Public relations has played large role in continued success of many companies and the new success of young organizations. Public relations is the management function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or an organization with the public interest, and plans and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and patience” (Cameron, Wilcox, Reber, Shin, 2008). However, overcoming the challenges of a constantly change public attitude does not always work out. It’s very important for public relations to reach a wide audience, and it’s a challenge to market to the world in just the right way in order to maximize the potential client directory.
For instance, in 2005 Ford motor company ran an advertisement campaign to target the gay and lesbian community by advertising their products in gay and lesbian magazines. With their success in bringing in a new community of buyers, they also had to deal with a backlash from another group of people who felt that Ford was out of line. Conservative groups like the AFA (American Family Alliance) threatened to boycott the company unless the advertisements were pulled. Distraught over the situation, Ford decided to pull the advertisements from the gay and lesbian magazines. Although, after a time they reinstated the adds at a risk to their own success. Fights ensued between the AFA and the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered) that consequently affected the car company both positively and negatively. While the company won the praise of the GLBT, it outraged the people of the AFA. No matter what position Ford took, it was clear that they could not avoid some sort of controversy.
In the scenario above it’s no doubt that Ford had found themselves in the middle of a crisis. A crisis can be defined as a, “major occurrence with a potentially negative outcome affecting the organization, company, or industry, as well as its publics, products, services, or good name” (Cameron, Wilcox, Reber, Shin, 2008). This can include just about anything that threatens the well being or reputation of someone or something. To handle the negative impact left behind due to the crisis it was important for Ford to invest in public relations to try to put the company back in a positive light with all segments of people they wanted to market to. Public relations companies can take a crisis like Ford’s and turn it around so that Ford can weather the challenges of the progression of time. One such company that specializes in PR is Airfoil. “Airfoil Public Relations has weathered two recessions and come out on top as a nationally recognized agency specializing in public relations and marketing communications. Since its founding in 2000, Airfoil has helped establish and solidify its clients as leaders in their respective industries through strategic, creative communications, characterized by Airfoil's "higher thinking" means of creating differentiation” (Business News, 2010).
During an organizational crisis the role of public relations is to help the company overcome the problem and maintaining good grace with the public. Some ways these experts go about handling a crisis like this is to take certain steps. It’s important for PR to show that Ford wants to put the public first, to have Ford take responsibility, to be honest and never say “no comment.” Designating a single spokesperson can make it easier for people to relate to the message being portrayed. Public relations would want to help the car company create a central information center in order to provide a constant flow of information. They would be familiar with media needs and deadlines, be accessible, monitor news coverage and phone inquiries, and communicate with key publics.
During an organizational crisis the role of public relations is to help the company overcome the problem and maintaining good grace with the public. Some ways these experts go about handling a crisis like this is to take certain steps. It’s important for PR to show that Ford wants to put the public first, to have Ford take responsibility, to be honest and never say “no comment.” Designating a single spokesperson can make it easier for people to relate to the message being portrayed. Public relations would want to help the car company create a central information center in order to provide a constant flow of information. They would be familiar with media needs and deadlines, be accessible, monitor news coverage and phone inquiries, and communicate with key publics.
Managing those key points would help Ford tackle the controversy and appeal to their buyers with their message. It’s important for companies in the middle of a crisis to hire somebody to handle the public in a beneficial manner. Trying to ignore the problem or hide it will only backfire on a company in the long run. It’s important for a company to maintain its integrity, and handling a problem correctly helps. Many companies simply are not suited to handle the public on their own, and this can cause more trouble when they take on the challenges incorrectly. Certainly some situations can be taken care of without help, but that’s running a risk.
Controversial situations are unfortunately not few and far between, but rather a large challenge for companies and Public Relations experts to work around. The first step to overcoming conditions like the one above is to thoroughly do research to try to anticipate the reactions of the public to each message that’s going to be presented. Research is used in public relations in many ways. For instance is used when formulating strategy. It’s important that a company take the right approach when considering what kind of message would be most beneficial to provide to the audience to get the point across. Research is used to prevent a crisis, by locating problem areas before they become public. Research can also help influence public opinion, presenting enough facts in favor of, or against can help sway others. Research is also used by management to keep in touch with employees and customers by giving them insight on their opinions and thoughts. Understanding the world and the public is vital to the success of public relations. Research is the only way that public relations can hope to set short and long term goals. Without knowing how the public may react, goals become useless. Research helps shape and build campaigns by providing strategies, locating problems, countering opponents, and connecting to the public.
