PR (Module-III)

Module-III
Chapter – 01
Public Relations Strategy
"PR is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships
between organizations and their publics." PR is the act of connecting and communicating
through all the various relationships that a business or organization may have formed with the
public. These various public’s can include employees, customers, industry, government
entities, investors, charities, suppliers and the media. PR can also be defined as the practice
of managing communication between an organization and its publics. Strategies can define
as a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal.
PR takes into consideration the bigger picture of how an organization relates and is perceived
by the public at large. A good public relations strategy can not only help a company
understand its customers and provide meaningful solutions, but track those results and often
forecast outcomes for future circumstances. PR can affect community behaviour – sometimes
even more so than advertising.
For start-up companies with small budgets, gaining an advantage for your new business or a
new product through advertising is both a challenging and risky venture. Once the initial
budget is gone, there are seldom second chances. A good public relations strategy is an
alternative to advertising. Effective PR is a cost-effective way to gain editorial exposure for
your product, get more leads, generate more sales and build a great brand.
How to create a PR strategy
A PR strategy will help to organise the PR activities and make strategic decisions around the
best way to communicate. It can also help to use the stories in the business to tell the target
audience as well as increase the profile and build brand awareness.
To get started with the PR strategy, here is an outline of what is involved:
 Determine Company’s Goals and Objectives: When creating a PR strategy it’s
important to outline the goals and objectives for what company want to achieve. For
example, a company may want to launch a new service division of its business and raise
awareness of it in the market or a company may want to position its product or service as
the leader in its category. Make sure that company’s goals are specific, measurable,
achievable, realistic and timely (also known as SMART).
By determining the goals: a company can have a clear purpose for the PR strategy and
can maximise the success of the PR activities.

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

 Target Audience: A company’s target audience are the individuals, groups and
communities that have influence and decision making power over their products or
services. They are the ones to whom company is trying to attract and sell their products.
A company can find their target audience by thinking about who would be interested in
hearing about their business, who is key decision makers, who will have the greatest
impact on the business’ outcomes and who will take action or purchase their
products/service.
By defining the target audience: A company can tailor its communication to suit their
behaviours and therefore increase the effectiveness of its PR strategy. Once a company
have identified its target audience, researched their behaviours, such as what publications
they read and how they consume media than it will be comparatively easy for a company
to approach them.
 Key messages: Key messages are the core messages which a company wants to send to
the target audience for their hearing and remembering. Key messages are an important
part of a PR strategy because they can shape company’s content and communicate a
unified message to the audience / listeners. A company can include key messages in the
form of punch line / tag lines to convey a specific message. The best key messages are
believable, easy to understand, distinctive, credible and drive the agenda of the company.
For example - a key message for a business may be: LG is a leader in the Home
Appliance Industry.
 Tactics: Tactics are the activities that will help to achieve the PR objectives. If we use
the example of raising awareness of a new service division, one tactic may be
distributing a media release to the existing customers. These publications can be sent to
the relevant industrialists and target audience with the goal to provide information about
launching the new service division. Other tactical options include e-mail, newsletters,
social media campaigns, blogs, public speaking or pitching interesting story ideas about
the business to journalists. A good place to start is to make a list of the types of
publications which target audience generally reads, the events they go to attend and how
they spend their time online. This may help to guide what type of tactics will work for
the particular company.
 Create a Time Frame: A company should also put time frames around each tactic to
ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. For example - a company could create
an action plan which details the PR activities for a particular month; who will complete
them; when a company will start the activities and the deadline for completion. A PR

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

strategy with detailed time frames can help the company to organise workload, ensures
accountability and makes sure that a company haven’t forget to complete a set task.
 Measure the Success of a Company: It’s important to measure the success of
company’s PR strategy. A company could create its own measurement tools or could
set its own key performance indicators (KPIs) around what a company wants to achieve.
A company could also measure its success by whether company achieved its pre set
goals in the set time frame or not. By monitoring the success a company can determine
whether its PR activities are working and discover the areas a company needs to improve
on. It’s also a good idea to regularly review the PR strategy to ensure it’s working
effectively.
A PR strategy enables a company to consider every aspect of communicating a message in
the best possible way. It will also help a company to maximise the success of its PR efforts
and help to grow its business.
What makes PR so powerful?
People often see through advertising, but a product mentioned in the context of a news report
or print feature story gives it a passive endorsement and third-party credibility advertising
just can't buy. A news report is actually far more likely to move people to action than
conventional advertising and a good public relations strategy is the way to get the
involvement of media to seek publicity. A company needs to create an effective PR plan to
give its product competitive advantages in the market. Therefore, following are the 10 rules
which make PR so powerful:
1. Know the Target Market: The more specific a company can get about which
community should use its product, the easier it will be to identify which media a
company needs to use and within which time frame. A company not need to be very
narrow or broad which defining target market because no individual company or product
can ever command 100% market share, nor does it need to in order to be successful.
2. Identify the Product Benefits relevant to the Market: Features aren't as important as
what a product does for the potential clientele. Remember, at this stage company needs
to try to sell their product or service to the media so that a story will get published. Let
them know the benefits and show them the numbers to prove that company’s product
saves users time, money and gives economic benefits.
3. Establish Product as Unique: It's important to be able to prove that the product is "x-
times" faster, better, cleaner or more cost-effective than the competitors' product or
industry standard. Such specific and proven advantages will provide the media concrete
evidence to feature the product over anyone else's.

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

4. Source and Use Testimonials: All other things equal, testimonials are one of the
strongest ways to enhance the credibility of any promotional piece. Testimonial is a
written recommendation from a celebrity or satisfied customer affirming the
performance, quality, and/or value of a product or service. Testimonials are one of the
most powerful tools of marketing. This phenomenon is known as social proof: a
psychological mechanism where people tend follow the actions and behaviours of other
people, in an attempt to make the “right” choices.
5. Target the Media used by the Target Market: Find out which media outlets a
company’s target market typically reads, views or listens too. In many cases, a company
will be able to identify specific channels or programs or newspapers or internet sources
for the public / customers to whom a company is targeting. If it's not obvious, you may
need to do some research to find out which media are most seen or read by your target
market.
6. Prepare Company’s Press Release to be Printed: A company needs to start its press
release with a great headline and make sure it also follows AP style guides so a journalist
can cut and paste that press release in favour to make a story. Company’s first paragraph
should be no more than 25 words and needs to both explain the headline and summarise
the story. Journalists spend on average of seven seconds "speed reading" the hundreds of
news releases they receive each day, so the first 25 words are critical and remember to
keep company’s’ editorial to one page or less.
7. Sell Release: A Company needs to sell its press release to the person named in the media
guide. Let them know that a company have a story that may create interest among them
and their readers.
8. Use a photograph: A photograph can literally sell a thousand words. Daily media are
more photo-conscious than ever, and are more interested in photos than the monthly
special interest magazines or trade journals. Those publications are usually only
interested in a photograph if it educates or informs the reader than it will be more
impressive to the public.
Top 5 PR Strategies
The heart of the business success lies in its marketing. Most aspects of the business depend
on successful marketing. The overall marketing umbrella covers advertising, public relations,
promotions and sales. Marketing is a process by which a product or service is introduced and
promoted to potential customers. Without marketing, a business may offer the best products
or services in an industry, but none of the potential customers would know about it. Without

