prclass

In the past, voter interest has often focused on campaign races as opposed to specific issues. This is evident through the effectiveness of negative advertisements and smear campaigns. Over the past few years, however, there seems to be a change in public interest. Voters are now concerned about, and asking questions regarding, policy initiatives and candidate platforms. During the 2006 federal election, Canadian media was responsive to this emerging trend and focused more coverage on the issues. However, not all PR specialists have changed their tactics accordingly. Martin’s negative campaign against Harper was outdated and not receptive to voter interest.

            The internet and the opportunities it offers political campaigns is not being fully utilized by communicators. Campaign websites during the 2006 federal election were used only as a platform for projecting literature. They were often outdated technologically, did not encourage public participation, and were very low on content. For these reasons candidate websites were not used effectively and opportunity for increased competition was missed.

There is often a public resentment towards perceived ‘spin doctors’ during political campaigns. It is a common perception that public relations specialists advocate and enjoy creating negative advertising. Sometimes, this is the case, as in Martin’s election campaign for 2006. This time, however, the tactic failed. This can be encouragement for PR specialists who do not promote smear campaigns, and instead focus on content. Being knowledgeable of voter trends not only helps PR practitioners get their candidates elected, but can also be useful to the field of public relations. Voter interests during political campaigns are prone to change, and PR specialist should embrace the current trend of the public demanding information on issues and policy. It is an opportunity for communicators to portray their work to the general public as ethical, beneficial, and worthy of professional status.

One of the most important aspects of a PR practitioner’s career is to stay current on all forms of social media and mediums. However, during the 2006 federal election, the internet was overlooked as a powerful campaign tool.  The Canadian sites are often unidirectional, with no opportunity for sharing or encouragement of grass roots efforts. In future election campaigns, Canadian communicators should embrace the multitude of opportunities the internet offers. Effective websites can allow campaigns to deliver more detailed content and target niche groups. Also, websites can be used to clearly link the candidate’s political agenda to fundraising contributions. Finally, one mistake commonly made during the federal election was not creating a campaign website separate from the party’s main site. Virtual media is cheap, popular, and can reach mass audiences. There is much room for growth of social media in political campaigns.

Helpful source on this topic are:

www.hillwatch.com - political commentary
www.onedegree.com - political commentary

www.sfu.ca/mediapr/news_releases/archives - Simon Frasier University, Public Affairs and Media Relations

Steph Miller

Edited by Stephanie Harkin

Social media is a blanket term used to refer to a set of World Wide Web-based tools and platforms that share a number of commonalities: they rely on user-created or user-submitted content; they foster two-way communication; they have a broad level of accessibility; and they have a high level of interconnectivity with other web-based technologies. Blogs, podcasts, wikis, social networks and content communities are examples of social media. Websites such as LiveJournal, YouTube, Wikipedia and Myspace, all examples of social media, have gained mainstream media attention due to their widespread proliferation in the recent past.

Technorati, a search engine dedicated specifically to blogs (www.technorati.com), lists over sixty million English-language blogs. Podcasts on every topic imaginable are appearing at an astonishing rate on such sites as the iTunes Music Store and Podcast.net. YouTube and Myspace have been bought out by internet giants Google and Yahoo, due to their ever expanding user-bases. The social media phenomenon is symptomatic of a larger phenomenon that has been gaining momentum in the past five years. Cheap digital technology and increasing accessibility to the internet have spawned a user-content revolution. People are stepping out of their roles as media consumers, and are embracing new roles as media producers.

This has opened possibilities for all forward thinking individuals, such as the independent filmmaker, musician or public relations professional. The facilities for media production are no longer in the hands of the few, and the internet makes it possible to distribute your message in its originally intended form, completely circumventing traditional channels of communication.

Unfortunately, one of the downsides of this democratization is that it has created a credibility gap between social media and traditional media. A constant criticism of social media, and specifically blogs, is that they are unreliable sources of information. A recent article from Brandweek magazine cited research that showed that only 21% of consumers trusted information that they had read in blogs. In defending blogs, Virginia Postrel, a writer for Forbes magazine, makes a comparison between traditional “journalistic” sources Times Magazine and the National Enquirer: both share the same format, however they are about as far apart in content and credibility as is possible. It’s necessary to view blogs in the same respect, and to select your sources as you would any media.

Thanks to a handy web-technology known as Really Simple Syndication (RSS), this task has been made, well, simple. RSS allows you to subscribe to a number of different sources, such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts, and have them all compiled for you in one location. Websites such as Bloglines (www.bloglines.com), and programs such as iTunes make this task easy, and can also provide suggestions for further reading and listening.

