J201 Final
Defining strategic goals
- Not just a simple question of "have people buy more" or "get people to vote for Mr. Smith". - Good goals are nuanced and specific - Two fundamental questions: WHO do you want to reach? and WHAT do you want them to do? - You have to be VERY specific in WHAT that goal is and HOW you can achieve it. - Sometimes it is easy (sales), but sometimes it is much harder (satisfaction w/ brand, etc). - Good goals are nuanced + hard.
What is news?
- Not just events.... but WHY the public should care about them. - Whatever is in the news is the result of A LOT of competition from different press releases. 1) Impact - how much will the story at hand affect the person reading it? 2) Timeliness - Is it news right now? Is the reporter obligated to report it urgently? 3) Proximity - How close is it to someone? (Both interest wise and geographically). 4) Prominence - How well known are the player in the story? 5) Novelty - Is this the first time this is happening? People don't really want to read things that they have already read before. 6) Conflict - How controversial is the story itself, or the people in the story? (The PR person and reporter are playing the same game... but they both need to know the rules in order to succeed)
Engagement goes beyond exposure
- Nothing really to add
Future of fake news consumption?
- Reduces our knowledge, or helps us to learn fake facts. - Potential new software for fake news? - Audio Manipulation - Video Reenactment + recapture - Very, very soon, we will have fake news that incorporates natural voices - So how are we going to distinguish between fake and real?
Strategic creativity (ROI):
- Relevance - Originality - Impact
Engagement goes beyond exposure...
- Reposting, sharing, tweeting, etc. - Not really a passive transmitter - Some become VERY engaged, while others are just entertained/less engaged than ever.
What do you need to pull Together into a Communication Plan?
- Right strategy - Right messages - Right audiences - Right media outlets - Right events - Right promotions
Is better to have ambitious or modest goals when running an ad campaign?
- Set more modest goals in a campaign vs. larger goals. - Modest goals are more effective and much easier to accomplish. -
Supply and Demand Gaps in Journalism
- The gap between what journalists want to provide and what consumers what to hear. *** Example of front pg. of NYT vs. Website of NYT. - News gap - Supply/Demand gaps in low v. high competition environments. ~ Low competition environments = gap was "tolerable" and let news organizations fulfill public-service as a byproduct of their business. - The gaps tend to shrink in times of heightened political activity.
WHAT DO PRIZM AND VALS TELL US?
- PRIZM: Where is your target market? (Geographically) What do they do/read/watch/think/buy? - VALS: How do your consumers relate to the world? How are they likely to relate to your product? How can you craft your message to reach them?
Fact checking in the 21st century
- By 2012, we have the "modern" fact-checking in full swing. - In reality? We have clashing standards of evidence. - Fact-checking is becoming global, and MUCH faster. _ "Modern" fact-checking tends to check information already in the public sphere. - Much more aggressive, especially by journalists. - BUT, does the public believe in fact-checkers??
"Sender" Effects
- By reposting, tweeting, etc, what are you saying, and what happens to YOU? - We are very good at persuading ourselves and others. - We don't like inconsistencies in our brains --> we have people persuade themselves, and then they are more likely to believe it.
Dominant factor affecting strategic communications today...
- Choice! - More consumer options - More media options --> according to professor Shah, there is no more "mass audience"
Political Cynicism
"mistrust generalized from particular leaders or political groups to the political process as a whole - a process perceived to corrupt the persons who participate in it and that draws corrupt persons as participants." --> Political Cynicism is the OPPOSITE to political efficacy. --> Has an increase in negative content added to our general sense of mistrust? ----> ^^ Keep in mind, correlation does NOT equal causation.
The dimensions of Public Diplomacy
(Public Diplomacy = is the communication with and dissemination of propaganda to the general public of foreign nations to establish a dialogue designed to inform and influence) 1) Permanent communications that explain policy to foreign press + audiences. 2) Strategic communication around events or themes. 3) Developing lasting relationships with key individuals. 4) Acknowledge government's mistrust working through the private sector 5) With the information revolution, soft power is WAY more important now. --> Ex. of public diplomacy = Fulbright Scholars, cultural exchange, Media.
