The public relations process is quite complex and involves a wide variety of techniques. Public relations is different than any other type of promotion, because a great deal of the communication provided by a PR person must be screened and reprocessed through a third party that is not employed by the company. Therefore, if I wished for the local newspaper and television station to carry a story detailing the grand opening of my new store, I have no guarantee that either will send representatives to cover the store opening or that they will cover it the way I would have liked. Even if I were to write the story myself and send it to the newspaper, including appropriate photographs, the editor might choose not to print it or to modify it. The fact that PR is characterized by a low level of control necessitates that PR people establish a positive relationship with the various media. Without first accomplishing this goal, the tools employed by the PR person are usually doomed to failure. Various public relations techniques are described in the Table 8.5.
| Technique | Description |
|---|---|
| News release (press release) | a prepared statement sent to various media |
| Press conference | meeting attended by media representatives for the purpose of making announcements or answering questions |
| Delivering bad news | system that anticipates and handles negative events |
| Publicity photographs | a prepared photo sent to various media |
| Company publications | magazines, newspapers, and newsletters produced by the company, depicting specific stories |
| Open houses/tours | providing various publics' access to plant facilities |
| Meetings | planned meeting provided for various publics, especially employees and stockholders |
| Organized social activities | company-sponsored social activities directed at employees, e.g. teams and picnics. |
| Participation | company-encouraged involvement in community activities, e.g. clubs, charities |
| Motion pictures/slides | professionally produced films and slides about some aspect of the company, provided to various publics |
Review
- Advertising is the marketing communication technique that provides messages to mass audiences via a creative strategy and a media strategy.
- The organization for advertising may include an in-house advertising department or an external agency.
- The creative strategy includes what you are going to say to the audience and the means for delivering the message.
- Sales promotion adds value to the product, and can be targeted at consumers, salespeople, or distributors.
- Public relations maintains or enhances goodwill with the company's various publics.
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