CHAPTER II BOTTOM LINE IN STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS DEMONSTRATING VALUE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS Increasingly, public relations practitioners now

w believe that public relations is quantifiable and can be measured that the function should be held accountable for results that it can provide value to the corporation far in excess of the resources invested' in it. Demonstrating the value of public relations to a corporation has become essential to survive in an era of mergers, corporate staff downsizings and demand for greater productivity. Specific public relations programs can infect show their value in terms of enhanced cash flow, improved share price and shareholders value, greater productivity, more sales, better market share, less employee turnover and higher earnings per share. "Proving this value in the public relations arena requires thinking and acting strategically. The most successful practitioners have always made strategic thinking the cornerstone of their work". Philip J. Webster, APR, president of The Webster Group, a public affairs and corporate communications consulting firm in Wayne, Pennsylvania. To be strategic, public relations must pass one basic test: everything done must be aligned with the corporate vision or mission-and must substantially contribute to achieving the organisations' objective. Ideally, public relations should be part of the team helping to create the corporate mission and set the objectives.

NEED FOR STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS

For a corporation to succeed and prosper over the long term, it must create a favourable climate and win the assistance and alignment of those individuals and constituencies it relies on for support. All of these publics or stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, the financial community, suppliers, plant communities, government media, special interest groups, and the public at large are inter-related. Their collective perception of a corporation forms the climate of public opinion in which the company must operate. For an organisation to truly achieve competitive advantage, it must win the support of these publics, understand the current and emerging external and internal environment in which the corporation operates and competes and learn to manage change within that environment, rather than be controlled by it. Such stakeholder and environmental alignment results from research, strategic planning, and the implementation of carefully developed strategic communications and advocacy programs, designed to achieve a desired result and to create specific perceptions, actions or reactions from each public with whom the company relates.

COMPONENTS OF A STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAM First, the company needs to determine a clear view of where it is going what it wants to be the specific objectives it must achieve to get there

Second, public relations should develop a strategic plan for the entire function and, ideally for each sub-function. The plan should include: a snapshot description of public relations as it is presently constituted at your company a view of the end state you need to achieve to advance the company's objectives a description of the voids that exist between the departments current status and the desired goals The plan should address : the strategies and tactics that have to be put into place to reach the firms overall objectives sections on the constituencies you are trying to influence

 the primary messages you need to articulate. Third, the support of the organisation is critical in developing an effective public relations plan. You need the agreement and willing assistance of a broad based team composed of people within and outside of the P.R. staff. enlist the views of the CEO and senior managers and try to make them real partners in creating the plan. enlist your colleagues on the public relations team to help develop the plan, particularly if they are going to be asked to help implement it. Essentials required to execute the plan: management commitment adequate human resources: staff or consultants adequate budget enough time to succeed Fourth, to ensure the success of the plan: you must have the discipline to follow the strategic plan flexibility to amend it as circumstances warrant determination to stick to the blue-print That blue-print becomes a contract with your employer/client and you will be expected to deliver the results on time and on budget.

Edited & Extracted from the Public Relations Journal in 1992