Why should you plan for a crisis?
** Crises are inevitable - it's not a matter of IF, but WHEN. ** Companies are "measured by how well they respond to the inevitable." --> So, NOT having a crisis plan is essentially planning to fail.
Fake news history + background
- "Fake News" used to be a parody (i.e the Onion, Daily Show, etc). - Most people who read satire/parody tend to learn a little bit from it. - Research suggests that we can still learn from these fake shows. - So why did/do people fall for it? - It is difficult to have inconsistent ideas in your head, so we always want to resolve these ideas. - There is a portion of the population that now believes that the traditional media is now "fake news". - And, there is a business model that is based around "fake news" (Macedonia video) - Around 1 in 4 people have a more politicized view of fake news (i.e CNN, Fox News, etc) - What is the reality? We really aren't that great at figuring out what is fake news and what isn't...
Definition of Persuasion
- "The process of attitude formation and/or change and modification/confirmation of behavior based on attitude change/reinforcement." - Ultimate goal of persuasion? = change the behavior of someone somehow....
Investigative Journalism
- "The reporting, through one's own initiative and work product, of matters of importance to readers, viewers or listeners." - In many cases, the subjects of the reporting wish the material under scrutiny to remain undisclosed.
Focus Groups
- A facilitator places respondents into a group - Ask questions, listen to responses and interactions - Reactions are in an artificial social context --> Level of representativeness: low --> Level of detail: Medium
News Gap
- A gap between what editors are reporting and what people think is newsworthy.
elaboration likelihood model (ELM)
- A model of persuasion maintaining that there are two different routes to persuasion: the central route and the peripheral route Peripheral vs. central route
OBSERVATION (ETHNOGRAPHY - BIG DATA)
- A researcher "visits" a person/group and observes them - Opportunity to see what they actually do - Not dependent on accurate recall - Responses are in a genuine social context --> Level of representativeness: depends --> Level of detail: high
DEMOGRAPHICS
- Age - Gender - Family status (single? married? divorced?) - Education - Occupation - Income - Race/ethnicity
Online opinion vs. general opinion
- All social networks have some social constraints on them. - We often fall into a trap that the social networks represents the country as a whole. - Social networks DO NOT represent the majority opinion of a population. --> Ref. pp for the circle diagram about gun control
Classical Conditioning - behaviorism
- Associative learning --> associating a neutral stimulus to an existing association. - Can we associate conditioning w/ something that already exists in nature. - S ------> R ^ (condition stimulus)
Theory of Planned Behavior
- Attitudes predict likelihood of behavior but do not always result in behavior. - Smoking example
Integrated Marketing Communications
- Because of this increase in choice, we need to coordinate strategic communications approach. - Advertising, Public Relations, Promotions, Direct Response, Interactive, and more... all need to coordinate. - They need to all mutually reinforce core themes + create a synergy + memorability.
Heterogeneity of Social Networks
- Better to have a homogenous or heterogenous network? - A heterogenous network gives me access to different resources. - A homogenous network is easier to mobilize a homogenous network.
Exemplification Theory
- Comprehension, storage, and retrieval of concrete events is greater than that of retrieval from the abstract. - We begin to think of an example that is concrete as a representative of the whole, larger population - The incidence of the events is also coded, but it "suffers" from two biases: ~ Representativeness heuristic - representativeness has more to do with memory of a prototype, stereotype or average ~ Availability heuristic - when you make a judgment about something based on how available examples are in your mind --> Here is the main idea: You will remember an example that is more extreme/more concrete, and will base your judgements on that example.
Survey Research
- Contact many people, ask them about what they do, think, value - Large numbers of respondents - Built on statistical properties to enable representativeness - Dependent on accurate recall --> Level of representativeness: potentially high --> Level of detail: low
GEOGRAPHICS
- Country/state/county/city - Community size - Demographics of region - Change dynamics (growth? wealth change? industries?)
