Strategic Media Planning: Public Relations - Research Proposal Example

? Public Relations of the of the Introduction ‘Over the last 20 years, a leading body of work has developed around Symmetry / Excellence Theory, which has probably done more to develop public relations theory and scholarship than any other single school of thought’. – Botan and Hazleton (2006, p. 6) It is evident from the above statement that public relation theories are a relatively contemporary topic among research scholars, and the formal theoretical model of public relationship was postulated not more than 30 years ago. Toth (2007) stated that modern researchers should not be blamed for their incompetence; rather, researchers should appreciate the completeness of the public relations model of Grunig and Hunt (1984), which needs very little modifications. What makes the model proposed by Grunig and Hunt (1984) so comprehensive? Well, that is a tricky question which might not be answered in a very accurate manner. In the next section, the researcher will shed light on four aspects of the public relation model of Grunig and Hunt (1984), and the model will also be adjusted in the context of traditional media, social media and stakeholder engagement. The essay will also shed light on ethical elements in public relations practice in order to address the research questions in a comprehensive manner. The School of Thought Grunig and Hunt (1984) defined public relations as ‘management of communication between an organization and its publics’, and such definition is the basic foundation for public relations literature (p. 6). Grunig and Hunt (1984) defined four models of public relations and these models can be briefed in the following manner: Press agentry / publicity––One-way communication with people which is an alternate version of propaganda. Public information model––One-way communication of honest and truthful information with people. Two-way asymmetrical model––A scientific way of communicating with people where mutual understanding is developed between sender of the message and receiver of the message. Two-way symmetrical model––Both sender and receiver of the message try to communicate with each other in an interactive manner, and the level of mutual understanding between sender and receiver of the message increases with the increase in their engagement level (Grunig & Hunt, 1984). The Press Agentry Model It is evident from the research works of Sha (2004; 2007) that the element of conversion was completely missing in case of the press agentry model. Agents of an organisation spread half truth, fantasy or hoaxes in order to influence the public opinion. Generally, press agents are artful liars who spread false news in order to create a public sensation. While doing research on public relation practices in South Korea, Rhee (2002) also found that press agents can use traditional media such as newspapers, television, radio etc to spread false news regarding the organisation to create a sensation. For example, in modern days, entertainment channels or their PR agents spread false rumour against celebrities in order increase popularity of the person, or let us take the example of fundraisers who often tell half truth to generate funds. Sha (2004; 2007) concluded that in case of the press agentry model, the general public who is keen to know about a celebrity or customers of an organisation is the major stakeholder, but its engagement level is almost zero. Rhee (2002) pointed out that people have started checking validity of the hoaxes or fantasies spread by press agents, which is creating problems for these agents. Exaggerated advertisings on television can also be considered as the modern version of the press agentry model of public relations. Due to exposure of social media, where stakeholders can communicate with organisations and their engagement level is high, it becomes difficult for press agents to convince customers by spreading false rumours in the long run. It is evident from the research works of Heath and Coombs (2006) and Ledingham (2003) that there are certain ethical elements associated with public relations, such as truthful communication of messages, not providing misleading information, engaging stakeholders in the communication process etc. By any means, the press agentry model cannot be considered as an ethical practice because it not only provides misleading information but also misleads stakeholders. Public Information Model Hallahan (2001) and L. Grunig, J. Grunig and Dozier (2002) stated that the public information model is still the most trusted public relation tool among marketers. Hallahan (2001) pointed out that although public information is a one-way communication model, the model differs in a significant proportion in comparison with the press agentry model. L. Grunig, J. Grunig and Dozier (2002) found that almost 40% of organisations and government associates prefer to use the public information model in the form of press releases, information brochures, information through TV, static web contents etc. In case of public information, truthful information is communicated to people, but sender of the message is not sure whether anyone will go through the communicated information or not. However, L. Grunig, J. Grunig and Dozier (2002) pointed out that generally customers and common people are the major stakeholders, but still their engagement level is pretty much low in case of the public information model. As the communication is one-way, there is not much scope available for people to provide their feedback to sender of the message. Although modern marketers are using static web contents to spread public information, that is not the type of social