UNIT IV PUBLIC RELATIONS

Introduction – Meaning – Objectives –Scope-Functions-

integrating PR in to Promotional Mix Marketing Public
Relation function- Process of Public Relations-advantages
and disadvantages of PR-Measuring the Effectiveness of
PR- PR tools and techniques. PR and Media Relations, PR
consultancy: Pros and Cons. - Discussion on opinion survey
of PR in Public and Private Enterprises. PR- Research,
Evaluation, Counseling-Marketing Public Relations (MPR)-
Structure of Public Relations Department. Budgeting of PR.
PR Agencies.

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 public relations
• “Public Relations is the deliberate, planned and
sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual
understanding between on organization and its
publics.”Thus, Public relations activities are typically
designed to build and maintain a favourable image
for an organisation and a favourable relationship
with the organization’s various “publics.” These
publics may be customers, stockholders, employees,
unions, environmentalist, the government, people in
local community or some other groups in society
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 characteristics of public relations
• Public relations is a continuous process. It starts with inception of
business unit and lasts as long as it exists.
• All the officials from the top level to the supervisory level
perform public relations activities.
• It is an essential function of marketing department. A company
can build, improve, and maintain its image through public
relations.
• Public relation is an effort to satisfy different groups (like-
consumers, employees, shareholders and society). For example,
with the help of Public relation, the expectation of any particular
group is acknowledged. The group is tried to satisfy by most
possibly meeting their expectations.

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 objectives of public relations
• Building product awareness
• Creating interest
• Providing information
• Creating demand
• Promote goodwill

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 Advantages of PR
• A well-structured PR campaign can result in the target market
being exposed to more detailed information than they receive
with other forms of promotion. That is, media sources often
provide more space and time for explanation of a product.
• Depending on the media outlet, a story mentioning a company
may be picked up by a large number of additional media, thus,
spreading a single story to many locations.
• Finally, in many cases public relations objectives can be achieved
at very low cost when compared to other promotional efforts. This
is not to suggest public relations is not costly, it may be, especially
when a marketer hires PR professionals to handle the work. But
when compared to the direct cost of other promotions, in
particular advertising, the return on promotional expense can be
quite high.
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 disadvantages of PR
• PR campaign has the potential to yield a high return on
promotional expense, it also has the potential to produce the
opposite if the news media feels there is little value in running a
story pitched (i.e., suggested via communication with the news
outlet) by the marketer.
• With PR there is always a chance that a well devised news event
or release will get “bumped” from planned media coverage
because of a more critical breaking news story, such as wars,
severe weather or serious crime.
• Finally, in some areas of the world the impact of traditional news
outlets is fading forcing public relations professionals to
scramble to find new ways to reach their target markets.

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 tools of PR
• PRINT MEDIA Most of the efforts chapters make in public relations are through forms of
print media, primarily newspapers. These are usually the most visible outlets on college
campuses, especially school newspapers, and in the local community.
• 1. PRESS RELEASE The press release is the most common material provided to media
outlets. These documents provide a brief, yet thorough, description of an upcoming
activity, whether it is rush or a service project.
• 2. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS These are very short articles (no more than 75
words) that simply provide the facts of the activity (what it is, where it is located, when it
will be, who is sponsoring, etc.).
• 3. PHOTOGRAPHS There are usually two types of photographs in publicity portrait shots,
where people pose for the camera and smile, and candids, where the subjects are doing
something.
• 4. CASES HISTORIES/ STUDIES Case studies which show a good image of the company
are shared with the media/ investors, community etc. Books on Making of Asoka, Making
of Lagaan,, Amitabh Bacchan- A book by Jaya Bachchan
• 5. EDITORIALS No money, high credibility, however no control over message.

