Reputation Management

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There are many facets that contribute to an organisation’s reputation. Well-established and popular organisations and brands, such as Coca-Cola, may appear to require little reputation management, but all organisations need to monitor and manage their reputation.

When discussing an organisation’s reputation we have the tendency to only include its reputation with customers. However, all stakeholder relationships are equally as vital as public perception. Employees, shareholders and suppliers have a large vested interest in an organisations success because their income relies on it. Therefore, public relations practitioners need to ensure that the organisation’s reputation is held in high regard with all stakeholders.

A poor reputation with any stakeholder group has the potential to affect the organisation’s success. An organisation may have a good reputation with customers by producing good quality products, however may not purchase those products if they disagree with the way employees are managed. As a result, shareholders may become disgruntled and suppliers unhappy due to a decrease in sales.

Poor reputations also have the potential to become public through the media. Practitioners need to monitor the organisation’s reputation with each stakeholder group to ensure positive relationships and the organisation’s success.

References:

De Bussy, N. (2009) Reputation Management: A Driving Force for Action. In Chia, J. & Synnott, G. (Eds.). An Introduction to Public Relations, From Theory to Practice, Oxford University Press, (pp. 222-247). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

An Issues-Crisis Perspective

Most organisations at some point will encounter issues or crises that have the potential to damage their reputation if not dealt with appropriately.

Issues that arise out of public awareness of a situation may not necessarily be directly associated or immediately damaging to an organisation, i.e. environmental issues. However, in trying to find examples, the media may focus on a particular organisation in reporting on certain issues. Public relations practitioners should be constantly aware of what issues are gaining influence in the public domain. In doing so, they can avoid public scrutiny and possibly put a positive spin on their dealing with a particular issue.

Crisis management, on the other hand, involves responding to a particular crisis that directly relates to an organisation. Dealing with a crisis will primarily involve implementing a strategic response via the media. This one area of public relations practice where media relations are vital.

Planning for a crisis includes developing strategies for hypothetical scenarios. It once again requires practitioners to be aware of not only what is happening in the current news, but also what is happening within the organisation. Members of BP were apparently aware of some of the issues that caused the oil disaster months prior to it actually occurring. Although the public relations representatives may have not been able to do anything to prevent the disaster, by being aware of a possible disaster they could have had the chance to develop strategies to lessen the negative press.

Working for an agency and being contracted to handle an issue or crisis could prove a lot more difficult than working in-house for an organisation. For both cases, it is essential that practitioners are aware of all the facts concerning an issue or crisis to avoid future back-lash and best represent the organisation.

References:

Howell, G. (2009) An Issues-Crisis Perspective. In Chia, J. & Synnott, G. (Eds.). An Introduction to Public Relations, From Theory to Practice, Oxford University Press, (pp. 170-199). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

 

Public Relations Management In Organisations

Public relations management is becoming an increasingly vital role within organisations. As organisations grow larger and become more diversified they also distance themselves from the public, and potentially, their employees. Public relations management exists to ensure that positive relationships are held within an organisation and with external publics.

The systems theory is a practical approach to public relations management. Practitioners are in a constant balancing act between internal and external forces. To be successful in managing ‘public relations’ practitioners should be continually aware of what affect changes within one area may have on all other areas, and try to manage these changes affectively.

This is where we find the major difference between marketing and public relations, which are often confused as the one. Marketing concentrates on products, sales and services; increasing organisation profits through positive public response. Whereas public relations aims to listen to the publics (two-way asymmetrical model) and negotiate with the organisation to promote a win-win situation.

Study has also shown that proper internal management can have positive results for an organisation. Public relations management also involves internal communication and an in depth understanding of the corporate culture and the way employees react to changes. A simple assumption is that if employees are happy, they will promote positive images of the organisation. Public relations management is so much more involved than simply maintaining positive relationships with public and employees. Specialised roles within the public relations team within an organisation will define the specific roles and relationships a practitioner will work by.

References:

Mehta, A. & Phillips, R. (2009) Public Relations Management in Organisations. In Chia, J. & Synnott, G. (Eds.). An Introduction to Public Relations, From Theory to Practice, Oxford University Press, (pp. 190-121). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

 

Public Relations Strategy

I see most functions within the public relations field as primarily creative. Many theorists (cited in Sawyer, 2006) believe that truly creative people are not only problem solvers; they are problem finders. My understanding of public relations strategy involves not only problem solving, but also problem finding.

An organisation may have outlined problems for which they require a public relations campaign. However, organisations may simply wish to better the relationship with their publics, as such – there is technically no imminent problem. A creative public relations practitioner will search for problems in order to solve those problems, thus improving the relationship between an organisation and its publics.

Source: http://realswotanalysis.blogspot.com/

By completing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of research regarding specific objectives of a strategy a practitioner already comprehends possible problems by analysing the weaknesses and threats. This is perhaps one of the most pivotal stages in the strategising process; as to identify the incorrect problems would result in a misguided campaign and it’s probable failure.

Resulting from the correct identification of problems, the appropriate SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, time-specific) objectives must be realised. Through framing messages, practitioners have greater control over the objectives and outcomes of strategies and tactics. A variety of tactics can be utilised incorporating media or employing other implementation tactics, depending on the type of message and the intended audience.

As with all goals, objectives, strategies and campaigns, the process should be carefully monitored to ensure the appropriate progress towards the desired outcomes. Evaluation of the final results enables practitioners to reflect upon and learn from the successes of failures of that specific strategy and campaign.

References:

James, M. (2009) Strategies To Proactively Manage Activity. In Chia, J. & Synnott, G. (Eds.). An Introduction to Public Relations, From Theory to Practice, Oxford University Press, (pp. 248-269). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

Sawyer, R. K., (2006) Explaining Creativity – The Science of Human Innovation. New York: Oxford University Press