Chapter.

Review of Literature

2.1. Introduction:

The chapter makes the evaluation of the review of literature which is done by different authors.
The insights of the different authors are evaluated and this will be incorporated in this research
so that they give the critical assessment of theory. This forms the basis of the research and helps
in framing the questionnaire for the further analysis.

2.2. Public relations:

Public relations are the practice for the managing and spread of the information among the
individuals, the organization and the public. This will include the organization and the individual
which gains more exposure for the audiences by using the topic which is related to the public
interest and also the news items which will require the direct payment. The main aim of the PR
by the company will be to influence the public, the partners, the employees, the investors and the
other stakeholders since this will influence many of the decision that they take.

According to -------------- Public Relations (PR) is the way in which the company and the
individuals of the company communicate with the media and the public. The PR specialist will
communicate with the target audience either directly or indirectly with the media so that they
aim in the creation and maintenance of the positive image by creating the strong relationship
with the audience Example: Press releases, public appearances, newsletters, internet.

How does the PR works?

The public relations will involve the cultivation of the relations which is favorable with the
organization and also the products with the key publics with the variety of the communication
channels and also the tools. The PR professionals of the company will work with the variety of
the communication channels and the tools so that this will create the favorite image by
publicizing the organization of the product with the print and also the broadcast media and this
will relate with the much broader activities and they are:
 Building of the awareness and the more favorable image for the company with the stories
and articles in the relevant media and also the outlets
The close monitoring of the numerous media channels with the public comment about the
product and the services of the company
The management of the crisis will threaten the company and their image that they have
among the public
The building of the goodwill among the target audience through the community and other
philanthropic special programs and the events

The public relations help in improving the image of the company and marketing their products
and the services. There are also other stakeholders of the company who can be reached via the
public relations function like the employee and the other non target market groups. There will
be more favorable media coverage about the product of the company when they reach the
audience and offer more potential benefit for the marketer.

Advantages of the public relations campaign:

The public relations will offer many advantages which are not found in the other promotional
options. The PR is considered to be the most credible form of the promotion. The main points
of the power rest with the establishment of the credibility for the product or for the company
among the customers and the other stakeholders with the influence of the third party the media.
The audience will view the media outlets as the independent party sources which is unbiased in
their coverage so that they include the decision of companys name and their views which is
made through the media outlet and they are judged. Example: The positive story of the new
product line in business section will give more impact on the readers than the advertisement
since they perceive the news media and present the impartial perspective related to the product.

The well structured PR campaign will allow the target market to be exposed and more detailed
information which can be received in other forms of the production. The media sources will
offer more explanation for the product. Depending on the outlet of the media the story gets
picked up with the large additional media and this will spread the single story to many other
locations. In many cases the objectives of the public relations are achieved at the very low cost
compared to the other promotional efforts which are undertaken. This does not give the intention
that the public relation is not costly rather the marketer can hire the PR professionals for
handling the work and they can be compared with the direct cost of other promotions more in
particular with the advertising and thus the promotional expense can be quite high.

Disadvantages of the public relations campaign:

There are two sides for the coin and hence the PR too has some disadvantages, while the PR
holds advantages for the marketers there is also more concerns with the promotional technique.
The PR also uses the same kinds of the tools like the newspapers, advertisement, radio, TV,
internet and the magazines. This will differ where in the advertising the marketer will not have
any control whether the message is delivered or placed accurately. The promotional messages
are very carefully crafted and they are distributed with the pre-determined placement in their
media vehicle the PR will convey the information to the member in news media so that they can
redraft the information which is the part of the news or the story and feature. Thus the final
message need not be the one which is framed by the marketer.

The PR campaign will have the potential for yielding the high return on their promotional
expense. There is also potential to create the opposite of the potential for producing the opposite
and the news media will feel the opposite when they run the story that is pitched by the marketer.
In the PR there is a chance that they have the well devised news and they get colliding with from
the media so that there is no breaking news like wars, severe weather and serious crime. There
are some areas where the impact of the world will create the traditional news outlets fading the
forcing public relations to find new ways for reaching the new target market.