media information which offers two-way information exchanges. During the time of election, governments give press releases regarding their success and work in the last tenure in order to influence voting decisions of the public and that can be an example of the public information model (Laskin, 2009). Although the model provides truthful information to stakeholders, lack of stakeholder engagement is the major challenge and weakness of the model. The Two-way Asymmetrical Model Grunig and Hunt (1984) stated that ‘communication flows both to and from publics’ and that assumption is pretty much right (p. 23). Laskin (2011) pointed out that in case of the two-way asymmetric model, public relation practitioners use social science theory in order to understand the behaviour of target audience and then manipulate the message which is in line with the beliefs and attitudes of the public. The two-way asymmetrical model does not have the goal to create mutual understanding; rather, the model tries to manipulate the message to make it public likable contents. Holtzhausen (2000) stated that in case of the two-way asymmetric model, markets conduct research on consumer behaviour, purchasing intentions of customers and then analyse their choice with the help of social science theories and create the message which can mitigate the need of customers or influence their purchasing decision. Laskin (2011) pointed out that the two-way asymmetrical model is the second most popular public relation model among marketers. Although the model involves two-way communication, the engagement level of stakeholders such as customers and the general public is moderate because public relation practices never try to achieve mutual understanding with audience. Modern markets use all the traditional media such as TV campaigns, print advertisements or social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, web sites etc to exercise the two-way asymmetrical model of public relations. In many cases, companies use social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn etc to understand consumer sentiments and then design a manipulated message. For example, a fashion retailer can conduct a survey on purchasing intentions of customers through a social media survey and on the basis of the results, it can design a advertising campaign. The model focuses on manipulating the message in order to influence behaviour which cannot be classified as an ethical practice from the psychological view point. Although the model has the opportunity to get rid of these weaknesses and ethical validity by integrating the two-way communication mode of social media, such integration would change the nature of the model. The Two-way Symmetrical Model Laskin (2011) criticised the two-way symmetrical model as too much idealistic and utopian in nature because the model points out that those public relation officials should handle queries of all the stakeholders and resolve the conflicts of stakeholders by changing the message. Idealistically, the model stresses a comprehensive engagement of stakeholders in order to develop mutual understanding between an organisation and the public. Yet, can it be possible to resolve conflicts of all the stakeholders by a single public relation agency? Yes, it is possible up to a certain extent due to the advent of social media. Social media backed by social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter etc or blogs, i.e. online public forums, give options to customers to provide feedback or complaints, and companies can change the message content by taking into account the public feedback. With such practices, the two-way symmetrical model embedded in social media can be used to create mutual understanding. On the other hand, traditional media such as TV and print media are not able to offer such level of two-way communication. Huang (2004) and Moloney (2004) pointed out that the two-way symmetrical model is the most ethical public relation model which adheres to all the ethical norms such as providing truthful information, engaging stakeholders in a comprehensive manner, not providing misleading information etc. Conclusion Grunig and Hunt (1984) are considered as ones of the pioneers in the field of public relations not because they gave four types of public relations practice but because they opened a new pathway in the field of public relation research through their work. Laskin (2009) pointed out that although public relation is a contemporary topic, very few theories have been developed after the four aspect underpinning of Grunig and Hunt (1984). In this study, the researcher has also found that the model proposed by Grunig and Hunt (1984) is still very much relevant in the context of the modern-day business environment and the advent of social media can also be explained with the public relation revolutionary model of Grunig and Hunt (1984). References Botan, C. H. & Hazleton, V. (2006). Public relations in a new age. In C. H. Botan & V. Hazleton (Eds), Public relations theory II (pp. 1–18). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Grunig, J. E. & Hunt, T. (1984). Managing public relations. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Grunig, L. A., Grunig, J. E. & Dozier, D. M. (2002). Excellent public relations and effective organizations. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Hallahan, K. (2001). Strategic media planning: Toward an integrated public relations media model. In R. L. Heath (Ed.), Handbook of public relations (pp. 461–70). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Heath, R. L. & Coombs, W. T. (2006). Today’s public relations: An introduction. 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