Presentation by Group 4
Strategic
Planning for
Public Relations
Effectiveness
Group Members
1. Ngo Thi Bao Yen
2. Le Thai Bao
3. Pham Thi Ky Anh
4. Tran Thi Xuan Lam
5. Mai Thi Huong Thao
I. STRATEGIC
PLANNING
Integrating Case Study:
Cedar Springs
Community Hospital,
Segment 2
At Cedar Springs Hospital, physicians were
concerned about the quality of patient care
and called for immediate action to address
the issue. Initially, the proposed solution was
to enhance employee awareness of service
quality and emphasize their personal
responsibility in delivering the best possible
care.
However, before taking action, the Public
Relations Director decided to conduct
research to gain a deeper understanding of
the true nature of the problem.
Findings from
Research
Staff perceived that the current quality of care was
poor.
Staff felt they did a good job, but were still dissatisfied
with the overall assessment of the hospital.
Patients rated the quality of care much higher than
staff did.
=> Goal: Improve staff and physician perceptions of the
hospital's overall performance
Action Plan
Two key strategies in the year-long campaign:
Increase positive feedback from management to help
staff feel more valued in the medical team.
Provide feedback from patients to help doctors and
staff have a more realistic view of the quality of care.
Budget: $6.000
Key Activities:
Conduct additional surveys with discharged patients.
Communicate quality of care through multiple
channels.
New policy: Patient compliments will be sent to
relevant departments before being archived.
Lesson learned
Avoid hasty reactions
Perceptions don’t always reflect
reality
The value of continuous feedback
II. IMPORTANCE
OF PLANNING
According to
David M. Dozier
Strategic PR goals aligned with
organizational growth justify PR as a key
management function.
Measurable PR objectives ensure
accountability and clearly define success
or failure.
III. FUNDAMENTALS
OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
PLANNING
Strategic plans &
Tactical plans
Public opinion surveys
Brainstorming
Scenario construction
IV. ELEMENTS OF
PLANNING
Types of Plans
1. Campaign Plans (Single Use Plans)
2. Planning by Objectives (MBO Approach)
3. Standing Plans
Types of Plans
Campaign Plans (Single Use)
1. ESTABLISHING GOALS IN RELATION 7. CREATING STRATEGIES TO
TO THE MISSION STATEMENT ACCOMPLISH THE OBJECTIVES
2. DETERMINING THE PRESENT 8. DEVELOPING TACTICS TO
SITUATION IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES
3. DETERMINING THREATS AND 9. CREATING EVALUATION
OPPORTUNITIES TO REACHING TECHNIQUES
GOALS 10. DEVELOPING A BUDGET
4. RESEARCHING AND SELECTING 11. WORKING OUT A TIMETABLE
YOUR TARGET AUDIENCES 12. ASSIGNING PERSONNEL.
5. DEVELOPING A THEME FOR THE
PROGRAM OR CAMPAIGN
6. DEVELOPING THE OBJECTIVES FOR
THE PLAN OR CAMPAIGN
1. Establishing Goals in
Relation to the Mission
Statement
Goals must relate to the organization's
overall goals and be achievable with
existing resources.
2. Determining the Present Situation
The problem definition based on available data should answer the
following questions:
Is this a major or minor problem?
What broader areas of concern might be relevant to this problem?
Is this a real problem facing our public?
What background information from customer/organizational
research is relevant to this problem?
If there is more than one problem, how should it be broken down?
Is further research needed to determine the extent of the problem?
Is a public relations audit needed to understand the organization
and its internal and external public relations opportunities?
3. DETERMINING THREATS 4. RESEARCHING AND
AND OPPORTUNITIES TO SELECTING YOUR TARGET
REACHING GOALS AUDIENCES
analyze the environment to research to identify the target
find out what factors help groups that your PR
and hinder the achievement campaign will be aimed at.
of your goals. Supporting Analyzing your audience in
factors can be resources terms of age, occupation,
such as people, money, and interests, and behaviors will
equipment. If any of these help you develop an effective
are lacking, it is a barrier that strategy.
needs to be overcome.
5. Developing a Theme for the
Program or Campaign
Campaign themes should be short, memorable,
and reflect the strategic intent. An effective
theme should do three things:
Capture the essence of the plan or campaign.
Be brief…3-5 words.
Be something that can be sustained over
time.
6. Developing the Objectives for the
Plan or Campaign
Objectives for public relations plans should be
written in the infinitive form. Criteria for writing
and selecting objectives:
They should relate to the overall goals of the
organization.
They should be improvement targets.
They should be clearly defined.
They should be specific.
They should be measurable.
They should be achievable.
7. Creating Strategies to
Accomplish the Objectives
Definition of strategy : A strategy is a way or ways you are going to accomplish your
objectives.
For example : For the Community theater
Objective Strategy
Increase awareness of the community
Develop a media campaign to promote the
theater by 25 percent within the local area. theater and the upcoming season
Create informational materials about theater to
Increase season ticket sales 10 percent. engage audiences.
Host a grand opening event with a special
Raise $25,000 in endowment for the performance (perhaps a premiere combined
theater with a concert by a relatively well-known
band)
8. Developing Tactics to Implement Strategies
Definition of tactics :Tactics are the most specific, direct action that you can take in the plan. They
are the most specific, concrete activity and should be related to the objectives and strategies.
For example: For the Community theater
Objective
Increase season ticket
sales 10 percent.
Strategy
Create informational
materials about theater to
engage audiences
Create a video about the
Develop a brochure about the theater to be used to
upcoming season to sell season Tactics
promote the theater and its
subscriptions. upcoming season.
Develop a brochure to Create posters for
Prepare programs for the
persuade residents to become each play during the
performances
volunteers at the theater. upcoming season
9. Creating Evaluation The procedures for evaluation must be developed before
implementation begins in order to have a benchmark with
Techniques
which to measure performance during and at the end of the
program.