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

marketing, sales may crash and companies may have to close. The following are the top PR
Strategies for the businesses:
1. Media Relations: Media relations refer to the relationship that a company or
organization develops with journalists, while public relations extend that relationship
beyond the media to the general public. Media relations involve working with media for
the purpose of informing the public of an organization's mission, policies and practices in
a positive, consistent and credible manner. Typically, this means coordinating directly
with the people responsible for producing the news and features in the mass media. The
goal of media relations is to maximize positive coverage in the mass media without
paying for it directly through advertising. Many people use the terms public
relations and media relations interchangeably; however, doing so is incorrect. Media
relations refer to the relationship that a company or organization develops
with journalists, while public relations extend that relationship beyond the media to the
general public. It is possible for communication between the media and the organization
to be initiated by either side, however dealing with the media presents unique challenges
in that the news media cannot be controlled — they have ultimate control over whether
stories pitched to them are of interest to their audiences. Because of this fact, ongoing
relationships between an organization and the news media are vital. One way to ensure a
positive working relationship with media personnel is to become deeply familiar with
their "beats" and areas of interests. Media relations and public relations practitioners
should read as many magazines, journals, newspapers, and blogs as possible, as they
relate to one's practice.
One of the age-old prerequisites for good PR is making sure the media picks up the
campaign. It doesn’t matter if it’s a single press release or a full-blown PR attack –
having strong ties to the media will give an immediate advantage, particularly in this day
of blog power.
Organizations often compile what is known as a media list, or a list of possible media
outlets who may be interested in an organization's information. The media can consist of
thousands of magazine publications, newspapers, and TV and radio stations. Therefore,
when a "newsworthy" event occurs in an organization, a media list can assist in
determining which media outlet may be the most interested in a particular story. Working
with the media on behalf of an organization allows for awareness of the entity to be
raised as well as the ability to create an impact with a chosen audience. It allows access
to both large and small target audiences and helps in building public support and

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

mobilizing public opinion for an organization. This is all done through a wide range of
media and can be used to encourage two-way communication.
Media relations or publicity is a powerful tool for influencing and changing behaviour. It
provides critical, third-party endorsement for a product, service, issue or organization. As
opposed to more direct forms of communications, such as advertising or direct
marketing, communicating through a journalist provides valuable and sought-after
credibility that other forms of communications cannot match. Possible reasons an
organization may reach out to the media are:
 Launch of a new product/service
 Initiation of new factories/offices
 Financial results
 Organization sponsored events or awards
 Launch of organization promotional campaigns
 Recent disasters, strikes or organizational closures
 Awards/accolades for the company
 Visits from company dignitaries/celebrities
 Involvement in local/community activities
 Community Engagement
2. Know the Target Market: Besides knowing what products and services target
customers want, how much they’re willing to pay for them, whether they prefer buying
online, etc., a businessman also need to know about what other businesses are trying to
cater to them, what their price points are, how they market themselves, and more. And
beyond learning about the existing competition company should know broader industry
trends that may or may not be in play with the actual competition. For example, a
landscape architect should know about trends like recycled materials or green roofs,
regardless of whether its local competition is actually taking part in these trends.
Company needs to have a clear vision and understanding of all three components of your
market — customers, competition and industry. When a company knows that what an
audience wants, what the competition is (and isn’t) doing, and current market trends than
a company can tailor its business’s products and services accordingly. A company needs
to do this consistently over time, always keeping an eye on the target market and
adapting to shifts both big and small to keep the business on a profitable track. PR
Department helps to be able to act immediately to keep their clients ahead of the game.

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

3. Use Technology: Technologies are positively impacting the world in which we live,
creating new wealth and reshaping economic and social policy. The media industry has
been dragged kicking and screaming into the modern world and forced to adopt new
media technologies and drastically overhaul its operations. The successful new media
model is a combination of three components: professional media, user generated media,
and smart machine media (e.g., automated news aggregation). Public relations - it is the
art and science of building relationships between an organization and its key publics. Its
practices have the ability to take technology from obscurity to prominence - creating
important visibility and generating deal flow. Public relations campaigns have the
potential to turn possibilities into favourable actions. And executives are well advised to
put their words in someone else's mouth. There’s no quicker medium than online for
breaking a big news story. Social media giants like WhatsApp, Facebook, Digg and
Youtube are now being heavily used by PR agencies for their clients. Viral marketing
and video campaigns are just two of the ways that businesses are reaching a wider
audience.
Blogging is another vital component in the online promotion of a business. A company
can have a medium that allows instant interaction between company and its existing
customers or potential customers. Additionally, a blog allows a company to offer a more
personal side to its “business speak” and can help a company to connect with key
audience in a way that would have been almost impossible before technology.
4. Monitor the Web: Companies and organizations are highly dependent on their web
presence, with which they provide information, advertise and sell products. Today,
a high-performance, dependable website is a critical success factor. It is important for
network administrators to know the status of their web presence in order to
guarantee availability. A company needs to know what’s being said so that a company
can act or react at right time. For example – Suppose a company launched a new product
in the market and for whatever reason; it receives some negative reaction in the
blogosphere. If a company is not monitoring its web regularly then company won’t be
able to come out with any answers to the negative questions being asked.
5. Social Awareness: A business can promote itself using a number of marketing strategies
including direct mail, personal selling and sales promotions, as well as communicating
through Public Relations (PR). ‘Public relations practice is the planned and sustained
effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an
organisation and its publics.’ A business will have many ‘publics’ that it communicates
with - for example its employees, shareholders, the media, as well as maintaining

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

goodwill and understanding with its customers. The aims of PR are to achieve positive
publicity about the business, build image and enhance reputation in terms of products
and services. In today's competitive market, reputation can be a company's biggest asset
and can help to set it apart from the competition. Social media offers huge benefits in
terms of PR, as it enables a business to directly communicate to a worldwide audience in
a number of ways. Social media also provides opportunities to create social content with
a point of difference, which is of particular importance in a sector such as retail where
companies are often selling the same or similar products. There’s no better PR strategy
than local awareness. Consumers especially are more likely to buy into a product or idea
that gives back to the community – just look at how successful eco-friendly businesses
are compared to non-green competitors. If a business can offer something to the
community as a result of the new product or service, then a company will be in a far
better position to receive positive PR.
6. Company Reputation
The success of a company often rests on a solid reputation. Marketing builds brand name
recognition or product recall with a company. When a company reaches the high expectations
of the public, its reputation stands on firmer ground. As your reputation grows, the business
expands and sales increase. The reputation of your company is built through active
participation in community programs, effective communication externally and externally and
quality products or services, which are created or supported by marketing efforts.
7. Healthy Competition
Marketing also fosters an environment in the marketplace for healthy completion. Marketing
efforts get the word out on pricing of products and services, which not only reaches the
intended consumers, but also reaches other companies competing for the consumers’
business. As opposed to companies that have a monopoly on products and services that can
charge almost any price, marketing helps keep pricing competitive for a business to try to win
over consumers before its competition does. Without competition, well-known companies
would continue to sell while lesser known companies or new companies would stand little
chance of ever becoming successful. Marketing facilitates the healthy competition that allows
small businesses and new businesses to be successful enter and grow in the marketplace.
8. Consideration / Deliberation / Selflessness
Although marketing is hugely important for a business to succeed, it can also be very
expensive. In its first year, a company might spend as much as half of its sales on marketing
programs. After the first year, a marketing budget can reach as much as 30 percent sometimes
more of the annual sales. A marketing program that gives your company the best chance is a

