PUBLIC RELATION THEORY AND PRACTSE

 

 

BY:

AYELE ADDIS

I.D-NO-033/04

Instructor: Dr. pramod

 

First assignment on the subject

 

 

BAHIR DAR UNIVERSTY

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION MA PROGRAME

 

                                                                    October, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Taking any example, write the publics concerned and the channel you would use to communicate with different groups?

Suppose to a new textile factory pr man, there is building and factor implementation as a pr man first do I will be study the awareness the public communicate to the employer

The customer

So many people have so many views responsibility convince the organization which benefit for them.

Public concerned

Residence-they are strongly, oppose the factor because of displace their living place.

Un employers-they are happy, because create for job opportunities.

Merchants-happy because a goods have supply nearly without transport coast.

Parents-disagree because the noise of the factory.

 

Then thinking to as a public relation man how to convince the people, what is the public opinion, how to persuade them.

After this making a channel which find the people am decide to choose a channel of communication carefully, target publics receive and believes decide to meeting, group discussion , radio and television.

 

 

 

2. Define and distinguish advertising, publicity, and pr writing.

Basic Definitions: Advertising, Public Relations and Publicity

It's easy to become confused about these terms: advertising, public relations and publicity. The terms are often used interchangeably. However, they refer to different -- but similar activities. Some basic definitions are provided below. A short example is also provided hopefully to help make the terms more clear..

Advertising

Advertising is bringing a product (or service) to the attention of potential and current customers. Advertising is focused on one particular product or service. Thus, an advertising plan for one product might be very different than that for another product. Advertising is typically done with signs, brochures, commercials, direct mailings or e-mail messages, personal contact, etc.

Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common. Advertising messages are usually paid for by sponsors and viewed via various traditional media; including mass media such as newspaper, magazines, television commercial, radio advertisement, outdoor advertising or direct mail; or new media such as websites and text messages.

Commercial advertisers often seek to generate increased consumption of their products or services through "Branding," which involves the repetition of an image or product name in an effort to associate certain qualities with the brand in the minds of consumers. Non-commercial advertisers who spend money to advertise items other than a consumer product or service include political parties, interest groups, religious organizations and governmental agencies. Nonprofit organizations may rely on free modes of persuasion, such as a public service announcement (PSA).

Modern advertising developed with the rise of mass production in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The non-personal communication of information usually paid for & usually persuasive in nature, about products (goods & services) or ideas by identified sponsor through various media. (Arenes 1996)

Any paid form of non-personal communication about an organization, product,service, or idea from an identified sponsor. (Blech & Blech 1998)

Paid non-personal communication from an identified sponsor using mass media to persuade influence an audience. (Wells, Burnett, & Moriaty 1998)

The element of the marketing communication mix that is non personal paid for an identified sponsor, & disseminated through channels of mass communication to promote the adoption of goods, services, person or ideas. (Bearden, Ingram, & Laforge 1998)

An informative or persuasive message carried by a non personal medium & paid for by an identified sponsor whose organization or product is identified in some way. (Zikmund & D'amico 1999)

Impersonal; one way communication about a product or organization that is paid by a marketer. (Lamb, Hair & Mc.Daniel 2000)

Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas,goods or services by an identified sponsor. (Kotler et al, 2006)

Advertising is bought media. Simply, ad agencies or depts. create ads and campaigns to sell products, ideas, services, candidates, etc. Media planners figure out (through extensive demographic research) where and when these ads should run– in print, on the radio or telvision, in the form of internet banner ads, billboards, flyers and more. Media buyers then purchase ad space in the right outlets in order to achieve the greatest success for a client.

Dictionary.com says that Advertising is:

1.             the act or practice of calling public attention to one’s product, service, need, etc., esp. by paid announcements in newspapers and magazines, over radio or television, on billboards, etc.: to get more customers by advertising.

2.             Paid announcements; advertisements.

3.             The profession of planning, designing, and writing advertisements.

Public relations

Public relations include ongoing activities to ensure the overall company has a strong public image. Public relations activities include helping the public to understand the company and its products. Often, public relations are conducted through the media that is, newspapers, television, magazines, etc. As noted above, a public relations is often considered as one of the primary activities included in promotions.