Formative evaluation: evaluation at various stages during
the program.
For example : About the curriculum: A school adopts a new teaching
method. Teachers conduct weekly tests to assess students'
understanding and adjust their teaching plans accordingly.
Summative evaluation: provides the summary of what went
right or wrong—and why—after the campaign has ended.
For example : A company implemented a six-month
leadership training program. At the end, they measured the
improvement in employee performance through surveys and
key performance indicators (KPIs)
10. Developing a Budget
Three-step model
(1) The required resources such as people, time,
material, and equipment must be listed.
(2) the extent these resources will be used is
estimated
(3) the costs of the resources are determined.
Example of Developing a Budget
Printing Costs
Resources Quantities Costs (tickets, posters, 10,000 copies
$3,000
banners)
Venue Rental 1 day $10,000
Security & Safety 20 personnel $7,000
Sound & Lighting Full
$15,000
System package
Food & Beverage
Services (food 10 stalls $5,000
stalls, drinks)
5
Artist Fees $25,000
bands/DJs
Event Staff 15 people $12,000
Advertising &
10% Contingency
Marketing (Facebook, 2 months $8,000 $8,500
Fund
YouTube, Billboard)
Total Budget $93,500
11. Working Out a Timetable
This is a process of “back-timing,” or
determining from what you want as a
finished product how much time each step
in the process will take.
Example of Working Out a Timetable
For example : Campaign to Encourage Reading Among Youth.
Suppose a local library organizes a campaign to promote reading habits among students from May to August.
Activity Completion Time Promoting the campaign
From June 16 to
on social media and
July 31
newspapers
Planning meeting, task
From May 1 to May 10
assignment
Organizing reading
From August 1 to
sessions and workshops
Partnering with schools From May 11 to May August 20
and book publishers 31
on reading skills
Preparing promotional Collecting feedback and
From June 1 to June From August 21 to
materials, printing evaluating campaign
15 August 31
posters effectiveness
12. Assigning Personnel
The plan must address which
departmental personnel will be used
for what activities and where the
additional personnel will be found.
Example of Assigning Personnel
For example : An event company wants to run a promotional campaign for the 2025 Summer Music Festival.
Personnel Assignment Table
Campaign Planning Event Organizing Team Running ads on
Facebook, Instagram, External PR Agency
YouTube
Designing logo, posters, Graphic Design Team
banners (outsourced)
Stage, sound, and
Technical Team
Filming & editing Video Production lighting setup
promotional video Company
Post-event Market Research
Content creation & Marketing & PR evaluation & review Team
communication strategy Department
Fostering responsible
economic growth with
consideration of
environmental constraints
and social equity.
PLANNING BY
OBJECTIVES
Standing plans are developed to handle
01. repetitive situations within an organization.
STANDING
PLAN 02. Ensure consistency and coordination in
decision-making and actions.
General Concept
Especially important in Public Relations
03. (PR) to control communication and
protect the organization’s image.
TYPES OF STANDING PLANS
A. Policies
Serve as general guidelines for decision-making.
Direct actions in line with the organization’s
objectives and strategies.
Example: Media communication policy – only
approved information can be disclosed to the
press.
TYPES OF STANDING PLANS
B. Procedures
Provide specific steps to perform recurring tasks.
Ensure consistency and efficiency in execution.
Example: Procedure for handling media interview
requests:
Step 1: Receive the request.
Step 2: Verify the interview details.
Step 3: Forward to the official spokesperson.
TYPES OF STANDING PLANS
C. Rules
Mandatory regulations, leaving no room for
flexibility.
Clearly define who does what and what not to do.
Example: Only the Director of Communications is
authorized to speak to the media during a crisis.
Creative
Agency
V. CASE STUDY
Creative
Agency
CASE STUDY 6.1
NASA AND THE
COLUMBIA
SPACE SHUTTLE
TRAGEDY
Event Overview
On February 1, 2003, the Columbia shuttle
exploded upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
All seven astronauts lost their lives.
NASA identified the issue but delayed
information disclosure, awaiting full verification.
Analysis of NASA's
Media Response Lessons Learned
Lack of transparency ✅ Be transparent and
created public skepticism. timely to minimize
The tight control over misinformation.
information backfired, ✅ Ensure readiness
fueling rumors. through regular training
and drills.
Their crisis communication
plan was rigid, leading to
✅ Clear spokesperson
protocols and unified
slow response times.
messages are critical.
Creative
Agency
CASE STUDY
KODAK GALLERIES
CAMPAIGN
Context
Kodak transitioned from traditional Implementation Strategies
film to digital photography. Launched Kodak Galleries in New York
Objective: Reinforce brand leadership and San Francisco.
in the digital market. Allowed customers to experience
products firsthand, featuring the
EasyShare-One (ESO) wireless camera.
Organized exclusive briefings for
Campaign Objectives
media, bloggers, and analysts.
🎯 Engage 6,000 customers
Integrated social media campaigns
in product trials.
🎯 Reaffirm Kodak’s No.1
and photo contests with attractive
rewards.
market position in digital
Scheduled 1:1 meetings with media to
cameras.
share Kodak’s vision and innovations
Results Achieved
🏆 Kodak secured No.1 market share in digital
cameras in the U.S. for the second consecutive year.
🏆 Over 13,000 participants attended hands-on
experiences.
🏆 ESO was named the Most Impressive Product
Launch of 2005.
Creative
Agency
Key Takeaways
✔ Real-life experiences foster emotional connections
with the brand.
✔ Multi-channel integration (traditional & digital)
expands brand reach.
✔ Consistent messaging reinforces brand identity and
credibility.
Thank
you very
much!
