Public Relations Strategies 293
tions); (4)lobbying(dealing with legislators and government officials to promote or
defeat legislation and regulation); and (5)counseling(advising management about
public issues and company positions and image—and advising in the event of a
mishap).^39
Marketing Public Relations
Many companies are turning to marketing public relations (MPR)to directly support cor-
porate or product promotion and image making. Thus MPR, like financial PR and
community PR, serves a special constituency, namely the marketing department.^40
MPR plays an important role in:
➤ Assisting in the launch of new products:The amazing success of toys such as the
Pokemon line owes a great deal to clever publicity.
➤ Assisting in repositioning a mature product:New York City had extremely bad press in
the 1970s until the “I Love New York” campaign began.
➤ Building interest in a product category:Companies and trade associations use MPR to
rebuild declining interest in commodities such as eggs and expand consumption of
products such as pork.
➤ Influencing specific target groups:McDonald’s sponsors special neighborhood events in
Latino and African American communities to build goodwill.
➤ Defending products that have encountered public problems:Johnson & Johnson’s masterly
use of MPR was a major factor in saving Tylenol from extinction following two
incidents in which poison-tainted Tylenol capsules were found.
➤ Building the corporate image in a way that reflects favorably on its products:Richard
Branson’s outrageous publicity stunts have created a bold, upstart image for his
U.K .-based Virgin Group.As the power of mass advertising weakens, marketing managers are turning to
MPR to cost-effectively build awareness and brand knowledge and to reach local com-
munities and specific audiences. The company does not pay for the space or time
obtained in the media; it pays only for a staff to develop and circulate the stories and
manage certain events. A story picked up by the news media could be worth millions of
dollars in equivalent advertising—and would be more credible than advertising.
Major Decisions in Marketing PR
In considering when and how to use MPR, management must follow the same process
as it does for advertising and sales promotion: Establish the marketing objectives,
choose the messages and vehicles, implement the plan carefully, and evaluate the
results. The main tools of MPR are described in Table 5.6.^41
➤ Establishing the marketing objectives.These may include: Build awareness of a product,
service, person, organization, or an idea; add credibility by communicating a
message in an editorial context; boost sales force and dealer enthusiasm; and hold
down promotion costs while gaining share of mind. Management needs to set
specific objectives for each MPR campaign so the results can be evaluated. PR
expert Thomas L. Harris suggests PR and direct-response marketing work together
to build marketplace excitement before media advertising breaks, build a core
customer base, build a one-to-one relationship with consumers, turn satisfied
customers into advocates, and influence opinion leaders and influencers.^42
➤ Choosing messages and vehicles.The MPR expert must identify or develop interesting
stories to tell about the product. If there are few stories, the expert should propose