Dont Get Eaten Alive!

If you don't have a grip on public relations, how your most important outside audiences behave really CAN eat you alive.

But that needn't happen, and for a simple reason: people like those who make up your key target audiences, act on their perception of the facts (like everybody else) which leads to predictable behavior, good or bad, about which something can be done.

The way to address target audience perceptions is to regularly monitor how members perceive your organization, especially any existing misconceptions or brewing problem areas. This is the monitoring phase.

Now, you isolate what is causing the perceptions you've uncovered, and the probable "fix" you will apply. Then you decide upon a realistic amount of behavior change you can achieve in an equally realistic time frame. You've just established your public relations goal.

Here, your public relations advisor moves into action by selecting one of three strategies available, to reach that goal: create a perception if none exists, change an existing perception, or reinforce it.

Then you prepare the persuasive messages you need to change perceptions among your key target audience. They should also address indirectly those problems or misconceptions that cropped up during your information gathering. The messages must also clearly identify what is really at issue, and be perceived as credible.

Now that you've done some information gathering while interacting with that key target public, you've set your public relations goal, strategy and prepared persuasive messages. How will you get those messages to the eyes and ears that need to hear and read them?

That's what communications tactics are for - the "beasts of burden" that deliver your carefully prepared, persuasive messages to your #1 external audience.

And there are scores of them including face-to-face meetings with adversaries, newspaper and radio interviews, op-ed placements, speeches, press releases, community meetings and many, many more.

From this point forward you're really in monitoring mode. You must interact again with members of that key, target audience, and keep an eye on print and broadcast media for references to your messages or viewpoints.

Because such indicators will reflect how local feelings about your organization are changing, you'll then have a chance, if needed, to adjust both the communications tactics and message content.

As time passes, you'll begin to notice increased awareness of your business and its role in the marketplace; a growing receptiveness to your messages by customers and others; increased public perception of the role your organization plays in its industry and in the community, as well as increasing numbers of prospects. At the same time, you'll look for indications that any misconceptions, or other problems you discovered, have been resolved.

Of course, how much progress you achieve will depend heavily upon your continued personal involvement in the activity, and the amount of effort you invest.

The good news is that when behaviors among those groups of people important to your organization are actually modified, the public relations effort is a success, and nobody gets eaten alive.

In public relations, there are no more happier, happy endings.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@tni.net.

Robert A. Kelly ? 2005

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit: bobkelly@tni.net; bobkelly@tni.net

local house cleaners Wilmette ...

In The News:

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tesla vehicles manufactured since mid-2021 with AMD Ryzen processors can now access Grok 4, xAI's witty conversational assistant designed to make drives more engaging.

Understand how technology affects mental health through five concepts, including blue light exposure, screen time management and algorithmic bias.

Electric vehicle maker Lucid adds hands-free driving through an over-the-air update for Air sedan owners with the DreamDrive Pro package and Gravity SUV support coming later.

Protect your home network from hidden dangers, including router vulnerabilities, ISP tracking and smart device weaknesses with proper encryption, firmware updates and VPN technology.

Dont Get Eaten Alive!

Public Relations