PR Strategy Development Definitions Worksheet - Assignment Example

1. Positioning – refers to the way in which a particular approach is d, understood, and pitched to the audience. Positioning of any idea, no matter how good or bad, is ultimately the success marker for whether or not it can gain a degree of traction. More often than not, positioning within public relations has to do with the way in which a particular group/company/firm wants itself to be viewed as compared to its competitors 2. Goal – refers to the root and underlying effect that the public relations approach will seek to have in the long run. With a clear and definitive goal, it is possible for most public relations approaches to appreciate a degree of success; specifically as compared to those that have poorly defined or non-existent goals. 3. Objective – refers to measurable outcomes that efforts can hope to attain or accomplish with sufficient labor. As with any public relations campaign or approach, the objectives will vary depending upon the actual needs that are specified. However, a key hallmark of objective is that it is both measurable and tangible. 4. Awareness objective – an awareness objective is somewhat more difficult to quantify as compared to other types of objectives. The reason behind this is that an awareness objective, by very definition, seeks to raise awareness concerning a key issue; however, seeking to keep metrics and milestones for an awareness objective is extraordinarily difficult. This lends many awareness objectives to a level of confusion with respect to whether or not the objective was indeed affected. 5. Acceptance objective – this particular objective is based on compliance, identification, and internalization. By encouraging the individual who is presented with a message or approach to engage with it, either in a positive, negative, or neutral manner, the acceptance objective forces a form of mental action that has definite and concrete objectives. 6. Action objective – this particular type of objective effects both the opinion and the behavior of the individual that might be impacted by it. The ultimate goal of this particular objective is to shift the approach and mindset of the individual that is presented with a particular message; in the hopes of winning them over to a new point of view that they might not have otherwise engaged with. 7. Affective component – this relates to an individual’s feelings or emotions as they are directed towards a particular idea or object. Although there is no common baseline for integrating with this “affective component”, there are core similarities that the effective use of public relations can seek to engage. 8. Cognitive component – this refers to an individual’s knowledge or belief system that allows them to have a degree of understanding concerning a particular issue. Further, it is understood by psychologists as one of the three forms of “attitudes”. Ultimately, the cognitive component is one that the public relations specialist will need to integrate with as it provides the baseline of understanding through which individuals approach different issues. 9. Analogy – can be utilized as an effective means of presenting a particular issue or situation to the stakeholder within society. Whereas there are many situations that are complex and do not lend themselves readily to being easily explained or represented, the public relations specialist can easily use an analogy that quickly brings the situation or issue down to the level to which the stakeholder in society can readily understand and/or integrate with it. 10. Proactive strategy – a proactive strategy is quite literally one that seeks to anticipate change rather than being beholden to it. Through engaging a proactive strategy, it is possible for the individual to address anticipated change prior to anything actually taking place. Although this approach is somewhat risky, it also holds a great many benefits. 11. Reactive strategy – by means of contrast, the reactive strategy is one that simply seeks to respond to the changes that are exhibited in the environment with no focus upon anticipating these prior to them actually being exhibited. Such a strategy has effectively been utilized by many public relations groups and individuals over the past several decades; however, it does not allow for the firm/company/group to gain an advantage over their competition. 12. Audience engagement – refers to the degree and extent to which the public relations specialist can enlist the support and/or like-mindedness of the audience with respect to whatever thought process or approach they are supporting or criticizing. This is a fundamental measurement of whether or not a particular approach will be successful or whether or not it will fail. 13. Special event – a special event is utilized as a means of underscoring or highlighting a particular cause or issue. Whereas it is true that other approaches can be utilized simultaneously, a special event is something that can allow the team or individual public relations specialist to accurately draw a focus upon the core issue or set of issues at hand. 14. Alliance – can be utilized as a means of serving as a force multiplier. In many situations, the resources, both material and cognitive, of a particular public relations team (or individual) are not sufficient to effectively engage the required share of stakeholders. As such, partnership with other groups and individuals is required as a means of addressing issues that might otherwise be understated or under-represented. 15. Coalition – in the same way that an alliance is useful in order to maximize the public relations impact that a particular approach could benefit from, joining a coalition is something that takes this to the next level. Ultimately, by surveying the existing causes and determining whether or not there is already an active coalition that might be able to assist with whatever PR goals that they may have previously noted were required. 16. Sponsorship – predictably refers to the way in which a given firm/company/or institution can seek to promote their own ideas and best interests by placing their sponsorship behind a given issue or group. This must be carefully done in many cases as the entity/firm/or organization runs the distinct chance of alienating some of its target market with too specific a sponsorship. 