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

healthy mix of different forms of marketing, such as website development, public relations,
print and broadcast advertising, design and printing for all print materials, trade shows and
other special events.
9. Make your unique story matter
It can be tricky, but to get people interested in what is going on with your company, you will
need to focus on something other than yourself. Attach your business to something that has a
greater purpose. That could be funding a charity or as simple as latching on to seasonal trends
and holidays. Broaden your horizons and try to get your company noticed by industries other
than your own to bring more attention to your business.
So how do you get your company to join the 24/7 online news feed? You’ll need to keep your
buzz going consistently by generating news. Your news could be a new product or service
you offer. Perhaps you’ve hired a new person in your company who will hold a high level
position. You could generate news by creating a way to enhance your community. News
doesn’t just happen; you’ll need to create a news story. Time is of the essence so strike while
the iron is hot and get the news out while it’s current.
PR Strategies for Marketing: Tangible & Service Products
Take advantage of the immense amount of free exposure that PR gives you. A great press
release distributed to your target audience will drive greater awareness of your business to the
right people. While advertisements do have a return on investment, don’t negate the
effectiveness of what a powerful press release can do for your business. Your PR strategy
should include an ever evolving cycle of creating and promoting news to the right influencers
and channels. Third party endorsements such as this will help give you instant credibility.
Keep a close eye on where your target audience receives their news so you can reach them
there.
Getting exposure for your business via PR requires some creativity. You will need to think of
stories and create news that your target audience cares about. Attach your business to
something greater such as a cause or community. Realize that while publications like The
New York Times are still relevant, influencers are emerging on the web with their own
publications and communities. There is still a large corporate media structure and you’ll need
to recognize if that is where your business needs to be seen or if smaller, more niche
publications will work for you.
Tangible Assets are physical assets such as land, vehicles, equipment, machinery, furniture,
inventory, stock, bonds and cash. These assets are the backbone of a company that keep it in
production but are not available to customers. Tangible assets are at risk of damage either
from naturally occurring incidents, theft or accidents.

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

Intangible Assets are nonphysical, such as patents, trademarks, franchises, goodwill and
copyrights. Depending on the type of business, intangible assets may include Internet domain
names, performance events, licensing agreements, service contracts, computer software,
blueprints, manuscripts, joint ventures, medical records, permits and trade secrets. Intangible
assets add to a company's possible future worth and can be much more valuable than its
tangible assets. The following are the PR strategies for marketing the tangible & intangible
products:
 An E-Book
 An Info-graphic
 The landing page (using varying headlines and images)
 A Blog Post (engaging blog post & featuring key takeaways)
 Slide Share (maximize reach and sharing potential)
 Social Media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter)
 Website CTAs (Call-to-action to convert visitors to leads)
 Lead Scoring: Marketing has collaborated with sales to determine criteria that define
sales qualified leads (SQLs).
 Lead Nurturing E-mails (An automated email workflow to nurture contacts that
download the eBook)
 An Associated Webinar (Capture the leads that are further along in their buyer’s
journeys)
 Webinar E-mails (Another lead nurturing email workflow to follow up with those who
have already downloaded eBook & attended webinar)
 Internal Team Alignment (An email to the sales team members detailing the content
marketing campaign and offering tips on how they can integrate the new content asset
into their sales activities)
 Campaign Tracking (All URLs that will be shared have been tagged using Google’s
URL builder tool, in order to monitor traffic and conversion sources.
The Role of Public Relations in Today's Business Climate
In the world of integrated marketing, the lines between advertising, communications and
public relations have become almost non-existent. A company's reputation is paramount to its
success, if not its survival. Quite literally, public relations is managing relations with various
publics, a role that grows in importance as reputation becomes ever more critical to business
success. Companies can restore trust in a number of ways, many involving traditional PR
strategies, such as:
 Using integrity and fairness as criteria for all business decisions;

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

 Maintaining an emphasis on quality of products or services;

 Openly sharing truthful information with all publics;
 Actively seeking input from publics and being responsive to concerns;
 Renewing a commitment to local communities; and
 Creating forums to encourage dialogue with constituencies.
Reputation and why it Matters
Reputation can account for a large portion of a company's market capitalization, and can be
its most important long-term asset. It impacts an organization in a myriad of ways, including
stock price, and the ability to attract and retain customers and employees. Corporate
reputation is based on factors such as:
 Quality of products or services,
 Earnings and business performance,
 Stability and fairness as an employer,
 Level of integrity in business practices,
 Degree of honesty and openness, and
 Involvement in local communities.
Today, with distrust of the corporate world at an all-time high, corporate credibility is an
over-riding factor. Whether they like it or not, companies today are at the mercy of public
constituencies. That means there is growing recognition of the need to foster a good
reputation by developing positive relationships with various publics.
 Focusing on share price to the detriment of quality and integrity,
 Forming boards that are not designed for strong corporate governance,
 Misleading shareholders, employees and others by not sharing the full story,
 Emphasizing what is legal, rather than what is ethical, and/or
 Jeopardizing employee jobs and savings through business misconduct.
The cornerstone of a good relationship is trust, and trust is based on open and honest
communication. Effective PR tells a company's story in a way that is accurate, honest, and
easy to understand, helping to establish a reputation for credibility. A good relationship also
requires a willingness to listen, and true PR is a two-way process. PR professionals recognize
that to manage relationships, they must understand and respect public concerns and
viewpoints. They must also go a step further, to serve as the public's advocate within an
organization. In effect, corporate public relations professionals frequently play the role of an
outsider. By questioning decisions and their impact on customers, the community,
employees, and others, public relation professionals bring the public perspective to an
organization, fostering its ability to be responsive to public concerns.
Dr. Meghashree Agarwal
PR (Module-III)