A crisis is underway (stage 3 of crisis communications)
- Crisis is occurring... you need to get in front of the crisis FAST. - Goal: Control the message before it controls you. - How a company responds in the first 24 hours of a crisis is critical. - Southwest airlines vs. Malaysia airline examples Tactics the company should use to handle a crisis: - Acknowledge that the problem exists - don't speculate - Take responsibility - Be honest - Show Concern - Communicate regularly
Relationship Marketing (IMC)
- Develop a long-term interactive communication process between a defined segment and the brand - Use a full array of communication messages and channels to build ties - Digital, social, and mobile media are key to building relationships
Market Research
- Developed from 1920s - Hit its stride in 1960s - Today a MAJOR industry Questions asked by market research: - Who is using what? - Why are they using it? - How are they using it? - Who isn't using something? Why? - What are someone's beliefs + attitudes towards a product?
Four Research Techniques
- Focus Groups - Surveys - Observation of behavior (ethnography - big data) - Experimentation
Nomothetic Orientation
- Generating generalizable principles - Establishing "trans-situational" laws - Intention is to explain a class ** Most research is this secondary form.
Reputation Management Phase - working to restore a company's reputation (Stage 4 of crisis communications)
- Goal: Restore the reputation of the company/person. - Reputation: Defined as what people believe you / your company is like. Perception becomes reality. - Reputation management should be an ongoing process - should always try to manage company reputation and goodwill! - BUT if a crisis occurs: ** May take a very long time to recover (if at all), depending on how bad the crisis was. ** Must work hard to restore public trust. - Celebrities work to restore their reputation too!!
Why is the role of journalists as "gate-keepers" changing?
- In the 20th century, you needed to go through the media in order to see the news. - W/ the rise of social media, you can have direct contact with the general public. - You don't need to go through the news - Gate keeping function hasn't vanished, but it has been minimized.
Density of social networks
- How dense is your network? (everyone knows everyone and is friends w/ everyone, etc.) - Is the internet a high density or low density model? - Probably more like a high density model - info tends to flow more robustly in a system that has a high density network. - BUT, it also depends on place of the individuals within the network. - Gov'ts. try to shut down the internet in order to censor + control.... but shutting down the internet is pretty hard. -
Does the media malaise hypothesis check out?
- Hypothesis doesn't really hold up - More you read the newspaper, the more you tend to trust the government. - Less you read the newspaper, the less you trust the government. - The MEDIA is not the culprit of of cynicism, but rather the fact that we don't trust easily anymore. So, to sum it up, News Consumption: 1) Increases political trust 2) Increases political efficacy 3) Increases political participation
Weak Ties
- Importance of weak ties vs. strong ties. - Strong ties = Family, freinds, etc. - Weak Ties = Professors, connections, other friends. - Weak ties are the ones that help you find a job, etc. - It used to be that our discussions were only with the people that were our strong ties. --> Do we have a tendency to move towards more homogenous networks? ~ Are there structural determinants that push us to forming a more homogenous network??
Polarization
- Increased issue extremity --> there are very few people in the middle of an issue. - Political alignment --> having a position on ALL issues... either ALL conservative or ALL liberal. - For the most part, there really hasn't been a total shift in the Public's opinion..... - When we look at the actual stats, we find out that we really aren't as polarized as we think we are.
Rise of Infotainment
- Is there a gap between what people want and what news outlets keep providing them? - There has been a rise towards keeping people entertained. - It goes "beyond" the news --> talk shows, reality TV, docudramas. - People start to watch entertainment vs. the hard news stuff. - Is this rise of infotainment "dumbing" down the news so people will be more interested? - Main audience? Young people. - Part of the issue is the new business model --> Now that there is more competition and sources of news, sources HAVE to change in order to gain readers. - This news is more about emotional reactions vs. cognitive reactions. - Some people do actually learn from these sources of entertainment, but they become more politically cynical, and are less aware/lenient to the positions of others.
Could fact checking become partisan?
- It could generate an antagonistic approach towards certain parties. - Also could mobilize people in favor of people, parties, etc. -
Difference between journalism and strategic communication?