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• 6. ADVERTORIALS: Advertisement + Editorial. Control over message, pay lesser than
an advertisement. It is a strategic tool, but should not be used too often. J & J is
coming out with Branded Cotton. So they are coming out with advertorials on wound
handling.
• 7. INTERVIEWS/FEATURES Meeting journalists. Here there is lot of room for different
interpretations. More often than not, press releases will not be printed verbatim. Even
though your media contact will likely rewrite them, possibly including additional
quotes or information they research on their own your press releases should be
written well enough. However, there are also times that a press release will encourage
a reporter to do more, such as conduct a full interview with chapter members or write
a feature article on an upcoming project. While doing sponsorships one should try to
brand it with the event simultaneously.
• 8. BROCHURE A booklet published bye the organization which contains the
organisation’s background, its ethics, vision, mission, its past, present and future
projects, its USP, etc.
• 9. POSTER AND CALENDAR Any poster or calendar used to achieve a public relations
objective.
• 10. WRITTEN SPEECH The typewritten or printed text of a speech given to achieve a
public relations objective.
• 11. INTERNAL NEWSLETTERS AND PUBLICATIONS e.g. ICICI has their internal
Newsletters, in which information about the company, its profits, employees etc. is
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• EVENT AND PRESS SUPPORT Special events are acts of news development. The
ingredients are time, place, people, activities, drama, showmanship; one special
event may have many subsidiary events, such as luncheons, banquets, contests,
speeches, and many others as part of the build up.
• LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Submitting these articles does not require a media
contact. This also gives an opportunity for any member to submit a letter on
their chapter for printing in a local or campus newspaper.
• ANALYSTS BRIEF One tells about the company, what the company is doing. It is
done to influence the stock buyers, analysts, employees and media.
• CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS - Press – Om Kotak doing many seminars. It
contacts associations and tells them to give numbers of their members so that
they can talk to them. The members are contacted through telephones and
asked to attend seminar on General Insurance. In the seminar they talk on
General Insurance for 20 minutes and then the next 10 minutes they talk about
the company products. Pharma Companies when they do any research say for
example, diabetic research, they would launch the product and before or after
the launch they would call doctors for a conference to discuss about the research
• PROMOTIONAL ITEMS Any gift, premium, novelty or physical token used to
convey an impression, make a point, establish an image or achieve a public
relations objective.
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• CORPORATE ADVERTISING If you believe the image of the company is good i.e.
that trustworthy, reliable one then you can use that as a PR tool.
• INTERNET This one medium has helped transform the whole business of
marketing and public relations. In a way, it gives any organization the ability to
promote themselves without having to rely solely on other media outlets.
Websites and e-mail are the two most common methods to use the Internet for
PR purposes.
• WEBSITE A chapter website should not only be designed to serve as a resource
for members, but it should also present a positive message to nonmembers just
"browsing through.". Brief descriptions of chapter history, past projects and
activities, and long-standing relationships with other organizations may give an
outsider a positive impression of the fraternity. Like the newsletter, information
for members shouldn't just inform, it should also encourage involvement and
develop enthusiasm.
• E-MAIL Today, this has become the most common method used for
communication between fraternity members. It can also be used to promote a
chapter to fellow students and others, but it should be used carefully.
• AUDIO AND VISUAL This division includes any audio or audio/visual presentation
or program which serves a public relations objective.

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• 1. AUDIO PRESENTATION Any sound-only program, including telephone hot
lines and other recorded messages, radio programs, public service
announcements and audio news releases.
• 2. AUDIO/VISUAL PRESENTATION Any internal or external audio-visual
presentation using still illustrations, with or without sound, using one or more
projectors.
• 3. FILM OR VIDEO Any film or video which presents information to an
organization's internal audiences.
• 4. VIDEO NEWS RELEASE Any film or video prepared and released to the media
as a news item, article or feature story on behalf of a sponsoring organization.

• NEWS AND PUBLICITY News is something that interests many people today.
From the point of view of THE TIMES OF INDIA, that means the national readers
of THE TIMES OF INDIA and the metropolis readers of THE BOMBAY TIMES, etc.
From the point of view of THE INDIAN EXPRESS, it means all the people
interested in hardcore content and no masala. “Every medium has a news
standard of its own, and that is the criterion the publicist goes by in attempting
to address publicity to the public through that medium.”

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 benefits of public relations
• 1. Prestige or ‘favourable image’ and its benefits
The familiarialty and reputation of its name are among
the greatest assets of any organization – whether it deals
directly with the public or not. Everyone is influenced by
Reputation because reputation in industry can rarely be
one without true accomplishments.
• 2. Promotion of products and services
Telling people about products and interesting them, in
purchasing requires more than advertising efforts.
People’s tastes and desires are developed by the
unobtrusive influences by them. These unobtrusive, non-
selling influences have an immeasurable effect on their
desire to buy.
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• 3. Determining the organization’s posture in dealing with its
publics
• Increasing sophistication had modified how organizations
have approached their relations with various groups. There
are 3 major conceptions of that role:
• 1) To master the publics; to direct what they think and do,
according to the desires of the
• organization involved
• 2) To block; to react to developments and problems, to
respond to events or the initiatives of
• others by blunting them
• 3) To achieve mutual adaptation; to develop relations of
mutual benefits all parties involved
• In the present human climate, achieving mutual adaptation,
has become the most widely taken course.
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• 4. Fostering the Goodwill
• Goodwill of:
• - The employees
• - Communities in which the organization has units
• - Stockholders
• - Suppliers
• - Government
• - Rest of the industry
• - Dealers
• - Customers
• - Supporters

• 5. Helps in building Brands

Building Brands becomes easy when proper public relations exist. Brand vitality and brand credibility follow. This
can be concluded from a national poll of brand managers. The brand managers have given authentication that
public relation is the most effectual way to institute brand credibility. Maximum utility can be derived on every
marketing rupee spend. More than half the voters i.e., brand managers regard that, PR are more imperatively
judged against advertising, sales promotion and new media.

