Public Relations Tools – Old and New

Public Relations specialists use tools to complete the tasks at hand. Public Relations is a leadership and management function that facilitates organizational change, defines philosophy, and achieves organizational objectives for the company. The tools that PR specialists use have changed over the years through modifications and additions thanks to the increase in technology. Today a mix of old and new PR tools are used to accomplish their goals.

In the past, PR specialists had to turn to snail mail. This is the act of placing press releases in envelopes and mailing them individually to people. There was no technology to speed up the process. Today it is now possible to send mass emails to people, and to place their press releases and newsletters on the Internet at the public’s disposure.

Another way to send out information to the public in the past was the use of fax machines. Fax machines are not used today on a daily basis. The use of fax machines is limited to very specific needs. To be able to send a fax machine PR specialists have to obtain the numbers of individual household fax numbers. Their main use of them was to send out client news. Today it is possible thanks to the Internet to send out client news via the Internet. This information is found on multiple social networks like Twitter and Facebook, personal company websites, and can even be sent through email.

In the past there were no easy editing tools to catch possible mistakes on press releases. To edit, PR specialists had no other option but to edit by hand. Today, there are programs that allow quick, efficient, and simple editing. Depending on the individual assigned to editing, they might prefer the old tactics as opposed to the new ones.

Every company is required to have a Press Kit Folder. In the past, a press kit folder was an actual folder containing a press kit. The information compiled within a press kit includes the biography of the company, the senior management, a testimonial of client comments, photos of products, and a reprint of newspapers and magazine ads. If one wanted access to the press kit for any reason, whether it is to review or add information, they would need to physically handle the documents in their hands. Today, thanks to technology, companies have virtual press kits. It is easy to access or add information at any time due to the easy online access.

A part of Public Relations is conducting press tours. In the past press tours were strictly conducted in person. Today there are organizations that prefer conducting their press tours in person; whereas, there is the option of having them done virtually. It can be found online, or at the actual company with a virtual automated guide.

Client media coverage is essential for companies. PR specialists would save client media coverage. In the past they were required to physically cut out and save clippings from newspapers and magazines. Today, most of the printed media can be found in archives online. This makes it easier for PR specialists to find client media coverage and to save them. Online it is possible to search for key words to locate all applicable information that a PR specialist might require in terms of saving client media coverage for further use.

It is extremely important for the public relations office to have access to media contact information. Today it is extremely easy to find contact information. This information is accessible to the public on multiple websites and social media networks. If one was unable to find this information, they can easily request it. New technology has also opened new forms of contact. There are phone numbers, emails, Facebook, Twitter, and many more ways of reaching media contacts. In the past there was no easy virtual way to find contact information. A directory was used for PR specialists to search for media contact information. Directories are rarely used today, if used at all. It is a book filled with the contact information of people in the area.

Not all employees would work with the office from the office itself.  To be able to contact the office from outside of the workplace, people today can use their smartphones to contact on almost every possible network. They can call from any location, email, use social networks, and more. In the past it was only possible for people to contact the office from payphones and landlines.

There are tools that were practiced in the past and are still practiced today. The attendance of PR managers at Public Events is essential to attract public attention. It is also a way to engage the public and different organizations. Another benefit is that it gives PR specialists a place to publicly speak directly to the public. In turn, media coverage of the event reflects the PR specialist’s words to the greater public.

Creating a press release and sending it out to the public is a tool that was used in the past and is still used today. A press release is information found as part media mediums like television programs, magazines, newspapers and more. The old way of administrating press releases into the public varied from mailing them, sending them via fax machine, and other in person deliveries. New technology permitted the ability to send press releases via the Internet.

The use of newsletters is another tool that was used in the past and is still used today. A newsletter is information of the organization, its products, and services. They are created to maintain a relationship with the company’s target audience. It is also used to share news and information that would interest the public, as well as promote the company’s products. In the past it was sent out to the public the same way a press release was. Today it is found on company websites, social networks, and can even be mailed to people who subscribe to the newsletter.

New media technology has opened doors to new Public Relations tools. Blogging is a new tool that was introduced after the introduction of the Internet. It targets an online audience. PR specialists make use of digital press releases and newsletters to reach the public through blogging. It is also easy to administrate two-way communication between the public and the organization.

Social media and social network use have skyrocketed in the years since they have been created. Social media marketing uses social media networks to market the company’s products online. Social networks also offer a direct way for organizations to communicate with the public.

Public Relations tools have expanded greatly over the years. The Internet allowed PR specialists to find a way to make the tools they practiced in the past easier. It also created new tools for them to use. A new audience was introduced expanding the reach of companies. Over the years PR specialists have managed to optimize the use of both old and new PR tools to their advantage.

Coca-Cola International Marketing Analysis

Coca Cola is an international company that has been successfully marketing globally for many years. The reason why most of its campaigns have been successful is because it finds something that is globally appealing. Coca Cola’s main focus is to embody the idea of “Happiness” when it comes to their product.

Coca Cola wants to make the entire world happy and the way that they plan on achieving this is by adopting three main principals.

The three principals are:

·      Dynamic Story Telling:

o   Coke Wants to create a “unified and coordinated brand experience” and also wants to void creating unnecessary “noise”. This is done through storytelling. There are five types of storytelling that Coke uses to engage the global community.

