Handbook of PR Essentials
A micro-guide to the World of Public
Relations
4/6/2013
Charles Raj
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Author’s
Note:
This book is not intended to serve as an
educational text.
Through this miniature guide, I have sought to address certain
queries and FAQs that might come to a prospective client’s mind
regarding Public Relations. While most general information in this
handbook has been compiled from various credible sources, certain
ideas, opinions and judgements expressed in this text, are merely
the result of the author’s understanding of the field. Further
research is advised before implementing the practices described in
this text.
For a student or researcher who might have stumbled upon this
miniature text while searching for more extensive and reliable sources
(as I myself have in the past) I recommend the following books for an
in-depth understanding of Public Relations –
• “Thank You for Smoking” by Christopher Buckley (Or watch the
Jason
Reitman movie of the same title if you’re too lazy)
• “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie:
This book has been called the Public Relations bible – Having
st
sold over 15 million copies since 1 being published in 1937.
Carnegie himself states in the book “success is due 15 percent
to professional knowledge and 85 percent to "the ability to
express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm
among people."
• “Game change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and
the race of a lifetime” by John Heilemann. A book that focuses
on the hotly contested 2008 U.S. Presidential Campaign
Handbook of P.R. Essentials
Public Relations in
General
The foremost objective of a public relations firm or department is to
enhance a company’s reputation. Professionals who work in the P.R.
field are skilled publicists. Our aim is to present a company or
individual to the world in the best light. We make your products or
services stand out by creating ‘brand recall’ in the minds of your
target audience. We build brands, conceptualize PR campaigns,
strategies and promotional activities and function as reputation
protectors in times of crisis. PR also helps companies achieve
their full potential and provide valuable feedback from the public.
Public Relations is often confused with its cousins Advertising and
Marketing. While PR campaigns might form a part of the company’s
overall marketing strategy, professional public relations is more “soft
sell” than “hard sell.” It emphasizes information and persuasion as
opposed to packaging and paid media, diplomacy as opposed to force.
Traditional PR involves generating significant ‘positive’ news about the
company in print and electronic media utilizing topics of interest.
These serve as ‘Third Party’ endorsements for the brand. Online or
Digital PR is best characterized by the popular term ‘user- generated-
content’. While it also employs tools such as search engines and blogs,
the primary aim is to empower the user to market a brand, concept or
campaign of his/her interest. These also include viral campaigns on
popular mediums such as Facebook and Youtube.
An industry story on E-Commerce featuring brands Myntra and Fashion And You
Handbook of P.R. Essentials
Nike’s ‘Bleed Blue’ campaign
(Social Media Marketing)
Team India fans (who in this
country isn’t?) were
encouraged to voice their
support for the team by
getting photographed
wearing or standing next
to Nike jerseys and logos.
A majority of the users
posted their pictures and
videos online, thereby
indirectly promoting the
brand.
Why is PR so essential? Isn’t advertising a faster way
to
reach the audience and drive up sales?
To an expert in the marketing field, this question is the equivalent of
asking “Why wait at an airport queue? Don’t cycles get started
faster?” A most silly example, I know but the answer does depend on
your expected targets and how far you want your brand to grow. It
also depends on whether your brand is a ‘make a quick buck’ venture
or if you’re in it for the long term. Make no mistake about it, PR is a
long process and a painstaking venture; but the end
reward is fruitful and it can take you distances with regard to brand
image that would be impossible with advertising gimmicks alone.
Besides the advertising medium and its ‘artistic dramatization of
product effects’ claim has been exploited to such an extent that
it has become impossible for the public to trust commercials.
At Innowaves, our expertise in product marketing spans a wide range
of industries, including Technology, Fashion & Retail, Food &
Beverages, and Hospitality. From our experience, we know that
brand-reputation is best built by providing customers a deep
experience with the brand and product over- time and not from a
media stunt or short-lived ad campaign. And there is no better way to
get customer experience stories across to a larger audience than
through PR.
So if you believe in your product, then PR alone or PR coupled with
other marketing techniques can take your brand forward. On the
other hand, if your trust in the brand is doubtful at best and you
can’t guarantee customer experiences to be mostly positive....then
forget PR and advertise away my friend !
Handbook of P.R. Essentials
When do I need to go for PR?
Suggested PR strategy for a newly launched company/product
We recommend that the best time to consult us would be about 2-3
months prior to the launch. This would enable us to develop a
customized PR Strategy that is ‘tailor-made’ to suit your needs.
The newly developed PR campaign would involve practices to be
employed at various stages of your brand’s growth.
