Publics in pubic relations

As I didn’t get a discussion going for last week’s class (week 6), there is no grade for that week. Here is the week 7 blog discussion as preparation for media relations and continuing our class conversation on the PR process. Please provide a response to both points as #1 is reflection and #2 is preparation for class.

1. Identifying key stakeholders, characteristics about those publics and how to motivate them are all important aspects of building a strategic plan. In fact, several recent cases listed in PR Week e-updates look to the fact that identifying publics and finding creative ways to reach them is important. For example:

• NEW YORK, NY: Nivea has launched the Nivea Touch Path exhibit in New York City as part of a major PR push for its newest product line called Smooth Sensation (19-Sep-06.)
• WASHINGTON: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a nonprofit civil rights and advocacy organization, has launched a rebranding effort, including a new logo, to better convey its work with other community groups and the government (15-Sep-06).
• WASHINGTON: The Department of Energy (DOE), working with the Environmental Protection Agency, on October 4 will look to internal communications as it launches a month-long program to encourage US households to replace at least one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). (27-Sep-06.)
• NEW YORK: Nokia went "Crazy" Tuesday evening in Times Square by hosting a global, invitation-only Gnarls Barkley concert as the international launch of its new music phones (28-Sep-06.)
• WASHINGTON: The US Missile Defense Agency recently issued an RFP for a marketing firm that will use PR, public events, advertising, and other means to recruit new employees for engineering, accounting, program management, and other jobs (28-Sep-06).
• LOS ANGELES: Fisher-Price employed 19 months of cloak-and-dagger secrecy to prepare for this week's unveiling of T.M.X. Elmo, the 10th anniversary (or "extreme") edition of its wildly popular Tickle Me Elmo doll (22-Sep-06).

Drawing on your understanding of the programming and planning elements of campaign preparation in chapters 12-14 of the 2006 Cutlip et al. textbook, which elements of the process do these campaigns best exemplify. What questions does this raise for you about the PR process?

2. Find a current newspaper article or broadcast transcript (TV/radio) that you think is an example of excellent media relations on the part of the organization. In your comment to the post, describe why you think it’s a good example and at least two principles from Chapters 9 and 10 in the Cutlip et al. textbook that are exemplified by this media clipping. Note: I want you to focus on good media relations that you think was done to lead to the article and not qualities of the article itself. (The presenters for this week can use the same example or a different one than will be in your presentation).