Public Relations Agencies Research Articles

Publishing, Bootlegging, Piracy and the Public in Nigeria

The publishing of educative materials, fictional and non-fictional books, bulletins, magazines, and newspapers is all for disseminating information to targeted readers. The importance of books and other types of publications to individuals and a nation cannot be overemphasised. Thus, due to how important publishing is, bootlegging, which is the synonym of piracy, was examined in this study. The study examined how bootlegging affects publishing, and if the public is aware of public relations as a body that can curb piracy. However, the Excellence Theory, propounded by James Grunig, was adopted with a random sampling method using survey design. More so, a total of 200 questionnaires were retrieved from the respondents out of 250. The study used Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to code the respondents' data. According to the findings, both teachers and students are unaware of Public Relations’ function in the publishing industry while the respondents mostly mentioned the government as the body responsible for curbing bootlegging, and that was because the public has limited knowledge on how Public Relations can effectively curb bootlegging in the publishing industry. Thus, this study recommends that the public should be made aware of the functions of Public Relations. Likewise, the publishing industries should not rely only on the government to curb piracy, but they should seek Public Relations agencies' services to curb piracy effectively.

Fluffy PR and ‘comms girls’: banter, social interactions and the office culture in public relations in England

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to explore social interactions, banter and the office culture in the public relations (PR) industry in England with the use of the difference approach and Bourdieu’s habitus theory. The paper explores whether PR organisations act as masculine habitus.Design/methodology/approachQualitative interviews were conducted with 26 women practitioners, and thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Women were asked questions on social interactions, banter and the office culture, as well as questions on exclusion, from business decisions and having to work harder to succeed.FindingsFindings show that two main themes dominate in responses from interviewees, “de-patriarchalisation” of PR with no personal appearance requirements and no business exclusions because of gender, and “gendered organisations” where interviewees reported dismissive stereotypes of women who work in PR, networking as a job requirement and differences between male-dominated and female-dominated offices, which includes differences between social interactions and banter among men and women.Practical implicationsResults indicate that women feel there are differences in social interactions and banter between men and women. Interviewees also report masculine domination as and harmful stereotypes of public PR professionals, most of whom are women. Organisations who have PR departments, as well as those who hire PR agencies to do the work externally, should design policies on the office culture to ensure equality and respectful work environment for everyone.Social implicationsIn line with the difference approach, women report differences in social interactions and banter between them and men, thus signalling that social differences influence the office culture and work interactions, which tend to be gendered. Findings also indicate that organisations are functioning as a masculine world where women struggle to fit in and obtain recognition. Consciousness-raising is needed in the industry because many women do not recognise oppression in the form of social interactions, and its effect on the position of women or the fact that the most feminized industry is being trivialised by the men on top.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper analysing interactions in PR offices using the difference approach and Bourdieu’s habitus theory.

دور العلاقات العامة فى تسويق الأحداث والبطولات الرياضية داخل الأندية الرياضية بدولة الکويت

أن الهدف الأساسي لإدارة العلاقات العامة بالأندية الرياضية هو تقوية وتدعيم العلاقة بين الأندية وتدعيم العلاقة بين الأندية الرياضية وکافة المتعاملين معها والمشارکين فى تکوينها من خلال وظائفها وأنشطتها التى تعمل على توفير کافة المعلومات والبيانات الخاصة بدراسة اتجاهات وآراء تلک الجماهير تجاه النادى والإدارة العليا به ومن أهم هذه العلاقات هى نشر الإعلان والاعلام عن البطولات والمنافسات الرياضية داخل الأندية وتسويقها وايجاد الفرص التى توفر التمويل وتوفر الأموال داخل الأندية الرياضية من هذه البطولات والمنافسات الرياضية. هدف البحث: يهدف هذا البحث إلى دراسة أثر دور العلاقات العامة فى تسويق الأحداث والبطولات الرياضية داخل الأندية الرياضية بدولة الکويت. وکان من أهم النتائج: - تشارک العلاقات العامة بفاعلية العاملين وأعضاء النادى الرياضى فى مناسباتهم بوفود رسمية. - تقدم العلاقات العامة بالنادى الرياضى التسهيلات والإشراف المباشر على السفر. The main objective of the public relations department of sports clubs is to strengthen and consolidate the relationship between the clubs and the relationship between sports clubs and all those dealing with them and those involved in their formation throught their functions and activities that work to provide all the information and data related to studying the trends and opinions of these audiences towards the club and its senior management. Relationships include publishing advertisements and media about sports tournaments and competitions within clubs, marketing them, finding opportunities that provide financing and providing funds within sports clubs from thesze tournaments ans sports competitions. Research aims: This research aims to study the effect of public relations in marketing sporting events and championships within sports clubs in the State of Kuwait. Among the most important results: · Public relations actively participates in employees and members of the sports club in their events with official. · Public relations in the sports club provide facilities and direct supervision of travel. Recommendations: · Determining the basic activities of public relations precisely and assigning them to public relations agencies according to the existing specializations without assigning any activities or actions that are not among the functions of public relations. · That public relations work within its outreach programs to develop a sense of pride and pride among employees of their belonging to the sports club.

