Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I N V O L V E D W I T H TRANSPORT PROJECTS
Christopher Preece
Krisen Moodley
James Humphrey
Construction Management Group, University Of Leeds, Uk
1. I N T R O D U C T I O N
Contractors involved with transport projects are faced with a number of issues. How
can they influence the many and diverse stakeholders of their businesses and projects?
Many public transport projects are now very much in the political arena. Given
increased private financing of projects and a more commercialised public transport
system, customer service issues are becoming more important. With a more well
organised environmental lobby and interested general public, firms need to look at
ways of improving relations with clients, politicians, financiers and communities.
The image of transport and construction in the minds of these stakeholders is
influenced to a large degree by the media at a national and local level Contractors
need to give attention to establishing relationships and involvement with media
editors and journalists throughout the project planning stages, construction phase and
beyond. Contractors need to develop strategies for the handling of crisis situations
which can be crucial in the coverage given to the finn and its work though print and
broadcast media.
This paper will define a more effective approach to media relations strategies. It will
detail the findings of research with media editors, news journalists in the print and
broadcast media and those within contracting organisations who are currently
involved in the implementation of media relations.
1.1 Current Situation
The image of the construction industry in recent years has been extremely poor and
was highlighted in the Latham Report This view is unfortunately shared by other
groups, such as the Government, clients and investors. Such opinions will continue
unless the construction industry can shed this unwanted label, it will struggle to
progress at the rate it should. Construction accounts for ten per cent of the nation's
Gross Domestic Product, and therefore it needs to be seen as the high profile, high
technology, people friendly industry.
It is anticipated that the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Design, Build, Operate
and Finance (DBOF) schemes will increasingly place the contractor in the spotlight,
since they will adopt more of a client role. Construction organisations are now
responsible for the maintenance and financial success of hospitals, infrastructure and
other public buildings, thereby attracting the public's attention. As a result, the
construction industry must prepare itself for an increased emphasis on promoting its
image.
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A key component which determines the image something has in society is that of the
media. Over the last fifty years, the media has grown into a multi-billion pound
industry, affecting every single person. Its views and opinions are seen or read by
millions of people every day, and as a result, it is highly influential. Which ever type
of person an organisation wishes to influence, the media is there to either be helpful or
unhelpful, depending on how it sees a particular issue.
Over the last few years, the media has not given particularly favourable coverage to
the construction industry. Situations such as the Newbury bypass have gained much
condemnation for the 'environmentally unfriendly' contractors, whereas spectacularly
successful projects such as the second bridge across the river Severn hardly receive a
mention.
As the media grows even more in stature, the situation could exaggerate further. This
report is therefore designed to establish why such a situation has occurred, and what
steps can be taken to rectify the situation. As far as the construction industry is
concerned, action must be taken soon. Otherwise, it may be stuck with this potentially
damaging image forever.
This paper sets out the background to media relations and the current state of media
relations and attitudes of construction organisations.
As media relations is closely linked to Pubhc Relations, it makes sense to clarify this
term before progressing further.
"Public Relations is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain
goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics" (Institute
of Public Relations). The term publics refers to all the different stakeholders involved
(directly or indirectly) with the organisation's activities.
Media Relations must always be viewed as an integral part of a total public relations
programme and never something bolted on at the end (Black 1995). It does not simply
"happen".
There are basically five key components to a successful media strategy:.
3. MEDIA OUTLETS
The media can basically be split up into two separate sections; the national media, and
local media. Local media outlets differ from national outlets in the respect that only a
particular region of the population is focused on; the region where the organisation is
based. Though smaller, they can be extremely useful because of the fact that a higher
proportion of the readership is likely to be interested in the organisation's activities,
since many will be employed or affected by the company in some form. The choice of
media outlets is vast, but they can be categofised into five separate sections:
3.1 Newspapers
Newspapers have been around for over two hundred years, and are the most
established form of communication. The types of newspaper available vary in terms of
importance and distribution, but all have valuable role for broadcasting messages.
National daffy newspapers are interested in a complete spectrum of information, as
soon as it happens. Weekly editions are slightly different to daffy ones, in that there is
far less current news and far more feature material. Local newspapers concentrate
more on the regional spectrum and are therefore more likely to be interested in local
stories.
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3.2 Magazines
Magazines are similar to weekly newspapers, since they rely on feature articles to
form the vast bulk of their information. The main difference lies in the fact that
magazines are generally interested in only one subject. Consumer magazines are
usually bought by the general public, and so are available in newsagents around the
country. Trade magazines are the next catergory, the number of copies sold of these
magazines is usually much less, since only those companies who have some
connection with the magazine will purchase it. Those who read a magazine are doing
so because they are specifically interested in that particular subject; there is less
chance of the article being ignored by the reader. Such a situation makes specialist
publications a very efficient method of advertising an organisation's activities.
3.3 Television & Radio
The importance of television as a means of broadcasting information cannot be
underestimated. With the potential growth of television, and its already highly
influential effect on society, it is clear that an orgauisation which uses television
effectively to broadcast its activities will gain a competitive advantage over those who
do not.
