PR issue (3): Government | Public Relations

As I mentioned in the previous two blog posts, Public Relations is used to get ultimate goal by changing the attitude of public with different ways. Public Relations can maintain in private corporations and settle crisis. How about using it to help government?

Certainly…Yes ! A government have to face different kinds of issue and crisis from any part of society everyday, and also have to communicate and get support from different parties in political decision-making in order to run the government smoothly. Government do need Public Relations to be the problem solver, persuader to public by their professional field, relation and communication work.

Government Public Relations is a specific field and different but similar with Political and Corporation Public Relations. In Government Public Relations, the focus point is how to make communication to beneficial to run the government, in every part. Also, Government Public Relations practitioner have to promote to persue policy objective by government information officer (Stockwell, 2014).

Different with Corporation Communication we explored about last time, Government Public Relations requires more public involvement and community work because a government is serving public and have to be close and transparent enough to the community in order to gain ultimate effect with the highest efficiency and  lead the usage of capital to the campaigns or other Public Relations work from tax payers are appropriately. Also, Government Public Relations will face many of challenge and crisis such as reaction from the public expectation of the government, lack of community involvement and two-way communication, protests during campaign, failure when coordinating with different parties and so on.

The following is the well-known example of Government Public Relations. Let’s explore what the government did:

Act Now (2010)

from hkdesigncritique (WordPress blog)

Act Now is a series of campaign that to promote about the proposed electoral reform in 2012 which was a big controversial issue that time. Donald Tsang, the former Chief Executive went promotion in district under the campaign with his team. However, the reaction from public, the performance of the team such as wrong of pronunciation and no unified action gained bad feedback like the second-creation of “All Wrong” with the campaign graphic.

This case had shown the Government Public Relations work that time needed a big improvement. As the related practitioners, when handling such big controversial issues that required community support, the preparation works should be done as perfect as possible. For example, good coordination such as unify what they going to do with the promotion team include the Chief Executive and legislators. This is able provide an image to public that the government have passionate in the reform in order to change the public attitude towards the reform from the government which is the ultimate goal of the Government Public Relations that time.

“All Wrong” – from Chonghead.net

Since a government is facing to the public they serve and also the international scope, Government Public Relations is very important to the image of the government. If the public relation works did well, the international image will be increased; if not, it will be an international joke or even bring the government into a crisis.

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References

Stockwell, S. 2014, ‘Government and political public relations’ in J. Johnston & M. Sheehan (eds), Public relations theory and practice, 4th edn, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest.

https://designcritique.wordpress.com/2010/07/

http://chonghead.net/2010/06/02/%E8%B6%85%E9%8C%AF%EF%BC%81/

PR Issue (2): Corporate Communication

Some people may think that public relations is only changing the attitude of public in order to get the ultimate goals to clients such as persuade public to use, to trust, to purchase a product, or even solve a crisis and keep the image. But the work fields of public relations have a specific aspect all over a corporation, also.

Corporate Communication is a “total communication activity generated by a company to achieve its planned objectives” (Jackson 1987 cited in van Riel & Fombrun, 2007, p.25). In a corporation, different kinds of communications have to be managed in both external and internal because a corporation is typically big, wide-ranged, or even cross-boarder. In the addition of communication technology advanced, information become transmitting rapidly no matter whether the information have been proved or not. Rumors and crisis will easily occur internally and externally. Therefore, well manage in communication in a corporation which corporate communication practitioners do will lead the company become stable and the larger extent of becoming efficiency and sustainable on keeping image and public trust.

How to manage the company well in communication angle? How to sell products and keep image by marketing? How to lead the corporate audience like shareholders and journalist? These questions according to the theory from van Riel & Fombrun (2007) are the directions that corporate communication practitioner have to consider about, including external and internal which the above mentioned. Then the practitioners may have to “encompass everything within one perspective or framework” (Christensen, Morsing & Cheney, 2008) in order to give an image that all works were done as a whole. Therefore, all the things within the corporation and communication have to be managed well by them no matter which aspects located in to bring the biggest benefit by “building, maintaining and protecting the image and reputation” towards the corporation. (Cornelissen, 2008).

