CIPR DIPLOMA IN PUBLIC RELATIONSPLANNING ASSIGNMENT

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29th July 2011

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REPORT:

Public Relations and Communications Strategy for the UK Fire and Rescue Service (FRS)

PREPARED BY:

Public Relations Director Department for Communities & Local Government

PREPARED FOR: Board of Directors, Department for Communities & Local Government Fire Minister, Chief Fire Officers Association

DATE:

29th July 2011

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Public Relations and Communications Strategy: Contents

1. Executive Summary Assumptions

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2. Background to the Brief Problem Statement

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3. Situational Analysis External PEST Analysis Internal SWOT Analysis Stakeholders and Publics 6 9 10

4. Strategy Aims and objectives Key messages Strategic approach 12 13 14 14 17 18 19 28

5. Campaign Tactics 6. Resources 7. Budget 8. Monitoring and Evaluation 9. Appendices

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1. Executive Summary This report has been prepared in response to a brief from the Board of Directors, Department for Communities & Local Government. It proposes a public relations campaign to generate more interest in the UK Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) amongst the school leaver population and, in turn, to increase the proportion of women and ethnic minorities employed by the FRS. The campaign is due to commence in September 2011. This report sets out the current market position of the FRS providing context on the backdrop to the proposed campaign activities. Secondary research has been undertaken to allow further stakeholder analysis. As such, campaign activities will focus on the following primary publics: Pupils leaving school / college after GCSEs / A-levels with an active interest in the FRS. University graduates keen to work in the public sector to do good. Active jobseekers (male and female). Active jobseekers from ethnic backgrounds. Those already employed by FRS. Local governments / authorities. Trade unions.

However, due to the nature of this campaign, certain non-primary audiences will also be factored into activities in order to harness a wider breadth of awareness. The SMART objectives of the campaign are: 1. To increase positive perception of the FRS amongst identified primary groups and to promote awareness in identified secondary groups to deliver the following targets: 20% increase in the number of applications from those in the school leaver bracket by 2013;

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15% of all recruits to the operational sector will be female by 2013 (in line with UK Government target outlined in 2009); Significant % increase in the proportion of ethnic minorities to ensure representative of local community (to be measured on individual brigade basis);

2. To improve perception of the FRS amongst non primary target groups by 15% by 2013. To deliver these, the key messages of the campaign are therefore: 1. The FRS saves lives every day 2. A career in the FRS is a noble and rewarding profession 3. The FRS offers a competitive remuneration package 4. The FRS offers a number of careers (i.e. not just firefighters) at various entry levels 5. The FRS is an equal opportunities employer

6. Safety is paramount and so rigorous training is provided for all recruits, notjust at the outset, but throughout your career. The campaign theme: Have You Got What It Takes To Be A Hero?, draws heavily on the feedback from primary research that the school leaver population considers a career in the FRS to be low status and unrewarding. This campaign aims to highlight the nobility and importance of the rewarding career that the FRS can offer. The 12 month campaign will run for the length of a school year, i.e. from September 2011 to July 2012, and will use a mixture of communications and media channels. A full schedule of activities is included in Appendix 1. Issues management is proposed alongside the launch campaign, to ensure that the political landscape does not detract from a focus on the campaign. The total cost of the campaign is anticipated to be approximately 5m.

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Assumptions: For the purposes of this report, the following assumptions have been made:

As the minimum age to join the fire service is 18 years old, for the purpose of this plan the terms school leavers refers to those pupils who are leaving school / college after Sixth Form, and encompasses both male and female students. Similarly the term young adult refers to those aged 18 years old and above.

The terms ethnic minority and ethnic background encompasses all those who have a different national or cultural traditions from the majority of the population. This includes British born people with an ethnic heritage, nationalised people with an ethnic heritage and migrant workers.

