Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Readings week 11
Chapter 6 – Research and evalutation
In: Public Relations: theory and practice edited by Johnston, J. & Zawawi, C. Crows Nest, NSW, Allen & Unwin, 2004, pp. 137-168
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The chapter about research and evaluation was a good reading for the last session of the reading blog assignment. I haven’t read really much about that topic before, so I gained some really useful information. The paragraphs about “What and when to research” were really good, because the research model of “inputs, outputs and outcomes” was really helpful in understanding the connection between a PR process and research (especially the figure). The chapter about the methodologies and different kinds of research techniques was also quite good to read, as it provided a quick overview over the most important things. What I really didn’t know was that focus groups are currently one of the most used techniques of pr research. However, I agree with the author and I can understand why they are used for pr research… Eventually the case study was a good one, because it showed with some practical examples how important a coherent set of research methodologies can be for the success of a pr campaign.
I think that it was time that we had to read this chapter, as we are already in the input research phase for our pr plans. So it was interesting to get an overview over all the research methodologies, even though I assume that we will only get secondary information for our pr plans…
Well, that was the last posting of the reading blogs assignments. Unfortunately I couldn’t do a more detailed posting, because I’m quite in a rush to get prepared for my debate presentation today. In the end I think that the blog assignment was a good thing to keep me into reading the texts, think about it and then write some lines about it in the end. In this way the learning effect was definitely a high one…
…so I think that after the spring break I will miss the weekly blog entries and that I don’t know what to do with my Wednesdays in the future :)
In: Public Relations: theory and practice edited by Johnston, J. & Zawawi, C. Crows Nest, NSW, Allen & Unwin, 2004, pp. 137-168
-----------------------------------------
The chapter about research and evaluation was a good reading for the last session of the reading blog assignment. I haven’t read really much about that topic before, so I gained some really useful information. The paragraphs about “What and when to research” were really good, because the research model of “inputs, outputs and outcomes” was really helpful in understanding the connection between a PR process and research (especially the figure). The chapter about the methodologies and different kinds of research techniques was also quite good to read, as it provided a quick overview over the most important things. What I really didn’t know was that focus groups are currently one of the most used techniques of pr research. However, I agree with the author and I can understand why they are used for pr research… Eventually the case study was a good one, because it showed with some practical examples how important a coherent set of research methodologies can be for the success of a pr campaign.
I think that it was time that we had to read this chapter, as we are already in the input research phase for our pr plans. So it was interesting to get an overview over all the research methodologies, even though I assume that we will only get secondary information for our pr plans…
Well, that was the last posting of the reading blogs assignments. Unfortunately I couldn’t do a more detailed posting, because I’m quite in a rush to get prepared for my debate presentation today. In the end I think that the blog assignment was a good thing to keep me into reading the texts, think about it and then write some lines about it in the end. In this way the learning effect was definitely a high one…
…so I think that after the spring break I will miss the weekly blog entries and that I don’t know what to do with my Wednesdays in the future :)
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Readings for week 10
Chapter 7 - Strategy, planning and scheduling
In: Public Relations: theory and practice edited by Johnston, J. & Zawawi, C. Crows Nest, NSW, Allen & Uniwin, 2004, pp. 169-196
Chapter 8 - TACTICS In: Public Relations: theory and practice edited by Johnston, J. & Zawawi, C. Crows Nest, NSW, Allen & Uniwin, 2004, pp. 137-231
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Chapter 7 was not really new because we already had to read it for week 5. Therefore I just overflew it and read just the high-lightened parts – and I still think that the chapter gives a good overview and guidance about PR strategies and their application in the practice. Also the explanations about the “flow” and “Gantt” charts as well as the case studies were still interesting.