Chapter – 02
Role of PR in Building Corporate Image
Corporate image is a strategic category of modern business, and the scientific and expert
consensus about that exists. To become a factor of business excellence, the image has to be of
a good quality, i.e. positive, stable, clear, viable and capable of generating growth and
development. The only right way in creating and keeping an image beneficial for business is
a strategic approach to it. Strategy of public relations as a part of strategy of corporate
communication needs to have an especially big role. PR strategy has the greatest influence on
companies’ image. Do the companies even have a PR strategy, and is it compatible with
general business strategy; is it of sufficient quality and complete; is it appropriate for the
specific company. From the results of research presented in this paper, it is visible that only a
small number of construction companies in B&H have developed PR strategy at all. Even if
the companies have PR strategies, there are massive gaps in them: e.g. absence of situation
analysis which should be the first step in every high-quality strategic planning, not only in
construction sector but also in business activity in general.
The PR strategy is complex and challenging. It will be successful only if it’s developed
according to the rules of the discipline and not only by PR professionals, but also by
professionals from other disciplines that will provide wide expert knowledge applicable in the
field of construction. Strategy of public relations in development of the image of construction
companies needs to involve the following four-phase process of solving the problem or
creating the possibilities:
 Phase 1: Defining the problems or possibilities – In this phase the knowledge, opinions,
attitudes and behaviour of all concerned by procedures and company policies are
examined. It creates the foundation for all other phases in of solving the issue of
developing an image.
 Phase 2: Planning and programming – Information collected in the first phase is used for
decision making about stakeholders, specific goals, moves and communication strategies,
tactics and general goals. That means that the results of the first phase are incorporated
into the company’s policies and programs.
 Phase 3: Taking actions and communicating – In this phase, the program of action and
communication which has to achieve specific goals for every public as a precondition for
realisation of general goal of programme is carried out.
 Phase 4: Evaluation of programme – In this phase of preparation, implementation and
results of programme are evaluated. Adjustments are based on feedback on efficiency or
non-efficiency.
Dr. Meghashree Agarwal
PR (Module-III)

Certainly, some other models can be used to approach drafting of a PR strategy, but
generally, every high-quality strategy – as first, crucial step – has to have a situation analysis.
This analysis will provide clear sight of the situation of the company or a problem that they
should work on. Within this strategy, the crucial point is to define the public target to which
the company is appealing well.
Strategy for Creating Corporate Image
PR strategy is not a one-shot program. The following are the eight key areas provide a
foundation that any company can use to incorporate image as part of its PR corporate
strategy:
1. Analyze the Competition
How do you want to be known over the next two to five years? What do you stand for? Do
you have competitive advantages? Can you clearly differentiate yourself from the
competition?
2. Establish Core Values & Positioning
Company needs to brainstorm internally about what the company aims to stand for over time
— its desired positioning. Then determine the three or four core values that are its
differentiating elements (e.g. culture of the highest integrity, quality construction,
technological innovation and shareholder return, hiring the best and brightest, giving back to
the community, investing in innovation or solving unmet medical needs). Can your company
truly be identified as a leader? If not, think about your proprietary processes or other
differentiators. For a traditional manufacturing company, the chain builds value from five
primary links or activities: inbound logistics, marketing and sales, operations, outbound
logistics and customer service.
For a PR firm, the primary links would be outside services and supplies, operations, the
agency delivery system, new business development and client service. Those primary
activities are also facilitated and energized by four basic support activities, or your
communications: organization and infrastructure, human resources management, technology
development and procurement (outside dealers, freelancers, strategic partners). Think of each
of these links as building blocks in overall corporate image, creating ongoing PR
opportunities to various audiences through a wide range of media. Find good stories along the
value chain. Bring the positioning and differentiation to life with solid, compelling evidence
by promoting the quality of each link and its accomplishments. Then, wherever people turn,
they are able to see evidence of your company’s reputation as it grows.

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

3. Target External Audiences

Analyze your multiple target audiences and how each receives its information. Building a
reputation with multiple audiences is mandatory since no audience operates in isolation. The
most successful companies build communications channels and relationships with the leaders
of each constituency or network. These leaders, in turn, converse with their personal
networks. The networks often overlap at the top, buzz builds and reputations grow. The same
multifaceted approach can be used successfully to build reputations and support growth for
new biotech companies, research institutions, scientific applications, software products,
professional and financial services firms, and in crisis communications.
4. Create a Compelling Vision & Evocative Messages
How do you communicate with each constituency while building image and relationships in
the process? Examine your core values and determine how you want to be known to each
public. Then start creating the foundation for an integrated messaging strategy. Most
organizations waste a lot of time talking about vision and creating mission statements that
appeal to internal audiences only. The people bringing these attributes to life become
ambassadors to further build the organization’s reputation and long-term relationships.
5. Draw the Strategic Road Map
Creating an enduring image and reputation doesn’t just happen. It requires a planned,
disciplined approach similar to building a great skyscraper. Set the vision and then develop a
master timeline over the next two years to begin bringing it to life. Include company and
industry milestones, such as new-product launches, media or analyst tours, grand openings,
analyst reports, published studies, corporate milestones, breaking ground on a new facility or
presentations to major conferences. Brainstorm on how to take the plan to an even higher
level.
6. Assemble the Tactical Tool Kit
Programs need to be segmented to reach each channel and to be implemented with the
specific tools best suited to drive results. These can include internal relations and
communications, media relations, community relations, corporate contribution programs,
social networking (blogs, YouTube, Facebook, etc.), special events, trade show and
conference programs, cause marketing, direct marketing, Web sites, collateral material and
other tactics.
7. Dare to be measured
Establish metrics to gauge if the image is building according to plan. Start with quantitative
measurements, such as tracking the amount of coverage, speeches made, seminars held, blogs
posted, hits to the Web site, calls to the 800 number, e-mail requests for information and

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

whatever other measures are appropriate. Watch trends in each area on a regular basis to see
if adjustments to the plan are required. That’s raising the noise level. A tougher but more
important measurement is performing qualitative analysis at regular intervals to determine if
the positioning is getting through and helping the reputation move in the desired direction.
8. Conduct Ongoing Reality Checks
Beyond the metrics, organizations need to conduct ongoing reality checks of their messages
to make sure that they are communicating with their different constituents, not just
themselves. How do your messages compare with those of respected competitors or
companies you admire in other niches? Do the core values and central themes come through
in all that you do? Or are you just adding to the volume of hype and unsubstantiated claims of
leadership? Analyze and adjust as needed to ensure that you are being true to your image and
reputation.
Incorporating image as part of corporate strategy and investing in reputation management
requires a diligent, strategic approach. The tactic needs to be creative, consistent, targeted
and factual in support of an organization’s long-term business and marketing plans. It has
been proven that investing in a quality image provides an ongoing return that organizations
can measure in many ways, from internal pride to the bottom line.

