When looking at PR from a nonprofit perspective, it is usually much easier to promote goodwill and gain positive feedback from your publics. As a corporation, it’s harder to promote goodwill as your main objective is to gain profit. However, the industry with the most PR challenges is government.
The government, no matter where you’re from, is the system by which the state and community are controlled by a group of people with executive authority (usually) to positively benefit those living in that state. However, with factors such as politics, religion, business and trade, government policies and legislations gain be swayed to fulfil certain needs at certain times.
The challenge in government PR is there are so many divisions within the state that it’s difficult to gain public acceptance for everything. For example, the controversial Canadian Bill C-51 is under major scrutiny especially within the immigrant and dual citizenship population. PR is to promote goodwill between the government and its publics but in this situation it’s extremely difficult to control their messages for something so widely unaccepted.
Another major challenge for PR professionals is representing government officials who are usually at the center of the media spotlight. Being able to handle issues/crises (such as mishandling taxpayers’ dollars for their own benefit) in a timely manner is a necessary skill. Citizens depend on their government to regulate and to uphold the law them same way as they do. However, humans are flawed and when the opportunity to take advantage of their power over others arises, most aren’t hesitant to submit to greed and corruption.
These are just some challenges that PR professionals face in government and there are certainly more avenues to explore such as elections and current trends. However, I’m interested in what you have to say.
Despite your opinions on Apple’s technology innovation (or lack thereof), there’s no denying that they’re taking the world by storm. (Apple Storm = Potential smoothie name? No? OK.)
However, when the technology giant lost their prized possession (in this case, iPhone 4 prototype), Apple went from unstoppable to unforgivable.
Apple’s Whoopsie
In 2010, Gray Powell (a young Apple Software Engineer) misplaced the iPhone 4 prototype when he celebrated his birthday at an Irish pub. Apple got hold of this information and chose to keep the issue private. Their efforts to locate the phone were unsuccessful when someone called into Apple customer care looking to return the lost phone. However, the representative knew nothing about the lost prototype and thought it was a hoax or knockoff—so they ended the call.
The person who found the phone later went to Gizmodo and sold the phone for $5,000. Gizmodo tore it apart to reveal its specs and later confirmed it was authentic. A week later, Gizmodo released an exclusive iPhone 4 leak article unleashing pandemonium in the tech world. Apple lost major free media from this debacle from what it would have gained at their iPhone 4 launch.
Apple formally requested to recover the prototype from Gizmodo if they confirm that it was the lost iPhone 4. Apple grudgingly confirmed and was finally reunited with their beloved prototype. However, Apple did not stop there. With a warrant, police raided Gizmodo editor’s home, seizing his computer. Lets just say, media had a lot to cover.
What They Should Have Done
Apple failed on many accounts: succumbing to secrecy, lack of informing key people, and just plain not playing fair.
Hopefully Apple learned from their mistakes but if they didn’t, then I have a few suggestions *smirk*. Of course, it’s too late to change the past; however, there’s always an opportunity to improve the future.
In this case, Apple should have been more open to receive help. A small group of people looking for a small, handheld device in a big city (or country) seems hopeful but unlikely. They should have admitted they made a mistake and had some fun with it. They’re all about innovation and change, right? Inform your employees, create a challenge/campaign, be creative. That way, maybe when the lost iPhone was called into Apple’s customer service centre, the problem could have been solved there.
Another suggestion is to not be so protective. Now that information is more accessible than ever before, people crave for authenticity. No one likes a snotty two-shoes. Business should be more meaningful and “human”. Create genuine relationships. Be supportive. Don’t raid other people’s houses when the fault is yours!!
Who knows. Maybe this was a PR stunt between Apple and Gizmodo. Maybe Gray Powell never had the phone in the first place. Whatever the truth is, Apple made big waves in the media. Unfortunately, mostly negative.
Besides coming up with lame attempts to reference this famous movie, everyone should know PR professionals are superheroes.
We face challenges left and right, equipping ourselves with the utmost, state-of-the-art tools when utilizing our unfathomable writing and communicating skills. We take time to draft plans looking for the best strategic approach to defend our world (or, at least, our brand).
