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Advertising and Public Relations Assignment

Aditi Annapurna Journalism, 2nd Year

Q1. Explain the origin, growth and development of advertising in the global context. A1. The history and growth of advertising can be described in a chronological trajectory of six Stages i) the pre-printing period, prior to the fifteenth century, ii) Early printing period from the Fifteenth century to about 1840, iii) Period of expansion, from 1840 to 1900, iv) Period of consolidation from 1900 to 1925, v) Period of scientific development, from 1925 to 1945; and vi) Period of business and social integration from 1945 to the present. Pre-printing period - One of the first known methods of advertising was an outdoor display, usually an eye-catching sign painted on the wall of a building. Archaeologists have uncovered many such signs, notably in the ruins of ancient Rome and Pompeii. An outdoor advertisement excavated in Rome offers property for rent, and one found painted on a wall in Pompeii calls the attention of travellers to a tavern situated in another town. In the Indian subcontinent, during Emperor Ashokas reign, stones or pillars were used for making public announcements. The 'Town crier' was the first means of supplementing sign advertising during the Pre-printing period. The 'criers' had charters from the Government and were often organized in a sort of union. Their numbers were usually restricted. Early printing period - The invention of the printing press and the revival of learning meant much to business. It had led to the production of advertisements in large quantities for wide distribution. The first printed English advertisement was a 'handbill' or 'poster' announcement written by William Caxton in 1472. The Translated version of the same which was made by Dr.Edward Pousland of Woreester Junior College would read as follows: "If anyone, cleric or layman, wants to buy some copies of two or three service books arrange according to the usage of Salisbury Cathedral and printed in the same desirable type in which this advertisement is set. let him come to the place in the precincts of Westminster Abbey where alms are distributed, which can be recognized by a shield with a red central stripe (from top to bottom), and he shall have these books cheap. The printing press was then being used in a fashion, which led to the gradual growth and development of advertising by providing a practical, readily available medium to deliver advertising messages to the literate portion of the public. Many of the early newspaper advertisements were in the form of announcements of a pure informative nature. Beverages, Cosmetics and patent Medicines had a prominent place among the advertisements appeared in media. Well-known among early advertisers were the importers of products, which were new to England. For instance, the first offering of coffee was made in a newspaper advertisement in 1652, followed by an offering of chocolate in 1657 and of tea in 1658. In general, the growth of advertising during this period paralleled the increase in population and in the number of periodicals and newspapers in circulation. Period of Expansion- This period includes, roughly, the sixty years between 1840 and 1900. It was during these six decades that the great changes, which had a vital influence on the business of advertising, were witnessed in the United States. By 1840, railroads in the United States were recognized as an efficient means of transportation. This had led to the broadening of markets and had resulted in an increase in the number of advertisements in magazines, which served large

territories. The growth in the numbers and the circulation of magazines were mainly due to the development of rapid and long distance transportation. This parallel movement is rather striking, and while it does not prove a casual relationship between the growth of long distance transportation and advertising media, it is logical to believe that the increase of transportation facilities did have a definite influence on the rapid rise in the number of publications. In fact, the increased revenue from the sale of advertising space encouraged a growth in the number of publications and their wider circulations. The first modern advertising agency started operating around 1875 in the United States of America, when Mr N. W. Ayer and Sons of Philadelphia offered to produce advertisements and also to contract for space in newspapers. In 1893 more than half of over a hundred firms spending more than fifty thousand dollars annually on advertising were patent medicine manufacturers. But only 20 years later, many of these firms were not patent medicine manufacturers anymore but manufacturers of food, soap, cosmetics and automobiles. These firms began to market their packaged goods under various brand names. Some of the first brands were of the firms like Ivory, Colgate, Wrigley and Coca Cola, etc. Previously household products of daily use like milk, sugar, soap, rice and candles had been sold in the neighbourhood shops in bulk packages. Emergence of consumer market during mid Nineteenth century gave rise to the modern marketing system, which had led to the emergence of consumer advertisements on the scene in late nineteenth century. Period of Consolidation- This period stretches over a period of 25 years from 1900 to 1925. In 1911 a crusade against the ranker types of untruthfulness in advertising was launched in the united states". Printers Ink Inc., the Curtis Publishing Company and other organizations led the fight to reduce or eliminate the use of gross exaggeration, false testimonials and other forms of misleading and untruthful advertising'. It was also during this period that trust - busting, expose and reform programs became popular. It is not surprising that advertising was caught up in this clean up movement. Outdoor Advertising Association and various publishers associations were formed or became active as a result of the demand to create regulatory institutions for advertising. These groups tended to give a semi-professional character to the advertising business. They have had some influence in solidifying the business and in raising the ethics somewhat above the levels of previous periods. World War I witnessed advertising as a profession and regarded it as a tool of social engineering with advertisements being used to mobilize public opinion in favour of the war. The support of social scientists and psychologists to the U.S advertising industry in 1920's contributed towards marking this industry more dynamic and imaginative. Product appeals were emphasized less and greater prominence had been laid on appeals such as fear, hope, emotions, insecurity, attachments, desires etc. The advent of Radio in 1920 marked a remarkable development in the advertising world. The initial stages excluded the use of radio for advertising; only to be included two years later with the

W.E.A.F. broadcasting station in New York selling radio time to producers. Thus during 1920s advertisers and their agents had come to realize the possibilities of radios as a means for attracting the prospective consumers of various products and services. With its drama and immediacy, radio could convey their messages directly to the consumers who would not need to purchase a publication or even need to be literates. By the mid 1920bs, advertisers' sponsored programmes on Radio were a common feature in the US only to be joined by T.V. Period of Scientific Development This period saw the application of the scientific methods to resolve the problems of advertising. Knowledge was systematized to a much greater degree than before; and facts were observed, recorded and classified through the application of various scientific devices. There were a few "radical" advertising men who were so bold as to suggest that advertising be subjected to tests to prove or disprove its ability to work the wonders claimed for it. Not until the depression, starting in 1929, did these men get much of a hearing. But with advertising appropriations receiving liberal cuts, both professional advertising men and advertisers set out to test the effectiveness of advertising as a selling tool. Consequently, emphasis began to be placed on consumer research with a view to making advertisements more meaningful and ethical. Efforts in this direction include the Audience Research Institute formed by A.C. Nielson and George Gallup in order to evaluate the advertisements on psychological basis, which had enabled the businessmen in improving considerably the quality of advertisements. During this period of scientific development serious attention was given by many agencies and organizations to various methods for testing the sales effectiveness of advertising strategy, media and copy. This was a new philosophy in the sense that it had meant subjecting the work of the creative man, the artist, the person who depended upon his own insights and intuition to some kind of performance yardsticks. Period of Business and Social Integration - The post war years were characterized by prosperity in advertising. In the 1950s came television which developed fast to the advertising-media .The growing popularity of T.V as an important media of mass communication and recreation had contributed greatly in bringing about this situation and had also provided the much needed momentum to the advertising business. This, in its turn, had led to a host of American companies to start sponsoring TV programmes. These advertisers could demonstrate the use of their products and services and present well-known figures to praise such products and services. They also could arrange emotions through television. With the passage of time, advertising assumed an important position as a means of mass communication in Industrial societies. It not only generated greater sales but also had played an active role in boosting the images of companies The increased recognition which the advertising organizations attained as a part of the total fabric of the society had enabled such organizations all over the world to establish them as an integral factor in the dissemination of vital information pertaining to various products and services beneficial to the society. Advertisements also have become a common medium through which churches, political parties, labour groups, trade associations and the ordinary people communicate their ideologies, ideas and concepts to many of the public making up the total society. Advertising has also become

an institution of persuasion to promote such social and economic values as safety, health, education benevolence, as well as Iiberty, democracy, free enterprise and tolerance. Today, advertising is wide- spread all over the world in different countries. But advertising trends vary from country to country. The turbulent environment of the 20th century, with rapid changes in technology, products, processes, methods and cut-throat competition and emergence of new marketing challenges only indicates the significant role of advertising, which is expected to play in the survival and growth of business units.

