Crisis communication in Public Relations

Crisis communication in Public Relations

Crisis communication is a sub specialty of the Public Relations profession that is designed to protect and defend an individual, company or organization facing a public challenge to its reputation, (Andria, 2014). The term ‘Crisis’ is mainly used when aimed at serious events that needs careful and special attention from the management to help out in a particular situation.  Crisis management is thus the set of factors that are designed to overcome the crisis and thus reducing the amount of damage inflected. The main five stages of crisis are: detection, prevention/ preparation, containment, recovery, learning. These five stages can be segregated into three different categories of crisis management i.e. Pre Crisis (Detection, Prevention/ Preparation), Crisis (Containment), and Post crisis (Recovery, leaning).

Pre Crisis: This stage is the stage where the management prepares ahead of the time of the crisis thus attempting to prevent a future crisis from happening. This stage is also called the Prodromal Crisis Stage.

Crisis: This stage is in response to the happening of the crisis. In this stage it is mainly focused on the containment of the crisis so that the situation does not get out of control.

Post crisis: This stage occurs when the crisis has been looked into and resolved. In this stage the crisis management team also studies about why the crisis has occurred and thus learning from the event so that the same crisis does not occur again.

 

Crisis communication is thus an essential part of Public Relations in all departments. There has been various cases in the past where the crisis communication department of the PR team has involved in major issues regarding the brand. The crisis communication department not only deals with the crisis but also helps with the restoring of the brands image and repositioning the brand back in the market. This involves gaining back the trust lost by their target audience in the brand. These three stages in the management of crisis communication help in the restoration of the lost trust in the brand. Sometimes the damage done by the crisis is too far that the brand needs a complete different way of putting themselves out back in the market. This is dealt by the crisis communication team in PR. During the crisis the brand is often left in a position where they are unsure of what information to let out to the knowledge of the public and to what extend they can recover from the damage caused.

 

References:

1. Barrera, Andria. “When Public Scrutiny Requires Crisis Communication. Gutenberg Communication, 2014.

Why do brands use cause related marketing?

Why do brands use cause related marketing?

Cause related marketing (CRM) refers to a type of marketing that involves both a corporate business and a not for profit organization coming together for a common cause which indeed leads to a mutual benefit. The term ‘Cause Related Marketing’ is sometimes used to define any type of marketing strategy that involves a charitable cause. By this marketing strategy both corporate organization and the non- profit organization has their own benefits; corporate in terms of their positive publicity related to the cause and the non- profit organization in terms of the awareness created by this marketing strategy. Cause related marketing is not a social marketing or a corporate philanthropy. There are various examples where we have had private sectors supporting a public causer in the past. The main uses of cause related marketing is that there is market differentiation. They have an outreach to the niche market audience and thus reinforce their company missions to their target audience. The ultimate aim of the marketing strategy is always profit. The companies do not indulge in ‘cause related marketing’ without any sort of benefit in return. The benefit could be financial or even positive publicity associated with the cause or even positive repositioning of the brand in the market to their audience. One such example of profit sector supporting a common cause is TESCO providing computer for local schools. This was carried out with simple marketing tactics were the consumers involvement with the brand was marketed. One main thing to remember is that the partners the non- profit organization is linked to or the vise versa, most of the times have some sort of link in which they can relate to each other. The partners are carefully chosen in order to avoid negative marketing. An NGO that stands for lung cancer would never partner up with any tobacco company as it would create mixed emotions with their audience and even cause negative brand image for the NGO. Different brands have different style of collaborations with different non- profit organizations that stand for different causes. A private sector organization can also have collaborations with different Ngo which stands for different causes. Each of these private look in for profit in different methods; some financially and some with the positive association and publicity related with the cause. Most of the Cause Related Marketing is run on a very low budget. The very first known cause related marketing was in the year 1974.