However, when we’re faced with “battles” that can tarnish your brand’s reputation, it’s important to remember these five tips:
5 Superhero Tips to Defend Your Brand
Respect Concerns
It’s important to defend your brand’s views whilst respecting concerns because you want to maintain a positive image. Genuinely listening to concerns and being open to differing opinions is an amazing ability all PR superheroes should have. Simple, positive acknowledgement can go a long way. Your brand becomes reputable in valuing the opinions of other. Respect should be given and when you’re honouring another person, you become respectable.
Protect the Brand’s Vision/Mission/Values
It’s also important to uphold your brand’s vision, mission and values. These principles are the core of your business and if controversy easily persuades you, then you may want to revisit your beliefs.
Whether a concern is positive or negative, your brand should align with it’s principles. Of course, if it’s a grave concern and your brand is liable, then it’s probably time to take a step back and re-evaluate your organization.
Listen to Your Stakeholders
Extremely important. Cannot stress this enough. The #1 rule of PR is toknow your audience. Your stakeholders are the driving force of your organization. Without them, where would you be?
There’s incredible value in listening to your stakeholders and applying their feedback to your organization. You want them to know that you genuinely care about their views. Your goals should always be to build positive relationships, retain trust and gain support.
Be Transparent
Concerns will arise no matter your level of transparency. However, more concerns will arise due to uncertainty. If you’re not actively communicating with your stakeholders, then you’re on your way to losing their trust.
People respect integrity and (especially in the age of social media) tend to question organizations more often than before. There’s a plethora of information right at our fingertips. You don’t want to hide valuable information because, in one way or another, the truth will come out.
Don’t Come Off Too Defensive
Lastly, don’t be that person who needs to defend every single point just to prove they’re right. Sometimes, you’re probably wrong. Coming off as too defensive leaves a negative impression. You don’t want to be seen as rude, stubborn or suspicious.
Be polite. Acknowledge the person. Formulate key messages, for any sort of concern, prior to responding. Be timely and be sure to address concerns with respect and honesty whilst maintaining a positive brand image.
Every organization is different. There may be differing opinions to this blog post; however, one important takeaway is to be human. Humanize your brand—don’t be a robot. People relate more to genuine traits than traditional “push selling” ways of doing business.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree/disagree? Can you add one more tip?
Communication is just as much receiving a message as it is sending one. Human interaction is a need most cultures value, and we mostly speak to be heard. Unfortunately, there are many factors that result in miscommunication.
unclear message
unable to decode message as intended
alternative perceptions
language barriers
external/internal noise
Some factors we can’t control. To be a smarter communicator, we need to know which factors we can control and how to effectively control them.
How can we be better communicators?
1) Know your audience.
If you are (or will be) studying public relations (PR), this often comes up, but it’s so essential to everything you do! A part of being a smarter communicator is understanding who your audience is, what they like/dislike, and how they think and behave.
2) Know which platform to use.
Utilize channels that make sense for your target audience and message, and know when the use them.
Different Types of Communication in PR
In 1984, James E. Grunig developed the ‘Four Models of Public Relations’ in his book (with Todd Hunts) modelling different forms a communication between an organization and its stakeholders. Below is the model that helped shaped what the public relations industry is today. (Source)
Press/Agent Publicity — One-Way Communication “Uses persuasion and manipulation to influence audience to behave as the organization desires.”
Public Information Model — One-Way Communication “Uses press releases and other one-way communication techniques to distribute organizational information. The public relations practitioner is often referred to as the in-house journalist.”
Two-Way Asymmetrical Model — Two-Way Communication “Uses persuasion and manipulation to influence audiences to behave as the organization desires. Differs from the press agentry model through the use of research to find out how best to persuade stakeholders.”
Two-Way Symmetrical Model — Two-Way Communication “Uses communication to negotiate with the public, resolve conflict and promote mutual understanding and respect between the organization and its stakeholders.”
3) Tailor your message.
Be simple and clear.
