, created for the purpose of attracting the attention of the news media; created solely to generate publicity; suggests fakery on the PR practitioners part and gullibility on the part of journalists who report on the activity
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controlled media
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communication channels in which the sender of the message controls the message as well as its timing and frequency
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examples of controlled media
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newsletters, brochures, speeches, podcasts, and websites
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disadvantage of controlled media
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lack of credibility and cost
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uncontrolled media
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communication channels in which a PR practitioner cannot control the message, its timing, or frequency
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examples of uncontrolled media
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news media- news papers, radio/tv, magazines, online news providers, social media
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social media
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online technologies and practices that allow people to share information and opinions
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characteristics of social media
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participation, openness, conversation, community, connectedness
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blogs
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regularly updated internet journals or news forums that focus on a particular area of interest
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social networks
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the often informal structures through which individuals/organizations maintain relationships
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example of a social network
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facebook
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content communities
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in social media, web sites that seek particular kinds of input from individuals/organizations
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example of a content community
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YouTube
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wikis
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web sites or multimedia documents that allow different individuals to contribute and edit information; hawaiian for "quick"
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podcasts
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downloadable audio essays or programs
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social media news releases
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news releases formatted for social media practitioners, particularly bloggers; features snippets of information, such as facts/quotes, and links to other information
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third party endorsement
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verification of a story's newsworthiness that the news media provide when they publicize or broadcast a story; appearance in an uncontrolled news medium lends credibility to the story because the media are neither the sender nor the receiver
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independent endorsement
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verification by a disinterested outside party, which can lend credibility to a message
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disadvantage of uncontrolled media
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ultimate control rests with others
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successful tactics
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are part of a written plan tied to an organizations values-based mission statement; target one public at a time; based on research about the target publics values, interests, and preferred channels of communication; tries to create win-win situations in which both the sender and receiver benefit; are specific; are evaluated as they are performed and after they are executed
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tactics for employees
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face-to-face meetings; newsletters; magazines; videos; bulletin boards; speeches; special events; intranet; e-mail; instant messaging
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face-to-face meetings
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most employees want to receive important messages from their employers in this
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intranet
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a controlled access internal computer network available only to the employees of an organization
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e-mail
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a process by which a written message is sent electronically via computer to a receiver
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instant messaging
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an electronic process that allows two or more people to conduct a real-time, written conversation via computer
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tactics for news media
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news release, media kit, media advisory, pitch, video news release, actualities, news conference, public service announcements, guest editorials/comments, letters to the editor, interviews, magazines
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news release
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a client-related news story that a PR practitioners writes and distributes to the news media; an objective, straightforward, unbiased news story
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two deadly sins of a news release
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having no local interest and being too promotional
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92-98%
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percentage of news releases journalists throw away, online or not
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media kit
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a package of documents and other items offering extensive coverage of a news story to the news media; includes a fact sheet, backgrounded, photo opportunity sheet, brochures, product samples, and other documents; can placed on cds or dvds
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fact sheet
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a who-what-when-where-why-how breakdown of a news release; gives just the facts of the story contained in the news release
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backgrounder
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a document that supplies information to supplement a news release; written as a publishable story
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photo opportunity sheet
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a document that promotes the visual interest of an upcoming event
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cd-roms
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a medium for storage of digital data
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dvds
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a computer disk that stores multimedia messages in a digital format
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media advisory
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a fact sheet that is faxed or emailed to news media to alert them of a breaking news story or an event they may wish to cover
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pitch
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a persuasive message sent by a PR practitioner to a journalist, often on an exclusive basis, describing a newsworthy human-interest story whose publication would generate helpful publicity for an organization; offers exclusive stories to an individual news outlet; via letter, email, or telephone
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video news release (vnr)
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videotaped news stories that an organization produces and distributes to the news media; includes a b-roll
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b-roll
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unedited video footage that follows a vnr; allows tv stations to create their own news story