• 6. Prevention and Solution of Labour Problems

Public Relations can assist in stabilizing labor conditions through employee relations activities. The use of public
relations as a labour stabilizing aid is preventive as well as curative and it’s most beneficial when it is carried on
continuously rather than only when strike clouds appear.

• 7. Overcoming Misconceptions and Prejudices

Prejudices that may exist because misinformation has been spread also threaten the success of
business. Analysis of the situation, plans for meeting it, and the dissemination of correct information can clear up
these difficulties
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• 8. Ability to attract the Best Personnel
• No organization’s future is any better than the caliber of future
executives it is able to attract. Making a company or organization
known and respected is necessary to assure its healthful
development.
• 9. Education of the Public to the use of a product
• When an entirely new service or product is to be promoted, it is
necessary to capture the imagination of the public in order to make
the item attain steady sales. When a company brings out a new
type of product, public relations must support advertising and the
sales staff in capturing the public’s imagination.
• 10. Education of the Public to appoint a view
• When an organization seeks to win support for its method of
operation, its principles, the system that supports it, or any other
viewpoint, its most effective means are the channels of teaching the
public that are constant being utilized by Public relations people
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• 11. Dealing with Emergencies
• This has three phases:
• 1) Monitoring whatever may cause unexpected difficulties
for the organization
• 2) Preparing for meeting the full range of such
emergencies
• 3) Actual handling of matters when there is an emergency
• 12. Directing the course of change
• At its best, public relations is a bridge to change. It is a
means to adjust to new attitudes that have been caused
by change. It is a means of stimulating attitudes in order
to create change. It provides judgment creativity and skills
in accommodating changing groups to each other.

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 elements of public relations
• Counseling -- Providing advice to the management of an organization concerning
policies, relationships and communications; in effect, "what to do."
• Research -- Determining attitudes and behaviors of publics and their causes in
order to plan, implement and measure activities to influence or change the
attitudes and behavior.
• Media Relations -- Relating with communications media in seeking publicity or
responding to their interest in an organization.
• Publicity -- Disseminating planned messages through selected media without
payment to further an organization's interest.
• Employee/Member Relations -- Responding to concerns and informing and
motivating an organization's employees or members, its retirees and their families.
• Community Relations -- Continuing, planned and active participation with and
within a community to maintain and enhance its environment to the benefit of
both an organization and the community.

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• Public Affairs -- Developing effective involvement in public policy, and helping
an organization adapt to public expectations; also, term used by military
services and some government agencies to describe their public relations
activities.
• Government Affairs -- Relating directly with legislatures and regulatory
agencies on behalf of an organization, usually by military services and some
government agencies to describe their public relations activities.
• Issues Management -- Identifying and addressing issues of public concern in
which an organization is, or should be, concerned.
• Financial Relations -- Creating and maintaining investor confidence and
building positive relationships with the financial community; also, sometimes
known as Investor Relations or Shareholder Relations.
• Industry Relations -- Relating with other firms in the industry of an
organization and with trade

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• Development/Fund Raising -- Demonstrating the need for
and encouraging an organization's members, friends,
supporters and others to voluntarily contribute to support it.
• Minority Relations/Multicultural Affairs -- Relating with
individuals and groups in minorities.
• Special Events and Public Participation -- Stimulating an
interest in a person, product or organization by means of a
focused "happening;" also, activities designed to enable an
organization to listen to and interact with publics.
• Marketing Communications -- Combination of activities
designed to sell a product, service or idea, including
advertising, collateral materials, publicity, promotion,
packaging, point-of-sale display, trade shows and special
events.

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 Public relations consultancy
• Public relations consultancy is an independent
specialized business organization involved in the
practice of public relations to counsel the clients
organization on communication and relationships
management besides executing public relations
programmes. It has creative and communication
professionals to handle the clients public relations
activities.

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Roles performed by PR consultancy
– Company director
– Associate director
– Account director
– Account manager
– Junior/Senior account executive
– Account assistant

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 Types of PR Consultancy
– Consumer PR consultancy
– Financial PR consultancy
– Lobbying and public affairs PR consultancy
– Corporate communications PR consultancy
– Business to business PR
– Technological PR
– Fashion PR
– Not for profit PR.