2. Background to the BriefThe formation of a central Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) in the UK dates back to 1938, when local fire services and brigades throughout the country were brought under one authority in wartime Britain. Since then, the fire services in the United Kingdom have undergone significant changes due to the combined impact of the devolution of central government, new legislation and a change to operational procedures in the light of terrorist attacks and threats. In the last decade, the FRS has been target the target of negative media coverage. Following Professor Bains Independent Review in 2002, the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) voted to take strike action in an attempt to secure 39% increase in salaries for firefighters. This industrial action was seen as controversial by many. In 2008 a campaign targeted at encouraging ethnic minorities and women to join the FRS attracted negative media coverage. Some speculated that this move was purely an effort to hit diversity targets and that jobs should be awarded on merit alone. By many, it was effectively considered positive discrimination against white males.

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Problem Statement: Recent research has shown that many school leavers believe that a career in the FRS is low paid and low status. It is also viewed as a dangerous profession which is also only occasionally rewarding. In addition, it is felt to be unwelcoming towards people from ethnic minority backgrounds and heavily male dominated. Many responders to recent recruitment surveys believe that the fire service only recruits male firefighters.

3. Situational Analysis i. External PEST Analysis

The analysis below examines the external macro environment surrounding this campaign. Political UK Governments planned hike in tuition fees in 2012 expected to cause decrease in number of university applications1. In October 2010 Ministry of Defence announced its intention to cut 17,000 jobs across all three Services - 7,000 in the Army, 5,000 in the Navy and 5,000 from the RAF2. UK Government revised equality targets in 2009 whereby, by 2013, 15% of all recruits to the operational sector should be women, and the proportion of ethnic minority staff should be representative of the local community. UK Government Benefits Cap unveiled in 2010 aimed at reducing the number of people in Britain on benefits and encouraging more people to go out to work.

1

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jan/31/ucas-reports-record-student-applications, 31st January 2011 2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12953714, 4th April 2011

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In January 2011 UK Government announced a major overhaul of public sector pensions which sees the retirement age of workers in that sector rising.

UK Governments recent appealed to UK businesses to employ British people into British jobs.

Economic / Environmental Economy in post-recession Britain is weak: people have less disposable income (in spite of very low interest rate), earnings on savings are reduced, fuel price at an all time high. UK consumers holding increasing debt: as at the end of May 2011, total UK personal debt stood at 1,452bn, nearly as much as the entire country has accumulated over the last 4 quarters (Q2 2010 to Q1 2011)3. Number of ethnic minorities in Britain has increased by 40% an 8 year period (rising from 6.6 million in 2001 to 9.1 million in 2009)4. Research shows that people consider a job in the fire service to be dangerous; a rise in the number of terrorist attacks and incidences has done little to alleviate concerns.

Social Recent survey findings show almost a third of graduates have identified the public sector as their preferred place of work and indicate national pride as one of the key factors5. Hays Public Services Survey 2011 found that 45% of public sector workers face redundancy; 80% of employers say uncertainty around job security is the primary factor stopping people looking for work in the sector, followed by changes to benefits (51%) and scrutiny over pay (39%)6.

3 4

http://www.creditaction.org.uk/helpful-resources/debt-statistics.html, July 2011 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/18/non-white-british-population-ons, 19th May 2011 5 http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/apr/04/graduates-undeterred-public-sector-cuts, 4th April 2011 6 http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/blog/news/public-sector-loosing-%E2%80%98pull%E2%80%99over-talent, 26th May 2011

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Full time firefighters work an average of 42 hours a week, which is above the UK national average.

Previous recruitment campaigns targeted specifically at ethnic minorities and women have received adverse reaction from the general public and from those already in the fire service, claiming it is positive discrimination and that recruitment should be merit based alone.7

Technological Funding cuts in the public sector could limit technological advances for vital equipment. The internet will play key role in the implementation of this campaign in disseminating key information and positive messages; however this also means that misinterpretation and negative reactions will spread quickly. Technological advances mean that safety standards continue to improve.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576499/Fire-brigade-discriminating-against-white-men.html, 25th January 2008

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ii.

Internal SWOT Analysis

The analysis below examines the internal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats which surround this campaign:Strengths: Weaknesses:

Long standing British institution. Entry level pay is on a par with other public sector roles (i.e. police officer, nurse, teacher) and higher than some Armed Forces.

Shift work can mean unsociable hours. Perceived as high risk and dangerous. Perceived by many as a low grade profession and one with few rewards. Seen by many as not open to recruiting females or those from ethnic backgrounds.