Strategic management of public relations in Kuwait

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to help enrich the body of knowledge of public relations by exploring the status of the practice in Kuwait. Using the generic principles of public relations, a well-known theoretical framework in the field, we study the three major types of organizations: government agencies, nonprofits and corporations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors gathered data using a self-administered survey and qualitative interviews. In total, 250 questionnaires were distributed (both printed and electronic) to employees working in public relations departments in all sectors and received 66 completed responses for a response rate of 26%. In addition, the first author conducted nine elite interviews with a chief executive officer (CEO) of a non-profit organization, a CEO of public relations (PR) agency, four directors of PR department in the private sector and three directors of the PR department in governmental organizations.FindingsThe results indicate that the press-agentry and technical functions dominate PR practice in the country. However, there appears to be a slow momentum for more specialized PR practitioners, who can assist their organizations in coming up with strategies and thus help organizational effectiveness. PR in Kuwait continues to suffer reputationally including the assumption that someone with no relevant knowledge or experience can be employed and succeed.Originality/valueTo the authors knowledge, this is the to study the present some of the generic principles of PR in Kuwait. Therefore, this paper contributes to the PR in Kuwait body of knowledge and provides the generic principles of PR in a new cultural context to test its applicability.

Dialogic Communication and Thought Leadership: Twitter Use by Public Relations Agencies in the United States

This study examined how the 117 Twitter profiles maintained by U.S. headquartered agencies appearing in the 2017 Global Top 250 PR Agencies list from the Holmes Report are using this platform to communicate with their publics. Guided by the dialogic communication theory, a content analysis of 1,120 tweets (from the 112 agencies identified as having public active accounts) published between January and October 2017 were analyzed to better understand the content strategies implemented by these agencies as well as the relationship between levels of public engagement and the implementation of dialogic principles. Additionally, this study placed a special emphasis on thought leadership and the means being employed by agencies to introduce and promote their ideas. The study’s results suggest that while media vividness increases the public’s levels of engagement, interactivity has an inverse effect. At the same time, the findings indicate that agencies are not fully employing the dialogic capacity of Twitter. From a strategic point of view, this study provides significant implications for social media communication practices by public relations agencies.

A study on the dynamics between the moral reasoning process and celebrity image and their impact on consumers’ support for celebrity comebacks after a transgression

A study on the dynamics between the moral reasoning process and celebrity image and their impact on consumers’ support for celebrity comebacks after a transgression

Transformación digital de las agencias de Relaciones Públicas y Comunicación españolas

The degree of maturity in the digital transformation of the Public Relations and Communication agencies that were associated with the Spanish Association of Communication Directors-Dircom is analyzed. The model for digital transformation proposed by Westerman; Bonnet; McAfee (2012; 2014), based on the vectors of leadership and digital capacity is applied. For this purpose, a questionnaire was sent to those responsible of this type of agencies. Our results identify that 75% of the Public Relations and Communication agencies are at an advanced stage of this transformation, conditioning the demand for new profiles, the reorganization of work and the offer of new services. 80% of these agencies have an integral vision of digital communication, although they recognize that they must automate many of their processes.

Using action learning to raise self-awareness and increase accountable in a PR agency in Bangkok, Thailand

ABSTRACT This account of practice explores the use of an action learning programme with a team in a Public Relations agency in Bangkok, Thailand. The programme aimed at improving team and individual performance, including leadership, self-awareness, ownership of work, communication and collaboration. The article describes the context and intended purpose of the action learning programme, the overall process and the evaluative measurements that were used. This account exemplifies how action learning can be used to support a team struggling with complex and urgent problems. The experience of the author highlights how key elements of action learning such as problem-solving and critical reflection can support a team who may be ‘stuck’ by helping them to find new motivation, greater self-awareness, and an increased sense of individual and team accountability.

Targeting Children and Their Mothers, Building Allies and Marginalising Opposition: An Analysis of Two Coca-Cola Public Relations Requests for Proposals.