- Journalism = inform - Strategic Communication = Persuade
Newspaper Ecology
- Journalism used to depend on three legs: 1) Sold Newspapers to the public (direct revenue) 2) Sold classified ads to the public (direct revenue) 3) Sold audiences to advertisers on a cost per/thousand basis = indirect revenue --> But now, all three revenues have completely gone down, and almost entirely disappeared.
Peripheral route
- Likability or attractiveness of source. - Credibility of source. - Number of arguments contained. - Length of arguments. - Number of other people perceived to agree with the position. - Production quality of the message. - Elaboration likelihood model --> Emotion is also highly valued as a persuasion tool --> almost like form of classical conditioning. --> Basically, anything but the message itself.
Experimentation
- Manipulation introduced to randomly assigned conditions. - Opportunity to establish causality - Somewhat artificial --> Level of representativeness: depends --> Level of detail: high
Social Marketing
- Marketing for the interest of the public - Mindset: Social change --> enhancing the health and wellbeing of individuals + communities. --> Social marketing tools: media, outreach, interpersonal influence, community events --> Influence: To persuade with the GOAL of behavior change. --> Audience: Individuals, stakeholders, policy makers (your audience may or may not be the general public...) i.e the blood donation ad example we talked about in class.
Subset of PR?
- Media relations --> getting your message out into the news. Two sides: Free media (getting your message out W/O paying; PR; Media relations) Paid Media (Advertising + Media Planning)
Central route
- Methods of persuasion that is based on the argument itself... you really want people to think HARD about the arguments you are making. - Emotion is considered a danger, because it shuts down the thinking process --> when "elaboration likelihood" is high, emotion can introduce biased thinking by influencing the nature of the thoughts that most come to mind. - Logic: "If I am able to change/reinforce someone's outlook on an issue, I am able to create a stable and predictable attitude + behavior".
Goals of Crisis Communications
- Minimize damage to a company's reputation when it's in crisis - Help the customers / consumers affected
Getting news on FB is incidental....
- Most news exposure on FB is incidental - It's more of a "stumble upon" type thing - you don't intentionally go looking for news. - This "stumble-upon" news is not new, but it is becoming much more prevalent. - But those who intentionally go to news sites actually learn more than those that randomly click on news sources. - The question of the "range of information?"
Range of News on Social media is broad...
- Most news on FB/social media is "soft news" --> i.e entertainment, sports, community, etc. - But there are some "hard-hitting stories" too. -
Elaboration and making the right choice - explain
- Most people think that you need to sit down and think about a decision and be presented with all the facts. - Is that true? Are we really as good at thinking about things as we think we are? - There is some research emerging that thinking everything through really hard may NOT be the best way of thinking. - Car study example
Segmentation and Targeting (IMC)
- Need to define multiple audiences - Defined by usage, lifestyle, behavior - Speak to targets based on their individual needs and wants
Polarization in the News
- News tends to highlight conflict - Politics are covered like a "horse race" => who is ahead, not the issues being discussed. - New media has the potential to create ideological concerns.
Old Media today
- Newspapers being sold to the public are down - total loss of subscribers - Digital readership is rising, but revenue from digital readership is quite small. - classified revenue has almost disappeared. - Newspapers do most of their reporting in the local communities/the state.
Online sentiment "changes" rapidly...
- Online opinion is HIGHLY contingent on framing, the way the question is asked. - Online sentiment changes dramatically over short periods of time.
Changes in political alignment
- People are beginning to become more polarized when it comes to POLITICAL ALINGNMENT. - There is less overlap when it comes to political parties. - People are either ALL liberal or ALL conservative - However, some do argue that this polarization is taking place only because it is happening with a portion of the population. - Gaps between Republicans/democrats are growing. - The partisan gaps are the largest ones -
SNS news and time on news websites....
- People spend more time on a website when they visit directly, rather than when they get there through FB. -
Social Network
- People you are connected to somehow... some refer to social networks as social capital --> we take our connections and build on them.
