Altering Perceptions with Public Relations

What you don't know about PR can hurt you.

by Robert A. Kelly Related Resources

• Basics of PR

What you don't know about PR can hurt you, and hurt bad if •• Media Relations
Jobs in PR
you are a business, non-profit or association manager.
• PR Toolkit
Especially when you rely too heavily on tactics like special
• Lots More PR Articles
events, brochures and press releases to get your money's
worth.

Instead, pursue public relations that does nothing less than

alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among those key outside
audiences of yours.

In other words, the best approach does something positive about the behaviors of those key external
audiences that MOST affect your operation.

That approach persuades your important external folks to your way of thinking, and moves them to take
actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Thus it creates the kind of stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial
objectives.

Best part is, once you digest the underlying premise of public relations, you'll understand how the right PR
really CAN alter individual perception and lead to those changed behaviors you need. Here's how it goes:
people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about
which something can be done.

When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action
the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is
accomplished.

Keep in mind that it requires more than good old special events, brochures and news releases if you
really want to end up with your PR money's worth.

Fact is, business, non-profit and association managers who employ this kind of public relations can
benefit from results such as new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; rebounds in
showroom visits; membership applications on the rise; community service and sponsorship opportunities;
enhanced activist group relations, and expanded feedback channels, not to mention new thought-leader
and special event contacts.

Over time, you'll notice customers making repeat purchases; prospects reappearing; stronger developing
relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities; improved relations with
government agencies and legislative bodies, and even capital givers or specifying sources glancing your
way.

It goes without saying that you want your most important outside audiences to really perceive your
operations, products or services in a positive light. So take pains to be sure that your PR staff has bought
into the whole effort. Convince yourself that they accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to
behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Spend some time together and review the PR blueprint very carefully with your staff, especially regarding
how you will gather and monitor perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside
audiences. Questions such as: how much do you know about our organization? How much do you know
about our services or products and employees? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased
with the how things went? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Certainly you can count on professional survey people to handle the perception monitoring phases of your
program IF the budget is available. But luckily, your PR people are also in the perception and behavior
business and can pursue the
same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions
and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

We should spend a moment on your public relations goal. You need one that addresses the problems
that cropped up during your key audience perception monitoring. Chances are, it will call for straightening
out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or doing something about that
damaging rumor.

Another truism is that goals need strategies to show you how to get there. And you have just three
strategic choices when it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where
there may be none, change the
perception, or reinforce it. Unfortunately, selecting a bad strategy will taste like maple syrup on your ziti,
so be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For example, you don't want to
select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

Because persuading an audience to your way of thinking is awfully hard work, you now must create the
right corrective language including words that are compelling, persuasive, believable AND clear and
factual. This is a must if you are to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view,
leading to the desired behaviors. So, meet again with your communications specialists and review your
message for impact and persuasiveness.

Now you need to select the communications tactics most likely to carry your words to the attention of your
target audience. Happily there are dozens available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures
to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure
that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your
audience members.

Sad, but the credibility of your message could depend on its delivery method. So, consider introducing it
to smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile communications such as news releases or talk show
appearances.

Progress reports will suggest themselves in due course. And that probably will mean you and your PR
folks should return to the field for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external
audience. Using many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session, watch carefully for
signs that your communications tactics have worked and that the negative perception is being altered in
your direction.

If you sense your colleagues or your client becoming impatient, you can always accelerate matters with a
broader selection of communications tactics AND increased frequencies.

You won't get hurt when you apply your budget to public relations activity that creates behavior change
among your key outside audiences that leads directly to achieving your goals.
That will demonstrate conclusively that the right PR really CAN alter individual perception. And better yet,
lead to changed behaviors that help you reach those managerial objectives and come out on top.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and

association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating
objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR,
Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior;
and
deputy assistant press secretary, The White House.
He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University,
with a major in public relations.
Email: bobkelly@TNI.net
Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com
PR: Power Tool for the 21st Century
Public Relation's place in the new millennium.

by Robert A. Kelly Related Resources

• Basics of PR
• Media Relations
I address this article to businesses, associations, non- • Jobs in PR
profits and public entity managements seeking a direct
• PR Toolkit
connection between the money they're planning to spend on
• Lots More PR Articles
public relations, and the achievement of their organizational
objectives.

