Ciara Wolfe

PR Research: Effectiveness and Importance

The dynamic field of public relations greatly depends on research to guide tactics and gauge effectiveness. This blog post covers effective practices in PR research and looks at a noteworthy campaign failure that was attributable to inadequate research.

When public relations research is conducted correctly, bias should be eliminated and the leaders of companies should have a better vision of how the public perceives their organization (Chron Contributor). 

Episode 97 of the PR Talk Podcast with Amy Rosenberg featured the owner of Big Small Brands, Jen Barth, to talk marketing and public relations research. There are multiple different ways to gather and analyze research and information. Different examples of research include primary research, qualitative research, interviews, quantitative research and secondary research (USC Annenberg, 2023). 

“What I tend to focus on and where I think PR folks are finding more and more value over the last couple of years is in that sort of primary research, right? Because nothing can really replace the value of just a direct one-on-one  conversation.” (Rosenberg, Barth, 2020, 4:10) 

Public Relations research is very complex and needs to be thorough in order to obtain the most accurate and effective results. There are many different reasons that public relations research is necessary. Public Relations Research is necessary because it provides the initial information that’s essential to plan public relations actions. It is also necessary because it provides the means to assess a public relations plan’s effectiveness (Moore, 2024, Public Relations Research). 

What NOT To Do: Crisis Management and Audience Engagement

One example of a huge crisis management fail was the Deepwater Horizon oil leak. On April 20, 2010, the oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon that operated in the Gulf of Mexico exploded and sank. In the history of marine oil drilling operations, this was the largest oil spill yet. The explosion resulted in the death of 11 workers. The United States filed a complaint in District Court against BP Exploration and Production among others as being responsible for the incident  (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2024).  

BP failed across the board in crisis management in multiple aspects. BP executives immediately declared it was not their fault nor their accident. They blamed their contractors, which made the company look extremely arrogant (NPR, 2011).  A huge reason that the company was striking out so badly in terms of their public relations efforts was because their CEO, Tony Hayward, had cut the public and government relations sectors to save costs. Hayward in turn was getting his advice from outside sources and rookies who gave him poor advice. He repeatedly made insensitive comments such as, “There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do . You know, I’d like my life back” (NPR 2011). Hayward’s ability to always say the wrong thing made him a bad choice to be the face of the crisis and it took BP a little too long to realize that (NPR, 2011). 

In my opinion, there was a lot the public relations professionals behind this situation could have done differently. Firstly, a rooted problem that I think was a horrible idea was cutting the public and government relations sectors. When you’re a massive company like that, it’s essential to have a strong public relations team in case of a crisis such as the one they experienced. I think it’s also essential to be upfront and honest with your publics. Hayward came off as arrogant, insensitive, and a liar. It was worse that the company tried to lie when the publics seemingly knew the truth. It also would’ve been beneficial for BP to have had a representative who had better media training. Hayward could’ve had a better chance of making the company look better if he would’ve had better media training or even tried in the slightest to have genuine empathy for the people effected. There should have been a crisis communication plan for something like that, which is a reasonable ask considering the line of work involved.There were a lot of things that could’ve been done better and a lot of essential research that could’ve been done to help BP handle the situation better and better understand the publics. 

Key Words/Tags

PR research, effectiveness, crisis communication, audience engagement

References

Chron. (n.d.). How Is Research Important to Strategic Public Relations Plans? Small Business – Chron.com. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/research-important-strategic-public-relations-plans-15586.html

EPA. (2019). Deepwater Horizon – BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/deepwater-horizon-bp-gulf-mexico-oil-spill

Moore, J. (2024). OU Sign In. Ou.edu. https://canvas.ou.edu/courses/355766/files/110983238?module_item_id=6945948

Rosenberg, M. (2020, December 2). Mike Rosenberg. Veracity Marketing. https://www.veracityagency.com/podcast/pr-research/

Shogren, E. (2011, April 21). BP: A Textbook Example Of How Not To Handle PR. Npr.org. https://www.npr.org/2011/04/21/135575238/bp-a-textbook-example-of-how-not-to-handle-pr

USC. (2023, November 15). 4 Research Methods for Audience Analysis | USC Online Communication Degree. Communicationmgmt.usc.edu. https://communicationmgmt.usc.edu/blog/4-research-methods-for-audience-analysis

World War I and Propaganda Techniques

The use of propaganda has been around for a long time and used through many different historical events. World War I (1914-1918) was unlike any war fought before, and the United States needed all the members throughout the nation to be involved in the war efforts (University Libraries University of Georgia, 2018). Propaganda for the war came in various forms such as advertisements, short films, pamphlets, posters, speeches, door-to-door campaigns and more (University Libraries University of Georgia, 2018). The United States wasn’t the only country using propaganda to get their nation’s people involved. Governments wanted to gain support for the war from their people and also create a sense of animosity through printed matter such as colorful posters (Rudnick, 2017).  Episode 20 of the Marketing Muckracking podcast goes further into discussing the effects of the propaganda from World War I. 

