What’s
real reason some managers shy away from public relations? I believe it’s because they don’t understand, or believe, direct connection between what public relations is capable of delivering and their need to achieve specific business objectives.It’s lost opportunity of worst kind. And a shame, because reason we do public relations in first place is to change behaviors of certain groups of people important to success of those very Doubting Thomas managers.
First, I would say to them, surely, it’s not that difficult a concept to understand or accept. People act on their perception of facts; those perceptions lead to certain behaviors; and something can be done about those perceptions and behaviors that leads to achieving your organization’s objectives.
Better yet, you can establish degree of behavior change you want, up front, then insist on getting that result before you pronounce public relations effort a success.
That way, you KNOW you’re getting your money’s worth.
Here’s another approach. How can you measure results of an activity more accurately than when you clearly achieve goal you set at beginning of that activity? You can’t. It’s pure success when you meet that goal.
Public relations is no different. The client/employer wants our help in altering counterproductive perceptions among key audiences which almost always change behaviors in a way that helps him or her get to where they want to be.
But, as Doubting Thomases you might ask, are we really qualified to do that job?
I think yes, because everything we do is based on same realities -- people act on their perception of facts, and we can do something about those perceptions. And when public relations activity successfully creates, changes or reinforces that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-action those people whose behaviors affect organization, public relations effort is a success.
It works this way in practice.
o you may wish to encourage a certain audience to sample your soft drink brand’s great taste and refreshing flavor, in process creating perceptions of value, then new sales.
o or you may want people to perceive your organization more positively, thus strengthening its reputation.
o it could be as simple as communicating a company’s strengths to a target audience leading them to a positive perception of firm, in turn leading to new investments in company’s shares.
I know, Mr. or Ms. Manager, that you are not primarily interested in our ability to communicate, paint images or schmooz with media. Nor are you especially fascinated with our efforts to identify target audiences, set public relations goals and strategies, write persuasive messages and select communications tactics.
What I believe you DO want is a change in behaviors of certain key audiences leading directly to achievement of your business objectives.
Which is why we continually stress that quality planning, and degree of behavioral change it produces, defines success or failure of a public relations program.
Done correctly, when public relations results in modified behaviors among groups of people important to an organization, we could be talking about nothing less than its survival.
So, for your organization, Ms. Manager, that means public relations professionals must modify somebody’s behavior if they are to help hit your objective and earn a paycheck – I believe everything else is a means to that end.
O.K., Mr. Manager, let’s look at how public relations might work for you out on ground. We’ll use example of a national marketer of furniture imported from Far East. First, we identify key operating problem to be addressed. Let’s say we receive news reports and other input, amplified by competitive trouble-making out in trade, about rumors circulating to effect that serious quality problems have cropped up in company’s factories in Southeast Asia.
Here, we verify whether allegation is true or false. So, because company’s sales have leveled off and are starting to decline, public relations counsel and staff, working closely with company’s manufacturing people here and abroad, establish conclusively that rumors of declining quality are without foundation, and simply untrue.
But, even though rumors are not true, we still want to verify status of both consumer and trade PERCEPTIONS of company’s product quality.
But, surprise! Probing consumer opinion through personal contact and informal polling out in market place, counsel and staff determine that, in fact, there really IS a disturbing perception out there that company’s furniture line is “of low quality and overpriced.”
It’s useful to make point here, Ms. Manager, that public relations problems are nearly always defined by what people think about facts, as opposed to actual truth of matter.
Moving on, we establish public relations goal: alter public perception of company’s furniture quality. This will lead to positive consumer behavioral changes, in turn resulting in furniture buyers returning to company showrooms once again.
Now we determine public relations strategy. We only have three choices: CREATE opinion where none exists, CHANGE existing opinion, or REINFORCE that existing opinion. Because existing opinion has turned negative on quality of company’s furniture, public relations strategy will be to begin process of CHANGING that opinion from negative to positive.
Here, we identify key audiences. In this case, at top of list is furniture-buying public – customers and prospects – as well as trade and business communities, employees, local thought-leaders and media in company’s retail outlet locations, and a number of other possible stakeholder groups.
