What we see and hear from the media are issues that are properly framed and organized from numerous pieces of information. These framed issues help to make complex issues comprehensible. How we understand the issue has to do with how it is being framed. PR practitioners make use of the media to frame issues and news in ways that would stand out from their competitors and attract the crowd. This leads the public towards a certain viewpoint, and encourages them to believe what they see or hear to be true (Gross & D’Ambrosio, 2004).
Apart from language, understanding the culture of the country and organisation that the PR practitioner has to lisase with is important to effectively transmit the message across. This reduces the chances of miscommunication and misunderstandings. Personal interaction and relationship building between the PR practitioner and the client is also important to effectively persuade stakeholders to the organisation's point-of-view.
As stated by Stanton (2008), “In Singapore, the primary purpose of public relations is government propaganda”. This indicates that public relations serve mainly the purposes of the government in order to achieve constant successes economically and socially. Singapore has acknowledged the importance of public relations and has an institutional organisation, the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore (IPRS), to facilitate the growth of this area in Singapore through the acquirement of knowledge and networking skills in this field. However, many of the PR practitioners in Singapore lack the explicit understanding of the meaning of public relations, and this department is often confused with the advertising, marketing and publicity department. PR practitioners serve as the link in communicating with other organizations and the public, while advertising is the promoting of the organisation through paid advertisments, marketing refers to increasing awareness among the public through free advertisments, and publicity refers to the gaining media coverage. Although these fields appear the same at first look, they have their own individual targets to reach and should not be complicated together to achieve optimized effect in increasing awareness and gaining publicity for the organisation.
Effective media releases contain information covering the 5Ws (Who, What When Where, Why) and 1H (How). Apart from simply providing information, media releases have to stand out from the rest and attract first the editor's attention to enable its publishing and next the public, to retain their attention and read through the rest of the article. This is usually done through a catchy headline or lead sentence. Other framing techniques include kickers, subheads, photographs, photo captions, selection of sources or affiliations, selection of quotes, pull quotes, logos, statistics, charts and graphs and concluding statements or paragraphs of articles (Reese, et al., 2001). Media framing in media releases serve to simplify complicated issues and are presented in a manner that the audience can relate to (Gans, 1979; Shoemaker & Reese, 1996). Thus, they would be more receptive and willing to take on similar perspectives as those presented in the media release. Therefore, media releases are important bridges between the organisation and the public, and need to be written concisely and effectively to facilitate the transfer of information.
With rapid advancements in technology, there has been increased connectivity and communication with people all around the world. The internet is the platform for people to share and receive any information that they want. In most developed countries, internet penetration is more than 60%, like in Australia, and the United States of America (internetworldstats, 2010). This percentage is significantly greater when compared to the internet penetration for developing countries like South Africa, at 4.6% (internetworldstats, 2010). Nevertheless, with rising literacy levels, internet connection in the developing countries will eventually reach those of developed countries. Only at that point in time, can the world be considered a global nation.
However, when information can be transferred so freely between people, nothing on the internet can truly be considered safe, especially with the rising number of hackers and scams online. In addition, the free transfer of information has made piracy an important issue for governments. Thus, anyone can be anybody else on the internet platform. There is then great need to ensure that security on important sites of companies and governments are safeguarded from scams and hackers, to retain credibility and reliability in the public. This two-way transfer of information and communication serves to transmit information to the public and receive feedback from them more easily (Weaver et al., 2003). Conversely, many PR practitioners prefer to use traditional forms of media and not new media technologies to communicate to the public, perceiving it to simply being an extension of conventional forms of communication (Holtz, 2002). This could be due to the lack of training in new media technologies and thus the lack of confidence in using them (Theaker, 2008).
Glocalisation – the process of thinking globally and acting locally, serves to indicate the importance of considering the world as a single nation, but yet acting locally to serve their individual purposes. PR practitioners can make use of social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, Blogs to publicise their organisation. This method serves to increase awareness of the company worldwide, but yet targeting local communities and to facilitate the company’s expansion into other countries in future. However, there is need to take note to not disclose one’s professional status when posting on blogs and not be propagandistic, and come off as a mere promotional and advertising gimmick.
Crisis occurs when issues are not well-managed, and this is up to the PR practitioner to revert the situation to the company's advantage. How the PR practitioner handles the situation will determine how the public will be receptive to the organisation, and thus determines the survival of the organisation.
