I think the key points to remember from this week's readings are that research and evaluation are imperative to a public relations campaign. Evaluating the outcomes of a campaign will help practitioners determine the effectiveness of the steps taken into planning and managing and that will ultimately help the practitioner decide whether he should take the same steps for future public relations programs.
There are three phrases to undergo when conducting research: ‘input’, ‘output’ and ‘outcome’ research. They are crucial in every public relations campaign and act as a guide for public relations practitioners to keep to. Input research measures what issues and opportunities are present, what perception and beliefs of publics are, decides upon the tools and methods to take when communicating with target audiences.
Practitioners will make adjustments and improvements to the implemented plans in the output phase. Changes include the number of messages sent and placed, the activites implemented/ designed and who receives the messages.
In the final phase, the outcome research will reflect how successful or unsuccessful the strategy is and how effective planning and communication has been for the event.
Different research techniques(surveys, case studies, environmental monitoring, etc) can be employed depending on the objectives of the organisation.
The readings made me think more about public relations theory and practice in that I didn’t use to think a public relations practitioner’s job scope includes having to conduct research before executing any campaign and events. Research is essential and has to be done before planning for a campaign or project. Now I think that public relations practitioners, like marketeers, have to go through great pains researching but they will stand to reap benefits out of it.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
TheNinth
I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were that public relations practitioners should be analytical, creative and dexterous when it comes to strategic planning and determining the choice of tactics. Tactics and strategy are interrelated and it is vital to execute and deliver them to the right target audiences otherwise all efforts and time will come to waste.
As illustrated in the text, there is no guaranteed correct set of tactics that will ensure successful implementation of a public relations campaign. When deciding upon which tactics to adopt, the target audience, appropriateness of the medium, budget and pros and cons should always be considered.
As discussed in week 4’s readings, the right planning, budgeting and scheduling can ensure the effectiveness of a strategy which will in turn secure organizational goals and objectives.
A set of multiple tactics can be employed as long as it reaches out to the target audiences, achieves the strategic outcome and are within the organisation’s budget.
Public relations practitioners should be aware of the ever-changing target audiences as the society becomes increasingly complex. When the wrong target audience is identified, the practitioners will risk employing the wrong choice of tactics.
This can be seen in a recent event where Cecelia Cheung, who’s plagued by the recent Edison Chen scandal appeared in a television commercial for Lux shampoo’s ad campaign. The ad was subsequently withdrawn after multiple complaints from Chinese viewers in Shanghai. In this case, the wrong celebrity is hired and wrong tactic applied.
The readings have made me think more about public relations theory and practice in that a successful public relations campaign is the marriage between a brilliant strategy and the use of effective tactics.
As illustrated in the text, there is no guaranteed correct set of tactics that will ensure successful implementation of a public relations campaign. When deciding upon which tactics to adopt, the target audience, appropriateness of the medium, budget and pros and cons should always be considered.
As discussed in week 4’s readings, the right planning, budgeting and scheduling can ensure the effectiveness of a strategy which will in turn secure organizational goals and objectives.
A set of multiple tactics can be employed as long as it reaches out to the target audiences, achieves the strategic outcome and are within the organisation’s budget.
Public relations practitioners should be aware of the ever-changing target audiences as the society becomes increasingly complex. When the wrong target audience is identified, the practitioners will risk employing the wrong choice of tactics.
This can be seen in a recent event where Cecelia Cheung, who’s plagued by the recent Edison Chen scandal appeared in a television commercial for Lux shampoo’s ad campaign. The ad was subsequently withdrawn after multiple complaints from Chinese viewers in Shanghai. In this case, the wrong celebrity is hired and wrong tactic applied.
The readings have made me think more about public relations theory and practice in that a successful public relations campaign is the marriage between a brilliant strategy and the use of effective tactics.
Friday, March 7, 2008
TheEighth
I think the key points to remember from this week's readings are that, in the world of corporate marketing and public relations, sponsorship and events run hand in hand and although sponsorship doesn’t come cheap, the goodwill delivered to the organisation/business is worth the price.
In marketing sponsorships, businesses usually look into events which has similar interests or are of relevance to what they’re dealing with which will promote its products and services to the target audience and in turn, generate profits and heighten sales activity. An example would be ‘Moet & Chandon’ which has forged a fashion profile and has become the official champagne sponsor at major fashion weeks in the fashion circuit.
With corporate/ marketing sponsorship a burgeoning trend now, you’ll find a long list of brands/ organisations supplying their services/sponsoring an event. Take the upcoming Singapore Fashion Festival for example, most of the products and services are sponsored by brands ranging from Mastercard to Audi, to Samsung, to Lee Hwa Jewellery, to L'Oréal Professionnel, to Haagen Dazs, to Evian, to Novita(lifestyle products). Some find it rather ridiculous that businesses dealing with ice-cream, mineral water and even garment steamers wants a piece of the action(sponsorship)!
The popularity of corporate sponsorship has been on a rise amongst the renown and bigger organisations. Take the annual Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon for example, Standard Chartered is the ‘title sponsor’ for the event. The title of the marathon itself directly shouts out the name of the sponsor, gaining attention and increasing its public profile.
The readings made me think more about public relations theory and practice in that PR practitioners should be meticulous with details and should take effort in careful planning, execution and evaluation for an event. Practitioners must also be tactful when dealing with ambush marketeers.
In marketing sponsorships, businesses usually look into events which has similar interests or are of relevance to what they’re dealing with which will promote its products and services to the target audience and in turn, generate profits and heighten sales activity. An example would be ‘Moet & Chandon’ which has forged a fashion profile and has become the official champagne sponsor at major fashion weeks in the fashion circuit.
With corporate/ marketing sponsorship a burgeoning trend now, you’ll find a long list of brands/ organisations supplying their services/sponsoring an event. Take the upcoming Singapore Fashion Festival for example, most of the products and services are sponsored by brands ranging from Mastercard to Audi, to Samsung, to Lee Hwa Jewellery, to L'Oréal Professionnel, to Haagen Dazs, to Evian, to Novita(lifestyle products). Some find it rather ridiculous that businesses dealing with ice-cream, mineral water and even garment steamers wants a piece of the action(sponsorship)!
The popularity of corporate sponsorship has been on a rise amongst the renown and bigger organisations. Take the annual Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon for example, Standard Chartered is the ‘title sponsor’ for the event. The title of the marathon itself directly shouts out the name of the sponsor, gaining attention and increasing its public profile.
The readings made me think more about public relations theory and practice in that PR practitioners should be meticulous with details and should take effort in careful planning, execution and evaluation for an event. Practitioners must also be tactful when dealing with ambush marketeers.
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