Good afternoon all
Just dropping you a line to say hi and introduce myself - I'm also a teacher in the communications and media department at CIT and will be assisting Toni with running the online courses while she takes a much-deserved break over the festive season.
A little bit about me - I'm diploma and degree qualified and have been working in PR for around 9 years now. My most recent position was National Communications Manager for the RSPCA, a role I held for four years before leaving last December to establish my own business. I now spend my time consulting in PR, teaching, freelance writing and even doing a bit of casual radio producing!
I've already had e-mail discussions with several of you and will be keeping an eye on the blog posts in case there are any problems or questions I can assist with.
If you'd like to contact me directly, you are very welcome to do so - just e-mail jspeechley@gmail.com or phone 0414 354 928.
Warm regards
Jane.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
PR campaign development Part 2, Exercise 1: Communication tactics used for different audience groups
Urban/city dwellers
Media, advertising, websites, competitions, events, SMS, MMS, email, internet, blogs, search engines, electronic news services, CD’s/DVD’s.
Rural communities
Media, printed materials, Community service announcements, sponsorship, community meetings, lobbying, Videos.
Media
Printed material, annual reports, advertising, websites, speeches, sponsorship, presentations, community meetings, events, celebrity spokespeople, awards, lobbying, email.
Employees
Printed materials, annual reports, DVD’s/CD’s/Videos, speeches, presentations, email, internet/intranet,
Politicians
Media, printed materials, advertising, community service announcements, websites, DVD’s/CD’s/Videos, speeches, community meetings, events, awards, lobbying, internet,
Primary school children
Media, printed material, advertising, DVD’s/CD’s/Videos, websites, competitions, celebrity spokespeople,
Media, advertising, websites, competitions, events, SMS, MMS, email, internet, blogs, search engines, electronic news services, CD’s/DVD’s.
Rural communities
Media, printed materials, Community service announcements, sponsorship, community meetings, lobbying, Videos.
Media
Printed material, annual reports, advertising, websites, speeches, sponsorship, presentations, community meetings, events, celebrity spokespeople, awards, lobbying, email.
Employees
Printed materials, annual reports, DVD’s/CD’s/Videos, speeches, presentations, email, internet/intranet,
Politicians
Media, printed materials, advertising, community service announcements, websites, DVD’s/CD’s/Videos, speeches, community meetings, events, awards, lobbying, internet,
Primary school children
Media, printed material, advertising, DVD’s/CD’s/Videos, websites, competitions, celebrity spokespeople,
Sunday, November 30, 2008
PR Campaign Development Part 1, Exercise: 2 University Blood Drive
Q: Where would you find information on blood drives, blood banks, and blood donors in Australia? What statistics can you locate?
An excellent place to start would be with the Australian Red Cross (ARC). The ARC Blood Service has its own website which gives useful information on giving blood. The website also has a “contact us” link which gives further opportunity to ask questions which are not answered on the website. The link to this website is www.donateblood.com.au. This website also provides basic statistical information, however, for more detailed statistics I would utilise the websites “links” function which connects clients with a wide range of other health providers. In addition, I would also look at the ARC Annual Report to obtain statistical data.
Q: Who are your target audience/s?
The campaign will be targeted predominately at students, teachers and extended to friends and relatives of those who attend the university. As a requirement of the ARC, donors need to be aged 16 – 70 years old with a weight of over 45 kg. Donors aged 16 and 17 will need written consent given by a parent or legal guardian and be 50 kg or over. The target audience will also consist of those who have donated blood previously and those who are considering donating for the first time.
Q: How can you find out what they know about giving blood from experience, or what their current attitudes are about donating blood?
The best way to answer this question is to go directly to the source. I would develop a brief questionnaire which would be distributed randomly to my target audience. In addition, I would also contact the student representative body and try to get a time slot on the next meeting agenda to raise awareness of the survey.
Completed survey’s and one on one student interviews will form a major part of my market research. In addition, I would also explore the options of a student discussion database similar to the one we are utilising. This will be an effective, hassle free method of collecting information on target audience perceptions and attitudes.
Q: What can you find out about effective communication tactics to reach your audiences?