From a public relations standpoint, the proliferation of social media cannot be ignored. Social media outlets provide a demographically broad audience to be reached by one easily accessible source. Unlike traditional media sources, social media facilitates two-way communication, allowing the PR person to gauge the impact of their message almost instantaneously.

For further information about this topic, check out these resources:

What is Social Media? from Spannerworks.com. Provides a brief overview of the different types of social media.

The University of Essex, UK: Chimera Institute for Social and Technical Research. A resource for scholarly analysis of the impact that technology is having on society and social interaction. Includes a number of papers written about blogging.

Many2Many blog at Corante.com. A thorough report on current trends and issues facing social media.

- Nick Iszakovits
- edited by Nijah Smith

My first attempt at blogging! Here we go…

It is no surprise that the Internet has had a significant impact on NGOs. Before the World Wide Web, nonprofits  relied on other mediums to market their organizations including radio, television and newspapers. Nonprofits that depend on these traditional marketing mediums, however, are now finding it more and more difficult to survive in the current, highly competitive nonprofit environment. Relying solely on these traditional marketing strategies has caused a host of problems for nonprofit groups. One particular problem that consistently came up in my research is that public-to-nonprofit staff ratios are too high for the direct interaction needed to build and maintain strong relationships.

Perhaps the greatest advantage the Internet has offered NGOs is its ability to facilitate relationships with its publics. For NGOs, the Internet acts as a channel to communicate with the public. For the public, the Internet acts as a channel to understand the organization and provide feedback. This dialogue between an organization and its publics is essential for NGOs because people are more likely to turn to an organization they can identify with.

The Internet, then, is an innovative tool for PR practitioners working for NGOs because it is a tool that allows practitioners to gain heightened access to their publics’ opinions. Unlike common marketing tools like television and radio that only offer one-way dialogue between NGOs and its publics, the Internet provides two-way dialogue. It is essential that NGOs have this feedback from their publics so that they can improve responsiveness to their publics’ needs to build stronger relationships.

The challenge that nonprofit PR practitioners face is capitalizing on the Internet to effectively communicate and respond to their publics. In reality, most websites fail to successfully facilitate open dialogue. For any of us in the class who plan on working for an NGO, we must find ways to improve responsiveness to our publics needs through the web and other new media techniques. When this happens, we as PR professionals will be more fully equipped to effectively communicate our publics’ needs to our organizations. Are you up for the challenge?

If you’re interested in this topic, and would like more information, check out the following resources:

Bhagat, V. (2004, Nov/Dec). The New Marketing Model For Nonprofits. Nonprofit World, 22(6), 17-20.
Bhagat’s article discusses how traditional non-profit marketing strategies are not working through several case examples.

Naude, A. M. E., Froneman, J.D. & Atwood, R.A. (2004). The use of the internet by ten South African non-governmental organizations a public relations perspective. Public Relations Review, 30(1), 87-94.
This study examined how ten South African nonprofit organizations with limited resources used websites as a public relations tool to benefit their cause.

Spencer, Tess. (2001). The Potential of the Internet for Non-Profit Organizations. Retrieved October 7, 2006 from http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue7_8/spencer/index.html
This paper considers the concept of a digital divide faced by NGOs.

Srinivas, H. (n.d.) Internet Use: NGOs in Action. Retrieved October 7, 2006 from http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/internet-ngos.html
This website discusses the ways NGOs use the Internet, e.g. for networking, collaborations and partnerships, communications, and more.

~Audrey Korol
edited by Krista B

           For many years the practice of Public Relations (PR) has been associated with terms such as “spin doctoring”, “deception”, and “manipulation”. These terms are less than flattering, and many public relations agencies today are now opting for strategies that demonstrate their practice is anything but unethical. Ideas of honesty, value and integrity are now popping up in mission statements, and agencies are now openly expressing their dedication to presenting the public with what they believe to be as the truth.

          The privately owned PR firm, Edelman, in the United States, prides itself on taking the necessary measures to ensure that its stakeholders, employees, clients and public are receiving honest information that measures up to the ethical standards in North America today. Richard Edelman (President and Chief Executive Officer) has developed and implemented a 5 Point system that discusses the measures they take to ensure that they are abiding by the ethical code of conduct that has been established within that organization. Measures such as these, help to steer away the negative connotations that the field of public relations once had.

The first point is the need to build an accurate profile that encompasses all of PR work. PR agencies need to talk about the success stories that are happening in the industry in order to develop a set of role models for others in the field to look up to. By emphasizing the positive it may encourage and inspire other PR practitioners to do, and be better.

 The second point is that PR agencies must embrace transparency on funding sources and motives. Richard Edelman believes that all PR agencies should be open about the sources of funding no matter how inconvenient it is to the company or the clients. By being open it shows the public that the agency has nothing to hide, therefore, helping to foster a trustworthy relationship with the public.

