Today’s post is brought to you by the letter R

 

http://www.tiptoptens.com/2012/01/25/car-racing-games-2012/

There's an acronym that's used in PR circles: R.A.C.E. It stands for Research, Action, Communication, and Evaluation. Quite simply, it's the process used by public relations professionals to elaborate a PR campaign. Today, we're going to have a look at the R.

Relevancy in research: where would we be without it? 

Let’s say you decided to go to the Galapagos Islands. Would you just up and start walking? Of course not! You would happily start typing away on your little computer: passport and visa requirements, dialect spoken, airlines, hotels, currency, local laws, and costs.

Starting a PR campaign without first doing any research would be folly. Yes, you know where you’re going but how the heck do you expect to get there if you don’t have a plan?

Research...all the cool PR professionals are doing it.

With proper research, you can find your audience (a.k.a stakeholders, publics) by gathering crucial information about demographics, lifestyles, characteristics and consumption patterns. You need this information to ensure that the right message reaches the right audiences. You can even test a message or two. By testing different messages, you can then settle on the best one. In other words, research helps you hone your strategy.

But what KIND of research are we talking about here?

Primary research: new and original information is generated for a specific question. Types of research that fall under this category: in-depth interviews, focus groups, surveys and polls.

Secondary research: using existing information. It’s found in books, magazine articles, and electronic databases.

In addition..

We can even go a little further in distinguishing research types:

Qualitative: rich insights and understanding of situations or target public. It investigates the why and how of decision making, not the what, where, when. This is referred to as soft data because the responses can't be easily extrapolated to a larger audience.

Quantative: what, where, when. It’s more expensive and complicated but it allows for great extrapolation to larger population. It’s referred to as hard data.

But I have a research budget the size of gnat..

"You don’t have to spend a fortune or go broke when designing and carrying out public relations research and measurement projects. To save money, consider piggyback studies, secondary analysis, quick-tab polls, internet surveys, or intercept interviews. Mail, fax and e-mail studies are good for some purposes. Or, do your own field research."

-Walter K. Lindenmann, PH.D.

Research...all the cool PR professionals are doing it.

 courtesy: Chirs selley

Where's the beef?

Here's an example of simplicity in PR gone wrong.

Anybody have any idea what message McDonalds was trying to convey with this darling little piece?

I'd sure like to know.

Perceptive pondering of a PR pro

  TAMARA BODI, McKim Cringan George

Tamara Bodi is the Director of Public Relations and Social Media at McKim Cringan George (MCG), a full-service ad agency. Her background is in journalism. She graduated with honours from the Creative Communicationsprogram with a major in journalism. Her career eventually took a different path: public relations. Have a look at her Linkedin profile for more details, or better yet, give her a call, she’s always glad to talk to PR students. 

I met Tamara in September at a networking event hosted by the Canadian Public Relations Society (Manitoba chapter). Tamara is the Program Director, a volunteer position on the board. We sat down to chat in her 6^th floor office at the Crocus building with a lovely view overlooking Main Street.

Typical week

Ask Tamara what a typical week is like as Director of Public Relations and Social Media at MCG and you’ll get a rueful laugh.

"It’s different all the time. Some weeks you can be working on one main project and other weeks on a bunch of little projects. Suddenly, you get a surprise and have to drop what you’re currently working on. It usually comes in phases. You'll get three of those in a week and then nothing for a while", explains Tamara.

She goes on to explain that her work straddles both PR and social media, so it’s her job to find a way to blend them together.

So...is writing all that important?

"Writing is obviously very important but editing is equally important. They are a two-part deal of the same package", says Tamara. 

She also stresses that you need to know how to write on all kinds of different levels, whether it's a biography, a proposal or strategic writing, like social media.

To that end, she keeps current by consuming a lot of news and media. She regularly listens to the radio, surfs online and is active on social media like Twitter. That’s not to say she doesn’t use more traditional means as well; she reads the newspaper every day and watches the 10 o’clock news every night.

Tamara is also a strong believer in joining professional networks, like becoming a member of  the Canadian Public Relations Society. If you’re the communications person for your company, you're quite often in a silo situation. It's hard when you're the only person responsible for the PR decisions. It helps to have a network of people you can turn to for advice.

Wish I had known...

When asked what she wishes she had known, Tamara is quick to answer: it’s pretty stressful. It’s something she doesn’t try to sugar-coat whenever speaking to students and interns: “It’s an enjoyable job but it’s also difficult and unpredictable. It’s not an accident that it was voted as one of the top 10 most stressful professions.”

Don't get me wrong...

According to Tamara, it’s also pretty fun.

A few years ago, while working for Public Affairs at the University of Manitoba, Tamara had the chance to work on a project that earned her an award for news release writing.

With her help, a business professor by the name of Dr. Hari Bapuji was able to share his findings with the world by getting international coverage for it. They received calls from the BBC, the New York Times and the Washington Post. It was a very topical subject and they were able to get maximum coverage out of it. For more details about the project, click here.

Tamara remembers telling Dr. Bapuji, "Hari, you gave me my most fun day ever.” She adds, “To this day, it still remains one of my best days in public relations.”

Agency vs corporate?

Tamara explains that purely PR agencies are a rarity in Winnipeg, Dooley Communications being one of the very few. She explains that if you work at an agency in Winnipeg, you have to learn quickly to be versatile. With corporate, you usually have your niche. 

Lastly, tips for the newbies?

Tip 1: 
"Develop or join a network. Some days, you need help. You have no idea if what you’re doing is right or good. You need to bounce ideas off someone." 

Tip 2:

"The PR field is dynamic. Public relations is maybe not the right name for what we’re doing now. Social media had changed the landscape. To reach your public, what better way to get your message across and, in turn, listen to their messages?"