17. Strategic philanthropy – is similar to sponsorship; however, it is a way in which a given firm/entity/or organization can show that it is committed to the community and/or social/ethical issues by designating a certain portion of money or time towards accomplishing responsible goals. Many firms engage in this; both as a means of promoting human/ethical development with a secondary benefit of increasing their overall positive image that they may hope to create in the market. 18. Activism strategy is utilized as a means of crafting a plan for the way in which a firm or entity will engage with key issues that are extant within the society around them. Choosing what strategy to take is fundamental and important as it will have a formative impact with respect to the way in which the firm/entity is viewed by its consumers and clients. 19. Publicity can either be positive, negative, or neutral. Ultimately, the end goal of sponsorship, philanthropy, and activism (as well as many other strategies) is to present the consumer/stakeholder/client with a positive image of what the firm/entity engages with. As such, the goal for publicity is to maximize the overall level of positive publicity while minimizing the overall levels of negative or neutral publicity. 20. Gatekeepers – refer to those individuals that are charged with filtering information and determining as to whether or not it is suitable for dissemination. Accordingly, public relations take the role of the gatekeeper as extraordinarily important. The underlying reason behind this has to do with the fact that the gatekeeper is ultimately responsible for representing sensitive information in a positive light or suppressing it. 21. Generating news –refers to the practice whereby public relations specialist will seek to craft a “story” where there is not necessary one to be had. Although this practice might be seen as dishonest, it is ultimately necessary as a means of keeping a particular firm or entity on the cusp of public awareness and adequately representing it. 22. News ingredients – refers to the specific inclusion that any news item should have as a means of a stakeholder in society taking it seriously. Although there is a rubric that the news must follow, it is not limited in its scope or descriptive potential with respect to whatever issue or item is attempting to be discussed. 23. Transparent communication – refers to the ability to relate information to people in a way that avoids surprises, actively engages with concerns that are voiced, and is consistent with its content and process. Further, transparent communication refers to a style of delivery and discussion that engenders a degree of faith that the expectations that it lays out can indeed be effected. 24. Agenda setting theory – refers to the understanding that the news, and specifically those that are responsible for representing it, have a massive and nearly immeasurable level of influence upon the way in which the salience of topics is understood and/or the dialogue is created within the general public. 25. Priming theory – refers to the theory that media, and those that represent it, are able to stimulate certain key thoughts in the minds of those that consume the media. Suggestion and the power of inference play powerfully with regard to the way in which this particular theory is understood in terms of public relations. 26. Pre-emptive action – refers to the actions that are taken as a means of averting some unwanted consequence in the future. Pre-emptive actions need not be understood only in terms of averting negative consequences; they must also be understood in terms of maximizing potential future success by taking definitive and immediate action in the short run. 27. Diversionary response – refers to the way in which a public relations response can seek to shift the focus of a particular incident elsewhere. This particular response has been utilized many times in the past as firms/organizations/entities seek to shift the focus off their own shortcomings and on to another entity or individual. 28. Vocal commiseration – is a strategy that public relations experts oftentimes utilize that involves actively expressing empathy and understanding in light of a specific incident or occurrence. This is done as a means of effecting a degree of “like-mindedness” with whatever group or population may be bereaved or suffering at a given point in time. 29. Rectifying behavior – refers to the steps or changes that an organization/entity/or firm might promise to make as a result of the wrong-doing or oversight that may have landed it in hot water to begin with. 30. Deliberate inaction – refers to the lack of overall change that a given entity or organization engages in; even in the face of the understanding that change is necessitated or otherwise required in order to effect a change. 31. Relabeling – refers to the approach of merely re-branding or re-packaging an idea or good/service in light of negative publicity. This approach has oftentimes been engaged as a means of distancing the company or firm from bad publicity and seeking to still retain the product line or service that was originally profitable. 32. Apology – refers to the process of speaking directly to the consumer/stakeholders and expressing sorrow and remorse over the actions or inactions that contributed to a specific situation. 33. Non-apology – this refers to the lack of addressing a specific event or set of events and not expressing remorse or sadness. Ultimately, this approach is utilized in many cases so that the firm/entity/organization in question will not find it necessary to directly accept guilt for a given occurrence. 34. Streisand effect – refers to the fact that oftentimes deliberate actions to hide or cover up a particular action ultimately backfire and can cause a situation in which the information or material that is sought to be suppressed is more widespread than could have originally been the case. 35. Persuasion model – is a pyramid approach that seeks to acknowledge the different motivators that a diverse group will necessarily have. Although it is impossible to have each and every motivator represented within a given message, being aware of the major ones and seeking to address them goes a long way in helping to engage a broad group of stakeholders. 36. Propaganda – refers to the deliberate use and dissemination of incorrect or untruthful information as a means of shifting opinion. Such a tactic, although most notably engaged by the likes of totalitarian regimes, is also engaged by firms and business entities. 