The media provides PR practitioners with various channels to effectively transmit their ideas and perspectives to the public. The internet serves as the platform for organizations to communicate issues to the public and ensures that important information is always available to the public on its main website (Heath, 1998). PR practitioners have to be diligent and the alert for vile news about the organisation and be always prepared to handle critical situations. In addition, organizations are more successful when they are corporate socially responsible and are able to anticipate situations before they occur and be prepared for it, to meet the public demands (Buchholz, 1982; Heath, 1997).
According to Howell and Miller (2006), they indicated five phases of crisis life cycle and media coverage over time. At the first phase, the organisation experiences issues that can lead to a crisis, which can be avoided if carefully handled. Phase 2 indicates that crisis can be avoided through the use of the media to transmit message and information to the public to clarify the situation and allay their fears. At the next phase reflects an uncontained situation that has evolved into a crisis. PR practitioners have to be prepared to communicate through the various media outlets and explain the situation carefully and effectively, to do damage control. The forth phase indicates that when in face of lawsuits and complaints, the organisation has to reflect on its past activities, learn from them and adopt a different set of management techniques. Lastly, there is great need to clarify the situation with the public and explain future routes adopted by the organisation to alleviate their fears and start regaining their trust.
Public Relations theories serve as a guide for PR managers and practitioners in their decisions. According to Cutlip, Center & Broom (2007), the concept of ecology in Public Relations illustrates the need for people to change and adapt to their environment. The aim of the organisation is to create and accomplish goals that are beneficial to the organisation and the public. The first and foremost aim of a corporate company is to earn money, but at the same time, they need to be watchful that their factories are practicing ethical human laws and regulations and be mindful of their actions on the environment. Be it for the image and reputation for the organinisation, corporations are increasing required to exercise corporate social responsibility. Consumers can choose to shun from goods and services that are produced by unethical companies. For example, consumers can choose to only buy Tuna from brands like Heinz and Fairprice, which pledges to protect the dolphins when they are catching tuna. Reputation is very important for organisations and companies as it reflects on their credibility and reliability.
PR practitioners serve as the bridge to communicate ideas and opinions from the public to the company. For example, knowledge that the people of Singapore, especially those from the lower income groups, are unhappy about the new increase in Government Service Tax from 5% to 7% in 2006, the government can come up with plans to especially help those from the lower income groups by providing them with tax rebates at the end of each year. Vice versa, PR practitioners also serve to transfer information from the organisation the public about their company, products and more through various forms of media channels. The most common form would be media releases where people can get some idea on the products, promotions, events and other details. A PR practitioner serves as the link between the company and the public, caught between the two, it can be difficult to resolve conflicting interests for both parties without offending one of them. For example, when knowledge of WalMart factories were emitting excessive carbon emissions and can pose a danger to the lives of people living in the area, the public can choose buy products from other similar brands that are manufactured in a safer manner. In this case, there is need for the PR practitioner to relate the situation at hand to the management to adjust their marketing strategy to retain their consumer base or risk having lower sales.
Operating in a closed system in current day is akin to a slow and painful death for the company, as it is isolated from other organizations and the public and are unwilling to improve to suit the needs of society. Thus, the company is unable to spot problems or improve situations that would be beneficial for the organisation. On the other hand, most organizations are operating as open systems, and there is constant exchange between the company and its environment (Cutlip, Center & Broom; Morgan, 1998). Open systems seeks to operate in a manner where the organizations complement each other and eliminate dysfunctional systems or systems that will affect their feasibility (Morgan, 1998; Witmer, 2006). It must be noted that of all the external pressures that the organisation faces, the PR practitioner has to prioritise and select the more pressing issues to deal with. Public relations serve to work together with the public to come to consensus and a solution, and not simply a reaction the pressures from the external environment.
The department of public relations operates alongside other departments in a company, including marketing, sponsorship, internal affairs and others. In theory, all the departments in a company are equal in a company. However, in reality, the public relations officer is less likely to be a member of the managerial team, but the financial officer would be. It must however be reminded that the role of public relations is important as it serves as a connection between the organisation and the public.
“Organizational or corporate culture is the system of shared actions, values and beliefs that develops within an organization and guides the behavior of its members” (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2003). With a strong corporate culture in the company, it can establish some control over employees, and control the quantity and quality of output, standardize operating procedures and maintain high performance levels. This is important as it would affect the overall performance level of the company. In a company with a communications culture, language is used to facilitate communication and to “motivate themselves and others” (Cameron, 2000). This enables employees to understand the requirements of the company and know what is expected of them and the chances of miscommunication are lowered. Employers also know the concerns of their employees and can adopt various methods and strategies to allay their fears and lower employee turnover rates.