Through the Our Communities website, I would look at developing some material which could be distributed on campus in the form of flyers to be distributed on campus and posters to be strategically placed around campus. I would also utilise the student newsletter, online student discussion forums and the campus internet/intranet site/s. In addition, another cost effective way to get maximum exposure would be through email circulation to both the students and teachers at the campus.
Q: What kinds of messages appeal to the audience/s you’re targeting?
Messages for this target audience will need to be factual and succinct. Obviously the flyers will provide less background information than say the email distribution and information posted on the campus internet/intranet site/s. Flyer and poster design will need to be eye catching with stand out phrases to attract the attention of our target audience. The messaging will also need to be phrased simply with minimal jargon used.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Crises Management, Exercise 3: Crisis Management in Action
All these cases give an interesting insight into crisis management and just how varied crisis situations can be.
The communication tactics which worked well for Tylenol, Panadol, Arnott’s and Mercury were:
• The open and honest communication styles adopted,
• all organisations reacted to the crises with the publics best interests at heart,
• PR professionals from all organisations engaged early with senior management, governing bodies, the media and the general public,
• most of the organisations accepted responsibility early on in the crisis situation, resulting in solutions being developed sooner which in turn minimised the risk of negative media responses,
• well planned, daily meetings with media representatives and organisational executive through out the day,
• a core team of professionals had been set up to deal with the crises, limiting decision making to one or two people,
• setting up call centres for clients and retailers; and
• direct engagement with public to nip the crisis situations in the bud and not allowing the situations to get even worse.
Although Sydney Water and Exxon Valdez did adopt some of the above tactics, they did not perform the tasks involved as well as the other organisations. This resulted in a larger margin for error. The communication with internal and external stakeholders was limited and no clear direction was set by PR professionals. Exxon and Valdez, were too focused on the initial crisis and did not view the situation beyond the company’s interests. Instead of engaging with the appropriate governing bodies early on in the process Exxon, waited for these bodies to contact them with a negative connotation.
If I were involved with these organisations as a PR professional, I would spend some time on doing some planning around “Crisis Preparedness”, I would mock-up some risk assessments and action plans to possible crisis scenarios the company might face in the future. Although you could never be 100% prepared for a crisis, prior research would alleviate the initial stresses involved in effectively dealing with that particular crisis. I would also mock-up a communication plan for each scenario to determine early on in the process who might need to be involved and to what degree.
A recent example of a PR crisis is the storms in Brisbane. The Prime Minister and the Premier of QLD both attended devastated areas, this worked well and also the setting up with call centres and community shelters also worked well. The things that have not worked are the call centres have not been well equipped and SES help that has been promised to residents took a long time to arrive due to under resourcing of staff.
Crises Management, Exercise 2: Breaking the complaints cycle at Stockland, Townsville
This is an excellent example of a PR project which has proven to be successful. The PR professionals took the lead role in responding quickly to the neighbours complaints. Through out the PR project, the team employed to rectify this issue used open communication which clearly represented the views of the public, organisation and governing bodies. Stakeholder management skills of the highest standard had been demonstrated in this case.
The team engaged to deal with this issue definitely nipped the situation in the bud, preventing it from becoming a full scale crisis. All in all a favourable outcome was reached by all parties involved, with minimal disruption in the most cost efficient way. In addition, this case study also demonstrates how a simple approach to a potentially large crisis can be so effective.
The team engaged to deal with this issue definitely nipped the situation in the bud, preventing it from becoming a full scale crisis. All in all a favourable outcome was reached by all parties involved, with minimal disruption in the most cost efficient way. In addition, this case study also demonstrates how a simple approach to a potentially large crisis can be so effective.
Crises Management, Exercise 1: Starbucks Crusader
What did Starbucks do well in the management of this issue?
I don’t think Starbucks actually did anything right in the successful management of this issue.
What did Starbucks do poorly in relation to managing this issue?
Starbucks obviously thought that this issue was yet another customer complaint. They offered compensation to the client much too late in the process and did not effectively plan ahead. The company also did not monitor this issue effectively. Treated the case a generic complaint as opposed to personalising the issue and tailoring their communication to that individual client. Even after some compensation was offered, Starbucks adopted a closed minded attitude to resolve the issue and those of other disgruntled customers. Starbucks was very dismissive of the client’s requests without exploring the options further.