Affective Polarization
- People's attitudes and affections towards other parties have become more polarized. - There has been a HUGE increase in thinking that people from the other party are negative, or have negative characteristics. - Some even believe that members of the opposing party can actually be a danger to the U.S and her interests. - Those who are less informed are often the ones who fall victim to affective polarization.
Where do investigative story ideas come from?
- Personal Observation (this doesn't look right) - Complaints + Tips from individuals or groups about the way the government works... or doesn't. - Data-mining
What is the pattern we see in the news (in terms of candidate coverage) as time goes on?
- Political figures are covered in a more negative light. - "Negativity bias" - Negative news coverage has skyrocketed over the past few decades --> 2011 = 71% negative + 29% positive.
Why is it difficult to cover politics?
- Politics is essentially coverage of elite conflict. - It is also VERY noticeable if politics is unbalanced. - BUT, you also need to take into account the idea of the hostile media phenomenon.... - And nowadays, most people believe that the media is quite biased. - Most adults have trouble naming a source that portrays the news objectively. -
Reciprocity
- Principle of persuasion - Obligation to give back - Hard to remain inflexible in the face of concession - If something is free, then it is hard for people to say no to something.
Social Proof
- Principle of persuasion - Particularly by people who are "just like you". - Easier for us to believe/adopt an idea when we see people like us doing something. - If it works for many people, why won't it work for me? - VERY effective, b/c it's people "just like you!"
Authority
- Principle of persuasion - Recognizing someone's expertise on an issue/object and believing that they are trustworthy.
Likability
- Principle of persuasion - We tend to be persuaded by people that we like. - It flows from positive connections (similarities, compliments, and cooperative endeavors) - Studies tend to show that we are persuaded more by people that are beautiful/liked more. - Associate positive emotions w/ certain products. - Budwiser commercial example
Scarcity
- Principle of persuasion - We want what we can't have, or what is going to run out soon. - The context of loss motivates - If confers value on what we can't have. - We make a decision to want what few can have - i.e Apple + Google are very good at it....
Fact-checking history
- Proof-reader = making errors for corrections - Copy-editor = Corrections before printing (mostly checked style and factuality before printing.) - Fact-checker = factual accuracy before print (mostly a female profession --> females began dominating the newsroom in the 20th century). - There was then a move towards "yes, this person said this", to "ok, this person said this, but is it accurate?" - Public generally does not like this.... - The media will also take it upon themselves to fact-check political ads on TV.
Stages of planning a successful campaign
- Situation Analysis - Understand market, competition, brand, and consumers to define problems & opportunities - Campaign Strategy - Utilize research to determine target, desired position, and branding strategies - Creative Plan - Build message elements off of the creative brief that distills core messaging elements - Media Plan -Select media apertures, channels, and vehicles to secure optimal message placement - Public Relations and Promotions Plan - Manage stakeholder opinions, media relations, and value-added
Roles and Blurred Boundaries in Strat Com.
- Situation Analysis: Research Director/Account Planner - Account Strategy: Account Director/Brand Planner - Creative Plan: Copywriter & Art Director - Media/Digital Plan: Media & Interactive Director - Public Relations and Promotions: PR & Promo. Director --> Because of these integration of these different media and IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications), these roles are constantly blurring and changing.
Why is the size of networks so important?
- Size of networks tends to be a choice. - Networks require work.. the larger the network, the more work it requires. - Generally, the larger the network, the better it is, b/c it means more relationships and resources for you.
Where are we most exposed to fake news?
- Social media is the engine behind fake news - Exposure comes through social media
How does PR respond to this increase in choice?
- Strat comm needs to rely less on traditional marketing tactics and focus on a new set of tools/techniques. - BUT, traditional marketing is NOT going away... it just needs to be complemented by emerging strategic communication techniques.
Positioning + Branding (IMC)
- Strategies must Build visibility, trust, and loyalty through the creation and reinforcement of a clear identity - Differentiates your brand from competitors with messages that are relevant, original and impactful = ROI (what ROI is!)
What is critical for Strategic Communicators to understand about their audiences?