Q2. Elaborate on the critical appraisal of advertising - its economic, social, psychological and cultural aspects. A2. Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience to purchase products, ideals or services. While advertising can be seen as necessary for economic growth, it is not without social costs. Unsolicited commercial email and other forms of spam have become so prevalent that they are a major nuisance to users of these services, as well as being a financial burden on internet service providers. Advertising increasingly invades public spaces, such as schools, which some critics argue is a form of child exploitation. Advertising frequently uses psychological pressure (for example, appealing to feelings of inadequacy) on the intended consumer, which may be harmful. Economic aspect of advertising Advertising accounts for approximately 1 percent of the Indian gross domestic product (GDP). In relation to the total economy, this percentage is small, but its higher than in most countries. The moment a company begins to advertise, it sets off a chain reaction of economic events. The extent of the chain reaction, although hard to predict, is related to the force of the shot and the economic environment in which it occurred. The reason why people prefer to Coca Cola over other cola drinks, and why people prefer to buy Jockeys underwear over other unadvertised or under-advertised underwear brands is not that the former products are functionally better, but that in the mind of the consumer, advertising has given these products added value. By simply making the product better known, advertising can make the product more desirable to the consumer. In these ways, advertising adds value to the brand. Cost aspect: As one of the many costs of doing business, advertising is indeed paid for by the consumer who buys the product. In most product categories, though, the amount spent on advertising is usually very small compared with the total cost of the product. Advertising is one element of the mass-distribution system that enables many manufacturers to engage in mass production, which in turn lowers the unit cost of products. These savings can then be passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices. In this indirect way, advertising helps lower prices. On the other hand, national manufacturers use advertising to stress features that make their brands better; in these cases advertising tends to support higher prices for their brands. Competition aspect: Some observers believe advertising actually restricts competition because small companies or industry newcomers cant compete with the immense advertising budgets of

large firms. Its true that intense competition does tend to reduce the number of businesses in an industry. However, some of the firms eliminated by competition may be those that served customers least effectively. In other cases, competition is reduced because of mergers and acquisitions (big companies working in their own self-interest). High costs may inhibit the entry of new competitors in industries that spend heavily on advertising. In some markets, the original brands probably benefit greatly from this barrier. Advertising by big companies often has only a limited effect on small businesses because a single advertiser is rarely large enough to dominate the whole country. In fact, the freedom to advertise encourages more sellers to enter the market. And weve all seen non-advertised store brands of food compete very effectively with nationally advertised brands on the same grocery shelves. To the economy as a whole, the importance of advertising may best be demonstrated by the abundance principle. This states that in an economy that produces more goods and services than can be consumed, advertising serves two important purposes: It keeps consumers informed of their alternatives (complete information), and it allows companies to compete more effectively for consumer rupees (self interest). Advertising stimulates a healthy economy. It also helps create financially healthy consumers who are more informed, better educated, and more demanding. As a result, consumers now demand that manufacturers be held accountable for their advertising. Social Aspect of Advertising One of the most common short-term arguments about advertising is that it is so frequently deceptive. For advertising to be effective, consumers must have confidence in it. So any kind of deception not only detracts from the complete information principle of free enterprise but also risks being self-defeating. Even meaningless (but legal) puffery might be taken literally and therefore become deceptive. Puffery refers to exaggerated, subjective claims that cant be proven true or false, such as the best, premier, or the only way to fly. Under current advertising law, the only product claimsexplicit or impliedthat are considered deceptive are those that are factually false or convey a false impression and therefore have the potential to deceive or mislead reasonable people. But puffery is excluded from this requirement because regulators maintain that reasonable people dont believe it anyway. The fact is that advertising, by its very nature, is not complete information. It is biased in favour of the advertiser and the brand. People expect advertisers to be proud of their products and probably dont mind if they puff them a little. But when advertisers cross the line between simply giving their point of view and creating false expectations, thats when people begin to object. One problem is the difficulty of seeing the line, which may be drawn differently by different people. Advertising often uses stereotype gender specific roles of men and women reinforcing existing clichs, and it has been criticized as inadvertently or even intentionally promoting sexism, racism, heterosexualism, ableism, ageism, et cetera At very least, advertising often reinforces stereotypes by drawing on recognizable "types" in order to tell stories in a single image or 30 second time frame. Activities are depicted as typical male or female (stereotyping). In addition people are reduced to their sexuality or equated with commodities and gender specific qualities are exaggerated. Sexualized female bodies, but increasingly also males, serve as eye-catchers.

However, there are some great positive social impacts of advertising: - Development of society and growth of technologies - Employment - Gives choices to buyers with self interest - Welcomes healthy competition - Improves standard of living - Gives information on social, economical and health issues Cultural Aspect of Advertising Advertisements are not created in a cultural void; they are anchored within a certain culture with all its sub-cultures. The language used in the advertisement is not a direct indication of the culture, but a sign system used to communicate in that culture. Signs and symbols particular to a specific culture add to the meaning in advertisements. Behaviour, customs, habits, beliefs and norms form the basis of a culture, and differentiate one culture from another on the basis of this. Advertising impacts values. While it reflects society to a certain degree, it also has the effect of normalising values or behaviours. With the average Indian exposed to between 500 and 1,000 commercial messages a day, it wields considerable power over what we consider normal. An example that came to mind for me was the idea of cosmetics for men. Only a few years ago, the idea that men might want to use moisturisers would have been laughable to most men. A sustained advertising campaign from Garnier later, including prominent billboards, and theres nothing unusual at all about men using hand cream. Hand cream is benign stuff, and its not the products that are the problem here, but the values behind the ads. Researches show how advertising tends to promote extrinsic values rather than intrinsic values. The former are those that rely on external factors for validation the opinions and admiration of others. The latter meanwhile, are rewarding in themselves, such as a sense of family belonging, rewarding work, or selfdevelopment. This matters because placing greater importance on extrinsic values is associated with higher levels of prejudice, less concern about the environment and weak (or absent) concern about human rights. Thats bad for society, but its not great for the individual concerned either: People who attach greater importance to extrinsic values are also likely to report lower levels of personal wellbeing. Psychological Aspect of Advertising The principles of advertising are largely based on cognitive psychology and the psychological processes of attention, perception, association and memory to bring out the complete impact or uses of a product or 'brand'. Any advertisement will have to first focus on the attention that it is able to capture of the consumers. Strong messages, strong visuals and glaring colours are sometimes used on hoardings and billboards. For commercials, attention catching clothes and attractive models are sometimes used. Once the attention is drawn with the colours and the sounds or words, the focus is on retaining consumer interests by using 'association'. Themes or products which a particular segment of customers could associate with are used thus for baby food, mothers and babies are featured so

association would have more to do with relevance or context of the advertisement. Certain colours also have associative value and certain brands and companies use a specific colour to promote their products. The association should be such that it not only serves the purpose of quick understanding and perception of the consumers but is also retained in their memory for a long time. Thus memory or retention is an important aspect of the psychology of advertising as only an advertisement that consumers can easily remember for a long time for its novelty or use of words, colours and figures will be the most effective. The development of a 'brand' is just as effective because a brand helps in driving attention, in developing association (for example, we associate Coke or Pepsi with youth, celebration and a soft drink popular for all occasions) and in memory or retention of any image associated with a service or product. So branding is vital in advertisements as brands help in giving a name and distinct identity of a product. So a Gucci bag or a Sony camera is known for the brand rather than the product.

Q3. Elaborate on the new trends in advertising. There are different types of advertising techniques that are available for promoting products and services. However, there are some of the latest and hottest trends in advertising that are gaining popularity. People are now looking for new types of advertising appeals that they can target. Many of the new-age advertising methods are a result of the advent of the Internet, while some of the trends are just novel ideas that have transformed mundane advertising media into brilliant and witty methods. Internet advertising is a vast concept and it entails several sub-types, many of which have been only recently introduced. Email advertising is one of the earlier trends, while the new ones include banner advertising, pixel advertising, blog advertising, keyword advertising and contextual advertising. Web Banner Advertising: If billboard advertising is used on roads, then a similar type called banner advertising is used on the web. It is easy to notice the horizontal advertisement strips that are seen at the top of almost every web page. These are we banners. Web banners are usually constructed using images, or JavaScript, or any other multimedia objects and animation. Web banners are usually linked to web pages that are related to the content on the existing website. Bandwagon Advertising: This is nothing but a propaganda advertising technique, which aims at convincing the user that everyone else is using the products or everyone in the customer base, is in favour of the brand and so he must do so too. This compels the consumer to at least think about buying that product and check what everyone else is raving about and in turn 'jump on the bandwagon'. Bandwagon advertising is a strategy that is based on consumer psychology and hence, is an effective technique which can be used via any media, be it print, electronic or broadcast. Promotional Advertising: Promotional advertising involves the use of promotional give-away items or promotional media events, which help to garner public attention and are an effective way of

