Public Relations Handbook (Media Practice)

THE

PUBLIC

RELATIONS

HANDBOOK

ALISON THEAKER

FOURTH EDITION

FINANCIAL

C O M M U N I C A T I O N

internal

communication

corporate

identity R

BUSINESS

TO

BUSINESS

The Public Relations

Handbook

The Public Relations Handbook is a comprehensive and detailed introduction to the theories

and practices of the public relations industry. It traces the history and development of public

relations, explores ethical issues that affect the industry, examines its relationship with politics,

lobbying organisations and journalism, assesses its professionalism and regulation and advises

on training and entry into the profession.

The Public Relations Handbook combines theoretical and organisational frameworks for

studying public relations with examples of how the industry works in practice. It draws on a

range of promotional strategies and campaigns from businesses, public and non-profit

organisations including the AA, Airbus, BT, Northamptonshire County Council, Cuprinol and

Action for Children.

The Public Relations Handbook, 4th Edition includes:

• case studies, examples and illustrations from a range of campaigns from small and

multinational corporations, local government and charities

• specialist chapters on financial public relations, internal communications and

marketing public relations

• strategic overviews of corporate identity, globalisation and evaluation

• a thorough examination of ethics and professionalism

• more than 50 illustrations from recent PR campaigns

• a completely revised chapter on corporate social responsibility

• a new chapter on risk, issues and crisis management.

Alison Theaker has over 25 years’ experience in public relations and management as a

practitioner and academic. She was the first Head of Education and Training at the then Institute

of Public Relations, as well as Principal Lecturer and Course Leader in Public Relations at Leeds

Business School, UK, and Scholar in Residence in the School of Marketing Communication at

Emerson College, Boston, US. She is an elected Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public

Relations and co-authored Effective Media Relations. She has delivered research papers at

conferences in the UK, USA and Australia on team working in public relations, improving students’

writing skills and the future of PR as a profession. She is now a PR coach for small businesses,

running her own consultancy, The Spark, in Devon, www.thesparkuk.com.

This textbook is supported by a companion website at www.routledge.com/cw/theaker where

a range of additional international case studies can be found, along with useful links.

Media Practice

Edited by James Curran, Goldsmiths College, University of London

The Media Practice handbooks are comprehensive resource books for students of

media and journalism, and for anyone planning a career as a media professional.

Each handbook combines a clear introduction to understanding how the media

work with practical information about the structure, processes and skills involved

in working in today’s media industries, providing not only a guide on ‘how to do

it’ but also a critical reflection on contemporary media practice.

The Advertising Handbook

3rd edition

Helen Powell, Jonathan Hardy,

Sarah Hawkin and Iain MacRury

The Alternative Media Handbook

Kate Coyer, Tony Dowmunt and

Alan Fountain

The Cyberspace Handbook

Jason Whittaker

The Documentary Handbook

Peter Lee-Wright

The Graphic Communication

Handbook

Simon Downs

The Fashion Handbook

Tim Jackson and David Shaw

The Magazines Handbook

2nd edition

Jenny McKay

The Music Industry Handbook

Paul Rutter

The New Media Handbook

Andrew Dewdney and Peter Ride

The Newspapers Handbook

4th edition

Richard Keeble

The Photography Handbook

2nd edition

Terence Wright

The Public Relations Handbook

4th edition

Alison Theaker

The Radio Handbook

3rd edition

Carole Fleming

The Television Handbook

4th edition

Jeremy Orlebar

The Public

Relations

Handbook

4th edition

Alison Theaker

Fourth edition published 2012

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada

by Routledge

711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

© 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012 Alison Theaker

The right of Alison Theaker to be identified as the author of this work

has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78

of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or

reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,

or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying

and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks

or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and

explanation without intent to infringe.

First published 2001 by Routledge

Second edition published 2004

Third edition published 2008

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

The public relations handbook/edited by Alison Theaker. – 4th ed.

p. cm. – (Media practice)

Rev. ed. of: The public relations handbook/Alison Theaker.

3rd ed. 2008.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Corporations – Public relations. I. Theaker, Alison.