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 Pro’s of PR Consultancy
– Independent service
– Long and varied experience
– Ease of termination
– Flexible service
– Greater control
– Specialized service
– Better quality of service

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 Cons of PR Consultancy
• Loss of absolute control
• Inherent conflict between practice
• Rapid changing of members
• Less attention to clients
• Cost consideration

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 PR RESEARCH
• Research is the vital function in the process of public
relations. It provides the initial information necessary to
plan public relations action and perform the important
role of evaluating its effectiveness. It involves early
identification of issues that may impact a client or
organization is accomplished through research methods
designed to scan the environment for potential issues.
thus the selection of potential methods and actions
available to the researcher and the evaluation of action
implementation can be determined through well planned
research activities.
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 Informal research techniques in PR

Following are the list of informal research techniques

• Personal contacts
• Key informants
• Community forums
• Focus groups
• Advisory committee boards
• Ombudsman
• Call in telephone lines
• Mail analysis
• Media content analysis
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 Formal research techniques in PR

Following are the formal research techniques

• Secondary research
• Feedback research
• Communication audits
• Focus groups
• Survey research

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 Quantitative data collection methods used in
PR research
• Internet-based surveys
• Telephone surveys
• Mail surveys
• Content analysis (usually of media coverage)
• Comment cards and feedback forms
• Warranty cards (usually demographic information
on buyers)
• Frequent shopper program tracking (purchasing
data)
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Qualitative data collection methods used in PR
research
• In-depth interviews
• Focus groups
• Case studies
• Participant observation
• Monitoring toll-free call transcripts
• Monitoring complaints by e-mail and letter

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 PR EVALUATION
• Evaluation is an essential step practitioners take to assess
the effectiveness of a public relations effort, to quantify
that effectiveness for management, and to adjust tactics if
necessary while the campaign is still in progress.
Evaluation is all about demonstrating to management the
value of public relations. traditionally public relations
evaluation has been used to measure output including the
number of press releases used, the hits on the website
and the number of video clips used but in these days the
practioners have started measuring the changes in
behavior, attitudes, knowledge and awareness.

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 Steps in PR Evaluation
• Preparation: It involves examining the adequacy of the
background information that one gathered , the
appropriateness of the message content and format and the
quality of the messages.
• Implementation: It involves measuring the number of
messages sent, the number of messages placed in the media,
the number of people receiving the message, and the number
of people who attend to the message
• Impact: It measures the number or percentage of the audience
who learn the message content, who change their opinions,
who change attitudes and who behave in the desired fashion.

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 Pr counseling
• Counseling is the first step towards developing and
implementing a long term PR strategy. It involves
evaluating the clients business objectives , its target
audiences and its competitive market situation such
a study leads to the development of the PR
objectives and subsequently the PR strategy to work
towards achieving these objectives. PR counseling is
an ongoing process that also assesses specific issues
and opportunities that may arise from time to time
and proposes the way forward to respond to these.
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 Sources of PR Counseling
Following are the source of PR counseling
• Talk with peers
• Professional associations
• Surfing
• Media

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 Marketing public relations (MPR)
• Marketing public relations departments (MPRs) are
being set up either as a part of marketing function
or as a part of public relations functions. The MPR
section can better understand the marketing
objectives and programmes of the company and
carry out its PR activity to contribute to the
achievement of marketing plans. MPR needs to
evaluate the return on investment on its various
activities and propose funds for PR activities or
programmes as a part of marketing budget.
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 MPR plays an important role in the
following tasks

• Launching new products

• Repositioning a mature product
• Building interest in a product category
• Influencing specific target groups
• Defending products that have encountered public
problem
• Building the corporate image in a way that reflects
favorably on its products
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 Tools in Marketing PR
• Publications- annual reports, brochures,
newsletters, magazines, etc.,
• Events- news conferences, seminars, trade
shows
• Sponsorship- sponsoring sports or cultural
activities

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• News- get the media to accept press releases
and attend press conferences
• Speeches- talks of company executives at
trade associations or sales meetings
• Public service activities- contribution of time
and money to good causes to build the good
will.

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 Major decisions in Marketing PR

• Establish objectives
• Choose messages
• Choose Vehicles
• Implement
• Evaluate results

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 Budgeting of PR

Reasons for budgeting:

• Estimate cost for PR programme
• Estimate what could be done for a given sum
of money
• Check-up on planning
• Setting discipline
• Measurement after campaign

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 PR Agency
• A PR agency helps the client - could be an
organisation, individual, just about anyone who
has to manage ‘image’ - to do the same. Public
Relations has come to be known by many names -
image management, reputation management,
media relations, media communications and so
on… Its all about communicating your credential -
product, service and people related - to the target
audience - both external and internal stakeholders.

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