advertising. Handing out promotional freebies is a modern advertising technique that is innovative and very effective as well. Testimonials and Endorsements: An endorsement from a celebrity or a public figure is reason enough for certain customers to try a particular product. Such testimonials or endorsements are a great way to advertise particular products and services. Another evolved version of this being a new type called covert advertising, involves the use of brand names or actual products in movies or television shows in an indirect form of advertising. Surrogate Advertising: Several national laws have banned the advertising of products like alcohol or cigarettes. Owing to this, many umbrella brands have come up with a technique which only promotes the umbrella brand name which of course, also reminds the consumer of the products that have been banned from advertising. For example, Kingfisher doesn't need to advertise its beer when the general brand name, also conferred to the aircraft, is being advertised publicly. Pixel Advertising: Pixel advertising is a new type of Internet advertising in which the cost of an advertisement is calculated based on the number of pixels it occupies. This form of advertising originated in late 2005, when a British student Alex Tew came up with a website called The Million Dollar Homepage, where advertisers could buy advertising space at the rate of $1 per pixel with a space limit of one million pixels. In addition to the space options provided by the hosting websites, there is also the option of using Do-it-Yourself (DIY) pixel scripts, which ensures that people who do not understand the intricacies of the pixel ads can incorporate the pixel ads in their website without any hassles. Contextual Advertising: It is easy to notice how Google generates ads that are relevant to ones search query. Or more recently, have you noticed the Google ads that show up next to your emails in the Google mail service? Google Adsense was the first contextual advertising venture. Contextual advertising is a very specifically targeted form of Internet marketing in which the advertisements are selected by automated systems based on the content being viewed by a particular user. The automated system scans the text of a website for keywords and sends advertisements that match the content which the user is viewing. Many search engines also make use of contextual advertising for displaying ads on the search result pages, such that the ads match the things that the user is looking up on the web. After Google started this trend, there were many others like Yahoo! and Microsoft who followed suit. Keyword Advertising: Commonly, keyword advertising is also known as pay per click advertising or cost per action advertising. Although Yahoo was the first company to venture into keyword advertising, it is Google Adwords program which is now most popular for its keyword advertising. Some of the popular search engines, which are into keyword advertising, include Yahoo! Search Marketing, Microsoft adCenter, Miva and LookSmart. Blog Advertising: To think that a blog was nothing but an online journalis a foolish perception in todays times. Owing to the tremendous popularity of blogs, advertisers have wisely used blogs as effective advertising and marketing tools. Corporate blogs are an excellent way for companies to reach out to their customer base on the Internet. Advertising blogs often make use of Search Engine Marketing techniques, which ensure better results on the web.

Bathroom Advertising: Bathroom advertising is nothing but placement of advertisements in public restrooms. A research was carried out, in which a test group of people visiting a restroom were asked whether they noticed the advertisements in there, and surprisingly, a major percentage of the group were seen to have a high retention of the advertisements. This led to the conclusion that people visiting the restroom are a good target audience. It is soon catching up as an effective advertising tool. Mobile Advertising: As annoying as it might be for one to receive advertisements on the cell phone, it is now a fact that mobile advertising or cell phone advertising is one of the most effective ways of advertising. Most of the time, advertisers have a data of mobile numbers of their existing customer base as well as a list of phone numbers of people who might be potential customers. A message on the mobile phone rarely goes unnoticed and hence, qualifies as an effective marketing or advertising tool! Public Relations Advertising: Maintaining and developing good public relations has been a marketing tool for companies to maintain goodwill amongst employees as well as clients. It is not only a way to be in the public eye, but also a great way to build and maintain a particular brand image and identity. Public relations is thus a great advertising tool which is used by companies to reach out to
their investors, employees and of course, their existing and potential customer base.

Q4. What is Media Planning? A4. Media planning is an advertising strategy most commonly employed to target consumers using a variety of informational outlets. Media planning is generally conducted by a professional media planning or advertising agency and typically finds the most appropriate media outlets to reach the target market. The two basic tasks of marketing communications are message creation and message dissemination. Media planning supports message dissemination. Media planning helps you determine which media to use--be it television programs, newspapers, bus-stop posters, in-store displays, banner ads on the Web, or a flyer on Facebook. It also tells you when and where to use media in order to reach your desired audience. Simply put, media planning refers to the process of selecting media time and space to disseminate advertising messages in order to accomplish marketing objectives. When advertisers run commercials during an IPL cricket match at more than Rs. 10 Lakhs per thirty-second spot, for example, media planners are involved in the negotiation and placement. Media planning can be divided into 3 stages - i) Media research, ii) Media selection, and iii) Media strategy. Media Research The first objective of a media plan is to research the target audience: the people whom the media plan attempts to influence through various forms of brand contact. Because media objectives are

subordinate to marketing and advertising objectives, it is essential to understand how the target audience is defined in the marketing and advertising objectives. The definition may or may not be exactly the same, depending on the marketing and advertising objectives and strategies. A common marketing objective is to increase sales by a specific amount. But this marketing objective does not specify a target audience, which is why the media objective is needed. Consider Kellogg's Corn Flakes and all the different strategies the advertiser could use to increase sales among different target audiences. For example, one target audience might be current customers -encouraging people who eat one bowl a day to also "munch" the cereal as a snack. Or, the advertiser might target competitors' customers, encouraging them to switch brands. Or, the advertiser might target young adults who are shifting from high sugar "kids cereals" to more adult breakfast fare. Finally, the advertiser could target a broader lower-income demographic. The point is that each campaign could increase sales via a different target audience. Marketers analyze the market situation to identify the potential avenues for boosting sales increase and consider how advertising might achieve those aims. If the advertiser chooses to attract competitors' customers -- like what Sprint does to attract users of other wireless services -- the media plan will need to define the target audience to be brand switchers and will then identify reasons to give those potential switchers to switch, such as greater convenience, lower cost, or additional plan features. For example, in 2006 Sprint Nextel ran an ad campaign urging consumers to switch to Sprint because "no one has a more powerful network."[11] Demographics and Psychographics: The target audience is often defined in terms of demographics and psychographics. Syndicated research services provide national data on a number of demographics of Indian consumers, including gender, age, education, household income, marital status, employment status, type of residence, and number of children in the household. Using demographic variables, for example, the target audience of a media plan could be "individuals who are 26-to-45 years old with yearly household income of Rs. 10 lakhs or more" or "all households with children age 3 years or younger." Some advertisers believe that demographic definitions of a target audience are too ambiguous, because individual consumers that fit such definitions can be quite different in terms of their brand preference and purchase behaviour. For example, think about the students in a media planning class. Even though some of them are the same age and gender, they may like different brands of toothpaste, shampoo, cereal, clothing, and other products. Therefore, media planners use psychographics to refine the definition of the target audience. Psychographics is a generic term for consumers' personality traits (serious, funny, conservative), beliefs and attitudes about social issues (opinions about abortion, environment, globalization), personal interests (music, sports, movie going), and shopping orientations (recreational shoppers, price-sensitive shoppers, convenience shoppers). Product and Brand Usage: Target audiences can also be more precisely defined by their consumption behaviour. Product usage includes both brand usage (the use of a specific brand such as Special K cereal or Dove soap) and category usage (the use of a product category such as facial tissue or

chewing gum). Product use commonly has four levels: heavy users, medium users, light users and non-users. The levels of use depend on the type of product. Similarly, brand usage has several categories. Brand loyals are those who use the same brand all the time. Primary users use a brand most of the time but occasionally also use other brands in the same category; they are secondary users for these competing brands. Brand switchers are those who have no brand preference for a given product category but choose a brand on the basis of situational factors. An analysis of the brand usage pattern is helpful for the identification of the appropriate target audience. Primary and Secondary Target Audience: The target audience in a media plan can be either primary or secondary. A primary target audience is one that plays a major role in purchase decisions, while a secondary target audience plays a less decisive role. In the case of video game players, for example, children's requests often initiate a purchase process; parents often respect their children's brand selection. Thus, it is reasonable to consider children as the primary target audience and their parents as the secondary target audience. If the parents are aware of the advertised brand, it will be easier for children to convince them of the purchase. Media planners need to examine and identify the role of consumers in shopping, buying and consuming a product or service to target the right groups of consumers effectively. Media Selection: It refers to that stage of media planning where an agency decides the various levels at which the consumers are to be interacted with. First and foremost, Media planners often see their role from a brand contact perspective. Instead of focusing solely on what medium is used for message dissemination, media planners also pay attention to how to create and manage brand contact. Brand contact is any planned and unplanned form of exposure to and interaction with a product or service. For example, when you see an ad for Volkswagen on TV, hear an advertisement of the Nokia Lumia mobile on the radio, are told by a friend that her iPod is the greatest invention, or sample a new flavour of Lays potato chips at the grocery store, you are having a brand contact. Television commercials, radio ads, and product sampling are planned forms of brand contact. Word of mouth is an unplanned brand contact -advertisers normally do not plan for word of mouth. From the consumer's perspective, however, unplanned forms of brand contact may be more influential because they are less suspicious compared to advertising. The brand contact perspective shows how the role of media planners has expanded. First, media planners have moved from focusing only on traditional media to integrating traditional media and new media. New media cable and satellite television, satellite radio, business-to-business e-media, consumer Internet, movie screen advertising and videogame advertising is playing an increasingly significant role. Spending on new advertising media grew at a compound annual rate of 16.9 percent from 2005-2009, while traditional media advertising rose only 4.2 percent on a compound annual basis during the same period. Second, media planners are making more use of product placements now, in lieu of advertising insertions. Advertising insertions, like print ads or television commercials, are made separately from