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

Chapter – 03
Strategies for Promoting Social Awareness
&
Public Education for National Integrity
Social awareness gives you the ability to understand and respond to the needs of others.
Developing social awareness involves learning about the dynamics of social relationships
between individuals, groups and communities. A socially aware individual values human
rights and acknowledges the importance of harmonious social interaction for the
developmental progress of human beings. Social awareness spans a wide spectrum, beginning
with social skills development in early childhood and encompassing the level of social
consciousness that leads to social activism and societal transformation. Here are some
strategies for developing social awareness.
Consider the needs of individuals and groups: People need to feel heard, valued, respected
and acknowledged. Develop sensitivity to the needs of others. For children, this means
learning how to share toys and play harmoniously on the playground.
Examine your role in conflicts: The use of excessive force, intimidation and aggression are
common strategies when dealing with conflict. Some people avoid conflicts at all costs.
Others choose the company of passive people or engage in passive aggressive behaviors.
Consider the role that you play in perpetuating conflicts and commit to living a more socially
harmonious life.
 Focus on commonalities and points of agreement to reduce conflict. An overemphasis on
social differences can lead to disharmony. Find the commonalities. For children, this
may mean choosing a game that both children enjoy.
 Develop conflict resolution skills. Take a course in conflict resolution or spend time
talking to and observing the behaviours of leaders and mentors who are known for their
harmonious natures.
Increase your sensitivity to social justice and harmony: In children and teens this may
mean treating others fairly regardless of their level of popularity or style of dress.
Educate yourself on social issues: Racism and poverty are just a few examples of issues
plaguing society. Children can learn about these social issues at school or at home.
Step out of your comfort zone to experience unfamiliar groups: Whether you venture out
to a different side of town or travel to a different country, exposing yourself to diverse
cultures and ways of life will expand your thinking and view of the world. Being exposed to

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

different belief systems, cuisines and lifestyles is useful for expanding your social circle and
building tolerance for diverse viewpoints.
Practice compassion: Social transformation requires a commitment to exploring and
understanding divergent viewpoints. Develop empathy by consciously imagining yourself in
the position of those in a different or less fortunate situation. Children can be taught to do this
when they have hurt another person's feelings.
Commit to a social awareness plan: Slipping into apathy and isolation can be easy given
life's sometimes overwhelming demands. Design a plan that keeps you continually aware
socially.
 Serve in your community. Explore service opportunities in schools, cultural centres,
political organizations, religious communities or neighbourhood activities.
 Engage in a social activity on a daily basis. Choose an activity that requires you to listen
to and tend to the needs of another person or group.
 Practice speaking up in defence of others. Commit to voicing your opinion on behalf of
marginalized group who are deprived of their basic human rights.
How to build social awareness
 Improve your listening skills. Take a short course in effective communication skills.
 Pay close attention to interactions with other people. Be aware of what they say, how
they say it and what they do.
 Use a gentle self hypnosis audio download to improve your ability to understand others.
 Identify other people’s emotional states. Listen carefully to what they're saying and
notice how they respond to external events, such as someone greeting them or asking
them to do something.
 Think about your feelings. How does the other person’s emotion make you feel?
 Think before you answer and give clear answers.
Social & National Integrity
Social and national integration is crucial to the creation of a strong, united country, which is
an essential precondition for all progress. It has a varied content-economic, social, cultural
and political-and its different facets are closely interconnected.
It needs:
1. Confidence in the nation’s future;
2. A continuous rise in the standard of living for the masses and the reduction in
unemployment and in the disparities in development between different parts of the
country, all of which are essential to promote a sense of equality of opportunity in
political, economic and social terms;

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

3. A deep sense of the values and obligations of citizenship and a growing identification of
the people, not with sectional loyalties but with the ‘nation’ as a whole;
4. Assurance of good and impartial administration, equal treatment for every citizen, in fact
and not merely in law, based on the integrity of the public services; and
5. Mutual understanding of and respect for the culture, traditions and ways of life of
different sections of the nation. To make this social and psychological revolution
possible, it is necessary to deal with the short-term problems facing the country in this
field, particularly in regard to the growing and dangerous symptoms of social
disorganization.
These express themselves as the widening gulf between the rich and the poor, the privileged
and the unprivileged, the urban and the rural, the educated and the uneducated. They are
reflected in the general weakening of the feeling of national solidarity under the increasing
impact of local, regional, linguistic, religious and other sectional or parochial loyalties.
Effective steps must be taken to bridge these dangerous gulfs and strengthen national
consciousness and unity. Social and national integration is a major problem which will have
to be tackled on several fronts, including education.
Education can play a very significant role in it by
1. Introducing a common school system of public education;
2. Making social and national service an integral part of education at all stages;
3. Developing all modern Indian languages, and taking necessary steps to enrich Hindi as
quickly as possible so that it is able to function effectively as the official language of the
Union; and
4. Promoting national consciousness.

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

Chapter – 04
Social Reforms / Movements
A reform movement is a kind of social movement that aims to make gradual change, or
change in certain aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes. A reform
movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary
movements. Reformists' ideas are often grounded in liberalism, although they may be rooted
in socialist (specifically, social democratic) or religious concepts. Some rely on personal
transformation; others rely on small collectives, such as Mahatma Gandhi's spinning
wheel and the self-sustaining village economy, as a mode of social change. Reactionary
movements, which can arise against any of these, attempt to put things back the way they
were before any successes the new reform movement(s) enjoyed, or to prevent any such
successes.
The Radical movement campaigned for electoral reform, a reform of the Poor Laws, free
trade, educational reform, postal reform, prison reform, and public sanitation. Originally this
movement sought to replace the exclusive political power of the aristocracy with a
more democratic system empowering urban areas and the middle and working classes. The
Chartist movement was essentially an economic movement with a purely political
programme. The Chartist movement demanded basic economic reforms, higher wages and
better conditions of work, and a repeal of the obnoxious Poor Law Act.
Social Movements / Reforms
Social Reforms occur when large groups of individuals or organizations work for or against
change in social and/or political matters. The following are the types of social movement /
reform:
 Revolutionary movement (or revolutionary social movement) is a specific type of
social movement dedicated to carrying out a revolution. Charles Tilly defines it as "a
social movement advancing exclusive competing claims to control of the state, or some
segment of it". The revolutionary movements deny that the system will even work. These
movements are deeply dissatisfied with the social order and work for radical change.
They advocate replacing the entire existing structure. Their objective is the
reorganization of society in accordance with their own ideological blueprint.
Revolutionary movements generally become violent as they progress. Example: The
Protestant Reformation Movement, the Socialist Movement, the Communist Revolution
of China.
 The Progressive Era was a period of widespread social activism and political
reform across the country from the 1890s to 1920s. These movements are formed to
Dr. Meghashree Agarwal
PR (Module-III)

