PRCM Exam 2 - mine

What are the elements in the RPIE cycle?

Researching, Planning, Implementing, Evaluating

What is the RPIE cycle?

A four-step strategic framework used in public relations and communication planning to build, execute, and measure campaigns 

Researching

gather data to understand the organization, target audience, competitive environment, and the specific problem or opportunity; includes primary and secondary research 

Planning

use research insights to set goals, define SMART objectives, identify target audiences, and map out strategies and tactics 

Implementing

execute the planned strategies and tactics, manage timelines and budgets, handle stakeholders' communication, and monitor real-time 

Evaluating

measure the campaigns outcomes and return on investment against the original SMART objectives to see what worked, what failed, and how to improve future efforts 

T or F?: Research and evaluation can happen at any point in a strategic program, not just at the beginning or end.

True

What does it mean when they say public relations is a dynamic and cycling process?

evaluation of one action, program, or campaign feeds into the next

Formative Research

research at the beginning of the planning process, or during the implementation of a plan

what is the benefits of formative research?

information acquired during this process helps you formulate your program or campaign and its components, including goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics

Analytics

researching online data to identify meaningful patterns

• used in formative research to be more sophisticated

Summative Research

when you have reached an end or stopping point in your campaign and you want to answer the question, “did it work?”

What is the difference between a campaign and an on-going program?

a campaign has a defined beginning and end, while an on-going program is never ending

Examples of a campaign.

• political campaign ends with an election

• a year long fundraiser ends on Dec. 31

• a product launch ends when product is fully stocked on the market

Situation Analysis

a report analyzing the internal and external environment of an organization and its publics as it relates to the start of a campaign or program

What is an effective situation analysis?

leads to a clear, concise problem or opportunity statement on which the client or organization and the team representing them agree

What are the elements of a SWOT analysis?

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

T or F?: gaining a deeper understanding of a situation requires digging for information of substance beyond an internet search into an organization and its publics

True

T or F?: Organization-public relationships flourish when you spend as much energy trying to understand your publics as you do trying to get your message out.

True

mission statement

a formal statement of an organization’s steady, enduring purpose

vision statement

a declaration of an organization’s desired end-state

how do mission statements and vision statements benefit researchers?

the statements give the researchers a sense of the organizations values and culture

competitive analysis

a report that provides information about competitors and their strengths ansd weaknesses to help inform an organizations strategy while also better equipping themselves to understand their own organization

organizational culture

the unique character of an organization comprised of beliefs, values, symbols, and behaviors

What does designing a campaign for the organization require?

observation not just of written evidence but of people and their behavior

internal publics

groups of people with shared interests within an organization such as employees and members that can be reached by face-to-face meetings, company email lists, and the organizational grapevine

publics

groups of people with shared interests who have an effect on an organization or whom the organization affects

external publics

groups of people with shared interests outside of an organization that can be reached through mass media, direct mail, and the web

T or F?: Good internal communication affects external communication because employees serve as brand advocates.

True

situational theory of publics

theory that the activity of publics depends on their levels of involvement, problem recognition and constraint recognition

net neutrality

the idea that the internet service providers (ISPs) should allow all internet users equal access to content without giving some content providers a fast lane or slowing or blocking other content providers

demographics

data describing objective, including age, level of income or highest educational degree obtained

psychographics

data describing psychological characteristics or population including interests, attitudes and behaviors

primary publics

groups of people identified as most important to the success of a PR program or campaign

Secondary Publics

groups of people who are important to a PR program or campaign because of their relationship with primary publics

Tertiary Publics

groups of people who indirectly influence or are indirectly affected by a PR program or campaign

quantitative research

• research that results in numerical or statistical data and analysis

• could include demographic statistics on the vents, the number of email accounts that have received the invitation

surveys

Questionnaires that are administrated online, printed on paper or conducted face-to-face allow researchers to gather data from respondents that can be presented in quantitative form 

experiments

Allows researchers to test prediction based on controlled differences between groups 

• treatment groups & control groups

treatments group

a group of subjects or people in an experiment who receive or are exposed to a treatment

control group

a group of subjects or people in an experiment who do not receive or are not exposed to a treatment for the purpose of comparison

content analysis

a systematic method for analyzing recorded information such as audio, text or video

units of content analysis

• Words or symbols (representation of the events name) 

• Characters (people involved or the roles they play) 

• Time and space (how much space and media time does the announcement get to reach the public) 

• Items (the message itself) 

latent content

themes and underlying messages

qualitative research

• Research that results in in-depth description and understanding without relying on the use of numbers or statistics to analyze findings 

• Answers open-ended questions that can’t be answered with numbers alone 

• Can find this through interviews, focus groups, and direct observation 

interviews

Enable respondents to answer questions in their own terms instead of merely agreeing or disagreeing with statements in surveys or answering questions within the constraints of short-answer questionnaire formats 

focus groups

• group interviews (6-12 people) to show how people form ideas in social settings

• allow group members to explore points of agreements as well as areas in which members diverge in their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors 

what type of observations is direct observation?

