Questions: common types and analysis in research

Public Relations

Why is it important to have a PR campaign? Give an example of a situation that illustrates the importance of a PR campaign and how is the effectiveness of public relations best measured? Explain your answer.

A good PR campaign is important for many reasons (Elements of a PR plan). It can increase a company's credibility because of a consumer's respect for the media. Media coverage can establish a company as a major player in an industry and because it can bolster public image it can sometimes allow a company to charge more for its products. A PR campaign can also stretch a company's marketing budget because the media does not charge for news coverage. Nothing illustrates the importance of a PR campaign more than the launch of a brand or a new product through a media outreach campaign. The media likes to write about something new because they view it as news worthy.

The type of public relations activity largely dictates how the results can best be measured. The list below illustrates common measurements (Lubber, 1996). Levels I through III deal with the production, distribution and placement of the communication tactics. Levels IV and V report the degree of audience understanding and acceptance of the messages while levels VI and VII represent attitude change or audience action.

I. Measurement of Production

II. Measurement of Distribution

III. Measurement of Message Exposure

Topics include: gross impressions, dollar value, cost per person, systematic tracking, requests, audience attendance, pilot tests and split messages.

IV. Measurement of Message Accuracy

V. Measurement of Audience Acceptance

VI. Measurement of Attitude Change

VII. Measurement of Audience Action

VIII. Measurement of Supplemental Activities

Topics include: communication audit, meetings, events, newsletters, content analysis, readership interest surveys, article recall, readability, advisory boards

2. What are some differences between advertising and publicity?

There are many differences between advertising and publicity as outlined by Your Guide to Advertising (Duncan). The most obvious is that advertising involves paying for space while publicity is typically free (note, the company may spend a lot of money to obtain publicity, but they do not directly pay the media). Because ads are paid for, the company controls exactly what and when something will be published. Conversely, marketing executives cannot control publicity. They may be able to use relationships with the media to influence if and when their company will be covered or if the company will be covered favorably or negatively, but ultimately this decision lies with the media. Further, the length of time that advertising can run is dictated by budget and marketing objectives, while publicity lasts as long as the media feels the story will generate interest with its readers.