Page 503 - Foundations of Marketing

470 Part 6 | Promotion Decisions

customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, the media,
Table 16.3 Top Ten Public Relations Firms educators, potential investors, government officials, and soci-
ety in general. The response to a PR blunder is also important.
Rank PR Agency Organizations that delay their response or that are dishonest
with stakeholders are likely to make a bad situation worse.
1 Edelman
For this reason, whenever there is an accident at its parks,
2 Weber Shandwick Disney issues press releases immediately to inform the public
about the incident. Being honest with consumers and respon-
3 Fleishman-Hillard sive to their needs develops a foundation for open communi-
cation and trust in the long run.
4 MSL Group
Public relations can be used to promote people, places,
ideas, activities, and even countries. It is often used by non-
5 Burson-Marsteller
profit organizations to achieve their goals. Public relations
focuses on enhancing the image of the total organization.
6 Hill + Knowlton Strategies
Assessing public attitudes and creating a favorable image are
7 Ketchum no less important than direct promotion of the organization’s
products. Because the public’s attitudes toward a firm are
8 Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide likely to affect the sales of its products, it is very important
for firms to maintain positive public perceptions. In addition,
9 EuroRSCG Worldwide employee morale is strengthened if the public perceives the
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firm positively. Although public relations can make people
10 FTI Consulting
aware of a company’s products, brands, or activities, it can
Source: Paul Holmes, “Global Rankings 2012: Edelman Holds Top also create specific company images, such as innovativeness
Spot and Surges Past $600m,” The Holmes Report , July 23, 2012, or dependability. By getting the media to report on a firm’s
www.holmesreport.com/news-info/12173/Global-Rankings-2012-
accomplishments, public relations helps the company main-
Edelman-Holds-Top-Spot-And-Surges-Past-600m.aspx (accessed
tain positive public visibility. Some firms use public rela-
January 23, 2013).
tions for a single purpose; others use it for several purposes.
Table 16.3 lists the top ten public relations firms.

Public Relations Tools
Companies use a variety of public relations tools to convey messages and create images.
Public relations professionals prepare written materials and use digital media to deliver bro-
chures, newsletters, company magazines, news releases, blogs, managed social media sites,
and annual reports that reach and influence their various stakeholders. Sometimes, organiza-
tions use less conventional tools in their public relations campaigns. Comcast, for example,
holds an annual Comcast Cares Day, which brings together thousands of Comcast employees
and their families to help improve their neighborhoods by cleaning schools, developing com-
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munity gardens, and other acts of service.
Public relations personnel also create corporate identity materials—such as logos, busi-
ness cards, stationery, signs, and promotional materials—that make firms immediately rec-
ognizable. Speeches are another public relations tool. Because what a company executive
says publicly at meetings or to the media can affect the organization’s image, the speech
must convey the desired message clearly. Event sponsorship, in which a company pays for
part or all of a special event, like a benefit concert or a tennis tournament, is another public
relations tool. Examples are Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup and Special
Olympics. Sponsoring special events can be an effective means of increasing company or
brand recognition with relatively minimal investment. Event sponsorship can gain compa-
nies considerable amounts of free media coverage. An organization tries to ensure that its
product and the sponsored event target a similar audience and that the two are easily associ-
ated in customers’ minds. Many companies as well as individuals assist in their charitable
giving. Bill Daniels, the founder of Cablevision who passed away in 2000, set up a fund
supported with more than a billion dollars to provide financial support for many causes,
including business ethics.

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