Strategically Communicating

In public relations, strategic communicators must make decisions about public reactions and assess the consequences of particular actions. There are good reasons for keeping quiet or managing how information is communicated, but most importantly, PR professionals must communicate in an ethical way that will withstand the air of publicity. In a recent PR Conversations blog post, Heather Yaxley considers how lying and secrets fit into ethical PR practice. Her argument is that PR communicators inherently “spin” or retell a corporate narrative that is based on a foundation of truth or “perceived” reality.

Yaxley states that “timing is a key element of PR communications and this requires keeping information secret until the optimum point to announce or release it,” and “part of trust means accepting that sometimes people (and organizations) do lie – but their reputation should establish that they would have a good reason for doing so” (Yaxley, 2012). She also implies that research is used to back claims by twisting the truth. For example, PR is often criticized for “cherry-picking” evidence, using misleading extrapolations, and omitting data points that don’t fit, in the hope that nobody notices.

The takeaway for me is that PR is not about lies and secrets but a variation of perspectives. Research should not be manipulated to alter the truth. Research is a valuable, powerful tool. Used properly it can give greater impact to almost any message. Misused, it can run the PR profession into a repute of lies and secrets.

Click on the below link to read Yaxley’s post:

http://www.prconversations.com/index.php/2012/04/lies-and-secrets-the-currency-of-public-relations/

Most of us, whether in our personal or business lives, have faced the following two questions:

Is it our top priority?

If so, how are we going to pay for it?

Often times, we face these two questions when dealing with important issues like whether to invest a large portion of your department’s budget in a website redesign or move your family across town to be in a better neighborhood. And, many of us have had to take a “best guess” approach at choosing the correct answer. And, not always have we been right.

However, when a decision is needed, it must be made. If the information needed to make the right decision is not available, it makes it extremely hard to be confident in reaching the right decision. This is where research is critical and where gut instinct can only go so far. When one is dealing with critical choices that have big consequences, it is research that helps to guide our decisions and diminish big risks.

Focus groups are a valuable tool for gathering qualitative data that can help any communicator make a more informed decision. Though, focus groups can be very expensive to conduct. I came across the attached article on “How to Conduct a Focus Group” by the Communications Executive Council which will hopefully provide a deeper insight to those considering research as a means to making better informed decisions.

CEC How to Conduct Focus Groups

As I compiled research from the internet for a work project, I noticed a lot of it came from blogs. I had to really look at all this info to try to sort out what was factual before submitting my report. I started thinking about untruths and rumors and how fast they can speed across the internet. And in the race to be the first to report a dramatic headline, even some legitimate news organizations will publish a scandalous story before checking the integrity of the information.

Rumors are more and more mistaken for news, an example of a recent one surrounded Gov. Haley of South Carolina. An unfounded report on a little-known blog claimed that the governor was about to be indicted for tax fraud. This rumor spread quickly and was picked up by mainstream media outlets in an incredibly short period of time. Agree with her politics or not, knowing that rumors can travel at the speed of light and be legitimized by publishing in mainstream press is a little scary.

A timeline of the speed of the Haley rumor from tweet to legitimate news headlines is in the middle of this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/10/us/politics/false-nikki-haley-twitter-report-spreads-fast.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all.

Can we recognize a rumor anymore? In the era of instant everything, rumors get to enjoy enough time in the limelight to make an impression on the public, and even if corrections are posted later, the damage could be irreversible.

So, my new job held two focus groups this week. I had hoped to attend the Tuesday night one but my terrible cold prevented me from being there. However, the woman heading up the project was Jen Barth from BIGSmall Brands. I like her. She’s approachable and personable and I would highly recommend her for market research. She’s also got this great blog about research and social media and holds regular workshops in the PDX community. Just thought I’d pass the information along…

http://www.bigsmallbrands.com/blog/

Maybe one day I’ll get her to let me sit in on a focus group? I have to say that I’m beginning to wonder what it would be like to be a researcher…hmmm?

In my research for this week’s case study, I came across an opportunity to combine our reading for the week with our crisis plan analysis.  To summarize the article linked below, if companies invested in market research before making any major moves, it appears that many a crisis could be prevented.  In the example given, if Netflix had invested in market research up front, millions of dollars might have been saved.  This case study demonstrates the value of market research and the potential return on investment that strategic research can provide.

Netflix Demonstrates the Value of Market Research