Public Relations

Tools There are various tools that can be used in the practice of public relations. Traditional tools include press releases and media kits which are sent out to generate positive press on behalf of the organization. Other widely used tools include brochures, newsletters and annual reports. Increasingly, companies are utilizing interactive social media outlets, such as blogs and social media as tools in their public relations campaigns. Unlike the traditional tools which allowed for only one-way communication, social media outlets allow the organization to engage in t wo-way communication, and receive immediate feedback from their various stakeholders and public. Furthermore companies can join discussions with multiple user identities to create a positive image of the company. 'PR' is synonymous in many people's minds with "Press Release", but the tools of the PR industry are actually many and varied as well as sophisticated and subtle. They include media relations kits containing video and audio news releases, referred to in the industry as VNRs and ANRs, which are often carefully produced to emulate the signature style of a particular network news or current affairs program. Public Relations Tools - 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.

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.

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.

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 EDITORIALS No money, high credibility, however no control over message.

ADVERTORIALS Advertisement + Editorial. Control over message, pay lesser than an advertisement. It is a strategic tool, but should not be used too often.

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.

BROCHURE A booklet published by the organization which contains the organisations background, its ethics, vision, mission, its past, present and future projects, its USP, etc.Eg: brochure given to new employees to give them a gist of the organisation.

POSTER AND CALENDAR Any poster or calendar used to achieve a public relations objective.

WRITTEN SPEECH The typewritten or printed text of a speech given to achieve a public relations objective.

INTERNAL NEWSLETTERS AND PUBLICATIONS ICICI has their internal Newsletters, in which information about the company, its profits, employees etc. is given.

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.

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. E.X.Aditya Birla Group, Om Kotak Mahindra ad.

CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS 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

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. Audio presentation. Any sound-only program, including telephone hot lines and other recorded messages, radio programs, public service announcements and audio news releases.Audio/Visual Presentation. Any internal or external audio-visual presentation using still illustrations, with or without sound, using one or more projectors. Film Or Video. Any film or video which presents information to an organization's internal audiences.

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;

SPECIAL EVENTS: Special events are acts or news development. The ingredients are time, place, people, activities, drama, and showmanship. One special event may have many subsidiary events, such as luncheons, banquets, contests, speeches, and many others, as part of the build-up. The special event is the coup de maitre of publicity, propaganda, and public relations.

Types of Public Relations Tools

As we noted in the Public Relations tutorial, the challenges faced in doing PR will lead many marketers to hire professionals to handle these activities. Whether marketers do their own PR or seek outside help, it is important they be familiar with the tools available for public relations.

The types of key tools available to carry out the public relations function include:

Media Relations Historically the core of public relations, media relations, includes all efforts to publicize products or the company to members of the press TV and Radio, newspaper, magazine, newsletter and Internet. In garnering media coverage, PR professionals work with the media to place stories about products, companies and company spokespeople. This is done by developing interesting and relevant story angles that are pitched to the media. It is important to remember that media placements come with good stories and no payment is made to the media for placements. In fact, in order to maintain the highest level of credibility, many news organizations bar reporters from accepting even the smallest gifts (e.g., free pencils with product logo) from companies.

Key tools used in media relations include: Press Kits - Include written information such as a news release, organization background, key spokesperson biographies and other supporting materials that provide information useful to

reporters. Audio or Video News Releases - These are prerecorded features distributed to news media that may be included within media programming. For instance, a local news report about amusement parks may include portions of a video news release from a national amusement park company. Matte Release - Some media, especially small local newspapers, may accept articles written by companies often as filler material when their publication lacks sufficient content. PR professionals submit matte releases through syndicated services (i.e., services that supply content to many media outlets) or directly to targeted media via email, fax or snail mail. Website Press Room - While hard copies of materials are used and preferred by some media, marketers are well served by an online press room that caters to media needs and provides company contact information. As PR people know, many story ideas for newspapers, magazines and television news often start with a suggestion from a PR person. If things work out, a reporter or editor will, at best, write a positive story with the company as a key feature or, at minimum, include the companys name somewhere within an industryfocused article.

Media Tour Some new products can be successfully publicized when launched with a media tour. On a media tour a company spokesperson travels to key cities to introduce a new product by being booked on TV and radio talk shows and conducting interviews with print and Internet reporters or influencers (e.g., bloggers). The spokesperson can be a company employee or someone hired by the company, perhaps a celebrity or "expert" who has credibility

with the target audience. One common use of the media tour is the book tour, where an author travels the country to promote a newly released book. A media tour may include other kinds of personal appearances in conjunction with special events, such as public appearances, speaking engagements or autograph signing opportunities.

