Bell Ringer  Let’s say that we’re going to have a Marketing Education open house to show students, parents and guardians, and the business community the advantages of participating in a marketing education program. In addition to press releases to announce the event, list some other things we could do to get people to come to the event.

Publicity/Public Relations Another Element of the Promotional Mix

Review  So far we’ve covered advertising, which was only one element of the promotional mix. This week we’ll talk about publicity/public relations and sales promotion!  Next week we will construct visual merchandise displays and begin our unit on personal selling, which is the final element of the promotional mix!

Objectives  Define and discuss publicity/public relations  Compare and Contrast the different audiences for public relations  Discuss how to prepare a news release  Prepare an actual news release for promotion project!!

Why have public relations?  Present a positive image to customers, employees, and the general public  Examples: Grand opening of a mall Interview with a company official about hiring plans Launch of a new product or product line Announcement of employee promotions or retirements

Why have public relations?  Examples Cont… Presentation of an award to the company or to one of its employees Company-sponsored event Community activity, such as a scholarship program sponsored by the business Charitable activity, such as a walkathon for a local charity, in which the business participates Cultural activity, such as support for a new exhibit at a museum

Customer Relations  Customer advisory boards  Customer advisory boards- panels of consumers who make suggestions about products and businesses  Consultants  Consumer Affairs Specialists  Consumer Affairs Specialists- design programs to reflect customer needs for information on topics such as nutrition, health and wellness, and product safety

Employee Relations  Loyal and well-motivated employees who feel they are important to the company  Examples: Tuition reimbursement for college courses Newsletters for and about the company and its employees Recreational programs Employee recognition programs for improvements in performance and efficiency

Community Relations  Community Relations  Community Relations- refers to the activities that a business uses to acquire or maintain the respect of the community  Examples Sponsoring Special Olympics Providing mentors for marketing students Matching employee donations to local charities

Public Relations Specialists  Work with customers, employees, media, civic and professional groups, legislators, government officials, consumer activists, stockholders, environmentalists, and suppliers.  Work in both public & private sector

Public Relations Specialists  Principal task is to publicize good news about a company and its products--- and to control the damage done by any negative news.

Public Relations Duties  Annual reports for investors and interested customers  Brochures and responses to customer inquiries  Short feature articles for trade magazines  Web site

Public Relations Duties press kits  Develop press kits- folder containing articles, news releases, feature stories, and photographs about a company, product, or person press conferences  Hold press conferences- meeting in which a business or organization invites media members to hear an announcement about a newsworthy event.

Now You’re the Public Relations Specialist  Writing a News Release: News release- a prewritten story about a company that is sent to the various media Usually contains information about the company’s employees, stores, operations, products, corporate philosophy, or participation in an event or program

Now You’re the Public Relations Specialist  Writing a News Release: NEVER use the word publicity Answer who, what, where, when, and why Avoid opinions, unless directly quoting Brief, but thorough

NOW…  Create a news release for the product you chose for your promotion project.  Using the handout as a guide, you should include all the necessary elements of a news release.