STRATEGY & PLANNING 1
May 17, 2015
STRATEGY &
PLANNING
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Strategy & Planning in Public Relations
Dr Danny Moss
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“To be strategic , public relations must pass one basic test: at a minimum everything that is done must be aligned with the corporate vision or mission-the company’s reason for being-and must substantially contribute to achieving the organisation’s objectives. Ideally public relations should be part of the team helping to create the corporate mission and set objectives”
P.J.Webster ,1990 3
Business / Organisational strategy
Business planning
Comms/P RStrategy &
Plans
MarketingStrategy &
plans
HRM Strategy &
Plans
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How does Business Strategy & Planning Differ?Strategy
Strategy determines the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term:
Strategy achieves advantage for the organisation through configuring its resources within a changing environment to meet the needs of markets & fulfil stakeholder expectations (Johnson & Scholes,1999)
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Organisation’sPurpose-Impetus for Strategic activities
Strategy ProcessFlow of strategic activity
Strategy ContentOutcome of Strategic activity
Strategy Context- Conditions surrounding strategic activity
Adapted from De Witt & Meter (2004)
Three Dimensional Perspective of Strategy
Planning
While Strategy addresses questions about overall direction, scope and focus of organisation’s operations, - the vision, policy direction, broad corporate ‘architecture’
Planning provides (1) the analysis, insights and forecasts needed to facilitate strategy formation and (2) the detailed implementation plans to help realize top managements’ strategic vision
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SOSTAC Model of Planning ( A Pulford & P Smith , 1990)
S -Situation Analysis - where are we now?O -Objectives -where do we want to go?S - Strategy -summarises how we are going to get
there.T -Tactics -the details of strategyA -Action or implementation - putting the plan to
work- who is going to do what and when.C –How can we control, measure and develop the
process
Henry Mintzberg, leading management scholar (1994) argued:Strategic “planning” is not the same of “strategic thinking” -the former is about analysis , the latter synthesis
Planners do not create strategies, but they can supply the data, help managers to think strategically, and programme their vision
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VISION
MISSION
GOALS
STRATEGIES
TACTICS/
ACTION PLANS
Strategy Pyramid: Top Down Approach
Traditional view of the structure of Strategy and tactics
Recognition of the possibility of bottom-up approaches to planning and strategy making
Public Relations Strategy & PlanningPractitioners and academics often fail to distinguish clearly between the terms strategy and planning using the terms interchangeably
Indeed where strategy is discussed in the public relations context it is often conceived largely in terms of formulating a PR plan.
Moreover , to understand the underlying role of public relations strategy it needs to be located within the overall hierarchy of corporate and business strategy –making and planning.
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Corporate Strategy & PlansDetermining the Org’s positionand future direction- what business Should we be in
Business /Competitive strategyDetermining how best to compete in existing/ chosen markets –how to sustain a competitive position
Corporate Objectives and plans
Business Objectives and plans
Communications strategy and plansDetermining what needs to be communicated to whom in order to support corporate and competitive strategies and goals
Communication objectives Target stakeholders and publics, Key messages and tactical programmes
Corporate, Business and Communications strategy & Plans
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What is P R strategy?
Grunig and Repper (1992) defines the strategic role of public relations as:“to manage conflict and build relationships with those strategic constituencies that can limit the autonomy of the organisation”
From this perspective , the P R strategy focuses on defining the key stakeholder relationships and determining how best to either develop and enhance, assuage or combat their affects
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Consequences
Stakeholders
Publics
P2 P3
P4
P1
IssuesBehaviour of Publics Creates
Crisis Management
Relationshipoutcome
Consequences
Strategic Management Model for Public Relations
Failure to to anticipate and resolve conflict leads to
Organisational decisions atcorporate, business functionallevels
Symmetrical Communication ++Relationship maintenance+ Conflict management
Organisationalreputation
Achievementof BusinessGoals
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According to Gregory (2000), Strategy represents the overall approach taken – the coordinating theme or factor, the guiding principles or ‘big idea’ behind the tactical campaign
Moss and Warnaby (1997) acknowledge that public relations strategy will take on differing emphases at different levels of strategy:
At the corporate level , public relations strategy may be about (i) building key relationships (ii) positioning the organisation or (iii) shaping perceptions with respect to key issues
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At the business/ competitive level, public relations strategy is about supporting brand positions, underpinning and elaborating marketing messages and building customer relationships
At the functional level the strategy is about determining and directing the specific set of communications activities towards the realization of specific functional goals and objectives
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Public Relations Planning
While strategy can be and often is expressed in the form of a plan, planning is more generally treated as the means through which the strategic vision and goals are made real and implemented
And generally plans set out the operational/ tactical measures/ actions to be carried out to realize specific objectives
The key elements in the planning cycle are shown the the next figure
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Corporate and Business Strategy
Communications StrategyWhat role is Communicationsto play- Desired outcomes & effects
Communications Tactical Programme(s)What messagesWhat audiences/publicsWhat channels / media
Programme(s)ExecutionImplementing theprogrammes
Research & EvaluationMeasuring results Against targets/Objectives
Communications strategy and Planning Cycle
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There are a number of planning models /frameworks that have been applied to public relations .