the content and are inserted into it. The ads are distinct from the articles or TV programs, not a part of them. As a result, the ads seem intrusive. In contrast, product placement (also called brand placement or branded entertainment) blends product information with the content itself. Whether content is a television program, movie, video game or other form of entertainment, product placement puts the brand message into the entertainment content. For example, in the movie Baghban, Hema Malini is shown to make tea for Amitabh Bachchan using only the Red Label brand. The tea was authentically integrated into the movie and sales of Red Label tea soared after the movie, catapulting the new product to mainstream status. On the other hand, inappropriate or excessive product placements may do more harm than good to the brand. Finally, the role of media planners has expanded as media planners have moved beyond planned messages to take advantage of unplanned messages as well. Whereas planned messages are what advertisers initiate -- like an ad, press release or sales promotion -- unplanned messages are often initiated by people and organizations other than advertisers themselves. Word of mouth, both online and offline, is one form of unplanned message. Although advertisers have little direct control over the flow of unplanned messages, they can facilitate such a flow. Recently, specialized agencies have started to hire word of mouth agents to work for advertisers on a fee basis. Initial research suggests that many consumers react positively to this kind of word of mouth communication. For example, Rock Bottom brew pub chain, reported a 76% jump in 2003 revenues after hired gun BzzAgent launched a 13-week word of mouth campaign employing 1,073 of its "agents" to get the word out. Media Strategy: A media planner's first media mix decision is to choose between a media concentration approach and a media dispersion approach. The media concentration approach uses fewer media categories and greater spending per category. This lets the media planner create higher frequency and repetition within that one media category. Media planners will choose a concentration approach if they are worried that their brand's ads will share space with competing brands, leading to confusion among consumers and failure of the media objectives. For example, when Nestle launched its 99% fat-free cereal Fitnesse, the similarity of ads actually increased the sales of the competing Kellogg's Special K Cereal. Media planners can calculate or measure share of voice to estimate the dominance of their message in each category of media they use. Share of voice is the percentage of spending by one brand in a given media category relative to the total spending by all brands that are advertising in that media category. A company can create a high share of voice with a concentrated media strategy. That is, the company can be the dominant advertiser in a product category in the chosen channel. Moreover, because only one set of creative materials will need to be prepared, a concentrated media strategy lets advertisers spend a higher percentage of their budget on frequency and reach. But a concentrated strategy is also an "all-eggs-in-one-basket" strategy. If the particular ad is not well received or the particular media category only reaches a fraction of the intended target audience, then it will perform poorly.

In contrast, media planners choose a media dispersion approach when they use multiple media categories, such as a combination of television, radio, newspapers and the Internet. Media planners will use dispersion if they know that no single media outlet will reach a sufficient percentage of the target audience. For example, a concentrated approach using only ads on the Internet might reach only 30% of the target consumers because some consumers don't use the Internet. Similarly, a concentrated approach using national news magazines might reach only 30% of the target audience, because not every target customer reads these magazines. But a dispersed approach that advertises in print magazines as well as on Web sites might reach 50% of the target audience. Media planners also like the dispersion approach for the reinforcement that it brings -- consumers who see multiple ads in multiple media for a given brand may be more likely to buy. Media Schedule Decisions: Having decided how to advertise (the media mix) and where to advertise (allocation across geography), media planners need to consider when to advertise. Given a fixed annual budget, should all months receive equal amounts of money or should some months receive more of the budget while other months receive less or nothing? Continuity scheduling spreads media spending evenly across months. For example, with an annual budget of Rs. 8 Crores a year, continuity scheduling would allocate exactly Rs 70 lakhs per month. This method ensures steady brand exposure over each purchase cycle for individual consumers. It also takes advantage of volume discounts in media buying. However, because continuity scheduling usually requires a large budget, it may not be practical for small advertisers. The flight scheduling approach alternates advertising across months, with heavy advertising in certain months and no advertising at all in other months. For example, a Card game maker like UNO might concentrate its advertising in the summer when it knows that many people buy board games as gifts for the summer holidays. Pulse scheduling combines the first two scheduling methods, so that the brand maintains a low level of advertising across all months but spends more in selected months. For example, an airline like Jet Airways might use a low level of continuous advertising to maintain brand awareness among business travelers. Jet Airways might also have seasonal pulses to entice winter-weary consumers to fly to sunny climes. However, this does not mean it is good for all products and services. Which method is the most appropriate for a given campaign depends on several factors. Q5. What are the structure, function, roles and importance of an advertising agency? Briefly explain also the relationship between an advertising agency and its client. A5. When need for advertising is not too acutely felt, the client himself takes on the role of the advertising agency by designing messages for the target audience. However, in today's complex market place the customer is faced with various product alternatives. Similarly the media through which he gets information about these products has increased in number as well as efficiency of transmitting messages. With this information explosion, the tastes, choices and needs of customers have become complex. The producer no longer finds it simple to cater to all consumers. Hence the concept of target audience becomes important i.e. the producer chooses a set of people whose needs he can cater to.

Structure of an advertising agency However large or small the agency, there is a basic structure that most advertising agencies stick to. In the smaller agencies, some people will perform more than one role. One person my actually be the entire department. But the fundamentals are the same, and it's because this model was born out of necessity and it works. There are SIX major departments in any advertising agency. These can be split into other sub-departments, or given various creative names, but the skeleton is the same. These departments are:

Account Service Account Planning Creative Finance & Accounts Media Buying Production

Larger agencies may also separate out the following departments:


Human Resources & Facilities Research Web development Traffic

Let's take a look at the breakdown of those six major departments. Account Services The account service department comprises account executives, account managers and account directors, and is responsible for liaising with the agency's many clients. This department is the link between the many departments within the agency, and the clients who pay the bills. In the past they were referred to as "the suits," and there have been many battles between the account services department and the creative department. But as most creatives know, a good account services team is essential to a good advertising campaign. A solid creative brief is one of the main duties of account services. Account Planning This department combines research with strategic thinking. Often a mix of researchers and account managers, the account planning department provides consumer insights, strategic direction, research, focus groups and assists helps keep advertising campaigns on target and on brand. Chris Cowpe described account planning as "the discipline that brings the consumer into the process of developing advertising. To be truly effective, advertising must be both distinctive and relevant, and planning helps on both counts." Creative

This is the engine of any advertising agency. It's the lifeblood of the business, because the creative department is responsible for the product. And an ad agency is only as good as the ads the creative department puts out. The roles within the creative department are many and varied, and usually include: Copywriters Art Directors Designers Production Artists Web Designers Associate Creative Directors Creative Director(s) In many agencies, copywriters and art directors are paired up, working as teams. They will also bring in the talents of other designers and production artists as and when the job requires it. Sometimes, traffic is handled by a position within the creative department, although that is usually part of the production department. Everyone within creative services reports to the Creative Director. It is his or her role to steer the creative product, making sure it is on brand, on brief and on time. Finance & Accounts Money- at the end of the day, that's what ad agencies want. And it's what their clients want, too. At the centre of all the money coming into, and going out of, the agency is the finance and accounts department. This department is responsible for handling payment of salaries, benefits, vendor costs, travel, day-to-day business costs and everything else you'd expect from doing business. It's been said that approximately 70% of an ad agency's income pays salary and benefits to employees. However, this figure varies depending on the size and success of the agency in question. Media Buying It is the function of the media buying department to procure the advertising time and/or space required for a successful advertising campaign. This includes TV and radio time, outdoor (billboards, posters, guerrilla), magazine and newspaper insertions, internet banners and takeovers, and, well, anywhere else an ad can be placed for a fee. This usually involves close collaboration with the creative department who came up with the initial ideas, as well as the client and the kind of exposure they want. This department is usually steered by a media director. Production Ideas are just ideas until they're made real. This is the job of the production department. During the creative process, the production department will be consulted to talk about the feasibility of executing certain ideas. Once the ad is sold to the client, the creative and account teams will collaborate with production to get the campaign produced on budget. This can be anything from getting original photography or illustration produced, working with printers, hiring typographers and TV directors, and a myriad of other disciplines needed to get an ad campaign published. Production also works closely with the media department, who will supply the specs and deadlines for the jobs.

In small to mid-sized agencies, traffic is also a part of the production department. It is the job of traffic to get each and every job through the various stages of account management, creative development, media buying and production in a set timeframe. Traffic will also ensure that work flows through the agency smoothly, preventing jams that may overwhelm creative teams and lead to very long hours, missed deadlines and problematic client relationships. Traffic keeps the agency's heart beating. Functions of an Advertising Agency An advertising agency is proficient at creating an advertising campaign on the basis of information gathered about product, by doing research on the company and the product and reactions of the customers. It plans for the type of media to be used, when and where to be used, and for how much time to be used. It assists a brand or company up to the final stage of taking the feedbacks from the clients as well as the customers and then deciding the further line of action. All companies can do this work by themselves. They can make ads, print or advertise them on televisions or other media places; they can manage the accounts also. Then why do they need advertising agencies? The reasons behind hiring the advertising agencies by the companies are: The agencies are experts in this field. They have a team of different people for different functions like copywriters, art directors, planners, etc. The agencies make optimum use of these people, their experience and their knowledge. They work with an objective and are very professionals. Hiring them leads in saving the costs up to some extent.

