Strategic Public Relations Leadership

Public relations professionals are operating in an increasingly challenging and complex environment. Pressures from outside the organisation include new accountabilities, empowered stakeholders, increased public cynicism and a new communication landscape. Internally, there are increasing demands to demonstrate a strategic contribution, alongside a requirement to coach and counsel senior managers exposed to these environmental pressures. This revised and updated edition provides a framework to enable public relations professionals to clearly articulate and demonstrate their own contribution to organisational effectiveness, while also setting out the specific capabilities public relations leaders must exhibit to operate at the highest levels of the organisation. This edition further develops the pioneering approach to integrating thinking around public relations, leadership, and strategy. It has been updated comprehensively to address contemporary developments and introduce new research and fresh perspectives from the authors. New to this edition are insights from Chief Executives on what they expect from public relations leaders and a comprehensive set of capabilities which scope the demanding role of professionals at the top of their game. Concise and practical, this textbook is suitable for MBA and other postgraduate and executive education qualifications in Public Relations and Corporate Communications – especially for those students who wish to pursue a successful career as a professional public relations specialist, able to operate strategically at the top of successful organisations.

Public Relations Leaders as Sensemakers presents foundational research on the public relations profession, providing a current and compelling picture of expanding global practice. Utilizing data from one of the largest studies ever conducted in the field, and representing the perspectives of 4,500 practitioners, private and state-run companies, communication agencies, government agencies, and nonprofits, this work advances a theory of integrated leadership in public relations and highlights future research needs and educational implications. This volume is appropriate for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in international public relations and communication management, as well as scholars in global public relations, communication management, and business. It is also intended to supplement courses in public relations theory, strategic communication, business management, and leadership development.

The seventh edition of Strategic Planning for Public Relations maintains its status as a leading text to guide students in developing successful public relations campaigns. Deborah Silverman and Ronald Smith bring their experience as instructors and public relations professionals to the book, providing clear, step-by-step guidance on how to plan and implement strategic communications campaigns. This new edition includes diverse examples of current cases along with classic cases that stand the test of time. It includes new “Ethics Minutes” scenarios in each step, a new research step, and examples of award-winning public relations campaigns. It also significantly increases information on social media and features a reformatting of the tactics step into four separate parts based on the PESO model (paid media, earned media, shared media, and owned media). As a leader in teaching public relations strategy, this text is ideal for students in upper division undergraduate and graduate courses in public relations strategy and campaigns. Complementing the book are online resources for both students and instructors. For students: step overviews, useful links to professional organizations and resources, checklists for the ten steps in the planning process, and two sample campaigns. For instructors: an instructors’ manual, PowerPoint slides, sample syllabi, a critique evaluation worksheet, and checklists for the ten steps in the planning process. For these online resources, please visit www.routledge.com/9781032391168 .

Informed by decades’ worth of agency experience, Bernard Gauthier prepares aspiring public relations professionals to think strategically about communication and to plan and implement effective campaigns. Strategic Communication in Canada is grounded upon a simple yet comprehensive framework called the CARE model, which teaches readers how to strategically select goals and objectives that bring about change, identify and engage key audiences, determine their strongest resources as well as those needing improvement, and scan the external environment for opportunities and threats. Brimming with examples from the Canadian context, this highly accessible text demonstrates how to develop a communication strategy, from building an action plan and amassing content, to implementing the campaign and evaluating the results. Easy to follow, this step-by-step guide to strategic planning features practical advice and study tools such as learning objectives, key terms and concepts, questions for critical reflection, and an original, detailed case study of a successful campaign. This insightful read is essential for students in public relations, marketing communication, and business strategy.

Public Relations Leaders as Sensemakers presents foundational research on the public relations profession, providing a current and compelling picture of expanding global practice. Utilizing data from one of the largest studies ever conducted in the field, and representing the perspectives of 4,500 practitioners, private and state-run companies, communication agencies, government agencies, and nonprofits, this work advances a theory of integrated leadership in public relations and highlights future research needs and educational implications. This volume is appropriate for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in international public relations and communication management, as well as scholars in global public relations, communication management, and business. It is also intended to supplement courses in public relations theory, strategic communication, business management, and leadership development.

