11.4 Public relations objectives and strategies used in a range of planned business situations

Public relations objectives and strategies used in a range of planned business situationsCase Study: Tourism Australia

KEY CONCEPTPublic relations is about creating a favorable image. Sometimes that happens by accident, but in most cases it must be planned.

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public relations campaignA public relations campaign is a series of public relations activities undertaken to achieve a specific objective

public relations campaign

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Stage 1 establish public relations objectivesObjectives outline what the campaign is trying to achieve. They should be developed using the SMARRT principle. That is, objectives should be:SpecificMeasurableAttainableResults-centredRealisticTime-bound.

Stage 2 identify the intended publicsThe public relations campaign target group is the publics towards whom the public relations strategies and tactics are directed. Tourism Australia identified two main publics:people living outside Australiathe Australian public.Other publics could include the local media, tourist operators, tourism employees and their families, the government and businesses.

Stage 3 develop specific public relations strategies and tacticsThere is a wide range of media from which a business can select. It is important to select the most appropriate and effective media for the chosen publics. For example, Tourism Australia can choose from the following media;displays and exhibition, competition, guest speakers, letterbox drops, brochures, pamphlets, information videos, direct mail, advertising, email messages, media releases, news conferences, community involvement programs, noticeboards and posters, notices on its website, speeches, staged events and stunts.Creativity is essential. Tourism Australia will examine the costs and benefits of each of these media to select the most suitable media mix.

Stage 4 implement the public relations campaignAn action plan is devised to make sure the implementation runs smoothly.For Tourism Australia, the public relations manager would devise an action plan detailing the schedule of public relations activities, areas of individual responsibility, media contact details and a calendar of event dates. It is during the implementation stage that many public relations campaigns fail. This is often because the public relations manager lacks the necessary administrative skills.

Stage 5 evaluate the resultsA public relations campaign's success should be measured in terms of its original objectives, before, during and/or after the campaign ends. A public relations manager should at least be able to estimate whether any change occurred in the attitudes or behavior of the publicsTourism Australia would need to record the number of travellers intending to visit Australia in the next 12 months, and then compare the number in 2013 to the number in 2010..