1) Identify audiences and their media environment 2) Craft the message to fit the audience 3) Select + cost media to target audiences
Target Market
- The WHO in 'who do you want to reach?' ^^ This should be VERY specific... - VERY few campaigns say that everyone is their target. Who might you want to reach? --> Loyal devotees of your product --> People who have tried your product once but aren't regulars --> People who have heard of, but never tried, your product --> People who have never heard of your product Target marketing = a process of segmentation = fragmenting audiences into pieces that have something in common. (Demographics, Geographics, Psychographics, Behaviors)
Success of a persuasive campaign depends on:
- The transmitted communication is effective in changing/preserving attitudes in a desired way. - Modified/preserved attitudes influence peoples behavior in the expected way.
Public Diplomacy + Soft Power
- The use of media, the Internet, and other cultural outlets to communicate the message of a state. - An emerging field that seeks to influence world populations. It can focus on the positive aspects of culture or the negative ones... - Power = the ability to obtain from others outcomes you want. - The behavior of others can be affected through coercion (sticks), inducements (carrots), and attraction --> making others want what you want. - Soft power is directed to public opinion, not just elites.
Political Polarization in a new media environment
- There is a deliberative potential of "new media" - Echo Chambers: Extreme views become more extreme, and extreme groups drift away from each other rather than coming together. - This new idea of political polarization also comes from the increased choice in news, selective exposure, and the rise of partisan media. - Is political polarization linked to media consumption? --> News consumption from the internet makes it seem as if parties are dividing further apart. - Do we simply PERCEIVE that we live in a polarized society? Do we create the polarization?
Economics of News
- There is always competition for measurable attention of readers/viewers. - News is an economy of time + attention - Every communication medium competes with other mediums for attention. - We live in an information driven economy, where data is the most valuable thing in the world. --> We all have limits on our time and attention: 1) Time (only 24 hours in a day) 2) Cognitive Capacity --> we are constantly being pulled in other directions.
Sum up political polarization
- There is not really increased issue extremity - Yes and no to increased political alignment - Affective polarization phenomena is caused by hostile media bias + third person effect.
News has a place in social media....
- There is quite a bit of news use in social media - We are increasingly getting more and more of our news from social media and our ego-centric network. - The type of info you are exposed too depends on these ego-centric networks. - These online social networks allow you to maintain these "weak ties" - Increase in size of networks comes w/ an increase in heterogeneity.
Ecology of News
- This competition for attention sets up a news/media ecology Parallels between ecology + news: - Organisms => Individual organizations (NYT/Platforms) - Populations => All types of organizations (i.e newspapers) or platforms (all social media). - Environment => The relevant space or scale in which different media interact (friendship, networks, local communities, states, nations, world, etc). - Resources => Necessary for survival: Time and attention can be monetized directly (markets) or indirectly (nonprofits) *** Homophilia = being connected to people that are NOT like you.
Idiographic Orientation
- Unique characteristics of phenomena - Rich description of idiosyncratic features - Intention is to explain one case fully
Market Research in Politics
- WHO are your supporters? - WHERE can you reach them? - Who is most likely to turn out for you? (Because not everyone is going to turn out for you). - How do you mobilize your base without mobilizing the competitor's base? (you don't want backlash from the competitor) --> Diagrams on powerpoint - people can tell who you will vote for based on the TV you watch....
How do we get to know our audience?
- We don't have time to sit down and analyze our audience one on one and very in depth. --> Two Methods: The Idiographic Orientation + The Nomothetic Orientation
Subjective Norms
- We tend to overestimate subjective norms. - Understanding what these norms are is critical for persuading people. - If you know what the true norm is, then it is easier to intervene w/ a persuasive message. - Combination of one's attitudes/perceived control over behavior, subjective norms in society, and the attitudes of behaviors can all contribute to the change in behavior.
Consistency/commitment
- What we already believe and what we have already done before. - "Foot in the door" - You get backed into a corner a little bit. - If we get people to commit to something small, then they can commit to something big. - If people say something out loud, then people will probably do something about it/something more.
Four key Stages of Crisis Communications
1) Issue management 2) Strategic + Risk Communications 3) Crisis Communications 4) Reputation Management
So, too sum up media bias??
