Issues Management

Issues Management Chapter 11

Issues Management : Issues management is a process that helps identify external and internal challenges within a company prior to them escalating into something bigger.

Typically an issues management team is made up of…

Governance – a group of people to oversee everything

Issues management team – this group represents the core functional areas of the business (HR, PR, sales, marketing, administration etc.)

Topic-Specific Task Force – this group develops a strong knowledge of a specific issue

Issue Resource Team – typically a group of lawyers etc. who are only called in when needed

The main thing to remember  is to have a plan in place and know who is going to resolve it, how the steps they are going to take and have some structure as to how you are going to communicate with the press and who is on standby to help if need be.

 Source : Reputation Management

Integrated Communication

Reading Notes Chapter 10

What is Integrated Communication?

Integrated Communication – a dynamic communication practice aimed at advancing not just the marketing plan, but the overall operating or business plan of the firm and in so doing aligning brand with reputation.

Tools used in integrated communication…

Effective persuasion – establishing credibility/outlining goals

Meaning –  a common language for all stakeholders

Metaphors – relate it to what people know

Framing – create appeal

Bridging gaps – using talented teams to deliver product based on customer demand

Storytelling – establishing stories in a customer’s mind that they can recall

Source : Reputation Management

What to do when a crisis hits you!

Crisis Communication

A crisis can strike a business at any moment and not just major corporations but small businesses too.  When a crisis hits it can potentially make or break a company depending on how they respond.  I had the privilege to hear interviews from two PR professionals in my #COMM4363 class. Both of these women have had to deal with a crisis within their company, @lovinkat who works for the Salvation Army and @cndavis who works for Sprint.  Between hearing these professionals give their advice, and reading and learning about it myself, I have compiled a list of “do’s and don’ts” that will hopefully help you when a crisis strikes.

DO :

1.     Conduct a vulnerability audit, when starting to work at a new company first evaluate the weaknesses.

2.     Have a plan

3.     Be prepared and organized

4.     Designate a spokesperson

5.     Develop a “holding statement” to give to the media right away

6.     Be sincere

7.     Always tell the truth

8.     Gather the facts

9.     Say something!

10.  Try to remain calm

DON’T:

1.     Run and hide

2.     Take your time getting back to people – respond promptly

3.     Make up something that isn’t factual

4.     Avoid the press

5.     Become defensive

6.     Put the blame on someone else.

7.     Joke around

8.     Say “no comment” – be honest, find the answer and get back to the press quickly

9.     Give information that isn’t asked of you

10.  Have someone else speak for you

Global Relations

Reading Notes Chapter 9

“Think global, act local” – Michael Morley of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide

When dealing with global relations it’s important to remember to adapt products and messages to be accepted in local communities OR around the world.

What does global relations mean to a PR practitioner?

• Have an understanding of different cultures that you might encounter
• Learn the customs of other countries
• Learn the communication styles in around the world
• An overall understanding of legalistic of a culture and how they communicate and do business will ultimately lead to you presenting a credible and effective message in regards to their culture.

What must you do?

• Adapt to changing conditions

• show the need for cultural sensitivity

• build relationships

• deal with set conditions ie. time zone differences, money exchange and language diversity
• Standardize as much as possible…website, printed material and general message

Source : Reputation Management

Are podcasts beneficial???

TOW 8

Are podcast beneficial?

I find that podcast can be very beneficial.  There are a variety of podcast available for PR students and professionals and most of them are free of charge!  As a PR student I think it’s always valuable to learn and take advice from someone who is experienced in this always evolving career. 

The two podcast that I listened to this week are Coming up PR and For Immediate Release.  These were two very different podcast that offered a lot of interesting information relating to public relations and marketing. 

