COM 253: Intro to Public Relations; Exam 1 (9/24)

What is PR? *

Process that builds MUTUALLY beneficial relationships BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONS and their PUBLICS

RACE is a framework to do PR, what does it stand for in order? *

R - Defining Problems

A - Program Planning

C - Execution

E - Evaluating The Program

• maybe I can also associate it was DPEE so i can actually remember the steps

• RACE = DPEE

ROSIE is a framework to do PR, what does it stand for in order? *

Research

Objectives

Strategies

Implenent

Evaluation

What are publics? *

two or more people who share a common interest, concern, or have a stake at an org.

What is PESO Media Ecosystem? *

• remember what PESO stands for

Paid media→ paying for spot which means ppl can question credibility bc they kno u paid for ur spot → makes public aware that ur interested in taking sumn from them

Earned Media → Uplifts credibility (essentially it’s third party endorsments)

• ex: Julia roberts talking about how dolly was graceful and not complaining on set, instead of dollys team or herself saying it

Shared media → instagram live… brand partnership.. etc.

Owned media→ any content, channel, or platform that your brand completely controls and dictates the messaging for

True or false: ideally PR professionals should never lie

True

Why should PR professionals ideally never ‘spin’ messages? “SIN of SPIN” *

• Destroys trust

• True ethical PR based on truth

• Framing vs. Spinning

True or false: PR’s main currency is credibility? *

True

True or False: PR professionals need to understand that data is important, and can be used for evaluations, etc. *

True

What is “Spinning” in PR? *

Confusing an issue, distorting, or even lying about issue

• In order to → sway public opinion by putting a positive or negative slant on a story

• basically: twisting a msg

What journalist was called in by John D. Rockefeller Jr. when his coal company was the scene of a bloody massacre staged by Colorado militiamen to help him deal with the crisis?

Ivy Ledbetter Lee

What is Ivy Lee the fathe of? What is Edward Bernays the father of?

IVY - Father of Modern Public Relations

Ed - Father of Public Relations

What is one thing Edward Bernays is known for?

What about Ivy Lee?

1. Ed - Making cigarattes “cool” for women to smoke

2. Ivy Lee - “Humanzing” the rockefellers

   1. helped Johnon & Johnson with tynelol murders crisis

What is the idea of press agentry? Who is someone to think about when thinking of Press Agentry? *

The idea: of using spectactle / being misleading

• Aka → one way communication model focused on persuasion and attention

• Tactics

  • Using dubious tactics (tricking ppl into interacting with you)

  • One way communication (not rlly looking for any feedback or anything back

  • Building hype.. etc.

• PT Barnum (planted stories in newspapers.. etc.

What are 4 main goals of communication?

1. To inform

2. Persuade: persuade ppl to take certain actions

3. To motivate: motivaiton for consumers to buy products or employees to “pull for the team"“

4. Build mutual understanding

Re-order the Basics of Communication in the correct order

• Message encoded (sumn to tell ppl, ex: “buy this hairbrush”)

• msg received

• msg decoded

• msg encoded

• start with msg

1. Start with msg

2. msg encoded

3. msg transmitted

4. msg received

5. msg decoded

True or false: communication commences with a source who sends a msg through a medium → to reach a receiver, who we hope, responds in the manner we intended

True

Source → msg through medium → receiver → hope they respond in manner we intended

What is two-step flow theory? *

Begins with media → moves to general public

How does Concentric-circle theory work? *

What does it assume?

What is the basic idea of where ideas start?

• Assumed ideas evolving gradually in concentric circles

• ideas evolve gradually to public at large, moving in circle from great thinkers → great disciples → great disseminators → to lesser disseminators → to political active → politically inert (insdie → to outside of circle)

Basic Idea: info starts in small circles then disciples share it, then it tricles onto greater population

Real world example: 67 trickling onto adults because the media is now talking about it, after noticing it got super popular amongst kids & teens

What does latent readiness mean? *

Example(s)?

Latent Readiness: where a person is primed and ready to act on an idea/belief, but haven’t taken action yet because they lack a final trigger or specific opportunity

Ex: (interpersonal trigger) If someone was thinking about getting a starbucks drink, and their friend went “I just got the drink, it is soo good you should get it” then that could be what triggers the action

or

Ex from a company POV (PR/Macrostrat): People prepped for pumpkin spice latte season so starbucks may not need to do a lot to get people because a lot of people are already, ready for it

Basic Communication Process from a Transmitter to an Encorder?(METRD)

1. Start with..

2. Message…

3. Message..

4. Message…

5. Message…

What bias suggests people seeking out messages that they agree with, or that confirm their own attitudes? Why do people do this?

Confirmation bias

Why: People don’t like to experience cognitive dissonance (so theya void msges that disagree with them)

What is constructivism in PR?

Why does it matter? (like what is purpose)

Constructivism: Suggests knowledge is constructed, not transmitted. - Concerned with your cognitive process before actual communication

Why: So message can be tailored to you, in order to resonate

• It is not: “here is this msg, and imma leave it for your interpretation”

Match the four PR models to the characteristics

1. Pres agentry / publicity

2. Public Information

3. Two-Way Asymmetrical Communication

4. Two-Way Symmetrical Communication

What are the four PR models?