The study provides direct evidence of the goals of food-industry-driven public relations (PR) campaigns. Two PR requests for proposals created for The Coca-Cola Company (Coke) were analysed. One campaign related to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the other related to the 2013–2014 Movement is Happiness campaign. Supplementary data were obtained from a search of business literature. The study found that Coke specifically targeted teenagers and their mothers as part of the two PR campaigns. Furthermore, Coke was explicit in its intentions to build allies, particularly with key media organisations, and to marginalise opposition. This study highlights how PR campaigns by large food companies can be used as vehicles for marketing to children, and for corporate political activity. Given the potential threats posed to populations’ health, the use of PR agencies by food companies warrants heightened scrutiny from the public-health community, and governments should explore policy action in this area.

The Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility through Festival Ketoprak Pelajar Event at CV Amigo Mangesti Utomo, Klaten, Central Java, Indonesia

Festival Ketoprak Pelajar event is a phenomenon that is quite unique when the rampant society with new media. Amigo Group initiated corporate social responsibility (CSR) which is divided into 2 (two) namely CSR Social and CSR Culture. Festival Ketoprak Pelajar is an event of Amigo Peduli Budaya initiated by Amigo Group. The purpose of holding an event is to continue to maintain the relationship between the company and the customer can stay well maintained. The purpose of this study is to know how the Implementation of Public Relations in Corporate Social Responsibility activities through Festival Ketoprak Pelajar event at Amigo Group. The theory used this time is Relationship Management theory, refers to the process of management relationship between the organization with internal and external public. While the method used by the author is qualitative, with case study approached. The results of this study explain the process of public relations work programs applied to companies that do not have a public relations division in particular and also without the help of the public relations agencies that exist.

Buying media-savviness? Interest groups as clients of public affairs consultants

Public relations agencies are on the rise, and studies have shown that also membership-based interest groups use their services. These agencies employ public affairs consultants who help their clients influence public policy, and their use may have important consequences for interest group systems. As we know little about why interest groups use public affairs consultants and what kind of groups use them the most, we surveyed nationwide interest groups in Finland. We argue that groups use consultants especially when they face challenges with their advocacy strategies. The results show that the more important media strategies are in their advocacy work, the more groups use public affairs consultants. Business groups are more likely to use public affairs consultants than other kinds of groups. When groups’ resources are held constant, more recently established groups use more money on consultants than older groups. We conclude that consultant use may deepen existing biases in interest group politics by strengthening the business groups’ position. The results also imply that media strategies have become especially challenging for groups in the current complex media environment.

Experiential Learning Labs in Public Relations Programs: Characteristics of Undergraduate Student-Run Public Relations Firms on U.S. College Campuses

Advisors from 55 of 119 student-run public relations firms on U.S. college campuses provided data about firm characteristics. A listing of student-run public relations firms, or agencies, was created and through an online survey questionnaire, results show that firm characteristics (years in operation, funding, workspace, hiring process, types of clients, and student involvement in decisions) are more similar than dissimilar even when comparing student-run public relations agencies of varying years in operation. Statistically significant results were found for the difference between firm types for the average number of hours students worked per week (F=6.612, eta-square= 0.18) and ACEJMC accreditation (F=3.71, eta- square=0.13). Recommendations and research ideas about this type of experiential learning lab are explored for future study.

Missed opportunities to make PR great again: How public relations agencies responded to the Trump Presidency

This exploratory study examines approaches the world’s top public relations agencies used to respond to the risks posed by a new U.S. administration during President Trump’s first 100 days in office. Because the goal of this research was to analyze the public thought leadership of public relations agencies as displayed on their websites (not agency-client relationships), both quantitative and qualitative content analyses were carried out to examine their website content. The purpose was to identify whether agencies’ ethical counsel and leadership were demonstrated; and, if they were, through which approaches and themes.Public relations agencies discussed the Trump victory in a few ways. The most popular theme was the Columnist/Blogger/Critic approach, or a personalized reflection of agency staffers on the Trump victory. The second most popular--yet less frequent--approach was as PR Counsel, aimed at providing professional advice to prepare brands for Trump’s attacks and/or take advantages of new opportunities in the Trump era. The third most popular – the Expert approach – was an in-depth analysis of an issue (for example, health care) and a Trump presidency’s implications. This study addresses implications for risk management in the political sphere of public relations. The response of the public relations industry, as evidenced on agency websites, was less than strategic: We do not practice what we preach (or sell). Recommendations are offered for an improved response to future challenges based on issues management and ethical leadership.

