New Models for New ChallengesNew Perspectives on More Effective Approaches to Public Relations Strategic Planning – An Alignment Model

Lelde McCoy, Lelde McCoy and AssociatesNoel Turnbull, Adjunct Professor, RMIT University

Presentation to 2003 PRIA National Conference, Hobart

“As far as the public and media are concerned, the current status of public relations is dismal. Any

dumbbell, nitwit or crook can call himself a public relations

practitioner.”

Edward L. Bernays, the “father” of public relations at age 100 years in 1992

Our goal

To help ensure that public relations at a strategic level survives

To present ideas for more up-to-date and robust approaches to strategic planning in public relations

Our presentation

Public perceptions of public relations and their impact on practice and performance

Driving forces impacting on industry practice New directions for the industry Traditional public relations planning and its

limitations Emerging planning concepts A new conceptual model for public relations

planning and its practical implications

The perception problem

Philip AnschutzQwest

Joseph NacchioQwest

A. Alfred TaubmanSotheby’s

Stephen GarofaloMetromedia Fiber Networks

Clark McLeodMcLeod USA

CEO’s in trouble

Sam WaksalImClone

Martha StewartMartha Stewart OmniMedia

Dennis KozlowskiTyco

John RigasAdelphia

Bernard EbbersWorldCom

Forces impacting on practice

Continuing significance of communications and reputation management

Total environment orientation Transparency Scrutiny Change and globalization Emphasis on actual performance

New types of practitioners

Specialist stream growth Public affairs vs. public relations The practitioner mindset Practitioner knowledge base Training and education needs Impacts on planning

Role of corporate communications 2002

Percent of respondents who RANKED the following functions #1:

20.0% - Manager of company’s reputation

15.1% - Source of public information about the company

14.1% - Manager of relationships (Co. & Key non-customer constituencies)

13.8% - Advocate or “engineer of public opinion”

12.4% - Manager of the company’s image

11.9% - Driver of company publicity

11.4% - Manager of relationships – co. & ALL key constituencies)

2.7% - Support for marketing and sales

8.1% - Other

Source: Corporate Communications Institute, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2002

Role of public relations in organizations

Interprets current and future social and political environment

Counsels management on implications of decisions

Contributes to internal and external stakeholder relationships

Drives and coordinates integration of reputation building responsibilities

Broad directions for public relations

Building relationships Emphasis on organizational behavior High impact activities for cost effectiveness Greater integration and establishment of

knowledge systems within organizations

Why planning is important ?

A disciplined management tool Focuses vision and priorities Establishes common understanding and

accountability measures Ensures a proactive approach Roadmap for internal and external work

INDUSTRIAL AGE STRATEGY KNOWLEDGE AGE STRATEGY

Looks out toward the future Looks back from the future

Strategy of position Strategy of movement

Focus on intangible resources Focus on intangible resources

Elitist, top down Open, participative

Forecasting based and analytical ‘Foreseeing based’ combining analysis with insight and creativity

Done by specialist Can be open to employees and stakeholders

Typically 3 year timeframe Typically 10 – 15 year context or dynamic envelope of timings

Done periodically, annually Done continuously – all year round

Procedural and document based ‘Way of thinking’ based

Assumes sector remains the same Assume sector convergence

Old and new approaches to strategic planning

The very old model

“Pseudo planning is the allocation of resources to communication activities in which the goal is communications itself.”

David Dozier, 1986

The old model

The opportunity/problem Objectives Target Audiences Strategy Key messages Implementation Evaluation

Or alternatively…..

What do I want to achieve? Who do I want to talk to? What do I want to say? How shall I say it? How do I know that I have been heard?

Planning and management model

‘How did we do?’

Assessment

‘What’shappening

now?’

SituationAnalysis

‘How and when do we do and

say it?’

Implementation

‘What should we do and say and

why?’

Strategy

1. Defining public

relations problems

4. E

valu

atin

g

the

prog

ram

2. P

lannin

g an

d

Progr

amm

ing

3. Taking action and

comm

unicating

Old model limitations

Too focused on campaigns and programs Too focused on communications, not actions Rooted within existing stable of communication

techniques Not interactive enough Too deterministic Insufficiently flexible Lacks process for organizational alignment Inhibits the reinvention of our role

THECORPORATION

Business partnerships and alliances

Corporate Brand

Bus

ines

s P

artn

ers

Loca

l

Prospective Employees Internal General Public

Financial

The MediaGovernment(s)The TradeInfluential Groups

Custom

ers

Impersonal PresentationLiteraturePoint of Sale

New

Med

iaP

erm

anen

tM

edia

Direct Marketing& Correspondence

Personal

Presentation

Corporate &

Marketing P

RProducts/Services

AdvertisingSponsorship

Country of Origin

The Industry

An emerging model

An emerging model

Strategic foresight principles Issues management thinking on

prioritization of stakeholders Kelly’s model with stewardship Fleischer’s new public affairs model