Relationship of an Advertising Agency with the client The advertising business is a people business. The relationships between an ad agency and a client is a relationship between people. Like any high stress, emotionally charged relationship, partnership and respect between a client and the advertising agency needs constant nurturing. Smart clients and agencies keep communication lines open and clear while working constantly and consistently to keep the relationship on track. Strong partnerships between clients and their agencies will produce the best work and lead to better business results. Longevity, the result of good partnership, is also a key to solid advertising results. Not only due to the higher amount of information, but due to a better relationship and trust that that relationship brings with it. Best clients manage their agency relationships with consistency through the development of clear roles, processes, and checkpoints. Additionally, expectations are transparent and success is clearly defined. Nonetheless, best agencies strive to always remain proactive and exceed expectations. It is always better to exceed what is expected of you, whether in personal or business relationships. Key findings from the above research are:

Strong clients and agencies focus their best practices around working with people this is a people business. Trust is the foundation of lucrative client/agency relationships. Without trust your partnership will not work in the long run. Trust is critical.

To bring their best to the client/agency relationship, both the client and the agency must be strong partners. Sharing information Without it, opportunities are missed and valuable insights overlooked Expertise Agencies and clients both need to recognize the strengths that each party brings. Expectations Both parties need a mutual understanding. Mistakes, Risks and Disagreements Its ok to make mistakes and take risks. It is ok to disagree on things. No one is perfect, and without disagreements, not enough perspectives are seen. Fun Have fun with each other. Advertising should be fun. Take time to make it enjoyable, this will build your relationship and trust. Treat each other like you want to be treated. If you cant or wont, start planning for a new partner.

Q6. Explain market research, segmentation, positioning and targeting. A6. A market refers to a set up where two or more parties are involved in transaction of goods and services in exchange of money. The two parties here are known as sellers and buyers. It is the responsibility of the marketers to create awareness of their products amongst the consumers. It is essential for the individuals to be aware of the brands existence. The USPs of the brands must be communicated well to the end-users. An organization cant afford to have similar strategies for product promotion amongst all individuals. Operationally speaking, marketing research is defined as the objective and formal process of collecting information; analysing the results and communicating the findings and their implications in terms of marketing actions. However, some further comments about this definition are essential. Marketing research is a systematic collection and analysis of information that is ultimately used in evolving some marketing decisions. All stages of a research study must be carried out in a logical manner. For instance, one should, start with a concise statement of the issues to be investigated; indicate the information required to study those select problems; define the methods to be adopted to collect those data; specify the relevant technique to be employed for analysing the data; and finally state the research findings and their specific implications for marketing decisions making. Note that this definition indicates that marketing research should be conducted for specific issues. Secondly, it must ensure objectivity in every step. Finally, study findings must help the manager in the decision making. In other words, marketing research must not be mere collection of statistical information; one must justify the choice of methodology of data collection and analysis. And, the researcher must not be too much pre-occupied with techniques, but instead convey the meaning of the results in the marketing language even when some advanced or sophisticated tool is being used. Likewise, marketing manager(s) should also provide a clear, detailed scenario of the problems faced by the company before the marketing researchers (s). They must allow adequate time and budget for conducting the study. They must not use marketing research as a fire fighting device or to justify some preconceived action(s).

Marketing research is the function that likes the consumer with the organisation through information. It involves systematic and objective search for and analysis of information that , can be used for evolving some marketing decisions. Any research study must clearly state the issues being investigated. It must apply systematic and formal procedure in collection and analysis of information. It must communicate the study findings in a manner which could help in arriving at some marketing decisions. A research study 'will fail to serve its purpose if marketing researcher merely collates some statistical facts or is pre-occupied with techniques or uses data of questionable validity or communicates the findings in too much vague or technical language. Likewise, a research study will suffer if the marketing manager does not offer full perspective of the research problem; or allows inadequate time; or uses research as a fire-fighting device or does not really appreciate the value of research. Problem must be clearly defined and reasons for undertaking the research from the point of view of marketing decision making should be explicitly justified. In order to carry out effective research programme 1. Prepare a list of objectives to be examined 2. Avoid Vague terms of reference Trivial research projects Research where underlying purpose is unknown or with held. 3. Ensure concurrence about the terms of references (especially research objectives; plan of data collection, time and budget) among all concerned. Not every individual has the same requirement and demand. The marketers thus came with the concept of STP. STP stands for: S Segmentation, T Targeting and P Positioning Segmentation: The first step in the process of product promotion is Segmentation. The division of a broad market into small segments comprising of individuals who think on the same lines and show inclination towards similar products and brands is called Market Segmentation. Market Segmentation refers to the process of creation of small groups (segments) within a large market to bring together consumers who have similar requirements, needs and interests. The individuals in a particular segment respond to similar market fluctuations and require identical products. In simpler words market segmentation can also be called as Grouping. Kids form one segment; males can be part of a similar segment while females form another segment. Students belong to a particular segment whereas professionals and office goers can be kept in one segment. Targeting: Once the marketer creates different segments within the market, he then devises various marketing strategies and promotional schemes according to the tastes of the individuals of particular segment. This process is called targeting. Once market segments are created, organization then targets them. Targeting is the second stage and is done once the markets have been segmented. Organizations with the help of various marketing plans and schemes target their

products amongst the various segments. Nokia offers handsets for almost all the segments. They understand their target audience well and each of their handsets fulfils the needs and expectations of the target market. Tata Motors launched Tata Nano especially for the lower income group. Positioning: Positioning is the last stage in the Segmentation Targeting Positioning Cycle. Once the organization decides on its target market, it strives hard to create an image of its product in the minds of the consumers. The marketers create a first impression of the product in the minds of consumers through positioning. Positioning helps organizations to create a perception of the products in the minds of target audience. Ray Ban and Police Sunglasses cater to the premium segment while Vintage or Fastrack sunglasses target the middle income group. Ray Ban sunglasses have no takers amongst the lower income group. Garnier offers wide range of merchandise for both men and women. Each of their brands has been targeted well amongst the specific market segments. (Men, women, teenagers as well as older generation) Men - Sunscreen lotions, Deodorant Women - Daily skin care products, hair care products Teenagers - Hair colour products, Garnier Light (Fairness cream) Older Generation - Cream to fight signs of ageing, wrinkles. A female would never purchase a sunscreen lotion meant for men and vice a versa. Thats brand positioning. Q7. Chronicle the history, growth and development of Public Relations. A7. The forerunner to modern-day public relations practice can be found in the work of rhetoricians, press agents, and other promoters. Since early times speechmakers, called rhetoricians, provided such communication services as speech-writing, speaking on clients behalf, training for diffi cult questions, and persuasion skills. Persuasive skills have been used to influence the public and public opinion for hundreds of years. Artefacts of what can be construed as public relations materials survive from ancient India, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome. The Crusades, the exploits of Lady Godiva, the actions of Martin Luther, and the adventures of the conquistadores seeking El Dorado have all been explained as examples of ancient public relations activities. The creation in the 17th century of the Congregatio de Propaganda (the congregation for propagating the faith) by the Roman Catholic Church is often pointed to as a keystone in the development of public relations. The action brought us the term propaganda but was not a significant development in a church that exists to propagate the faith. In the middle of the 19th century appeared a man who was to become one of the leading publicists of all time, P. T. Barnum. His accomplishments include the founding of the American Museum and the establishment of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Barnum was a master of promotion who could fill his enterprises with customers by using what we today would call sleazy methods of publicity. For example, he announced that his museum would exhibit a 161-year-old woman who had been Washington's nurse. He produced an elderly woman and a forged birth certificate to make his case. William Seward, Lincoln's secretary of state in 1861, gained a large American audience through his understanding of how to use the press. He told his friend Jefferson Davis (they were friends before the war): "I speak to the newspapers they have a large audience and can repeat a thousand times what I want to impress on the public.

In America Rockefeller family was a big name in business. But they had a bad reputation among the common people. So it became very troublesome to run the business successfully. To come out of this situation Rockefeller (Junior) contacted a person called IVY Ledbetter Lee. Primarily Lee was a reporter but later on took public relations as his bread and butter. The Rockefellers appointed him as public relations officers. Lee took the job as a challenge. Public relations became a profession in 1903 as Ivy Lee undertook to advise John D. Rockefeller on how to conduct his public relations. Rockefeller owned coal mines and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Miners were on strike and the railroad hushed up the facts when its trains were involved with accidents. Lee advised Rockefeller to visit the coal mines and talk to the miners. Rockefeller spent time listening to the complaints of the miners, improved their conditions, danced with their wives, and became a hero to the miners. After a railroad accident, Lee invited reporters to inspect the wreck and get the facts. The Pennsylvania Railroad then obtained its first favourable press coverage. Lee professionalized public relations by following these principles: 1. Tell the truth 2. Provide accurate facts 3. The public relations director must have access to top management and must be able to influence decisions. In India, the development of Public Relations was a much slower process. . A systematic and organised practise of public relations began with the Indian railways much before we attained independence. The Great Indian Peninsular (GIP) Railways as it was known then, for example, carried on a campaign in England in the 20s to attract tourists to India. The importance of public relations was known to the British and they made well use of it.

