Lecture #17
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List 5 components that you know must be
included in a public relations campaign?
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All campaigns must begin with research.
A successful public relations campaign
integrates demographic and psychographic
information, audience profiles, the company’s
business philosophy, the company’s
marketing plan, the budget, and other data
that result in an improved image for the
company.
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All successful campaigns have a strategy,
planning, implementation, and measuring of
results.
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The first step in any campaign is to do the
planning.
Establish goals.
Courses of Action.
Funding.
Research.
Defining a system of measurements (in retail
it is often sales).
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The planning procedures should include:
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Establishing goals and objects
Defining the target markets
Setting a budget
Assigning personnel and responsibilities, functions,
duties.
Scheduling.
Developing the message.
Determining methods of delivering the message.
Determining a method(s) of measuring
performance.
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Based on the PR and marketing needs of the
organizations.
It could be to raise awareness about a brand,
launch a new product or collection, become
involved in the community or start a social
responsibility initiative.
These needs change according to the
circumstances in which the company is
operating.
They determine the PR goals for the campaign.
It is critical that PR campaign goals are set in
coordination with other initiatives within the
company.
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A summery statement that states what needs to
be done in broad terms as part of the campaign.
It includes the objectives for a specific time and
all the activities that are to be completed to
achieve the PR campaign goals.
Although the executive summary/overview is
typically the first thing to be seen in a PR
campaign, it must be created after all the pieces
of the campaign are put together.
It serves as a map.
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Lists each initiative that is taken.
Includes the steps that should be taken so
specific directives can be implemented.
Includes a SWOT analysis, the design of the
plan, and how it will be put together to
prepare it for development.
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Did the organizations receive the minimum media
coverage to gain a positive ROI?
Was the media coverage positive?
Did the coverage improve the public image?
Did the company receive positive feedback from its
publics?
Did it receive positive feedback from other people of
interest?
The PR director must identify the results expected
from the campaign so that efforts can be made
toward achieving that end. Results can be measure
during and at the end of the campaign.
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Make sure you have gathered accurate
information for the PR campaign.
PR relies heavily on research and data
gathering in the background.
Topics of research vary depending on the
circumstances, scenarios, and campaigns.
Researching how to launch a new collection is
very different than researching how to
improve public opinion.
Must look at what competitors are doing so
that campaigns can be set apart.
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Define the target markets and audiences that
the campaign aims to reach.
◦ Countries, regions, states, cities
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Identify audiences groups, their
demographics, psychographics, profiles,
purchasing habits.
Knowing your audiences allows for proper
guidance of planning toward the strategies
and methods that reach the audiences with
the appropriate messages.
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Always have a campaign calendar that lets
you see campaign activities day-by-day,
week-by-week, and some instances, monthby-month.
One of the most popular responses from the
media is that they are on deadline. Therefore,
it is important to have a schedule that also
works with important media deadlines.
Wasting time is more expensive than wasting
money.
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Establish a start and end date.
It is important to allot the time needed for a
campaign.
Audit or review your timeline frequently to
make adjustments.
Establish objectives along the way
◦ Have 25% increase in sales by the third week of
month three.
◦ Sell at least 75% of fashion show tickets two week
before the show.
◦ Receive press coverage the first week the campaign
is launched.
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The SWOT analysis helps an organization determine
the products position before it launches it.
Strengths- What are you doing that competitors
aren’t?
Weaknesses- What are competitors doing that you
lack?
Opportunities- Where does your organization have
the means of going, but just aren’t there yet? (This is
where your campaign should start).
Threats- What is going to become a problem that
might result in a lack of sales or public opinion?
Knowing your weaknesses can also help maneuver in
the media.
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Measuring increased exposure, improved public
image, better community relations generated by
the campaign.
If results surpass expectations then the outlook
and future performance may excel as well.
When media coverage and increased public
image are free publicity, the company has
virtually no say on what gets printed.
With that said, the media seldom focuses on an
organization’s negative side without reason.
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The PR campaign should have an overall
message that unifies all of the public
relations initiatives within the campaign.
The message is based on the goals of the
campaign as well as the product/service
being promoted.
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The total annual PR budget is set by
executives and often comes out of the
marketing budget.
If there are no funds to cover something,
then it will not be implemented.
In the ideal world, each action in the
campaign must be outlined and estimated in
terms of cost, and the total costs of must be
managed so that the final bill fits within the
budget.
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Choosing the right public relations method or
methods of implementing the campaign is an
extremely important part of proper campaign
planning.