Ample research is needed before coming up with strategies to achieve the objectives of the organisation. There is hence need to analyse the research collected to ensure that the plan created will be effective. Research will be analysed based on SWOT, namely Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats(James, 2009). Strategies refer to the methods to be used to achieve specific aims and goals. To achieve them, strategies have to be SMART, namely Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-orientated and Time frame(James, 2009). SWOT and SMART are important acronyms to remember in creating an effective PR plan. However, these pointers serve merely as a guide and is by no means an absolute must to be abided by. Tactics refer to the process undertaken to execute the strategy for the plan to be successful. Critical thinking is important in coming up with tactics for the organisation to stand out from the rest of its competitors and capture the attention of the audience.
Public Relations is an active profession, and PR practitioners can exercise critical thinking to analyze factors and work on them to ensure success for the organisation. Public Relations can be thought of as a plan which leads to actions taken and optimized results due to good planning. PR practitioners are key engineers in making change occur, be it communicating the change to other investors or the public. Although PR practitioners are people representing the company, they still need to be socially responsible, and to work towards achieving maximum benefits for the company as well as the public. The system theory indicates that organizations constantly need to adapt and adjust to the external environment to remain relevant in society and to work towards achieving organizational goals (Synnott, 2008).
There are 8 aspects to effective public relations, namely work practices and approach, skills, abilities and knowledge, experience and background, personal attributes, judgment and ethics, relationship with management, image and reputation and works for the profession (Synnott, 2001). PR practitioners need to be clear of what is required of them, be responsible for their actions and take pride in their work. They need to be adaptable and to provide and seek advice for constant improvement. In addition, experience in this field is valuable to building relationships and managing tacky situations. The 8 aspects are closely related to their actions which are guided by their values and attitudes towards certain issues and situations. Based on the environment that they were brought up in and external factors, their personality, character and attitudes are shaped. Being a PR practitioner is no easy feat as it involves handling interpersonal relationships and it can be difficult to have the best of both worlds for both the organisation and the public. A compromise has to be reached, and this will depend greatly on how the PR practitioner manages the issue. The 8 aspects are by no means the golden rules to being a successful PR practitioner. Depending on the situation at hand, PR practitioners have to exercise their own judgment and do the ‘right’ thing that reaps maximum benefits.
PR practitioners can reach out to the public using traditional forms of media, which include newspapers, radio, television, magazines and newsletters. As journalists, there is need to be objective, and to constantly look out for opportunities to publish newsworthy articles to raise awareness, address concerns, serve as links between the organisation and the public, and other roles (McLean & Phillipps, 2009).
Uncontrolled forms of communication through magazines and newspapers, generally have more credibility as the article or product would have received the approval of the editor before it can be published. On the other hand, controlled forms of communication like brochures and posters are created to serve the organisation’s purpose and can be seen as biased. Thus, these forms of advertising can be slighted by the public and not be able to achieve effect on the public as intended by the organisation.
Articles need to have news value before they are considered to be used. Some considerations include truth, timeliness, proximity, conflict, eminence and prominence, consequence and impact, human and animal interest, the unusual and the focus of media the various media forms and picking the right day and time to publish the article. It is important that PR practitioners are truthful in their reports about situations and not provide exaggerated and false information. People also wish to know about the latest information about events and situations and are not interested in something that has occurred 20 years ago. Also, people are generally more concerned with news that is closely related to them. For example, the NTU stabbings in 2009, where a student, David Wijarya, stabbed his professor before proceeding to commit suicide is of greater concerns to Singaporeans as compared to the Winnenden school shooting in Germany in 2009. As a form of publicity stunt, it is common to see companies hiring artistes to promote their products. In addition, people would be concerned about natural disasters that have great impact on people. For example, the Haiti earthquake in 2010, having a 7.0 magnitude, and killing and injuring more than 500,000 people, made the headlines of many newspapers, television news reports and the internet all over the world during the aftermath of the event. People are also interested in issues like poverty and animal cruelty, and would donate or help out at The Salvation Army, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals when these organizations need people and help in supporting their cause. As stated by McLean and Phillipps (2009), “The golden rule for all public relations work, not just media relations, is to under-promise and over-deliver. Over-promising and under-delivering is the best way to lose the confidence and trust of any reporter.” The importance of credibility and reliability can not be reiterated much more than it has already been emphasized in this profession. Trust can also be lost when the person who specifically said not to be quoted has been quoted in an article. This can lead to lawsuits because of defamation, if what is written has affected the reputation of the person in question.