Let’s take CK Hutchison Holdings Limited as an example of corporation in Hong Kong:

• from website of CK Hutchison Holdings Limited

In the site map and the structure graph of CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, these kind of corporations are holding different companies with different works, services and products. Also, the corporation need to take care of others or public related to the corporations such as shareholders in stock market, journalist, government relationship, the awareness of public, etc. Therefore, well communication planning all around the corporation which at the top of different sectors of companies have to be done in order to keep it stable, sustainable development with unified direction and reach the ultimate goal of keeping confidence to public especially the shareholders of the corporation. If not handle it well, the corporation maybe collapsed due to the crisis although happened in a small sector.

As a corporation is wide-ranged, there are no “sharp cut” in what to do by corporate communication practitioners. Also, since some work fields like marketing and advertising are similar to public relations. Therefore, overlapping on works must be occurred.

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References

Van Reil, CBM & Fombrun, CJ. 2007, Essentials of Corporate Communication, Taylor & Francis

Christensen, LT, Morsing, M, & Cheney, G. 2008, Corporate communications: Convention, complexity and critique, Sage

Cornelissen J 2008, Corporate communication: A guide to theory and practice, 2nd edn, Sage Publications, London

the website of CK Hutchison Holdings Limited. viewed 28 March 2015. http://www.ckh.com.hk/eng/about_groupstructure.html.

PR Issue (1): Crisis Communication Management – Explore from Kee-Wah Bakery case in Hong Kong

Crisis is come from some rumors, unexpected event that will affect the business, organization and so on. It may damage the public image, public confidence and the credibility towards the company, or even a disaster without well management. A single crisis can damage a company with long history. Therefore, well management and communication towards the crisis which public relations practitioner do is important to settle the problem and re-build  the image lost during the crisis.

Nowadays, people can get information and interact with the issue easily because of Internet and social network platform. It increase possibilities of crisis occur because the uncertain information and rumors can cultivate and change the attitude towards the company by the framing of any individual on the Internet as more and more people use Internet as their main medium of receiving information and traditional media will concern. However, It also benefit to the company that easily to communicate and interact with the public and help to settle the problems.

Many of crisis especially the man-made crisis are come from issue without well management. According to Heath (1979), issue is because of the “difference in opinion regarding fact, value, or policy”. If the communication of company can strike a balance between the difference, in both internally and externally, crisis will less chance to occur.

Lest’s take a crisis case to determine whether the communication is well or not:

In February 2015, Hong Kong happened some actions  against the parallel trading of main-land tourist. In the day of “The Restore of Shatin”, a Kee-Wah Bakery have to close since the case become worse. The shopkeeper posted a notice and mentioned it was because of “ＲＩＯＴ”. It reported by news media and gained a huge negative respond. Around 700 comments to object Kee-Wah Bakery on their own Facebook fans page. Two days later, A sentence post by Kee-Wah Bakery to apologize the shop-keeper misused the wordings.

• from Apple Daily (16 Feb 2015)

What’s wrong with the crisis communication management in Kee-Wah Bakery?

First, this crisis is actually can be avoided from the issue. “The Restore of Shatin” is not a first related action. as the tourist point of mainland people, The public relation practitioner of Kee-Wah Bakery can make a crisis management plan towards the actions include pre-crisis management. If the practitioner communicated with staff that how to face in communication first, or even prepared a official notice for the closure, “RIOT” will not appeared

Second, the public relation sector only posted a sentence in social network platform was not appropriate for a big company.  It is better to have a news press to make media coverage and show the formal official response of Kee-Wah Bakery to the public towards the crisis.

“An issue ignored is a crisis ensured” (by Dr. Henry Kissinger, Regester & Larkin, p.85). The Kee-Wah Bakery case reflected that as a company especially the retail, or other industry that close to public should look around what happens and issues surrounded them. A well prepare on the communication management if lead them avoid crisis occurred if issues increase the chance to become it.

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Reference

“【水貨圍城】奇華道歉稱「暴動」停業用詞不當”, Apple Daily, 16 Februauy, view 19 March 2015, <http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/realtime/news/20150216/53443387&gt;

Heath, R 1997, Strategic issues management: Organizations and public policy changes, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA

Regester, M & Larkin, J 2005, Risk issues and crisis management in public relations: A casebook of best practice, 3rd edn, Kogan Page, London.

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