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actualities
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recorded quotable quotes or sound bites supplied to radio stations on cassette tape or via a dial-in phone system or a website
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news conference
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a structured meeting between an organizations representatives and the news media for the purpose of providing information for news stories
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when to schedule a news conference
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if you have a highly newsworthy breaking story; if it is advantageous to meet with reporters as a group, instead on individually; if you know the journalists will be happy they came
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news conferences are like dynamite
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used only when necessary and with caution because they are the ultimate experience in uncontrolled media
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public service announcements (psa)
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broadcast announcements made on behalf of nonprofit organizations or social causes; news media do not charge for these, as they do for commercials
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satellite media tour (smt)
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a series of interviews with reporters in different cities, conducted by means of satellite technology
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trade magazines
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magazines for members of particular trades or professions
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association magazines
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magazines for members of an association
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tactics for investors
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newsletters, magazines, letters, annual meetings, annual reports, websites, facility tours, conference calls, news release to financial news media, webcasts
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investors
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represent a source of capitalization for an organization; technically owners of the organization
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annual meeting
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a once-a-year information conference that a publicly held company must, by law, send to its stockholders
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annual report
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a once-a-year informational statement that a publicly held company must, by law, send to its stockholders
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webcasts
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audiovisual telecasts, usually live, delivered through a website
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tactics for community groups
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volunteering, donations, sponsorships, cause marketing, speeches, open houses/tours, face-to-face meetings
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community groups
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churches, schools, professional organizations, clubs, chambers of commerce, and other local groups whose values somehow intersect with those of an organization
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cause marketing
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a concerted effort on the part of an organization to address a social need through special events and other marketing tactics; designed to create goodwill among governmental officials, consumers, current/potential employees, and other important publics
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coalition building
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efforts to promote consensus among influential publics on important issues through tactics such as face-to-face meetings; hopes to pave the way for alliances or partnership on future problems/opportunities
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tactics for governments
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lobbying, grassroots lobbying, political action committees (pac), soft money, disclosure documents
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lobby
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an organization that exists solely to influence governmental legislative and regulatory processes on behalf of a client
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lobbyist
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someone who, acting on behalf of a special-interest group, tries to influence various forms of government regulation
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most effective lobby
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AARP
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grassroots lobbying
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organized efforts by ordinary citizens to influence legislative and regulatory governmental processes; informal, infrequent, "unprofessional" form of lobbying; "voice of the people"
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soft money
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money donated to national political parties for general expenses; legislation passed in 2002 restricted such donations but allowed contributions to local political parties and national political conventions
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tactics for customers
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product-oriented news releases and media kits, special events, open houses/tours, responses to customers contacts, text messaging
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text messaging
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the process of sending a written message from one cell phone to another
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tactics for constituents (voters)
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letters, newsletters, news releases, media advisories, news conferences, speeches, face-to-face meetings, websites; responses to these contacts must be quick, personalized, and detailed
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tactics for businesses
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stories in trade magazines, extranets
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extranets
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controlled-access extensions of an organizations intranet to selected external publics such as suppliers
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six key factors to execute a plan's tactics
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delegation, deadlines, quality control, communication within the team, communication with clients and supervisors, and constant evaluation
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a memorable message is
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simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and story (SUCES[s])
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journalists
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write to inform
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advertisers
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write to persuade
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PR practitioners
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write to manage relationships
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PR writing
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should address the values and interests of the writers organizations as well as the values and interests of the targeted public
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writing process
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an organized system for producing effective PR documents; begins with values and ends with evaluation
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10 stages of the writing process
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credibility, research, organization, writing, revision, macro-editing, micro-editing, approval, distribution, and evaluation
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credibility
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aristotle believed that the most powerful persuasive strategy of all often is the character of the communicator
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research
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what is my purpose in writing? what is my targeted public? what are the values/interests of the targeted public? what messages should i send? what information supports my message?
