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Management Process:
Step 3: Implementation & Step 4: Evaluation
Dr. Iccha Basnyat

  • 4 Step PR Management Process



  • Recapping
    • Research is the core of Issue Management
      • -- Different research method depending on information required
    • Research to Situational Analysis
      • -- Research (SWOT and/or Informal/Formal) should give you a clear indication of the situation
    • Strategic Thinking is well-planned & systematic:
      • 1. Objectives:
        • Should be clearly defined and SPECIFIC, measurable & realistic
      • 2. Strategy:
        • Is the overall plan that will help you achieve your objectives
      • 3. Tactic:
        • Tools that help you achieve your objective
    • Strategic planning:
      • Improves effectiveness
      • Encourages long- term view
      • Assists pro-activeness
      • Minimises mishaps
      • Allows informed decision making
      • --- Open system is key to planning!!
    • No planning:
      • Time
      • Budget
      • Organizational philosophy:
      • 1. Closed system
        • -- non adaptive
        • -- lack of flexibility
        • -- reactive
      • 2. Idealistic goals rather than realistic & possible
    • Planning process:
      • 1. Identify the problem & target audience
      • 2. What kind of plan would best address the problem (e.g. SARS)
        • -- What would we seek to achieve (i.e. objective)?
          • -- What strategy and tactic would best address the objective?
        • -- What should we seek to communicate (i.e. message)?
        • -- How should the message be communicated (i.e. channels)?
        • -- How will we measure the outcome?


  • Step 3: Implementation
    • Action:
      • Corrective actions serve the mutual interest of an organization & its publics
    • Action Strategies:
      • Results from knowing how an organization’s policy, action contributed to PR problem
      • -- Situational analysis before action strategy
      • -- Open system >> adjusts internally >> change can result in better relationship with publics
    • Absolut Campaign
      • Action:
        • -- Marketing to PR problem
      • Action Strategy:
        • -- Pull off ad & “we are adjusting our internal advertising approval process“
      • Communication:
        • Message Strategy: Reiterate their slogan: “In an Absolut World”
          • (i.e. visualizing as drinkers what appeals to them)
        • Media Strategy: Press Release
        • Publics: Blogs, Apology
      • Action strategy must be supported through communication >> beyond persuasive communication
    • Communication:
      • Think about how you would like to convey your message (i.e. Framing)
      • Think about who the message is for and what would be the best way to convey the message
        • -- Who are the different types of your publics & what would be the suitable channels to reach them
      • Remember Assimilation-Contrast Theory:
        • People accept message close to their views & reject message incongruent with their views
      • Message should be specific to that specific need
        • -- Each situation and corrective measures should be assessed independently
        • -- Each situation may rely on different theory for design & implementation
      • Message must be:
        • Newsworthy (Timeliness & Novel)
        • Understandable (Simple to grasp, One Message)
        • Immediately actionable
          • -- Responds to questions, Answers concerns
      • For message design consider:
        • 1. Semantics:
          • Language constantly changes
          • Meanings of words change with the times
          • Words can carry different meanings in different context >> language is affected by social context
          • Further, meanings can be
            • Denotative: Common dictionary meaning
            • Connotative: Evaluative meaning attached to words due to our experience
              • -- e.g.: Ace, Mean, Flat
        • 2. Symbols:
          • Represents something (through picture, words, signs etc)
          • Referent (refers) to something
          • Symbols can be “referent” of a culture & can evoke emotion/meaning
          • Or it can be commonly understood
      • Barriers to Campaigns:
        • Selective listening and seeking messages we already agree with
        • A lot of competing messages
        • Same information can be interpreted differently
        • Information doesn’t necessarily change attitudes or behaviors
        • Stereotype:
          • Messages relying on stereotypes are often tuned out & reflects upon the organization instead
          • Don’t go by the “pictures in our head”
      • Book explains seven C’s of PR communication:
        • Credibility: Receivers confidence in the organization
        • Context: Effective communication requires supportive environment
        • Content: Message must have meaning for the receiver
        • Clarity: The message must be simple and clear
        • Continuity & Consistency: Doesn’t end with one effort
        • Channels: Different values is attached to different channels
        • Capability of audience


  • Step 4: Evaluation
    • Evaluation:
      • Systematic procedure to assess the program effectiveness
      • See page 386, Figure 14.2 for stages!!
    • Evaluation is on going:
      • 1. Process: Monitoring program implementation
      • 2. Outcome: Assessing program impact
    • When planning how the program will be evaluated also consider:
      • 1. Use & Purpose:
        • -- What information will be gathered?
        • -- What will be done with the information gathered (esp. from process evaluation)?
      • 2. Organizational/Department Commitment:
        • --When it will be carried out?
        • -- Who will carry it out?
      • 3. Select appropriate criteria:
        • -- How will it be gathered & analyzed?
    • Step 4: Process/Implementation Evaluation
      • Process evaluation:
        • 1. Assesses program standing (i.e. is it doing what it is meant to?)
        • 2. Assesses delivery of program (i.e. dosage, reach, desired effect)
        • 3. Assesses situational variability (i.e. conditions of the program action)
      • Process evaluation generally rely on qualitative data to improve implementation for an effective outcome
      • Open system relies on feedback and process evaluation provides feedback on
        • -- quality of the program (i.e. delivery effectiveness, reaching intended audience)
        • -- increasing knowledge about what program component will contribute to outcome measures through monitoring & tracking
    • Step 4: Outcome/Impact Evaluation
      • Identification of whether the program achieved what it intended to
        • -- Did the program work and if so how well and for whom?
      • Most often used quantitative measuresto answer:
        • who, what, when, where, how much, how many, how often?
        • -- Often measured with the baseline, pre-survey of campaign

     

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