resist a change that is already taking place in society. These can be directed against social
and cultural changes which are already happening in the country. The main objective of
the Progressive movement was eliminating corruption in government. The movement
primarily targeted political machines and their bosses.
 A reactionary movement advocates the restoration of a previous state of social affairs,
while a progressive movement argues for a new social arrangement. A
conservative movement opposes the changes proposed by other movements, or those
seeming to develop through cultural drift, and advocates. The aim of reactionary
movement is to reverse the social change .They highlight the importance and greatness of
traditional values, ideologies and institutional arrangements. They strongly criticize the
fast moving changes of the present.
 Women's Movement: The women's movement in India is a rich and vibrant movement
which has taken different forms in different parts of the country. Fifty years ago when
India became independent, it was widely acknowledged that the battle for freedom had
been fought as much by women as by men. One of the methods M K Gandhi chose to
undermine the authority of the British was for Indians to defy the law which made it
illegal for them to make salt. At the time, salt-making was a monopoly and earned
considerable revenues for the British. Gandhi began his campaign by going on a march -
the salt march - through many villages, leading finally to the sea, where he and others
broke the law by making salt. No woman had been included by Gandhi in his chosen
number of marchers. But nationalist women protested, and they forced him to allow them
to participate. The first to join was Sarojini Naidu, who went on to become the first
woman President of the Indian National Congress in 1925. The trajectory of this
movement is usually traced from the social reform movements of the 19th century when
campaigns for the betterment of the conditions of women's lives were taken up, initially
by men. By the end of the century women had begun to organize themselves and
gradually they took up a number of causes such as education, the conditions of women's
work and so on. It was in the early part of the 20th century that women's organizations
were set up, and many of the women who were active in these later became involved in
the freedom movement.
 Backward Caste Movement: The Backward castes have been deprived of many social,
economic, political and religious privileges. These people provided manual labour and
the untouchables occupied the lowest position among the caste hierarchy. They were
subjected to extreme form of exploitation. The colonial power accentuated the disparities
in the distribution of economic power. The atrocities united the lower castes against the

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

upper castes. Some of the important backward caste movement which came up was
Satyashodak Samaj and Nadar Movement which consolidated the masses along the
castelines.E.V Ramaswamy started Self-Respect movement against the Brahmins in
South India. The SNDP movement in Kerala was more of a reformist movement. In
1950s there was a widespread desire among the non-Brahmin castes to be categorized as
Backward .Subsequently Backward Class commission was set up to look into the
conditions and requirements of these classes. Mandal Commission submitted its report in
1980 recommending reservations for backward castes in educational institutions and
government offices. However this move resulted in anti- Mandal Commission movement
which resulted in large scale violence and many students lost their lives.
 Dalit Movement: Dalits are the suppressed people at the lost rung of the cast-based
hierarchy. Their inferior occupations and low levels of ascriptive status make them
vulnerable for attacks at the hands of upper-caste people. The organizational efforts
made by Dalit leadership for uplifting their status are known as Dalit movement. It is a
protest against un-touchability, casteism and discrimination faced by the [Link]
movement indicates some trends of protest ideologies which entail the following -
withdrawal and self organization, high varna status and extolling of non-Aryan culture's
virtues, abandoning of Hinduism and embracing other religions like Buddhism and
Islam. Mahatma Gandhi in 1923 founded the All India Harijan Sevak Sangh to start
education and schools for the dalits. Another most important dalit leader [Link]
struggled to secure the basic human dignity to the dalits. The Mahad Satyagarh for the
right of water led by him was one of the outstanding movements of the dalits to win
equal social rights. The role of All India Depressed Classes Association and All India
Depressed Classes Federation were the principal organizations which initiated a
movement to improve the conditions of the dalits. These organizations aimed at
improving their miserable conditions and to spread education among them. They worked
to secure rights of admission to school, drawing water from the public wells, entering the
temples and to use the roads.
Social Reformers of India
India has a rich history of social reformers who have helped to establish the foundations of
modern India, and, in some cases, have affected a worldwide impact through political action
and philosophic teachings. Especially given Indian's leaning towards oral and mythical rather
than a written tradition throughout much of its history it is almost impossible to put together
an exhaustive list of social reformers who have lived through the ages. Below are some of
them:

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

 Baba Amte (26 December 1914 – 9 November 2008) was a worker and social activist.
He spent some time at Sevagram ashram of Mahatma Gandhi, and became a follower of
Gandhism for the rest of his life. He believed in Gandhi's concept of a self-sufficient
village industry that empowers seemingly helpless people, and successfully brought his
ideas into practice at Anandwan. He practised various aspects of Gandhism, including
yarn spinning using a charkha and wearing khadi. Amte founded three ashrams for
treatment and rehabilitation for leprosy's patients, disabled people, and people from
marginalised sections of the society in Maharashtra, India. Died on November 9.
 B. R. Ambedkar (14 April 1891–6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, political
leader; Buddhist activist, philosopher, thinker, anthropologist, historian, orator, prolific
writer, economist, scholar, editor, revolutionary and the revivalist of Buddhism in
[Link] was born in Madhya [Link] was also the chief architect of the
Indian Constitution. He formed the "Independent Labour Party". His struggle for the
untouchables /Dalits was a remarkable event in his life. Ambedkar spent his whole life
fighting against social discrimination, the system of Chaturvarna – the Hindu
categorisation of human society into four varnas – and the Hindu caste system. He is also
credited with having sparked the bloodless revolution with his most remarkable and
innovative Buddhist movement. Dr. Bhimrao ramji Ambedkar has been honoured with
the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
 Dhondo Keshav Karve (18 April 1858 – 9 November 1962) was a social reformer of his
time in India in the field of women's welfare. Karve was one of the pioneers of
promoting women's education and the right for widows to remarry in India. The
Government of India recognised his reform work by awarding him its highest civilian
award, Bhārat Ratna, in 1958 (Incidentally his centennial year). The appellation
Maharshi, which the Indian public often assigned to Karve, means "a great sage". Those
who knew Karve affectionately called him as Annā Karve. (In Marāthi-speaking
community, to which Karve belonged, the appellation Annā is often used to address
either one's father or an elder brother.)
 Gopalakrishnan (1823–1892) was a social reformer in Maharashtra. Deshmukh started
writing articles aimed at social reform in Maharashtra in the weekly Prabhakar under the
pen name Lokhitwadi. In the first two years, he penned 108 articles on social reform.
That group of articles has come to be known in Marathi literature as Lokhitwadinchi
Shatapatre.
 Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820–1891) was a philosopher, academic, educator,
writer, translator, printer, publisher, entrepreneur, reformer, and philanthropist. His

