PR Quiz 2 Study Guide

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering persuasion models, propaganda devices, PR career roles, media relations conventions, and advertising formats.

Power

The ability to compel, using the threat of authority as its primary tool

Patronage

Support for something, including financial support, that creates goodwill, opens doors, and gains access

Persuasion

Convincing rather than compelling an audience by controlling information flow and messaging to shape opinion; the core function of public relations.

Stimulus-Response Strategy

A reactive, non-thinking, emotional persuasion strategy linked to behavioral conditioning and repetition

Cognitive Strategy

A 'thinking' persuasion strategy that appeals to reason and facts, effective only if the message is understood, retained, and framed within a larger context.

Motivational Strategy

A transactional persuasion strategy that offers a real or perceived reward for taking a specific action.

Social Appeal

A persuasion strategy pointing to a social condition needing improvement requiring the receiver to be neutral or in favor.

Personal Appeal

A persuasion strategy promising personal improvement, using direct addressment as “you”

Framing

The way information is presented to influence perceptions and interpretations

Propaganda

Communication intended to deceive or mislead an audience by appealing to emotion rather than rational thought.

Name Calling

A propaganda device that reduces people or things to simple positive or negative terms.

Glittering Generalities

A propaganda device that reduces complex ideas into simplistic, appealing concepts

Transfer

A propaganda device involving the projection of a famous person's aura or credibility onto a lesser-known person or product.

Testimonial

A propaganda device in which a famous individual directly urges the public to buy a product or vote for a specific candidate.

Plain Folks

A propaganda device employing homey, down-to-earth language to portray prominent figures as being 'just like me.'

Bandwagon

A propaganda device urging the audience to 'get on board' and follow the majority.

Card Stacking

A propaganda device that selects only facts and statistics favorable to one's position, resulting in information distortion.

Emotional Stereotypes

A propaganda device utilizing exaggerations designed to evoke strong emotion

Illicit Silence

A propaganda device that involves intentionally withholding information that would correct a false impression.

Subversive Rhetoric

A propaganda device that discredits an individual's personal motives in order to discredit their underlying idea.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to seek out or interpret information in ways that reinforce pre-existing ideas, causing contradictory data to strengthen existing beliefs.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Physical, Safety, Love/Belonging, Self-Esteem, and Self-Actualization.

Account Executive

An agency PR role serving as the primary liaison between the PR agency and client, which may include pitching stories to media.

Publicist

A PR professional responsible for designing publicity campaigns, frequently working with celebrity clients.

News Release

A formal, written communication formatted as a complete news story, sent to reporters or news outlets to secure earned coverage.

Advertorial/Naive Advertising

A paid print feature styled to mimic an authentic news article, typically labeled as 'advertising' or 'sponsored'

Infomercial

A paid television, online, or streaming program produced to resemble authentic broadcast programming

Video News Release (VNR)

A news release in the form of a video

Public Service Announcement (PSA)

An advertisement run free of charge by media outlets in the public interest, typically created by charities or government entities to influence social attitudes.

Controlled Media

Paid communication channels (advertising) where the sender retains full command over formatting, text, timing, placement, and distribution.

Uncontrolled Media

Earned or unpaid news coverage (PR) where the editorial staff and reporters determine whether, when, and how information is used or edited.

Pitch

An informal inquiry to introduce a story concept to a journalist before providing a full news release.

Newswire

A commercial online network where PR entities pay to distribute releases for reporters to access freely.

Inverted Pyramid

A journalistic writing format placing the most crucial details (the 5 Ws and lead) at the beginning and the least important facts at the end, allowing easy trimming.

On the Record

An interview standard where all statements can be quoted directly and attributed publicly to the source by name.

Not for Attribution

An interview arrangement where information or quotes may be published, but attribution is restricted to a negotiated anonymous title.

Off the Record

When provided information cannot be published or used in any manner, even anonymously.

On Background

An interview term where statements cannot be quoted, but the reporter may use the details as a lead to discover facts independently.

House Ad

An advertisement designed and published at no monetary cost by a media company to promote its own operations within its own medium.

Institutional Ad

An advertisement promoting the overarching organization, corporate identity, and values rather than specific individual products.

Corporate Image Advertising

A subtype of institutional advertising connecting a commercial brand to a social cause to improve public goodwill, often utilized during crises.

Narrowcast

The transmission of targeted messaging aimed specifically at a niche audience or market segment, contrasting with broadcast media.