week 11 readings

This weeks reading is Chapters 6 – Research and Evaluation in Public relations: theory and practice / edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi. Crows Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2004. 2nd ed

The key points to remember from the reading are:
• Research is an essential task within public relations, used to identify the requirement for a communication program, to assist in establishing that program, to check progress and to evaluate the effectiveness.

There are many forms of research
• Exploratory
• Secondary
• Primary
• Development

Input research indicates what problems or opportunities actually exist, what the perceptions and beliefs of the public are, and what tools or methods of communication would be most effective in helping the organization achieve its objectives with those publics.

Output research gathers information on the appropriateness of the message and activity content, and the quality of message and activity presentations.

The basic standards for ethical considerations:
• Give full disclosure of the research procedure
• Results are accurately reported and distributed freely and widely
• Keep respondent information confidential as promised
• Do not promise clients and sponsors that cannot be delivered

This weeks readings made me think about public relations in that it showed how great a part research is in the public relations profession and has made me consider choosing perhaps some marketing subjects and others that teach research tools in order to improve my skills.

im posting on jess browns blog this week

week 10s readings

This weeks readings are from Chapters 7 and 8 – Strategy, Planning and Scheduling/Tactics in Public relations: theory and practice / edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi. Crows Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2004. 2nd ed.

I think the key points to remember from these readings are:

• Organisational strategy is a pattern or plan that integrates an organisation’s major goals, policies and action sequences into a cohesive whole

An excellent communication/public relations department:
• Run by managers who make communication policy decisions and accept responsibility for the success or failure of programmes
• Contributes significantly to the organizations strategic plan and organisational decision-making
• Works with top management to solve organisational problems that involve communication relationships
• Facilities 2way communication between top management and key stakeholders, helping them understand each other and developing win-win situations
• Uses formal and informal research techniques to understand the environment inside and outside the organistaion to identify key issues

A mission statement is formulated to help close the gap between the unsatisfactory present and the more perfect future, it is:
• Consistent with and supportive of an organizations vision
• The road map that describes how the organization will move to reach its vision
• The means of telling people why the organization is in business
• The source of strategies that collectively create a business plan

Lester Potter’s (1997) ‘ten-step’ strategic communication plan
1. Executive summary
2. The communication process
3. Background
4. Situation analysis
5. Main message statement
6. Stakeholders
7. Messages for key stakeholders
8. Implementation
9. Budget
10. Monitoring and evaluation

Tactics can be broken into 2 main groups –
Controlled – advertising/annual reports/brochures/posters/direct mail/adversarial
Uncontrolled – media relations/ public meeting etc

Methods of delivery
• Mail
• Faxes
• News distribution agencies
• Email
• CD-ROMs
• Couriers
• Videos
• Video-conferencing
• Personal delivery
• Websites

This weeks readings made me reflect upon the detailed work that goes into being a public relations practitioner and the extreme importance of the need to be a very organised and neat person. These chapters were very practical and instead of the previous chapters which usually cause me to reflect this weeks was very detailed and more something that I will flick back to in order to get fine details such as the standard envelope size and wether to use single coloured publications or two, three, four or five colour publications.

im posting on these peoples readings this week..

Deborah Wise, Lauren Hall & Brendon Wolf

Week 9's readings

This weeks reading is from Chapter 13 – Sponsorship an Event Managements in Public relations: theory and practice / edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi. Crows Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2004. 2nd ed

I think the key points to remember from this week's reading are:
• Sponsorship is one of the most expensive tactics which can be chosen by an organization, but the goodwill delivered by a well chosen and managed sponsorship can be commensurately large.
• Sponsorship is the purchase of specific rights and benefits associated with an event, organization or individual
• Sponsorship generates goodwill and provides opportunities to enhance the image and reputation of the organization by association
• Sponsorship provides a focal point for sales and marketing efforts, offers product brands high visibility to potential customers and generates media coverage for the sponsoring organization

• The three types of sponsorship include:
1. Philanthropic – generally community based
2. Corporate – event not normally linked to the sponsors general business
3. Marketing – cash/goods for tangible revenue-oriented results