“In 1928 Edward Bernays published the book Propaganda, which pointed to the success of mass media in World War I to not only shape, but manufacture public opinion, creating what he referred to as “the invisible government”” (Albers, 2022, 0:58). 

Bernays had a lot of strong opinions on the idea and use of propaganda. He believed that it had a huge influence on public opinion and was an extremely powerful tool for shaping public behavior as well (Albers, 2022, 1:27).

Propaganda, Social Media and Public Relations

Much modern-day propaganda is seen through politics. Specifically, in the upcoming 2024 presidential election with Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Former President Donald Trump is known to have a strong influence amongst his supporters and has previously riled them up through posts or tweets that are seen as propaganda. Trump’s strong influence is seen perfectly on the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol (United States Attorney’s Office, 2024)

“So when Trumpers threaten civil war they are now revealing how well trained they are all while being convinced that they came up with this themselves. Because the goal of propaganda and militarism in general is to convince people that this is what they wanted all along” (Albers, 2022, 3:04)

Former President Trump uses various propaganda techniques to fire up and persuade his supporters to stand by him. One of the propaganda techniques I find to be the most divisive is fearmongering. Fearmongering is essentially the exaggeration of impending danger that results in inciting fear in the public. This is also an example of media framing and how Trump brings awareness to certain issues by inciting fear in his supporters by presenting information in a specific way that warrants a specific reaction (Moore, 2024, Theory and Public Relations). People have a strong impulse to pay attention to danger, especially when it revolves around current events (Buckingham, 2021). In my opinion, fearmongering can be good in certain situations, such as making people more aware of the effects of climate change. Fearmongering that is almost unnecessary or not true and only used with malicious intent shouldn’t be allowed.

Another example of other propaganda tactics used by former president Donald Trump is the recent artificial poster of Taylor Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, endorsing his presidential campaign. I think this is another divisive tactic of misinformation. The image was AI-generated and led to Taylor Swift’s public endorsement of Kamala Harris on her Instagram account (Kruesi, 2024). Taylor Swift has an extremely large group of supporters, and Trump wanted to take advantage of that by spreading misinformation and a fake endorsement. Using the spread of misinformation as a propaganda technique is dangerous and wrong.

The best way for PR professionals to navigate the use of current propaganda techniques is to maintain honesty. Social media has been an easy conduit for public figures and businesses to spread propaganda. PR professionals should uphold honesty and transparency to maintain trust with their audience (Bowen, 2007). Having a good understanding of ethics and be prepared for a crisis is much better than being blindsided and stuck with how to handle and navigate a situation. 

Key Words/Tags

Propaganda, public relations, World War I, social media

References

Bowen, S. (2007, October 30). Ethics and Public Relations. Institute for Public Relations. https://instituteforpr.org/ethics-and-public-relations/

Bridie Buckingham. (2021, July 28). I Explored The Psychology Behind Fear Mongering In The Media. Source PR. https://www.sourcepr.co.uk/fear-mongering-in-the-media/

Cleveland. (2018, June 14). War of Words: Propaganda of World War I | UGA Libraries. Libraries.uga.edu. https://libraries.uga.edu/news/wwipropaganda

KRUESI, K. (2024, September 11). What to know about Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-endorsement-democrats-harris-trump-3a5f4827a930d5cf5439febaf014de76

Moore, J. (Ed.) (2024). Public Relations: Principles, Origins, and Practice. Cognella Academic Publishing

Rachael Kay Albers. (2022, August 17). Marketing, Propaganda, and Politics From WWI to Trump – Rachael Kay Albers. Rachael Kay Albers. https://rachaelkayalbers.com/episode-20-marketing-muckraking-wwi-propaganda-to-trump-raid/

Rudnick, A. (2017, December 28). Humor and Horror: Printed Propaganda during World War I. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/articles/printed-propaganda-world-war-i

United States Attorney’s Office. (2024, September 9). 44 Months Since the Jan. 6 Attack on U.S. Capitol. Justice.gov. https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/44-months-jan-6-attack-us-capitol

Ivy Ledbetter Lee’s Influence On Public Relations

Ivy Ledbetter Lee (1877–1934) is known for his influential work in shaping the perception of public relations as well as standards in the career itself (Meade, 2020). Lee’s work in public relations is still highly regarded and used in the profession today. 