The use of the museum as a public relations agency by sponsors: the role of the media

The economic crisis suffered in Spain in the last ten years has forced management of the country’s public museums to look for new sources of funding with which to compensate the reduction of public funding. Business sponsoring has been one of the most intensely studied channels. One of the consequences of the new scenario is the weak bargaining position of museums before sponsors. There are clues that suggest that a new model has arrived in Spain: museums are used as public relations agencies by businesses and the subtlety that once characterised the relationship between a sponsored museum and its sponsor disappears. The article lays out the development of business sponsorship in public museums in Spain, illustrating the changes that have taken place in this relationship. Through a content analysis of cases that answer to the new model and structured interviews with cultural journalists from written media, it is shown that sponsors do not achieve their objective, which is to factor the communication media into the equation to increase their brand notoriety and/or strengthen their corporate image

The Role of Crisis Prevention from the Perspective of the Biggest Polish Companies and Public Relations Agencies on the Basis of Expert Research

Summary The article constitutes a presentation of the results of research devoted to the current trends in crisis PR. The authors of the work made an attempt to diagnose crisis prevention in a cross-section of two dimensions. On the one hand the perspective of business (survey of companies) was presented and on the other hand experts’ opinions (survey of the leaders of public relations agencies) were shown. As a result of analyses a point model of an immune system, which takes into consideration the key instruments of crisis methodology (developed procedures in form of communication management book, dedicated anti-crisis structures in an organization, crisis team with a fixed membership and a system of communication trainings) was designed. Diagnosis of prevention measures of the leaders of Polish business — based on the years 2007–2017 showed major deficiencies in the degree of companies’ preparation for the risk of crisis.

The use of the museum as a public relations agency by sponsors: the role of the media

The economic crisis suffered in Spain in the last ten years has forced management of the country’s public museums to look for new sources of funding with which to compensate the reduction of public funding. Business sponsoring has been one of the most intensely studied channels. One of the consequences of the new scenario is the weak bargaining position of museums before sponsors. There are clues that suggest that a new model has arrived in Spain: museums are used as public relations agencies by businesses and the subtlety that once characterised the relationship between a sponsored museum and its sponsor disappears. The article lays out the development of business sponsorship in public museums in Spain, illustrating the changes that have taken place in this relationship. Through a content analysis of cases that answer to the new model and structured interviews with cultural journalists from written media, it is shown that sponsors do not achieve their objective, which is to factor the communication media into the equation to increase their brand notoriety and/or strengthen their corporate image

Features of Effective Crisis Communication Based on Public Relations Profession Research.

Abstract The way of conducting communication during the image crisis is a special type of challenge for the company. Lack of preparation of the company for proper communication management may be crucial in averting and/or reducing the effects of crises. The paper presents the results of research conducted among experts from the PR industry and representatives of the largest Polish enterprises from the 500 List compiled by “Rzeczpospolita” daily newspaper. The vast majority of Polish enterprises show an open-minded approach to crisis communication. Companies from oppressive industries, where crises occur more often, are better prepared for crisis communication. The determinants of effective communication in the situation of image threats are, according to the leaders of public relations agencies, anti-crisis preparation, presence of procedures, openness and honesty in communication processes as well as quick response time.

Expectations for Advertising and Public Relations Education From Agency Executives: A Comparative Study Between China and the United States

Rapid changes in technology and an increased emphasis on globalization are placing new demands on advertising and public relations (PR) educators and their students. Many schools have already developed combined advertising and PR programs; practitioners in both the United States and China are receptive to integrated communications and consider it foundational to practice. This study thus examines advertising and PR agency executives’ opinions in response to the question of how educators are preparing students for evolving responsibilities, through 42 in-depth interviews in the United States and China. The findings revealed that industry practices, including those overseas, real-world scenarios, and digital media should be incorporated into curricula. Fundamentals such as writing, presentation skills, creativity, and storytelling remain a priority in both countries. However, executives in the two countries placed a different priority on other areas such as global literacy, foreign language skills, and math skills. Discussion and pedagogical implications are provided.

Vocational Public Relations Education: Does It Meet Employers’ Entry-level Needs?

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Playing Nice in the Sandbox: Is Collaboration Among Advertising and Public Relations Agencies the Same as Integration?

ABSTRACTAdvertising and public relations agencies have never been more in direct competition, as public relations agencies begin offering media strategies and advertising agencies begin assuming roles in online community management and social listening. Through in-depth interviews with 29 advertising and public relations agency executives, this study provides new insights on the trends impacting both professions while drawing from the theoretical concepts of encroachment, domain similarity, nonsubstitutability, and integrated marketing communication. Executives defined paid, earned, owned, and social media strategies and discussed how these areas are blurring, how responsibilities are being mandated by clients, and how the associated financial challenges affect an agency's ability to retain employees. Finally, the executives discussed how clients and agencies are pursuing collaborative work that draws from the strengths of both professions.