1. Press agentry/publicity: early from of one way communication, that beams messages from a source to a receiver with the express intention of winning favorable media attention

2. Public Information: Used to inform (another early form)

3. Two-way Asymmetric Communication: two way communication approach → allows org to put out info and receive feedback from its  publics about that info

4. Two-way symmetric communication: advocates free/equal info flow between orgs and publics

   1. Ex: like a townhall meeting

True or false: The message sent = message received

FALSE

• Sometimes the receiver can interpret the message a way you did not intend for it to be messaged

• Messafe sent does NOT = msg received

  • Meaning is negotiated, not delivered

True or False: Meaning is negotiated

True

Ex: Brittany Romano dropped by Vanity Fair for her behavior at the Lindsay Clancy Trial (it appeared to others she was happy, but she claimed she had mascara in her eye…) → so meaning is negotiated

What are some sources of noise in PR?

• Language

• Culture

• Prior beliefs / experiences

• Media frames

• Emotions

• Environment

What bias is: Msg decoding depends on persons perception 

• Ex: the 😂emoji being millennial but if u use 😭 they prolly wouldnt get

  • Essentially everyone is biased based on their perception.

Receivers bias

• Msg decoding depends on persons perception 

  • Ex: the 😂emoji being millennial but if u use 😭 they prolly wouldnt get it

What are some things that lead to bias in perception?

Stereotypes, symbols, semantics, peer grp pressure, the media

Receivers bias in Semantics (language)

• Why is it important to effectively communicate a desired meaning while considering that some words can mean different things to different people?

• Understanding: Words like “bussin”, “ick”, “beast mode” → demonstrates what a word denotes according to the dictionary, which may be thoroughly dissimilar from what it connotes in its more emotional or visceral sense 

• Discriminatory language: homeless, housewife, he/she, latinx can be offensive to some. While “political correctness” can go too far, it is IMPORTANT for PR communicators to carefully assess words before using them

• Basically: Receiver's bias in semantics means audiences decode PR messages through their own personal, cultural, and emotional filters. Because words carry different connotations for different people, PR communicators must choose words carefully to ensure the receiver interprets the intended meaning rather than taking offense or misconstruing the message.

How does receivers bias appear in peer grps?

• Peer pressure influences the way messages are perceived (silent majority) 

• Peer groups influence attitudes and actions: peers reinforce interpretations and set norms for acceptance or rejection 

• Pr professionals intent on framing persuasive communications messages, must understand the importance of peer grp influences on attitudes and actions

What kind of setter is the media, by not telling you what to think or say BUT gives you stuff to think ABOUT and talk about

Agenda Setter

What are the four goals of communication? (generally)

• Inform

• Persuade

• Motivate

• Build mutual understanding

iClicker

Which element of the communication process is responsible for translating ideas into a message?

• Receiver, Medium, Encoder, Noise

Encoder

iClicker

Why must PR professionals be especially skilled encoders?

1. They control how media outlets publish messages

2. Audiences interpret messages differently based on context / bias

3. Encoding eliminates noise entirely

4. Decoding is less important in PR

2. 
   

iClicker

Which statement best reflects why communication often fails?

1. Audiences rarely pay attention to messages

2. Media distort messages intentionally

3. Words have fixed meanings

4. Meaning exists in people, not words

4. 
   

iClicker

Receiver’s bias primarily affects communication because people:

1. Ignore messages from unfamiliar sources

2. Filter messages through personal experiences, values, and beliefs

3. Always trust peer grps over media

4. Decode msg exactly as intended

2. 
   

iClicker

What does it mean to say that “media shapes what information exists”

1. Media outlets invent most news

2. Media determine which stories are amplified and how they are framed

3. Media eleiminate stakeholder voices

4. Media function independtly of audiences

2. 
   

iClicker

Two-way communication in PR emphasizes

1. Persuasion over listening

2. Msg control

3. Feedback and mutual understanding

4. Speed over accuracy

3. 
   

What are some characteristics of being “Cancelled”

• Suffering loss of public opinion

• Loss of prestige, business, and reputation bc of that public opinion

What purpose do PR firms, agencies, & or professionals play when their client is going through “cancellation”?

• Protect clients from damage in the ourt of public opinion

True or False: Public Opinion is not static, and is a combustible and changing commodity

True

True or false: The best PR campaign can’t build trust when reality is destroying it

Why?

True

• True because you must CHANGE action BEFORE trust can be built

Idea: If you're already thinking about buying something, likelihood of you being persuaded is super high

What model is this describing?

Elaboration Likelihood model

How does elaboration likelihood model affect the approach of PR?

• You have to take different actions, strategies, etc. depending on how person is feeling or is in general 

What is central route?

What is peripheral route?

Central route:  Involves mental elaboration 

• Extent to which a person carefully thinks about issue relevant arguments in persuasive communication

• when topic matters to you, you want data, proof, authenticity, and nuance (receipts + relevance) you need better proof of stuff

Peripheral Route: = Vibes

• Mental shortcuts → help people avoid cognitive work to make a decision 

  • Ex: Choosing a laptop (instead of functionality, and getting all technical) you can base your decision on aesthetic, what color u want, if ur family uses a certain thing, etc.