• Ambush marketing occurs when an company misrepresents itself as being associated with an event when it has no official, legal or moral rights to do so.
• The most common avenues for event ambushing are:
• Advertising in event publications
• Signage sales
• Sponsorship of an individual or sporting team

Successful event management includes:
• Strong commitment of all members of the organising committee
• Strong leadership
• Efficient event committee
• Effective subcommittees with clearly defined responsibilities
• Clearly defined objectives and priorities
• Strong event theme and image

In order to achieve the best media coverage:

• a media release is to be issued about the event and sponsorship
• media functions should be staged within the event
• an event handbook should be distributed to the media
  
• event tickets should be made available to the media

This weeks readings made me think about public relations in that this chapter really got into the core details of what is involved in either sponsoring an event or holding an event. It was very interesting and very helpful with lots of great tips. I particularly found it interesting that Many large organizations now have dedicated sponsorship pages on their websites which clearly define the steps and information to be provided to the organization on order to be considered for sponsorship. Sponsorship was used to not be a traditional for of PR and it is interesting to see how it has now grown to become a common practice with such a great demand that organisation have an entire page dedicated to it. The world of PR is really changing and growing towards the future which is very exciting for all us new aspiring practitioners.

who im posting on this week

This week Im posting on Jess Cappers blog and Luke Bryants

week 8

This weeks readings are based upon

Sallot, M. & Johnson, A. (2006). To contact … or not?: Investigating journalists’ assessments of public relations subsidies and contact preferences. Public Relations Review. 32(1) 83-86.

and the two Media Release readings:

Article 1 The Importance of Writing Skills by Kurt Wise in Public Relations Quarterly; Summer 2005; 50, 2; ABI/INFORM Global. pg. 37

Article 2 - <>How To...Ten Steps to Press Release PerfectionPR News. Potomac: Mar 20, 2006. Vol. 62, Iss. 12; pg. 1

I think the key points to remember from this weeks readings are:

• Informative and persuasive writing are among the skills necessary to enter the field
• Writing is one of the foundations of a successful public relations practitioner and the ability to communicate messages clearly and concisely is one of their differentiating skills
• Grammar, run on sentences and paragraph structure are the main concerns and downfalls of entry level practitioners
• When writing for the web one’s writing style must change to become shorter, more concise, more conversational and more enticing as opposed to when your writing a press release and you have more space. The way people read information on the web is different to the way people read information in a newspaper or magazine.

The press release 10steps to ensure text & message are ‘laser-focused”
1. Info has genuine worth
2. Avoid blatant commercialism
3. Craft for target audience
4. Short and succinct
5. Make heading relevant
6. Be careful and clever with quotes
7. Include all information reporter may need for a story
8. Keep boilerplate to a minimum
9. Give a tag team of contacts
10. Double check everything

The articles made me think about public relation in that
a key skill that all good PR practitioners need is versatility – being able to write a basic news release, a feature story, a by-line article etc in current times jobs are beginning across lines and a wide ranges of skills is now compulsary. I think that in the future one degree will not be enoght but instead students will need to do a combined degree in order to have a greater range of skills and more of a chance of being employed. Good writers can change their writing style for the audience – “outstanding writers can shift gears”, writing skills is vital and instead of taking the attitude that a i just want to pass assignments i now will look upon them with a different approach as to aim for no spelling mistakes as in the end it may not me a huge deal at uni but may keep you unemployed in the workforce.
I also had not heard of the term boilerplate before reading one of the texts so i learnt new terminology and will use it from now on.

who im posting on this week

This week im commenting on erin salmons blog

Reading for week 7

I believe the key points to remember from this weeks readings are:

• The use of the media as a public relations tool and its impact and power should never be underestimated, it incorporates both technical aspects in writing media releases and compiling media kits.
  
• Media relations calls on the key attributes of writing, organisation and planning, as well as keen interpersonal skills and up-to-the-minute knowledge of news and current events.
  