If you were the PR manager at Starbucks corporate headquarters, how would you have handled the situation? Would you have done anything differently?
I would have offered a refund or exchange along with a letter of apology earlier on in the process with the hope that this would have nipped the issue in the bud. Failing to reach a favourable outcome for both the organisation and the client, I would make sure that all communication avenues were left open by both parties. By gaining an understanding of what the consumer’s demands were earlier in the process would have saved the organisation time, money and resources. Not to mention major embarrassment and negative media coverage. I would have conducted a risk assessment after the first negative media advert the client placed and determined how much of a threat the client was to the organisation. Based on my research I would have done some more thinking around what steps to take next as opposed to letting it escalate further and further.
I don’t think Starbucks actually did anything right in the successful management of this issue.
What did Starbucks do poorly in relation to managing this issue?
Starbucks obviously thought that this issue was yet another customer complaint. They offered compensation to the client much too late in the process and did not effectively plan ahead. The company also did not monitor this issue effectively. Treated the case a generic complaint as opposed to personalising the issue and tailoring their communication to that individual client. Even after some compensation was offered, Starbucks adopted a closed minded attitude to resolve the issue and those of other disgruntled customers. Starbucks was very dismissive of the client’s requests without exploring the options further.
If you were the PR manager at Starbucks corporate headquarters, how would you have handled the situation? Would you have done anything differently?
I would have offered a refund or exchange along with a letter of apology earlier on in the process with the hope that this would have nipped the issue in the bud. Failing to reach a favourable outcome for both the organisation and the client, I would make sure that all communication avenues were left open by both parties. By gaining an understanding of what the consumer’s demands were earlier in the process would have saved the organisation time, money and resources. Not to mention major embarrassment and negative media coverage. I would have conducted a risk assessment after the first negative media advert the client placed and determined how much of a threat the client was to the organisation. Based on my research I would have done some more thinking around what steps to take next as opposed to letting it escalate further and further.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Theories Behin PR, Exercise
Social Learning Theory
Who do children model, who do teenagers model, who do adults model?
Children will often model parents and children’s characters which are on television and or books.
Teenagers model most other teenagers. Often teenagers will also model celebrities from different fields e.g. sports, rock stars and movie starts. Adults also tend to model those who have similar interests or people they share certain commonalities with.
What are the differences? How would you alter the way you communicate to children versus adults based on this theory?
When communicating with children, I would endeavour to keep information simple, interesting and have lots of demonstration so that the child would learn by observation. Most information should be communicated via television during hours that children are watching.
Communication with adults needs to adapt the positive communication style, where examples are set and over time behaviours changed. Information should be disseminated via all means of communication e.g. television, radio and newspaper.
Exchange Theory
Think about your ‘relationship’ with a bank or a gym for example. Have you ever left one or joined a new one? Discuss in context of social exchange theory.
I was a customer of a particular telecommunications company. The cost to service ratio was completely un-balanced. My relationship with this company became tarnished pretty quickly as I did not feel I was receiving the respect I deserved from staff. I went on to source the services of another provider which I had used before knowing that the relationship would be a better with them. The cost to service ratio is much better now.
Hierarchy of Effects Theory
Think about this theory: do you agree? Is this the process you go through before you ‘act’? Does action always follow an attitude change or can it be the reverse?
To a certain degree I do agree with this theory, depending on what the situation is I think that Action and Attitude Change can be reversed.
Agenda Setting Theory
Does the public drive what news editors and journalists include in the news and the order in which it appears or do journalists and news editors’ decisions about what makes news determine what we think and talk about and rate as important?
The media does have a big influence on the way we view certain situations and what we deem as important. Ultimately journalists and editors have full control over emphasis and importance, however, this would only be gained through research and analyses of current public interest.
Semiotics
Can you think of some examples where images/words/symbols that make sense in a western culture but not in another culture?
The red ribbon, World Aids Day
The White Ribbon, Raising awareness of violence against women
Coloured jelly babies, fight against diabetes
The colour red in Asian culture means prosperity?
Grunig and Hunt’s four models of PR
Which model should you aspire to in your modern-day PR professional life?
Depending on the situation and what the desired outcome is would determine which model would apply. However, I am more inclined to predominately work with Model 4: Two-way symmetric model.