Opportunities for promotion and role diversification are good. Strong union backing and representation.

Previous similar campaigns have attracted negative media attention and public comment.

Commitment to equality in the workforce.

Opportunities: UK Government drive to reduce numbers of people on benefits could result in a wider pool of jobseekers. Raising awareness of benefits of the fire service to target school leavers and compete with other public service

Threats:

Deterioration of pension landscape in public sector. Increasing threat of redundancies in the public sector.

Threat of insolvency of 3rd party companies contracted to provide

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sectors e.g. police force, Armed Forces.

equipment and resources to the fire service e.g. AssetCo. Lack of funding due to public sector budget cuts. Losing school leavers and graduates to the private sector.

Eradicate preconceptions that the fire service is not open to recruiting females or those from ethnic backgrounds to increase applications.

Promote awareness of retained fire service for those who want to join the fire service but cant commit to full time as yet, e.g. working mothers.

Could be perceived as not aligned with UK Governments British jobs for British workers initiative.

Reaction from right-wing political parties and their supporters.

Cynicism amongst general the British public that targeted recruitment drives are simply a way of meeting quotas.

iii.

Stakeholders and Publics

Stakeholder Analysis The following groups have been identified as key stakeholders of the FRS who will both be impacted and have an impact on the activities of this campaign. Whilst the Enabling and Functional groups are arguably the most important stakeholder groups, all groups will have relative importance at different stages of the campaign so the interests of all groups should considered throughout.Enabling Stakeholders: UK Government Board of Directors, Department for Communities & Local Government Chief Fire Officers Association Functional Stakeholders: Local Authorities and Councils Full time employees Part time employees Retained Fire Service employees Temporary staff Contractors / third party suppliers General public

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Normative Stakeholders: Diffused Stakeholders:

Teaching staff / careers advisors Other Emergency Services Armed Forces Media groups Political groups Activists Unions Local communities

Prioritisation of Key PublicsInterest Low Power LowMINIMAL CAMPAIGN FOCUS

HighKEEP INFORMED

Non job seekers (already employed, those not seeking work due to disability / incapacity, stay-at-home parents.)

Extremist political parties and party followers. Media groups.

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KEEP SATISFIED

KEY PLAYERS

School teaching staff / guidance counselors / careers advisors. Pupils leaving school after GCSEs / Alevels with no firm career plans. Pupils who fail to achieve sufficient grades in A-Levels for university acceptance.

Pupils leaving school / college after GCSEs / A-levels with an active interest in the FRS.

University graduates keen to work in the public sector to do good.

Active jobseekers (male and female). Active jobseekers from ethnic backgrounds. Those already employed by FRS. Local governments / authorities. Trade unions.

High

Active female jobseekers who dont realise they can join the FRS. People in ethnic minority groups who dont realise they can join FRS.

Those currently working at junior level for other Emergency Services/Armed Forces who believe FRS is poorly paid.

Those already employed (public/private) but dissatisfied and open to other opportunities.

The primary audience for this public relations campaign encompasses those publics who fall into the High Interest High Power box above; targeting these groups directly will ensure best possible response for campaign objectives. However, as one of the key aims of this campaign is be to generate awareness of the FRS in currently underrepresented groups, considerable focus should be placed on moving publics in the Low Interest High Power group into the High Interest High Power bracket, and on keeping key influencers (e.g. teachers, guidance counselors) engaged in campaign messaging. Whilst other audiences will not be the primary targets of campaign activities, they must be kept informed nonetheless, particularly media groups who have historically demonstrated their relative power in influencing public opinion. 4. Strategy i. Aims and Objectives

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The general aims of this campaign are to: To promote a career in the FRS as a desirable option for young adults of school leaving age;

To dispel the myth that the FRS only recruits white males and to raise awareness of the FRS amongst those demographic groups which are currently underrepresented in the service;

To promote the diversity of roles available in the FRS i.e. not only firefighters; To promote the retained fire service as a viable option for those people who cannot commit to full time work at this time.