1) Not a ton of evidence for media bias. 2) Most people continue to see bias (hostile media bias) 3) News itself tends to be pretty balanced.. the talk shows/programs tends to be the very slanted stuff. 4) Other slants?
Issues w/ Supply/Demand gaps in Journalism
- Will the media continue to fulfill their agenda-setting function? - Is the public mission of commercial mainstream media sustainable? - Is the democratic function of news in jeopardy? - Is there a chance we could enter information desserts (esp. @ the local level)? - Government funding of media (could go either way). - Change in our conception of citizenship? (From informed citizens to monitorial citizens that only get involved when they sense a problem). - People are increasingly becoming monitorial citizens, and that type of citizenship is RIPE for manipulation. ---> Is this rise of infotainment due to this new definition of citizenship?
Do we still need newspapers?
- YES!! - Where do most sources of news get their info? Newspapers... - Newspapers even supply for most local news, including TV and digital. - But as newspaper revenue falls, newspaper coverage gets much thinner. - Issues w/ newspapers today though? They aren't mainstream enough b/c they cater to people that will give them their revenue. - News on all platforms gets much thinner, and the entire ecosystem is gradually starved of news. --> Newspapers are STILL the heart of media ecology and the media ecosystem.
Network characteristics
- You can have multiple different types of relationships toward people. - Relationships can be one or two way. - W/ nodes + ties. - Most important thing about networks? = size!
Sum up of strategic communication
- can be used for social good, in addition to enhancing commercial profits (social marketing to corporate responsibility).
Free media
- getting your message out w/o paying - PR - Media relations - Saves your client $$ AND gives your argument/story credibility.
Principles of persuasion
---> These are all decision triggers = when one or more of these principles is at play, we stop making decisions and start saying "yes". 1) Authority 2) Likability 3) Social Proof 4) Scarcity 5) Reciprocity 6) Consistency/Commitment
Experimental forms of Journalism
--> "Citizen" Journalism - New actor on the Journ. scene - People who are untrained writing for news sites, etc. - This tended not to work overtime b/c people weren't writing enough... it was a side gig, and they were not being paid enough. --> Crowdsourcing journalism - "oh my news" example. - Tipping authors for the story - Also not sustainable
What is crisis communications?
--> A strategic practice within Public Relations --> What does "Strategic" mean? - It involves careful, calculated planning
Diffusion of Innovations
--> The process whereby a new product, service, or idea spreads through a population - This diffusion is becoming steeper, which means that innovations are spreading faster. - This means that we have to permanently keep adjusting our studies/research in order to keep up. - Changes the logic of investment - things are becoming successful too fast. - Innovations also depend on the social elements surrounding them; if everyone around you is making the shift to the new innovation, then you probably will too. (and vice versa)
VALS + Prizm
--> Tools for drawing insights out of demographics, geographics, and psychographics. - Development of consumer profiles - Necessarily a simplification of complex human thought and action - It is Reductionist, but potentially useful...
What does the soft power of a country depend on?
1) Culture (is your country's culture attractive to others?) 2) Political Values (congruence) 3) Foreign politics (perceived legitimacy) --> With the number of democracies growing, there is more of a need for public diplomacy aimed at the citizens of other countries.
Networked Communication Platform
1) Have uniquely identifiable profiles that consist of user-supplied content, content provided by other users, and/or system-provided data. 2) Can publicly articulate connections that can be viewed and traversed by others 3) Can consume, produce, and/or interact with streams of user generated content provided by their connections on the site
How do you avoid vampire creativity?
1) Tie the creative appeal to the product! 2) Tie ads together thematically! 3) Update theme to keep it fresh
What is a Crisis?
A major event with a potentially negative outcome, that could significantly damage the organization/person, its products and/or its reputation.
Misleading content (type of misinformation)
Misleading use of information to frame an issue or individual
Broad definition of PR
Anything that helps the image of something.
What are the dominant forces driving this increase of choice?
