Brock, Larissa, Kendra, Eric, Luke and Becky

A little bit about us…

We’re curious to find out how much or how little each of you know about PR. Come up to the front and write down one word you think is PR related.

What is the world’s oldest profession?

Prostitution!

What is the world’s second oldest profession? …

ADVERTISING!

“The prostitute, in order to market him or herself, had to advertise.”

– Don W. Stacks, page 20, Primer of Public Relations Research

What is the world’s third oldest profession? …

PUBLIC RELATIONS!

“Once the prostitutes had ‘made it’, they no longer wanted the ‘prostitute’ label and hired a public relations practitioner to change their image.”

– Don W. Stacks, page 21, Primer of Public Relations Research

What is Public Relations?

A couple of wordy definitions for you…

• “Public Relations is the management of communication between an organization and its publics.” – James E. Grunig and Todd Hunt, Managing Public Relations

• “Public Relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” (Public Relations Society of America, 1988)

Better…

“Public relations is the strategic management of relationships between an organization and its diverse publics, through the use of communication, to achieve mutual understanding, realize organizational goals, and serve the public interest.” (Flynn, Gregory & Valin, 2008)

What key words and phrases are found in most definitions of public relations?

• Deliberate: intentional activities designed to influence• Planned: organized and systematic, requiring research and

analysis• Performance: based on actual policies to generate goodwill and

support• Public interest: mutually beneficial to the organization and the

public• Two-way communication: art of listening and engaging with

various publics • Management function: strategic decision making, counselling,

problem solving, management of competition and conflictPublic Relations Strategies and Tactics, Tenth Edition

The “Public” Defined

• Best described as stakeholders vs. audience• Stakeholders: all the people who stand to gain

or lose by the policies and activities of a business (ie. investors, employees, customers)

• Audience: broad group of people; receivers of messages and anyone who may form an opinion

• “Public” is a narrowed, targeted group of individuals

Image is something you can control.

Reputation is the gift you receive back.

“The purpose of PR is to build relationships with a variety of publics that can enhance an organization’s reputation and establish trust in its policies, products, and services.” – Public Relations Strategies and Tactics, Tenth Edition

TRUST• Critical to success in public relations

Top 10 most trusted brands:1. Amazon2. Fedex3. Downy4. Huggies5. Tide6. Tylenol7. Toyota (changing?)8. WebMD (corporation which provides health information services)9. Pampers10. UPS

Five Trustworthy Celebrities

Forbes Magazine, 2013Morgan Freeman

Michael J. Fox

Sandra Bullock

Betty WhiteTom Hanks

In public relations, it is our job to help organizations and individuals present an image – words and actions – that is consistent with the reputation we want them to receive. We also have to monitor the opinions of various publics to understand a given reputation.

Three R’s in Public Relations

• Relationship• Reputation• Response let’s talk about this

one…

Recent PR Problem: Tesla Motors

• California-based company that designs, manufactures and sells electric cars and electric vehicle powertrain components

• Tesla Model S won 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year

• In October, a video captured on a cellphone of a burning $70,000 Tesla Model S in Seattle went viral on YouTube

Tesla’s stock dropped 6.2% the day after the video was uploaded.

Three Fires in Four weeks• One in Seattle after colliding with a

transport truck• One in Tennessee after the car drove

over a trailer hitch, which punctured the battery pack underneath the car

• One in Mexico after it crashed into a concrete wall

• In all three incidents, no one was injured

• Coincidence? Tesla is currently investigating.

Tesla’s Response• CEO Elon Musk pushed back

aggressively against claims that the company’s vehicles are unsafe, saying that only 3 in 25,000 Teslas have caught fire and that those incidents were the result of high speed impacts

• “A gas car is five times more likely to catch fire than a Tesla.” – Elon Musk

• No recalls have been issued• Currently, Tesla’s shares are

down 9%

RACE Acronym• Research – What is the problem/situation?• Action – What is going to be done about it?• Communication – How will the public be told?• Evaluation – Was the audience reached and

what was the effect?

How does PR differ from Journalism?

• Journalists gather and select information to provide the public with news and information

• PR personnel not only inform but also change people’s attitudes and behaviours in order to further an organization’s goals and objectives

• Journalists write for a mass audience• PR personnel carefully target a specific audience • Journalists reach audiences through one channel –

the medium that publishes their work (print/broadcast)

• PR personnel use a variety of channels such as newspapers, magazines, newsletters, radio, television, direct mail, brochures, posters, newsletters, special events, podcasts, blogs, websites, and video postings

… from marketing?• The purpose of marketing is to

sell goods and services through attractive packaging and competitive pricing

• Marketing primarily deals with product positioning and sales

• PR includes ongoing activities to ensure a company has a good public image and reputation

• Public relations’ purpose is to help the public understand a company and its products

… from advertising?

