Pr consultancies

PR Consultancies

1. DMC 115 PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANCIES STAMFORD COLLEGE PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

2. PR CONSULTANCIES PR consultancy has been very fast growing business since early 1980’s. The earlier consultancies provided specialist help to in-house PROs, but today’s consultancies are also likely to offer a full Public Relations service to organizations. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

3. CONTINUED… Consultants act as advisors. They are consulted for their expert opinion. They do not carry out the work. Today’s Public Relations consultants do more than advise. They are both advisers and agents. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

4. CONTINUED This is because they advise clients, and also handle Public Relations strategies and tactics on behalf of an organization. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

5. TYPES OF CONSULTANCY Full service Specialist PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

6. FULL SERVICE They are large, well established organizations that offer both consultancy (advice and recommendations) and agency service (media relations) Every aspect of Public Relations is provided within the consultancy. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

7. SPECIALIST There are many types of specialist consultancies. Some specialize in particular Industries (agriculture) Financial Governmental Employee relations Sponsorship Exhibitions Corporate hospitality PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

8. HIGHLY SPECIALIZED SKILLS Public speaking Training for media interviews Press release design Production and distribution PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

9. CLIENT RELATIONSHIP Consultancies are flexible. They can offer exactly what management specifies. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

10. CONSULTANCIES..CAN… Be the Public Relations department of an organization Support an in-house Public Relations manager with advise on strategy but a focus on tactical issues. Focus only on handling Public Relations tactics. Provide a sub-specialist service. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

11. CONSULTANCIES..CAN.. Be appointed for a long period, or brought in to handle a specific need. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

12. CONTRACT A legal contract is essential. This protects both the organization and the consultancy because it spells out exactly : What the relationship is to be For how long it will last How it may be terminated What the fees will be How they will be paid PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

13. CONSULTANCY ROLE To provide client management with communication expertise in the form of counseling and active communication skills in order to further the interests of the client organization or individual within the constraints of the IPR Code of Conduct. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

14. CONSULTANCY FUNCTION To advise the management of client organizations of the most cost-effective and efficient means of achieving identified communication strategies and tactics, and to implement strategic and tactical plans in order to achieve those objectives. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

15. STRUCTURE A Public Relations consultancy sells the knowledge, skills and talents of its staff. It has no tangible product. It is, in this way, operating like a lawyer. Public Relations consultancies can be small and compact. They can be large and complex. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

16. CONTINUED… Expensive and impressive offices are not needed when the face-to-face work is done in the client’s offices on or neutral territory, so the focus tends to be on impressing the client through the tangible things. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

17. CULTURE No Public Relations consultancy can work on standard office hours. These provide a basis for the working day, but Public Relations is a deadline driven occupation. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

18. CONTINUED… It is approach to working that takes a lot of people by surprise, since nobody really cares what time work starts or stops. The judgment is always : Did we meet the deadline ? Was the client happy ? Did we charge correctly ? PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

19. ORGANIZATION

20. FUNCTIONAL Provides for organization by what people do. Providing the structure is simply for administrative convenience. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

21. CHART PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

22. CLIENT This recognizes the importance of the client and organizes around clients and the services they need. In some consultancies the organization may be around markets, with several clients served by each market group. Note that in both organization, the administrative team has been separated. This is the only unit is focused internally – its members will join with the others when needed to complete the job

23. CHART PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

24. FEES Public Relations consultancies are in the business of making profits. Normally they aim to make a return of between 10% and 20% on income. In other words , for every RM 100 000 of income they try to have RM 20,000 left when all expenses have been paid. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

25. EXPENSES…INCLUDE Salaries and wage costs The Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) have estimated that salaries account for some 50% of all costs. This is because Public Relations is a people business, and talented people cannot be hired cheaply. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

26. CONTINUED… Equipment State of the art equipment is needed and the necessary hardware and software must be constantly upgraded. 5 % goes into this area PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

27. CONTINUED… Running expenses Support costs for the office , travel, can run as high as 20 % PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

28. CONTINUED… Rent Even standard offices are not cheap, especially if they need to be in commercial centre. About 5 % PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

29. CONTINUED… Taxes Of the remaining 20% around a third will go in tax. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

30. CONTINUED… Balance If these cost breakdown are accurate, about 13% is left as profit to cover loan repayments, shareholder dividends. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

31. PUBLIC RELATIONS IN-HOUSE OR THROUGH CONSULTANCY The two ways in which an organization can organize its Public Relations activity In-house consultancy PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

32. IN-HOUSE An in-house Public Relations manager will probably call on a Public Relations consultancy from time to time – but only to support, to provide special skills or to help out in times of pressure . The focus, the leadership will be in-house. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

33. LEVEL OF PUBLIC RELATIONS Strategic Where advice is given to top management in the formation of the mission and corporate objectives Tactical Where the public relations programmes are implemented. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

34. QUALITY It should go without saying that a quality Public Relations service can only be delivered by quality people. Whether in-house or through consultancy the need is to hire the best you can afford. Having hired the best is then essential to let them do their job. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

35. CONTINUED… Public relations is a specialist subject, which requires a subtle approach. It is a long-term, on-going activity and the budget and management controls must allow for this. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

36. PUBLIC RELATIONS IN HOUSE PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

37. ADVANTAGES Public relations staff are employed by the organization. They : Identify closely with the aims and objectives of the organization Have a personal stake in the organization success. Do not need to refer – or if they do, it is relatively easy because they have access Are close to the decision makers PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

38. CONTINUED… Can offer a 24- hour service Can move freely around an organization Can form internal networks with employees from across organizations. Internal communications can be set up throughout the organization Continuity may be improved because internal staff probably tend to be more stable in employment than consultancy staff. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

39. DISADVANTAGES Staff can Too closely identify with their product offering (the mirror effect). Become biased in favor of their organization. Have only a narrow range of experience. On be in Public Relations as part of an on-going personal development programme , and therefore may not have commitment, knowledge or long-term interest. Be limited in their aspirations : they may see their long-term careers elsewhere in the organization PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

40. CONTINUED… If there is not a full Public Relations department, the function may be allocated to another manager. He may Have little interest in Public Relations Have little Public Relations knowledge Give priority to his “real” job. Use Public Relations as a way to get out and have fun, without doing the background work needed to make an event success PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

41. CONTINUED… Public Relations may be used as a training and development activity for “fast-track” managers. The Public Relations manager may not be suited to the task. He will have been appointed by non-Public Relations people, and they may have made a misjudgment. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

42. Public relations consultancy PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

43. ADVANTAGES There is no long-term commitment to employed staff. Costs are directly related to the work done The budget can be agreed in advance. Budgets can quickly be changed as necessary. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

44. CONTINUED… The Public Relations people have current experience in the markets. They: Work for other clients Commission more work than an in-house department Have a range of useful contacts Can call on immediate assistance from highly qualified colleagues Can bring freelance help as needed. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

45. CONTINUED.. Their range of equipment, and support services, is likely to be better since it has greater use made of it. They can provide one or more limited services, such as central information service, or a service to do with a specific overseas market. Their contacts can be terminated quickly if necessary. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

46. DISADVANTAGES Consultants will have limited knowledge of the organization and its products. Access is difficult, especially to secure areas. Identification is with the consultancy, before the client. Staff turnover ay be higher than in-house Complex or difficult queries will have to be referred to an organization's manager before the media can be briefed. PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN

47. THE END PREPARED BY :MS GOMALA SUKUMARAN