by Robert
A. Kelly
Who
wants to face the challenges of a Business Recovery Cycle without the
very best available firepower?
Especially when getting your piece
of the expected economic recovery
this year will almost certainly
depend upon how well you modify
the behaviors of your target
audiences.
That's why public relations should
play a central role in your
business planning.
Any recovery that takes place this
year will be the result of
industrial, commercial and
individual consumers alike
starting to behave like buyers,
whether of luxury real estate,
frozen pizzas, industrial
transformers, or running shoes.
So,
before this train leaves the
station, any manager unsure how
best to use public relations in
the upcoming business recovery is
hereby advised that changed
key-audience perceptions, much
stronger confidence levels and
clearly modified behaviors will be
essential to business expansion as
never before. Fortunately, all
three are social dynamics at which
public relations excels.
Consider its basic mission: Public
relations is firmly rooted in the
principle that people act on their
own perception of the facts. Then
it strives to create, change or
reinforce public opinion by
reaching, persuading and
moving-to- action those people
whose behaviors affect the
organization. When the behavioral
changes become apparent, and meet
the program's original behavior
modification goal, a public
relations venture can be deemed a
success.
So, what comes first? In my
opinion, a real acceptance that
(1) individual perception of the
facts is THE guiding light leading
to behavioral change, and (2) that
something really CAN be done about
those perceptions. Think about
that for a moment - not every one
buys it. For me, I can tell you it
was an epiphany of immense
proportion that actually helped
shape my career in public
relations.
Next,
What Will it Be? Opinion Creation,
Change or Reinforcement?
CREATION
O.K.,
now the real public opinion work
begins. The public relations squad
must decide whether opinion among
key audiences is to be created
from scratch, requiring a lot of
basic data, information and
interpretation from which a person
can form an initial opinion.
CHANGE
Or, are we talking about a change
in opinion, a nudge in one
direction or the other requiring a
clear, credible and well-supported
explanation of, and rationale for
why anyone should alter their
current views?
REINFORCEMENT
Or, do we simply reinforce opinion
that pretty much tracks with the
opinion level we desire? Here, we
use simple corroboration and
additional third-party support to
strengthen existing public
opinion.
But for each of the three choices,
the information and data to be
communicated must be creditably
sourced, crystal-clear and
logically presented.
On to
Reach, Persuade and Move-to-Action
REACH
Now, reach your key audiences,
people whose behaviors will affect
your organization. Among others,
these stakeholders include
customers, employees, prospects,
retirees, media, legislators,
regulators, and both financial and
plant communities.
But reaching these target groups
means applying the most effective
communications tactics available
to you. These will include such
tools as media relations and
publicity-generating news
conferences and press releases,
newsletters and e-mails,
high-profile speeches, charitable
contributions, investor relations,
informal opinion surveys and many
others.
Special events also will be high
on the "reach" action
list: newsworthy events like trade
shows, open houses, awards
ceremonies, contests, VIP
receptions, financial roadshows,
and even media-attracting stunts.
At the same time, marketing
counsel will want to develop
sales-oriented communications to
help build brand franchise, win
consumer acceptance and gain
competitive advantage.
PERSUADE
Persuading your key audiences, the
third leg of the opinion troika,
is yet another challenge because
bringing these important groups of
stakeholders around to your way of
thinking depends heavily on the
quality of the message you prepare
for each target audience.
It's hard work. You must
understand and identify what is
really at issue at the moment;
impart a sense of credibility to
your comments; perform regular
assessments of how opinion is
currently running among that
group, constantly adjusting your
message; as well as highlighting
those key issue points most likely
to engage their attention and
involvement; and finally, identify
and build into your messages
pre-tested, action-producing
incentives for individuals to take
the actions you desire.
By the way, those incentives could
include the very strength of your
position on the issues, a new
plant expansion holding the
promise of more jobs and taxes for
the City, or even your
organization's efforts to attract
low and middle income housing to
the area.
ACTION
Moving your target groups to
action, hopefully with a mix of
activity such as the above, can be
accelerated, even amplified by
careful selection of those media
most likely to reach your target
audience. This applies whether,
among other tactics, you use print
or broadcast media, key podium
presentations or a series of
top-level personal contacts,
because when these tools
communicate with your target
audiences you want them to score
direct bullseyes.
Of equal importance to the success
of your action program will be the
selection and perceived
credibility of the actual
spokespeople who will deliver your
messages. They must be seen as
people of stature, and they must
speak with authority, personal
confidence and conviction if
meaningful media coverage is to be
achieved.
Now,
Let's Gain
and Hold
By this time, your action program
should begin to gain and hold the
kind of public understanding and
acceptance that will lead to the
desired shift in public behavior.
Signs that your messages are
turning some opinion in your
direction will begin to appear.
For example, indicators like
comments by a colleague in an
outside business meeting,
observations in a local newspaper
editorial, e-mails from interested
parties, public references by
political figures and local
celebrities should begin to build.
Each of these indicators will
reflect a segment of local,
individual perception which, in
turn, will gradually begin to
reflect the modified behaviors you
seek.
And
The
End-Game? Modify Behavior, Achieve
your Goal
When the changes in behaviors
become truly apparent through
media reports, thought-leader
comment, employee and community
chatter and a variety of other
feedback -- at the same time
clearly meeting your original
behavior modification goal -- I
believe your public relations
program can be deemed a success.
Obviously, your piece of the
action in the business recovery
ahead will come at a price. And
that will be your cost to
efficiently modify the behaviors
of your target audiences. But, the
payoff makes it all worthwhile --
nothing less than the achievement
of your business objectives and,
at slight risk of overstatement, a
real contribution to the survival
of your organization.
PR
consultant Bob Kelly was
director of PR for Pepsi-Cola
Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR,
Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News
Shipbuilding; director of
communications, U.S. Department
of the Interior, and deputy
assistant press secretary, The
White House.
bobkelly@TNI.net
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