We can save a lot of time, you and I, if we can agree on one point: I believe that deep
down -- and I mean DEEP down -- most chief executives understand that doing something about the
behaviors of their most significant external audiences can rank in importance right up there with increased
sales and earnings.

Whether they do anything about it or not is another question. But I believe many sense - as do legislators
who know they cannot govern without the consent of the governed - that managements cannot "govern"
their enterprises without the support and understanding of their most important audiences. I refer to
audiences such as members, supporters, customers, sponsors, prospects, regulators, employees,
thoughtleaders, public interest groups, journalists, suppliers, strategic partners, educators, trade unions,
community residents and the like.

If I'm right, there are some bright days ahead in this brand new century not only for public relations people
but world commerce as well.

Fortunately for all concerned, that success will spring from the fundamental premise of public relations:
people act on their own perception of the facts, and those perceptions lead to behaviors about which
something can be done. When public relations creates, changes or reinforces that opinion by reaching,
persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, the
public relations effort is a success.
What that should mean to a CEO seems obvious. "I guess that money I'm spending on public relations
really could result in the kind of change in behaviors of my key stakeholders that leads directly to the
achievement of my organizational objectives."

That conclusion will let us do what we do best - reach those key audience perceptions with the facts as
we know them. Hopefully, the messages we use will be clear and persuasive, and will create, change or
reinforce perceptions as needed, then alter behaviors in the employer/client's direction.

When the problem solving sequence is completed, that particular public relations mission is
accomplished. However, we must constantly guard against simply emphasizing those communications
tactics we fervently HOPE will reach the target audience. Instead, we must go further and actively track
how well those tactics and persuasive messages are altering the perception of that target audience. And
then monitor to what degree audience behaviors have moved in our direction.

This matters in a very important way. Management really CAN establish the desired behavior change up
front in the planning phase, then insist on getting that result before pronouncing the public relations effort
a success.

What that means is that management's comfort level with their public relations investment will increase
when that investment produces the behavior modification they said they wanted at the beginning of the
program. Because they'll KNOW they're getting their money's worth.

This is powerful stuff! A chief executive of an association, a business, a non-profit and even a public entity
can work with his or her public relations counsel and agree in the planning phase what they must do to
achieve a specified adjustment in the behaviors of a really important external audience.

Even better, the way to do this is well-known in the public relations business:
- select your target audience;
- gauge its perception levels;
- gauge the behaviors that have resulted;
- set your public relations goal;
- set your public relations strategy;
- prepare the persuasive message;
- select and implement the communications tactics that will carry the
message to that key audience;
- monitor for perception change;
- monitor for behavior change and, hopefully, a public relations
success.

What will the employer/client want from us as we move ahead into the 21st Century? I believe s/he will
want us to apply our special skills in a way that helps achieve his or her business objectives. But, as
always, no matter what strategic plan we create to solve a problem, no matter what tactical program we
put in place, at the end of the day, we must modify somebody's behavior if we are to deliver value to the
employer/client and earn our money.

Now, you ask, if public relations is so good, why do some managers shy away from it? I believe it's
because they don't understand or believe the direct connection between what public relations is capable
of delivering , and their need to achieve their specific business objectives.

It's lost opportunity of the worst kind. And a shame because the reason we do public relations in the first
place is to change the behaviors of certain groups of people important to the success of those very
Doubting Thomases (and Thomasettes!).

When at last we come to the end game, we'll continue to ask the $50 question - did we meet the behavior
modification goal we established up front? If we did, our public relations program is successful. If we
didn't, we must reevaluate our goal, strategy, messages, communications tactics and our audience
perception data gathering methods, and adjust them for the next effort.

Now, when will that employer/client of ours be fully satisfied with the public relations results we have
achieved? Only when our "reach, persuade and move-to-desired-action" efforts have produced the visible
modification in the behaviors of those target audiences they wish to influence.

Let me conclude our look at Public Relations: Power Tool For The 21st Century by highlighting once again
the three benefits our employer/client will continue to receive when the behavioral changes become
apparent and meet the program's original behavior modification goal.

1) Their public relations program will be a success.