The SMART objectives of the campaign to support the delivery of the above are as follows:

1. To increase positive perception of the FRS amongst identified primary groupsand to promote awareness in identified secondary groups to deliver the following targets:

20% increase in the number of applications from those in the school leaver bracket by 2013; 15% of all recruits to the operational sector will be female by 2013 (in line with UK Government target outlined in 2009); Significant % increase in the proportion of ethnic minorities to ensure representative of local community (to be measured on individual brigade basis);

2. To improve perception of the FRS amongst non primary target groups by15% by 2013. ii. Key Messages

Current Messages The UK Governments 2009 campaign outlined a commitment to drive equality in the FRS and to promote it as accessible to ethnic minority groups and woman. This

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campaign was widely picked up by the UK media at the time and public awareness was high; coverage has since dropped off. Other marketing messages are thin on the ground and tend to be implemented on a brigade-by-brigade basis, i.e. the London Fire Brigades new Fingers on Buzzers online campaign8. Issues General reaction to the 2009 campaign from the UK media and from UK public was not favourable9. The UK media speculated that it was a drive to hit quotas and positive discrimination against white males. Additionally, some FRS employees hit out that jobs should be given on merit alone, and that gender and race should not be a factor. It also provoked claims that ethnic minorities were being favoured over British workers. Whilst the drive to increase levels of currently under-represented groups is not the overarching aim or message, it is a sub strategy so media reaction should be considered. Key Messages The key messages for this campaign should be: The FRS saves lives every day A career in the FRS is a noble and rewarding profession The FRS offers a competitive remuneration package The FRS offers a number of careers (i.e. not just firefighters) at various entry levels The FRS is an equal opportunities employer Safety is paramount and so rigorous training is provided for all recruits, not just at the outset, but throughout your career. iii. Strategic approach

The overarching theme of the campaign will be Have You Got What It Takes To Be A Hero? with the campaign messages centered around the experience of real life8

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/media/fire-service-uses-facebook-for-recruitmentcampaign/3026379.article, 12th May 2011 9 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576499/Fire-brigade-discriminating-against-white-men.html, January 2008

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heroes i.e. those people serving in the FRS. The campaign will feature both men and women from a broad mix of ethnic minorities, ranging from the age of 18 to 24 years old. Different types of roles will also be featured to showcase the diverse range of career opportunities offered by FRS. The premise of the message positioning will be around the young people featured having double lives. One the one hand, they are just like you: spending time with friends / family, going shopping, going to the gym, etc and, on the other, they have a rewarding career where they are able to make a real difference to their society and to save lives. The tone of voice will be pitched at the young adult age bracket. The campaign will run for the length of an academic year September 2011 to July 2010 and will use a range of communication channels as outlined in the section below. 5. Campaign Tactics Internal Communications Pre-launch internal communication activities to take place within FRS with the purpose being to engage employees in the campaign, share campaign concepts and obtain their buy-in to key objectives and messaging. The internal campaign will run in newsletters, on the intranet and with an internal poster campaign. Employees will also be invited to audition to feature in the campaign as one of the voices of experience. Awareness Events A series of events is planned to promote awareness and interest in the fire service amongst key groups and to provide them with the opportunity to ask questions and to give feedback. These events will include: Presentations to schools and colleges Open Days at local fire stations Attendance at Careers Fairs

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The campaign will also aim to achieve more widespread publicity about the annual Spirit of Fire Awards10 Information Packs New targeted information packs, aligned to campaign look and feel, will be produced. Content will include a Did You Know? section with information such as entry level salaries vs other public sector roles, the variety of career opportunities available, etc. These packs will be handed out at the events above and also distributed to staff in schools, colleges, libraries, Job Centres and Careers Advice Centres. Online Campaign According to latest figures11 there are currently 28,940,400 Facebook users in the UK, with the majority of these in the 20 29 year old age bracket12. Additionally, popularity of Twitter continues to rise13. Tapping into this digital world will allow a deeper penetration into the young adult audience. Pages will be created on Facebook and Twitter and will feature:

Guest blogs from firefighters and other key personnel; Features on local fire brigades; Mythbuster topics (to directly dispel common misconceptions about the FRS) Opportunity for audience to pose questions; Ad-hoc surveys / opinion polls to collate feedback; An interactive quiz which people can complete to see which role in the FRS would suit them best.