• Convergence in media platforms means they can reach wider and more varied audiences with the same message
• the relationship between the media and public relations is two-way each relies upon one another for information in terms of PR this is known as media monitoring.
• News values include:

1. Impact
2. Conflict
3. Timeliness
4. Proximity
5. Prominence
6. Currency
   
7. Human interest
8. Unusual
9. Money

• The importance of knowing all work related details such as the newsroom hierarchy, the media style of the organisation, the target audience for the organisation etc
  
• Different writing styles and formats were also examined in this text including media releases, feature articles, profiles, fact sheets etc.
• Media conferences are held to allow for a wide dissemination of a story, to give all media access to the news at once and to allow journalists to ask follow-up questions

This weeks reading made me reflect upon public relations and the strong relationship between it and the media until reading this weeks texts i didn't place as much value on media relations in supporting PR as i should have! The two are intertwined and feed of one another in order for one to be successful you need the other. I found the text by Johnston and Zawawi to be extremely valuable in that it gave a detailed account of media conferences including all considerations such as set-up, who to invite, how to invite when and where they should be held. it gave a great basic framework that I am sure to use as a guide my future work.

who im blogging on this week

today im blogging on luke bryan's blog.

reading for week6

Based on Chapters 4 and 5 of Public relations: theory and practice / edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi. Crows Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2004. 2nd ed.

I think the key points to remember from this week's reading are the many different legal boundaries and restrictions a public relations practitioner must face in order to remain lawful and ethical. Some of these main key points are listed below:

• As a Public relations practitioner you must look at the legal risks involved for both yourself /company/client and create strategies to minimise and harm made in terms of both commercial and professional risks.
• Public relations relies on good reputations, positive images and strong relationships and all of this must be factored into the cost of legal action

• before deciding to be involved (taking legal action/ disputing claims in court) Public relations practitioners must strongly consider three major factors:

1. what are the pr practitioners rights and responsibilities?
2. how do these rights and responsibilities translate into everyday work practices?
3. What are Pr implications of the legal dispute?

Defamation was also covered in this text.

• defamation aims to protect a persons reputation
• It limits what Public Relations practitioners can and can't publish
• It can be used to protect the reputations of a public relations practitioner as well as clients

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that it made me realise that every single action as public relations practitioner must be done very carefully to not brake any laws especially when trying to get the public on your clients side and make their business look good, you have to make sure the degree to which you try to make the opposition look bad is not defamatory.

who im posting on this week

im going to port on lauren hall's blog.

week 5

Based on Chapter 7 of Public relations: theory and practice / edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi. Crows Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2004. 2nd ed and Chapter 4 - A Typical Public Relations Program. In C. Tymson, P. Lazar, P and R. Lazar, (Eds.)The new Australian and New Zealand public relations manual (5th ed.) (pp. 74-117) Manly: Tymson Communications . 2006.

I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were the few varying process/plan's discussed in the text that demonstrated the importance of organisation to achieve a companies/public relation practitioner’s success and their formats.

* The stages of a strategic process

1. creation of organisational vision and mission statements
2. creation of public relations vision and mission statements
3. establishment of performance indicators
4. budgeting
5. writing of a strategic public relations plan
6. scheduling of public relations plan
7. scheduling of public relations plan activities

* Lester Potter's 10-step strategic communication plan - it can cover situations ranging from an annual plan through to a specific or single issue over a shorter time frame

1. executive summary
2. the communication process
3. background
4. situation analysis
5. main message statement
6. stakeholders
7. messages for key stakeholders
8. implementation
9. budget
10. monitoring and evaluation

*In order for an effective strategic communication plan the writer must always be open and honest, be 2way and responsive, be receiver-oriented, be timely, be clear and consistent and be comprehensive

and

* Zawawi-Johnson strategic public relations plan

1. executive summary
2. vision and mission
3. background and situation analysis
4. define strategy
5. define publics
6. define main message
7. select tactics and communication methods
8. implementation and scheduling
9. monitoring and evaluation
10. budget

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that it made me realise how business minded a pr practitioner must be and how vital it is that they are organised and prepared. I found the two case studies very interesting and useful to gain an insight into a real life example, putting theory into practice. I believe the organisation you are in will determine which plan (put forward in the text) you would utilise but in general I think that I would use the Zawawi-Johnson strategic public relations plan however I wouldn't leave budgeting until the last point.

who im commenting on this week

this week im commenting on lauren halls's post - http://cmns1290laurenhall.blogspot.com

week 4 readings

Based on Insider Info chapter (pp 37-93) in Public Relations by James, M. (2006). Sydney: CareerFaqs and

Chapter 11 Internal Communications In C. Tymson, P. Lazar, P and R. Lazar, (Eds.)The new Australian and New Zealand public relations manual (5^th ed.) (pp. 74-117) Manly: Tymson Communications.