Ethics is about standards of behavior, which involves morals and values (Tilley, 2008). Each individual holds different morals and values and would hence have different viewpoints and mindsets about ethics. For me, I feel that it is part human nature and part morality, where our values are inculcated from young, to lead us to behave in a certain manner. Based on our individual perceived rights and wrongs, our morals and values will lead us to perceive and deal with situations ethically. However, as our actions are subjected to scrutiny by others, we can be blinded by the truth and choose one course of action that is acceptable by the mass and yet is not one that is aligned to our faiths and beliefs.
Gudykunst (2005) illustrates in three parts, willingness, knowledge and skill, to hone effective communication capabilities. The person has to be willing to see that ethics are important, acknowledge that coping with ethics is challenging and constantly assess and improve one's own ethicality. This seems to indicate that an unethical person can become ethical so long as he is aware and wiling to accept understanding ethics as a challenge and to constantly review his behavior in an ethical sense.
There are various ethics schools of thought, but there are three significant schools of the ethics theory, namely virtue, deontology and consequentialism. Virtue ethics question the kind of person one ought to be. As illustrated by Tilley (2008), virtue ethics is about the importance of developing a strong sense of personal values, or good character, to guide ethical behavior. As each individual holds different viewpoints and mindsets towards ethical behavior, the supposed 'right' moral of one cannot be simply imposed onto someone else. With this being the case, how can one tell which course of action or viewpoint is truly moral? Perhaps, it is important to also consider the role of communication, where there is chance for people with differentiated viewpoints to come to general consensus. Next, deontology questions the duties of an individual. This theory indicates that people will act morally if their actions were based on laws, codes of conduct or ethics or agreed principles and regulations for activities, as stipulated by the authorities. These rules and regulations serve as benchmark for people to abide by. However, people can still choose to go against the law despite knowing the consequences. The last ethical theory to be mentioned is consequentialism. Consequentialism questions how the world should be. For this theory, it indicates that being ethical would be the course of action that derives the maximum amount of benefit for the most number of people. However, this poses the question of why should the minority be marginalised? Maybe, a better way to analyse this theory would be to weigh the consequences of one's actions instead of basing it on the utilitarian approach.
The heirarchy of effects model, also known as a learning hierarchy illustrates the steos that can be taken by PR practitioners to lead people to knowing and buying a product. Steps taken include formulating the message and disseminating it by the PR practitioner (McElreath, 1993). Next, the audience receives and comprehends the message in their various forms of interpretations, leading to changing and reinforcing their attitudes and behaviors (McElreath, 1993). For example, when Apple products first started, it was simply a company that few knew of. Yet, Apple products, Iphones and Itouchs in particular, are being carried by many today. Apple advertisments can hence be viewed as effective in sending their message across to consumers and are able to persuade them to purchase Apple products. Initially, people were skeptical of Apple products, however many rave about its numerous applications in the Iphone and Itouch, which makes it very convenient for users to do whatever they please with the touch of a finger. It is also generally agreed by the mass that Apple is reliable and credible, and could be part of the driving force in promoting the sales of Apple products.
Quantitative and Qualitative research are the two types of research methods commonly used by PR practitioners in data gathering. Quantitative research methods include phone, email and face-to-face close-ended surveys. This method serves to show the proportion of people who think in a certain way about the question, where their attitudes may be either positive, negative or neutral. Qualitative research methods include interviews, focus groups and open-ended surveys. This method serves to identify specific opinions from the targeted groups of people better. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. Based on the situation, PR practitioners will use either one or both methods to derive their findings.
Initial research on the topic in question, before taking on any research methods, is important. This first stage ensures that the project is planned out towards the aim and reduces any wastage that can be avoided. To ensure that the plan is going according to what was initially designed, there is need to execute research to monitor the progress of the action plans. There is also need to continually reflect and adjust the plan to ensure that the action plan is going smoothly. Lastly, to evaluate whether the research has been a success, the outcome is assessed. Evaluating the outcome enables PR practitioners to reflect and learn from what has gone wrong in the planning and implementation stages, to ensure better success for future researches. These three steps are not a must to be followed, but they serve as a guide towards success in research.
The profession of Public Relations is shaped by society and the community. PR practitioners are expected to act responsibly as they are able to influence the mindsets of the public (Starck & Kruckeberg, 2003). The media is a powerful medium in reaching out to the public, and it can be drastic if people are convinced of misconstrued and inaccurate information.