Both sites will be closely managed and open discussion will be encouraged. Targeted banner adverts will also appear on pages of people who fall within our primary target audience encouraging click through to FRS Facebook page for further10

http://www.firefighterscharity.org.uk/download.asp?PageId=108 http://connect.icrossing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Global-Facebook-Statistics.jpg http://www.clickymedia.co.uk/2011/03/uk-facebook-statistics-for-march-2011/ http://www.marketinggum.com/twitter-statistics-2011-updated-stats/

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information. Cost of advertising in this way is based on number of clicks; for the purpose of this campaign we have provisioned a budget of 200k which will purchase circa 500k clicks but this can be evaluated during the course of the campaign. Additionally, information about the campaign will be added to the central FRS website, under the recruitment section. Print Campaign Gender specific adverts and advertorials will be placed in those magazines popular amongst the young adult audience such as Nuts, Zoo, Now and Heat. All adverts will feature a call to action and direct readers where they can find out more information i.e. Facebook page, FRS website, local job centre / careers office. TV & Radio Campaign A media planning agency will be used to secure prime time slots for 30 second immediate response adverts which will deliver the widest reach into primary target audiences, on both TV and radio. Poster Campaign A1 full colour posters to be provided to: Schools / colleges Job centres / careers advice centres Local community centres Libraries.

Outdoor Media A full outdoor media campaign, featuring campaign artwork, will be developed and displayed in:

Public transports sites; Bus shelters; Bus backs / inner strips; Back of toilet door advertising in pubs and clubs.

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Media Campaign A press release will be issued to coincide with the launch and further releases will be staggered throughout the life of the campaign to maintain interest. There will also be opportunities for local media to attend some Awareness Events e.g. open days. Whilst the headline of the campaign will not focus on the drive to increase the proportion of women and ethnic minority employees in the FRS, campaign submessaging will highlight that the FRS is an equal opportunities employer. Drawing on lessons learnt from the 2009 campaign, a separate reactive media plan will be created to manage any issues arising around this aspect of the campaign. A timetable for full campaign activities can be found in Appendix 1. 6. Resources The Page Media Group, a full marketing service concept agency, has been commissioned to:

develop campaign concepts; produce and print final artwork; produce online concepts and manage rollout of Facebook banners; produce TV and radio adverts and secure appropriate ad spots; monitor activity and produce progress reports.

This agency has been selected due to its experience of working on public sector campaigns, e.g. NHS, Connexions, and the agencys ability to manage the broad range of communication channels required by this campaign. The actual execution and ongoing management of many aspects of the campaign can be managed with in-house resource from the Marketing, Communications and PR teams. Additional resource will be required from in-house support functions such as IT, who will be required to upload new campaign content onto the central FRS site, and HR who will support with the internal messaging campaign.

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7. Budget The detailed budget below outlines the estimated costs of the activities associated with this campaign.

8. Monitoring and EvaluationTo effectively evaluate whether the campaign satisfies its intended objectives, ongoing evaluation will take place through the course of the programme. Focus Groups As this campaign seeks to promote awareness and attitudinal change towards the FRS, the most crucial way of monitoring its success will be through engaging key publics and

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listening to their feedback. As such, both informal and formal focus groups will take place throughout the campaign, not just at the outset. Ideas for campaign messages and activities can be pre-tested at the outset with small informal focus groups and feedback can be sought in the same way as the campaign progresses. Formal focus groups at the end of this 12 month campaign should seek to include the same (or very similar) audience to that used in preliminary research conducted to truly map the shift in attitude and awareness. All sessions should be facilitated by a trained focus group researcher and questions asked should centre around: Their perceptions around who can join the FRS; Their awareness of the types of careers offered by the FRS; Their general attitude towards a career in the FRS.

Recruitment Application Volumes Performance against the metrics outlined in the SMART objectives, with regards to recruitment volumes, will be measured at the end of the 12 month campaign to evaluate whether the intended target has been achieved. The success of the communication channels implemented will also be measured on an ongoing basis through monitoring website hits, click-through rates, information requests, event attendance, media coverage, etc, and this data will be considered as learning for future campaigns.

