PLANNING PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAMMES:Print Media, Electronic Media

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Fundamentals of Public Relations MCM 401

Lesson 5

PLANNING PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAMMES

Overview

This lecture will explain about the methods and essentials of planning public relations program. It is

important to consider and determine as to how these can be planned for tangible results. Although once

again we will be talking on broad scale yet this can be adapted to suit particular or more modest

requirements.

4 Reasons for Planning PR Programmes.

1. Set targets for PR Operation -- (Against which results can be assessed.)

2. Estimate the working hours and other costs involved for such PR Plan.

3. Select priorities which will control the number and timing of different operations in the program.

4. Decide feasibility of carrying out declared objectives according to availability of:

· Sufficient staff of proper caliber.

· Specific equipment like computers, cameras, vehicles etc.

· Adequate Budget.

6 Point PR Planning Model

In order to plan a successful and result oriented PR plan following model should be adopted;

· Appreciation of the situation.

· Definition of objectives.

· Definition of publics.

· Selection of media & techniques.

· Planning of a budget.

· Assessment of results.

Let us now study the above enumerated parameters of successful PR plan model individually.

Appreciation Of The Situation

HOSTILITY

SYMPATHY

PREJUDICE

ACCEPTANCE

APATHY

INTEREST

IGNORANCE

KNOWLEDGE

NEGATIVE SITUATION

POSITIVE SITUATION

Methods Of Appreciating A Situation

In order to prepare an effective strategy to counter a situation it is important that the gravity of situation

should first be assessed and appreciated. Following are the universally tried and accepted methods of

appreciating a situation.

· Opinion, attitude or image surveys.

· Press clippings, monitored broadcasting scripts.

· Sales figures trends & sales report indications,

· State of competition within & from imports.

Fundamentals of Public Relations MCM 401

· Share price if Public Company, dividends, balance sheet etc.

· Industrial relation situation.

· Customer complaints, test reports & product performance.

· Discussion with sales force & distributors.

· Prices & effect of price changes.

· Market forces, economic, social & political.

Definition Of Objectives.

Change the image because company has changed its activities.

Improve the caliber of job applicants.

Tell people about little known story of the company & gain credit for achievement.

Make company known & understood in new local & international markets.

Prepare stock market for a new share launch.

Improve community relations following public criticism based on misunderstanding of company's

intention.

Educate installers, users or consumers about the product.

Regain public confidence after a disaster which had portrayed company as inefficient in any way,

the cause having been rectified.

Establish a new corporate identity.

10.

Support a sponsorship scheme.

11.

Make politicians better informed about company's activities, perhaps because of some impending

legislation which could affect the company unfavorably.

12.

Propagate company's research activities.

When we determine the objectives it is essential that we should first of all identify the public we want to

target from various publics, as already enumerated in the previous lectures also. Broadly speaking there are

two major publics classified as internal and external while following are the expanded publics in the

modern day.

Expanded Publics.

· The Community.

· Potential Employees.

· Employees.

· Suppliers of services & materials.

· Investors --- the money market.

· Distributors.

· Consumers & users.

· Opinion leaders.

Selection of Media & Techniques.

Once the objectives have been worked out and the publics selected, it will be necessary to select the media

and technique to be adopted for the achievement of the desired objectives. It is important as in relation to

the objectives, determined publics identified, only the selection of proper public will yield positive results.

Following is the classification of different media as in use in the present days.

Electronic Media

Print Media

Press.

Radio

Printed Material.

Television.

Direct Mail.

House Journals

Misc. Media

1. Exhibitions.

2. Air balloons & ships.

3. Electronic Bill Boards.

While determining the media and required techniques it is essential and important that before launching a

public relations plan a budget should also be worked out. In this context following is the five point strategy.

Fundamentals of Public Relations MCM 401

5 Points For Planning PR Budget

To determine, what will it cost to carry out a PR Plan.

What sort of plan can be carried out for a given sum of money?

After agreeing to a cost & Plan, budget provides a check list to tasks, to be done as per a time table.

Budget sets a discipline for both expenditure & over - expenditure.

After completion of campaign, results can be measured against the budget.

Assessment Of Results

Once all essentials like objectives, proper identification of publics and selection of media and techniques are

in place and the cost involved for such plan has been worked out on the above explained strategy, it is

imperative that an assessment should be made with regard to the public relations plan about the results or

achievement of the objectives on following lines even if these may be qualitative and not quantitative.

· Evaluate results.

· Adopt proper evaluating methods.

· Compare results against Objectives.

Sometimes the results may not be measurable statistically, but by experience and self evident qualities such

as the evidence that now job applicants are better educated and more proficient or in some other way more

suitable than before. These are basically the qualitative results. However, the quantitative results may show

increased sales, awareness and reduced number of complaints, increased job applicants, oversubscription of

shares or even increased number of mentions of the company name in the media.

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