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Chapter 13
Public Relations, Influencer
Marketing, Social Media, and
Corporate Advertising
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1. Discuss the role of public relations as part of a
strategy for integrated marketing communication
(IMC).
2. Identify the objectives and tools of public
relations.
3. Describe basic strategies for PR activities.
4. Summarize how companies use influencer
marketing programs.
5. Describe how marketers use social media to
promote brands.
6. Discuss the applications and objectives of
corporate advertising.
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Public Relations
• Public relations focuses on communications that can foster goodwill between a firm
and constituent groups such as:
• Customers
• Stockholders
• Employees
• Government entities
• The general public
• Businesses use PR activities to highlight positive events associated with the
organization and to engage in damage control when adversity strikes.
• Public relations has entered a new era, as changing corporate demands and new
techniques have fostered a bolder, more aggressive role for PR in IMC campaigns.
• Increasingly sophisticated and connected consumers are talking to each
other more and more about brands.
• The consumer is increasingly in control.
• Marketers are just now realizing how to manage friend/family
recommendations, especially in the online world.
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PR Objectives
• An active PR effort can serve many objectives, such as
• Promoting goodwill
• Promoting a product or service
• Preparing internal communications
• Counteracting negative publicity
• Lobbying
• Giving advice and counsel
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PR Objectives, Continued
• The primary tools of public relations are:
• Press releases
• Feature stories
• Company newsletters
• Interviews and press conferences
• Sponsored events
• Publicity
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PR Objectives, Continued
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PR Strategies
• There are two main PR strategies:
• Proactive public relations strategy—seeks to publicize a company and its
brands, and takes an offensive rather than defensive posture in the public relations
process
• public relations audit: identifies the firm’s characteristics or aspects of its
activities that are positive and newsworthy
• public relations plan: identifies the objectives and activities related to the firm’s
PR communications
• Reactive public relations strategy—focuses on problems to be solved rather
than on opportunities, and requires a company to take defensive measures
• public relations audit: audit prepared for the proactive strategy helps a firm
prepare its reactive strategy. The information in the audit helps the company
issue public statements based on current and accurate data.
• identification of vulnerabilities: if aspects of a firm’s operations are vulnerable to
criticism then the PR function needs to be prepared to discuss these issues.
• Public relations must be part of an integrated effort to communicate with audiences. If
the PR component is not recognized as a component of the overall communication
effort, misinformation or disinformation may compromise other marketing
communications efforts.
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PR Strategies, Continued
Exhibit 13.1 Components of a PR Plan
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PR Strategies, Continued
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Influencer Marketing
• Given that consumers are predisposed to talk about brands and that what they say
is vital to the well-being of those brands, it is no surprise that marketers are
pursuing strategies to influence the conversation.
• Influencer marketing refers to tools and techniques directed at driving positive
word-of-mouth about a brand.
• Professional Influencer Programs:
• must be handled with great care
• require a long-term commitment
• focus is on communicating up-to-date data and important brand
benefits
• Peer-to-Peer Influencer Programs:
• objective is to give people something fun and provocative to talk about
• use connector databases
• In both types of program, the marketer is challenged to give the influencers a
meaningful or provocative topic that they will want to talk about.
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Influencer Marketing, Continued
Exhibit 13.2 Five “T”s of Peer-to-Peer Influence
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Social Media
• Social media are websites where users create and share information. Examples
include:
• social-networking sites
• business-networking sites
• works-sharing sites
• blogs
• microblogging (Twitter)
• To engage in brand communication via social media, marketers need to enter a
community conversation that includes listening as well as transmitting messages.
• Marketers can shape conversations by:
• creating venues
• seeking feedback
• providing valued information
• crafting messages that are simple enough to convey accurately
• Often, marketers’ use of social media is aimed at creating buzz and stimulating
viral marketing.
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Social Media, Continued
Exhibit 13.3 New Brand Relationships with Social Media
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Corporate Advertising
• Corporate advertising, rather than supporting an organization’s specific brands,
aims to build the general reputation of the organization in the eyes of key
constituents.
• Corporate advertising objectives include:
• enhancing the firm’s image
• improving employee morale/attracting new employees
• communicate brands’ views on social, political, or environmental issues
• better positioning against competitors
• playing a role in overall IMC strategy
• Corporate ad campaigns may take the form of:
• image advertising
• advocacy advertising
• cause-related advertising
• Green marketing underlies many of a brand’s advertising campaigns.
• Corporate ad campaigns are most effective when they appear authentic.
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Corporate Advertising, Continued
Exhibit 13.4 Varieties of Corporate Advertising