Public relations
Choosing a PR method
Choosing a PR method means deciding how your business will win publicity and protect its reputation. The right choice is realistic for your business, not the one a much larger competitor uses.
What to weigh up
Test each option against three questions. Cost: can you afford the fee and the staff time? Target audience: will the people you actually want as customers see it? Fit with the marketing mix: does the method suit your product, your price and your place? A high-price product placed in a scene that makes it look cheap, or a logo in a programme your customers never watch, wastes money however glamorous the method looks.
Comparing the options
| Method | Cost | Reach | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product placement | High for the best slots | Very large if the programme is popular | The scene may give your product the wrong associations |
| Celebrity endorsement | High, rising with fame, though sometimes free | Huge, through the celebrity's fans | The sales boost may be short-lived, and the celebrity's behaviour is out of your control |
| Press release | Low, often just your time | Local or national, depending on the outlet | No guarantee it is published, and a journalist may rewrite the story |
A story in a newspaper can also seem more believable than an advert, which is where a press release gains its credibility.
Worked example: a family who bake celebration cakes at home want more orders. Having their cakes on the party table in a popular drama series would cost more than they make in a year, and paying a well-known baker to recommend them is out of reach. Instead they write a short press release, with a photo, about a free icing class at the village hall, and send it to the town's free newspaper and local radio. The cost is a couple of hours and some icing sugar, the readers live close enough to collect a cake, and the friendly, home-made image matches their prices. Nothing may be printed, though, so they keep a copy of the wording and ring the news desk to check.
Practise this
Cambridge National Enterprise & Marketing · 4.5 Public relations