Objectives of the Public relations:

The public relations campaign is undertaken to address many objectives and they are:

Building product awareness:

This will help in the introduction of the new product or in the relaunching of the existing product
so that the marketers will use the PR element which will generate the attention of the consumers
and their awareness with the media and special events.
Creation of the interest:

The PR article whether they are given separately or included with the other articles they will help
in enticing the targeted audience. Example: the holiday season, the special holiday food which
can be promoted with the releases which is sent to the special events in the sample of the
product.

Providing the information:

The PR is used for the providing the information for the customers in depth about the services
and the products of the company. With the articles, the collateral materials, websites, newsletters,
the PR deliver the information for the customers which will help them to gain more
understanding of the product.

Stimulation of the demand:

The positive article which is published in newspaper or in the TV shows as mentioned in the
internet will result in the increase in the sales of the product.

Reinforcing the brand:

The public relations function will involve the brand reinforcement which will help in the
maintenance of the positive relationships with the key audiences and thus they aid in the building
up of the brand image. Today it is very important for the companies and also the brands for
building the good image. The strong image will help the company to build their business and
they also help the company in the times when they face the crises.

Key Public Relations Tools:

The marketers will have at their disposal many tools for carrying out the public relations. The
key tools which are available for the PR include:

Media Tours
Media relations
Newsletters
Speaking engagements
 Sponsorships
Employee Relations
Community relations and Philanthropy

Before choosing the marketing tools the PR must be aware of his/her audience (target markets)
so that this helps in the delivery of the key messages. This will help in aligning the messages and
audiences so that they help in the identification of the product which is promoted for corporate
goals and also the non specific product promotions like the corporate image promotions.

The key message which is used here is the development of the public relations materials so that
they support the key messages which will provide the more consistent point over time and also
across numerous PR methods which will reinforce the product positioning and helps in reaching
the desired target audience.

Additional PR activities:

The marketing objectives could be achieved by the public relations when they are undertaking
the additional marketing activities and they are aimed at maintaining the positive image for the
organization and they will include:

Market Monitoring:

The monitoring of the information which is spread among the consumers with the explosion of
the information channels in the internet has become very important. The monitoring includes
what is written about the company and their products/services in the traditional print and the
broadcasting media. They must also keep an eye on the discussions which happens in the
internet outlets like the different forums, chat rooms, blogs and the other social websites. The
marketers must be prepared so that they will respond very quickly so that the negative opinions
about the products and they can spin out quickly with the technology channels. The failure for
the correction of the misinformation will be more devastating for the product and the companys
reputation. There are specialized monitoring services which are contracted by the company so
that they keep track of the buzz about the company and their products.
Crisis Management:

The marketers must be prepared for quick response to the negative information about the
company. As the problem or the crisis arises which is substantiated only with the rumor the
marketers investment which is made in the product will end in jeopardy. With the presence of
the internet and also the wireless communication the negative information will spread very
quickly and the marketers will market which will track the issues and they will respond in the
more timely fashion. In order to manage them more effectively the company will have crisis
management plans in place which will outline the steps that must be taken by the spokesperson
of the people on behalf of the company when the event occur.

Trends in the PR:

Till the most recent times the actions which is involved in the PR is with the contact of the
person to person and with the PR professionals and members of the media like the journalists and
also the television news reporters. There are also several trends which were developed and they
help in altering the tasks which is performed by the PR people. In most of the cases the changes
will be the result of the new internet technologies which gets spread quickly among the internet
users and they become the news outlet in their own right.

The trends will include:

Updating the corporate news

Conclusion:

The chapter has discussed the different aspects of the public relation campaign and how they
alter the reputation of the company. The PR campaign can either break or make the company
and how they could be used in the better ways is discussed above. The following chapter
describes the research methodology that can be used for the research.