The Four Elements of a PR Campaign

Many blogs, magazines and books write about the different strategies and approaches used in PR, such as media relations, crisis communications or public affairs. Yet few pay attention to the underlying psychology that influences how people respond to these events. It seems that in the intervening century since PR became a distinct field, the psychological functions of a comprehensive public relations strategy have remained a mystery. 

This is where we can build on the knowledge gathered in the field of advertising, adapting it for communications along the way. A great explanation of the psychological processes at work in advertising is found in the “Advertising and the mind of the consumer: what works, what doesn't and why” by Max Sutherland and Alice K. Sylvester.

The four elements of an ad

The book carefully describes how TV and print advertising functions and how to measure its results. One of the most interesting insights is the dissection of an advertisement along the following lines: according to the authors, there are four elements involved in positioning a brand in a consumer's mind through the medium of advertising: ad execution, product category, brand and message.

Interestingly, a consumer rarely remembers and associates all four elements, making it harder to get your message across. The authors note that failure to associate the (correct) brand name with a particular advertisement is especially common. The solution to this problem is to integrate the four elements as much as possible.

Example

 Let’s say you use an ad featuring a cartoon monkey to get noticed. The monkey is lifting a heavy barbell while eating a candy bar clearly labeled “monkeybar”.  This ad will (hopefully) work because all elements are integrated: the monkey relates to the product “monkeybar”. At the same time the message “fun & energetic” comes through the monkey and the big barbell it lifts. That barbell itself is another hint at the brand name (monkeybar).  Note that this integration would not work for a candy bar called “ChocoTiger”. Thus, this almost childish integration of product, ad execution and message, greatly increases the chances of getting the message across for your brand.

Samusocial: "The longer you live on the street, the harder it is to get off it". The message is completely integrated into the ad. It's hard to imagine this ad for any other cause or brand.		Wonderbra: "friend requests". It's a funny and appealing ad, but what if it had said "Victoria's Secret", "Harvard University" or "Heineken" at the bottom? If an ad works just as well with another brand, this is a hint that integration might be lacking and the audience might not remember what the ad was for even after seeing it multiple times.

For a deeper understanding of how ads work, definitely give this book a try. You will find more on the elements of an advertisement in chapter 26.

Elements of a PR campaign

Can this knowledge be applied to a PR campaign? I think so. Let’s take a look at the four elements from a public relations perspective:

1. Issue ("product category")
   e.g.  the consumer recognizes an event or newspaper article concerning environmental awareness
2. Strategy and Measures ("ad execution")
   How and through what medium do you deliver your message?  Do you organize an event? Do you try to get into the newspapers through a press release or is consistent communications through your website and social media the fitting choice?
3. Brand or Organisation
   e.g., the consumer sees the article/event/website is tied to FoodCompanyInc.
4. Message
   e.g. the consumer notices that FoodCompanyInc. uses environmentally friendly methods to grow or produce its products.

In contrast to advertisments, the “execution” of a PR campaign is more flexible but also harder to control. We would have a hard time trying to get an article about a monkey with a “monkeybar” on the cover of the New York Times. Nevertheless, the same lesson applies: the more integrated your campaign, the higher its chances of success.

Example

If you represent Toyota and want to promote their hybrid car, an effective PR measure could be to organize a race based on fuel efficiency and put a big fat Japanese name on it. A car company organizing a racing event may seem like an obvious and unimaginative choice, but in terms of integration, it makes perfect sense. People are likely to remember the event was for “a car company”. Giving the race a Japanese-sounding name would make it less likely for the audience to associate it with the wrong brand name, e.g. “I think it was Mercedes, or BMW, I don’t quite remember”.

In addition to integration, make sure your message is also coherent in relation to your corporate identity. Apart from better association, this makes it also more likely that the message is accepted.

Example

Lack of coherency and integration would be two arguments against the “eco marathon” organized by Shell: it is hard to associate an event involving cars and solar power with the oil giant Shell. Also, the message of saving fuel for the environment goes against our image of shell as an oil company.  That does not mean Shell cannot position itself as environmentally friendly, but they would have a bigger chance of success if they could build on existing elements, e.g. promoting a cleaner form of petrol.

Finally, make sure you are consistent in your positioning and do not shift your message from left to right. You might be getting tired of repeated the same thing over and over, the audience has hardly noticed it.

Integrated, coherent, consistent

In conclusion, the chances of getting your message across are greatly improved using integrated campaigns that are coherent with existing believes about your organization or issue and when you remain consistent in your messages and positioning.

This is why it is important to stick to a good conceptional process when setting up a PR campaign, one that moves from the position of your brand, to the right message and delivery strategy, to the individual campaign measures. All too often, the process is reversed and people start with the measures only to think about the message and the positioning later. For example, someone might see there is an upcoming solar race and decide to issue a press release (measure), which inevitably says “we sponsor the solar competition” (message). This way, they hope the company appears environmentally friendly (positioning), without ever asking if this fits the companies' profile. Was environmentally friendliness a key part of the company's positioning already or did it become the message just because the event happened to be in town? A process like this leads to inconsistent and badly integrated campaigns that are, as the advertising world teaches us, most likely a waste of resources: the message will simply not stick.