Public Relations.
By third year we know what's up.
We know that Grunig and Hunt describe it as the "management of communication between an organization and its publics," (Grunig & Hunt, 1984), but in layman's terms I often find myself describing PR as "professional communication", "everything from internal communications, to media relations to event management," and every so often I spout, "PR people manage all the communication between a business or an organisation and the people who are interested in or affected by their business/organisation, we kinda make sure that everyone knows what they need to or want to know."
Going deeper than this might require me to explain that each piece of communication is considered, planned and implemented depending on who the message is aimed at and the unique way that this specific audience consumes their information, but usually people aren't that interested.
I suppose my main point of reflection here is that PR is a very diverse field of practice, my internship placement has only confirmed this as truth.
The structure of the coms team at Netball WA does not have a specific role PR role. Working underneath the Communications GM are a whole team of people dedicated to different areas, who I have noted each take on a lat least a little bit of PR in their role.
Media & Communications Manager:
At Netball WA this probably the closest thing to a 'PR person' that they have. He deals with, of course, media enquiries, writes releases, liaises with journalists and briefs professional players on their public appearances and speeches. However, he also goes beyond his media role and, in 2015 when the Netball WA coms team were originally formed, I believed that is was mostly this guy who developed an official "Media and Communications Strategy" detailing a coms plan complete with goals and objectives linked to Netball WA's five-year strategic plan.
Digital Marketing Coordinator:
As Digital Marketing Coordinator, predictably, this guy covers off on the online marketing content and also advises on and coordinates more traditional marketing channels. On top of this, this role includes keeping tabs on online sentiment regarding Netball WA including the professional Western Australian Team, West Coast Fever. This media monitoring component also involves crafting responses to rumours, queries and feedback through online channels. This guy also works together with the Membership and Events coordinator on promotion and communications in this area.
Graphic Designer:
The Graphic Designer role is crucial in all of the communications, this role is probably the least 'PR' in the coms team, however, still has a vital impact on the brand of all content produced and each design decision helps to build and maintain a brand and organisation image.
The following roles, according to Netball WA, are not included in the communications team, however I have noted that they are very involved in PR activities.
Sponsorship and Corporate Sales Manager:
This role is highly involved with a number of very influential stakeholders and is the face of corporate and sponsorship communication. This is arguably one of the most vital PR roles at Netball WA, without the major sponsorships secured and stable, their is no funding for any organisational activities.
Membership and Events Coordinator:
The Membership and Events Coordinator is also a vital PR role as it is the one that faces out to the some of the most engaged stakeholders. This role is provides a consistent reply to member and events queries, and also liaises with the Digital Marketing Coordinator and the rest of the communications team to deliver consistent messages across the owned, earned and paid communications channels (including media releases, social media content, the Netball WA and West Coast Fever websites and direct email communications.)
During the course of my time at WA I jumped between these roles, among other things I reviewed membership feedback for the Membership and Events Coordinator, I created program tailored marketing strategies for the Digital Marketing Coordinator, I made wrote media releases and listed media contacts for the Media and Communications Manager and did competitor and legal research for the whole team.
All of these things were PR, and yet they all fitted under the umbrella's of each role in the team. Perhaps a better awareness of PR theory and best practice would help the team at Netball WA to better coordinate across departments and allow for more succinct and effective justification of funding for PR activities? Hopefully my report will highlight some of the ways they can apply PR to increase the effectiveness of their already (unconsciously?) implemented PR strategies.
While it's not immediately apparent, even to the people who are coordinating and implementing PR activities, PR is not an option, you either choose to do it well or leave it by the wayside to be done badly.
References:
Grunig & Hunt (1984). Managing Public Relations. p. 4.
Netball WA Staff Contacts. http://wa.netball.com.au/contact-us/staff-contacts/.
1 comment:
Shannon, I really liked how your post highlighted just how much PR is woven into the fabric of many other roles and departments. For example, with sponsorship, I definitely agree that PR is an important aspect of that industry. Even when you're negotiating terms of grants and sponsorship funding, publicity and mentions on company social media platforms can be another way to add value to the transaction for the sponsor. Great post!
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