Radio differs from television in the obvious respect that only sound is transmitted and
not pictures as well. The potential for future growth in the radio industry is not as
great as it is for television, leading to the impression that radio should be neglected.
This is not the case (Bland & Mondesir 1987). The fact is that people actually listen to
the radio. When people are listening to the words, it is easy to communicate ideas.
3.4 Other Outlets
The interact is by far the least understood and yet potentially the most useful form of
media outlet. As computers play a larger role in society, the need for communication
via the information superhighway grows and grows. More people than ever before are
using the "World Wide Web" to locate information and increase knowledge, and the
number of available pages increases every single day. The irreversible growth in the
interact means that organisations who wish to stay ahead must try to make efforts to
advertise their services in some form on this medium.
4. TECHNIQUES OF C O M M U N I C A T I O N
There are many different ways in which an organisation's activities can be broadcast,
and it is important to remember this when trying to contact various media institutions.
Otherwise, the effectiveness of the media campaign will be drastically reduced.
4.1 Press Releases
Press or news releases are probably the most common type of material sent to media
agencies. If an organisation urgently wishes to publicise news concerning its activities,
it must make use of this type of communication.
In light of the speed of publication of news releases, there are guidelines to follow if
the article distributed is to be accepted by journalists. Ridgeway suggest the following
on how to write a good release (Ridgeway 1996).
or manager. In the construction industry for example, the project manager may be the
ideal representative for an interview.
Preparation is vital. It is all too easy to assume that because the spokesperson
possesses significant knowledge about an company, they will be able to answer all the
questions asked of them. This is unwise, since interviewers will deliberately try to ask
questions which show the good and bad points about the organisation's activities. If
the negative questions can be anticipated, a response can be prepared which could turn
a potential disaster into favourable publicity.
the organisation had done everything it could have to prevent the tragedy.
That in spite of the tragedy occurring, it had anticipated the problem and it is able
to rectify it as quickly as possible.
That the organisation is able to look at the situation from a human point of view as
well as a financial one.
That
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7. M E T H O D O L O G Y OF R E S E A R C H
Questionnaires were sent out to seventy five construction organisations in the United
Kingdom. From this sample, thirty companies responded. The size of the companies
involved varies greatly but from a sensible but as yet unproved perspective, larger
organisations are likely to use the media significantly more than smaller companies.
Therefore, a balanced view would not be obtained if only the "top twenty" contractors
were consulted.
The questions asked in the survey covers all the main aspects of media relations
highlighted earlier:
Imperative
27%
Unimportant
3%
Not too
important
27%
Important
43%
The response to this question (fig I) is fairly mixed. The most frequent response think
that media relations is an important issue, and for every reply stating it is imperative,
there is another stating that it is not worth too much consideration.
Fig 2
What Proportion of people In The PR / Media Department Have
Had Specialist Training For Media Relations Work ?
All
11%
Most ~
22%
None
41%
Some
26%
In Fig.2 the largest category in this graph states that nobody in the public relations
department of construction companies has had any sort of specialist training to deal
with the media. This does suggest that there may be a lack of media skills within
construction firms.
Fig 3
When News Occurs In Your Company, How Often Do You
Contact The Media ?
Sometimes
23%
About Half T
Time
20%
Never
0%
Always
17%
Of The
Time
40%
This result shows that in Fig. 4 there is a reasonable recognition of the need to contact
the media. A later response will show how effective this process is.
On Which Issues Does Your Company Contact
The Media?
Other
New Projects W
on
Annual Profits /
Turnover
Environmental
Friendliness
New Innovationin
the Industry
EmployeeAdditions
/ Reductions
5
10
15
Frequency
Fig5
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20
25
30
In Fig 5 there is a fair split as to when construction companies contact the media.
"Other" issues warranting contact include interesting projects nearing completion,
sponsorship activities, industry awards, technical achievements, general growth and
topical industry issues.
Fig6
Which Audiences Are Important To Your Company ?
Architects
15% Engineers
Other
18o/.
Suppliers
5'/.
General Public
3%
Clients
39%
Gowwner~
14%
Fig 7
W h o Do Y o u Aim Y o u r N e w s At In T h e M e d i a
Other
L o e a l T V / R a d io
N a t l o n a l T V / R a d io
R e l a te d M a g a z i n e s
New C l v l ] E n g i n e e r
Local N e w s p a p e r s
Financial Times
National
Newspapers
Reuters / N e w s
Agencies
0
10
15
20
25
30
Frequency
The most popular type of media outlet is the trade press. "Other" types of media
mentioned include the internet and overseas media. The responses in Fig 6 and Fig 7
show a potential mismatch. Clients, the government and other interested parties are
unlikely to be in contact with trade related joumals. This means that the target
audiences of construction companies are often missed by falling to match the targets
and the placements.
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Fig. 8
How Well Do You View Your Relationship With The Media ?
Not Very Good
20%
Excellent
17%
Reasonable
63%
From Fig.8 it is apparent that most of the companies survey feel that they have a
positive relationship with the media.
Fig9
How Effective Are The Press Releases Sent Out ?
