Introduction to

Media
Relations
 Media
 Media relations Relations
can be described as a company’s
interactions with editors, reporters and journalists.

 The media can be newspapers, radio, television and the

internet.

 The goal is to communicate a client’s newsworthy message,

story or information using the appropriate media outlets.

 Developing a strong relationship with journalists, bloggers

and content writers who may be eager to hear what you have 2

to say, can provide your client with invaluable access to the

 Media is the bread and butter of a PR agency therefore it is
of utmost importance to PR professionals to maintain good
and healthy relations with their media contacts.

 There are various things related to an organisation that

need to be informed to the public.

 It may be any activity, announcement, inauguration,

honour, or any other event that PR persons need to convey
to their client’s target audience through media.

 A PR agency maintains a compiled media list consisting up

of various newspapers, magazine, electronic, radio and
online media. Therefore upon occurrence of any event 3

specific media people can be contacted and press release

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 PR experts contact media for various occasions related to their client:

 Launch of a new product/service

 Initiation of new outlets

 Organization sponsored events

 Launch of organization’s promotional campaigns/activities

 Recent disasters, strikes or organizational closures

 Awards/accolades for the company

 Company dignitaries/celebrities visits

 Involvement in social activities

 Community Engagement 5
 Principles of good media relation
 Single or multiple spokesperson but coordinated message.

 Look upon reporters as allies

 Deal with media skepticism

 Understanding the media- schedule, deadlines, requirements etc.

 Proactive

 Impartiality towards few media people

 Avoid unsolicited phone calls

 No suppression

 Helpful attitude during emergencies

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 No confrontation
 Building effective media relations

 Contacting Media persons

 Earning a favour

 Maintaining media archives

 Understanding ground realities of media

 Handling negative press.

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Jaya Bachchan relations with the media

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Importance of
media
 PR experts contact media for various occasions related to their
client:

• Launch of a new product/service

• Initiation of new outlets

• Organization sponsored events

• Launch of organization’s promotional campaigns/activities

• Recent disasters, strikes or organizational closures

• Awards/accolades for the company

• Company dignitaries/celebrities visits

• Involvement in social activities 10

• Community Engagement
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Sources of Media
Information
 Primary sources of media information

• Personal contacts

• Tip offs

• Crime and emergency calls

• Politicians

• NGO sector

• Academia and experts

• Press conference

• Press meets
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 Secondary sources of media information

• Press release

• Wire services- Press trust of India(PTI)

• Parallel media

• Letters to editor

• Newspaper ads

• Pre-scheduled public event

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 If a journalist is writing a story about your
industry and does not have your organization at
the top of her/his mind, they might not call you
to ask for information or include a reference in
the story. So how exactly do you develop these
relationships?
• Know the media outlet- Understand the sort of content they cover and get a good fix
on the stories they are interested in

• Have a newsworthy story

• Prepare a media release

• Contact the journalist

• Be persistent 14
 Principles of Good Media Relations
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• Single or multiple spokesperson • Helpful attitude during
but coordinated message. emergencies

• Look upon reporters as allies • No confrontation

• Deal with media skepticism • No suppression

• Understanding the media- • Avoid unsolicited phone calls

schedule, deadlines,
requirements etc
• Proactive • Impartiality towards few media
people
 Building Effective Media Relations

• Contacting Media persons

• Earning a favour

• Maintaining media archives

• Understanding ground realities of media

• Handling negative press.

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Why should you communicate with your employee:

 Employees are kept up to date with key information about the

company, team, key projects, training, etc

 They fully understand the role they play within the team

 Relationships grow out of communication

 Communication is the basis for individuals and groups to make sense

of their organization, what it is and what it means.
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Adidas proves that it’s okay to fail

Where we heard:
BOC Conference, March 2015
The gist:
Adidas used an employee survey to ask employees ‘Do we listen’?. People said: You’re
hearing us but not listening. Adidas sprung into action and the comms team put a programme
together of director visits, team briefs, personalised letters, conferences, videos and email
bulletins. But it didn’t work! Adidas had failed to research and find out HOW people wanted to
be talked to. 94% of the workforce is Gen Y so the answer was a mobile app, which could be
regularly updated with content of interest.
Why we love it:
Despite issues around red tape and bureaucracy, the team ran a pilot and championed the
power of this new technology. We love this proactiveness and the acceptance that sometimes
a new approach is what’s needed, despite investment in other solutions.
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PepsiCo uses content heroes to attract millennials

Where we heard about it: World Employer Brand Day, May 2016

The gist: With 260,000 employees already working across brands including Pepsi, Doritos
and Tropicana, PepsiCo required an attraction strategy to bring in the next wave of its
workforce. It did this through the use of content, specifically a pyramid with three different
content types; Hero, Hub and Help. This approach meant their content went from large-
scale awareness pieces through to push content aimed at their prospects and pull content
designed for their core audience.

Why we love it: PepsiCo uses a well thought out, defined content strategy to maintain
awareness of their employer brand whilst simultaneously being laser-focused on their core
targets. Using influencers to create snackable content for short attention spans, producing
content that resonates with the audience sounds easy, but is difficult to do well.
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 Information kiosks  Visits by management

 House journals  Survey

 In house television  Information from

supervisors
 Employee blogs
 Exit interviews
 Bulletin board
 Shop floor discussions
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Organizing employee communication:

 From managers to employees

 Training and coaching

 Communication tools

 Communication effectiveness

 Honesty during tough times

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Steps in effective communication program

 Clarify your purpose

 Clarify your desired outcome

 Know your audience

 Develop the strategy

 Develop the message

 Evaluate and learn

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Role of management in Communication

 Be relatable

 Actively listen

 Emphasize on key points by repeating it

 Adapt readily to any situation

 Write everything

 Put your audience to ease

 Ask before you speak

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Crisis management
 According to Burton and Thakur, a crisis problem is defined as ‘an
unexpected problem that will lead to chaos and disaster.

 Crisis might occur either due to negligence, by natural event, fatal act
or any factor which is beyond the control of human beings.

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V.G
Siddhartha

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 Impact of crisis
 Misleading information

 Social media- news spreads faster

 Opinion leaders can be opportunists

 Negative brand image

 Fluctuations in share prices

 Lack of trust in an organization

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 Trust Building
 Empathy and Caring

 Competence and Expertise

 Compassion

 Honesty

 Commitment

 Accountability

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 Guidelines for handling crisis
 Respect the role of media

 Communicate

 Take responsibility

 Centralize information

 Establish a crisis team

 Use research to determine responses

 Become the news-breaker

 Make it right

 Acknowledge the problem immediately

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Your reactions and comments about the crisis w.r.t. CCD

owner, V. G. Siddhartha
 Financial
Communication
 Financial Advertising
 Means advertising by companies, financial institutions and banks
regarding advertising of financial product such as shares, debentures,
fixed deposit etc.

 The advertising of financial businesses and services such as banks,

investment companies, loans, and mortgages

 Normally newspaper and magazines are used.

 Huge organization use televisions and outdoor media.

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 Importance of Financial Advertising
 Public education

 Builds goodwill

 Helps brokers and underwriters

 Reminder to investing class

 Helps in economic growth

 Increases employment

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 Audiences for Financial Communication
 Individual Stockholders

 Financial Analysts

 The Financial Press

 Merchant bankers

 Private investors

 Stock brokers

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 Activity:

 Write a copy for a Financial print ad for any existing company in

financial services.

 Target audience: College students ( Degree as well as Junior)

 Appeal to be used: Emotional

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