• Advertising is paid space and broadcast time (simply renting space in a mass medium)

• Advertising’s primary focus is to sell goods and services

• Advertising is primarily directed to potential and current customers

History

• The Ancient Greek Olympic games were promoted to enhance the aura of athletes as heroes

History

• Alexander the Great publicized his battlefield victories by sending glowing reports back to the Macedonian Court

History

• The Rosetta Stone was basically a publicity release touting an Egyptian pharaoh’s accomplishments

Components of PR Work• Research• Media Relations• Publicity• Employee Relations • Counselling• Event Planning• Speech Writing• Media Training• Industry Relations• Community Relations• Public Affairs• Marketing Communications• Issues and Crisis Management• Government Relations and Political

Campaigns• Financial and Investor Relations

What are some personal attributes and essential abilities for PR practitioners?

• Confidence• Flexibility• Research Ability• Friendliness• Curiosity• Writing Skill• Planning Expertise – must be highly

organized• Problem Solving Ability – must be

creative• Business Knowledge• Expertise in Social Media

A Global Industry

It is estimated that 3 Million people worldwide practice PR as their main professional activity. – Global Alliance

Careers in Public Relations and Communications

• communications officer • communications specialist • fund-raising consultant • information officer • literary agent • media co-ordinator • media relations officer • museum educator • performers agent • press secretary • public affairs officer • public relations consultant • public relations officer • publicist • publicity agent

“Over the last few years, employment in professional occupations in public relations and communications has risen significantly. The increase is due to the growth in company demand for communications in order to reach both internal and external clienteles. This significant rising trend in employment should continue over the next few years.” – Service Canada

How Much Does PR Pay?

• Salaries can vary dramatically depending on experience, employer, and job function.

An entry-level PR professional can expect to start at $28,000-$32,000. – CPRS, Vancouver

Senior PR professionals can make well into six figures.

Salaries

• Public Safety Education $31,358 • Marketing Communications $52,546 • Communications Specialist $59,458 • Public Relations Manager $61,942 • Freelance Writer $100,974

http://www.livingin-canada.com/salaries-for-occupations-in-public-relations.html

http://www.livingin-canada.com/salaries-for-occupations-in-public-relations.html

Today’s Trends in PR

• 70% of PR practitioners are women

• Men still hold the majority of upper management positions

• Outsourcing to PR firms• Social media is changing the PR

landscape• Expanded role for PR: more

than just media relations and publicity

Linda Fegan

Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing- City of Cambridge

A Typical Day for Linda

• Writes press releases• Writes radio advertisements and public

service announcements• Manages budgets• Meets with CEOs from a variety of

organizations• Communicates with corporate

photographers• Organizes numerous events in the city

and throughout the region• Identifies community goals and strives

to achieve them everyday

Advice to students who may want to peruse a career in the communications field:

• Stick with it!• Practice writing often• Stay in-tune with current news• Never stop learning• Volunteer – establish connections• Network – relationship building• Respond to criticism and take input from

others

Alicia Gies

Corporate Communications Specialist - Baffin Incorporated

Her Daily Tasks

• Booking television spots• Booking interviews • Writing press releases • Making phone calls• Conducting interviews • Writing various pieces for the company• Adding information to the company’s website

The Pros of Her Job

• Meeting people • Seeing your work

published• Never bored• Working with others• You can leave your work

at work• Discover your interests

Damond Jamieson

Chief of Public Education- The City of Cambridge Fire Department

His Daily Tasks

• Public Speaking on fire safety and emergency preparedness

• Writing news releases• Plans and organizes PR events and fundraisers• Communicates with members of the media,

such as editors and journalists• Posts news and information via social media

Favourite Aspects of His Job

• Teaching children • Being a positive role

model• Passing on the

message of fire safety

• Running PR events

Colleen Fitzpatrick

• Community Relations and Events Manager at CIGI

• Colleen “oversees the operations, planning and smooth execution of over 100 events a year, which includes conferences, workshops, community events and all public programming.”

Colleges that offer PR programs

• Conestoga College – Doon Campus in Kitchener• 2-year diploma and 4-year co-op degree • You can bridge into the degree for a total of 5 years!

Colleges

• 2-year diploma in Windsor

• 2-year diploma in Ottawa

Colleges

• 3-year advanced diploma and 4-year degree in Toronto

• 3-year advanced

diploma in Oshawa

Universities

• PR option for students enrolled in related communications programs (advertising, marketing and journalism) at Laurier’s Brantford Campus

Universities

• 4-year Bachelor’s degree and Master of PR in Halifax, Nova Scotia

• First professional degree in public relations in Canada was established at the Mount

Post-graduate PR Programs

All of these colleges/universities offer post-grad programs in PR. This means you’ll need a university degree or a diploma in a related field of study to be considered for admission into these programs.

Now it’s your turn!

After class, you tell your friend you had Conestoga students come in to give you a presentation on public relations. Your friend asks, “What is public relations?”

Given what you’ve just learned, explain to them what PR is all about and give them some examples of careers in the field.

Teams of 5-6 people. Present your answer to the class. You have 10 minutes!