Rationale Word Count: 3,733 words

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Public Relations and Communications Strategy: Rationale

1. Introduction Planning Model Role of the PR Practitioner

21 21 22 22 23 23 23 24 25 26 27 28

2. Situational Analysis PEST SWOT Stakeholder and Publics

3. Setting Objectives

4. Strategic Approach: Messaging and Tactics5. Monitoring and Evaluation 6. Conclusion 7. Appendices

1. Introduction

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To be successful in achieving its aims, public relations should be a deliberate, carefully thought-out process and that: implicit in all this is that public relations practitioners carefully consider how programmes need to begin, and continue in a structured way to the benefit to the benefit both of their organisation and to the publics their organisation interacts with. (Gregory, 2000) With the above in mind, the following rationale outlines the theoretical framework which underpins this public relations and communications campaign for the FRS, from the process of selecting the planning model through to the evaluation and monitoring techniques selected to assess campaign success.

i.

Planning Model

The planning model used to devise this campaign was the 10 point planning model suggested by Gregory (2000) (See Appendix 2) which provides a comprehensive and logical sequence for campaign planning. This model supports the process suggested by other academically acclaimed models such as Marstons (1979) RACE formula14, as well as Cutlip et als (2000) four step model15. However, Gregorys model is more comprehensive and forces attention to each distinct step of the process. Unlike other models Gregorys 10 stage approach also places focus on evaluation at various stages of the process. Aronoff et al (1996) support this approach and stipulate that evaluation should not be a one-off exercise that takes place at the final stage of the public relations process and that in actual practice, evaluation is frequently the beginning of a new effort.

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Marstons (1979) RACE model outlines the 4 key stages of the planning process as: Research, Action, Communication and Evaluation 15 Cutlip et als (2000) four step model states the key stages as: iSituational Analysis, Strategy, Implementation and Assessment.

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With Gregorys model the content of the message is kept at the heart of the planning process; this is particularly important for a campaign of this nature as it helps to support message consistency across what is a wide breadth of distribution.

ii.

Role of the PR Practitioner

Grunig et al (2002) state that organisations are effective when they have the expertise needed to respond to threats and opportunities in their environment (p1, 2002). According to their systems theory model Grunig and Hunt (1984) and Cutlip et al (2006) believe that the PR practitioner is ideally placed to analyse and advise on both the internal and external environment of an organisation due to the boundary-spanning nature of their role. This effectively means that PR professionals work at the boundaries of an organisation which puts them in the privileged position of being able to communicate both with all internal subsystems and with the external environment. Broom and Dozier (1986) identified two dominant roles in PR: the communications technician who undertakes tactical PR activities, and the communications manager who holds a strategic role within the organisations management team and who plans, manages and facilitates the communications programme, counsels management and makes policy decisions (Theaker, A). They state that an organisation cannot implement truly strategic PR without the latter role. Grunig and Hunt (1984) and Cutlip et al (2006) also support this view and state that PR practitioners are most effective when part of the dominant coalition, that is, the senior management board. For the purpose of this campaign, it has been assumed that the PR practitioner holds this managerial role and the plan proposed is effectively advising the wider senior management team of their recommendations for the strategic direction of the FRS.

2. Situational Analysis Organisations are part of a wider economic, political, technological, social and cultural context which will present both opportunities and threats to the business (Cornelissen,

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2008). Before any campaign planning can begin the organisation must first attempt to gain maximum control of the things that can be controlled and maximum understanding of the things that cannot be controlled (Austin, 2001). For this phase of environmental scanning (Lerbinger, 1972) 3 distinct analyses were undertaken:

PEST16 analysis is a commonly used approach for examining the external environment, to identify factors which could affect the campaign, and potentially impede its success. Extended models of analysis include EPISTLE (Tench, R and Yeomans, L, 2009) and DESTEP (Cornelissen, 2008).

SWOT17 analysis; according to Smith (2005) self awareness is crucial for any organisation to be able to communicate effectively. As such a SWOT analysis has been conducted to examine the internal environment of the FRS.