I think the key point to remember from this week's reading is how public relations jobs spread across many job descriptions such as marketing and communications assistant, account manager, communications consultant, media and communications manager, public relations consultant, marketing and communications manager, national sales and marketing manager. These various job descriptions all contain an element of public relations work therefore it can be concluded that public relations is not just a single profession but a general area that is a team of people contributing to a campaign rather than just a single individual.
The areas of growth within the public relations industry were also greatly valuable some suggested include:

• PR in non-traditional areas, breaking through all of the current advertising junk to get your product noticed

• Results management and internal communications that is creating ways in which to demonstrate or measure the value of PR work.

• Technology and risk management were also noted as key influences on the industry forcing it grow and adapt to such things as the Internet and terrorist attacks.

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that I gained great advice and tips from people currently in the industry such as ‘make your own mark don’t reinvent what has been done in the past’ – Justin Noel and ‘improve your writing skills by contributing pieces to magazines on subjects of which you are passionate about’ – Josh Meadows. Reading the texts became a catalyst for me to think about what kind of position I want to achieve in a company. James helped especially to give me a birds eye view into the industry to learn what is the average wages as well as the average hours worked per week generally 45-55.

week 3 readings

Based on Chapter 3 of Public relations: theory and practice / edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi. Crows Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2004. 2nd ed and Gower, K (2006) Public Relations Research at the Crossroads in Journal of Public Relations Research. 18 (2), 177-190.

I think the key points to remember from this weeks readings were that there are many theories that have been produced to explain public relations an although there are plenty to pick from, one single theory does not always stand true without the input from another. It is the combination of different theories that best paints the picture of public relations. When the text discussed the theories it also highlighted how they can be incorporated in public relations as well as the limitations and boundaries of each exemplifying that no theory is perfect each has it's own problems.
The clearest and best description of public relations is Grunig's four models of public relations. The four models cover four different areas of Public relations and takes into account the varying purposes of public relations depending on the client and employer. by categorising the different areas of public relations one can see the different kinds of organisation where they are practiced and what would be most suitable where.
The readings also explain how public relations itself is extremly complex and widespread across many industries highlighted by the quote “public relations can be applied in various organisations” (Gower, 2006), this reassured my growing knowledge throughout this course that in order to be a public relations practitioner you must be multi-skilled and be able do work across varying departments such as marketing, advertising reinforcing last weeks readings.

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that instead of just skimming the surface when thinking about public relations, which i usually do (different companies to work for, what it is, what jobs there are), the two texts studied looked into public relations in a deeper level than i had thought before. I began to learn to think in strategies and also leart how vital these strategies are as well as complex. The readings also caused me to reflect upon my own path and help me decide which direction i want to head in within PR.

week 2 readings

Based on the readings: “The Big Picture” Pages 1-36. in Public Relations James, M. (2006). Sydney: CareerFaqs &

Chapters 1 and 2 of Public relations: theory and practice / edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2004. 2nd ed .

I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were learning the current size of the industry and the history of PR, as well as the future of PR including within this various job opportunities both in Australia and overseas as well as the current.
The difference between the myths of Public Relations and the facts were also important whilst learning the definition of PR especially for myself and fellow first year PR students. Many common myths of the job description and the industry were explored such as:
Myth - Pr is a glamorous job full of celebrities and champagne. Fact - Some PR jobs work with celebrities, but all require hard work and clear thought processes, unclouded by champagne. Everyday PR is not glamorous.

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …It gave me a greater depth of understanding of the opportunities in PR and what is expected of a PR employee in a large business and a small business for example: in some smaller organisations your job description blurs across multiple job descriptions such as marketing, advertising, event management etc and therefore you need to be knowledgeable across all these areas and gain as much education in these as available to you. It has caused me to reflect upon my own university degree and start determining what area of PR I want to head towards and what education is vital to know for the area I want to go into.