COM215

1. COM215 Taejin Jung, Ph.D. Week 6: Defining PR Problems

2. Old Approaches - Seat-of-the-pants approach - Hunches - Gut feelings - Personal experiences Current Approaches - PR practitioners as “an applied social and behavioral scientist” using “research to help in the problem-solving process” - Research is “the most powerful tool available to the applied practitioner” Way of Approaching PR Problems

3. ◙ PR is a scientifically managed part of an organization’s problem solving and change process 1. Defining the problem (or opportunity) - Situation analysis - “What’s happening now?” 2. Planning and programming - Set up strategy - “What should we do and say, and why?” 3. Taking action and communicating - Implementation - “How and when do we do and say it?” 4. Evaluating the program - Assessment - “How did we do?” Situation Analysis (Monitoring) ↓ Strategy (Planning) ↓ Implementation (Action) ↓ Assessment (Evaluation) Management Process

4. Role of “Research” in Strategic Planning • “You can’t measure that. Let’s just go with our gut” - The decline of PR is due to the lack of monitoring and substantive evaluation of results (↔ MBA) • Reasons of so little research in PR - Many employers’ and clients’ views that research is not necessary - Little understanding how to do and use research • “Research is the systematic gathering of information to describe and understand situations and to check out assumptions about publics and public relations consequences” - The scientific alternative to tradition, authority, and intuition - Research training tops the list of needed professional continuing education

5. Problem Statement • It is written in the present tense, describing the current situation. • It describes the situation in specific and measurable terms (5W1H). • A problem statement does not imply solutions or place blame

6. ◙ “Formative” Research To define audiences and segment publics To prevent crisis To monitor competition To test messages To generate publicity To formulate strategy ◙ “Evaluation” Research To measure success ◙ Benefits of Research To achieve credibility with management To help management keep in touch Two Forms of Research

7. ◙ Internal factors Mission statement, charter, bylaws, history, and structure Statistics about resources, budget, staffing, sales, profits, stockholders Policy statement related to the problem situation Position statements by key executives regarding the problem situation Lists of organizational media for communicating with internal groups Description of how the organization currently handles the problem situation ◙ External factors Content analysis of media coverage and Internet sources (e.g., Reports, transcripts, and tapes of radio, TV, and cable coverage of the problem situation) Lists of and background information on individuals and groups who share the organization’s interests on the problem situation Results of surveys and public opinion polls related to the organization and the problem situation List of government agencies, legislators, and other officials with regulatory and legislative power affecting the problem situation Copies of relevant regulations, legislation, pending bills, referenda etc. Content of Situation Analysis

8. Researching the situation (SWOT) Situation Analysis Internal External Analysis Analysis Strength Weakness Opportunity Threats

9. Internal Factors (Strengths & Weaknesses) • In SWOT, strengths and weaknesses are internal factors • Strength could be: - Your specialist PR (or marketing) expertise. - A new, innovative product or service. - Location of your business. - Quality processes and procedures. - Any other aspect of your business that adds value to your product or service. • A weakness could be: - Lack of marketing expertise. - Undifferentiated products or services (i.e. in relation to your competitors). - Location of your business. - Poor quality goods or services. - Damaged reputation.

10. External Factors (Opportunities & Threats) • In SWOT, opportunities and threats are external factors • Opportunities could be: - A developing market such as the Internet. - Mergers, joint ventures or strategic alliances. - Moving into new market segments that offer improved profits. - A new international market. - A market vacated by an ineffective competitor. • Threats could be: - A new competitor in your home market. - Price wars with competitors. - A competitor has a new, innovative product or service. - Competitors have superior access to channels of distribution. - Taxation is introduced on your product or service.

11. SWOT Strategies • SO strategies build on organizational strengths to take advantages of opportunities in the external environment 2. ST strategies also build on organizational strengths to counter threats in the external environment 3. WO strategies attempt to minimize organizational weakness to take advantage of external opportunities 4. WT strategies attempt to minimize both organizational weakness and environmental threats

12. SWOT Analysis Examples ◙ Wal-Mart SWOT Analysis • Strengths: Wal-Mart is a powerful retail brand. It has a reputation for value for money, convenience and a wide range of products all in one store. • Weaknesses: Wal-Mart is the World's largest grocery retailer. Control of its empire, despite its IT advantages, could leave it weak in some areas due to the huge span of control. • Opportunities: To take over, merge with, or form strategic alliances with other global retailers, focusing on specific markets such as Europe or the Greater China Region. • Threats: Being number one means that you are the target of competition, locally and globally.

13. Primary Research In academia Creation of new knowledge/Testing theory Gather information from subjects or the natural world Survey Focus Group Content Analysis Experiment Interview Secondary Research Professional (PR) - Informal To answer the current question Faster & less cost a. Organizational records (annual report/financial report) b. Databases (census, public opinion, international business, and news information) c. Research reports Primary vs. Secondary Research

14. ◙ Qualitative Research (Informal) Focus Groups Case Studies In-Depth Interviews ◙ Quantitative Research (Formal) Survey Content Analysis Types of PR Research

15. [Informal 1] Focus Group Interview • Free-flowing interview • Guided by moderator • 6-12 people with similar backgrounds • 1-3 hour duration • Ex) Buick “LaCrosse” – To French Canadian, it means “masturbation”

16. Case studies are in-depth studies of particular people, organization, events, or even processes. - Found in most applied disciplines (e.g., business, law, advertising, medicine, and PR) Descriptive approach - Describe a person, organization and event - Extension of secondary research Provide “examples” of what worked or did not work in a very specific instance. Advantages - Describe and provide examples - What is being studied has already occurred - Look back through direct observation, participation, secondary research - Study of campaigns, individuals, and organizations Disadvantages - Its inability to “generalize” in its findings - “Theory” vs. “Grounded theory” [Informal 2] The Case Study

17. [Informal 3] In-depth interview • Involve asking questions, listening to and recording the answers, and then posing additional questions to clarify or expand on a particular issue. • Questions are open-ended and respondents are encouraged to express their own perceptions in their own words. Ex) Clinton and Health Care (http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3750686&affil=wsyr)

18. Data collection through communication with a representative sample Used to: - Describe - Learn why? Advantages - Quick - Inexpensive - Efficient - Generally accurate [Formal 1] Survey Research • Method of Communication • - Personal Interviews • - Telephone • - Mail • - Internet • Temporal Dimension (Time) • - Longitudinal studies (over time) • - Cross-sectional studies (a point in time) • Types of Question • - Structured versus unstructured • - Disguised versus undisguised

19. [Formal 2] Content Analysis • Enables us to look at qualitative data in a quantitative manner Qualitative data (In-depth Interview, FGI, Observation)  Make category (Coding scheme)  Quantification  Analysis Ex) Number of certain types of press releases • Transition from “Informal” to “Formal” methodologies InformalFormal Qualitative Quantitative Observation Count Samplings

20. Recommended Websites for Secondary Research • American Association for Public Opinion Research (www.aapor.org) • Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) • Content Analysis Resources (www.car.ua.edu) • U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov) • The Gallup Organization (www.gallup.com) • Public Relations Society of America (www.prsa.org) • Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (www.ropercenter.uconn.edu)