Based on your research, configure a message that your audience will hear and have some sort of response to. Good writing skills are important in PR (I’m definitely learning everyday). It’s an art (but certainly challenging) to express an idea(s) and have your audience understand and believe the message. Knowing your audience and which platform to use helps in combating miscommunication, but tying that all together with a clear and simple message is the cherry on top. Practice your craft: write, write, write.
Tips on Reaching Your Audience On Social Media
There are many available channels to help you broadcast yourself/organization on social media. Here are the three main channels used today:
Facebook
You can create ads and boost posts for different purposes (eg: page likes, website clicks, offers, etc.).
This example is the Page Likes ad option for an organization I moderate, Tangles4U. What’s great is you can customize your target audience’s location, age, interests, behaviours, etc. and on the right hand side, it also shows your potential reach based on your specifications. After this step, you determine your budget for this particular campaign. Facebook automatically broadcasts it for you until the budget or potential reach is met.
Twitter
ads.twitter.com is another great tool that I use for @Tangles4U. You’ll need to link an existing Twitter account in order to utilize the features, but once you’re in it’s much like Facebook. You have the options to create different campaigns for tweet engagements, website clicks, followers, etc. Twitter Ads is a little more complicated than Facebook Ads where it’s not a simple input form process and you have to select through a series of options.
This example is Targeting for a tweets engagement ad. Your specifying options are through keywords, television, interests and followers, and target audiences. Budget setting is similar to Facebook. Personally, I like Facebook’s process better, but it depends on your audience and message. Here’s a quick snapshot:
LinkedIn
Lastly, we have LinkedIn’s campaign manager. Here you can create an ad or sponsor content (that’s already existing). I prefer this process over Twitter because it’s much simpler to use. You also set budgets for each campaign.
When you click “More targeting options” it reveals the options below:
Each channel has its own metrics tracking system which is great for evaluating the success of your campaign. This was a very brief run through of how to target your audiences using ad options on social media, but there’s so much more to venture through. I’m hoping the more I get comfortable with knowing my audience, picking different channels and developing messages that I can utilize these great features on social media.
RACE is an acronym used widely by many PR professionals throughout decades. Breaking down the letters and delving into the different concepts instills analytical thinking and focuses on developing strategic approaches rather than racing to the action.
Over the years, other acronyms were developed but each one ultimately provides the same outcome: a step-by-step process to achieve effective PR plans. Below is a brief overview of RACE to get you started.
Research
In the world of PR, research is absolutely key. It’s prudent to invest of a lot of time into this first step — because it’s the most important. Research is the foundation to which we develop strategies and tactics to execute successful PR plans.
Begin with a situation analysis. Identify a problem/issue and analyze the situation. What information is needed? Who has a stake in this situation? What is the current public opinion? Do a SWOT analysis. Develop your understanding by asking the right questions and delving deep into the necessary research.
Assessment
With the information you gathered in ‘R’, it’s time to develop your objectives; plan your next course of action. What do you want to achieve? (Eg: build awareness of brand to university students) Who is your target audience and what do you want them to think, feel or do?
Developing strategies is the next essential step — how will you achieve your objectives? Identify your publics, stakeholders, key messages and communication channels. (Eg: utilize social media)
Create the message and get it to the public. What tools will you use to communicate key messages? (Eg: Facebook, Twitter) What is your timeline of execution? What is your budget?
Evaluation
Lastly, in everything that we do in PR, we need to determine our successes using metrics. This happens during and after the plan’s execution. Measure your results against your objectives. Set benchmarks throughout the execution to see whether or not the plan is on track.
Did your target audience understand the messages? Was the plan on schedule and within budget? Were there any surprises? How can we improve next time?
Will RACE Work for You?
RACE is a new concept for many (myself included). To familiarize ourselves with this process, apply the above steps to your organization. In addition, refer to PR plan examples to develop your understanding of RACE. Here are a couple of great examples:
Everyone has their preferences. RACE adapted from mixing many different elements into an simple step-by-step process.
I’m interested in hearing what works and doesn’t work for you! Do you think RACE will help you in your future PR plans? What processes do you take in planning for PR? What are your suggestions?
Mercy-Anne Guevarra 