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demographic information
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data on non-attitudinal characteristics of a person or group, such as race, gender, age, and income
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psychographic information
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data on attitudinal characteristics of a person or group, such as political philosophy and religious beliefs
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organization
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should draw the targeted publics attention to the message and to the information that supports/develops it; use an outline
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inverted pyramid
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a symbol that represents the traditional organization of a news story; most important information occurs within the few sentences; as the story progresses, the information becomes less important
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writing tips
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challenge "to be" verbs; use active voice; challenge modifiers; challenge long words; challenge prepositional phrases; challenge long sentences; avoid overused expressions; avoid placing important words/phrases in the middle of a sentence; keep the focus on the reader; read your sentences aloud
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modifiers
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words/phrases that develop the meaning of another word, such as an adjective that modifies a noun or an adverb that modifies a verb
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active voice
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a grammatical term designating that, within a sentence, the subject does the action denoted by the verb
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passive voice
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a grammatical term, designating that, within a sentence, the subject does not do the action denoted by the verb, instead the subject is affected by the action denoted by the verb
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revision
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making a good document even better
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euphoria of creation
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the feeling that your just-finished document is great and needs no revision- let this subside and then revise
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macro-editing
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where the writer examines the "big picture" of a document, including format, organization, and completeness of information; last opportunity for significant rewriting before you deliver the document to others
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micro-editing
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where the writer examines each sentence of a document for factual accuracy as well as correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style
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approval
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involves knowing who needs to review the document, how soon each reviewer must respond, and who has the final say over requested revisions
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distribution
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document should be delivered in the manner and at the time and in the place preferred by the targeted public; the best writer and most polished document in the world can be defeated by this
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evaluation
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see whether the document succeeded or not; an on-going process throughout the entire writing process; helps us to identify and reinforce what we did well and to identify and not repeat any errors we may have made
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tips for writing for the web
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must have current information, include highlighted links to other sites, sentences should be concise, use headlines and captions effectively, incorporate graphics
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tips for writing for the ear
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remember that the speaker has to breath (use short sentences); limit each sentence to one idea; use concrete words and images, not abstractions; use precise nouns and verbs; challenge every word in every sentence; spell out big numbers and give phonetic spellings for hard-to-pronounce words; use traditional syntax (word order); link sentences and paragraphs with clear transitions; attribute direct quotations at the beginning of a sentence; introduce important points with general, descriptive sentences; gracefully repeat main points; avoid concluding with "in conclusion"; break any of these when doing so will assist the listener
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transition
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a device that clarifies the introduction of a new topic within a document
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attribution
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the part of the sentence that identifies the speaker of a direct quotation
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public speaking
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ranks number one among peoples greatest fears
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a successful presentation requires
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research, planning, communication, and evaluation
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research
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begins with knowing your targeted public, identify decision makers/opinion leaders, learn about the room/place you will be speaking
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planning
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message creation; everything should support the central, unifying theme of the message; length is guided by the audience; create an outline; practice; use visual aids; plan for trouble; be flexible
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visual aids
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displays presented to an audience to enhance the meaning of the speakers words; EX: computer projections, slides, flip charts, handouts, etc.