Quite Bad
10%
Good ~
50% ~
Average
40%
Useless
0%
Fig 10
How Effective Are The Captioned Photographs Sent Out ?
Good
23%
Useless
0%
Quite Bad
46%
Average
31%
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Fig 11
How Effective Are The Feature Articles Sent Out ?
Quite Bad
4%
Good
30%
Useles~
Average
66%
0%
Fig 12
How Effective Are The Press Conferences You Hold ?
Good
25%
Useless
0%
Quite Bad
58%
Average
17%
By far the most common communication technique is press releases. Every single
company questioned used them at least sometimes. Captioned Photographs and
feature articles are used as equally as much as the other, but press conferences are very
rarely used, with the majority of construction companies not using them at all.
Overall, press releases are seen to be by far the most effective communication method
by the representatives questioned. Feature articles are also seen to be effective,
whereas captioned photographs and press conferences are not used with confidence.
Figure 13
What Do You Blame The Generally Low Success Rates of Press
Releases and Other Articles On ?
Another Reason
13%
Media Not Being ~
Interested
~
27%
Poor Quality
60%
The other reasons emerging from this question (fig 13) include too much competition
from other industries, and construction press releases containing news which is simply
too similar. Most companies were prepared to continue with theire efforts despite
these views. An acceptance that there are problems with quality indicate that the
problem can be possibly resolved.
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Fig 14
In Crisis Situations, Who Would Take
Responsibility For Dealing With The Media ?
Ou
10
12
14
16
Frequency
The term "another person" on the graph (Fig 14) refers to the person having
responsibility for media relations where an official PR department does not exist. This
usually means a marketing director. These reults show that the companies are better
prepared for dealing with reactionary problems.
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175
Not Monitored
GenerN Financial
Success
Success Rate Of
Articles
Market Research
0
10
12
14
Frequency
Fig 15
"Other" methods include assessment by media specialists, and internal monitoring by
chairmen. Figure 15 indicates that the methods used are relatively crude with
insufficient impact studies.
When asked whether media relations could be improved significantly within the
construction industry, 90% of the companies who replied thought that it could. The
remaining 10% thought that it could not. More industry co-operation is the one
improvement suggested more than anything else with regard to improving the
situation. Another method is to allow other public relation techniques to improve the
public's perception of the image, thereby making the media more interested in what
construction companies have to say.
9. CONCLUSIONS
Having presented the results, it is now possible to draw up gener~ conclusions
regarding the use and effectiveness of media relations in the construction industry:
Construction organisations axe aware that their relations with the media are not very
good, and they would like to see the situation improved. However, very little is being
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done within these companies to rectify the situation. Construction organisations do not
contact the media anywhere near as often as they should. More importantly, the do not
make contact in an efficient manner, reducing the likelihood of successful publicity.
Construction organisations generally have no formal policy for dealing with the
media, even though it has been stated that this is where the media can be most helpful
or damaging. When these situations occur, they are not as open and honest with the
media as they should be. Relevant project managers are not involved with the media
in these situations, even though they may be the ones with the most useful
information. Television and national press coverage may suffer as a result.
Certain types of media outlet are more applicable to the construction industry than
others. Trade publications are used frequently, and they will be able to be used still in
the future. Local media is rarely used, and the use of it should be increased. The use of
national media is virtually non existent. National newspapers and television are
generally not overly interested in the construction industry, and this will continue to
be the case until the industry itself improves dramatically. There is scope for the very
large contractors to use these media outlets more frequently than at present though.
The internet is as yet vastly undernsed in the construction industry, and it provides
much potential for those who are willing to put efforts into using it. It provides free
advertising, and will reduce the workloads of media representatives.
There is concern throughout the industry for improved media relations, and various
bodies and councils have been set up to address the problem. However, there are now
too many in existence, and this is causing confusion and a further lack of co-operation
and effectiveness. Smaller construction companies are not involved enough in these
co-ordination efforts, thereby reducing their chances of success.
Evaluation of media strategies is not as common in construction organisatious as it
should be, with smaller companies being the worst culprits. The techniques of
evaluation are often basic, and new media outlets and techniques of communication
are never spotted. This means that media strategies are not effectively improved,
resulting in the potential publicity being drastically reduced.
Those responsible for media relations in construction organisations do not generally
have adequate qualifications and experience to handle the task in an effective manner.
Far too many people have entered the position with a traditional construction
background, and they are not completely aware of effective ways to deal with the
media; the situation is worst in smaller companies. The addition of experienced public
relations professionals is vital if successful media strategies are to be developed.
The media is not deliberately hostile towards the construction industry, and would like
to see the present situation improved just as much as the construction organisations
themselves. They are not prepared to make the necessary efforts to achieve this
however. Their lack of understanding and involvement severely restricts the
effectiveness of the company's media strategy.
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Media representatives are sceptical of journalists, and are partly correct with this
belief. Journalists in mass media outlets often neglect the construction industry, and
do not give it the credit it deserves. A fairer attitude on their behalf is required if the
situation is to be truly improved.
REFERENCES
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