jour440

Jour 440 Majors only or by permission

Public Relations Research and Campaigns 4 credits

Prerequisite: J330 Instructor: Shearlean Duke

Goals of Course

This course will take students beyond the principles and basics of public relations. It is designed to instruct the student in public relations research to develop courses of action and to evaluate performance of those actions. The course will focus on developing a strategy for conducting a public relations campaign, using proven approaches and empirical methods for collecting information. The philosophy underlying this course is that public relations must be practiced from a problem solving perspective, based on sound theory and research, with a results orientation.
Text and Readings
Required Text: Public Relations Campaigns and Techniques by Fran R. Matera & Ray J. Artigue.
Required readings: Mass Media Research by Wimmer Dominick. Chapters 1-4, 7 and 15, plus pages 439-443 on conducting focus groups.
Other reading will come from the relevant public relations literature (such as Public Relations on the Net by Shel Holtz) to broaden the student's understanding.
Assignments
1) Required reading textbook chapters
2) Assigned outside readings
3) Mid-term exam
4) Final exam over text, lectures and readings
5) Research portion of project
6) Group campaign project, including press releases
Grading
Grades will be earned on the basis of the student's performance on all required work and class participation. Although students work in groups, grades will be based upon individual performance within the group. Students will be evaluated twice during the campaign process and will be evaluated on their research portion of the project. In addition, they will be evaluated on class presentations, as well as their portion of the campaign content (e.g. each student will write one press release, and each will have responsibility for other specific portions of the campaign). Peer evaluations will also be used.
Graded Item    Points
Mid-term exam     40
Final exam     40
Individual Research Project 40
Group Project     50
Individual press release   20
Class participation    10
Group Project
The group project will focus on a public relations campaign. The topic or "client" will be real and will center on community issues or community non-profit organizations. The course will focus on planning a PR campaign, the required steps and some activities related to developing a campaign. Then each group, acting as a PR agency, will actually develop a PR campaign. This campaign will be presented before the class at the end of the quarter. Here is where the group will reveal its PR strategy.
The PR campaign will contain the following strategic planning elements and informational products:
1) Identification of all relevant publics.
2) Goals and objectives of the campaign.
3) PR news releases (at least - one per student - announcing campaign milestones.)
4) Budget.
5) Charts for explaining time elements in the campaign.
6) Evaluation components of campaign--both ongoing and post.
Public Relations Campaign Project Guidelines
The purpose of this exercise is to give students some actual experience in developing a public relations campaign for an actual organization.
They should assume their group is a small regional public relations agency that is submitting a proposal for developing a campaign for the organization. The proposal, one of several submitted by competing PR agencies, must state clearly how the agency would produce the campaign should it be awarded the contract. Of course, a cost estimate to conduct the campaign must be provided.
The campaign must contain the following strategic planning elements and information products:
1) Research available literature. This means students need to do library research on the topic; use the Internet for additional data and information. Finally they may want to talk to appropriate people and conduct a survey or focus group. Research is the first and most essential step. Each student will turn in a research report as Step 1. This research report is due before the campaign can begin.
2) Develop at least 3 goals and 4 to 6 supporting objectives for each goal for the campaign.
3) Generate ideas for materials and activities (written and/or electronic) for producing a campaign (brochures, videotapes, e-mail, group meetings, etc.).
4) Write at least one news release per student announcing major milestones in the campaign.
5) Develop a budget.
6) Construct a chart for explaining events, activities and time elements in the campaign.
7) Develop an evaluation component - both on going and post - for measuring the effectiveness of the campaign.
All written project proposals are due on the last day of class. Presentations by groups will take place during the last week of class.
Course Title
Public Relations Research and Campaigns
Catalog description: Study and practice in research methods, theory, implementation and evaluation of effective programs of communication. Emphasis is on establishing a firm theoretical and research-based approach to planning an effective public relations campaign.
Text
Public Relations Campaigns and Techniques by Matera & Artigue.
Grades
Graded Item    Points
Mid-term exam     40
Final exam     40
Individual Research Project 40
Group Project     50
Individual press release   20
Class participation    10
185-200=A 160-164=B- 134-139=D+
180-184=A- 154-159=C+ 125-133=D
174-179=B+ 145-153=C 120-124=D-
165-173=B 140-144=C- below 120=F
Topics and Assignments
Week 1
A review of the theoretical basis of persuasion. Read Ch. 1-4 in Mass Media Research.
Week 2: Guest Speake..
Research methods. Read Ch.7 & 15 and pages 439-443 on conducting focus groups in Mass Media Research. Public relations client will be assigned and campaign planning will begin, culminating during the final week of class.
Week 3 Research (surveys, focus groups, library, public documents, Internet and personal interviews). Read Ch. 1-5 in Public Relations Campaign & Techniques. Students will form groups and begin work on their campaign.
Weel 4
Campaign case studies. Read Ch. 6-8 in Campaigns & Techniques.
Week 5
Midterm. Read 9-10 in Campaigns & Techniques.
Week 6
Presentations by professionals on planning for various campaigns. Read Ch. 11-12 in PR Campaigns & Techniques. Research portion of campaign (Step 1) due.
Week 7
Case studies from history and current literature, including using the Internet as a PR tool. Campaign planning continues. (Students will be working on press releases, press kit, newsletters, etc. for their campaign). Read Ch. 13-15 in Campaigns & Techniques.
Week 8
Campaign work continues. Read Ch. 9-13 in Public Relations on the Net.
Week 9
Campaign work continues. Assessment and evaluation methods in public relations.
Week 10
Students will present their campaigns to the class. Group campaign project due last day of class (40).