nonparticipant observation & participant observation

nonparticipant observation

research method in which the researcher avoids interaction with the environment or those being observed

participant observation

research method in which the researcher deliberately interacts with the environment and those being observed

secondary research

Reuse of research and data that already have been collected 

primary research

designing research and collecting our own data for communication planning

Informal reasearch

conducted without clear rules or procedures, which make the findings difficult to replicate or compare to other research or institutions

formal research

designed with clear rules and procedures for collection and analysis of information

reliability

refers to how well a particular research technique can be applied multiple times and yield comparable data

• same bag weighed on a scale will equal the same readings

validity

refers to the accuracy of a measurement or observation in reflecting what the researcher intends to measure or observe

• a scale may say what the bag weighs but doesn’t say what is inside the bag

T or F?: No single research method, no matter how formal, is perfect. There are always trade-offs.

True

Utilitarianism

principle that the most ethical course of action is the one that maximizes good and minimizes harm for people

In democracies, ideas are often judges based on the questions of which course of action will do the greatest good for the greatest number of people, what is this?

utilitarianism

what are the 9 outcomes in McGuire’s hierarchy of effects

1. Tuning in – exposing people to messages 

2. Attending – paying attention

3. Liking – maintaining interest to process it further

4. Comprehending – understanding messages

5. Learning – acquiring skills, teaching

6. Agreeing – changing attitudes

7. Remembering – storing for later use

8. Acting – changing behavior

9. Proselytizing – encouraging others to learn, agree and act

when using McGuire’s Hierarchy of Effects for Planning…

Avoid setting goals at one level (e.g., liking) when what you and your client really want is effectiveness at a greater level (e.g., acting).

tactical decision making

daily management and communication tactics implemented without consideration of the strategic objectives, goals and mission of the organization

strategic decision making

public relations tactics that aim to help an organization pursue its mission and goals 

goals

desired outcomes that directly help an organization pursue its mission

objectives

specific measurable steps that you must achieve to accomplish larger goals

tactics

specific actions you take and items you produce in public relations

strategy

specific actions you take and items you produce in public relations

What does SMART objectives stand for?

• specific

• measurable

• attainable

• relevant

• time-bound

what does specific mean in the SMART objectives?

state exactly what the plan aims to accomplish

what does measurable mean in the SMART objectives?

results can be observed and measured in a way that shows actual change

what does attainable mean in the SMART objectives?

realistic

what does relevant mean in the SMART objectives?

relate clearly to the goal and mission

what does time-bound mean in the SMART objectives?

deadline for accomplishing the objective

outputs

Tasks completed – a plan without goals and objective that specify the results of those efforts will fall short on strategy Management by objectives 

outtakes

What your public does with your communication 

impacts

The broadest and furthest-reaching results of public relations efforts 

outcomes

Identify the results of public relations work 

what are the 3 key resources in any public relations budget?

personnel, administrative costs and supplies, & media and communication expenses

Personnel budgets

• pro bono: work conducted as a public service without a fee or payment (nonprofit organization)

• billable rate: amount that an agency or firm charges clients per hour for an employee’s time

Administrative cost and supplies

Overhead expenses: costs of running a business that are not directly related to the product or services delivered 

Media and communication expenses

• Media planning

• Reach and frequency

• Programmatic media buying

• Production and distribution

media planning

choosing media channels to achieve strategic communication goals and objective; drives advertising purchases 

reach and frequency

R – the percentage or number of people exposed to a message, F – the average number of times people in an audience are exposed to a particular message in a given period 

programmatic media buying

automated real-time bidding that is preprogrammed by marketers and automated to buy space when certain criteria are met 

Production and distribution

the process of making content and the process of spreading it 

Gantt Chart

Type of bar charts that show project timelines, including the start and duration times of tasks 

T or F?: A good timeline determines when to spend resources, such as time and money, on what

True

formative research

benchmarking research defines your starting points for accomplishing goals and objectives

• management by objectives (MBO)

• formative evaluation

Management by objectives

planners consult with their organizations and clients to determine appropriate objectives for which they will be accountable 

formative evaluation

to monitor program efforts to enable corrections based on feedback 

benchmarking

process of setting a point for comparison with eventual program results to observe change over time; defines your starting points for accomplishing goals and objectives

client/management meetings

winning new business or management approval requires a clear articulation of strategy and mutual agreement about how that strategy will be implemented  

key message

strategy provides guidelines and key message themes for the overall program and a rationale for the actions and program components that are planned 

Excellence in the field of public relations is based on what?

meaningful action

taking action

• Well-planned, researched-based public relations programs are implemented in line with the organization’s mission and broad goals

• “Walking the walk” can be tough, but it can also drive meaningful change.

controlled media

Communicators write and edit or create and produce messages exactly how they want them

uncontrolled media

Newspapers, TV and radio news, and external websites and social media that are not produced internally

listicles

an online article presented in the format of a numbered or bulleted list

clickbait

promotional and sensational internet content designed primarily to entice users to visit another website

corporate advertising or institutional advertising

is designed more to promote the organization as a whole