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The chapter about tactics was a continuance of it, because strategy and tactic belong together, even though the must not be confused. The author refers to that in the introduction, arguing that “every tactic must relate directly to its defined purpose: achieving the strategic outcome” (p. 198). The chapter itself was easy to read and very straightforward, for me the introduction and the case study in the end were the most interesting parts. Regarding the introduction I really liked the notions about the information overload in our contemporary society, which makes the choice of (the right) tactics more complex and critical. Also the argument that successful PR doesn’t necessarily need a multitude of different tactics and that it often needs tactics that are not overt or keeping you out of public spotlight animated me to have some further thoughts…
The main part with “methods of delivery” and “tactic selection” was useful to get a good overview, but eventually there is nothing really outstanding that I have to mention here. The case study in the end was interesting, because it showed, how different tactics were coming together to achieve a coherent strategy. And it gave a proof of the notion from 216 that photographs as a visual medium are very effective – I assume that this pictures of the “emotional rescue stories” and the “human-interest stories” were the central point in this campaign to gain attention, emotional involvement and positive perception of the audience. And all these pictures (I assume) showed the helicopters branded with the ENERGEX logo…
Ok, that’s so far everything, I’m looking forward to the last reading next week and ending this reading-blog-assignment…
In: Public Relations: theory and practice edited by Johnston, J. & Zawawi, C. Crows Nest, NSW, Allen & Uniwin, 2004, pp. 169-196
Chapter 8 - TACTICS In: Public Relations: theory and practice edited by Johnston, J. & Zawawi, C. Crows Nest, NSW, Allen & Uniwin, 2004, pp. 137-231
-----------------------------------------
Chapter 7 was not really new because we already had to read it for week 5. Therefore I just overflew it and read just the high-lightened parts – and I still think that the chapter gives a good overview and guidance about PR strategies and their application in the practice. Also the explanations about the “flow” and “Gantt” charts as well as the case studies were still interesting.
------------------------------------------
The chapter about tactics was a continuance of it, because strategy and tactic belong together, even though the must not be confused. The author refers to that in the introduction, arguing that “every tactic must relate directly to its defined purpose: achieving the strategic outcome” (p. 198). The chapter itself was easy to read and very straightforward, for me the introduction and the case study in the end were the most interesting parts. Regarding the introduction I really liked the notions about the information overload in our contemporary society, which makes the choice of (the right) tactics more complex and critical. Also the argument that successful PR doesn’t necessarily need a multitude of different tactics and that it often needs tactics that are not overt or keeping you out of public spotlight animated me to have some further thoughts…
The main part with “methods of delivery” and “tactic selection” was useful to get a good overview, but eventually there is nothing really outstanding that I have to mention here. The case study in the end was interesting, because it showed, how different tactics were coming together to achieve a coherent strategy. And it gave a proof of the notion from 216 that photographs as a visual medium are very effective – I assume that this pictures of the “emotional rescue stories” and the “human-interest stories” were the central point in this campaign to gain attention, emotional involvement and positive perception of the audience. And all these pictures (I assume) showed the helicopters branded with the ENERGEX logo…
Ok, that’s so far everything, I’m looking forward to the last reading next week and ending this reading-blog-assignment…
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Readings for week 9
Chapter 13 – Sponsorship an Event Managements
in Public relations: theory and practice
edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi.
Crows Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2004. 2nd ed
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I agree with the author about the importance of events and sponsorship as an effective pr tactic. I think in our contemporary society people are so overloaded by a multitude of advertising and corporate communications that it needs special efforts to gain their attention. Hence events are getting more and more important, because the audience has an emotional connection to them or is even part of them. Moreover, I think that it’s a good way of communicating values, shape the image of a company in the public perception as well as to create news value and get media coverage in our thrill-seeking society.
However, even though I think the text gave a good overview above some main points in the field of sponsoring, I’m of the opinion that the text was in part too superficial. A few pages more would have been useful to explain particular things in a more detailed way. The paragraph about risk analysis and management for example was really interesting, but the explanations were too short to have a good learning effect. What I’ve missed was especially was a chapter about the post-processing of an event: Because my personal experience showed that it is one thing to organize an event and execute it – but to coordinate all the works that are necessary afterwards and have the appropriate responsibilities allocated is a completely different story…
Well, what else should I write now? Yep, the paragraphs about ambush marketing were really interesting because I haven’t read anything about it before. Though I’m of the opinion that this kind of marketing is ethically mostly not arguable, I must admit that it was funny to read about it because its somehow really creative, which ideas corporate communicators have. Thus, the case study about Qantas and the Olympic games was the highlight of the text for me.
Well, that might be everything for this week. No, there is one important thing I have to mention: It’s really annoying that the blogger.com page is so slow to access via the campus internet…
in Public relations: theory and practice
edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi.
