Session

Public Rela+ons
(Issue and Crisis Management)

MarComm & PR

ORGANISATION & PUBLIC

4 FLOWS/ELEMENTS
Communica+on

Organisa(on
(Firm/Industry)

Goods / Services
Public/Market

Money / Goodwill /
Loyalty
Informa+on

MarComm & PR

PUBLIC
An amorphous group of people who come together because
they share some common concern or cause.
Can be of two kinds:
Internal - Mgmt., employees, shareholders, dealers
External Customers, Suppliers, Govt., Media, Banks and
Financial Ins+tu+ons

MarComm & PR

PUBLIC RELATIONS
PR is the deliberate, planned and sustained
eort to establish and maintain mutual
understanding based on truth, knowledge and
full informa+on,
- Ins+tute of PR, Britain

MarComm & PR

ELEMENTS OF PR
It is a 2-way communica+ons process
PR works at crea+ng mutual understanding among its
dierent publics
It gives a lot of importance to public opinion
It is always involved in social responsibility

MarComm & PR

14 ACTIVITIES

Publicity
Communica+on
Public Aairs
Issue Management
Govt. Rela+ons
Financial PR
Community Rela+ons
Industry Rela+ons
Minority Rela+ons
Adver+sing
Press Agentry
Promo+on
Media Rela+ons
Propaganda
MarComm & PR

CASE STUDIES
J & J Tylenol
Cadburys Dairy Milk
PG&E Co.

MarComm & PR

ISSUE MANAGEMENT
Issues if not dealt with at the right +me can become a
crisis.
Mostly public in nature.
Three important points for issue:
There should be two sharply ended opinions
There should be an emo+onal involvement
There should be some concern for the society/environment

MarComm & PR

ISSUE ANTICIPATION MODEL

James Grunig (PR Prof. Univ of Maryland)
Decisions/Policies

That may
create problems

Which will create

publics

Who will create

issues

Three issue an+cipa+on strategies:

Create a What if scenario based on the model
Iden+fy important trends that would be an issue. (Narra+ve form)
Plan solu+ons/alterna+ves for whatever issues you iden+fy.

MarComm & PR

THREE TYPES OF PUBLICS

Long Haul Interested in the long-term eects of any issue
Special Interest types E.g. Shiv Sena Valen+nes Day
Hot BuGon Types People who just jump into the issue
because of emo+onal involvement

MarComm & PR

10

DEFINITION
Crisis management is a structured approach to the
handling of crisis aiming to put in place a
communica+ons strategy designed to direct the right
informa+on to the right people with the maximum
speed, minimizing the risk of misinforma+on and
helping overall damage limita+on.
Very important to keep in mind PUBLIC OPINION.

MarComm & PR

11

3 DECISIONS IN CRISIS MGMT

Decision 1
Iden(fy the publics during the crisis
Direct Public/Direct Component
Indirect Component

Fall in the opera+onal

environment of the co.
during the normal +mes

Environmental Nimbus

MarComm & PR

12

3 DECISIONS IN CRISIS MGMT

Decision 2
Understand the process of public opinion forma(on during a
crisis

Group Norms
Established

Latent Issue

Groups Form

Social Action
Occurs
Public Opinion
Forms

Event Occurs

Time Lapses
MarComm & PR

Debate Occurs

13

3 DECISIONS IN CRISIS MGMT

Decision 3
To set the objec+ves of crisis management
(Public Opinion Node of Crisis management)
Build-up
Break Out
Abatement
Termina+on

MarComm & PR

14