PUBLIC RELATIONS,
INFLUENCER MARKETING, AND
CORPORATE ADVERTISING
Marketing 3344
INTRODUCTORY SCENARIO:
THE BUZZ BIZ
P & G created “Buzz” for Crest with:

Public relations—Celebrities were lined up to take the
“Quiz”—MTV, boy band personalities.
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Online—Banners ads promoted the quiz and appeared
on Facebook, MySpace, etc.
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Events and Publicity—Partnered with Vibe.com to host
a speed dating event in Times Square.
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Print ads and posters. Posters appeared in restrooms
of night spots.
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PUBLIC RELATIONS
The marketing and management
communications function that deals with a
firm’s public issues.

Objectives:
 Promote goodwill
 Promote a product or service
 Prepare internal communications
 Counteract negative publicity
 Lobby
 Give advice and counsel
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A NEW ERA FOR
PUBLIC RELATIONS?

Firms are using PR in new and different ways to create
visibility and image for a brand by getting people to
“talk” about the brand.
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BUT…
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PR is NOT the tool for establishing brands in the market.
PR lacks the strategic control needed to establish a brand within
the segment in the manner desired by a firm.
It is true that corporate execs want more “action” and visibility
from promotion. PR is now more prominent in many IBP
campaigns as consumer tire of mass media advertising.
Good PR can create a positive social “epidemic.”
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Ad in Context Example
Microsoft turned to
“warm and fuzzy”
corporate advertising to
combat the negative
publicity of a
Department of Justice
case against the firm.
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PUBLIC RELATIONS AND
DAMAGE CONTROL

Intel—Caused its own PR crisis by not responding
to concerns about the performance of the Pentium
chip.

Taco Bell and the PR “curse” of social networking.

Wal-Mart in nearly constant damage control.
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OBJECTIVES OF
PUBLIC RELATIONS

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Promote goodwill
Promote a product or service
Prepare internal communications
Counteract negative publicity
Lobby
Give advice and counsel
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TOOLS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
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Press releases
Feature stories
Interviews and press conferences
Company newsletters
Sponsored events
Publicity
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PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES
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Proactive PR strategy
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Guided by marketing objectives
Publicize a company and its brands
Take an offensive rather than defensive posture
Reactive PR strategy
Dictated by external influences
 Focuses on problems, not opportunities
 Requires defensive measures

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INFLUENCER MARKETING


A series of personalized marketing PR
techniques directed at individuals or groups
who have the credibility and capability to drive
positive word of mouth in a broader and
salient segment of the population.
The idea is to give the influencer something
positive to talk about with respect to firms and
brands.
PROFESSIONAL INFLUENCER
PROGRAMS

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Targeting professionals (doctors, therapists, lawyers,
accountants, etc.) with positive PR messages with goal of
having these “professionals” influence their clients
attitude toward a brand.
“Seeding the conversation” between the professionals
and their clients.
Tactics include trade show displays, direct mail
communications, and personal selling calls—all IBP
techniques.
The process provides professionals with “intellectual
currency.”
PEER TO PEER
INFLUENCER PROGRAMS

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Targeting social networks with positive messages about a
brand to pass along through their social networks.
The programs provide “social currency” within peer
networks.
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Cultivating Connectors
►
The sophisticated process of cultivating peer to peer
influencers to positively tout a firm’s brand.
►
Procter & Gamble has enrolled 600,000
“connectors” in its Vocalpoint program—mostly
women with wide social networks.
PEER TO PEER
INFLUENCER PROGRAMS

Buzz and Viral Marketing.
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Buzz marketing is creating an event or experience
that yields conversations that include the brand.
–
Viral marketing is the process of consumers
marketing to consumers via:
►
the Web (e.g., via blogs or forwarding YouTube
links) or through personal contact. simulated by a
firm marketing a brand.
►
The idea behind both buzz and viral marketing
strategies is to target a handful of carefully chosen
trendsetters or connectors as your influencers, and
let them spread the word.
CORPORATE ADVERTISING


Designed to establish a favorable attitude
toward a company as a whole.
Objectives:
 Build the image of the firm
 Boost employee morale or attract new
employees
 Communicate an organization’s views
 Position the firm’s products
 Play a role in integrated brand promotion
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Ad in Context Example
Corporate advertising
features the firm
rather than one of the
firm’s brands.
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TYPES OF CORPORATE
ADVERTISING

Corporate image advertising: Create a

Advocacy advertising: Establish the firm’s

Cause-related advertising: Features a
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favorable predisposition toward the firm—not
designed to affect sales.
position on important social, political or
environmental issues.
firm’s affiliation with an important social cause.
Green Marketing: Corporate efforts that
embrace a cause or a program in support of the
environment.
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Ad in Context Example
Drinking and driving is
an important social issue
featured in corporate
cause-related
advertising.
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