Although perhaps differing in the terminology used the planning process depicted by most of these models comprises broadly similar elements
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CORPORATE MISSION,OBJECTIVES &STRATEGY
MARKET ANALYSISMARKET POSITION
IDENTIFY COMMUNICATION ISSUES
DEFINE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
DEFINE THE COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES
IDENTIFY AND PRIORITISE KEY TARGET AUDIENCES
DEVELOP MEDIA STRATEGY & TACTICS
DEVELOP THE MESSAGE STRATEGY & TACTICS
PREPARE THE BUDGET
IMPLEMENT PLAN AND & EVALUATION
If c
ost
una
ccep
tabl
e re
vise
pla
n
SITUATION ANALYSIS
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Situation AnalysisPESTLESWOTComms. Audit
Define the Role of P RWhat can public relations can do to help resolve the situation
Define Measurable ObjectivesSMART
Rationale & Justification of the proposed Strategy
The who , what , where, when and how to achieve the objectives
Identify the Target publics
(CIPR Guides Di Burton)
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Identify the Core MessagesAn over-aching core message that resonates withKey audiences with sub messages tailored to each target audience
The tactical ProgrammeIdentify the tactical activities to deliver the core messages to each audience
Develop the detailed timetable Specify what is to happen when and who is responsible
Budget Considerations All plans must be within budget Costing must account for people, resources and any other costs
Evaluation Analysis of ‘impact’ not just process- have the objectives been met
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Elements of Planning
Situation AnalysisThe first step in assembling any P R strategy and Plan is analysis of the context/ specific situation faced. This requires an examination of both internal and external factors:
The key stakeholder relationships that the PR programme will need influence
The factors affecting current stakeholder perceptions of the organisation- its reputation
The key elements of the organisation’s reputationThe nature/ effectiveness of past communications activityThe likely scenarios that may result and how they may affect
the realisation of intended goalsOther external/internal variables that may affect the
organisation’s plans- e.g.impending new legislation
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Analysis tools include
For Broad internal and external Context Analysis PESTLE analysis [ political, economic, social, technological, legal
and environmental factors] for broad context analysisSWOT [ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats]
Stakeholder Analysis- who is affected by and can affect the organisation/ situation
For Specific Communication Problem AnalysisCommunication Audit – review of previous/ exiting communication
activity Issues Analysis – analysis of key challenges/ issues affecting the
organisation- stakeholder relationships
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Analysis should avoid simply generating ‘lists ‘ of general context factors – in all cases the unit of analysis should be on how each factor might affect the key organisation- stakeholder relationships
This context analysis should lead to identification of the key issues that the P R strategy should address arise-issues can be defined as the result of the consequences that an organisations’ actions have for particular people/ groups or vice versa.
For the purposes of PR planning, it is important to identify the communication implications of the key corporate/ business issues and hence define the communications issues - e.g Concerns over product safety, Poor quality reputation of a company, Perceived dishonesty of MPs, etc
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Communication / P R Objectives
Objectives should be as precise as possible – SMARTSpecificMeasureableAchievable/AgreedRealistic Timely
These objectives should identify the intended outcomes with respect to the key stakeholder relationships -i.e the values the organisation wishes to communicate & the attitudes, opinions and behaviours it wishes to promote towards the organisation.
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In addition to defining overall objectives for the campaign as a whole, where there are multiple target publics, specific objectives should be identified for each of the key target public/audience strands
Thus while the overall objective might be: To achieve at least 60% awareness and understanding of an organisations new identity and name change amongst Key stakeholder groups by year end
The specific objectives for internal/ employee audiences might be: To communicate the rationale for the new identity and name change and to build support for the new identity amongst employees
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Articulating the Strategy
Devising alternative communications strategies involves identifying what different roles communication might play on behalf of the organisation- expressed in term of how communication might help the organisation achieve its goals/ resolve its problems
Often communications /P R strategy may be expressed in terms of some form of intended positioning for the organisation in relation to its reputation with its key stakeholders as well in relation to the identified issues
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The Comms Strategy will seek to reposition the org as a leader in the move toward ‘Greener’ or environmentally friendly manufacturing, focusing on the organisation’s environmental record through an international PR and paid corporate advertising campaign
The strategy will aim to position the company at the forefront of mobile technology capabilities, through an integrated comms program of advertorial and editorial placement to demonstrate the company’s advanced technological capabilities
The strategy will seek to challenge the necessity of the proposed legislation, highlighting the flaws in the new legislation and suggesting amendments to the new Act through a sustained programme of editorial placement and face to face advocacy
Examples of communication strategy statements:
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The success of any PR programme hinges on identifying the key stakeholder relationships that are crucial to resolving the situation/ problem- here a stakeholder map may be useful starting point in the case of very complex sets of stakeholders.