II. Theaker, Alison. Public relations handbook.

HD59.T474 2012

659.2 – dc22 2011008644

ISBN: 978–0-415–59813–2 (hbk)

ISBN: 978–0-415–59814–9 (pbk)

ISBN: 978–0-203–80482–7 (ebk)

Typeset in Helvetica and Avant Garde

by Florence Production Ltd, Stoodleigh, Devon

Contents

List of figures vii

List of tables ix

Notes on contributors x

Preface xv

Part I The context of public relations 1

1 What is public relations? 3

Johanna Fawkes

2 Public relations and communications 21

Johanna Fawkes

3 Public relations and politics 38

Ian Somerville and Phil Ramsey

4 Public relations and management 60

Anne Gregory

5 Ethics, professionalism and regulation 82

Alison Theaker

Part II Strategic public relations 105

6 Public relations and corporate communication 107

Emma Wood

7 Corporate identity 126

Emma Wood and Ian Somerville

8 Risk, issues and crisis management 154

Heather Yaxley

9 Public relations and corporate social responsibility 175

Ian Somerville and Emma Wood

10 Measurement and evaluation 195

Mairead McCoy and Owen Hargie

11 Public relations and globalisation 219

Peter Walker

Part III Stakeholder public relations 249

12 Media relations in the social media age 251

Philip Young

13 Internal communications 273

Liam FitzPatrick

14 Financial communications 311

Mark Phillimore

15 Public sector public relations 331

Simon Wakeman

16 Consumer public relations 354

Susan Hutchinson

17 Business-to-business public relations 370

Loretta Smith

18 Not-for-profit public relations 387

Peter Brill and Cinzia Marrocco

19 Digital public relations – revolution or evolution? 411

Heather Yaxley

Part IV Shaping the future 433

20 Future challenges for PR 435

Alison Theaker

Bibliography 445

Index 479

vi CONTENTS

Figures

2.1 Harrison’s adaptation of Shannon and Weaver’s model 25

2.2 The Osgood–Schramm model of communication 26

2.3 The Westley–McLean model of communication 27

2.4 The one-step and two-step flow models 32

4.1 An example of PEST analysis 66

4.2 Organisational linkages 69

5.1 IPRA wheel of education 91

6.1 Various forces in the external environment combine to influence

a company’s licence to operate 113

6.2 The strategic management of public relations 116

7.1 Mapping the relationship between relevant concepts 130

7.2 The cultural web 135

7.3 Adapted version of van Riel’s model of corporate identity

management 138

7.4 Adapted version of Melewar and Karaosmanoglu’s revised

categorisation of corporate identity dimensions and their

sub-items 140

7.5a Queen Margaret University College, old logo 149

7.5b Queen Margaret University, new logo 149

7.6 Queen Margaret University new campus 149

7.7 Queen Margaret University library, new campus 150

8.1 Newly qualified drivers are considered to be at greatest risk

of accidents 158

8.2 Circular decision making process 159

9.1 CSR issues, definitions and indicator sources 189

9.2 Presence of CSR issues on the corporate websites (including

online CSR reports/corporate annual reports) of Rabobank and

Bank of Ireland 190

9.3 Expositive and interactive resources 191

10.1 Key recommendations for writing measurable objectives 197

10.2 Pyramid model of PR research 200

10.3 The Barcelona Declaration of Measurement Principles 207

10.4 BTYSTE exhibition main hall 214

11.1 Stakeholder areas for the Pakistan Pink Ribbon campaign 243

12.1a Press release announcing the Which? court case against JJB

for overpricing replica football shirts 265

12.1b Press release announcing the Which? court case against JJB

for overpricing replica football shirts 266

12.2 Press coverage of Which? case 267

12.3 First Direct’s online newsroom 269

13.1 Reasons for internal communications 276

13.2 The demographics log book 282

13.3 Example of how objectives can be broken into different

components covering knowledge, attitude and behaviour 290

13.4 What media? 297

13.5 Five questions 300

13.6 Dewhurst and FitzPatrick’s communication competencies 305

14.1 Flow of information 315

15.1 Northampton County Council You Choose – Diagram

summarising campaign feedback 348

15.2 Residents speaking to council representative at Brackley

roadshow, March 2010 349

16.1 Talisker Bounty boat landing 365

16.2 Talisker Bounty boat crew 365

16.3 Winning Cuprinol shed entry 368

16.4 Cuprinol Shed Week logo 368

17.1 The Airbus Concept plane 377

17.2 BLOODHOUND banner 384

18.1 Getting the message 390

18.2 Chart based on 1000 adults 16+, Britain 392

18.3 Tug-of-war 394

18.4 The best of all worlds? 396

18.5 The opportunity-opportunism model 399

18.6 Vaccinations 401

18.7 Social media icons 405

18.8 LiveStrong wristband 409

19.1 A new media adaptation of the models of public relations 425

19.2 Twitter chart 427

viii FIGURES

Tables

1.1 A rough guide to the main activities in public relations 10

1.2 Summary of DTI/CIPR recommended key skills and competences 11

1.3 Recommended curriculum 11

1.4 Ranking of discipline topics by employers 12

1.5 Approaches to public relations theory 16

2.1 Characteristics of four models of public relations 35

Contributors

Peter Brill is Managing Director of communication specialists Net.Mentor. His post￾grad Diploma in Radio Journalism from City University led to a career in financial