2) By achieving the behavioral goal they set at the beginning of the program,
they will be using a dependable and accurate public relations performance
measurement.
3) When our "reach, persuade and move-to-desired-action" efforts produce
that visible modification in the behaviors of those people they wish to
influence, they will be using public relations' core value to its very best
advantage ensuring that they really DO receive their "money's worth."

PR consultant Bob Kelly was director of PR for Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin
Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News
Shipbuilding; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press
secretary, The White House.
Email: bobkelly@TNI.net
Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com
A Recipe for Marketing Success
Why public relations is an integral ingredient

by Peter Granat
Senior Vice President, MediaMap Related Resources
• Basics of PR
• Media Relations
Executing a
• Jobs in PR
successful integrated marketing program,
• PR Toolkit
one that consistently generates qualified leads
• Lots More PR Articles
that the sales force can convert to closed
deals, is like planning a successful dinner. It
takes all of the right ingredients, mixed
together at just the right time and in just the right proportions, to create
a delicious feast that your guests will not only enjoy, but also remember
- and want to come back for when next invited.

It's the same way with marketing. Except in the case of finding new customers and
maintaining their loyalty, the ingredients don't include things like caviar, prime rib, and a
good bottle of wine. Instead, they include a number of separate program elements, mixed
and matched to create a comprehensive marketing plan that results in the visibility required
to contribute to overall growth.

These program elements sometimes include advertising, direct mail, educational seminars,
trade show participation, and special events. It sometimes includes public relations, but not
always. This is a big mistake. Neglecting to make PR a significant part of the integrated
marketing mix is akin to forgetting to send out invitations for your dinner event. In a
nutshell, planning marketing campaigns without building overall awareness for your
organization through public relations could result in total campaign failure.

Public relations can add tremendous value to a company's overall marketing plan by
creating the visibility and validity that's necessary to fuel all other marketing activities. A
prospect will be more likely to open a direct mail piece, attend a special event, listen to a
sales pitch, or actually buy a product if they just read about the company in the Wall Street
Journal, saw its CEO speak on CNN, noticed the company winning awards and praise from a
trade publication, or read an article authored by the company (just like this one, which was
placed using PR).

In order to build a successful public relations program, the first step is making a
commitment. Recognize that there will likely be some short-term wins, but also realize that
if company sticks with PR over the long haul, the benefits will be lasting and measurable.
And being committed doesn't just mean earmarking funds. It also means partnering with
PR executives, whether an in-house team or from an agency, so that they are well informed
of all corporate initiatives and have the tools they need to succeed.

With the right information in hand, a well-informed and astute PR practitioner will design a
plan that can meet any number of corporate goals, while at the same time integrating into
the overall marketing plan. These goals can include things like helping a company increase
the number of leads generated on a day-to-day basis; increasing the value of these leads,
so that the sales cycle shrinks and the average sales price grows; and building corporate
credibility, so shareholders and potential shareholders believe in the company's leadership
and mission.

The Essentials

A PR program will vary depending on a company's goals, but there are a few essential
elements you should consider. They include:

A steady news stream -- A company must always be looking for opportunities to release
"news" to the press. This could include new or enhanced products or services, new
customer wins, or partnership announcements. By putting out a minimum of one or two
announcements a month, and by working closely with the media to ensure the news is
covered, a company can rest assured that it will be consistently visible in industry trade
publications, local and regional publications, and, as the company's stories become more
compelling, in the business press. The constant press coverage will create the perception
that the company is one to watch.

Executive visibility and thought leadership -- It's critical to position companies and its
executives as visionaries; PR is one of the most effective ways to achieve this objective.
Winning industry awards that recognize a company's growth as well as its products and
services, writing thought-provoking articles for targeted publications, speaking
independently or on panels at industry events, all are ways to demonstrate the company's
leadership position. A good PR plan will identify the awards, publications and industry
events to target. It will also have a plan in place to secure those opportunities and leverage
the results. They all tie into one another to gain maximum exposure and benefit.

Media and analyst relations -- Staying in front of targeted industry analysts and reporters is
key, and goes beyond the kind of coverage a company can get by consistently issuing
news. It's also essential to track the planned reports and articles that reporters and
analysts are constantly writing, and to secure inclusion in those pieces. To be successful, a
PR practitioner must identify the opportunities; interact and build relationships with
reporters and analysts to determine their needs, and then provide the necessary follow-up
to secure results. Failure could put a company at a disadvantage, especially if their
competitors are successful.

