
Planning is such an important part of public relations, it is useful
to understand the different requirements of an event, a
campaign, and a programme. An event is a one-shot
occurrence. It happens in one time frame-an hour, a day, or
perhaps as long as a week-and it serves one prime purpose with
one or more selected publics. The deciding factor may be the
types of objectives desired by the client:
- Communication, - accuracy, - understanding, - agreement,
and - complementary objectives.
Planning is good for you!
 Planning helps clarify your intentions
 Planning Starts with a Mission Statement
 Target Audiences
 Communication Objectives for an Event
 Objectives for a Campaign
 Objectives for a Programme

Refer to guide

TYPES OF CAMPAIGN
There are three kinds of movement,
programme or campaign Larson in
Rensburg and Cant (2009:200).
The politically oriented campaign
The product- or service-oriented campaign
 The ideological, issue- or cause-oriented
campaign

Stages of effective campaigns
On pages 201 - 202 of your prescribed text book the following is listed, you are required
to familiarise yourself with each of them.


Identification

Legitimacy

Participation

Penetration

Distribution
Sample objectives for campaigns and strategies:
Make your objectives: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Timely (S.M.A.R.T)
where possible. For instance, your objectives may be related to:

Increasing stakeholder awareness

Improving team efficiency and productivity

Gaining management sponsorship and buy-in

Changing the perception of your team

Improving team culture and behaviour.

Planning the campaign
Include the following steps in your action
plan:
 Consultations and meetings
Layout and design
Conceptualization
Copywriting and editing
Imagery development
Mock-ups
 Compilation of the campaign
Guideline to write a campaign (refer to guide)

SELECTING CHANNELS AND MEDIA
 During the planning of a campaign or a program, part of the analysis of
each key public should include such questions as: Where do members of
our key publics get their information? Which media do they rely upon to
make decisions about what is important and how to behave? Which
channels provide the two-way communication that enables key publics
to provide information to our organisation about their needs and
concerns?
 Another level of analysis focuses on the characteristics of each medium
and their relationship to the campaign or programme: Which media
allows us to get our point of view across most effectively? Which media
are best suited to the information requirements of our campaign, such as
the presenting of visual images, the need for two-way communication, or
the ability to tell a story in depth? Which media are most cost-effective
for this type of information?

BUDGETS
 Operating budget: Forecast the goods and services the organisation
expects to consumer.
 Financial budget: A detailed estimate for the amount and organisation
expects to spend during the budget period and where the funds come
from.
 PR budget: Administrative costs (salaries, benefits) and programme costs
(event, publications), production costs, suppliers.
 Standing Plans: (Policies, Procedures and Rules) Programmable decisions
call for standard and consistent response.
 Policies: Guidelines for decision making Procedures: Detailed guidelines
for implementing policy decisions.
 Rules: Specify action to be taken in a particular situation
DO’s & DONT’S of a budget / case study (refer to guide)

Nothing goes for free, so also effective PR does not come cheaply. Certainty of
programmes and sellable ideas invariably ease the task of costing campaigns.

The major areas of costing in PR include:
 Prints and production,
 Exhibition,
 Workshops and seminars,
 Media briefings
 Conferences,
 Advertising,
 Transportation,
 Sponsorship,
 Supplements and media coverage
A good budgeting plan may address the problems, objective,
public, strategy, media, message and anticipated result. There
should also be a time frame for each budgeted activity.

Consultancy Budget
The charges for consultancy services vary from one organisation
to the other. But specifically for a long-time PR campaign, the
considerations for the budget include advisory fees which are
charged after the firm has accepted the service. The
consultants charge the expenses to cover the days or hours of
attending meetings, its research and the submission of the
report.
Example of budget (refer to guide)

In-house Budget
The in-house PR practitioner submits annual budget which, after consideration, the fund
involved is released quarterly or monthly to the office to carry out its activities. Some
programmes which are periodical or exceptional and extraordinary are funded at the
appropriate time. On the need, request may be made from the approved budget
estimate to take care of events and programmes as they unfold.

Budget Defence
 Publications
 Corporate items
 Media activities
 Equipment
 Advertisement
 Editorial board meeting
 Information technology
 Human resources management
Example of a Budget breakdown (refer to guide)