PR Degrees are a waste of time: It’s not what you know but who you know that counts

PR Degrees are a waste of time: It’s not what you know but who you know that counts

There was a debate conducted in a PR post graduate class where the question was raised whether a degree in Public Relations was worth it. It was amusing knowing that there were Public Relation students that believed that it was a waste of time to learn about Public Relations. They believed that it is not what you know but who you know that counts when one is in such a field of work. This got me wondering if there was any truth to it. With regard to a few questions asked around to people working in the PR industry it was difficult to say that the statement was completely true or false. There were various arguments that were presented in class by various students where they believed and opposed this statement. When professionals are hired in the field they do prefer students that have a degree in Public Relations to ones that don’t. But they also look in for people with experience as having just a degree is not enough to excel in the industry. There were debatable points raised in class such as what the values of the degree would be if there was an option to choose between a person with minimal qualifications but longer experience in the industry which would include knowing people in the industry to a person who is fresh out of University. What is the chance the graduate stood to the person with experience ? I believe very less. Degree is a plus point when it comes to promotion of getting inot a heighr position in the firm. I personally believe that a degree in Public relations is not a waste of time as it helps us learn the different ethics that we as professionals have to use when we work in the industry, but at the same time it is equally important to have contacts in the industry. There would be no use of knowing influential people in the industry and not knowing what to do about it, neither is there any use knowing what to do but not knowing anybody in the field. Experience in the industry is very important as it helps in the way we act in a particular situation or during a crisis. Thus we can believe that to be in the Public Relations industry it is necessary to have both knowledge and experience to know hoe to function in the industry and know your influencers.

Approach to public issues: How can one as a representative of Government Health Communications Department influence and create a change in the amount of sugar consumed by kids?

Approach to public issues: How can one as a representative of Government Health Communications Department influence and create a change in the amount of sugar consumed by kids?

Studies conducted over the past few years show that the amount of sugar consumption among the children between the age of 6- 15 has lead to obesity, diabetics and other such diseases among them. This issue was raised in a class of Public Relations Graduates and asked how they would tackle this situation as a Public relations team for the Government of health Communications Department. As a PR student I believe that PR can play a huge role in creating a difference in such public issues. Even though some products that are meant for kids, the target audience for most of these products are parents as they are the ones making the decision. So first there should be an awareness created among the parents about the negative impact the high amount of sugar consumption can have on their children. The companies that have amount of sugar content in their products that is not suitable for the consumption by children of this category should be asked to have a small declaration in their advertisements. Also the advertisements for products that are targeted to older target audience that are still consumed by kids such as Pepsi and Coca Cola can be advertised after 9 pm. In this scenario the companies would not lose their target audience, but at the same time young kids would not get fascinated by the advertisements. Healthier supplements for these products can be produced. These advertisements can be advertised targeting both parents and kids at the same time. The advertisements can be both educational to the parents by providing them information about the benefits about the product and at the same time creative to attract kids. Nudge theory is a theory in behavioral science that claims that positive enforcement and indirect suggestions can be used to achieve an influence over the decision making group or individuals much more effectively than direct suggestions or enforcement. If we take this theory into consideration it is understood that if we try and directly tell kids of that age category that consumption of sugar is harmful to them it will not have a positive influence on them. Thus the indirect influence.

 

The idea that Public Relations is about two – way communications is a utopian fantasy: most PR is about persuading people to do want you want them to do

The idea that Public Relations is about two – way communications is a utopian fantasy: most PR is about persuading people to do want you want them to do

Public Relation is always perceived as a field that has only one way communication. It is considered a utopian fantasy when we say that Public Relation is a two way communication in deed. A two way communications in simple terms is a dialogue between two individuals or organizations, in our scenario it is a dialogue between sender and the receiver. A two way communication allows the sender to form a relationship with the receiver as they mutually understand the needs of their receivers, which is absent in one way communication. The concept of ‘mutual benefits’ have had multiple applications in marketing, media relations, and consumer services. This concept has only grown stronger in this age of content marketing and digital media communications. Now more than ever our audiences or we as audience expect value for their interactions. Thus creating and delivering that set value is a crucial role in the present world of modern communication. When there is two- way communication there comes dialogue, which in disguise comes back as a feedback from the receivers. This feedback is further used by the senders to improve and modify their further decisions and actions.  This action creates a mutual respect between the sender and the receiver, without a two way communication this bong would be absent. Public Relations practitioners engage with their audience with two way communication which makes it easier with lot of technological growing pain and helps build strong brand and relationships. A two way communication occurs horizontally and vertically in an organization. This communication can be within the organization between two individuals of the same rank or between a superior and a subordinate. I believe that in PR profession a two way communication is a necessity because it is a complete communication process. A two way communication helps with ensuring the smooth flow of information as the sender can directly express the response to the message he/ she received. It also provides acknowledgement that the message sent is received clear to the receiver. Without two way communications there would be no growth in the organization as there would be no feedbacks from our receivers’ regarding the message. A two way communication increases the efficiency of the receiver and the sender. In this form of communication the receiving end can clarify if any information needs clarification, thus increasing the knowledge and understanding of the situation and increasing the effectiveness of the communication. From the above discussion, it can be concluded that two-way communication plays vital role in improving organizational performance.