Crows Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2004. 2nd ed
-----------------------------------------------
I agree with the author about the importance of events and sponsorship as an effective pr tactic. I think in our contemporary society people are so overloaded by a multitude of advertising and corporate communications that it needs special efforts to gain their attention. Hence events are getting more and more important, because the audience has an emotional connection to them or is even part of them. Moreover, I think that it’s a good way of communicating values, shape the image of a company in the public perception as well as to create news value and get media coverage in our thrill-seeking society.
However, even though I think the text gave a good overview above some main points in the field of sponsoring, I’m of the opinion that the text was in part too superficial. A few pages more would have been useful to explain particular things in a more detailed way. The paragraph about risk analysis and management for example was really interesting, but the explanations were too short to have a good learning effect. What I’ve missed was especially was a chapter about the post-processing of an event: Because my personal experience showed that it is one thing to organize an event and execute it – but to coordinate all the works that are necessary afterwards and have the appropriate responsibilities allocated is a completely different story…
Well, what else should I write now? Yep, the paragraphs about ambush marketing were really interesting because I haven’t read anything about it before. Though I’m of the opinion that this kind of marketing is ethically mostly not arguable, I must admit that it was funny to read about it because its somehow really creative, which ideas corporate communicators have. Thus, the case study about Qantas and the Olympic games was the highlight of the text for me.
Well, that might be everything for this week. No, there is one important thing I have to mention: It’s really annoying that the blogger.com page is so slow to access via the campus internet…
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Readings for week 8
Sallot, L. M.; Johnson, E. A. (2006), To contact…or not?
Investigating journalists’ assessments of public
relations subsidies and contact preferences
In Public Relations Review, 32 (2006), 1, 83–86
This text was really interesting because it provided in brief some very useful insights in dealing with the needs of journalists as a pr practitioner. For me one of the central notions was that the practitioners should know how journalists work and what they want. Moreover, they must not lack skills in journalistic writing and (local) framing of stories. The more the stories meet the expectations of the journalist, the higher the probability of placement. Hence it was logical that practitioners with former journalistic experience are more successful in writing for and contacting the media.
Also the results regarding the contact methods were interesting. I agree that e-mail is a boon for both sides because it allows both immediate information and further enquiry. However, I think that face-to-face contact is still needed to maintain good relationships with journalists, a fact that was also revealed by the study. From my viewpoint e-mail is just a reasonable channel for delivering information quickly – but these interaction has to be founded on a good relationship between the practitioner and the journalist.
In this focus of relations it wasn’t a surprise that journalists wanted to be treated in an ethical correct manner – but 69 % were mentioning that practitioners have lacking ethics, in addition 78 % lamented about practitioners being too self-serving. I think that’s the crux for every pr practitioner who wants to have lasting and prolific relationships to his media contacts. Treating journalists with honesty and integrity is the only way to create trust in the long run. That’s especially important because it is self-evident that journalists don’t place stories from practitioners with bad reputation – the study revealed that one journalist even refused any contact with unethical practitioners. And that means that the relationship to this specific medium is broken, which is the worst case for a pr practitioner, because public relations, as the name implies, as about establishing and maintaining relations.
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How To...Ten Steps to Press Release Perfection
In PR News, Mar 20, 2006. Vol. 62, Iss. 12; pg. 1
This text was a short but practical guideline for writing media releases. From my point of view there were both logical “classics” (e.g. define audience, keep it short and simple, relevant head, check and double-check) and interesting new findings in it. The latter were as follows: From my point of view the most important is that pr practitioners should not mistake a press release for an advertisement. I think that crucial because the central point of pr should be information and relations, whereas everything regarding the promotion of products etc. should be a matter of advertisements. Trying to transmit surreptitious advertising through media releases is just self-serving and will, as mentioned in the first text of this weeks reading, diminish the trust between journalist and practitioner.
Another very interesting point was the notion to consider the different needs of particular mediums regarding the size of the press release. “One size fits all” will not be the appropriate solution for all mediums. Also the hints for handling quotes were useful as well as the animation to do the reporters jobs for them. Last but not least the notion about giving more contacts was really new and practical for me. I think it’s really crucial to establish more contact persons and possibilities for journalists where they can make further inquiry or give feedback.