Here it is important to identify the active publics in the specific context being handled [ those who are directly affected by the organisation or who can frustrate or facilitate the realisation of the organisation’s goals
It may also be important to determine the priorities amongst the publics - those whose support/ opposition is most critical to the success of the programme
Identify The Stakeholders &Target Publics
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A detailed profile of each target public should be drawn up in terms of geo-demographics, attitudes, opinions and behaviour with respect to the organisation and the issues involved in the situation.
Such profiles are essential in identifying the most effectivemedia channels to reach the target publics
For P R planning purposes the media are treated as both a a target public and a channel to communicate with other targets
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Once the objectives and target publics have been identified, the next step is to formulate the main elements of the communication programme itself.
Here, all programmes comprise two main elements:
• The core message strategy to be communicated
• The media strategy/ activities to be used to deliver the messages to the target publics.
Developing the Tactical Program/Plan
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The message strategy should indicate the broad theme(s) of the communication strategy-i.e. what has the campaign to convince people to believe, support, or do. The message strategy should not be confused with a summary of “the copy” to be used in any press release, brochures , etc.
Thus when ICI sought to reposition itself afterits demerger from Zeneca the message strategy focused onpositioning ICI as:
“A Global leader in the industrial chemicals and paint market”
The Message Strategy
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The execution of this message strategy took the form of the use of the strapline:
“ICI World-class”
This strapline appeared on all stationary, brochures, packaging etc
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The Commission for Racial Equality [CRE]’s campaign to challenge individual attitudes towards racism in the UK
The overall aim and focus of message strategy was to challenge personal responsibility towards racism
The core message /strapline used throughout the campaign was
Racism- Condemn it or condone it – there’s no in between
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The media strategy/plan should identify the media channels/PR activities to be used, indicating which publics each will be used to reach, how the activities relate to one another, and the relative importance assigned to each.
Here it is important to distinguish between the specific role and activities that PR will perform and those activities that other functions may need to perform to enable the overall objectives of the campaign to be achieved
Media Channels/ Activity Plan
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COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
DEFINE OVERALL KEY OBJECTIVES & MESSAGE STRATEGY
AUDIENCE 1STRAND
AUDIENCE 2STRAND
AUDIENCE 3STRAND
AUDIENCE 4STRAND
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
MESSAGES
SPECIFIC PR/ COMMS.PROGRAMME
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Plan Press conference
Issue Press releases
Prepare Press packs
Stage Press conference
Plan exhibition
Manage exhibition
Evaluationsurvey
Data analysis
TradePress
Consumerpress
Programme Time Scale
Bookstand
Prepareliterature
Venue
Timing
Writingphotos
Pressreception
J F M M J J A S O N D J
Bookvenue
Man Exhibition
P R Activity Plan Gnatt chart
Collectdata
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Any PR programme must take account of the budget / resourcesavailable and where necessary elements of the plan may need to be trimmed to stick within budget
Here a project based approach should enable the essential elements of any plan to be retained while cost saving can be achieved by trimming ‘non-essential’ elements of the programme
Budgeting
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Monitoring the success of the programme during its implementation and then evaluating the outcome against the objectives is critically important and is often one of the weaknesses in programme management.
Here it is important to adopt measures that focus on the ‘impact’ achieved ( i.e changes in attitudes/ behaviour)rather than simply the success of the process of communication ( i.e measuring media coverage)
Measures such as AVEs are spurious measures of impact often used to placate an essentially uninformed client / superior
Monitoring & Evaluation
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Evaluation of ‘impact’ often requires pre and post- campaign measurement of attitudes , opinions and ultimately behaviours . This itself can be difficult to conduct effectively and expensive .
It is it generally the cost , potential complexity and time considerations that are cited as the reasons for the reliance on media content-type evaluation methods. Such considerations cannot be ignored but should not be used to justify complete reliance on process-based measures for evaluation
Monitoring & Evaluation