Who do children model, who do teenagers model, who do adults model?
Children will often model parents and children’s characters which are on television and or books.
Teenagers model most other teenagers. Often teenagers will also model celebrities from different fields e.g. sports, rock stars and movie starts. Adults also tend to model those who have similar interests or people they share certain commonalities with.
What are the differences? How would you alter the way you communicate to children versus adults based on this theory?
When communicating with children, I would endeavour to keep information simple, interesting and have lots of demonstration so that the child would learn by observation. Most information should be communicated via television during hours that children are watching.
Communication with adults needs to adapt the positive communication style, where examples are set and over time behaviours changed. Information should be disseminated via all means of communication e.g. television, radio and newspaper.
Exchange Theory
Think about your ‘relationship’ with a bank or a gym for example. Have you ever left one or joined a new one? Discuss in context of social exchange theory.
I was a customer of a particular telecommunications company. The cost to service ratio was completely un-balanced. My relationship with this company became tarnished pretty quickly as I did not feel I was receiving the respect I deserved from staff. I went on to source the services of another provider which I had used before knowing that the relationship would be a better with them. The cost to service ratio is much better now.
Hierarchy of Effects Theory
Think about this theory: do you agree? Is this the process you go through before you ‘act’? Does action always follow an attitude change or can it be the reverse?
To a certain degree I do agree with this theory, depending on what the situation is I think that Action and Attitude Change can be reversed.
Agenda Setting Theory
Does the public drive what news editors and journalists include in the news and the order in which it appears or do journalists and news editors’ decisions about what makes news determine what we think and talk about and rate as important?
The media does have a big influence on the way we view certain situations and what we deem as important. Ultimately journalists and editors have full control over emphasis and importance, however, this would only be gained through research and analyses of current public interest.
Semiotics
Can you think of some examples where images/words/symbols that make sense in a western culture but not in another culture?
The red ribbon, World Aids Day
The White Ribbon, Raising awareness of violence against women
Coloured jelly babies, fight against diabetes
The colour red in Asian culture means prosperity?
Grunig and Hunt’s four models of PR
Which model should you aspire to in your modern-day PR professional life?
Depending on the situation and what the desired outcome is would determine which model would apply. However, I am more inclined to predominately work with Model 4: Two-way symmetric model.
Defining public relations and its role, Activity 2
Based on your learnings so far, find an example of where public relations is being used in a not-for-profit organisation, a corporate organisation and a government agency. You will come across plenty of examples in the media or alternatively, is there a PR activity happening in your own workplace you could tell us about?
The not-for profit organisation I have chosen is The Australian Red Cross. On the organisations website I found a news room link which focused on the current economic/financial crisis which is surfacing around the world. In this article the PR professional is identifying the devastating effects the economic crisis could have on food supply to everyday Australians. The article presents all factual information sourced from various research conducted and then goes on to mention what the Australian Red Cross is doing to minimise the run on effects of the crisis. The article aims to raise awareness of World Food Day and also promotes other Red Cross food orientated programs. The link to this article is: http://www.redcross.org.au/newsroom_featurestories_World-Food-Day.htm
The Department of the Prime Minster and Cabinet has a media release which relates to sensitive cabinet information being leaked by departmental staff. The PR professionals role in this issue would of played a big part in trying to sort the situation out. The fact that this story would have received alot of media attention initially PR consultants would of had to act as a communication tool between departmental staff, the media, general public and Australian Federal Police. The obvious task with this particular media release would of been to write it for the departmental secretary and then the broader distribution process The link to this media release is: http://www.dpmc.gov.au/media/media_release_2008-08-29.cfm
The private organisation I chose was news.com.au, they are running a fund raising event which aims at sponsoring a whole village for Christmas in the Solomon Islands. The article aims at raising awareness amongst their readers by having pop up ads on their website which lead to the full article. This article can be found at: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24629329-5018293,00.html
The not-for profit organisation I have chosen is The Australian Red Cross. On the organisations website I found a news room link which focused on the current economic/financial crisis which is surfacing around the world. In this article the PR professional is identifying the devastating effects the economic crisis could have on food supply to everyday Australians. The article presents all factual information sourced from various research conducted and then goes on to mention what the Australian Red Cross is doing to minimise the run on effects of the crisis. The article aims to raise awareness of World Food Day and also promotes other Red Cross food orientated programs. The link to this article is: http://www.redcross.org.au/newsroom_featurestories_World-Food-Day.htm