Change in demographics/lifestyle: - Change in household compositions - Growth of ethnic populations - multicultural society - "greying of America" - we have been getting older - Shift of women entering/leaving the workforce - Income polarization Bottom Line = growth in diversity everywhere! --> This growth of diversity makes strategic communication MUCH more challenging. - Biggest factor contributing to this: Broadband internet (both mobile and home broadband) Choice creates challenges: - Diminished effectiveness of advertising ~ Difficult to find consumers ~ Hard to get noticed ~ Hard to hold attention ~ Hard to Encourage Response
Issue management stage of Crisis communications (stage 1)
Goal of this stage: Proactively try to prevent crisis How do companies do this? - Identify smoldering questions and scan/monitor the environment. - Develop proactive plans that attempt to fix or minimize smoldering issues, before they become wildfires. - This includes making a full blown crisis communications plan for each issue - what have people been complaining about? What are some issues that always come up? --> Method to doing this: Pretend you are a 60 minutes reporter - what are the 10 best and worse things someone could discover/broadcast about your company. - Do you want these known to the public? If not, then fix them!! (Salmonella + egg example)
Strategic Positioning & Risk Communication Stage of Crisis communications (stage 2)
Goals: - Attempt to Minimize Potential Negatives/Damage - Communicate the company's position - Try to positively influence attitudes/behaviors about the company. - Involves using communication to favorably position a company in anticipation of a possible conflict. - If the company senses that there is an issue about to blow up/another company is going to capitalize on it, they shouldn't hesitate to get in front of it! - They should proactively put a plan in place to address issue and communicate it. - Establish trust with key publics and influencers - Use the media to help --> Zika Virus example
Biggest issue strategic communicators will face
How do we attract attention in such a saturated media environment? 1) Big data or computational communication science (Use of large complex data sets, typically from naturally occurring phenomena and aided by computational or algorithmic solutions to see patterns in the data that can help guide decision making) 2) Making sense of place/objects (fruit trees + inventory ex) 3) OR making sense of interactions (tweets example)
Biggest issue citizens will face
How do we maintain a vibrant, independent and fact-based press?
Biggest issues that we as human beings will face
How to make sense of a world that is: - increasingly rich, yet unequal, - increasingly interdependent, yet more divided - increasingly empathetic, yet more distrusting...
Affective Phenomena
I could dislike those who hold different opinions than me more than I did in the past.
Media Malaise Hypothesis
Journalism tends to focus so much on conflict, so this will make people more cynical and disengaged from politics. --> Does negative news coverage lead to lower levels of political efficacy?
Fabricated content (type of misinformation)
New content is 100% false, designed to deceive and do harm.
Satire/Parody (type of misinformation)
No intention to cause harm, but has the potential to fool
Persuasion vs. manipulation
Persuasion = Based on Best available info, collective interest, and rational? Manipulation = Selected info, based on self-interest, emotional.
PSYCHOGRAPHICS
Psychological profile of people: - What do they value? - What are their attitudes toward things? - How do they see themselves? - How do they want to see themselves? - Lifestyle
Persuasion matrix model
Steps: - Exposure - Attention - Interest - Comprehension - Acquisition - Yielding - Memory - Retrieval - Decision - Action - Reinforcement - Consolidation --> You have to follow all of the steps in order to be successful --> Older model, a bit outdated
metaanalysis
Take a bunch of studies, and then study them all together.
Big Data for Digital (IMC)
Technology allows narrowcasting and micro-marketing to individuals - Grounded in synthesis of purchasing and media consumption behaviors - Detailed data on individual consumers - All the opportunities of the Internet = Google, Amazon, Yahoo!
vampire creativity
The message of the ad is great, but people forget the ad itself.
Transformation of News
Two big ideas about this: 1) Lines between news and entertainment are becoming blurred. 2) There are large supply and demand gaps in the journalism market.
False context (type of misinformation)
When genuine content is shared with false contextual information.
Manipulated Content (type of misinformation)
When genuine imagery is manipulated to deceive.
Imposter Content (type of misinformation)
When genuine sources are impersonated.
False Connection (type of misinformation)
When headlines, visuals, or captions don't support the content.