Many people believe that marketing is just about advertising or sales. However, marketing is everything a company does to acquire customers and maintain a relationship with them. Even the small tasks like writing thank-you letters, playing golf with a prospective client, returning calls promptly and meeting with a past client for coffee can be thought of as marketing. The ultimate goal of marketing is to match a company’s products and services to the people who need and want them, thereby ensure profitability

There are many areas of public relations including media relations and publicity, crisis management, public affairs and more. On the whole, public relations deals with earned media as opposed to media exposure that is bought through advertising. PR is about building positive relationships with the public primarily through exposure and coverage in the media, i.e. interviews in newspapers, on the radio on or a TV newscast. PR people work closely with marketing people in order to support publicity efforts for promotional events and any other activities that encourage participation from the public. For Fortune 500 companies, Corporate PR is an intregral part of the communications machine. One false statement, however, can send a company into automatic spin.

Dictionary.com says Public Relations is:

(used with a sing. verb) The art or science of establishing and promoting a favorable relationship with the public.

(used with a pl. verb) The methods and activities employed to establish and promote a favorable relationship with the public.

(used with a sing. or pl. verb) The degree of success obtained in achieving a favorable relationship with the public.

In businesses big and small, generally the marketing dept. is the dept. that allocates resources, a.k.a budget, to communications programs that will help sell products and services. PR and advertising programs almost always fall under the marketing umbrella. Other areas of marketing include promotions (contests and giveaways), events, trade shows, webinars, social media, sponsorships and more. When you think “marketing” think of any activity or process designed to help sell!

Defining the Terms: The Differences Between PR, publicity and Advertising

If you’re a small- to medium-sized business, I bet you’ve asked yourself, “What is the difference between PR, publicity and Advertising, anyway?” The idea of integrated communications is simple: use a variety of communications methodologies which complement each other in order to meet business objectives. But if you’re not quite sure which direction to follow, here’s an elementary rundown of the differences between these main three areas of communications.

There are many areas of public relations including media relations and publicity, crisis management, public affairs and more. On the whole, public relations deal with earned media as opposed to media exposure that is bought through advertising. PR is about building positive relationships with the public primarily through exposure and coverage in the media, i.e. interviews in newspapers, on the radio on or a TV newscast. PR people work closely with marketing people in order to support publicity efforts for promotional events and any other activities that encourage participation from the public. For Fortune 500 companies, Corporate PR is an integral part of the communications machine. One false statement, however, can send a company into automatic spin.

Publicity is mention in the media. Organizations usually have little control over the message in the media, at least, not as they do in advertising. Regarding publicity, reporters and writers decide what will be said. And all over control the issue and content of the message. According to media house style it is telecasted or broad cast ,printed for the purpose of information.

An Example of the Definitions

The following example may help to make the above three concepts more clear. I recently read that the story comes from the Reader's Digest, a quote found in "Promoting Issues and Ideas" by M. Booth and Associates, Inc. (Thanks to Jennifer M. Seher, participant in the CONSULTANTS@CHARITYCHANNEL.COM online discussion group.)

"... If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying 'Circus coming to the Fairground Saturday', that's advertising. If the elephant walks through the mayor's flower bed, that's publicity. And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that's public relations."

Advertising is information mixed with persuasion. The best advertising presents information to the reader or viewer in a form that will persuade them to act, to change their opinions, or to maintain the opinions they already have. The link between advertising and publicity is information.
People buy a newspaper as much for the advertising as for the news. Consumers want, and need, the information that is presented to them in advertising. The best advertising persuades as well as informs.also gives information as apublicity.

Another point should understand is that some people (manufacturers, organizations, etc.) will pay other people (advertising copywriters) to write advertising. The first group wants to see a return on its investment. They expect advertising to work — to do what they expect it to do, whether that’s to sell more of a product, enhance the reputation of a company, increase the name recognition of an organization, etc. If the advertising does not work, the people who pay for it will not continue to do so. Consequently, I should understand that clients do not pay for creativity; they pay for results.

Writing for publicity, advertisement, and public relation

Effective advertising writing is more important than ever before. Your prospects are time-challenged—personally and professionally—yet bombarded with thousands of messages a day. Never has it been harder to keep their attention even long enough to read your company’s message, let alone act on it. Whether you’re writing your technology company’s website, sales or advertising material, or other promotional piece, the problem is the same. How do you break through the clutter, hold their attention and persuade your readers to do what you want them to do? It takes more than just finding the right advertising words. You also have to use the right marketing strategy.