PR practitioners act as the middleman between the company and the public, and serve to inform the mass about important information. Thus, transparency and accountability are important codes of conduct that a PR practitioner should have, to be successful in their role. Yet, these codes are in conflict with other vital codes of conduct, especially clients' confidentiality. There is a thin line between transparency and confidentiality, and PR practitioners have to be watchful of their words and actions, of face lawsuits for the revelation of secret information. Defamation and slander lawsuits are also common cases that PR practitioners can face if they interpret the meaning of what their client wishes to portray inaccurately or if they quoted the person inaccurately.
New media technologies serve to facilitate the transfer of information on the internet. People are now able to upload whatever they like, including articles, photos and videos onto the internet. Search engines like Bing, Google and Yahoo will then enable people to search for virtually anything they want. As long as the internet is accessible, information on it is susceptible to leaks and even security locks can be cracked and hacked into; nothing is secret on the internet. The internet also provides another platform for new online services like Facebook and Twitter, which increases connectivity and closes the gap between people living in different countries. Now, two people living at opposite ends of the Earth are able to talk and even see each other through video cameras using Skype.
Using the internet as a marketing and advertising medium, countries use various methods and techniques to convey the same message differently, according to the demands of the people, to better target their needs. For example, in Singapore, McDonalds has advertisments that emphasize on family and friends bonding as a sales strategy. While in Thailand, the only country in the world, the model of McDonalds has his hands clasped, which reflects respect, the customs of the Thais. This can be seen as a strategy to make McDonalds more acceptable to the Thais, to be able to attract more people to its shops.
With increased feminization, females are given rising chances to excel in their jobs, equivalent to those of males. This is also prevalent in the area of public relations. Females are capable to stronger interpersonal skills due to an innate nature to resolve problems and issues through communication. Hence, females can be better at transmitting information to others and developing stronger friendships with authorities. These aspects and qualities are important traits that a PR practitioner should have to be successful. Therefore, this shows that females can use their strengths in character to excel in their job and at their profession as a PR practitioner.
To better comprehend public relations, there is need to understand the underlying theories, and take out understanding of this topic from the phase of how things are done to the phase of making sense of things.
The first step to note would be the systems theory, indicating that "open systems are those that regularly interact with their environment, such as their audiences or publics, while closed systems are those that are isolated and do not interact with their environment (Sison, 2009). Cybernetics indicates that the systems need to adjust themselves according to feedback received from the audience to be effective. Requisite variety illustrates that companies are more adaptable if it consists of people with different viewpoints. Boundary spanning relates to what people, who are part of the company, do when they interact with other people. In the 21st century, with advancements in technology and communication, it is difficult to find companies that are isolated on its own. Companies have to find out their target consumers' demands and to be adaptable to any external influences. Critical thinking, over groupthink, is important for the company to remain competitive and creative in coming up with new innovative products to attract consumers. It is then up to the marketing and advertising team to sell the final product and try to capture as large of the market share as possible. For example, Apple has a team to constantly improve its existing product, from the Apple 3Gs to the Apple 4G, and has an advertising team to come up with a variety of methods of promote these items to the public.
Step two would be communication theories, like the information transmission model. According to Shannon and Weaver's model of communication, it indicates that the message from the first person to the next can be disrupted due to a noise source. Hence, what the second person understands may not be what the first person intends. Due to persuasion, attitude vis-a-vis behavior change, source credibility, two-step and multistep flow, emotional appeals, the coorientation theory, agenda setting and framing, the media is able to send a message to the audience more effectively. By understanding how information can be transmitted, and how the actual meaning of the initial message can be misinterpreted, PR personals can alter their marketing strategies when targeting the same product at different groups of consumers. Apple targets the IT savvy people by placing advertisments on various websites, including Facebook, and the masses by having posters in shopping malls and at bus stops.
Next, public relations theory will be covered. Some public relations theories include The Execllence theory, Grunig and Hunt's four models and the Situational theory of publics. The theories differ from each other, and illustrates different ways in which effective Public Relations can be achieved in each case.
The last step refers to rhetorical and interpretive perspectives, which indicates that public relations will be able to maintain their reputation and interpersonal relationships if they are able to understand and cater to the needs of their target audience. It is important for a company to have good reputation and establish good interpersonal relationships with the consumers and the media. For example, Apple offers one-to-one exchange for faulty products within one year of purchase, with no questions asked. Such actions enable Apple to retain their reliability and credibility, assuring people of the quality of Apple products.