◦ Tactics- Press releases, social media uses, wordof-mouth, promotional ideas, interviews, celebrity
appearances, trade journals, partnering websites,
themes, and colors.
◦ Anything that helps convey the message(s) of the
campaign.
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The client, the PR writer, the pitch person,
and the people in the media whom the
material is aimed.
If these people don’t have the right attitude,
the right understanding, the right
understanding of their job responsibilities,
and are uncommitted, the campaign will fail.
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Decide on which media will be best to deliver
the messages and providing for most positive
public exposure.
If your campaign runs several months, then
you will have time to get in contact with
media who work on stories a month or so in
advance.
Newspapers, television, and internet typically
require a framework that is closer to the
event.
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Results and ROI are among the top goals for
the PR campaign.
Everyone wants the most results for the least
amount of money.
Again, sales are often the highest indicator of
performance in fashion/retail.
Could be measured in favorable publicity,
new customers, increase in customer
contacts, increase in traffic to a website.
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Budgeting is a critical business tool to control
expenses and ensure profitability.
Whether they are annual, semi-annual, or
quarterly—are part of the planning process.
That assures proper funding.
Budgets ultimately set of the rules for what
can or cannot be achieved.
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One of the major issues with fashion
organizations is determining how much should
be allocated to PR budgets, when there are no
guarantees regarding the end result.
Public relations budgets often come from the
marketing department.
There can never be a guarantee that public
relations stories will be accepted by the media.
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Sales Percentage- the budget is based on a
percentage for sales from the previous year.
Depends on how the organization views the PR
for a product.
The trend with some fashion organizations is to
put more of an emphasis on PR than advertising
because it is more effective in getting the fashion
organization’s message out.
During a rough economy when sales are down, a
smaller dollar amount is allocated to PR.
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Cash-Flow Percentage: base their budgeted
items on the amount of profits for a period of
time such as quarterly or three months.
Same issue with sales percentage budgeting,
smaller $ amount when sales are low.
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Competition Analysis: determined through
research the type of public relations exposure
the fashion company’s competitors are
allocating and match or exceed it in the
budget.
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Bottom-Up Budgeting: the PR director creates the
budget based on the department’s strategies,
goals, and objectives and proposes it to upperlevel management for approval.
Should include a timeline for the activities and
targeted media.
When a plan is accepted by management, the PR
professional has a higher obligation to perform
and the task weighs on their shoulders.
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Top-Down Budgeting: upper-level
management decides on the PR budget and
hands it down to lower management with
little or no flexibility allowed for the public
relations director.
Does not include in the decision-making
process the people who will have to carryout
the function.
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Top-Down/Bottom-Up Budgeting: combines
both of these procedures.
This is the preferred budgeting process.
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Most PR firms prefer to work with a yearly
contract.
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Budgets can also be based on a monthly
bases, hourly bases, or even project based.
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When a firm charges an hourly performance
or hourly payment they usually include
regular reports detailing the total amount of
hours performed for the client each week or
each month.
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It is important to know what exactly the firm
includes and excludes in its services.
Some firms charge for telephone calls, courier
packages, and postage expenses.
Invoices are usually submitted at the end of
the month and paid within 15, 30, or 60 days
according to what the contract says.
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Rates vary from one firm to the next depending
on experience, prestige, and talent. $50 -350 per
hour.
Most firms work on contract devoting a minimum
or 24hrs per month to the client.
They will also bill the client for all expenses
including postage, photographs, long-distance
phone calls, UPS and FedEx charges, telephone
consulting time.
It is important to layout all charges the client
could be faced with upfront and provide a
detailed budget for the client each month
regarding the expenses for the client when
working in an outside firm.
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There are also project-based contracts with a
specific fee.
Not very popular with public relations firms.
Most firms want to make lasting relationships
with the fashion organization, project-based
contracts don’t allow firms to do that.
Project-based contracts are often very
expensive, sometimes more expensive than
the ROI.
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Evaluating your budgets will help shape
future budget plans.
Helps determine if there is a need for
increased funding to accomplish goals.
If the goals are being achieved, it helps
decide if more funds should be allocated to
the PR budget to maximize the results.
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A campaign must follow a strict timeline
which includes time for readjustments.
All successful campaigns begin with
researching and setting a budget.
Your budget ultimately states what you can
and cannot achieve.
The preferred type of budget for PR
professionals is top-down/bottom-up.
You must evaluated your campaign
throughout the entire process and at the end
of the campaign.
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Sherman, G.J. & Perlman, S.S. (2010). Fashion
Public Relations. Fairchild Books: New York.