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PUBLIC RELATIONS AND RESEARCH:Planning Phase Of Research

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Fundamentals of Public Relations ­MCM 401
VU
Lesson 32
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND RESEARCH
Overview
Public relations strategy can be more effective and successful if it is backed up by research for collecting and
remaining abreast with happenings and events pertaining to either the relevant subject or generalized facts
required and usable in appropriate situations. This is what we will cover in this lecture besides identifying
methods to conduct research and various desired objectives, advantages and procedures to evaluate the
benefits and results of such research.
PR & Research
What is research is an important question required to be answered. Two eminent management and public
relations experts defined and explained research as under:
"Research is the one important source of
Ideas for public relations practice."
--- Edward J. Robinson
Management Training & development Authority.
"We can't manage what we don't measure."
David R. Drobis
Chairman, CEO, Ketchum Public Relations Worldwide.
"No Public Relations strategy can succeed without background and knowledge of a Situation."
--- M. Tariq Bucha
President Pakistan Public Relations Society.
2 Methods.
Following are two main universally accepted methods of conducting research.
·
Primary
Collecting raw data that has not been compiled before.
·
Secondary
Reading or consulting available material that someone else has compiled before.
What Questions Need Answers.
While conducting research there are certain important questions which need to addressed and answered.
·
Who are our publics?
·
What is our action / message?
·
What channels of communication reach our publics?
·
What should we do to keep in touch?
·
How will this activity be understood by our publics?
·
What will our publics say or do as a result of our efforts?
·
What is their feeling about us?
What Does Research Do?
One important question is regarding the objects achieved by research. Following are few important support
factors resulting from research.
·
It supports audience.
·
It supports media & trend analysis.
·
It does message testing
·
It does issue monitoring, forecasting & evaluating.
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Fundamentals of Public Relations ­MCM 401
VU
·
It often provides essential data for effectively presenting information.
Research Sources.
Following are two important and significant sources of research.
·
Scholarly
Academic institutions and faculty do scholarly research, sometimes with funding from the government,
foundations or from professional associations.
·
Commercial
This is done by research firms, advertising and Public relations firms / agencies & other marketing related
companies.
How To Use Research?
It is imperative and pertinent to determine what the possible ways to use research with advantage are.
Basically 6 ways.
·
To formulate strategy.
·
To gauge success.
·
To test messages.
·
To size up competition.
·
To get publicity.
·
To sway opinion.
Planning Phase Of Research
In order to get positive results from research it is essential to plan it properly as below:
·
Issue forecasting.
·
Learning about publics.
·
Prioritize publics by Issues.
·
Interpreting behavior of publics.
·
Planning media use.
·
Considering Possible Outcomes.
Using Research For Final Evaluation.
For final evaluation research can provide major help and support.
·Complete the goal results,& interpret their significance to the specific objectives set ,to the organization's
overall objectives & mission.
·Evaluate the impact of actions taken on your publics to see what their attitudes are now.
·Determine how the organization's overall objective and mission have been affected.
Measure The Program's Impact In 3 Areas:
·Financial Responsibility -- going beyond market share to public's perception of how an organization
gets & spends its money.
·Ethics --- the perception by publics of an organization's standards of behavior, a moral judgment of the
consequences of what it says and does.
·Social Responsibility - public's perception of whether an organization is a good citizen, e.g. whether it
contributes to social, political & economic health of global society.
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Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION & BRIEF HISTORY:Definitions Of Public Relations
  2. HOW DOES PR WORK?:OVERVIEW, Formulation of policy
  3. PUBLIC RELATIONS DISTINGUISHED:Size of a PR Department.
  4. PUBLICS OF PR:Expanded Publics, Few Examples Of Publics
  5. PLANNING PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAMMES:Print Media, Electronic Media
  6. MEDIAS OF PR:Media for External Publics, Principles of Good Press Relations
  7. PRESS RELATIONS IN PR:What is News, Secrets Of Good News Release.
  8. CREATED PRIVATE MEDIA:Private Media, New Forms of House Journals
  9. SPECIAL USES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS:Crisis Management, Skills Of PR
  10. BUDGETING IN PR:Labour, Office Overheads, PR & Photographs
  11. PUBLIC RELATIONS PROBLEMS:Defining PR problems, C’s of PR explained
  12. METHODS OF COMMUNICATION:Psychology of Public Relations
  13. PR IN VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS:Techniques of Trade Association PR
  14. PR IN LABOUR UNIONS & RELIGIOUS GROUPS:Community Public Relations
  15. PR IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS & IN MEDIA CHANNALS
  16. USING ADVERTISING FOR P R COMMUNICATION:Role Of PR
  17. ROLE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN MARKETING:How To Educate The Market
  18. PUBLIC RELATIONS AND CORPORATE STRUCTURE:Corporate Identity Essentials
  19. E-PR & ITS TOOLS:Immediate Points To Consider, Using Email As PR Tool
  20. SPONSORSHIP—AN IMPORTANT PR TOOL:PR & Communication Audit
  21. HOUSE JOURNALS:Possible Publics Of House Journals, Exhibitions & PR
  22. CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN PR:Plan Of Action Adopted, Interview at your place
  23. ADVERTISING IN PR:Broad Objectives Of Advertising, Direct Advertising.
  24. INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS:Media Used, Within Store Contacts
  25. PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANCY:Disadvantages, Mass Communication
  26. PUBLIC RELATION’S ROLE IN MARKET EDUCATION:Kinds Of Markets
  27. MODERN DAY VALUES OF PR:Ethics Of Public Relations
  28. CHOICE OF MEDIA FOR PR COMPAIGN:Communication Channels & Media
  29. PR TECHNIQUES:Tactics & Techniques
  30. DESIGNING PR COMPAIGNS:Definitive Mission statement, Reputation.
  31. PUBLIC OPINION:Identifying Priority Publics, If Goal Is Attitude Change
  32. PUBLIC RELATIONS AND RESEARCH:Planning Phase Of Research
  33. PR AND RESEARCH:Unobtrusive Measures, Questionnaires For Survey
  34. PROBLEMS SOLVING STRATEGIES:Communicate results
  35. PERSUASION & COMMUNICATION THEORIES:Message Orientation
  36. COMMUNICATION CONCEPTS & THEORIES:Research and Persuasion
  37. PUBLIC RELATIONS & LAW:How To Stay Out Of Trouble
  38. PUBLIC RELATIONS & CASE STUDIES:Case Analysis, Images Of Public Relations
  39. PR AND PRINTING PROCESSES:Fundamentals Of Printing
  40. PUBLIC SPEAKING -- A PR TOOL:Key Benefits, How To Prepare
  41. PR -- COPING WITH UNEXPECTED:Some Possible PR Ideas
  42. DREAMS & REALITIES OF PR:Who Takes Charge Of Identity?
  43. CHANGING INTO OVERDRIVE:How International Is PR?
  44. GETTING ON WITH PR:Where does PR fit in the structure?
  45. FUNDAMENTALS OF A SUCCESSFUL NEWSLETTER:RESEARCH, WRITING