Public relations has evolved over the years. Public relations used to be a tool for propaganda used in the World Wars and by Hitler in World War II. Hitler only published and reported articles and news that would be beneficial to him and his ideology. In such a manner, he was successful in brainwashing the peoples' minds. In many countries today, public relations serve as a bridge between the organisation and its clients and the public.
The role of public relations is different in various countries. For Singapore, government public relations still serves the purpose of propaganda to ensure economic and social stability. However, corporate public relations serve to transfer information and communicate between organisations and the public.
Today, we went through strategies of planning to achieve a specific goal. Strategy refers to the process of planning to achieve a specific goal. For companies targeting the consumer market, they need to find out what their consumers demand in order to sell as much of their goods and services possible. An example would be Starbucks, who aims to sell as much coffee as possible by bringing in quality coffee beans. Understanding consumers can give the company an edge over its competitors.
Each company, although will have some obvious competitors, there are those that are not as apparent. The example provided by professor Tanya was on the cinema industry. Although Golden Village has obvious competitors like Cathy and Shaw, they also face competition from downloading software and programmes online, and video compact disc and digital video disc. These are some cheaper alternatives that consumers can opt for, if they do not wish to pay that much for a movie. To be able to emerge victorious and win over a large proportion of the audience pie, the company has to come up with innovative ideas to attract the audience. I feel that one of the selling points of watching a movie in the cinema is its high definition plasma screen as well as its clear, yet not deafening loud, sound system. Price, although affects a majority of consumers, is not a top-most factor when people understand that they are paying for quality service; when tickets are reasonably priced for the quantity and quality of the movie they are watching.
There are steps that serve as a guideline in preparing, implementing and evaluating a plan, starting with research, followed by analysis, goal setting, objectives, select people (sample unit), develop strategy, devising and implementing tactics, monitoring and lastly evaluation. These steps are not the golden rules and is not a must to be always abided, but i feel that with these steps of planning in mind, proposals would probably develop and flow more smoothly. No matter how detailed or great an initial plan seems, I believe that it can still be improved on. There is need to be able to adjust certain aspects as the plan is carried out, to ensure that the plan is on track, and be able to meet the company's objectives.
Today, I attended my first Public Relations lesson with professor Tanya. We had a quick introduction to this module, which enabled me to better understand what was coming; for this topic, as well as what I would be facing if I were to enter this department in future.
Ground rules were set before getting properly started. And, as what most professionals expect, professor Tanya expects punctuality -- a virtue lacking in many Singaporeans. In the working society, I believe that punctuality is a must-have, as credibility and first impressions are of utmost importance. I may not have been punctual for all my past classes or appointments, but I will try to be, and not conform to the bad habits of the mass.
Albeit sketchy, most of us had a general idea of what Public Relations is about -- communicating and interacting with people, generally being a people-person. However, is this just a stereotypical point of view? That only people who have a high Emotional Quotient are better suited for this position and job? I do not think so, it is an advantage though to be able to communicate freely with anyone, anywhere at any time. I do have slight reserves when meeting people for the first time, but with a passion for a PR-related job, I believe that I will be able to overcome the odds and excel in my job.
The art of persuasion, this is what advertising and marketing is about; to win people to see and adopt your view or stand. An advert is only successful when people are convinced by what they see, and to act on what they believe in. So, what is the difference between advertising and marketing? The main difference is that you need to pay to advertise but not for marketing. Yet, marketing is five times more effective than advertising. Advertising or marketing, most importantly is that the product sells.
Professor Tanya presented a grey area for this module, giving us more space for creativity and to think out of the box. Such a chance is rarely given to students studying in Singapore, as most of what we have been studying are very theoretical and methodological. Even when I was taking Arts subjects at the Junior College level, like Literature and Geography, essays written were rarely subjective as teachers still expected some crucial points to be presented and methods of writing were taught and rigidly followed. "There is no right or wrong in an opinion, just how you look at it", with this in mind I will go ahead and do as my heart says for my assignments for this module.
What we see and hear from the media are issues that are properly framed and organized from numerous pieces of information. These framed issues help to make complex issues comprehensible. How we understand the issue has to do with how it is being framed. PR practitioners make use of the media to frame issues and news in ways that would stand out from their competitors and attract the crowd. This leads the public towards a certain viewpoint, and encourages them to believe what they see or hear to be true (Gross & D’Ambrosio, 2004).