The third point argues that PR agencies must counter accusations about PR as propaganda. By having internal principals within PR agencies, it helps to reject accusations of propaganda, and helps the public understand how business and decisions are made at that particular agency.

The fourth point refers to the need for an enforcement mechanism for sanctioning misbehaviour. By establishing a system that imposes consequences on PR agencies that fail to meet industry standards in terms of ethical behaviour, may force many agencies into thinking through their actions more carefully in order to determine the repercussions.

The final point of the plan is to create an individual ethics plan for Edelman, which is adapted into the mission statement of the company. By including such information in a mission statement allows the agency to be up front about their intentions, therefore, letting their clients and public know exactly how they go about doing business. If other agencies develop their own individual ethics plan it will help to set them apart in their marketing strategies.

            Richard Edelman has taken the extra step to set Edelman apart from other PR agencies, and has taken a stance in the right direction to help ensure that PR practices are trustworthy, and ethical. This new trend towards a more honest practice will help to foster better relations between PR agencies, their clients, and the public.

          For your enjoyment, check out the following websites that I found to be fascinating on this topic.

Cook, Trevor. (2006). Report Card – Tots, Toddlers, Walkers. Retrieved October 12,

      2006, from

      http://www.treveorcook.typepad.com/weblog/2006/08/time_to_walk_th11.html

2.  Van Hook, Steven. (2006). Ethical Public Relations: Not an Oxymoron. All About Public

     Relations. Retrieved October 12, 2006, from

      http://www.aboutpublicrelations.net/aa052701a.htm

3.Balkissoon, Denise., El Akkad, Omar., & Silverman, Craig. (2006). The 30 Minute

      EMBA. Report on Business Magazine. Retrieved on October 11, 2006, from

      http://www.proquest.umi.com

  Thank You.

Cheryl Calic

 Nationalism and globalization are often understood as dueling ideologies that can not cohabitiate. But, dispite the homogonizing effects of the global market place and the technology revolution, strong nationalistic ideologies pervade many public relations campaigns.

The idea of nationalism is often understood through a negative context, bringing to mind the Nazi era of 1939 to 1945, or in a more current sense, the idea of hyper-aggressive religious nationalism as seen in specific Islamic sectors. I consider nationalism to encompass ideas regarding lifestyle and heritage where in a modern sense nationalism represents a particular devotion to one’s country, culture, and langauge. In this sense, the new National Film Board mandate for 2006 is a perfect example because it seeks to represent Canadian perspectives and beliefs through film to a global audience. Here, the idea of nationalism represents the ideals that make Canadians unique as a culture of people. Bacially, the 2006 campaign hopes to realign the legacy of the NFB with new technology and make the company more connected to modern ideas. Coupled with the classic Heritage Moments and other legacy films, the NFB’s objective is to reconnect themselves with young and innovative talent to produce meaningful documentaries on issues pertenant to Canadians as a whole. The 2006 mission of the NFB speaks directly to the possibility of synthesizing of national values, the gloabl market place and technological innovations. To get a detailed outline of the NFB’s 2006 campaign check out www.nfb.ca.

A second idea regarding the existence of nationalism within our homogonizing global community was the idea of creating a grassroots marketing plan. Kyle Potvin wrote an interesting article called “Successful Grassroots Marketing,” where she emphasizes the importance of building a loyal public in your immediate local.  I thought this was a unique perspective from a communications standpoint because as technology grows we are constantly trying to keep up and manage the new and improving communications mediums. Often, in the race to capitalize on these new techniques we forget about the simple and “old school” ideas of creating a buzz at home. Potvin emphasizes really basic ideas like involving your audience in taste tests, face to face communicaiton, and the power of participation to create loyal publics who will market for you if they truely believe in your company or product. In this sense, natonalism can be seen as the simple idea of marketing at home to the publics you know best, and have the most access to, rather than tackling cultures and publics you have little experience with.

Overall, it was interesting to realize that nationalism is still very much alive within Canada and that Canadians as a culture remain a unique perspective regarding national and international issues. The world does value what Canadians think and how we choose to project these views. I found the re-evaluation of the NFB’s mandate a very honest campaign and I hope it succeeds in creating a bigger buzz for Canada on the global stage. It is also important to remember the simple things like face to face communication in a world where we are all attached to Blackberrys and Ipod’s. I found it refreshing that old methods of really getting to know your audience were still effective. Maybe this is just me since I figure there is still nothing wrong with my cell phone being just a phone and I happen to still like the idea of snail mail. b.

To have a look at Kyle Potvin’s article “Successful Grassroots Marketing” go to the London IABC site under article archives.

You can also download all 60 of the Heritage Minutes for Radio or TV at www.historica.ca