Advertising writing and marketing technical writing to promote your technology company demands a vastly different skill set than writing systems documentation and other highly technical communications. Although both require an understanding of technology, the primary difference is the purpose of the communication: tech writing educates users; marketing tech and advertising writing sells the product or service to prospective buyers. To effectively write advertising and marketing communications for technology audiences, you need to translate technical points into simple language and build in strategic messages motivating your audience to act. That action could be to understand or form a favorable image of your company—or more likely, buy your products, services or stock, or provide capital investment.

Write effective promotional content for technology audiences, presenting key strategic messages that get results.

Writing promotional tech copy is different from any other type of writing—especially technical writing for documentation. True technical writing focuses on the technology process, how it works and all required information to implement, use, change, troubleshoot or fix the product or service—in depth, without editorializing. Promotional tech writing translates the technical aspects into a short overview telling the reader “what’s in it for me”, highlighting benefits and how the product will solve my problem, and help me reach my business goals better than competing products. It compares the product to others and contains a call to action (to buy, ask for a demo, etc.). And, it’s made appealing with attention-getting design. Advertising and marketing communications technical writing combines technology knowledge, marketing strategy and promotional writing skills.

 Unlikely publicity, a good one I like to use is this:

"You have permission to publish the article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included and all links remain active. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated."

Let's continue onto bylines. These are the couple of lines included at the end of article; this is what you get in return for allowing people to use your work. Pretty much the same as an email signature, the idea is to attract people to see, hear, visit your site or email you to find out more about your product. I usually use something like: focus on information.

When writing tech advertising and marketing publicity pieces, not allowing enough time to write and shape strategic messages will set you up for failure—or less effective messages at best. Recognize that the writing process will take longer than anticipated. Expect a lot of changes and revisions—especially when you have multiple reviewers. Allot blocks of uninterrupted time to devote full attention to writing. The more starts and stops, the longer it will take and the harder it will be. Don’t be tempted to borrow days from writing time for other steps. It’ll show in the end product.

In publicity, looks on the journalism science applied on the news values and article formula. The headline and the first sentence are the two most important parts of publicity. Make sure they are compelling enough to draw the editor or reporter in, use active verbs in headline, making them brief and to the point.

Develop a well-thought-out’ news hook,’ a persuasive reason for the news media to pursue a story. The news hook provides direction to the rest of the release.

In public relation writing, the ability to write easily, logically, and succinctly is vital in public relatios.the object of most pr writing is to grab the reader’s attention. Most press releases and other written communications for the media use an inverted-pyramid style, with the most important and relevant information at the top, followed by gradually less important information.Most people just want to start writing. They have a rough idea what they want to say and feel they can wing it. But before you ever touch a key (or heft a pen), keep in mind that:Decide who your audience is. Is your prospect an entire industry, a subsection or multiple industries? Do you want to reach actual users or a decision maker? Knowing who your primary audience is provides the foundation for your approach, message and language also.

Each communication medium reaches a different target audience. Know where your target audience would be and when it would be most receptive. Then determine which communication vehicle—or combination if you want to do a campaign—would best reach your particular target. Radio telivishen.news paper, magazine, Websites, e-letters, e-blasts, banner ads, blogs and other electronic forms of communication can reach your target audiences and be less expensive. Other times, print communications—ads, brochures, direct mail, etc.—are more effective.

Support your brand. Your brand is the total experience of your product or company in the marketplace—values, expectations, experiences and perception all rolled into one impression. It’s similar to the reputation and personality of a person. Create, nurture and protect the brand. If you don’t, prospects, buyers and competitors will create one for you. Your marketing people can help make sure that your promotional piece supports your brand, company image and marketing strategy.

Keep your message to key strategic points, briefly stated. Often  people try to include every single feature, overlooking what  the reader really wants to know: what the product is and does, its major benefits, how it helps solve their company’s critical problem, how easy it is to integrate and use, how it differs from competing products, the support provided after sale, available warranties, future upgrade intentions, and whether your company will be in business during the entire product or service life cycle. Too many points and points not made succinctly dilute the message—causing readers to leave without any messages registering.

Always create your game plan—an outline—before writing. It doesn’t have to be formal—with Roman numerals, letters and numbers, and full sentences. It simply can be topics and bulleted supporting phrases. Jot them down and arrange them in a logical order from introduction to conclusion. Fill in gaps and think about transition elements. This step shortens both writing and revision time, so don’t skip it.