It was not only the government but slowly the private sector in India also woke up to the need of public relations. Tatas set up their Public Relations Department in Mumbai in 1943.There were other companies too such as Dunlop, Unilever and others which did many public outreach activities. In fact the Tatas also came with a course on public relations in 1958.All this explaining the rising value of this profession.
But majorly the profession has seen traces of the public sector on it as it grew. There is a strong reason behind this. When India gained her independence in 1947, the pro-socialist leaders then had a vision of an economically and socially strong India. One of the means was setting up of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in various sectors, among many other things. Most of the early Public Relations practitioners started off their careers in these companies belonging to sectors such as oil, gas, steel, transportation, banking and insurance. In the 1980s, there were small time firms offering PR services to companies. Advertising agencies started offering public relations activities free as part of their advertising services to their clients. Some of the well-known pioneering PR agencies of that time were those who had independent operations or had entered into affiliations with international public relations agencies such as Hill & Knowlton (Indian Public Affairs Network, New Delhi) and Burson-Marstellar Roger Pereira Communications Private Limited (Mumbai).

Public Relations began to increase in India in the early 1990s when the government opened the economy and multinational corporations began to enter the country. Public relations companies emerged offering strategic advice and integrated communication solutions. Specialization has become increasingly important and firms are demanding higher qualifications and skill sets from workers. The start of the 24 hours television news cycle in India in the mid 2000s and the rise of the brash, young and lightening fast TV reporter in India, hurled the PR industry in India, head first, into facing the biggest communications challenge it had ever seen. This was the point where the PR industry in India was just beginning to get the attention of the global PR agencies. Today, the big Indian PR agency with the international tie up and even ownership has firmly arrived in India, a 21st century trend first seen in the Chinese PR industry in the 1980s. Today there are a slew of international agencies in the Indian PR industry, either through acquiring an Indian firm or on their own. These include Genesis Burson-Marsteller, IPAN Hill + Knowlton Strategies, MSL India, which is under Publicis Groupes communications and engagement company, the MSL Group and started out as Hanmer MSL, Ketchum Sampark, Edelman,Text100, FleishmanHillard and Waggener-Edstrom. As the PR industry in India evolves, so will the greater demand for the more consultative and advisory aspect to agency offerings increase. So too will research and digital PR become more integrated in o strategy and public advocacy programs. This trend is seen across sectors and geographies. Shapoorjee says that public affairs advocacy across a wide array of verticals, including Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Oil, Gas & Power, Energy, Defence, Aviation, Financial Services, Food and Agriculture, Retail, Infrastructure, Information, Communication & Technology (ICT) will grow along with the demands of MNCs in India. The Assocham (The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) Report released in March 2010 shows the growth of the PR industry in India to grow to US$ 6 billion by end of 2010 with a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of approximately 32%. The study reports the biggest challenges of the PR industry to be the following:

Lure of better pay: Skilled manpower is scarce, professionals will be poached for higher salaries. Leadership crisis: Not too many established players, presenting a crisis of leadership in middle & smaller firms, which makes people move to larger, more reputed PR agencies. Lack of understanding of PR: Most people, even from sibling professions, dont understand PR. Perception issues: Many stakeholders, including media and corporate organizations, consider PR to be similar to that of a spin job.

Q8. How is Public Relations different from advertising, marketing, publicity and propaganda?

A8. Public Relations and Advertising: The difference between PR and advertising is that PR builds awareness of your product or service which is critical for startups and entrepreneurs, and advertising supports the brand when it gets known. With Public Relations, one gets free placement; for your profession allows you to build a voice in accessible public spaces, less, or no control- a journalist can write what they want no matter how you position your story and a story that runs only once or twice (exceptions are when a newswire picks up the story). However, it ensures you credibility because its viewed as a third-party endorsement. Though, it has no guarantees and can be time-consuming. With Advertising one gets paid placement, complete creative control (for you are the designer of information about the product), your ads will run as often as youre willing to pay. However, its reception is contingent on savvy consumers who may know its an ad and will tend to be sceptical. On the other hand, advertising provides you a guaranteed date the ad will run and its easy if you have money to spend PR builds credibility, Advertising builds visibility. Whats cool about getting PR is because its written by a journalist, theres instant credibility and other people become more interested. If youre a small business, it can turn you from a nobody into a somebody who can compete against a bigger business. Public Relations and Marketing: According to the American Marketing Association, marketing can be defined as "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large". Thus, it is a combination of all the activities that help to increase the sale of products, that includes a combination of one or more things among direct marketing, advertising, branding, public relations and other promotional activities. The primary function of marketing is product awareness and promotions, while the primary function of public relations involves public perception of the company and brand. One can say that, at times, the inferences gained from a PR campaign form the foundation for the marketing strategies. In marketing, the products are promoted. In public relations, the company is promoted. A PR person promotes the name and image of the entire company while a marketer usually looks at how to promote one product or a product line. Marketing involves selling the goods. Public relations involves selling the brand. A marketing activity is directed at making the products/services seem more appealing to people. PR activities involve making the company more appealing to people. Marketers are trying to see how and at what price goods/services can be sold. PR persons try to gauge public perception and reactions to the product and its marketing strategies. A PR person senses the market for public reaction of previous marketing attempts and impact of the strategies on the public. A marketer can use this valuable information to reposition the product, or stick to the current plan, as required. Marketing is trying to achieve profits. PR is trying to achieve positive reputation. The aim of marketing is to sell the products and achieve profits. PR is like an investment that a company makes for maintaining a positive image in the market, which the company will be able to

cash in on in the future as well. Marketing is a wider term which includes all the promotional activities that help boost sales, including public relations. Public relations activity is considered to be a part of the entire marketing strategy of a company. Marketing is an older, more traditional concept of selling. PR is a relatively new concept which sells goods by creating a positive impression of the product among the people. The public relations concept is a new way to look at positive product positioning. Marketing is quite a short-term activity. PR is a long-term activity that bears fruit over a longer period of time. The benefits of a PR program accrue and can be used over an extended period of time. Public Relations and Publicity: Publicity is the act of getting ink, i.e. media coverage. Publicity is getting unpaid media to pay attention, write you up, point to you, run a picture, make a commotion. Sometimes publicity is helpful, and good publicity is always good for your ego. But it's not PR. Most PR firms do publicity, not PR. PR is the strategic crafting of your story. It's the focused examination of your interactions and tactics and products and pricing that, when combined, determine what and how people talk about you. A publicity firm will tell you stories of how they got a client ink. A PR firm will talk about storytelling and being remarkable and spreading the word. They might even suggest you don't bother getting ink or issuing press releases. Public Relations and Propaganda: Both public relations and propaganda have a common goal: Persuasion. The main difference between the two comes down to ethics. Propaganda is a tool that appeals to people's emotional sensibilities. It has the power to make them fear their enemy, and adore their leaders - but the main criticism levied at propaganda is that it's not always based on facts. In fact, you could say that the distinguishing feature of propaganda (as opposed to PR) is that propaganda seeks to deliver, regardless of whether its aims are morallycorrect. The world of public relations likes to take a different approach. It sees its role as one of a 'middle man': The communicator between facts and the people who need to know them. PR is certainly used to influence people's decisions, but it is meant to be informative - influencing a target audience through verifiable evidence. This implies that PR operates on a higher ethical platform than propaganda, as influencing people through facts would seem to be a good thing.

Q9. Elaborate on the tools of public relations. A9. The key tools in public relations are elaborated as follows: Use of news and Media Relations: Historically the core of public relations, media relations, includes all efforts to publicize products or the company to members of the press TV and Radio, newspaper, magazine, newsletter and Internet. In garnering media coverage, PR professionals work with the media to place stories about products, companies and company spokespeople. This is done by developing interesting and relevant story angles that are pitched to the media. It is important to remember that media placements come with good stories and no payment is made to the media for

placements. In fact, in order to maintain the highest level of credibility, many news organizations bar reporters from accepting even the smallest gifts (e.g., free pencils with product logo) from companies.

Press Kits - Include written information such as a news release, organization background, key spokesperson biographies and other supporting materials that provide information useful to reporters. Audio or Video News Releases - These are prerecorded features distributed to news media that may be included within media programming. For instance, a local news report about amusement parks may include portions of a video news release from a national amusement park company. Matte Release - Some media, especially small local newspapers, may accept articles written by companies often as filler material when their publication lacks sufficient content. PR professionals submit matte releases through syndicated services (i.e., services that supply content to many media outlets) or directly to targeted media via email, fax or snail mail. Website Press Room - While hard copies of materials are used and preferred by some media, marketers are well served by an online press room that caters to media needs and provides company contact information.