 

 

Lobbyists further the interests of the powerful elites and imbalance the democratic process – the lobbying industry should be banned.

Lobbyists further the interests of the powerful elites and imbalance the democratic process – the lobbying industry should be banned.

The first question many ask is what is lobbying?  Lobbying is the act of promoting an organization’s agenda to decision makers, usually represented by government, in order to influence a specific reform. Lobbying is mostly associated with public policy making and thus politics and is often referred to as Government Relations. A lobbyist is anyone who manipulates the public policy. The difference between a professional lobbyist and a common man who manipulates public policy is that, when a professional lobbyist is involved there are usually trade associations, corporate or unions. Lobbying can be used even during a crisis. The professionals are often employed by a specific interest group, however many professional lobbyist work for Government or Public Relations firm. They also work in sectors such as health care, communications industry and natural resource development department. Lobbying can be divided into different sub divisions such as direct lobbying and indirect lobbying. Direct lobbying is when the lobbyist directly involves and contacts between the organization, the government or event their representatives. Indirect lobbying is when the effort put by the lobbyist involves efforts to influence the priorities or policies of the government and shape and mobilize public opinion into the policies. The main question that was raised was what the functions of a lobbyist would include and how it would help the general public. Lobbying is used to accomplish various tasks including acquiring government contracts. Thus there are mainly four types of lobbyist who would work for four specialized areas in lobbying. There has been many instances in the past where lobbying has been used for the wrong purposes and created a crisis. The four main type of lobbyists are contact specialists who work using personal connections with government and politicians to influence reform, policy specialist to process and provide strategic advice on government policy, communication specialist and process specialist. I believe that lobbying is important part of Public Relations. It is a sector which is been largely ignored by PR scholars and even the public due to the tarnished image lobbying as had in the past. It is often categorized as propaganda. Due to this image then President Obama distanced himself purposefully form lobbyists during his campaign. I believe that Public Relations would benefit from lobbying as the impact lobbying has on the organizations reputation.
References:

(1)/(2)Hale, G. (2006). Uneasy partnership: The politics and business of government in Canada. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press.
(3)Rush, M. (1994). Registering the lobbyists: Lessons in Canada. Political Studies, 6(3), 645-647.
(4)Commissioner of lobbying. Retrieved October 22, 2008, from http://www.ocl-cal.gc.ca/epic/site/lobbyist-lobbyiste1.nsf/en/home.
(5)Moore, S. (2002). A matter of substance. The Hill Times (online edition). Retrieved October 30, 2008, from http://www.thehilltimes.ca.
(6)/(7)Sharon, B. (1998). Public relations’ role in manufacturing artificial grass roots coalitions. Public Relations Quarterly 43(2), 21-3.
(8)Lowery, D. & Gray, V. (1994). Do lobbying regulations influence lobbying registration? Social Science Quarterly, 75(2), 382-384.
(9)Terry, V. (2001). Lobbying: Fantasy, reality or both? A health care public policy case study. Journal of Public Affairs, 15, 266-280.

Crisis Communication in action: Case Study

Crisis Communication in action: Case Study

The recent crisis one among the top brands in India faced is the ‘Nestle Maggi’ crisis. This was in the year 2015 when the brand faced a major issue regarding the percentage of particular food content (MSG) in the product. This crisis triggered India’s worst food scare in almost a decade. The crisis exploded in 2015 because the Maggi label had a particular amount of MSG mentioned in the packaging but was found that there was an alarming increase in the amount of MSG used in the production of Maggi in order to increase the taste of the product. This product was mainly targeted towards college or university students in India who were staying away from their home. This product was marketed as a product that was easy to cook and tasty at the same time. The product had an emotional connection with their target audience or its consumers. The scare over Maggi instant noodles rose as one of India’s most popular snacks, had gripped increasingly health-conscious consumers. The first step the brand took during the crisis was to admit that their mistake and shut the productions division. The situation was later on dealt with very carefully as they had a large number of target audience to convince. During this period the company suffered a total loss of about 70 million in the first few months alone. There was a hike in the consumption of the products of their competitors. This was Maggi’s first loss in 17 years after launch in India. After admitting their mistake the brand took things to its own hand when the brand CEO held a press conference and gave a complete detail regarding the issue and addressed the queries from the journalists. The brand product was expected to shut down for approximately three years to recover from the damaged caused from the crisis. But the brand came back with unexpected bang in the year 2016. They used the tactics of manipulating their target audience using their emotional values attached to the brand product. Their first advertisement in 2016 was a continuation of their first ever advertisement of Maggi in India. Thus bringing back all the feelings attached to the product back and thus gaining back their consumers. It cannot be said that the band has regained completely from the crisis but were able to contain the damage to just within India. Their main strategy used by Maggi was to let in a few commoners or consumers into their production industry where they could see for themselves how things were manufactured and the details were explained to them in detail, thus gaining back the trust. This crisis case study can be considered as one among the best case studies in India with regard to containing the damage of the crisis and how to strategize into positioning the brand back in the market.