Fleisher’s emerging PA model

PA managed as a year round process Cultivating and maintaining enduring stakeholder

relationships Influencing stakeholders using refined information Managing the grassroots Communicating in an integrated manner Continually aligning values and strategy with the

public's interests Improving external relations using the accepted

facets of contemporary management practice

Principles for the new model

Must build knowledge and capability in the organization

Constituency based approach A process of establishing action priorities Primarily a creative activity, not just analytical Goal is to create a responsive organization Test strategy and activity against corporate standard

for values, reputation drivers and organizational ethics Imperative to include processes to make things

happen Continuous monitoring and evaluation Logical linkages between planning phases

An alignment model

Alignment with business and organizational strategy

Alignment with organizational values, reputation drivers and positioning

Alignment in setting priorities and allocating resources effectively

Alignment with people and supporting systems

BUSINESS/ORGANISATIONAL

STRATEGY &BENCHMARKS

ALIGNMENT: CONTINUITY / INTERACTIVITY / ENGAGEMENT / INTEGRATION / INBUILT EVALUATION

An alignment modelUNDERSTAND

VISION/ VALUES/ETHICS

ENGAGE WIT

H

ORGANISATIO

N

STRUCTURES

& BEHAVIO

URS

DEVELOP STRATEGY

& IMPLEM

ENTATION

ACTIONS

ANALYSE RISKS

& OPPORTUNITIES

RESEARCH

STAKEHOLDERS/

PUBLICS

SET PRIORITIESAGAINSTBUSINESS

STRATEGICPRIORITIES

The step-by-step process

What’s involved ? Six stage process starting with core

understanding of business strategy and priorities Underpinned by series of checkpoints for

alignment and planning linkages as well as organizational engagement strategies

Each stage has information outcomes for management

Continuous evaluation and improvement input

Core understanding

What is the business strategy ? What are the business’ benchmarks for

success? What is the desired organizational

positioning ? What relationships, behaviors and

reputation drivers are essential to achieving success?

Stage one – understand vision, values, ethics

Analyze vision, mission and values Monitor corporate commitment to vision, mission

and values Analyze corporate, industry or professional ethics

codes Assess corporate responsibility/governance

performance against appropriate benchmarks Monitor the “grapevine” Do the vision, values and ethics reflect the reality

of the organizational culture?

Outcome: Cultural diagnostic/mapping report

Stage two – risk and opportunity analysis

Conduct issues monitoring and environmental scans locally and globally

Analyze competitive behaviors and threats Use standard analytical tools :SWOT, PEST,

Porter model Undertake scenario planning :what ifs? Constantly retest internal perception against

external realities

Outcome: Risk and opportunity profile

Stage three – research stakeholders and publics

Categorize risks, threats and opportunities according to priorities around:> capacity to impact on survival/success> probability> capacity to influence> impact on individual organizations versus group

influences Use benchmark stakeholder research to

identify key relationship needs

Stage three – research stakeholders and publics

Prioritize stakeholder relationships by:> involving and engaging those directly interested> allying with those with mutual interest in

problems/opportunities> distancing yourself from exploiters> establishing dialogue with monitors

Establishing two-way comms with priority groups Identifying corporate behaviors as they impact on

relationships eg.CRM, quality

Outcome: Profile of priority stakeholders and publics

Stage four – set priorities with business priorities

Identify key business success factors Understand implications of corporate structures for

communications management delivery Analyze priorities in product, service, value delivery Understand corporate infrastructure roles and

contributions Identify corporate and line management

communication needs in the business strategy context Assess communications capabilities within the

organization

Outcome: priority chart

Stage five – strategy development

Insights and imagination Policies and positions Corporate actions Corporate messages Tactics

Outcome: strategy matrix

Stage five – strategy development

Set objectives Set/align policies and positions Identify themes, styles, actions and messages,

approaches and campaigns Integrate activities across range of corporate activities Assess resource needs Allocate resources again business priorities Assess where resources can be most appropriately

applied Build in capacity for opportunity-based activities Monitor consistency between behavior and

communications

Stage six – organizational integration

Engagement with managers and staff Integration with systems, processes,

practices and behaviors Co-ordination mechanisms Communication and information systems Ongoing reporting cycle

Outcome: alignment map

Where is the evaluation stage ?

EVERYWHERE - the model is based on continuous evaluation against the initial benchmarks which will change as business strategy evolves

Measurement and evaluation

Use stakeholder relationship measurement system

Monitor data on corporate behaviors Monitor/evaluate specific

campaigns/programs Establish feedback loops Monitor issue maps and environmental

scans Feedback data into planning loop

Closing comments

Public relations plans contribute to a more informed environment with a greater chance of success

Not the final word on planning – just a thought starter for redefining the paradigm for public relations in the future

Thank you

Your feedback and questions please