SPRA

Scott Allan, Aimee Jones, Ryan Anderson, Melissa Bottomley

SPRA

Contents-Objectives-First Steps-Identifying Publics-Boxers-Social Judgment Theory-Identifying Common Grounds-Health, Violence, Sexism and Funding-Agenda Setting and Delivery-Gentle Persuasion-Low Involvement Publics-Network Theory-Safety First!-Why Didn’t it Work Before?-Game Theory-Lobbying-Conclusion

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Campaign Objectivesi) To prevent Women’s Boxing being held at the

Olympics and for it to be overturned in time for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio;

ii)To campaign for more public resources to be spent nationally and locally in the UK on young people’s provision, particularly as an alternative to where boys might be attracted into Boxing as a pursuit.

iii)To campaign for an outright ban on Boxing in the UK and for as many people as possible to boycott the ‘sport’;

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Before we do ANYTHING

Research is vital Qualitative research is needed into why people hold certain views

It helps us identify the main issues concerned

Understand emotions, motivations, body language, group dynamics and reactions to stimuli

(Deegan,2001)SPRA

Who are the public? What is needed to achieve results?

Votes….Numbers…..Majority We need to get the attention of the general public who may be inactive publics but we can create tension from using media and having links to websites and related material

Danger of dominant coalition on PO We may then have to take the central route for ALL ACTIVE publics

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Publics

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BOXERS

What are their worries?

Why do they box?

What would it take for them to stop?

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Social Judgement Theory

Focuses on the positioning of the receiver in terms of attitudes

Refers to ego, fear of rejection and comparison within the group

Dominant Coalition in the group

Their position and attitudes towards boxing need to be understood, because arguments will not be enough (Perloff, 2008) SPRA

Identifying Common Ground Between Publics

Issues Re-occurring

Health Funding Violence Sexism – AVOID!!

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Future Aims / Sub-Objectives Ban female from the Olympics Change perceptions and feelings towards the ‘sport’ Stop boxing being a no contact sport – keep as a fitness activity

Promote the positives of the activity and safer alternatives to a new generation

Health Issues

Neurological damage

Physical Damage

Ocular damage

Ex-boxers more Vulnerable to Disease and Deterioration in Old Age- Links to Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's

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Violence

Boxing promotes that VIOLENCE IS ACCEPTABLE to today's younger generation

‘Boxing is being reintroduced in several schools to help pupils develop their mental and physical skills.’

(Anon A, 2007)

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Sexism is a no no….

We can't just campaign for women to be out of the Olympic games, men can suffer brain damage as well!

Need to show that we are not sexist but women are more at risk?

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Funding

iii) To campaign for more public resources to be spent nationally and locally in the UK on young people’s provision, particularly as an alternative to where boys might be attracted into Boxing as a pursuit.

UK Sport is responsible for managing and distributing public investment and is a statutory distributor of funds raised by the National Lottery.

BABA - Planned women's boxing programme initially with the predicted figure of 1.8m in mind

Final award – 950,000

‘Under UK Sport's rules, any governing body that fails to show that it is running its sport efficiently and successfully - ie producing as many current and future medallists as possible, without wasting resources - has its funding held back’. (BBC Sports) http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/6366165.stm

Revised plan is currently being reviewed.

Sportinglife.com - http://www.sportinglife.com/london2012/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=others/09/12/10/manual_171605.html

‘It is immoral to encourage young people to risk brain injury by repeated blows to the head’ Peter McCabe (Chief executive for Headway) 2007

Ref: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6312589.stm

‘There are better ways to encourage health and fitness within young people than boxing’ (BBC News, 2009)

• Funding should be distributed to organisations dealing with the effects of neurological and ocular diseases/conditions

Funding could be spent on improving facilities within local communities for young people.

Initiatives could be taken to provide free activity/ fitness sessions within local community gyms for young people.

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Agenda Setting

Process in which the media communicates issues to the public (Tench & Yeomans, 2006)

As PR practitioners we will try to liaise with all publics within the Media, Policy and Corporate agendas for our campaign in order to influence Public Opinion

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Delivering the AgendaPUBLIC ↔ISSUE ↔CHANNEL↔ O. LEADER

Use opinion leaders and media to arise issues that are relevant to Publics

Use of different channels to deal with each issue accordingly

The use of opinion formers will be taking the central route, whereas advertising and films is peripheral due to the use of emotional cues to create tension

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Gentle persuasion

ELM

Central routes

Strong arguments

Facts and Figures

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Low Involvement Publics

Peripheral route

Create tension

Use emotional cues

I.e other things that cause brain damage, things they wouldn’t do

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Network theory (Godin,2009)

Word-Of-Mouth

Influencing groups

Links from Mass Media to New Media

AIM: To reach out to General Public and fragment into active publics SPRA

Safety First!

We need to move gradually towards banning Boxing

After researching what boxers thought…most said..

‘make it safer, take the gloves off, don’t ban it’

This is a compromise and is common ground that we found with boxers…it is dangerous and could be safer without affecting the sport…

Gloves allow repetitive blows to the head which causes brain damage SPRA

Why didn’t it work before? Who and what are we up against?

Banning boxing in the UK – Attempts made by:-MP’s-BMA

Apathy towards the sport by majority of publics

Improvements to the sport of boxing- Promoters- Lack of statistics- Boxing Commissions - Entertainment companies- Governments

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Game Theory/2 way symmetrical communication Game theory is based on compromise, without this someone has to lose in order for the other to win. Unless negotiation is made to have a win-win outcome.

2- way symmetrical model is used to move public, dominant coalition or both to acceptable win-win (Tench, 2006) SPRA

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Lobbying the Policy Agenda ‘Influence of public policy making through private communication with governmental and parliamentary publics’ (Tench, 2006)

Who do we need to lobby? Names

Timing - Green and White Papers before the final bill

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And so…To Conclude

Research into attitudes and beliefs is vital for campaign success

Suggestion of issues which may help reach common ground with publics in order to meet objectives

Awareness of dominant coalition and the influence they could have on public opinion (ELM)

Gradual persuasion of Opposing publics using common ground knowledge and theory to reach a mutual understanding

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ReferencesAnon A (2007). Schools bring back boxing lessons. [Online]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6312589.stm [Accessed 1st January 2010]

BBC.co.uk (3oth Jan 2007) ‘ Schools Bring Back Boxing Lessons

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6312589.stm [[02 Feb. 2010]

Deegan, D(2001) IPR ‘Managing Activism’ London:Kogan Page

Godin, S(Feb. 2009) ‘Seth Godin on t5he tribes we lead’

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead.html [Oct 2009]

Kennard, J (2006) Boxing Injuries. [Online] (Updated 28th March 2006) http://menshealth.about.com/od/fitness/a/boxing.htm?once=true& [Accessed 28th January 2010]

Tench, R. Yeomans, L. (2008) ‘Exploring Public Relations’. Harlow: Pearson Education.

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