A Seamless Integration

Successfully executing on the plan is the final, crucial step. And as with the successful
dinner, it takes the right tools to achieve optimal results. In this case, the required tool is a
Communications Management (CM) solution. A CM solution allows communications
professionals to manage relationships and activities with press and analysts, distribute
targeted messages to these groups, and measure and analyze the results of those activities.
It will also provide real-time media research and a central location for PR and marketing
professionals to collaborate.

Organizations that have a strong public relations program in place to support overall
marketing initiatives, and who use a CM solution to guide their efforts, are in prime position
to build the awareness they need to grow their business. Indeed, a successful PR program
isn't just a side dish. It's an essential ingredient that completes the recipe for marketing
success.

As MediaMap's Senior Vice President, Peter Granat speaks to corporate communications officers and
leading agency executives across the
nation, helping to improve clients' relationships with the media.
Since joining MediaMap in 1992, Peter has pioneered media research
and communications management tools.

What Is Public Relations?

It's a natural phenomenon
 by Robert A. Kelly Related Resources
• Basics of PR
• Media Relations
What else do you call a human discipline whose very • Jobs in PR
nature is firmly rooted in the principle that people act on their
• PR Toolkit
own perception of the facts, then creates, changes or
• Lots More PR Articles
reinforces public opinion by reaching, persuading and
moving-to-action the very people whose behaviors affect the
organization?

I call it public relations, and clearly a natural phenomenon.

In fact, I believe it is the fundamental premise of public relations. Especially when it deals with the sheer
survival of the organization by successfully altering the perceptions and, hence, the behaviors of certain
groups of people important to the success of that organization.

Because public relations problems are usually defined by what people THINK about a set of facts, versus
the truth of the matter, we are well-advised to focus on that fundamental premise.

Does it become any less of a phenomenon as it works its magic in the real world?

No. Instead, it is the degree of human behavioral change it produces -- through quality planning -- that
defines the success or failure of a public relations program.

In my experience, there is broad agreement that people really do act on THEIR perception of the facts,
and that how they react to those facts actually does affect their behaviors. So, to me, it follows that
individual understanding of those facts must be continually informed if the follow-on behaviors are to help
achieve the organization's goal and objectives.

In the end, a sound public relations strategy combined with effective communications tactics leads directly
to the bottom line - perceptions altered, behaviors modified, client/employer satisfied. In other words,
when those changes in perception and behaviors clearly meet the original behavior modification goal set
at the beginning of the program, the public relations effort is successful.

So, what comes first? I believe acceptance that individual perception of the facts is the guiding light
leading to behavioral change, and that something can be done about those perceptions. While not
everyone buys that, I must say that it actually helped shape my career in public relations.

I asked myself some time ago, why am I working in public relations anyway? The answers only
strengthened my conviction.

Was it to create major publicity for my employer or client? Often yes, but I realized that it was only an
interim step designed to alter target audience perceptions and behaviors. The same response applied to
every tactic from creating newsworthy special events, effective response to crises and controversial public
issues to managing investor relations or major speech appearances.

Yes, such tactics are vital cogs in the public relations problem solving sequence but, again, only as
interim steps designed to alter target audience perceptions and behaviors.

Fact is, NO organization -- business, non-profit or public sector -- can succeed today unless the behaviors
of its most important audiences are in-sync with the organization's objectives. And that means public
relations professionals must modify somebody's behavior if they are to help hit the employer/client's
objective and earn a paycheck. All else are but means to that end.
Once public relations' natural phenomenon characteristics are understood, an action pathway begins to
appear:

-- identify the problem

-- identify target audiences
-- set the public relations goal
-- set the public relations strategy
-- prepare persuasive messages
-- select and implement key communications tactics
-- monitor progress
-- and the end-game? Meet the behavior modification goal

And we get a bonus because we're using a near-perfect public relations performance standard. I mean,
how can you measure the results of an activity more accurately than when you clearly achieve the goal
you set at the beginning of that activity? You can't. It's pure success.

Of course, as we develop those interim tactical activities, we'll be nurturing the relationships between our
target audiences and our employer/client's business by burnishing the reputation of the organization, its
service and products. We will do our best to persuade those target audiences to do what our
employer/client wants them to do. And while seeking public understanding and acceptance of that
employer/client, we'll insure that our joint activities not only comply with the law, but clearly serve the
public interest. Then, we will pull out all tactical stops to actually move those individuals to action. And our
employer/client will be pleased that we have brought matters along to this point.

