Communications as Ikor

MPR의 효용성과 MPR의 미래  < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

과연 PR이 광고보다 효과가 있나?

우리 PR인들이 모두 한번쯤은 생각해보거나, 들어본 질문입니다.

아무도 모를겁니다. 너무나 질이 천차만별이라서… 효과측정에 있어서 질적 접근이라는것은 그 차이가 너무 다양해서 객관성이 떨어집니다.

모 일각에서는 몇 배가 더 효과가 있다라는 주장이 있는데, 제 개인적으로는 이해가 되지않는것이 사실입니다.

 

일반 PR프로그램에서는 이러한 논쟁(광고와 효과를 비교하는)이 일어날 소지가 많이 없는데, 이 MPR(Marketing PR)에서는 종종 그 논쟁이 재연되곤 하지요.

 

모르겠습니다. “알 리즈”같으신분은 브랜드의 창조는 광고의 역활이기보다는 PR 의 역활이 더 강력하고 알맞다고 하셨습니다. 그러나 이것이 지금 우리가 논하는 논쟁을 잠재울것 같지는 않구요..

 

아래의 참고 자료를 보시기바랍니다. MPR의 효용성에 대하여 담담히 분석해놓았고, 다음세기를 맞아 MPR의 미래를 예견하신 Northwestern Medill의 토마스 해리스 교수님의 글입니다.

 

그럼 홍보!

********************************************************************** 

 

Marketing PR- The Second Century

 

As the millennium approaches, Reputation Management columnist Thomas L. Harris sees more opportunities than threats for marketing public relations, and the potential for MPR to take an even broader role in the communications mix.

 

Make a note in your calenders! The year 2000 not only marks the millenium but also the beginning of the second century of public relations. If we take public relations historian Scott Cutlip’s word for it, The Publicity Bureau, the first publicity agency in the country, was founded in Boston in 1900. Cutlip fixes the turn of the century as the point when the practice of PR as we know it began in America.

 

As we approach the second century, the practice of public relations is assuming an ever-increasing role as a vital business management discipline. Top management is recognizing corporate reputation as the most important asset an organization has and is turning to public relations counselors to manage this asset. Simultaneously, public relations is achieving unprecedented attention for the essential role it plays in marketing.

 

In his foreword to my book Value-Added Public Relations, Philip Kotler, professor of international marketing at Northwestern University, says that of the five major components of marketing, public relations and direct marketing are receiving the most attention and achieving the most growth at the end of the century. He attributes the growth of public relations to its great versatility, its aptitude for drama, and its ability to break through the information clutter to capture attention and interest.

 

Marketing guru Al Reis, who with his partner Jack Trout authored the landmark marketing books Positioning and Marketing Warfare says that in the past two decades public relations has eclipsed advertising as the most powerful force in marketing and branding. He says the rise of public relations is the biggest story in marketing and is amazed that the media has ignored it. We could, of course, tell him that reporters never reveal the source of their stories, especially if it would require them to admit that their sources most often have the initials P and R. In his latest book The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, Reis says that the birth of a brand is achieved with publicity, not advertising. Reis declares that “publicity is more powerful than advertising” because “what others say about your brand is so much more powerful than advertising.”

 

That said, even the most forceful advocates of the role of public relations in marketing cannot claim that PR is the all-purpose solution to every marketing problem or that PR can do the job alone. Public relations is more integral to marketing in some industries than others. There is a reason why technology, healthcare, and entertainment are the fastest growing sectors of public relations. Every marketing situation is unique. There are situations in which public relations drives the process. Conversely, there are others in which public relations plays a less important role and some instances where PR may be inappropriate altogether. In assessing PR potential of a given situation, it is important to realistically assess what MPR can be expected to do and what it cannot be expected to do.

 

As we enter the new century, it occurs to me that a SWOT analysis would help our marketing clients understand what contribution marketing public relations can realistically be expected to make in helping them achieve marketing goals.