Helps readers move from a tactical public-relations approach to a strategic management style. This book demonstrates skillful use of research and planning techniques, providing research methods that make use of the Internet and programs aiding data entry and analysis.

The management function which focuses on controlling and manipulating the release and spread of information between various individuals or organizations is known as public relations. Its key objective is to provide specific information to various stakeholders such as partners, investors, public, etc. and persuade them into maintaining a positive attitude towards an organization or its leadership. Strategic public relations integrate public relation tactics into marketing plans. It attempts to work towards a definable goal which supports the growth of businesses. Strategic public relations identify a goal and then employ various tools of communication to achieve it. It focuses on making an efficient use of influencers who could reach the target audience easily. Some of the advantages of strategic public relations are increased the longevity of the company, lead generation, building of trust and better awareness. The topics included in this book on strategic public relations are of utmost significance and bound to provide incredible insights to readers. It is appropriate for students seeking detailed information in this area as well as for experts. The extensive content of this book provides the readers with a thorough understanding of the subject.

The communications world is undergoing a seismic shift. The Web is colliding with the old way of doing things, shaking and rolling the marketing landscape as we know it. As the collision subsides and the market forces settle, PR is rising up to a new level of importance. Why exactly is this happening? For one, fragmentation. A new set of communication mediums ranging from blogs to podcasts to satellite radio are fragmenting the media landscape, making it harder to reach customers than ever before. Second, saturation. Advertising, which once reigned supreme in the marketing mix, is failing to have the impact it once had thanks to intense competition for consumer attention and the rising popularity of technologies like TiVo, which make it easy to block out TV ads. Third, reputation. With an overabundance of products from which to choose, consumers increasingly want to buy from companies they deem socially responsible, and they're using the Internet to learn the details. The new world order has created a new set of challenges, and PR is emerging as the marketing discipline best positioned to respond. Consider this: in a recent study by the USC Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center, CEOs rated PR as one of the top contributors to organizational success. That's right, PR was right at the top of a list that included other major corporate functions, including human resources, legal, sales, strategic planning, information systems, and security. Just a few years ago, CEOs ranked PR near the bottom of these same corporate functions. PR has come a long way in a short amount of time. Increasingly, companies are backing their commitment to PR with their wallets. PR salaries are on the rise, and companies are adding staff to their ranks. Over the next five years, PR spending is expected to increase 11.8 percent to $4.26 billion, according to a recent Veronis Suhler Stevenson Communications Industry Forecast. But while companies are starting to see the connection between PR and organizational success, most continue to take a tactical approach to this medium, failing to harness the full power it can provide. If used strategically, PR can dramatically improve almost every facet of a business. It can expand customer base, increase revenue, boost reputation, attract first-rate talent, and enhance the perceived value of a company, to name just a few. The power of PR is astounding. Yet few companies leverage its fullest potential. In the new marketing landscape, companies that fail to treat PR strategically are putting themselves at risk. Unlike most other books on the market that focus on developing press releases and other PR tactics, Strategic Public Relations connects the dots to show you how you can more fully leverage the power of PR to achieve your most important business objectives. The initial pages of the book explain why a strategic approach to PR is critical to your success. Specifically, you'll learn what PR can do and what it can't, and why harnessing your PR program to your broader business strategy is your golden key to success. The book then provides ten guiding principles designed to help you take your PR program to the next level. Each of these principles is designed to be straightforward and simple so they can easily be applied to achieve better results. The lessons offered in this book are based on a tried-and-true approach to PR the authors have developed and perfected over the course of their careers. Over the last two decades, Jennifer Gehrt and Colleen Moffitt have worked on the inside of worldwide PR agencies such as Waggener Edstrom and within the walls of influential corporations such as Microsoft, RealNetworks, AT&T Wireless, and Tegic Communications/AOL. They have worked in the trenches with small and medium-size businesses and major corporations in a variety of industries, helping them to develop thoughtful PR programs that accr