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communication
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making the presentation
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evaluation
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most important comes from the targeted public
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tips for writing for diverse publics
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draw on diverse individual sources; balance personal pronouns; avoid words that describe particular relationships; know the dates of major religious holidays; don't describe individuals by race, ethnicity, religion, age, sex, or physical/mental disabilities unless relevant; remember that words have power
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global village
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marshall mcluhan's idea that because of advances in telecommunications technology, we live in a world in which everyone can share simultaneous experiences
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world wide web
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a graphics-oriented computer network developed in 1991 that made the internet more accessible and attractive and helped spur its rapid development
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digital
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transmitted in a computer readable format; easy to use in a variety of media; has transformed society
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internet
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a global network, originally for military and scientific research, that links computer networks to allow the sharing of information in a digital format
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december 1990
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only one website in the world, located at CERN
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website
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a series of computer files maintained by an organization or individual that can be accessed via the internet; created to project an organizations image and to share information with various publics
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web 2.0
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a term coined by Silicon Valley consultants in 2004 to describe a new generation of internet services that emphasize online collaborating and sharing
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challenge for PR practitioners
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to identify, monitor, and if necessary, engage in those nontraditional social networks
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the medium can alter the perception of a message
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an appropriate message delivered via an inappropriate medium is just as ineffective as an inappropriate message delivered via an appropriate medium
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first book ever produced in mass quantities
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the Bible
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analog
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transmitted in the form of continuously varying signals; relays all information present in the original message in varying signals
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conversion of analog communication into a digital format
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makes it possible to filter out unwanted information
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digital technology
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makes it possible to store a remarkable amount of data in a relatively small space and permits simultaneous transfer of more information
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convergence of media
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a blending of media made possible by digitization; one of the most important consequences of the digital revolution; as different media adopt digital technology in their product and distribution processes, the differences among them become less apparent, and various media being to incorporate one another's characteristics
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hypermedia
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integrated multimedia incorporating audio, visual, and text information in a single delivery system
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wireless communications technology
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makes it possible for people in all corners of the world to share simultaneously in a common experience; EX: TV; may have been the most important social, economic, and technological development of the 20th century
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social ramifications of digital technology
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a new town commons, redefined communities, mergers of media companies, preservation of personal privacy, job security, protection of intellectual property, and individuals as publishers
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a new town commons
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now the internet is where people gather the latest news
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redefined communities
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PR practitioners must learn the values/preferences of nontraditional online communities if they want to build and maintain mutual relationships
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mergers of media companies
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Time Warner is one of the largest
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job security
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improved technology can make people more productive in the workplace but the increased ability to do more with less lowers the demand for highly skilled workers
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protection of intellectual property
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digital technology makes it easier to copy and distribute the results of someone else's labor
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individuals as publishers
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push technology, blogging, wikis, podcasts, citizen journalists, cyber-smears, gripe sites; most self-published materials are inaccurate, incomplete, or biased, and poorly written
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push technology
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computer software that permits users to customize information received automatically from the internet; allows information to be automatically delivered or "pushed"directly to a user; may make it harder to get the attention of certain individuals
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most popular example of a podcast
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iTunes
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citizen journalist
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individuals not formally trained as journalists, but who through the use of digital technology, assist in the traditional news-gathering and reporting process
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cyber-smears
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instances of using the internet to unfairly attack the integrity of an organization and/or its products and services
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gripe sites
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websites dedicated to airing complaints, either real or imagined, against individuals or organizations
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internet related issues for PR practitioners
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the online generation gap, the global digital divide, internet research problems, unwelcome visitors (spam, spim, hackers, viruses), passive communication, and career implications
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digital divide
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term used to describe the uneven distribution of internet access along the geographical and socioeconomic line
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internet research problems
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for all the information readily available online, the total represents only a small fraction of what can be gathered through more traditional forms of research
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spamming
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the mass distribution of an advertising oriented e-mail; cyberspace equivalent of junk mail
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spim
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the unwelcome commercial use of instant messaging
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hackers
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individuals who seek unauthorized access to websites and computer networks; sometimes for personal amusement, other times to steal, alter, or damage data
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computer viruses
