Chapter 1 & 3: Introduction and Media Relations Campaign.

Why I chose this topic:
In the world of PR, one of the key instruments that determines the success of a company is the right implementation of media relations strategies and tactics. In particular, event campaigns are what navigates the direction of the company. I also find the idea of media relations practices interesting for the fact that it is of a situational nature. For instance, PR practitioners must be responsive and adapt well to the different political, economic and social factors which are unique in each country.


Insights:


It is mentioned many times in the text that PR practitioners around the world are steadily stepping out of the box in innovative ways with the sole purpose of sending their messages across to the public.

This is not news.

However, the approaches and marketing strategies are becoming increasingly unconventional by the hour.

One good example is the eerie and icy-chill-down-your-spine anti-smoking commercials that were once featured in Singapore.

I like to believe that this puts smokers off in some ways. Like a constant nagging at the back of their brains. What can be more convincing than the graphic images of a smoker's infected lungs plastered across tunnels and bus-stop billboards? I think the message pretty clear.


Smoking kills.








Over the years, the anti-smoking campaigns have or had terrific and inventive print and television advertisements. The marketing techniques have broaden with vast creativity. Cigarette packs no longer hold innocent worded warnings but instead, prints graphic and in-your-face images of infected lungs and throats. 


These examples are all strategically placed and designed to encourage a "movement". From the start, every PR practitioner will have to go through a whole lot of research and investigations to find a new and innovative way to convey their message. In a way, this shows that marketers are becoming bolder and are not holding back the facts. They are leaving the conventional way of PR - which is to print what is good and boycotting all the bad.


For media relations purposes, objectives can be informational or motivational. Motivational intends to change attitudes and behaviors while informational objectives are designed to create awareness. In the smoking example given above, it can be said that the objectives of the campaign comprises both informational and motivational since it strives to change attitudes of smokers and seek to educate public. 


The chapter also explains how each campaign has actions which are known as tactics. These actions, are in turn, objectives because it becomes "things that are done to reach organizational goals". In my opinion, this will put media relations as one of the top priorities of PR.