that sponsors your event. Regardless, there are certain principles
of public relations that will be employed.
The first step should be to examine previous public relations
efforts and their relative effectiveness in promoting greater partic-
ipation or in mitigating challenges. Were the responses positive or
negative? Attitude surveys, focus groups, and analysis of atten-
dance trends are helpful in this examination.
Public relations has become much more of a sophisticated mar-
keting tool than the old days, when press agents tried to grab the
lapels of newspaper reporters and gain a few column inches of
coverage. Today, public relations professionals consider virtually
all communications outlets in order to disseminate the message.
Newspapers remain a staple outlet, as do radio and television
broadcasters, magazines, newsletters, the Internet, and other on-
line services. Related associations and corporations must also be
considered as public relations resources, especially for their sup-
port of the event and their understanding of its purpose and their
potential roles and mutual benefits. One of the greatest rewards of
a positive public relations campaign is the discovery of partner
marketers who will support your efforts in return for your support
of theirs.
Scott Ward is vice president of the Widmeyer-Baker Group, a
major marketing and communications company. Figure 2-5 lists
his six steps to a successful public relations campaign.
The greatest asset of effective public relations is that it pre-
sents to your public what others say about yourather than what
you say about yourself. In other words, an effective press release,
personal approach, or media kit may result in editorial coverage
in a newspaper. The value of an independently written article im-
plies to the reader the credibilitythat may not be inferred from a
paid advertisement. The Public Relations Society of America
(PRSA), a professional society of public relations executives, es-
timates that the real value of editorial coverage is triple that of
paid advertising. The impact can be illustrated in simple terms,
according to PRSA, based on an average advertisement in a ma-
jor U.S. newspaper:
(^1) ⁄ 2 page advertisement: Cost: $5,000
Editorial coverage of your event Value: $15,000
in same space as advertisement
Never Forget the Five Ws 47