This week's reading covers to area of crisis and issues management, as well as public relations in the third sector.
I personally find the chapter in crisis management very interesting, because this is when the involvement of PR is very clear. In order for PR practitioners to respond well to a crisis, they need to be alert and prepared to carry out plans swiftly, because that is the most important aspect when it comes to crisis management; to respond as soon as possible. The case study on panadol for example, is a very appropriate PR management. Panadol caters to a very wide consumer base everywhere, so i feel that it is certainly not easy to reach everyone, and handle the media at the same time. I feel that the PR plan involved in this is very good, as the company was very open and transparent with its actions and allows the public to know what is going on, instead of trying to hide the facts.
Another interesting point from the readings is 'astroturfing' and 'greenwashing' in the chapter about the third sector. I personally have not come across these two terms before, so it is very interesting to know what it is about. 'Astroturfing' is the service of artificial grass roots public support offered by public relations companies, while 'greenwashing' is the use of public relations to manipulate public views that corporations are acting in environmentally responsible ways. I feel that this is a very unethical and inappropriate method of public relations, because it does benefit the public in any way. Public relations is meant to be a platform between the public and an organization, and this does not support that in any way. It also gives a bad impression about public relations, that it manipulates and deceives the public.
In conclusion, this week's readings is interesting and insightful, it will definetely become useful knowledge in my work of PR in the future.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A typical PR program
This week's readings gives a over view of how a public relations program works. It is very specific and detailed in showing the different methods and ways a PR program can be decided upon, and how it can be carried out.
I think one interesting point from the readings is that often, management only invests in PR when they feel that they require some help, like their rival company gaining more publicity for example. This topic about how PR is not taken into much consideration in an organization has been reiterated several times throughout our readings thus far, and I guess it is quite a big problem in the area of PR. Instead of being in the decision-making level of an organization, it if often just taken as an additional incentive for the organization. If taken this way, PR practitioners will not be able to contribute much to an organization, therefore defeating the purpose of having a PR department.
Another important point from the readings is the amount of thought and planning that has to be put into place before a PR program can be decided upon. There are so many considerations and decisions to make, from the setting of objectives to the types of campaigns within a PR program. It is interesting to learn of the wide variety of PR campaigns that can be used, as it gives me more insight and a better idea of PR campaigning.
Overall, this readings has helped me understand PR programs much better, because it is very thorough and detailed. This will certainly aid in my planning for the final project for this module, and also in my career in future.
I think one interesting point from the readings is that often, management only invests in PR when they feel that they require some help, like their rival company gaining more publicity for example. This topic about how PR is not taken into much consideration in an organization has been reiterated several times throughout our readings thus far, and I guess it is quite a big problem in the area of PR. Instead of being in the decision-making level of an organization, it if often just taken as an additional incentive for the organization. If taken this way, PR practitioners will not be able to contribute much to an organization, therefore defeating the purpose of having a PR department.
Another important point from the readings is the amount of thought and planning that has to be put into place before a PR program can be decided upon. There are so many considerations and decisions to make, from the setting of objectives to the types of campaigns within a PR program. It is interesting to learn of the wide variety of PR campaigns that can be used, as it gives me more insight and a better idea of PR campaigning.
Overall, this readings has helped me understand PR programs much better, because it is very thorough and detailed. This will certainly aid in my planning for the final project for this module, and also in my career in future.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
research & evaluation, sponsorship and events!
This week's readings were fairly technical as compared to the other chapters, with much information and facts to digest, especially the chapter about research and evaluation.
It is quite interesting to find out there is so much involved in researching before the actual techniques can be carried out. The diagram that shows the rekationship between a model of a PR process and research is one such example. I certainly wouldn't have known there was so much to take into consideration. The diagram is very helpful in placing all the important points together and making it a clearer picture. Also, I found the number of different research techniques quite surprising, if not overwhelming, because there is such a wide variety to choose from. This chapter also covers what we study in Audience Studies with the various research techniques, so it definitely gives me more insight into these two subjects.
From the chapter about sponsorship and event management, I personally find the area on ambush marketing very interesting! It's my first time coming across that term or even that concept about sponsorship. It has never occurred to me that during an event, companies who do not have a sponsorship agreement with the event may seem to the target audiences as one of the sponsors. I feel that it is difficult to define a clear boundary in order not to give the target audience a wrong idea of who the real sponsors of an event is. This problem even brings into discussion about ethics, which sporting organisations and sponsorship advocates believe it to be. Marketing executives however, argue that it separates strong brands from the weak.
In conclusion, i think that the readings for the week was very informative and insightful, and i certainly learnt a lot about this area of public relations, some of which i had never known before.
It is quite interesting to find out there is so much involved in researching before the actual techniques can be carried out. The diagram that shows the rekationship between a model of a PR process and research is one such example. I certainly wouldn't have known there was so much to take into consideration. The diagram is very helpful in placing all the important points together and making it a clearer picture. Also, I found the number of different research techniques quite surprising, if not overwhelming, because there is such a wide variety to choose from. This chapter also covers what we study in Audience Studies with the various research techniques, so it definitely gives me more insight into these two subjects.
From the chapter about sponsorship and event management, I personally find the area on ambush marketing very interesting! It's my first time coming across that term or even that concept about sponsorship. It has never occurred to me that during an event, companies who do not have a sponsorship agreement with the event may seem to the target audiences as one of the sponsors. I feel that it is difficult to define a clear boundary in order not to give the target audience a wrong idea of who the real sponsors of an event is. This problem even brings into discussion about ethics, which sporting organisations and sponsorship advocates believe it to be. Marketing executives however, argue that it separates strong brands from the weak.
In conclusion, i think that the readings for the week was very informative and insightful, and i certainly learnt a lot about this area of public relations, some of which i had never known before.
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