Coming Up PR is a podcast that is geared toward, just that, students or young professionals entering the world of public relations.  The podcast that I listened to was episode 13 featuring guest host, Catalina Dorobeti , who is a PR professional indulged in investor relations “IR”.  She discussed how she had no idea what IR exactly was until she took a course about it.  She then explained how IR is different from the other areas of PR in that you aren’t necessarily pitching to the media as much as you are dealing with legal and financial communications within a company.  Dorobeti expressed how many people overlook IR as a career path and how useful it would be to at least consider it or take a course about it.  She said that you don’t necessarily have to be an expert in finances to be an IR professional, she said that the learning curve is high and much of the job is learning as you go.  Dorobeti said that IR is a crucial job, it has its busy periods and you must be very precise because leaving out a “0” in a quarterly report could severely hurt the company.

For Immediate Release is the next podcast that I listened to and it was a very interesting topic this week.  Shel Hotlz, one of the hosts of this podcast, interviewed Jeffrey Eggen the Experiential Marketing Manager for Ford cars.  Ford is fixing to launch their next campaign called, “Ford Focus Rally America”, which integrates a variety of media outlets.  Eggen explained that this is the first campaign of its kind and will be a reality based program kind of like the TV show Amazing Race.  He said that it will incorporate social media, interactive media and a play from home twist.  Basically the “race” will consist of 12 people divided into 6 teams and viewers can participate by watching the highlights on Hulu, joining the Facebook page and finding a team to follow and interact with at home by helping the teams complete their task.  I think this will be a neat campaign to follow to see how the efforts will generate results.  Ford plans on measuring the outcome through monitoring the click-throughs, watching the time that people spend on the sites, earned media coverage and then ultimately by getting the Focus on people’s shopping list. 

It’s always helpful to learn from someone who has experience in the career that you are headed.  They are able to lend advice to help you prepare for what to expect, how to prevent mistakes and things you can do to set yourself above the rest.  Check out one of these podcast, you never know what you might learn!

Investor Relations

Reading Notes Chapter 8

Investor relations deals with a company’s relationship with the investment community. 

 

Investor relations requires knowledge of communication, finance, law, accounting, and marketing.

 Goals of investor relations :

 1. To insure that all company bonds/stocks are fairly and fully valued in the marketplace.

2. To help fulfill a companies obligation under government regulation.

3. Create competitive advantage

Source : Reputation Mangement

 

 

PR Interview with Lesley Bateman

TOW 6

Every time I have the opportunity to interview a public relations professional I always learn something new.  One of the exciting things about the world of PR is that every day is a different adventure and no day is ever the same.  This time I had the privilege of asking Lesley Bateman, the senior marketing director at Design4 Marketing, about her experience in the field of PR. 

Bateman has broad background of experience; she has worked for two public sectors, two non-for-profits, and three corporations before becoming the marketing director at an in-house marketing agency that focuses on helping Christian ministries and conservative pro-family groups have a creative and constructive voice in the public square. 

During our interview Bateman gave me some advice on what to expect when entering the pr workplace out of college.  One of the things she advised for a graduate to do is take an initial job that allows you to have your hand in everything.  Public relations entails many different “jobs” so the more that you are able to learn early on the more you will benefit in the future.  Another piece of advice was to volunteer if necessary to gain experience.  The advice I found the most helpful, that I had never heard before was to take a class and gain some financial knowledge.  Bateman said that if you are planning to move up the ladder in any pr job, some type of financial background will greatly help you. 

Public Relations can also be a very gratifying career.  Many pr professionals can recall a time or two that they were particularly proud of.  Some say it was when they rescued their company from a crisis situation; others say when they completed a big event that they were planning.  For Bateman it was when she had to put all of her skills to work and develop project timeline during the selling of AT&T to private investors.  She said that she had six weeks to come up with a plan that would make sure everyone was aware and on the same page during the process.  While this was a challenging time, she was proud when it was through and she had accomplished her goals.

I enjoyed being able to get some very helpful advice from a very experienced PR professional.  I think that anyone who is considering a job in this field should interview a professional to get a glimpse of what it’s really like.  So many people are graduating and looking for a career in this field so it’s important to remember that in order to stick out you have to do more than just what is required.  Bateman ended are interview with saying, “to stand out I would suggest learning some of the pr tools such as, constant contact, social media site, Vocus, or any other site that a boss wouldn’t have to take the time to teach.”  She also said that writing is very critical and fundamental in the this type of career.