The Department of the Prime Minster and Cabinet has a media release which relates to sensitive cabinet information being leaked by departmental staff. The PR professionals role in this issue would of played a big part in trying to sort the situation out. The fact that this story would have received alot of media attention initially PR consultants would of had to act as a communication tool between departmental staff, the media, general public and Australian Federal Police. The obvious task with this particular media release would of been to write it for the departmental secretary and then the broader distribution process The link to this media release is: http://www.dpmc.gov.au/media/media_release_2008-08-29.cfm
The private organisation I chose was news.com.au, they are running a fund raising event which aims at sponsoring a whole village for Christmas in the Solomon Islands. The article aims at raising awareness amongst their readers by having pop up ads on their website which lead to the full article. This article can be found at: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24629329-5018293,00.html
Defining public relations and its role, Activity 1
You have applied for a PR position with a fast-growing credit union. Whilst they have only been in existence for 10 years, the culture of the organization is a relatively conservative one. The organisation has a small marketing team, but it has never employed a public relations practitioner before, and now feel its time.
During your interview for the job, the president admits he is not exactly sure what PR is, but is fairly sure he wants the person in the position to plan promotions and stage events that will attract new customers, write stories that will get free space and coverage in local media and start and employee publication. The president states he is also open to suggestions about the position and asks you what other ideas you have.
Q1: Do the responsibilities outlined by the president indicate he understands the public relations function?
A1: The president of the credit union has a basic understanding of what is required from a PR professional. The activities outlined in the activity are not unusual duties for a PR professional to perform.
Q2: What additional ideas would you put forward to the president in relation to the activities and functions you could perform in the role if employed as PR position?
A2: Given that the credit union is a relatively young, fast-growing business, my suggestion to the President would be to explore avenues of expanding the organisations client base by possibly re-branding logo’s to a less conservative nature which would in turn attract a wider target audience. In addition, I would also suggest that the credit union become a sponsor for a local sporting club within the community. This will initially make the organisation’s presence known and eventually achieve the President’s wish to attract new customers. As mentioned in the activity, the President already anticipates the newly created PR role to undertake event management and promotional activities. The role should also incorporate media liaison activities which would incorporate writing media releases as required.
During your interview for the job, the president admits he is not exactly sure what PR is, but is fairly sure he wants the person in the position to plan promotions and stage events that will attract new customers, write stories that will get free space and coverage in local media and start and employee publication. The president states he is also open to suggestions about the position and asks you what other ideas you have.
Q1: Do the responsibilities outlined by the president indicate he understands the public relations function?
A1: The president of the credit union has a basic understanding of what is required from a PR professional. The activities outlined in the activity are not unusual duties for a PR professional to perform.
Q2: What additional ideas would you put forward to the president in relation to the activities and functions you could perform in the role if employed as PR position?
A2: Given that the credit union is a relatively young, fast-growing business, my suggestion to the President would be to explore avenues of expanding the organisations client base by possibly re-branding logo’s to a less conservative nature which would in turn attract a wider target audience. In addition, I would also suggest that the credit union become a sponsor for a local sporting club within the community. This will initially make the organisation’s presence known and eventually achieve the President’s wish to attract new customers. As mentioned in the activity, the President already anticipates the newly created PR role to undertake event management and promotional activities. The role should also incorporate media liaison activities which would incorporate writing media releases as required.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Tell us about yourself
To get to know eachother, perhaps you could introduce yourself and tell us why you're doing the course to get the ball rolling? Who'll go first?
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Welcome!
Hello and welcome everyone!
This is the place to share your thoughts, ideas and exercise responses during the course. Not only will it help me to monitor your progress, but I hope it will also provide an opportunity to 'connect' with your fellow students. Feel free to post anytime.
Toni
This is the place to share your thoughts, ideas and exercise responses during the course. Not only will it help me to monitor your progress, but I hope it will also provide an opportunity to 'connect' with your fellow students. Feel free to post anytime.
Toni
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