 

The SWOT analysis is one of the most valuable analytic tools used in business today . The SWOT model enables companies to assess their corporate and/or brand Strengths and Weaknesses, identify Threats, and determine Opportunities. Strengths are what a company does best in relation to its competitors. Weaknesses are restrictions to what can be accomplished. Threats are situations that may adversely impact the company’s ability to address its problems. Opportunities are situations where the company’s strengths can be leveraged to address its problems. By adapting the SWOT model to public relations, we can more precisely redefine the role it plays in the contemporary marketing process.

 

While our strengths and weaknesses may be self-evident to us, we have all suffered through the experience of working with marketing clients who, for reasons we find maddeningly hard to understand, just don’t get it. Perhaps this scheme will help them evaluate the potential value of PR in context with the other components of their marketing plans.

 

There are times when we may even need to remind ourselves just what we bring uniquely to the party. Let’s begin with our strengths. Our underlying strength is our ability to bring a unique perspective to strategic marketing planning. This perspective is grounded in our understanding to all of the company’s stakeholders, not just its customers. It is a perspective that takes into account the total business and societal environment that impacts brands.

 

Our tactical strength lies in our ability to manage the communication process not only through the media but also in cyberspace and by direct person-to-person contact.

 

Strengths of Marketing Public Relations It is a cost-efficient way to reach target markets. It employs a spectrum of direct and indirect media to reach consumers and influencers. It uses technology to facilitate person-to-person direct communication with target individuals. It makes information available on demand around the clock. It benefits from endorsement of media, analysts, thought leaders, and other independent third parties with no commercial ax to grind. It has a great potential for drama. It achieves credibility through all of the above. It makes advertising messages more credible. It is not perceived as self-serving. It circumvents consumer resistance to salesmanship. It breaks through advertising clutter. Its reach is unlimited by budget constraints.

 

Weaknesses of Marketing Public Relations You can’t control the media. You can’t control words and pictures. You can’t control placement time and place. You can’t use slogans/other advertising devices. You can be bumped by breaking news. You can’t reach the same consumers in the same media with the same words and pictures. The Net is not as intrusive as broadcast media. Consumers don’t come across information. They must seek it out. There are no standard effectiveness measures.

 

Threats to Marketing Public Relations

 

Newspaper readership is declining, especially among younger consumers. The audience for network news is declining. There is declining trust in all news media. The Net lacks credibility as a news source. Consumers must distinguish information from misinformation, fact from fiction, truth from gossip and rumor. Unverified attacks on companies and brands will accelerate. The cyberspace jam will requiring consumers to cut through a chaotic cluttered information superhighway. Public relations could become subservient to marketing and advertising. However, trends in both the media and the practice of public relations are converging, creating exciting new opportunities for marketing public relations to gain in importance in the years ahead.

 

Media Opportunities for Public Relations

 

Around-the-clock news coverage optimizes opportunity to reach target audiences. Shift of audience from network to local news expands local coverage. Direct TV will multiply number of cable channels and expand the variety of targeted television programming. Business coverage will continue to expand on television as more consumers become shareholders. Proliferation of specialized print and broadcast media will be directed to special interest audiences. The Internet will grow exponentially as a major information provider. Online media will gain in importance as a supplement to, or replacement for, traditional newspapers, newsweeklies, and network TV. The convergence of computers and television will greatly strengthen the Net as a primary source for information.

 

Practice Opportunities for Marketing Public Relations

 

Public relations provides complete information that helps consumers make informed purchasing decisions. It can reach all key stakeholders with consistent complementary messages. It excels in building marketplace excitement, anticipation of products, and receptivity to advertising. It enhances and verifies advertising claims. It is a powerful generator of word of mouth. It can counter misinformation quickly and effectively. It can build relationships by using technology to connect companies and consumers. It enables instant and direct communication with consumers, thought leaders, and media. It can employ database technology to reach targeted individuals through E-mail, voicemail, and direct mail. It combines strategic counsel and crisis communications expertise to control damage and restore consumer confidence. It builds preference for trustworthy brands. It closes marketing credibility gap by substantiating salesmanship with information consumers want and need.

 

In the next century, a better -educated consumer will reject slick slogans and salesmanship. They won’t want to be sold. They will want to be told. They will have the tools to seek out information that will help them make informed choices. The explosion of information about products and the companies that market them will be driven by public relations .