PR 3310
Principles of Public
Relations
Wednesday, 5/27/09
Class Objectives
 Lecture
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Intro. to course
What is public relations?
 Homework assignment

Read chapter 1 in book
Class topics
 Syllabus, schedule, lectures, all up on class
webpage
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http://www.ttujournalism.net/pr3310.html
Schedule lecture topics and lectures posted to
web site will be filled in as the sum. session
goes on

Assignment dates are fixed
 Grades will be posted on WebCT/Blackboard
starting on June 1st
Class topics
 Best way to reach me is by e-mail


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I get a TTU e-mail on June 1st
In the meantime, kubik_sj@yahoo.com
Or stop by my office, 225D before class T-R
11am-noon
Telephone is 742-6500 x251
Videos
 I use a lot of them in classes
 First one, did you know (2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nteiqLgZFO
U&feature=fvst
Issues with PR
 PR, advertising, design, journalism,
marketing are very much intertwined

Especially if you work for a smaller agency or
company where you wear many “hats”
 Book tries to differentiate them
 What is for sure is that PR is a misunderstood
term

Derogatory terms include flack (a publicist),
spin (biased portrayal), and propaganda
(originally not political= spreading of
information to serve a cause)
Public Relations
 For the sake of a discussion, let’s define PR as
“telling a story about something”
 How has PR changed (over the last 5 years)?
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Processes to disseminate message have changed as
technology/tools have changed
Due to Web 2.0 and 3.0 (interactivity in terms of social
networking, forums, replies) there is a tremendous
amount of feedback/dialog
 Sending message directly to the consumer (e.g. web
sites)
Lack of “editors” and gatekeepers (e.g. blogs)
Where is your audience?

Remember that you may or may not be a part of your target
audience
Terms
 Trust versus “spin”
 Issues: Who’s funding the campaign? How transparent
should the funding agency be?
 Mainstream media coverage versus non-mainstream
 Think of end consumers/masses as
mainstream…everyone else (e.g. corporate, industry
specific, reporters) as non-mainstream
 Purchased media versus Free media
 Purchased = advertisements (in print, radio, tv, on-line)
 Free = blogs, tweets
PR Videos
 MESH 2007 conference (Canadian web
conference), Future of PR
 start at minute 3:33 go to 11:11

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8719904131778990212&ei=6a8cSq7AA8iEQaM7_XVCQ&q=public+relations&hl=en
 Critical Issues,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeOiNlBC4
yo&feature=related
Other issues with PR
 Is all “bad” coverage bad?
 PR of celebrities
 How do we make $$ with new tools?
 Susan Boyle video has been viewed millions
of times with no $$ going to the 3 companies
that own “Britain’s Got Talent”
 What do we do with “dying” industries?
 Do we pull out of them altogether
(print/newspapers) or stick with them in hopes
they will adapt and survive?