“It was the creation of ethical crisis management practices is his most important contribution. This is all the more remarkable considering that in Lee’s era, the early 1900’s, companies would most likely hide an incident from the press, or even lie about it entirely,” said Shelley Spector, the co-founder of the Museum of Public Relations (Meade, 2020).

Lee’s “Declaration of Principles” published in 1905 discusses the foundation of his approach. Lee’s beliefs revolve around the idea that the public should be told truthful and credible information concerning public institutions and businesses (Georgia Historical Society, 2020). The document was groundbreaking for a shift in corporate communications. Lee was a strong advocate for openness and providing honest information to the public and media. This time period was known as the Seedbed Era, where a lot of early developments in public relations were made in terms of developing new strategies and techniques for companies to use (Moore, 2024, What is Public Relations and How Has it Evolved?).  During this time corporations prioritized profit over the public’s perception, and Lee wanted to use his “Declaration of Principles” to gain public trust.

Lee’s Impact on Crisis Management and John D. Rockefeller

Season 3, episode 1 of the Drilled podcast discusses how there was a lot of unknown, behind-the-scenes, effort put into the image of John D. Rockefeller and his company. It had been uncovered through one of the first muckrakers of the time, Ida Tarbell, that Rockefeller had essentially scammed his way into an empire. He had controlled everything about oil at the time, and Tarbell exposed him for using bribe and blackmail instead of honest work to make his way to the top, and the public was outraged (Westervelt, 2020, 12:00). The Rockefeller family had a hard time escaping bad press over the next few years. 

The Ludlow Massacre occured on Monday April 20, 1914, at the mines of the Rockefeller owned Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (PBS). The mineworkers were on strike for the conditions they worked in as well as the wages, when they were attacked by a state militia that murdered many including 11 children and two women. The attack approved by Rockefeller who didn’t admit to a massacre (PBS). 

Rockefeller was desperate for good PR and hired Ivy Ledbetter Lee. Lee was initially hired to help clean up the aftermath of the Ludlow Massacre but did such an amazing job that he remained employed by Rockefeller for the rest of his life (Westervelt, 2020, 15:00). Lee coached Rockefeller on how to behave and talk in public to make people like him more. Lee’s crisis management skills resulted in Rockefeller being remembered as a philanthropist and impressive businessman, not a murderer and cheat. 

Lee did whatever he could to turn the focus away from a company’s bad choices, including corporate philanthropy as a PR move (Westervelt, 2020, 16:30). Lee portrayed Rockefeller as a concerned employer and crafted the narrative in Rockefeller’s favor. The core principles that Lee brought to the world of public relations have truly been a huge influence on the way the industry works today. Proactively engaging with the public and maintaining transparency being two huge principles in regards to crisis management and media relations today.

Key Words/tags

Public relations, Ivy Ledbetter Lee, John D. Rockefeller, Crisis management

References

Drilled. (2020, January 21). S3, Ep1 | The Father of Public Relations. Drillednews.com. https://drilled.media/podcasts/drilled/3/drilleds03-e01

gahistory. (2020, October 26). Marker Monday: Ivy Ledbetter Lee, Founder Of Modern Public Relations 1877-1934. Georgia Historical Society; Georgia Historical Society. https://www.georgiahistory.com/marker-monday-ivy-ledbetter-lee-founder-of-modern-public-relations-1877-1934/#:~:text=The%20foundation%20of%20Lee

Meade, J. (2020, August 24). Father of PR, Ivy Lee, Pioneered Tactics We Use Today. PRNEWS. https://www.prnewsonline.com/ivy-lee-crisis-history/

Moore, J. (Ed.) (2024). Public Relations: Principles, Origins, and Practice. Cognella Academic Publishing

PBS. (n.d.). The Ludlow Massacre | American Experience | PBS. Www.pbs.org. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/rockefellers-ludlow/

According to the Oxford Reference, media law is the legislation through which governments regulate the mass media; including issues of censorship, copyright, defamation, broadcast law, and antitrust law. I learned a lot about media law this semester and did my own research outside of class as well. Media law is essential to keeping the peace in journalism and entertainment. Media law helps determine what we are and aren’t allowed to see. Yale Law School says that it covers conflicts all across the board such as racist and offensive speech, pornography, obscenity, commercial speech, defamation and privacy, national security, freedom of speech, internet and broadcast regulation, manner of expression, and more. I feel like media law was one of the first things we learned about in my Introduction to Media class and it’s for good reason. It’s important to know and understand the ins and outs of protection and what you can and can’t do. It helps you see media, entertainment, journalism, and reporting in a better, more understanding way. For the most part, media law acts as personal protection for reporters and journalists. You can’t get sued for defamation when you upset someone about something you wrote or a certain situation you reported on. Media law is an essential thing to learn and understand.