After enough research public relations can find a good grasp on the mood of the public. Public opinion is defined as “the collective expression of the opinions of many individuals bound into a group by common aims, aspirations, interests, needs, beliefs, and ideals” (Cameron, Wilcox, Reber, Shin, 2008). By targeting the public opinion correctly, public relations can attempt to sway the majority consumers to their cause. By enlisting what is referred to as opinion leaders is one way to gain support. There are two types of opinion leaders, the formal and in informal. Formal leaders are elected officials, company presidents, and group heads. The other type is the informal opinion leader, who has a significant amount of popularity among peers. They are possibly seen as role models, or they can successfully exert peer pressure. When it comes to the media these opinion leaders exude the most influence over the public. For example, hiring a relevant and admired celebrity can be a great way to advertise goods and services to the public.
It’s also important for companies to advertise correctly to the correct publics. Going back to the Ford crisis, the car company chose to market its cars towards both a liberal and conservative community of consumers who would be potential customers to bring in revenue. Unfortunately their marketing campaign drew in controversy, but they accurately found a new group of consumers to market to. By placing their car adds in GLBT magazines they earned the respect of that community and earned new buyers. At the same time Ford would market their cars to the AFA by advertising their family cars in religious magazines as well as through family television commercials. Advertising the right message to the right community of people is part of what makes public relations an asset to big companies like Ford.
For instance, a news release shows the popularity of Ford among the country of China. “Sales of Ford cars in China amounted to 133,900 units in the third quarter of the year, with September sales grew 26 percent thanks to growing demand from Chinese consumers for Ford's passenger and commercial vehicles, according to data recently released by Ford Motor” (Ford Car Sales, 2010). In this case, it would be profitable for Ford to really push the correct advertisements to this segment of people to maximize the available profit brought in. Bringing in public relations experts to target the Chinese audience in a way that will advance Fords sales would be beneficial to the company. It’s important to target this pivotal audience correctly, rather than throwing random non motivating advertisements at them.
Reaching out to the right public can be done though certain public relations tactics like: news releases, publicity photos, media kits, pitch letters, newsletters, magazines, electronic newsletters, brochures, radio, television, satellite media tours, personal appearances, talk shows, magazine shows, product placements, internet, podcasts, weblogs, media interviews, print interviews, news conferences, press parties and media tours among others. One of the most efficient forms of public relations communications instruments is the news release which is more commonly known as the press release. News releases are one of the largest components of a public relations specialist. About fifty percent of news stories come from news releases, and seventy-five percent of journalists use news releases to supplement their stories. A news release is written with the, “journalistic “inverted pyramid” approach to writing. This means that the first paragraph succinctly summarizes the most important part of the story and succeeding paragraphs fill in the details in descending order of importance” (Cameron, Wilcox, Reber, Shin, 2008). The News Release is definitely one of the most effective tactics as it reaches the largest amount of people in the shortest time. As well as the fact that it’s one of the most widely used.
Public relations has been a vital part of the growing success of companies because with the help of PR companies are able to reach a wide audience and overcome the challenges that come with trying to market to such a diverse world of people in order to capitalize on the potential client listing. Public relations experts are able to reign in problems that turn into disasters through crisis management. Though the idea is to avoid such predicaments and one way to do that is through research that will adequately arm them with an idea on how the public might react to certain messages. Progressing after research is to target public opinion and persuade that opinion in a way that is favorable to the company and its goals. From there it’s important to figure out where each message will reach an audience and create the greatest positive impact. Then finally the process goes to the type of public relation tactic to be used to complete the process and finally reach out to the public. Without public relations it would be difficult for companies to overcome the challenges that are present in a constantly changing economy and society.
Sources
Business News; Airfoil Celebrates 10 Years of Technology Public Relations Success. (2010, October). Business & Finance Week,64. Retrieved October 18, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2161362231).
Cameron, G.T., Wilcox, D.L., Reber, B.H., Shin,J.H. (2008) Public relations today: managing competition and conflict. First edition. Boston:Pearson Education
Ford car sales in China up 26 to 50,970 units in September. (2010, October 13). China Business News. Retrieved October 18, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 2160436691).
No comments:
Post a Comment