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

efforts to simplify and modernise Bangla prose were significant. He was a Bengali
polymath and a key figure of the Bengal Renaissance. Vidyasagar championed the uplift
of the status of women in India, particularly in his native Bengal. Unlike some other
reformers who sought to set up alternative societies orA EDUC systems, he sought,
however, to transform orthodox Hindu society from within. Vidyasagar introduced the
practice of widow mariages to mainstream Hindu society. In earlier times, marriages of
widows would occur sporadically only among progressive members of the Brahmo
Samāj.
 Jamnalal Bajaj (4 November 1884 – 11 February 1942) was an industrialist, a
philanthropist, and Indian independence fighter. Gandhi is known to have adopted him as
his son. He is known for his efforts of promoting Khadi and village Industries in India.
With the intent of eradicating untouchability, he fought the non-admission of Harijans
into Hindu temples. He began a campaign by eating a meal with Harijans and opening
public wells to them. He opened several wells in his fields and gardens. Jamanalal
dedicated much of his wealth to the poor. He felt this inherited wealth was a sacred trust
to be used for the benefit of the people. In honour of his social initiatives a well known
national and international award called Jamnalal Bajaj Award which has been instituted
by the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation.
 Jawaharlal Nehru was an Indian prime-minister and was born on 14 November 1889
and died in 27 May 1964 was an Indian statesman who was the first (and to date the
longest-serving) prime minister of India, from 1947 until 1964. One of the leading
figures in the Indian independence movement, Nehru was elected by the Congress Party
to assume office as independent India's first Prime Minister, and re-elected when the
Congress Party won India's first general election in 1952. He emerged as the paramount
leader of the Indian independence movement under the tutelage of Mahatma Gandhi and
ruled India from its establishment as an independent nation in 1947 until his death in
1964. He is considered to be the architect of the modern Indian nation-state: a sovereign,
socialist, secular, and democratic republic. He was also known as Pandit Nehru due to
his roots with the Kashmiri Pandit community while many Indian children knew him as
"Uncle Nehru" (Chacha Nehru).
 Kabīr was a mystic poet and sant of India, whose writings have greatly influenced
the Bhakti movement. The name Kabir comes from Arabic al-Kabīr which means 'The
Great' – the 37th name of God in Islam. Kabir was influenced by the prevailing religious
mood of his times, such as old Brahmanic Hinduism, Tantrism, the teachings
of Nath yogis and the personal devotionalism of South India mixed with the imageless

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

God of Islam. The influence of these various doctrines is clearly evident in Kabir's
verses. Eminent historians like R.C. Majumdar, P.N. Chopra, B.N. Puri and M.N. Das
have held that Kabir is the first Indian saint to have harmonised Hinduism and Islam by
preaching a universal path which both Hindus and Muslims could tread together.
 Kandukuri Veeresalingam was born on 16 April 1848. He was a social reformer who
first brought about a renaissance in Telugu people and Telugu literature. He was
influenced by the ideals of Brahmo Samaj particularly those of Keshub Chunder Sen. He
got involved in the cause of social reforms. In 1876 he started au journal and wrote the
first prose for women. He encouraged education for women, fought against dowry
system and started a school in Dowlaishwaram in 1874. He started a social organisation
called Hitakarini (Benefactor). He died on 27 May 1919.
 Shriram Sharma Acharya (20 September 1911 – 2 June 1990) was an Indian seer,
Great Sage, Writer, Indian social worker, a philanthropist, a visionary of the New Golden
Era and the Founder of the All World Gayatri Pariwar. He devoted his life to the welfare
of people and the refinement of the moral and cultural environment. He has written more
than 3000 books on all aspects of life. Govt. of India issued a Postal Stamp on Acharya
Jee. He pioneered the revival of spirituality, creative integration of the modern and
ancient sciences and religion relevant in the challenging circumstances of the present
times. To help people, his aim was to diagnose the root cause of the ailing state of the
world today and enable the up-liftment of society. Acharyaji recognised the crisis of
faith, people’s ignorance of the powers of the inner self, and the lack of righteous attitude
and conduct.
 Vijaypal Baghel (20 February 1967) is an environmental activist. He is known for his
efforts in protecting environment at grass root level through traditional methods. He is a
prominent campaigner on behalf of mission as Jhola Movement for fighting
against polythene across India, researcher of GROSS CLIMATE PRODUCT as GCP,
first planter of divine tree Kalpavriksha at all famous pilgrims of around the world,
worshiper of nature & lead promoter
of spiritual/religious/herbal/medicinal/environmental values having species of flora. He
devoted his life to conserve nature, save water, green revolution, reduce pollution and
stop global warming with the theme of 'Think globally-Act locally', He is a
noted Indian environmental philosopher, promoter of vegetarianism &
renowned nature conservationist, peoples called him Green Man. His great contribution
in the social sector for promotion in the field of ecology, nature and environment has
contributed a lot.

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

Chapter – 05
Health & Education Strategy for Damage Control
Health education is a profession of educating people about health. Areas within this
profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional health,
intellectual health, and spiritual health.
Health education can be defined as the principle by which individuals and groups of people
learn to behave in a manner conducive to the promotion, maintenance, or restoration
of health. However, as there are multiple definitions of health, there are also multiple
definitions of health education. The Joint Committee on Health Education and Promotion
Terminology of 2001 defined Health Education as "any combination of planned learning
experiences based on sound theories that provide individuals, groups, and communities the
opportunity to acquire information and the skills needed to make quality health decisions."
The World Health Organization defined Health Education as "comprising of consciously
constructed opportunities for learning involving some form of communication designed to
improve health literacy, including improving knowledge, and developing life skills which are
conducive to individual and community health."
The Role of Health Education Specialists
From the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, the aim of public health was
controlling the harm from infectious diseases, which were largely under control by the 1950s.
By the mid 1970s it was clear that reducing illness, death, and rising health care costs could
best be achieved through a focus on health promotion and disease prevention. At the heart of
the new approach was the role of a health educator. A health educator is “a professionally
prepared individual who serves in a variety of roles and is specifically trained to use
appropriate educational strategies and methods to facilitate the development of policies,
procedures, interventions, and systems conducive to the health of individuals, groups, and
communities”. In January 1978 the Role Delineation Project was put into place, in order to
define the basic roles and responsibilities for the health educator. The result was a
Framework for the Development of Competency-Based Curricula for Entry Level Health
Educators (NCHEC, 1985). A second result was a revised version of A Competency-Based
Framework for the Professional Development of Certified Health Education Specialists
(NCHEC, 1996). These documents outlined the seven areas of responsibilities which are
shown below.
Responsibility I: Assessing Individual and Community Needs for Health Education
-Provides the foundation for program planning
-Determines what health problems might exist in any given groups
Dr. Meghashree Agarwal
PR (Module-III)

-Includes determination of community resources available to address the problem

-Community Empowerment encourages the population to take ownership of their health
problems
-Includes careful data collection and analysis
Responsibility II: Plan Health Education Strategies, Interventions, and Programs
-Actions are based on the needs assessment done for the community (see Responsibility I)
-Involves the development of goals and objectives which are specific and measurable
-Interventions are developed that will meet the goals and objectives
-According to Rule of Sufficiency, strategies are implemented which are sufficiently robust,
effective enough, and have a reasonable chance of meeting stated objectives
Responsibility III: Implement Health Education Strategies, Interventions, and
Programs
-Implementation is based on a thorough understanding of the priority population
-Utilize a wide range of educational methods and techniques
Responsibility IV: Conduct Evaluation and Research Related to Health Education
-Depending on the setting, utilize tests, surveys, observations, tracking epidemiological data,
or other methods of data collection
-Health Educators make use of research to improve their practices.
Responsibility V: Administer Health Education Strategies, Interventions, and Programs
-Administration is generally a function of the more experienced practitioner
-Involves facilitating cooperation among personnel, both within and between programs
Responsibility VI: Serve as a Health Education Resource Person
-Involves skills to access needed resources, and establish effective consultative relationships.
Responsibility VII: Communicate and Advocate for Health and Health Education
-Translates scientific language into understandable information
-Address diverse audience in diverse settings
-Formulates and support rules, policies and legislation
-Advocate for the profession of health education
Hygiene Promotion
Improving access to safe water and sanitation facilities leads to healthier families and
communities. However, when people are also motivated to practice good hygiene – especially
hand-washing with soap – health benefits are significantly increased. Companies help to
promote hand-washing and hygiene behavioural change by:
- advocating for increased funding for hygiene activities and the inclusion of hygiene in
sectoral policies and strategies;

