week 10

Week 10
I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were that when putting together a public relations plan it is important to define your strategic approach to the task at hand. When considering strategy in regards to public relations many people often confuse strategy with tactics and vice versa. As Hudson asserts in chapter 8,

“Students often use the terms ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics’ interchangeably; however while the two are inextricably linked, it is important to understand the differences and how they fit together” (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, 198)

This is defined by Allert and Zawawi in chapter 7,

“Strategy is not a series of campaign steps or tactics. It is the underlying rationale that guides the selection of these tactics or stages” (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p171)

Though it important to remember that even with a cohesive and well planned strategy for a company it is evident that without the support of the dominant coalition, or the main decision makers, the strategy is unlikely to succeed and may ultimately fail. It was stated in chapter 7 or the readings that the most successful public relations practitioners have a direct link to the person in charge of the company and that when decisions are made for the company they are made in correlation with the public relations officer. Thus when putting together your plan it is important to have a fluid relationship with your dominant coalition as this will consequently aid in your success.
The rest of chapter 7 goes on to explain how to structurally put together a public relations plan including what to consider when budgeting and scheduling.


The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that when deciding which tactic to use in regards to the strategy the practitioner must think about which one is most appropriate for the target audience whilst also taking into consideration the expenses that may incur. It is important to know that not all tactics have to be used when completing the public relations plan as this may lead to overkill and be detrimental to your overall success. Each tactic seeks to serve a different purpose and may be used at different stages throughout the public relations depending on its necessity.