Chapter 5 : Writing Client Prose

One of the main, if not most important, element of media relations is in writing client prose. Prose is defined as a form of written discourse, which is an apt way of looking at it. It should be looked at as a form of conversation, meant to engage and interest the target, in this case, the media.

As media relations professionals, not only do our grammar skills have to be top-notch, we have to make what we write appeal to the journalists as well. The media receives several press releases by other NGOs which need the free publicity as well, sadly enough, but we have to ensure that what we give the media stands out. When formulating press releases, we have to write as journalists themselves. The prevailing question to ask is whether the information is news or newsworthy? It would help to do all the hard work for them too such as providing an angle and writing a lead paragraph with the most important information.

Rules of writing aside, what about the packaging of the press release itself? I think they could serve as attention-grabbing tools. This was a letter done by Microsoft to show software sales staff that Windows breaks down the walls in customers’ lives :

[Source]

It would be cool if a similar concept could be adapted. I'm sure it would capture the journalists' attention and engage them directly. How's that for standing out amongst the other letters and pieces of paper.

Writing prose is also important in order to establish or maintaining media relations, and the list includes brochure materials, letters to editors, feature stories, brochures, annual reports and of course, press releases. An important tactic in relation to our campaign would be to create a personality profile.

Keeping in mind our client being PCS, it is imperative that our actions have to have humanising factors, because it has to reach out to our target publics on an emotional level. This is what the personality profile help to introduce. PCS does deal with the difficult issue of teenage pregnancy, which still is quite a taboo subject. Also, our target audience, the youths, might shut off to our messages because they might feel this does not concern them or that it’s not a subject they want to take interest in. By having Rozz as our spokesperson, it helps to humanise the issue and sheds light on it, because the hope is that the messages Rozz delivers will go through to the youths.

Another spokesperson that we could do a personality profile on perhaps is Stephanie Mohan, a young mother who was interviewed on RazorTV before. Stephanie got pregnant when she was 18, and despite the circumstances that she was in (she just started school and her boyfriend actually dumped her), abortion was never an option for her.

Watch the actual interview here : http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/37292.html

Rozz would make the public take notice, but Stephanie would definitely provide that true inspirational face to the issue.

Chapter 6: Developing Media Relationships Around News

As PR students, we have come to realise the importance of developing and maintaining media relationships. Media relations are a two-way process; media need sources and sources need media. Media relations practitioners spend a lot of time trying to get the media interested in their client's events but as the PR client presentation revealed, it was not as easy a task to be said than done.

Building a relationship with the media requires relevant in interesting information and the supplication of such material. It is also crucial that the right media is chosen to suit the direction the plans or campaigns that has been chosen for your client. For example, selecting the print industry for trade magazines would be a good choice as they will be able to go into the nitty-gritty specifics of things whereas for events for a targeted group; such as events for Breast Cancer Awareness would be better place in woman's' magazines.

Another important factor is putting yourself in someone else's shoes and looking at what you plan on doing with a different point of view. News stories depend on angles taken, the assimilation of news processing, construction and eventually the dissemination of the news. In the case of PCS, they tend to shy away from the media in general. However, perhaps it is a different method that will safely reach out to incorporate the media, yet, protect the identities and keeping their confidentiality intact. We proposed an event that will draw the attention of the media- 'Umbrellas in the Sun' and 'Power of Choice'.

News is a highly valued commodity and more so because it helps provide a marker for society to base itself against. It is with this marker than PCS is ranked against and unlike its competitors such as BABES, PCS is not as well-known and approached. As a third party, we have a different approach and a clear slate to look into matters concerning PCS.

We at Silhouette PR Agency want the best for our client and have realised that the media is a crucial part of creating awareness. Thus, we will reach out to the media in a way that will not compromise the core factor PCS holds dear- confidentiality.

Chapter 12: Measuring Successful Relationships

On a daily basis, we might be caught assessing a piece of clothing on whether it is worth buying, considering the calorie intake we take in our food or even measuring the effects of exercising. Truth is; evaluation is part and parcel of everybody’s life. And this powerful aspect is an important element, especially in the realm of Public Relations (PR). From the development to final stage of a PR campaign, constant evaluation is vital in order to measure its success or failure. Have the campaign successfully reached its target audience? Is the media responding to this campaign? What can we do to make it better?