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

- supporting national and sub-national hand-washing campaigns;

-recruiting high-profile decision makers and celebrities as hand-washing advocates;
- including strong hygiene components within its own WASH programmes in the field
- ensuring that hand-washing and hygiene are components of emergency response
programmes;
- developing strategies and tools to encourage hand-washing promotion by community health
and outreach workers;
- encouraging hygiene promotion in schools and the empowerment of children as agents of
change within their families and communities.
Education and communication are important components of a hygiene promotion
programme. All people have a right to know about the relationship between water, sanitation,
hygiene and the health of themselves and their families. However, education alone does not
necessarily result in improved practices. Knowing about the causes of disease may help, but
new hygiene practices may be too unfamiliar, too difficult, or take too much time, especially
for poor people. Promoting behavioural change is a gradual process that involves working
closely with communities, studying existing beliefs, defining motivation strategies, designing
appropriate communication tools and finally encouraging practical steps towards positive
practices. Communities should be fully engaged in the process at all stages using
participatory processes, and special attention should be given to building on local knowledge
and promoting existing positive traditional practices.
Behavioural change is necessary not only at the community level, but among decision makers
as well. All stakeholders – from politicians and government officials to field workers and
people themselves – must be encouraged to recognize the importance of hygiene.
Our health and hygiene brands Lifebuoy, Domestos, Pureit, Qinyuan and Signal - aim to
improve health through better hygiene. Our everyday products - soaps, toilet cleaners and
toothpastes as well as our innovative water purifiers can help prevent disease and improve
people’s health and well-being, ultimately helping to save lives.
However, providing quality, affordable products is only part of the solution to improving
health through hygiene - people need to change their habits too. Using our understanding of
habits and expertise in delivering behaviour change campaigns at scale, we promote enduring
change in the everyday behaviours that matter to health.
What Is Public Relations Damage Control?
Public Relations is about building, improving and maintaining the public image and
perception of an individual, company or organization. Damage control is one duty of a public
relations department and it involves minimizing the negative effect caused by an event or

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

series of events. The duties of the public relations officer involve controlling the information
released and presenting that information in the best possible light.
Purpose of Damage Control
The purpose of the public relations officer is not to inform the public about the company, but
to feed the public the information that will positively influence the public in the employer's
favour. When the public relations officer presents a half glass to the public, his job is to
convince the public the glass is half-full, not half-empty. It is easier for an individual or
company to get what they want when the general public likes, respects and trusts them.
While many duties of a public relations department involve building the reputation of the
employer, with damage control it is primarily about minimizing the negative perception
caused by a crisis-situation. A crisis is sometimes the result of an unexpected event. It might
also be about something that the public relations department hoped to conceal from the public
or hoped would not happen. Those involved in damage control are typically on call 24 hours
a day, ready to minimize negative public perception.
Example of Damage Control
An example of damage control could be the public relation department's response to an oil rig
sinking off the coast of California. The oil company's public relations department controls the
flow of information released about the catastrophe, and works to convince the public that the
oil company is working in the best interest of the public and environment, as opposed to
being a self-serving company only concerned with company profits. This might include a
series of commercials showing company employees and officers actively cleaning up the oil
spill and saving local wildlife.
Damage Control Strategy
 Take Quick and Decisive Action: Take quick and decisive action to address the
problem internally, before issuing your statement to the public. Then issue your public
statement soon thereafter. Remember, it’s always better for you to control the
conversation than the press, so make sure you beat the press to it. The quicker you
respond to an issue, the faster it runs through the news cycle. A quick response also
illustrates that your company is concerned, proactive, and in control of the situation.
 Know What to Address: When it comes to negative publicity, the public and media will
be most interested in how your company is involved, and how it will affect the company
in the future. Your public statement should entail what you have done to ameliorate the
issue and/or what steps you will be taking to do so, when you expect the issue to be
resolved, and how your company will prevent this type of issue in the future.

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

 Be Transparent, Open and Candid: In this case, silence is not golden. Ignoring or
being tight-lipped about a public mishap can do as much damage to your company’s
reputation as the mishap itself. Companies who come forward and address their mistakes
in an open and candid way regain the public’s trust, and help mitigate any reputation
damage that has already occurred. Be open about the mistake as well as how the
company is handling it, and be sure to make someone available for further questions,
comments or concerns.
Steps to Developing a PR Damage Control Plan
 Designate a Spokesperson: Not all small businesses have the resources to have an in-
house PR department. Still, there should be someone on your team that possesses the
communication skills necessary to handle your company’s public relations when needed.
Designate your spokesperson ahead of time, and make sure they’re filled in on the
company’s damage control policy and contingency plans. Limit any press relations to
this person, to ensure your message is clear and consistent.
 Develop Scripts for Tough Questions: Develop predetermined scripts or responses for
difficult or tricky questions that your spokesperson may not be ready or able to answer.
Your spokesperson should be well-versed with these scripts ahead of speaking to any
press. An example of a script is “We don’t have that information at this time, but we will
inform the public as soon as we know.”
 Create Your Public Statement Process: This can be as simple as a list of questions to
ask when developing your public statement or a timeline for producing, approving and
issuing the statement. The important part is to have steps in place before hand so that
you are prepared to issue your public statement as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Before generating your public statement, consider the issue thoroughly, as well as the
context in which the issue occurred. Was the matter directly related to the company’s
products, services or operations? Or was the mistake of a personal or individual nature?
Does the issue correspond to other company matters or current events? Different
contexts will require different responses. For example, if it is a company mistake, then a
swift apology followed by how the company is addressing the situation, is the best
policy. If the matter is unrelated to the company’s products, services or operations, then
make sure to draw a distinction between the individual/s involved and the company, but
without negating responsibility or action.
 Compartmentalize Your Plan: It’s important to have damage control plans for different
situations. Try to develop contingency plans for different types of PR crises, including

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal

PR (Module-III)

employee/executive misconduct, product recalls, poor customer service experiences, or

inappropriate public behaviour or statements.
 Think Long Term: Your damage control plan should account for the worst case
scenario – a PR debacle that incurs lasting damage to the company’s reputation.
Consider how your company will continue to respond and amend the issue over time, as
well as steps your company will take to rebuild public trust.

Dr. Meghashree Agarwal