Media tour: Some new products can be successfully publicized when launched with a media tour. On a media tour a company spokesperson travels to key cities to introduce a new product by being booked on TV and radio talk shows and conducting interviews with print and Internet reporters or influencers (e.g., bloggers). The spokesperson can be a company employee or someone hired by the company, perhaps a celebrity or "expert" who has credibility with the target audience. One common use of the media tour is the book tour, where an author travels the country to promote a newly released book. Newsletters: Marketers who have captured names and addresses of customers and potential customers can use a newsletter for regular contact with their targeted audience. Newsletters can be directed at trade customers, final consumers or business buyers and can be distributed either by regular mail or electronic means (i.e., e-newsletters delivered via email or rss feed). Marketers using newsletters strive to provide content of interest to customers as well as information on products and promotions. A bookstore may include reviews of new books, information on online book chats and information on in-store or online promotions. Special events: These run the gamut from receptions to elegant dinners to stunts. Special events can be designed to reach a specific narrow target audience, such as individuals interested in college savings plans to major events like a strawberry festival designed to promote tourism and regional agriculture. Stunts, such as having public free oral check-ups during the Dental Hygiene Month capture the attention of an audience in the immediate area, but also attract the attention of mass media such as TV news and major newspapers, which provide broad reach. Speeches: Speaking before industry conventions, trade association meetings, and other groups provides an opportunity for company experts to demonstrate their expertise to potential clients/customers. Generally these opportunities are not explicitly for company or product promotion; rather they are a chance to talk on a topic of interest to potential customers and serve to highlight the speakers expertise in a field. Often the only mention of the company or its products is in the speaker biography.

Sponsorships: Companies and brands use sponsorships to help build goodwill and brand recognition by associating with an event or group. Marketers can examine sponsorship opportunities to find those that reach target groups, fit within a specified budget and provide sponsorship benefits that suit the marketers objectives. Institutional advertising: Institutional advertising is a public relations exercise designed to promote a company rather than a specific good or service. It can be designed to make the public more aware of a company or to improve the reputation and image of an existing company. Depending on the company, this can be a form of brand advertising.

Q10. Explain the internal and external forms of Public Relations. A10. The overarching goal of a public relations team is to provide strategic support for a company and its products and ensure the highest quality of communications to foster a positive public perception of the company. For public relations exercises to be successful, it is important to differentiate between various target audiences of public relations machinery. Based on the targeted groups to receive public relations information, there are two classifications internal and external. The difference between external and internal PR is simply that internal PR is done for the employees of the organization (e.g. the assistant crew of a public figure). On the other hand, PR done for people not directly in the organization is external PR, such as PR for your trade people, distributors, retailers, media, government, media and the society (whichever area you are targeting). Employee PR: Internal communication designed to mobilize employees as brand ambassadors is a burgeoning field and a huge growth area for public relations firms. Internal communications also assists with change management, ensuring employee alignment with strategy, and training executives in internal communications skills, all with the goal of making the clients organization a destination employer where people are excited to work. We know that employee brand engagement affects morale and with it productivity. But it also seems to affect customer experience and overall brand value in measurable ways, especially in our age of social media. Community PR: Building local community relationships can be the most important communication activity undertaken by an organisation, yet it is often overlooked. In a community relations program, it is very important to build relationships with key journalists from the local media outlets. By doing this, one has already established rapport with them which could be of a huge benefit in times of crisis. Community relations can be improved even with sponsorships and similar alliances. For example, sponsoring a local event (community day or fair), donating new sports equipment to the local sports club or donating money to the municipal school. This type of sponsorship is reasonably inexpensive yet can be capitalised on to make a great local newspaper story. An increased involvement in key business groups should also be introduced as part of the promotional activities. This involvement will help create visibility of the organisation within a business and community audience, therefore increasing the chances of developing strategic partnerships with other local businesses and groups. There could also be an opportunity for cross promotion in the business groups' members' newsletters, publications or website. Investor/shareholder relations: Around the world financial community relationships are the lifeblood of corporations; companies simply cannot grow and prosper without access to capital. The investor relations function must be aware of current and upcoming issues that an organization or issuer may face, particularly those that relate to fiduciary duty and organizational impact. In

particular, it must be able to assess the various patterns of stock-trading that a public company may experience, often as the result of a public disclosure (or any research reports issued by financial analysts). The investor relations department must also work closely with the Corporate Secretary on legal and regulatory matters that affect shareholders. This means that as well as being able to understand and communicate the company's financial strategy, they are also able to communicate the broader strategic direction of the corporation and ensure that the image of the corporation is maintained in a cohesive fashion. Media Public Relations: The relationship between the news media and the PR industry is a complex and increasingly symbiotic one. The media is the central vehicle for much of the PR industry's messages. PR practitioners want to place their stories in the news or other publications and programmes. Without being able to do this, PR would lose one of its main avenues for communication with the public. The media in turn has become more dependent on PR to supply content to fill air time or column inches. Whilst newspapers have been steadily shedding staff over the last couple of decades they have simultaneously managed to produce ever thicker publications, and the ever growing ranks of PR are happy to help fill the pages. The power of the big agencies and spin doctor goes beyond this however. As the primary point of contact between businesses and the media, PR people can control access to information which journalists want. This gives them tremendous leverage in negotiating with journalists, as they are in a position to refuse information.

Q11. Explain the ethical issues in Public Relations, along with the codes given by apex bodies on the same. A11. The practice of public relations can present unique and challenging ethical issues. At the same time, protecting integrity and the public trust are fundamental to the professions role and reputation. Thus, successful public relations hinges on the ethics of its practitioners. If a PR professional determines that a company is doing something against their promise it is their role to speak out within the company and ask the company to address that issue. It is also the PR professionals job to craft any communications for the company in such a way that the company is not promising more than they can give or provide. Microsoft during the 80s was famous for years in stating they were going to come out with a product, but not actually producing the product for several years, while this announcement swamped a smaller competitor, as customers would wait for the product from Microsoft rather than buy other products. The strategy worked for Microsoft, but at some cost to its reputation as a reliable software provider in the industry, and of the reasons for the success of Linux and similar competitive products in their early days came from customers frustrations with Microsofts early practices. By behaving ethically, companies gain a competitive edge and are more respected in the marketplace. Businesses which make a short term investment in order to behave ethically will reap the rewards in the long term. Opponents of this, though, argue that self-interest cannot be a core value of public relations ethics programs because one is effectively ignoring the interests of ones publics. Also, enlightened self-interest can be interpreted as just an easy way out of making difficult decisions. Ethics are about doing right where others, not just ourselves, are concerned. PR practitioners greatest need for ethical guidance is in the reconciling of their conflicting roles of being professional advocates and their social conscience. Public relations professionals best serve society by serving the special interests of his or her client or employer. The first loyalty is always to the client, but PR agents also have a responsibility to voice the opinions of organizational stakeholders.

The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) was formally established in London on May 1st, 1955. IPRA since then continues working to foster the ethical practice of public relations across the world, being instrumental in the creation of the Code of Athens - the basis of the codes for almost all PR Associations worldwide. Adopted in 2011 the IPRA Code of Conduct is an affirmation of professional and ethical conduct by members of the International Public Relations Association and recommended to public relations practitioners worldwide. In the conduct of public relations practitioners shall: 1. Observance: Observe the principles of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 2. Integrity: Act with honesty and integrity at all times so as to secure and retain the confidence of those with whom the practitioner comes into contact; 3. Dialogue: Seek to establish the moral, cultural and intellectual conditions for dialogue, and recognise the rights of all parties involved to state their case and express their views; 4. Transparency: Be open and transparent in declaring their name, organisation and the interest they represent; 5. Conflict: Avoid any professional conflicts of interest and to disclose such conflicts to affected parties when they occur; 6. Confidentiality: Honour confidential information provided to them; 7. Accuracy: Take all reasonable steps to ensure the truth and accuracy of all information provided; 8. Falsehood: Make every effort to not intentionally disseminate false or misleading information, exercise proper care to avoid doing so unintentionally and correct any such act promptly; 9. Deception: Not obtain information by deceptive or dishonest means; 10. Disclosure: Not create or use any organisation to serve an announced cause but which actually serves an undisclosed interest; 11. Profit: Not sell for profit to third parties copies of documents obtained from public authorities; 12. Remuneration: Whilst providing professional services, not accept any form of payment in connection with those services from anyone other than the principal; 13. Inducement: Neither directly nor indirectly offer nor give any financial or other inducement to public representatives or the media, or other stakeholders; 14. Influence: Neither propose nor undertake any action which would constitute an improper influence on public representatives, the media, or other stakeholders; 15. Competitors: Not intentionally injure the professional reputation of another practitioner;

16. Poaching: Not seek to secure another practitioners client by deceptive means; 17. Employment: When employing personnel from public authorities or competitors take care to follow the rules and confidentiality requirements of those organisations; 18. Colleagues: Observe this Code with respect to fellow IPRA members and public relations practitioners worldwide.
Public Relations Society of India (PRSI), the national association of PR practitioners was established in 1958 to promote the recognition of public relations as a profession and to formulate and interpret to the public the objectives and the potentialities of public relations as a strategic management function. Public Relations Society of India adopted the Code of Athens in New Delhi on 21st April 1968, the day which is celebrated today all over the country, as the National PR Day.

The Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management (GA) was founded in Chicago, Illinois on October 25th, 2000. The GA was created in response to an expressed need for a global governing body and acts as an international forum for communication practitioners around the world. The Code of Ethics developed by the Global Alliance is such Advocacy: We will serve our client and employer interests by acting as responsible advocates and by providing a voice in the market place of ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public debate. Honesty: We will adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of clients and employers. Integrity: We will conduct our business with integrity and observe the principles and spirit of the Code in such a way that our own personal reputation and that of our employer and the public relations profession in general is protected. Expertise: We will encourage members to acquire and responsibly use specialized knowledge and experience to build understanding and client/employer credibility. Furthermore we will actively promote and advance the profession through continued professional development, research, and education. Loyalty: We will insist that members are faithful to those they represent, while honouring their obligations to serve the interests of society and support the right of free expression.

The ability to engage in ethical reasoning in public relations is growing in demand, in responsibility, and in importance. Academic research, university and continuing education, and professional practice are all attending more than ever to matters of ethics. The public relations function stands at a critical and defining juncture: whether to become an ethics counselor to top management or to remain outside the realm of the strategic decision making core. How we choose to respond to the crisis of trust among our publics will define the public relations of the future. Although it is true that no single person or function can be the entire ethical conscience of an organization, the public relations function is ideally informed to counsel top management about ethical issues. Public relations professionals know the values of key publics involved with ethical dilemmas, and can conduct rigorous ethical analyses to guide the policies of their organizations, as well as in

communications with publics and the news media. Careful and consistent ethical analyses facilitate trust, which enhances the building and maintenance of relationships after all, that is the ultimate purpose of the public relations function.

Q12. What are the government information systems set in place to facilitate media learning? A12. Following are a few organisations put in place by the government: Information systems:

The Research, Reference and Training Division: Set up in 1945,The Research, Reference and training Division functions as an information servicing agency for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, its media units and their field offices. It serves as an information bank as well as an information feeder service to the media units to help in their programming and publicity campaigns. It also studies trends in Mass Communication Media and maintains a reference and documentation service on Mass Communication. The Division provides background,, reference and research materials and other facilities for the use of the Ministry, its media units and others engaged in mass communication. The Division also looks after the training aspect of the Indian Information Service (IIS) officers in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). It provides high quality research and reference services to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and its Media Units for planning media policies, strategies and campaigns for effective mass communication and to develop human resources of these media units to be at par with the best in the world. It also produces packaged information for the media persons and media researchers and Scholars. The Photo Division: Photo Division a subordinate office of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, is the largest organization in the country in the production and storage of Still Photographs. Established in October, 1959. Photo Division has more than 10 Lakhs of negatives/ transparencies and now in digital format right from the Pre-Independence time up to the present day which are of archival and historical value. Apart from documenting various activities of the Central Government, Division has built up an invaluable collection of photographs on different aspects of Indian Life, culture, flora and fauna, social and industrial growth. The main function of the Division is to illustrate photographically the growth, development and social changes in the country and provide visual support to the Media units of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and to other Central and State Government Departments including President Secretariat, Vice-President Secretariat, Prime Minister's Office, Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha Secretariat and Indian Missions abroad through External Affairs. The Indian Institute of Mass Communication: The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and a Centre of Excellence in the field of communication teaching, training & research. The Institute was set up on August 17, 1965, as a department of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. of India in response to a need felt to evolve a methodology for effective use of communication resources as part of the countrys overall development strategy. While IIMC provides knowledge and skills to communicators in a variety of disciplines, including print, photography, radio & television, development communication, communication research, advertising & public relations, the Institute also collaborates with national & international agencies in conducting seminars, training, workshops, etc. It also

undertakes joint research projects and organizes short-term courses to meet the specific needs of the industry, government and public sector organizations. Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute: The government of India established the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute in 1995 as an autonomous academic institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Located at Kolkata and named after the legendary film maestro Satyajit Ray, the Institute, the second of its kind in the country, is a National Centre offering post-graduate diploma courses in Film and Television. Besides offering regular full time courses, the Institute has plans to undertake project development, funding and production of fiction and non-fiction films. In addition, research work on film and television related issues are in the offing. Film and Television Institute of India: The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), is an autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It is fully aided by Central Government of India. The Institute offers three-year post-graduate diploma courses in film direction, editing, cinematography and audiography; two-year courses in acting, art direction; a one and a half year course in computer graphics and animation; a one-year course in feature film scriptwriting. One-year post-graduate certificate in direction, electronic cinematography, video editing and audiography are also part of the courses. Indian Information Service (IIS): The Indian Information Services (IIS) was formed in the year 1987. IIS is one of the Group A Central Civil Service of India. The cadre controlling authority is the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. IIS officers work in the dissemination of information on government policies, programmes and activities through print, electronic, audio and visual media and in providing feedback on the reactions of people to the programmes and policies and of advising the government on its information policy.

Publicity Divisions

Directorate of Field Publicity: The Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP) started functioning with 32 Field Publicity Units and 4 Regional Offices in 1953 as Five Year Plan Publicity Organisation under the control of the Ministry of I&B. Renamed as Directorate of Field Publicity in 1959, with the passage of time many Field Publicity Units and Regional Offices have been opened. There are presently 22 Regional Offices and 207 Field Publicity Units which are doing extensive publicity coverage in rural areas. The reach of the Directorate is quite extensive and the effort is to reach even the remotest and most inaccessible villages by the Field Publicity Units. The Field Publicity Units use a variety of publicity techniques such as film shows, song and drama, photo exhibitions, group discussions, seminars, symposia, rallies and various competitions like debates, drawing, rural sports etc. All these programmes are targeted specially for the welfare of the people and to educate the masses, particularly those living in the rural and tribal areas. The DFP is also mandated to promote the peoples participation in the development activities, particularly at the grassroot level, and to provide a forum to the people to express their views and reactions on the various national programmes and project the feedback to the Government. Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity: Its objective is to communicate important social advertising messages in an effective manner, to empower the lives of the country's citizens, and be the one-stop agency for the advertising needs of all Central Government bodies all over the country, be it print, audio-visual, outdoor or emerging media, and to provide services in a professional, responsive, and quality-driven manner, at media-buying rates which are the most competitive in the market.

Film Organisations

Films Division: Films division is engaged in the production of documentaries and news magazines for publicity of Central Government programmes. The news magazines and documentaries are released to various theatres throughout the country for compulsory exhibition. The Films Division also caters to the needs of the Directorate of Field Publicity. Over the last 50 years, Films Division has been motivating the broadest spectrum of the Indian public with a view to enlisting their active participation in nation building activities. The aims and objectives of the Division, focused on national perspectives, are to educate and motivate the people in the implementation of national programmes and to project the image of the land and the heritage of the country to Indian and foreign audiences. The Division also aims at fostering the growth of the documentary film movement, which is of immense significance to India in the field of national information, communication and integration. The Division produces documentaries/news magazines from its headquarters at Mumbai, films on defence and family welfare from New Delhi and featurettes with a rural bias from the regional centres at Calcutta and Banglalore. The Division caters to over 12,600 cinema theatres all over the country and to the non-theatrical circuits like units of the Directorate of Field Publicity, mobile units of the State Governments, Doordarshan, and field units of the Department of Family Welfare, educational institutions and voluntary organizations. The documentaries and newsreels of State Governments are also featured in the Division's release on the theatrical circuit. The Division sells prints, stock shots, video cassettes and distribution rights of documentaries and featurettes in India and abroad. Central Board of Film Certification: Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a Statutory body under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952. Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after they have been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification. The Board, consists of non-official members and a Chairman (all of whom are appointed by Central Government) and functions with headquarters at Mumbai. It has nine Regional offices, one each at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Cuttack and Guwahati. The Regional Offices are assisted in the examination of films by Advisory Panels. The members of the panels are nominated by Central Government by drawing people from different walks of life for a period of 2 years. At present, films are certified under four categories: U (Unrestricted Public Exhibition), A (Restricted to Adults), U/A (Unrestricted Public Exhibition - but with a word of caution that Parental discretion required for children below 12 years) and S (Restricted to a Special Class of Persons). National Film Development Corporation Limited: National Film Development Corporation of India is the central agency established to encourage the good cinema movement in the country. The primary goal of the NFDC is to plan, promote and organize an integrated and efficient development of the Indian Film Industry and foster excellence in cinema. Over the years, NFDC has provided a wide range of services essential to the growth of Indian Cinema. The NFDC (and its predecessor the Film Finance Corporation) has so far funded / produced over 300 feature films. NFDC encourages new talent and to promote the multi-lingual diversity of Indian Cinema, provides full finances to the first feature film of a Director to be made in any Indian language subject to budgetary cap under this scheme.

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