§  Serial

§  Multi-Faceted

§  Spreadable

§  Immersion

§  Discovery

·      Live Positively:

o   Coca Cola wants to show a commitment to making the world a better place. The way that they plan on incorporating this in their marketing strategy is to make sure that each brand and advertisement shows a sense of “positive living” to create a change in the world.

·      Bigger Thinking:

o   Coke believes that their company thinks to small when it comes to inspiring and creative ideas. They want to double their sales and to do that Coca-Cola needs too think big. To start that Coca-Cola started engaging in a global online conversation to give and take with consumers, as opposed to keeping things one-sided.

In an interview with the president of the Coca-Cola Company’s Euroasia and Africa group, he was asked how they make themselves locally relevant. The president said that Coca-Cola invests a lot of time in understanding the minds of the local consumer. For example in Egypt during the Arab Spring, The company was able to understand the mentality of the public, especially the teenagers. They tried to understand what the people were going through – they wanted to create a bright future. As coke tries to embody happiness and optimism, they created great consumer communication with a message; if everyone came together they would be able to build a better future. As a result the advertisement was successful.

At the very start of Coca Cola’s career they were able to grab the public. In 1906 they created an advertisement that focused on the prohibition age. They marketed themselves as the best alternative to alcohol. At the time the US were entering the prohibition age, and Coke was able to give them something to make it through the sober era.

In 1971 Coca Cola in England created a jingle – small little song – that ended up becoming a hit in the music industry. Their song had said, “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony; I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company.” This advertising campaign was able to reflect the idea of peace and unity at airports. Both the song and the advertisement itself were successful.

One of the most successful global campaigns was the “Always Coca-Cola” advertisement in 1993. They used polar bears and managed to appeal to the diversity of the world. Polar bears became a classic symbol for Coca Cola and were also used during future campaigns.

In India and Pakistan Coca Cola worked on creating the idea of “Happiness without borders”. A video was shown of Indians and Pakistani’s joining together through machines offered by Coca Cola. It taught the two groups that were known to live in conflict to share a moment of connection and joy. Yes, this was done through technology, but it did help work through the communication gap, and communicating and taking little steps towards solving bigger issues. The campaign was a huge success as it brought the idea of hope and happiness.

In the US, Coca-Cola worked on a campaign targeting college freshmen. The campaign was launched at the start of the new semester. What it did was create a Coca-Cola Friendly Twist Campaign. They made coke bottles that could only be opened by connecting two together and twisting simultaneously. This was an attempt to encourage social interaction for College Freshmen. The campaign was a huge success in the US as well as globally. The video was shared virally via social media, and the idea of breaking out of your own bubble and starting a new life with Coke was shared with the world.

Coca Cola also had some negative campaigns and advertising mistakes. When they were first introduced in China they were named “Ke-Kou-Ke-La” which translates into”bite the wax tadpole” or “female horse stuffed with wax”. Eventually Coca Coal was able to fix this, and they found a close phonetic Equivalent. “Ko-Kou-Ko-Le”, which translates to “Happiness in the mouth”.

The most recent Coke campaign was a huge success globally. They used personal names on coke bottles. In English speaking countries there campaign was “Share a coke”. What they would do was print out popular names based on countries and distribute those coke cans in each country. People were thrilled to find their names on coke bottles and even find the names of their loved ones. In the Middle East it was translated to “Coca Cola is better with”. It still embodied the same spirit of sharing a coke, and used the names. This campaign boosted sales all over the world. It was a campaign that sparked happiness and enjoyment throughout the world.

Coca Cola also launched a happiness machine. The happiness machine would give the public treats like pizza or flowers or drinks. It was successful because it was entertaining. The most known machine is the one in Singapore and Belgium. In Singapore you would have to hug the machine to receive a nice treat. In Belgium you would have to dance for the machine to give you something. These fun interactions alone would make people doing the action, and watching, happy. The added treat was a bonus from Coca Cola. In a way this sparked a reward system in the minds of the public. “Happy actions result in treats.”

In the US one of the most crucial times for advertisements is during the Super Bowl. In 2012, Coca Cola had an extremely successful advertising campaign during the super bowl. They had two polar bears that would interact with the events that happened on the field as it happened. The public was also able to interact with them through tweets and Facebook comments on their smartphones, and the polar bears would respond.

In China, Coca Cola launched a friendship experiment. People in China were asked to participate in the digital marketing campaign. A photographer would ask people to take part in a moment of connection wile touring Guangzhou in China. At the end the video showed pictures of strangers being photographed together as if they knew one another in groups. This was a way to help link people together, through happiness – which is Coca Cola’s main mission.

2012 was a good year for Coca Cola advertisements. Not only did they make use of the Super Bowl in the US, but they also made the best out of the 2012 Olympics that was held in London. They reached out to teens by using the social values of the Olympics. The campaign was called “Move to the beat” and the whole world was seen getting together for the event. Coca Cola used five Olympic hopefuls and used their sport sounds to create a song. This was a huge hit during the Olympics, and was watched by almost everyone in the world!

Coca Cola’s standard “Enjoy” was also successful, because it helped embody the idea of happiness that Coca Cola aims for in their products.