But when will that employer/client of ours be fully satisfied with the public relations results we have
produced? Only when our "reach, persuade and move-to-action" efforts have produced the desired,
visible modification in the behaviors of those target audiences we, and they wish to influence.

In my view, this is the fundamental premise of a natural phenomenon called public relations, and the
strategic context in which we must operate.

PR consultant Bob Kelly was director of PR for Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin
Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News
Shipbuilding; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press
secretary, The White House.
bobkelly@TNI.net
Your Career in Public Relations
Get it started right.
 by Robert A. Kelly Related Resources
• Basics of PR
• Media Relations
For young people who have decided that a career in public • Jobs in PR
relations will be their Latte Grande in life, here are four
• PR Toolkit
situations in which you do not want to find yourself:
• Lots More PR Articles
1. You confuse the basic function of public relations with
sub-parts that make up the whole like publicity,
crisis management or employee communications.
2. You feel unsure in approaching public relations problems,
then uncertain about what counsel to give your
employer/client.

3. As the years pass, you rely on career-long misconceptions

about public relations but forge ahead anyway advising
the employer/client ineffectively sometimes with damaging,
if not dangerous counsel.

4. You realize too late that you have gone through your entire
career without a firm grasp of what public relations is
all about.

You can avoid those pitfalls by grasping early-on The Rosetta Stone of public relations, i.e., a guide to
understanding the discipline and its core strength. Namely, people act on their perception of the facts;
those perceptions lead to certain behaviors; and something can be done about those perceptions and
behaviors that lead to achieving an organization's objectives.

Which is why, when public relations goes on to successfully create, change or reinforce public opinion by
reaching, persuading and moving-to-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, it
accomplishes its mission.

The fact is that NO organization - business, non-profit or public sector - can succeed today unless the
behaviors of its most important audiences are in-sync with the organization's objectives. And that means
public relations professionals must modify somebody's behavior if they are to help hit the
employer/client's objective and earn a paycheck. All else are but means to that end.

Once that foundation of understanding is firmly set, an action pathway begins to appear:

-- identify the problem or challenge

-- set the public relations goal
-- set the public relations strategy
-- identify target audiences
-- prepare persuasive messages
-- select/implement key communications tactics
-- monitor progress
-- and the end game? Meet the behavior modification goal.

A bonus: you are using a near-perfect public relations performance measurement. I mean how can you
measure the results of an activity more accurately than when you clearly achieve the goal you set at the
beginning of that activity? You can't. It's pure success.

So, as a beginner, can you expect to avoid the four pitfalls listed above? Yes, and here's why:

-- With proper preparation, you will not confuse action

 tactics with the basic mission of public relations because
you will know precisely what each is and just what fits
where in the public relations problem solving sequence.

-- You will feel more confident about providing counsel to

the employer/client because the public relations problem at
hand can be clearly identified allowing you to select
solutions that obviously fit into the action sequence
outlined above. You will identify your target audiences
because you will know exactly who your employer/client
wants to reach, and the necessary action tactics will
then be self-evident.

-- You realize that you have gone through your entire career
WITH a firm, successful grasp of what public relations
is all about.

Of course, on the way you will also nurture the relationships between your target audiences and your
employer/client's business by burnishing the reputation of the organization, its service and products. You
will do your best to persuade those target audiences to do what your employer/client wants them to do.
And while seeking public understanding and acceptance of that employer/client, you'll ensure that your
joint activities not only comply with the law, but clearly serve the public interest. Then, you will pull out all
tactical stops to actually move those individuals to action. And your employer/client will be pleased that
you have brought matters along to this point.

But when will that employer/client of yours be fully satisfied with the public relations results you have
produced? Only when your "reach, persuade and move-to-action efforts have produced that visible
modification in the behaviors of those target audiences you, and they wish to influence.

In my view, this is the central, strategic function of public relations - the basic context in which you must
operate in your pursuit of a successful and satisfying public relations career.

PR consultant Bob Kelly was director of PR for Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin
Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News
Shipbuilding; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press
secretary, The White House.
bobkelly@TNI.net