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software programming that attaches to a computer user's e-mail address book and is spread to computers around the world; often the product of mischief, they have been known to erase or damage data on the computer they infect
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choosing which technology to use
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depends more on whether the technology works than on whether it is new
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problem
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a commonplace occurrence of limited scope; usually can be addressed in a limited time frame, often without arousing public attention or without draining an organizations resources
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crisis
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an event that if allowed to escalate can disrupt an organizations normal operations, jeopardize its reputation, and damage its bottom line; tends to be less predictable than problems, requires a considerable investment of time and resources to resolve and often bring unwanted public attention; can challenge an organizations core values
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Steven Fink
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characterizes crises as being prodromal situations (often marked by forewarning) that run the risk of escalating in intensity, falling under close media/governmental scrutiny, interfering with the normal operations of business, jeopardizing the positive public image enjoyed by a company and its officers, and damaging a company's bottom line
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crises cast organizations to be
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victims, villains, or heros, depending on how they handle the situation
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four stages of crises
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warning stage, point of no return, cleanup phase, things return to normal
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warning stage
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if warning signs are recognized and appropriate action is taken quickly, the negative effects of a crisis can be averted or minimized
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point of no return
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once this moment is reached, a crisis becomes unavoidable
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cleanup phase
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during this stage, an organization deals with a crisis and its aftermath; how long this period lasts is influenced by the degree to which the organization is prepared to handle crises
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things return to normal
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during this stage, the immediate threat created by the crisis is over, but its lingering effects are still felt; normality may be much different from what it was before the crisis
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proactive zone of the four stages
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warning stage and return to normal
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reactive zone of the four stages
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point of no return and cleanup
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most important lesson in crisis communications
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not all outcomes of crises have to be bad; crises can bring opportunity
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Meyer and seven potential benefits that can be reaped from a crisis
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heroes are born, change is accelerated, latent problems are faced, people can be changed, new strategies evolve, early warning systems develop, new competitive edges appear
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four steps to effective crisis communications
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risk assessment, crisis communications planning, response and recovery
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risk assessment
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practitioners identify potential hazards their organization may face; the best crises are those that are averted; organizations can avert crises by clearly articulating and actively implementing their core values; organizations can choose to hire outside consultants or perform an in-house evaluation; all employees should participate in this
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crisis planning team (cpt)
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a broad-based internal task force that develops an organizations crisis communications plan
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crisis plotting grid
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a risk assessment tool developed by Steven Fink for prioritizing crisis communications planning needs; identifies the areas where crisis planning is needed most
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crisis impact value (civ)
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the vertical axis on the crisis plotting grid; specific questions are used to measure the impact a given crisis would have on an organizations operations
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crisis probability factor (cpf)
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the horizontal axis on the crisis plotting grid; an estimate on the probability that a given crisis will occur
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crisis communications planning
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practitioners use the information gathered during risk assessment to develop strategies for communicating with key publics during crises; best to have a flexible plan that is not even specific; is an ethical imperative
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crisis plans should include
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crisis definitions, a list of crisis managers, stakeholder communication strategies, planned coordination and information sites, and an employee training program
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crisis management team (cmt)
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an internal task force established to manage an organizations response to a crisis while allowing other operations to continue; should consist of the CEO or designated crisis manager, legal counsel, PR counsel, financial counsel, appropriate technical experts, and support personnel
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crisis manager
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the person designated as the leader of a crisis management team
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emergency operations center (eoc)
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the place where a crisis management team meets to develop its response to a crisis; should be in a secure location and free from interruptions
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media information center (mic)
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a place where a large number of reporters can gather to collect information on a crisis; should be close to, but separate from, the emergency operations center
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credentialing
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a process for establishing the identity of people working in an otherwise restricted area
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most important person in a crisis
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often the first person to recognize it
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apologia
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a speech of self-defense; people and organizations engage in this as a way to present their side of the story in the face of negative events or allegations as a means of repairing damaged images and/or reputations
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image restoration discourse
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one of the dominant theories of apologia; developed by William Benoit; five apologia strategies include denial of wrongdoing, evasion of responsibility, reduction of the perceived offensiveness of the act, promise to take corrective action, and mortification-when one admits responsibility and seeks forgiveness
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does everyone require an apology or an explanation?
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no
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response
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where practitioners utilize their crisis communications plan; this is where an organization is rewarded for its hard work
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recovery
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practitioners evaluate the quality of the organizations response to a crisis and takes appropriate actions as a result of the lessons learned
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a good crisis communication plan should
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be flexible; guide, not dictate, the organizations response; lay the foundation for success