Evaluation is essentially the systematic application of research procedures to understand the conceptualisation, design, implementation, and utility of media relations campaign. Simply put, it is the usage of research tools such as surveys and focus groups to determine the level of progress.

In the case of our client, Pregnancy Crisis Service (PCS), I believe the lack of evaluation is one of reason for its weak standing in the industry of pregnancy aid.

According to a newspaper article, PCS is ranked 5^th among various pregnancy help lines. PCS has been around for 25 years, yet there is little knowledge about this organisation. It is apparent that PCS did not evaluate their PR campaigns effectively as they have failed to clinch sufficient media coverage. Media relations are very powerful tools that can enable organisations to achieve the much-needed awareness. Furthermore, PCS has definitely not reach its targeted publics of teenage girls because only 3% of the calls they receive are from callers under the age of 18. Should effective evaluative measures be undertaken, PCS could source out the root of their problems and probably eradicate them once and for all. To make matters worse, the name of PCS (also known as PCC – Pregnancy Crisis Centre) itself is a major problem. In hokkien, a Chinese dialect commonly used in Singapore, PCC stands for masturbation. As mentioned earlier, should PCS undergo careful evaluation, such a mistake would not have been made.

In comparison, BABES, a 5-year-old organisation, has taken constant evaluative measures to review its foothold in the industry of pregnancy aid. Both of them have the similar target audience of teenage girls, but BABES definitely has a stronger grip in the industry as compared to PCS. With thorough research and evaluation, BABES utilised the advancements of technology and rode on the trend of SMS among teenagers. They were the first organisation to implement the SMS service as an alternative to normal help lines. Within 4 months, they have had received 157 SMS-es from teenage girls and was featured extensively in the media. BABES is a living example of how evaluation could aid an organisation, and PCS ought to take a leaf or two from their book.

Having mentioned all these points, we, Silhouette PR Agency, are certainly taking evaluation very seriously for our client. There would be 2 evaluative checkpoints throughout the entire campaign, and evaluation would be done via number of people calling in, attendance of the events, Internet hits, focus groups and telephone surveys. People often forget the significance of evaluation; it’s time we tighten our reels and emphasise on its importance.

Chapter 8: Grand strategy, strategy and tactics in PR, by Botan and Hazleton

In a public relations campaign, there are important processes such as planning the strategies and tactics to be used in a campaign to achieve its goal and objective. There is also the 'grand strategy', which is the "policy-level decisions an organization makes about goals, alignments, ethics and relationship with publics and other forces in its environment". While the strategies of a campaign dictate the direction it focuses its tactics on, the 'grand strategy' deals with factors present in the environment of an organisation's market and also defines the boundaries that strategies and tactics should work within.

In the case of Pregnancy Crisis Centre, it has formed partnerships with various entities in the environment, such as KK Women's and Children's Hospital, MCYS and the Ministry of Education in order to reach out to its publics. However, the PCC's main goal and concern regarding the confidentiality of their clients have set the boundaries of how prominent its public relations campaign can be without giving away too much information about itself and the members of its publics.

PCC works under the 'Cooperative Grand Strategy', such that it believes that being a constructive part of its environment is an opportunity and a duty, and that its responsibilities do not pertain merely to the financial aspect. This is true for PCC as it runs on donations and volunteers to provide guidance and counselling to its clients, and educational services to its publics. Organisations with a Cooperative Grand Strategy do not have a very positive attitude towards change due to the additional consumption of time and finances. This is especially so for PCC as being funded by donations, it does not have much budget to invest in reviewing past campaigns and making changes to them. This is apparent when compared with competitors in the same environment, such as BABES, which keeps up with technological advances and the increased contact its publics have with the Internet and mobile phones by accepting these changes in society and in turn providing services such as SMS chats and having a fully functional website to provide accessibility to its publics, as opposed to PCC, which its grand strategy that is concerned with confidentiality has limited its prominence and accessibility to its publics.

In order to better engage its publics, organisations need to review its grand strategy regularly and make necessary changes to ensure that it does not become a disadvantage to themselves as it is the grand strategy that sets the boundaries that both guides and limits the strategies of their public relations campaigns.