3.5.2 Price
3.5.4.4 Public Relations
This is an incentive-based promotion aimed at increasing long-term repeat-purchase behaviour. For e.g. cellular phone service providers offer their customers, free SMS'sand free peak and off-peak airtime minutes.
As part of its exciting new programme to reward its more than 15.5 million loyal customers, Vodacom launched the most exciting television game show ever to be screened in South Africa called Yebo Millionaires. Itwas aired on SABC1 from October 2005 to April 2006.
"Yebo Millionaires is exclusive to Vodacom customers and is open to contract, prepaid and top-up customers.This exhilarating loyalty programme will reward Vodacom customers with cash prizes in excess of R1 million every week ."
(http://www.vodafone.com/article with thumbnaillO,3038,CATEGORY 10%3020202%...)
As stated by Rensburg and Cant, (2003:35), the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) defines public relations as follows:
"It is the management, through communication, of perceptions and strategic relationships between an organisation and its internal and external stakeholders. The Public Relations News maintains that public relations are the management function that evaluates public attitudes, identifies policies and procedures of an organisation with the public interest and executes a program of action and communication to earn public understanding and acceptance. "
As stated by Dominick (2005:343), the following definition of public relations is approved by the World Assembly ofPublic Relations:
"Public relations is the art and social science of analysing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organisation leaders and implementing planned programs of action that serve the organisation and the public's interest. "
From the above it is clear that the public's perception of an organisation is very important. Public relations play a vital and key role in developing an understanding and support for an organisation and its public. It helps to define and explain relationships of mutual benefit between the organisation and its stakeholders, which results in a balanced and positive image for the organisation.
Functions of Public Relations
Skinner et al. (2004:10), has identified a number of key functions ofpublic relations:
• Research - it involves gathering of information about public opinion, trends, emerging issues, politics and media coverage. It also includes programme implementation and assessing programme impact to evaluate programme effectiveness.
• Programming and counselling/ Planning and advising - this involves collaborating with management to solve problems.
• Media relations and placements - this key function involves contacting news media, magazines, writers and trade publications with the intention of getting them to publish or
broadcast news and features about their organisation. All three service providers feature regularly in the media.
• Organising - this involves organising media conferences, conventions, exhibitions,open- house days; anniversary celebrations, contests and fundraising.
• Writing - the PRP has to write news releases, newsletters, correspondence, reports, booklets, texts, television copy, advertisements and technical material.
• Editing - PRP's are involved in editing special publications, employee newsletters, reports and other communications directed at internal and external publics.
• Production - this challenging task involves creating communications using multimedia knowledge and skills.The PRP has to use art, photography and design for brochures, booklets, reports and advertisements and record and edit audio and video tapes and prepare audiovisual presentations.
• Speaking - the PRP speaks or arranges for other people to address meetings.
• Training - the PRP works with various groups and individuals to prepare them for dealing with the media, making presentations and other public appearances.
• Management - the public relations function has to be managed in terms of personnel, budget and action programmes.
It is clear from the above that public relations incorporates all aspects that is undertaken to improve mutual understanding between an organisation and its public.This includes advice on the image of an organisation, elimination of sources of misunderstanding and improving communication between the public and the organisation.
The Process ofPublic Relations
Since public relations is a management function, it involves itself in strategic and tactical planning.
The task of public relations is to guide the organisation proactively and reactively.
There are seven stages involved in planning a public relations programme. These steps are
Figure3.7Planning a Public Relations Programme (Source: Skinner et aI2001:107)
Tools and techniques of Public Relations
There are a variety of public relations tools and techniques that are used to communicate efficiently between an organisation and its stakeholders. This is shown in Figure 3.8.
Figure 3,8 Public Relations Tools and Techniques (Source: Skinner et al 2001 :10)
• Media relations
This is one of the most important responsibilities of the PRP.Messages must be framed to be newsworthy. Messages must also be understandable, uncomplicated, free of jargon and simple to grasp.
• Publications
The research, design and production of a wide range of internal and external publications is also important. Internal communication programmes include both the written and spoken word. Employee publications include house journals, newsletters, handbooks and manuals..
• Corporate image
This looks at the net result of the combined experiences; impressions,beliefs, feelings and knowledge people have about a company.Corporate image represents a company and what it does or does not do, the image of its products or services, its letterheads, Web pages, brochures, offices and trucks, the way it treats its employees and its recruitment policies.
• Corporate advertising
Rensburg and Cant, (2003: 161) affirm that corporate advertising focuses on the reputation of an organisation or institution. It is advertising on the organisation's behalf to promote the business orfinancial interest of the organisation
This isdivided into three types:
o General corporate image building (in print, audiovisual and Web page media).This type of advertising strengthens an organisation's image in the eyes ofthe public.
o Investor and financial relations advertising. This is aimed at the financial community.
o Advocacy - this is issue advertising and is used when an organisation wants to take a public stand on an issue, for e.g. when Cell C, MTN and Vodacom took a stand for the proudly South African campaign.
• Promotional activities
Skinner et al., (2004:8) maintains that PRP's devote a great deal of time and effort to high profile and media sensitive promotional activities. They use their specialised skills to organise conferences and teleconferences, plan exhibitions, prepare audio-visual material and direct mail literature and organise special events
• Disaster and issues management
Although PRP's cannot predict a specific disaster or crisis, they can anticipate that they can happen. Thus, the conscious preparation forthe inevitability of such events isrequired.
• Lobbying
Cutlip et al. (1994:17), define lobbying as the specialised part of public relations that builds and maintains relations with government primarily for the purpose of influencing legislation and regutation. Lobbyists must have the ability to construct and present convincing communications to government officials. They must also have knowledge of government, legislation, public policy and public opinion processes.
• Networking
Networks are groups of people with different backgrounds who exchange information, experience orcontacts for professional or social purposes. Networking plays an important role when PRP's are communicating with various power structures to influence behaviour.
3.5.4.5 Sponsorship