and sports broadcasting before turning to PR. After working in-house at Toyota

(GB) and at specialist agency Avenue Communications, Peter moved to RAC

Motoring Services where he became Head of Public Relations. He established

Net.Mentor in 2002. Peter lectures for the CIPR’s Advanced Certificate and

CIM’s Public Relations courses. In parallel with his corporate career he has

also been active in the Third Sector, particularly as a Trustee for Sense (Deafblind

and Rubella Association), which included strategic links with the communication

team, and as Chairman of Salaam Shalom, the UK’s first Muslim/Jewish radio

station that launched in February 2007.

Johanna Fawkes Ph.D. was Principal Lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University

(LMU) until 2004, since when she has been an independent writer and

researcher. She led the BA in Public Relations at LMU and similar courses at

the University of Central Lancashire and the London College of Printing, after

15 years in public sector PR. She has written award-winning papers for a variety

of journals, national and international conferences and has contributed chapters

to leading PR textbooks. Johanna is a member of the Institute of Communication

Ethics (ICE) Advisory Board, the Journal of Public Relations Inquiry editorial

board, and was Chief Examiner for the CIPR Diploma, 2005–2007. She

completed her doctorate in Jung, ethics and PR in 2011.

Liam FitzPatrick is Head of Practice at Bell Pottinger Change and Internal

Communication in London. His career includes time in-house running IC teams

in the UK and internationally as well as extended periods as a consultant working

around the world. He also teaches with the CIPR in London and has created

training programmes for a number of clients. He has written on the subject of

competencies for communicators. He is a Fellow of the CIPR.

Dr Anne Gregory Ph.D. is Professor Public Relations and Director of the Centre

for Public Relations Studies at LMU, one of the UK’s leading think-tanks on

public relations. Originally a broadcast journalist with the BBC, Anne spent 10

years in public relations practice, operating at senior levels in both consultancy

and in-house. She was President of the UK Chartered Institute of Public

Relations (CIPR) in 2004, leading it to Chartered status, and is now Chair of

the Global Alliance of Public Relations and Communication Management. Anne

initiated and edits the CIPR series of 17 books, is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal

of Communication Management and publishes regularly in books, academic

and popular journals. She is a frequent speaker at international conferences.

Anne is still very active in practice, with Centre clients from the Department of

Health and Cabinet Office to Tesco and Nokia. She was awarded the Sir Stephen

Tallents Medal for outstanding service to public relations in 2009.

Owen Hargie is Professor of Communication, University of Ulster, and is Associate

Professor at the University of Chester, England, and at Robert Gordon University,

Scotland. He is a Chartered Member, Registered Practitioner, and Associate

Fellow, of the British Psychological Society, and is an elected member of the

Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. He is currently Vice-Chair

of the ‘Interpersonal Communication and Social Interaction’ Section of the

European Communication Research and Education Association. His special

areas of interest are in the fields of organisational, interpersonal and inter-cultural

communication.

Susan Hutchinson (BA) Hons has worked in consumer PR for over ten years

and is a divisional director at Grayling, one of the UK’s leading consumer PR

agencies. She holds the CIPR-accredited postgraduate Diploma in Public and

Media Relations from Cardiff University’s School of Journalism.

Cinzia Marrocco has worked in charity communications for more than 12 years,

having started her career as a secondary school teacher. Following time spent

at Scope and St John Ambulance in Australia, from 2003 she worked in the

UK delivering strategic communications advice for service providers within the

NHS before moving on to Sense (Deafblind and Rubella Association). Her work

in the communications field has seen her focus on strategy, change management

and brand development and she has delivered many seminars for not-for-profit

professionals via the Media Trust training programme. Cinzia returned to

Australia at the end of 2009 and is currently working for Quit Victoria, a charity

helping individuals to give up smoking, as head of digital communications

development.

Dr Mairead McCoy is Lecturer in Public Relations and Public Affairs in the School

of Communication at the University of Ulster. She is currently Course Director of

CONTRIBUTORS xi

the PGDip/MSc in Political Lobbying and Public Affairs and the PGDip/MSc

in Communication, Advertising and Public Relations. Mairead is also a member

of Ulster’s Institute for Research in Social Sciences and has published in the

fields of public relations and marketing. She is a member of the European

Communication Research and Education Association and the Northern Ireland

Government Affairs Group.