Tip 3:

"Pay it forward. Treat reporters with respect. If you loved one of their stories, let them know. Keep your connections open and your interactions genuine."

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Writer's note:

I had a great talk with Tamara. It's quite obvious she loves her job and I couldn't help but be swept up by her enthusiasm. She even offered to give me advice if I was ever in need of it. It's people like Tamara that make me realize how much I love my job.

Comment #4

My comment is in response to :  THE 7 ELEMENTS OF "GOOD" PR

Hi Todd,

I really enjoyed your post.

I think that some people get so obsessed with tactics that they don’t see the big picture. They can’t see the forest for the trees, so to speak. They rush the process.

Yes, you could do that, but do you really want to?

Are you targeting the right people?

How is your message going to be perceived by the public?

Is it even the right message?

In my opinion, not enough research and listening is the worst blunder by PR pros.

I think that we feel it’s expected of us to know all the answers right away. Tell me your PR problem and I’ll give you an answer.

It doesn't work that way. You need to be able to listen, ask questions and walk away from your client.

After some careful thought and research, then you can come back with a tailor-made solution that will satisfy everybody.

(If course, in times of crisis, you give the best advice you can and hope for the best!)

Comment #3

My comment is in response to :  Newsjacking: When is it appropriate? 

I think it’s fairly simple.

Newsjacking is (pretty much) only appropriate when the event is either neutral or good news. If it's a tragic event, newsjacking could be acceptable if your client/company is asked for its expert opinion. Even then, it’s a short drive into opportunistic-land.

For example, during Hurricane Sandy, Sears tweeted the following message: “Did Hurricane Sandy affect your city? Get your generators, air mattresses & more in one place.”

They got some flak over it. Was it opportunistic?

As one person responded to Sears’ tweet: “Poor taste trying to make a buck off people that have lost everything in #HurricaneSandy, dontcha think? #newsjerking #poortaste.”

I don’t think their intention was evil but it was off the mark. Somebody in advertising wrote that message when someone in PR should have written it. Had Sears been my client, I would have advised against tweeting a message altogether. Had Sears insisted, I would have suggested something like this: “To those affected by Hurricane Sandy: we have generators on sale. Store hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. #staysafe.”

In this type of situation, any messages should strive to inform, not persuade.


Comment #2

My comment is in response to : Using Humor in PR


Hello Elena,

I enjoyed your post. You made some very insightful comments.

I think humor is a powerful tool in the public relations toolbox. I also agree that self-deprecating humor is usually the safest route.

Another recent example of a company capitalizing on an unexpected opportunity is Bodyform, a UK-based company that sells feminine hygiene products. When a man posted a tongue-in-cheek comment on their Facebook page, they responded a week later by producing a funny video. In a six-day span, it’s been viewed 2,735,454 times. To see their Facebook page, click here. The cost to make the video is minimal when compared to the world-wide exposure they’ve gotten for it. It took someone with creativity to dream up the concept and a management team with spirit to get behind it.

People embrace humor. They seek it out. They forward it, post it, tweet it, instagram it.

That being said, humor is definitely not for all companies and of course it comes with risks, especially when not properly executed. It takes a gentle hand to guide it.


Comment #1

My comment in response to : PRNewser - American Airlines had a terrible week in PR by Patrick Coffee 

Bad move on AA’s part, no doubt about it.

Problem is - and I ask speak from experience here - that Customer Service Agents are quite often given very little leeway by management.  Their very employment with the company is threatened should they make exceptions.

What you see as a customer: “What an unsympathetic agent.”

What you don’t see: “I feel terrible for this person. I wish I could make an exception but I just can’t afford to lose my job”.

What’s the solution?

I think better training is the solution. I think front-line agents should feel comfortable to make judgement calls. I’d like to think that in this particular instance, AA would have allowed the family to be reseated together without any additional fees but the agent was too scared to make that decision.

I think that too often, these agents are given too little training and, let’s face it, they ARE the company to the person who’s calling in. Agents need to think more like a PR pro and management needs to help them with that.

On four-letter words and relationships

There are two things that have stuck with me after our first few Public Relations Fundamentals 1 classes.

First, PR is all about relationships.

I’ve been working in PR in one capacity or another for the last 10 years. I must admit, I’ve never really sat down and taken the time to articulate that thought but it’s something I’ve instinctively known for a long time. It’s about cultivating relationships with the public, the media, the stakeholders and the employees. It’s about listening to what the public has to say and then crafting your client’s message in a way that resonates with the public.

The second thing that stuck with me was our discussion of PR’s dirty little four-letter word: spin. 

When I think spin, I’m reminded of a scene in the movie Chicago. Richard Gere, playing a lawyer, “spins” the facts to the media regarding his client, Renée Zellweger, who’s been accused of murder. There’s a very strong visual of him manipulating the media. It's worth a look:

 

To be sure, this scene shows the ugly side of spin.

However, people spin, day in and day out, without even realizing it. Let me give you a simple example:

Wife says, “Honey, can we go to restaurant XYZ for dinner?”

“I don’t know. The last time we went there I wasn’t too impressed”, says Husband.

“I went there last week with my sister. Did you know it’s under new ownership now? They have a new chef and they’ve improved their parking. Also, there was a coupon in the newspaper today and it’s all-you-can-eat rib night tonight”, says Wife.

“Okay, let’s give it a try”, says Husband.

Husband just got spun. Does he know he got spun? More importantly, does he care?

He wasn’t in possession of all the facts. Wife supplied him the information he didn’t have - as wives are known to do - so that he could make an informed decision. She didn’t lie nor did she manipulate or stretch the truth. She presented the facts.

PR is about persuasion and perception. It’s about swaying public opinion. It’s not about control, it’s about telling your client’s story.