Planning and executing a public relations campaign

Once goals and objectives are in place, they can be drawn upon to plan campaigns and programs. Marston's well-known RACE formula for public relations programs described four distinct phases:

• research on the problem or opportunity,

• action that includes evaluation and planning,

• communication of the messages from organization to publics, and

• evaluation of the effects of those messages.

Grunig's "Behavioral Molecule" further broke the management steps down into:

• detecting a problem,

• constructing a possible solution,

• defining alternatives,

• selecting the best course of action,

• confirming the choice by pre-testing,

• behaving by enacting a program, and then returning to the process of

• detecting whether the program met the desired objectives.

Because of continuing drought condi­tions, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power conducted a public relations campaign to reduce water usage.

Research consisted of a survey of consumer attitudes that showed only 55 percent of consumers realized that a drought existed and only 38 percent thought that water conservation was "extremely important."

Planning began with setting an objective of informing all customers about the drought conditions and the importance of water conservation, with a target of 10 percent voluntary reduction in water use during the high-usage period of June through September.

Execution focused primarily on getting the weather forecasters from the twelve television stations in the area to include mentions of the water shortage in their daily weather-casts, and to urge citizens to con­serve water.

Evaluation included tracking (re­peated surveying) of six hundred customers as well as monitoring of water usage. Awareness of the problem and the need for conserva­tion rose, and water consumption dropped 6 percent. While the objec­tive was not met completely, the goal of reducing water consumption was met sufficiently to carry the area through the drought.

Perhaps the most prevalent model in the field for judging the effec­tiveness of a public relations program is the one presented by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Each entrant in the PRSA competi­tion must organize its presentation under four required categories:

Research—Quality of original and secondary research used to identify the problem or opportunity and the approach likely to be successful.

Planning—Objectives, originality and judgment in selecting strat­egy and techniques, accuracy of budget, and difficulties encoun­tered.

Execution—How the plan was implemented, materials used; in-progress adjustments to the plan; techniques in winning manage­ment's support; other techniques; difficulties encountered; and effectiveness of the program's employment of dollar, personnel, and other resources.

Evaluation—Efforts made to identify, analyze, and quantify results and to what degree a program has met its objectives.

While the PRSA criteria clearly are aimed at assisting with the task of preparing and presenting a contest entry, they indicate very strongly the methods accepted in the field for organizing and exe­cuting a program. Before we consider each step in the process, let's look at some winners that followed each step of the process effec­tively.

In these three case studies, the research methods included:

• surveys (to determine customer attitudes about water conser­vation, and to ascertain the way people view raisins);

• focus groups (to determine the level of knowledge people have about AIDS, and also to gauge reactions to designs for a brochure); and

• analysis of data gathered by an industry (to determine slack sales periods for raisins).

Research can be extensive and expensive, or, if the situation war­rants, it can involve simply poring over existing information already gathered for another purpose and analyzing the relevance the data have for the current public relations situation.

Congress mandated that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services— produce a brochure on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and mail it to every household in the country. Over 100 million brochures on the disease were mailed, including a Spanish-language version.

Research consisted of focus groups that determined the level of knowledge about AIDS among representative groups. Focus groups also were used to get reactions to the design and content of the brochure before it was produced.

Planning began with outlining objectives that called for ensuring that all Americans would read, understand and discuss the information about AIDS, that an information network would be set up to handle questions resulting from the mailing, and that the media would increase cover­age of AIDS issues.

Execution included not only the mailing of the brochure to all homes, but also print releases and public ser­vice announcements calling the atten­tion of all citizens to the fact that they would be receiving important infor­mation meant for family discussion.

Evaluation by the Gallup Poll and the National Center for Health Statis­tics showed that "Understanding AIDS" was the most widely-read publication in the country in June 1988, with a total adult readership of 86.9 million. Eighty-two percent read at least part of it, and two-thirds dis­cussed it with friends or family mem­bers. The brochure was effective in reaching two target groups with a low level of information about AIDS— young people and blacks.

The advertising campaign for California Raisins made the dancing Claymation figures popular, but the California Raisin Advisory Board needed a public relations campaign to gain the desired purchasing behaviors.

Research included a customer at­titude survey showing that most con­sumers know raisins are nutritious, but consider them "wimpy" and "uncool." Analysis of industry data showed that raisin sales are lowest in the summer months.

Planning included specific objec­tives for increasing raisin sales during the summer, making the product "cool", and promoting membership in a fan club for the California Raisin characters. Costumed characters were to be sent on a tour of the country from New York to Los Angeles to give daily performances.