37. Dialogue Model – refers to the approach that is utilized in a situation in which an active dialogue is desired to be engaged. This particular approach is useful in situations in which stakeholders desire an active part in fabricating a solution. 38. Rhetoric – refers to the art of effective presentation (whether this is written or spoken). As such, the message that is conveyed rests upon the strength of its rhetoric; oftentimes more so than the overall strength of its content. 39. Consensus building –refers to the tacit need for creating solidarity with respect to whatever decision is made. No entity, organization, or group, regardless of size, is able to set out to conquer its objectives without seeking to create some type of consensus between and among its stakeholders. Only after consensus is built can effective progress in any particular area be accomplished. 40. Ethos –logos –and pathos – refers to Aristotle’s 3 core approaches to argumentation. Ethos represents the character and reputation of the speaker. Pathos represents the emotional appeals and logos represents the logic that is utilized. 41. 3 C’s of effective communication – this refers to clear, courteous and consistent. Although these might seem as merely a random selection of words to define effective communication, they must be engaged in totality in order for effective and useful communication to result from any particular interaction. 42. Halo effect – refers to a type of bias in which a person’s overall understanding or feelings are overshadowed by a negative or positive understanding of a particular character. This can be utilized within the field of public relations to understand the way in which identification can have a powerful determinant with respect to the way in which a person comes to understand what a firm/organization/or entity represents. 43. Proposition (claim) – refers to the approach or stated goal of a particular entity or group. By having a stated proposition or claim, a public relations specialist can then seek to maneuver the conversation/dialogue in a manner that would be beneficial and supportive of a given proposition. 44. Testimonial – refers to a formal statement that attests to some given fact or attribute; normally about one’s own character or experience. Such an approach is particularly useful within the realm of public relations as it allows for the speaker to assume to role of the stakeholders throughout society; attributing elements of their own humanity and self doubt/consciousness into the dialogue and evoking a level of similarity to other individuals. 45. Endorsement – refers to giving approval or support of something or someone. This is generally done in a public forum so that the product or individual can benefit from the expert referral that is generated. 46. Virtue appeal – refers to an approach of rhetoric in which the virtue and/or goodness of the individual listener is a appealed to as a means of effecting a particular change. 47. Fear appeal – refers to the way in which negative emotions, specifically fear, are utilized as a form of rhetoric that is intended to sway the opinion of a group of individuals in one direction or another. This fear appeal invariably takes the form of “ethos” and plays upon the emotions of those that are receptive to such a message in the first place 48. Fog index – refers to a measurement of the overall linguistics and/or readability of a specific statement or approach. By engagement in measurements like this, the stakeholders is able to ascertain whether or not a specific approach is nuanced or more straightforward. 49. Salience – refers to the overall applicability or relevance that a particular release or statement might have. Ultimately, the relevance and salience of a message is what helps it to resonate or be rejected by the stakeholders that are actually responsible for acting upon it. 50. Astroturf group – refers to a loose collection of groups that view themselves to be representative of a particular point of view. Although this is oftentimes the case, the overall representativeness of these groups and the virtues they hope to champion are more disparate and nuanced than might otherwise be understood. 51. Defamation – refers to the process of communicating false statements, generally concerning the character of an individual or group of individuals. Within the American legal system, this is a legal offense and oftentimes results in law suits. 52. Kinesics – refers to the interpretation and/or study of body language and/or nonverbal communication that takes place within the realm of human interaction. Although necessarily a broad term, it has helped many individuals come to understand more nuanced meanings with respect to interactions. 53. Visual communication – refers to those aspects of communication that can be seen. As such, many different types of body language and/or emotional responses to communication fall into this definition 54. Brand – refers to a name, symbol, or product identifier that alerts the stakeholder that a specific good or service is the product of a given group. Branding is of essential importance as a means of identification of products and services and allows well known brands to represent themselves throughout the business world. 55. Tagline – refers to a small amount of text that helps to clarify a picture, idea, or thought. This is utilized as a means of providing context to many ideas or pictures that might otherwise be misinterpreted 56. Controlled media – refers to those aspects of media that fall within the realm of corporate influence. For instance, GE and others own their own TV stations and have a disproportionate level of influence the way in which items or stories are represented 57. Communication tactic – refers to the approach that is directed towards representing information. Although the information contained in any statement is different, the approach that is given and the actual tactics that are utilized have a powerful impact with respect to effecting how the information will be received. 58. Trade media- refers to a type of media that exists solely as a means of providing information from business to business; as compared to a media approach that is predicated upon providing information directly to the individual. Read More