Majoring in public relations and choosing it as a career path was something I always had in mind. I grew up watching Sex and the City, and Samantha Jones was always my favorite character. She worked in PR and had her own firm and always just seemed so successful to me. She planned parties for people and companies and it always looked like she was having fun with what she did, and it drew me towards that career. Samantha was also portrayed as a character who was super funny, strong, assertive, successful, and creative, which somehow made me want to have her career even more. The creative side of me was also super interested in PR because I’ve loved hosting parties and coming up with events within my friend group, part-time job, or just wherever an opportunity has presented itself to me. I think I would thrive in an environment where I am able to plan events and be able to portray people or companies in the best possible light to make them successful. I honestly want to work in the sports industry and work closely to specific athletes and teams. I want to find ways to creatively represent them and keep them relevant and portrayed in a good light. I had thought about pursuing journalism for a while, but I ultimately chose PR because it checked more of the boxes of what I wanted to do.

With Halloween approaching, I wanted to share the top 10 horror movies I have on my list to watch before October 31st! Horror is my favorite movie genre, so I would personally consider this to be a top-tier list. I’ve created the list with the idea that you start at #10 10 days before Halloween and finish strong with #1 on the day of!

10. Halloween (1978)

I wanted to start the list of strong with a classic. Coming from experience, this movie gets everyone in the Halloween mood and it’ll always be one of my favorites. 

9. The Exorcist 

Another classic! I feel like everyone needs to see this movie at least once in their life.

8. Carrie (1976 or 2013)

For Carrie, I’m letting this one be interchangeable. I’ve already given you two classics, so you can keep the trend going or move on to the newer stuff. You can’t go wrong with either of these movies, it just depends on your vibe for the night. Are you in the mood for classic horror or a little more scary?

7. Insidious 

This is one of my favorite scary movies of all time. This one definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat and brings a higher level of suspense, especially with the music! If you have nothing to do on this day, you can binge the entire Insidious series (which I highly recommend).

6. Scream 

This is one of my FAVORITES! This is absolutely a must! Need I say more?

5. Annabelle 

Annabelle definitely brings a scare factor into the movie mix. Annabelle herself is super creepy and the movie always keeps you on your toes. 

4. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original or 2013 version)

I’m making Texas Chainsaw Massacre interchangeable as well! Obviously, the original movie is a classic and I highly encourage everyone to watch it if you haven’t, but the 2013 version is also a good one!

3. Sinister 

This may take the cake on the scariest/most disturbing movie I’ve ever seen. The storyline is disturbing and the whole movie I feel like I want to cover my eyes.

2. The Conjuring

The Conjuring holds a special place in my heart as my comfort movie. I could watch this movie every day of my life. If you aren’t familiar, it’s the same vibe as Annabelle and Insidious. The movies take place in the same universe which I think is pretty cool!

1. Halloween (2018)

It only felt right to make Halloween #1. Starting with the original and ending with the more recent version. I really enjoyed this movie and think it’s a perfect way to end the list!

Hopefully, this list delivers and puts you in the Halloween spirit this season! I know I’ll definitely be following it and I hope you all do too!

As someone who despises being sick, I am a huge advocate for taking necessary precautions when fall and winter roll around. As a college student, almost everyone I know gets at least a little bit sick when coming back to school. That being said, as cooler weather hits, the sickness tends to linger and worsen. There are 3 major viruses that we need to watch out for this season in order to stay as healthy as possible. Those viruses are respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19, and the flu. A nonprofit health policy research group, KFF, stated that 40% of U.S. households were hit with at least one of these viruses. Aside from those big 3 viruses, there are others that we need to watch out for as well. NPR wrote an article where an epidemiologist and assistant professor at Emory University named Marlene Wolfe says we need to be on the lookout to avoid rhinoviruses, parainfluenzas, enterovirus D68, and human metapneumonia virus. All of these viruses have similar symptoms that we’re all familiar with such as runny nose, coughing, sore throat, sneezing, post-nasal drip, and more. I personally have a very busy fall and winter season, and I want to stay as healthy as possible this year so I can do everything I need to do. A few things that I’m making sure to do to keep myself and others healthy are thoroughly washing my hands, making sure to always cover my cough, drinking plenty of fluids, and drinking warm tea in the mornings (this is a personal preference but I feel like it helps!). It’s important for us all to be cautious and make sure we’re keeping ourselves and those around us healthy this season!