WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS? PR is the art of disseminating a message to a defined audience (be those consumers, B2B customers or stakeholders within a business etc.) through various communication and media channels, in order to enact a change in behaviour or opinion. The important differentiator between PR and other marketing disciplines, is that the channels of communication, on the whole, belong to a third party; and so, an effective PR campaign, whilst managing to achieve its core objective, will fly seemingly under the radar.
WHAT IS REQUIRED? A crystal clear understanding of • • •
The identified audience and who it is that is influencing their decision making The media/communication channels these influencers inhabit What angle, language and narrative will make for the most empathetic message, in order to capture audience (first influencer, then consumer) attention and encode in their memory
CHANNELS PRINT MEDIA
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BROADCAST
Lifestyle magazines Trade magazines Newspaper
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Commercial television Commercial radio
(tabloid, broadsheet, regional)
ONLINE
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SOCIAL
E-magazine Trade press websites News websites Lifestyle websites Blogs
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Social influencer channels (i.e. Instagram, Pintrest)
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Networking platforms (i.e. Facebook, Twitter)
EXPERIENTIAL • •
Sampling Brand experiences (sponsorship or creation)
OUTPUTS • • • •
Product placement Editorial features Advertorial features Opinion contribution (consumer & trade press)
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Experiential brand engagement Endorsement Sponsorship Content generation
DEFINING PR IN RELATION TO OTHER MARKETING DISCIPLINES •
Money is rarely paid to the influencer (journalist, vlogger, blogger etc.) to disseminate the message crafted by and delivered via the PR mechanic. Instead, the influencer acts as a curator and chooses to feature the product/ brand/ message, based on the fact that they feel it is of value and interest to their audience.
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Truly great coverage comes from the co-collaboration/ co-creation of a story between PR and influencer, which is managed through the development of personal sector-relevant contacts, not ordinarily held by professionals in other marketing disciplines.
With consumer trust of brands/ businesses at an all time low, peer-to-peer recommendation has been embraced. It is widely evidenced that consumers are now choosing to consume information via influencer channels ahead of “top-down” brand communication. The role of PR is becoming more important in 21st century communication than ever before.
To discover how public relations can deliver for your brand/ business, contact Jo: Jo.s-t@stirpublicrelations.com • 020 7749 2637 • http://www.stirpublicrelations.com/