 

Ethics in Public Relations

Ethics in Public Relations

Ethics is the branch of study dealing with the proper course of action for man. It answers the question what to do? It is said that if you want to Practice ethical PR you should work in the not for profit sector. Everything else is just corporate, Political or commercial propaganda. It must be questioned whether any respectable Public Relations organization would agree with this statement. I believe not. I believe that because as Public Relations practitioners are not required to conform to specific ethical rules, it makes it so much easier for the public eye to assume that PR efforts that involve reputation or representation of an organization or person could be categorized as unethical or manipulation or propaganda.

‘The practice of Public Relations is all about earning credibility. Credibility, in turn, begins with telling the truth. Public Relations, then , must be based on doing the right thing’ – in other words, acting ethically.’ (seitel, 2007, p.108). ‘Many people perceive public relations as something less than respectable –  clever strategies to convince the public that what’s wrong is right. Some see public relations professionals as manipulators of the public mind, rather than conveyers of truth.’ (Steven R. Van Hook, PHD).

Across the world, the number of internationally operating NGOs is around 40,000. The number of national NGO in countries is even higher with around 1-2 million NGOs in India and 277,000 NGOs in Russia. (www.ngo.in). A year ago a case study was conducted that dealt with the code of ethics in a non -profit organization. It was found that most of the employees did not know that their organization had a code of ethics or a code that they had to follow for their work, (Lyther, 2010). 44% of the participants have witnessed breach in ethics in their agency but have not spoken about it because of this unawareness. NGOs are often reluctant to talk about corruption for fear that it will lead to bad publicity and, consequently, a loss of funding.( Jerome Larche, 1999). Many non – profit organizations lack code of ethics or have not updated them in years, (PR Newswire, 2008).  In 2007 the Ethics Resources center discovered unethical employee misconduct was increasing, moreover the organizations with well implemented ethics program had faced least employee misconduct. ‘Public Relations people must adhere to a high standard of professional ethics, with truth as the key determinant of their conduct.’ (Seitel, p.111).

Another unethical behavior is fraud. Non – profit organizations commonly lack the budget to bring an outsider auditor to review the group’s fund on a regular basis, which creates a lack of oversight to catch financial fraud and abuse of fund. When the board or in house accounting department is in charge of auditing the books with no outside accountant it is easy to overlook and the support the ongoing negligence or outright theft of public funds. NGOs benefit from tax exemptions and charitable deduction and are governed by volunteers. The public expects independent oversight of our organization to ensure that the tax exempted money benefits the society as a whole and not just an institution or its leader.

I would like to conclude saying that my personal belief is that there exists unethical behavior in all sectors, but it is more anticipated that the not for profit PR professionals act in accordance to the code of ethics or conduct as their main responsibility is to support and perceive others than themselves.

References:

• ‘A disturbing example of unethical PR,’ April 20, 2012, PR Daily.
• Alan Findler, “some campuses decide tobacco money tainted, New York Times, 4 February, 2008.
• An abstract of Efficiency of Code of ethics in Non- profit organization by Brittney E. Lyther, August 2010.
• Corruption in the NGO world: what it is and how to tackle it’. Jerome Larche, 1999.
• http://odihpn.org/magazine/corruption-in-the-ngo-world-what-it-is-and-how-to-tackle-it/
• Non – profit Ethics Edge closer to levels of Business and Government ERC survey shows,’ PR newswire, 27n march 2008.
• Steven R. Van Hook, PHD.
• The Practice of Public Relations’. Business and Economics. Seitel, Fraser. 2007, p.108.
• The principle behind professional Public Relations Ethics, Seitel, p.111.
• ngo.in