Stakeholders and Publics The concept of stakeholders and publics is much contested with the terms often being used interchangeably. For the purposes of this campaign stakeholders have been identified as those entities who have a stake or an interest in the FRS (Johnson and Scholes, 2002) and who have the potential to become publics. The Enabling and Functional stakeholder groups identified in this campaign are those who could potentially have the largest impact on the campaign should an issue arise. Once a stakeholder becomes active, rather than passive, they effectively become a public (Grunig and Repper, 1992). With the issue known, as per the problem statement, publics have been identified and prioritised according to their interest levels and expected level of power (Johnson and Scholes, 1997).

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PEST: Political, Environmental / Economic, Social, Technological SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

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Level of Interest A Power Minimal Effort C Keep Satisfied B Keep Informed D Key Players

(Adapted from Mendelow, A; 1991; cited in Johnson and Scholes, 1997) Campaign activities will focus on those publics placed in box D; however, as outlined earlier, as promoting awareness and understanding is a key campaign objective, activities will also be targeted as those publics in box C in an attempt to move them into box D.

3. Setting Objectives According to Oxley (1987), the goals and objectives of a campaign must be easily measureable and realistic, with the desired outcomes being timely and appropriate metrics in place for easy post campaign evaluation. In other words, the objectives must be SMART18 to create a solid benchmark for post campaign evaluation. Without these, evaluation of a public relations program is impossible (Macnamara, J, unknown). Grunig and Hunt (1984) state that there are 3 levels at which objectives can be set: cognitive, affective and conative. The SMART objectives defined for this programme are set at the cognitive level as they seek to change the publics perception of the FRS, and to create awareness of key messages. Ultimately the campaign will seek to change behaviour (conative), in that currently under-represented groups will apply to join the FRS, but this cannot happen until the cognitive objectives are achieved. Inciting behavioral change can take longer than a change in attitude and awareness so tangible results in this regard should not be expected until the end of the 12 month campaign and onwards.18

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound

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4. Strategic Approach: Messaging and TacticsThere is much debate on what is meant by the team strategy in a campaign planning context. For the purposes of this campaign, Smiths (2005) definition has been used, which is that the strategy is the organisations overall plan, determining what it wants to achieve and how it wants to achieve it, offering direction in both proactive and reactive organisational activity and messages: theme, source, content and tone. Wilcox (2009) stresses the importance of communicating in such a way that message match the needs and interest of the intended audience. With this in mind, the key messages in this campaign have been identified with consideration to Wilcox et als (1997) adoption process19 and in accordance with the known perceptions (as defined in the problem statement) of key publics. The message content is intended to resonate with the target public whilst the informal, chatty tone and the real life heroes featured are intended to connect with the young adult audience for maximum impact and influence. Whilst key publics have been identified during the analysis stage, this campaign will seek to penetrate beyond these groups in order to achieve more widespread awareness. However, as identified by Atkin and Schiller (2002) mass media alone may not be the best approach to sufficiently achieve objectives. According to McGuires (2001) Hierarchy of Effects model (Appendix 3), sub goals must be accomplished before any overall objective which aims to change perceptions or behaviour can be achieved. As such, an integrated approach has been taken to campaign activities, encompassing internal campaign activities, a variety of above the line media, awareness events and online activities. In accordance with Grunig and Hunts (1984) Excellence Theory the plan also features feedback channels to encourage two way communication for maximum engagement of key publics; this also allows for ongoing evaluation of campaign as advocated by Aronoff et al (1996). This campaign will also seek to engage those people who are influencers for key target publics such as teachers, careers advisors and job centre staff. These people can

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Wilcox et als (2005) Adoption Process: Awareness, Interest, Evaluation, Trial and Adoption.

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disseminate campaign messages with interpersonal communication and thus exert their influence, in their position of trust, to change behavior (Atkins, 2001).

5. Monitoring & EvaluationCutlip et al (2000) state that there must be a direct link between the SMART objectives and the measurable outcomes of a campaign in order for effective and meaningful evaluation to take place. Oxley (1987) supports this view and stresses that the success of any campaign is reflected in the target public attitude change, and changes in the level of awareness regarding the issue or the organisation. As primary objectives for this campaign centre around promoting awareness and attitudinal change, rather than inciting behavioral change, focus groups have been selected as the primary method for evaluation. Cutlip et al (2000) stress that the purpose of this type of research is to learn what happened and why, not to prove something. In other words, this method allows the organisation to enter into a dialogue with their publics and obtain open and unambiguous feedback. Aronoff et al (1996) advocate that the research function is an interdependent process which should overlap the planning, action and evaluation functions; once it is set in motion it should be viewed as an ever continuing cycle. Similarly, Cutlip et als(2000) step-by-step model (below) forces evaluation at each stage of campaign planning, from preparation, to implementation, right through to the impact on targeted publics.