A great message is worthless if it is—or it is perceived to be—difficult to read. In fact, research shows that people of all educational levels prefer to read well below their abilities. (Most daily newspapers are written for a fourth-grade level for easy comprehension.) Readers choose simpler over harder every time, so keep it simple. Bigger words and longer elements make your writing more difficult to understand. No one cares how intelligent you are—they only want to understand what you’re trying to say. So, use one- or two-syllable words, short sentences and brief paragraphs over longer ones whenever  you can. Simple writing makes topics and messages easier to read, more attention-holding, and more likely to persuade prospects to become buyers. Keep it simple.

Write for the medium. Each medium has a different writing style and format. Examples: To be effective, you can’t repurpose copy written for a brochure or direct mail piece as a web page, or lift letter wording for an ad. In these cases, copy needs to be written for the Web and as an ad, respectively.

Get inside the “head” of your target audience. Imagine you are having a conversation with the prospect. What would you say? How would you approach the subject? What would they want to know? Write it from their perspective, not your company’s.

Watch your tone. This is the manner in which you speak to the reader. Don’t be formal, talk down to your audience or bad-mouth competition. Your audience is reading between the lines to determine credibility and what it would be like to do business with you.

When Writing for publicity

When people see you as a provider of good information that they can use and profit from then your reputation and the reputation of your company becomes more credible. When this happens people will be more likely to buy your products and services or indeed the products or services you recommend them.

One of the best and fastest ways to get the name of your company and your own name spread on the radio, telivishen.news paper, web… is to begin writing articles for other ezines and websites or indeed just submit previously written articles to them.

If your articles are of good quality and informative then ezine and website publishers will be interested in them and your work could end up being published in endless ezine editions and hundreds of websites.

Not only will this increase your credibility but it could also result in 1000's more visitors, this is because at the end of all your articles which you allow others to publish will be a link back to your site. Don't forget also that if lots of your articles are published on websites then your link popularity will improve drastically. This in turn will result in higher search engine rankings in Google and the other engines which use link popularity as a ranking factor; this of course means lots more visitors and profit.If you're looking for a powerful way to get free publicity and build your credibility at the same time, then writing articles may be your answer.
If you've been on the Internet for a while, you've probably subscribed to a few ezines. Many ezine publishers will include an article written by a guest author. At the end of the article are a few lines of text about the author referred to as bylines or resource box. These lines of text are basically just an advertisement for the writer. They usually contain a couple of lines about the author and a web address.
The writer gives the publisher permission to publish their article, free of charge, in exchange for the publisher including the author's bylines. 

By writing articles and allowing them to be freely published, your articles will have the potential to be viewed by millions of Internet users. They may be published by several ezines with subscriber bases of a few hundred to several thousand. In addition, they may be displayed in ezine archives or on high traffic websites.

Reference.

Introduction: Writing For Public Relations University of Nevada, Las Vegas Spring 2010

“If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on public relations.” — Bill Gates But What Is A Public Relations Specialist? University of Nevada, Las Vegas Spring 2010

Public relations specialists are responsible for “the management function that maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends.” — Scott M. Cutlip But What Is A Public Relations Specialist? University of Nevada, Las Vegas Spring 2010

Public relations is “a package of trickery, economies with the truth, manipulation of public credulity, bullying of journalists and favoritism.” — Melanie Phillips But What Is A Public Relations Specialist? University of Nevada, Las Vegas Spring 2010

“A public relations specialist is an online celebrity for a company.” — prevailing thought But What Is A Public Relations Specialist? University of Nevada, Las Vegas Spring 2010

So what is it? What Is A Public Relations Specialist? University of Nevada, Las Vegas Spring 2010

Someone who... • Thinks like a journalist. • Acts like a business strategist. • Digs deeper than an investigator. • Writes with the passion of a novelist. • Speaks with the conviction of a communicator. • Exhibits empathy like a lead public advocate. • Demonstrates authenticity like a social worker. What Is A Public Relations Specialist? University of Nevada, Las Vegas Spring 2010

So why all the confusion? What Is A Public Relations Specialist? University of Nevada, Las Vegas Spring 2010

The profession is in a state of change. What Is A Public Relations Specialist? University of Nevada, Las Vegas Spring 2010

• The division of modern media. • The rapid pace of technology. • The evolution of distribution. • The speed of communication. • The infusion of different disciplines. The Profession Is Changing. University of Nevada, Las Vegas Spring 2010