Mark Phillimore, MBA, MCIPR, is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Greenwich

Business School in London. He is Programme Leader for the MA Public

Relations and also lectures on the BA Public Relations at the University. He is

a Visiting Lecturer at the ESCEM School of Business and Management in France

at the University of Poitiers/Tours. He runs training programmes for the Chartered

Institute of Public Relations in social media. Prior to lecturing, he had his own

PR consultancy specialising in the technology sector, particularly working with

US and Japanese companies entering the European marketplace.

Phil Ramsey Ph.D. (University of Ulster, 2011) is a research associate in the School

of Communication at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland where he also

teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate public relations programmes. He

is a visiting lecturer in the School of Media, Film and Journalism at the University

of Ulster, and has taught on the European Union Peace III funded Conflicts of

Interest course. He completed a Ph.D. on the political communication policies

of New Labour, and has published on public service broadcasting, deliberative

democracy and ideology.

Loretta Smith, BA (Hons), Dip CIPR, MCIPR has worked in public relations for

over ten years. She currently works in Communication for Severn Trent Water

and has also carried out Communication roles for a number of other leading

business-to-business and consumer companies in-house, including Airbus as

well as agency-side for Grayling. She holds the Chartered Institute of Public

Relations Diploma in Public Relations and an honours degree in Marketing from

the University of the West of England.

Ian Somerville Ph.D., (Queen’s University of Belfast, 1994) is a lecturer in the

School of Communication at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, where

he is Course Director for the BSc Public Relations. He has previously published

in the areas of public relations ethics, political public relations and the impact

on and use of new media technologies in the public relations industry. Current

research interests include public relations strategies in human rights lobbying

and public relations in conflict and post-conflict societies.

Simon Wakeman is Head of Communications and Marketing at Medway Council

in Kent as well as a freelance consultant and trainer. With more than eleven

years communications and marketing experience, he has provided consultancy

and training to a wide range of central and local government agencies both in

the UK and internationally. His private sector experience included retail product

xii CONTRIBUTORS

management, marketing online financial products and services, digital and

interactive TV services, as well as consulting at a senior level to global brands

such as Vodafone and BP. Simon writes a leading UK public sector

communications blog at www.simonwakeman.com and holds professional

qualifications from the CIPR and CIM.

Peter Walker, FCAM, FIPR, FNIPR is Senior Consultant – PIELLE Consulting. He

is a Chartered Public a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.

He is one of the UK’s leading international public relations practitioners, an

expert in corporate responsibility and governance and a leading authority on

the international promotion of economic development. A freeman of the City

of London he is a member of the Guild of Public Relations Practitioners and

a trustee of its Charity Fund. Peter lectures and writes extensively on public

relations and communication management nationally and internationally. He is

an adviser to and a member of the World Council for Corporate Governance

and an international jurist for the Golden Peacock Awards for Corporate

Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Emma Wood MA is Senior Lecturer in corporate communication at Queen

Margaret University, Edinburgh. She publishes on corporate identity and

corporate com munication and is a reviewer for, and former editor of The Journal

of Communication Management. She is currently involved in researching the

use of dialogue in public relations and communications practice. She has a

background in communication in both the financial and business sectors and

continues to advise clients, ranging from large public sector organisations to

smaller consultancies, on a range of communication issues. She is course leader

of the CIPR’s post-graduate diploma in Scotland and a Fellow of the CIPR.

Heather Yaxley, FCIPR is a hybrid academic-educator-consultant-practitioner.

Following a 15-year career working in public relations for consultancies and in￾house with major automotive brands, she established Applause Consultancy

in 2000 and founded the online professional development initiative, Green

Banana in 2006. Heather is general secretary of the Motor Industry Public Affairs

Association and lectures at Bournemouth University and as course director for

the CIPR advanced certificate and diploma qualifications. She is currently

studying a Ph.D. on career strategies in public relations. Heather is active online

(@greenbanana), discussing public relations developments at www.greenbanana.

wordpress.com and co￾managing the international blog: www.prconversations.

com.

Philip Young is a Senior Lecturer in Public Relations and Journalism at the University

of Sunderland, specialising in media ethics. He is also a lead researcher for

the Euprera EuroBlog project. Philip blogs at Mediations http://publicsphere.

typepad.com/mediations. He is the co-author of the second edition of Online

Public Relations.

CONTRIBUTORS xiii