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This campaign recommends that informal and formal focus groups take place for the duration of the programme. In addition to this, this plan also seeks to encourage 2-way symmetrical communications (Grunig & Hunt 1984) and consistently offers opportunities for publics to enter into a dialogue with the FRS, for comments, feedback, information requests and so on. Each communication channel will feature a clear call to action in order to allow publics to engage with the organisation and to obtain further information. In turn, these telephone calls, website hits, click-throughs rates and so on will provide quantitative data with which to measure the success and appropriateness of the channels selected.

6. Conclusion To conclude, this rationale has aimed to demonstrate the theoretical and academic influences used to shape this proposed public relations and communications campaign for the FRS using the comprehensive approach suggested by Gregorys (2006) 10 step model. The rationale covers each stage of the campaign planning process from the analysis of the macro and micro environment, to selecting key publics, to defining key campaign messages and setting SMART objectives, to planning campaign tactics and evaluating overall success. Rationale Word Count: 1,890 words

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Appendices Appendix 1: Timetable of Campaign Activity

Appendix 1 (Contd): Timetable of Campaign Activity

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Appendix 2: Gregorys (2006) 10-stage planning model

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Appendix 3: McGuires (2001) Hierarchy of Effects model

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References

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Aronoff, C., Baskin, O., Lattimore, D, (1996) Public Relations - The Profession and The Practice. McGraw-Hill. Atkin, C. (2001) Impact of Public Service Advertising: Research Evidence and Effective Strategies. Kaiser Family Foundation. Atkin, C., and Schiller, L. (2002) The Impact of Public Service Advertising. In: Shouting to be heard: public service advertising in a new media age. Kaiser Family Foundation. Austin, E.W. and Pinkleton, B.E. (2001) Strategic Public Relations Management: Planning and Managing Effective Communication Programs. Routledge. Broom, G. M. and Dozier, D. M. (1986) Advancement for Public Relations Role Models : Public Relations Review, Spring 1986, Vol 12. Cornelissen, J. (2008) Corporate Communications: A Guide to Theory and Practice. Sage Publications Ltd. Cutlip, SM., Centre, A.H., Broom, G.M. (2000) Effective Public Relations. 8th edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Cutlip, SM., Centre, A.H., Broom, G.M. (2006) Effective Public Relations. 9th edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Freeman, R. E., (1984) Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach. Boston: Pitman Publishing. Gregory, A. (2000), Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns. London: Kogan Page Grunig, J.E. and Hunt, T (1984). Managing public Relations. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Wilson.

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Grunig, Larissa A., Grunig, James E., Dozer, David M. (2002) Excellent Public Relations and Effective Organisations: a study of communication management in three countries. Routledge. Grunig, J. E., and Repper, F.C., (1992) Strategic Management, Publics, and Issues In J. E. Grunig (Ed.), Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management . New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Johnson, G., and Scholes, K. (2002) Exploring Coporate Strategy. Harlow: Pearson Education. Lerbinger, O. (1972) Designs for Persuasive Communication. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Marston, J.E. (1979) Modern Public Relations. New York: McGraw-Hill. Macnamara , J.R. (unknown) Research in Public Relations: A review of the use of evaluation and formative research. Available from: http://www.skoola.com/Files_books/research-in-public-relations.pdf Mendelow, A (1991) cited in Johnson, G., and Scholes, K. (1997) Exploring Corporate Strategy Hemel Hempstead: Prentice-Hall. Oxley, H. (1987) The principles of Public Relations. Kogan Page Smith, R.D. (2005) Strategic Planning for Public Relations. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Tench, R., and Yeomans, L.,(2009) Exploring Public Relations. Pearson Education Ltd. Theaker, A. (2007) The Public Relations Handbook. The Public Relations Handbook. Routledge.

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