Marketing Communications

338 CHAPTER 10 PUBLIC RELATIONS

PR is most frequently used to support the corporate image. However, marketing communications can also be reinforced

by PR efforts, and PR efforts can build upon other marketing communications campaigns. Publicity can be generated

following sales efforts and successes: winning an important account, selling to well-known non-profit organisations or

establishing links with famous organisations or events. Sponsorship efforts can be combined with PR and advertising

to build powerful events that generate a lot of publicity. Sponsored celebrities can be used for corporate hospitality,

reinforcing sales efforts, corporate identity and image-building, and in advertising. PR activities such as annual

meetings, events and points of view can be announced through mass media advertising. Exhibitions and trade fairs

can be used to hold press conferences, announcing new products, company news, etc., and to organise corporate

hospitality events. Opening a new store or changing store appeal and image can be a starting point for organising

events and generating publicity. In general, PR can reinforce the awareness and the corporate reputation effect of

many marketing and communications activities with a variety of stakeholders.

IMC INSIGHT

Integrating PR in IMC

Summary

PR is the management of reputation. It is about building and maintaining long-term goodwill

vis-à-vis a large variety of audiences and stakeholders. Depending on the nature of these

stakeholders, diff erent types of PR can be distinguished. Marketing PR is directed towards

marketing audiences and mainly supports marketing communications objectives. Corporate PR,

such as public aff airs, fi nancial and media PR, supports corporate image and corporate reputation.

A special type of PR activity is internal PR by means of which employees and shareholders are

informed and/or motivated to co-operate in achieving the goals of the marketing and corporate

communications plans. A broad variety of tools and media are used in PR, ranging from

personal and oral communications in internal PR, to press releases, corporate advertising,

direct mailing and annual reports in corporate PR. A specifi c task of PR is communicating in

times of crisis. Building goodwill by means of pre-crisis PR is essential to limit the fallout

from a crisis situation, although PR activity during the crisis is equally important.

Review questions CONTENTS ix

1. What is the role of public relations in the communications mix, and what are its strengths
   and weaknesses?


2. What are the trends that influence public relations?


3. Who are the target groups of public relations?


4. What are the objectives of each type of PR activity?


5. What are the tools of internal communications?


6. What are the rules and techniques of good media public relations?


7. Compare the different PR budgeting techniques and their advantages and disadvantages.


8. How can the effectiveness of PR campaigns be assessed?


9. What are the basic rules of good crisis communications?

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