Questions:
Question 1
Public Relations At Work. Please respond to the following:
• Communications professor John Marston proposed a four-step model of the process through which public relations can influence public opinion. These steps include research, action, communication, and evaluation. Explain in detail how Marston's four-step approach can be used to shape public opinion on the story you researched for the first e-Activity.
• Businesses choose celebrities to endorse their products for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, some of these celebrities act in ways that generate a lot of negative publicity for themselves and, by extension, for the sponsors who pay them. In the case of the celebrity you researched in the second e-Activity, explain in detail what actions you would take in this situation and why you would take them
• Activity 1
o Research on the Internet a recent public relations campaign that was undertaken to address a corporate scandal or misbehavior by a government official or celebrity, and study what part ethics played in the campaign, whether positively or negatively. Be prepared to discuss.
• eActivity 2
o Research on the Internet a celebrity who has generated negative publicity in recent years for his/her sponsoring company. Be prepared to discuss.
• eActivity 3
o Research on the Internet a company or celebrity which/who was either successful or unsuccessful in following Ivy Ledbetter Lee's formula for public relations: focus on providing honest and accurate information to the public. Be prepared to discuss.
• QUESTION 2
• Professors Marstons four step model is spot as it pertains to public relations. For a company to understand the publics they are trying to sway they must know them and to know them they research them to understand the wants and desires of each public both internal and external. Then the public relations department can implement the plan or action to try and bring the best opinion possible to the company from those publics. this could be a very big job because sometimes people do stupid things that could shed a bad light on the company and its the duty of the public relations to change that mind set. Then comes the communication part of the model this is what allows the publics to make an informed decision of the information given. This also allows the businesses to receive feed back and allowed to adjust policies or procedures to bring society around to its way of thinking. Lastly evaluation this step allows both the publics to look past all the talk to see that what they are being told is in fact the truth or not and it allows the company or business to see whether their public relations plan is effective or not.
Lets look at Lance Armstrong, This is a man that won 7 Tour de'France races and was sponsored by everyone in the sports world and honestly who wouldn't want to be connected with him since he was so honest and wholesome? Oh but then it comes out that Mr. Armstrong took drugs to help him get and stay on top. Wow what a down fall for him, everyone who was anyone ran for the hills. Why you ask, public opinion of course. How would it look if a company sponsored a druggie? And even Lances publisit could not save him although they tried using the fact that these drugs were suppose to be safe and clean only to help him maintain his energy. Public opinion fell fast for him as did the opinion of all his sponsors and even his own foundation found themselves putting distance between them and Lance. However since the media of this has died down and he is no longer allowed to compete and was stripped of his medals, he has been able to recover and continue his Live Armstrong foundation and has gotten some sponsors back. It appears that if one is doing good for others and public relations department can help one recover from a bad error in judgment, to some degree.
QUESTION 3
The History of Public Relations. Please respond to the following:
• Ivy Ledbetter Lee believed public relations should focus on providing honest and accurate information to the public. Using the company or celebrity you researched for the third e-Activity, list and explain in detail at least two factors that contributed to why you think the company or celebrity was successful or unsuccessful in following Lee's formula.
• Public relations came of age due to five general factors in our society. Choose one of these factors (listed below) and explain in detail how it contributed to the development of public relations as we know it today.
o The growth of large institutions
o Heightened public awareness and media sophistication
o Increasing incidence of societal change, conflict, and confrontation
o Growing power of globalization
o Dominance of the Internet and growth of social media
Question 4
• Ivy Ledbetter Lee believed public relations should focus on providing honest and accurate information to the public. Using the company or celebrity you researched for the third e-Activity, list and explain in detail at least two factors that contributed to why you think the company or celebrity was successful or unsuccessful in following Lee's formula.
One celebrity that focuses on providing honest and accurate information to the public is former Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton. Regardless of how they are perceived, politicians are supposed to always be honest and up forth to the public with the truth, just as Ivy Ledbetter believed. Hilary Clinton was recently involved in a mix up regarding the use of her personal email for business. So far, she has been successful in following Lee's formula by being upfront with the public throughout the investigation by being cooperative and providing what is asked of her.
• Public relations came of age due to five general factors in our society. Choose one of these factors (listed below) and explain in detail how it contributed to the development of public relations as we know it today.
o The growth of large institutions
o Heightened public awareness and media sophistication
o Increasing incidence of societal change, conflict, and confrontation
o Growing power of globalization
o Dominance of the Internet and growth of social media
Two factors that contributed to the development of public relations as we know it today are the growing power of globalization, and heightened public awareness and media sophistication. Globalization has connected the world through global media and has contributed immensely in swaying the global public opinion, as seen by the spread of democracy globally. The same can be said for public awareness today. With the sophistication of media and technology today, the public is easier than ever to reach. With mass communications including, television, the Internet, Facebook, and Twitter, public opinion is an easy target to sway. The contribution of this great tool of communication makes us all aware of world events in real time, which is a huge influence.