Newsletters Marketers who have captured names and addresses of customers and potential customers can use a newsletter for regular contact with their targeted audience. Newsletters can be directed at trade customers, final consumers or business buyers and can be distributed either by regular mail or electronic means (i.e., enewsletters delivered via email or rss feed). Marketers using newsletters strive to provide content of interest to customers as well as information on products and promotions. A bookstore may include reviews of new books, information on online book chats and information on in-store or online promotions. A food manufacturer may include seasonal recipes, information on new products and coupons. Online newsletters offer the opportunity to link to stores carrying the marketer's products. Effective newsletters are sought out by and well received by interested audiences.

Special Events These run the gamut from receptions to elegant dinners to stunts. Special events can be designed to reach a specific narrow target audience, such as individuals interested in college savings plans to major events like a strawberry festival designed to promote tourism and regional agriculture. Stunts, such as building the worlds largest ice cream sundae during National Ice Cream

month captures the attention of an audience in the immediate area, but also attracts the attention of mass media such as TV news and major n ewspapers, which provide broad reach. The Oscar Mayer Weiner mobile is a classic example, providing a recognizable icon that travels the country garnering attention wherever it visits. As with all PR programs, special event planners must work hard to ensure the program planned conveys the correct message and image to the target audience.

Speaking Engagements Speaking before industry conventions, trade association meetings, and other groups provides an opportunity for company experts to demonstrate their expertise to potential clients/customers. Generally these opportunities are not explicitly for company or product promotion; rather they are a chance to talk on a topic of interest to potential customers and serve to highlight the speakers expertise in a field. Often the only mention of the company or its products is in the speaker biography. Nevertheless, the right speaking engagement puts the company in front of a good target audience and offers networking opportunities for generating customer leads.

Sponsorships Companies and brands use sponsorships to help build goodwill and brand recognition by associating with an event or group. Marketers can examine sponsorship opportunities to find those that reach target groups, fit within a specified budget and provide sponsorship benefits that suit the marketers objectives. There are numerous local, regional, national and international sponsorship opportunities ranging from a local art center or theatre to the Olympics. Most organizations seeking company

sponsors provide information on the variety of sponsorship levels which include data on event audience, exposure opportunities, which can include signage, T-shirts, public announcements and numerous other opportunities, receptions and much more. Marketers can use this information to help match sponsorship opportunities with the companys objectives.

Employee Communications For many companies communicating regularly with employees is important in keeping employees informed of corporate programs, sales incentives, personnel issues, as well as keeping them updated on new products and programs. Companies use a variety of means to communicate with employees, including Intranet, email, online and print newsletters. In larger firms an in-house PR department often works in conjunction with the Human Resources Department to develop employee communications.

Community Relations and Philanthropy: For many companies fostering good relations with key audiences includes building strong relationships with their regional community. Companies implement programs supportive of the community ranging from supporting local organizations and institutions (e.g., arts organizations, community activities, parks) to conducting educational workshops (e.g., for teachers, parents) to donating product for community events and charitable fundraisers. The goal is generally to develop a positive relationship with members of the community (i.e., be known as a good neighbor). Effective community relations can help a company weather bad publicity or a crisis situation that can unexpectedly arise due to a problem with a product, unethical behavior by management, or even by false rumors. Some

companies also make an effort to contribute to charitable organizations, often organizations that have some relationship to the companys mission or to a key principal of the company.

Other Publicity events, pseudo-events, photo ops or publicity stunts The talk show circuit. A PR spokesperson (or his/her client) "does the circuit" by being interviewed on television and radio talk shows with audiences that the client wishes to reach. Books and other writings Blogs After a PR practitioner has been working in the field for a while, he or she accumulates a list of contacts in the media and elsewhere in the public affairs sphere. This "Rolodex" becomes a prized asset, and job announcements sometimes even ask for candidates with an existing Rolodex, especially those in the media relations area of PR. Direct communication (carrying messages directly to constituents, rather than through the mass media) with, e.g., newsletters in print and e-letters. Collateral literature, traditionally in print and now predominantly as web sites. Speeches to constituent groups and professional organizations; receptions; seminars, and other events; personal appearances. The slang term for a PR practitioner or publicist is a "flack" (sometimes spelled "flak"). A DESK VISIT is where the PR person literally takes their product to the desk of the journalist in order to show them what they are

promoting. Astroturfing is the act of PR agencies placing blog and online forum messages for their clients, in the guise of a normal "grassroots" user or comment. Online Social Media