-------------------------------------------------
Wise, K. (2005), The Importance of Writing Skills
In Public Relations Quaterly, Summer 2005, 50, 2, p.37
The last text of this weeks reading was also a good insight into some opinions and experiences of public relations practitioners, although I have to admit, that it was the least interesting text for me this week. The notions in the text were mostly self-evident and not really new. However, the most interesting insights were the arguments about importance of writing skills apart from press releases. I think it’s really important for a practitioner to be able to every kind of writing-related tasks to handle the different kinds of communication and relations in everyday work. Moreover, the emphasis on versatility is a crucial part in doing successful pr work. Every practitioner has to consider that different clients have different stakeholders and audiences that require different writing styles. The last interesting notion was about the overestimated role of media relations in pr education. From my viewpoint, same as the author’s, it is important to have this knowledge, but initially the entry-level work are writing-related tasks. Thus, these skills will be needed first to actually achieve a position as a media relationship manager in the long run.
Investigating journalists’ assessments of public
relations subsidies and contact preferences
In Public Relations Review, 32 (2006), 1, 83–86
This text was really interesting because it provided in brief some very useful insights in dealing with the needs of journalists as a pr practitioner. For me one of the central notions was that the practitioners should know how journalists work and what they want. Moreover, they must not lack skills in journalistic writing and (local) framing of stories. The more the stories meet the expectations of the journalist, the higher the probability of placement. Hence it was logical that practitioners with former journalistic experience are more successful in writing for and contacting the media.
Also the results regarding the contact methods were interesting. I agree that e-mail is a boon for both sides because it allows both immediate information and further enquiry. However, I think that face-to-face contact is still needed to maintain good relationships with journalists, a fact that was also revealed by the study. From my viewpoint e-mail is just a reasonable channel for delivering information quickly – but these interaction has to be founded on a good relationship between the practitioner and the journalist.
In this focus of relations it wasn’t a surprise that journalists wanted to be treated in an ethical correct manner – but 69 % were mentioning that practitioners have lacking ethics, in addition 78 % lamented about practitioners being too self-serving. I think that’s the crux for every pr practitioner who wants to have lasting and prolific relationships to his media contacts. Treating journalists with honesty and integrity is the only way to create trust in the long run. That’s especially important because it is self-evident that journalists don’t place stories from practitioners with bad reputation – the study revealed that one journalist even refused any contact with unethical practitioners. And that means that the relationship to this specific medium is broken, which is the worst case for a pr practitioner, because public relations, as the name implies, as about establishing and maintaining relations.
-------------------------------------------------
How To...Ten Steps to Press Release Perfection
In PR News, Mar 20, 2006. Vol. 62, Iss. 12; pg. 1
This text was a short but practical guideline for writing media releases. From my point of view there were both logical “classics” (e.g. define audience, keep it short and simple, relevant head, check and double-check) and interesting new findings in it. The latter were as follows: From my point of view the most important is that pr practitioners should not mistake a press release for an advertisement. I think that crucial because the central point of pr should be information and relations, whereas everything regarding the promotion of products etc. should be a matter of advertisements. Trying to transmit surreptitious advertising through media releases is just self-serving and will, as mentioned in the first text of this weeks reading, diminish the trust between journalist and practitioner.
Another very interesting point was the notion to consider the different needs of particular mediums regarding the size of the press release. “One size fits all” will not be the appropriate solution for all mediums. Also the hints for handling quotes were useful as well as the animation to do the reporters jobs for them. Last but not least the notion about giving more contacts was really new and practical for me. I think it’s really crucial to establish more contact persons and possibilities for journalists where they can make further inquiry or give feedback.
-------------------------------------------------
Wise, K. (2005), The Importance of Writing Skills
In Public Relations Quaterly, Summer 2005, 50, 2, p.37
The last text of this weeks reading was also a good insight into some opinions and experiences of public relations practitioners, although I have to admit, that it was the least interesting text for me this week. The notions in the text were mostly self-evident and not really new. However, the most interesting insights were the arguments about importance of writing skills apart from press releases. I think it’s really important for a practitioner to be able to every kind of writing-related tasks to handle the different kinds of communication and relations in everyday work. Moreover, the emphasis on versatility is a crucial part in doing successful pr work. Every practitioner has to consider that different clients have different stakeholders and audiences that require different writing styles. The last interesting notion was about the overestimated role of media relations in pr education. From my viewpoint, same as the author’s, it is important to have this knowledge, but initially the entry-level work are writing-related tasks. Thus, these skills will be needed first to actually achieve a position as a media relationship manager in the long run.
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