PR 427 Structured Inquiry - Fall 2024 Lecture Notes (PDF)

Welcome! PR 427 Structured Inquiry in PR & Advertising Week 1 Fall 2024 Jasmine Hester  Today’s Class Introductions & Syllabus Review Why This Class ○ Data Literacy & Structured Inquiry Other Cool Stuff  I...

Welcome! PR 427 Structured Inquiry in PR & Advertising Week 1 Fall 2024 Jasmine Hester  Today’s Class Introductions & Syllabus Review Why This Class ○ Data Literacy & Structured Inquiry Other Cool Stuff  Introductions Let’s Get to Know Each Other  Let’s Get to Know Each Other 1. Your name 2. Academic History − Degree(s)/Minor(s) − What’s been your favorite college class to date? 3. Professional aspirations ○ Past internships? Working now? ○ Industry of interest 4. Your goals for this class ○ WHY and WHAT you want to get from it 5. “The one thing I really want others to know about me is…” About Me… Syllabus Review  Why structured inquiry in public relations & advertising matters…  Introducing: Structured Inquiry Structured Inquiry: Addressing large, complex questions through specific methods and techniques Includes: ○ Learning how to formulate strategic questions ○ Enhancing secondary research skills ○ Creating effective primary research instruments to explore those questions ○ Designing and conducting original primary research ○ Analyzing and interpreting data findings ○ Creating and presenting a “portfolio-worthy” deliverable that helps begin to address the core question  Why Do This? Because Data Literacy is seriously lacking among PR pros today! 21% of the global workforce are fully confident in their data literacy skills – the ability to read, understand, question and work  DYK? Not Everyone Loves Working With Data 74% 61% 36% of all employees of employees of employees report feeling report feeling report spending overwhelmed overwhelmed at least 1 by data and or unhappy hour/week that it has when working procrastinating contributed to with data over data-related workplace tasks 36% stress 14% of employees of employees said they would find said they would an alternative ignore a method data-related to work without task entirely using data  Why Do We Need PR Research? To understand ○ Audiences’ Values, Attitudes, Beliefs, Behaviors To reach ○ Audiences’ Media Habits To strategize, categorize, prioritize ○ All Audiences are not created equal To educate, inform, persuade ○ What do they need to know? ○ What content and messages resonate with them? To measure our effectiveness ○ Were we successful?  Why Do We Need PR Research? “How are we perceived?” ○ Do we want to change or reinforce their thinking? “Where are we starting from?” “Where do we want to go?” “How can we get there?” “What should we emphasize and/or avoid?” “Does PR work? How can we demonstrate its value?” ○ Value, not cost Stacks & Michaelson; L. Jackson  Exploration: How well do these brands understand their audiences?  CEO Brendan Whitworth: “This was one can, one influencer, one post; not a campaign.” “Bud Light’s partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney has led to a fallout with its conservative drinkers and a $5bn drop in the brand’s value. But women and young people have responded positively.”  2014 2016 2017 2019  Do you think these brands did their research before acting??? What would YOU have done if you were leading PR for these companies?  FUN WITH DATA: LOOKING AT CONSUMERS’ MEDIA CONSUMPTION Business.yougov.com Business.yougov.com Business.yougov.com Business.yougov.com Business.yougov.com  Discussion… What can we learn from looking at Consumer Usage Data? Strategically, how would you Utilize this data from a PR and advertising perspective?  PR 427 Structured Inquiry Final Group Project SNEAK PEAK  PR 427 FINAL PROJECT PREVIEW You will be organized into small groups (4 people) and then… (1) Choose an INDUSTRY from which you will choose your client ○ Entertainment, Sports, B2B, Retail, Tech, Healthcare, etc. (2) Choose a client ORGANIZATION that is wrestling with a significant communications challenge that would benefit from primary consumer data insights ○ For-profit, non-profit, etc.  PR 427 FINAL PROJECT PREVIEW Throughout the semester, groups will perform Structured Inquiry in the form of Secondary as well as Primary Qualitative and Quantitative research to help your client achieve its communications goals ○ Understand the extent to which your client’s customers are concerned about a particular issue and your client’s perceived role in addressing it ○ Explore your clients’ customers perceptions of what it might take to combat this challenge  PR 427 FINAL PROJECT PREVIEW Among the topics your research this semester will identify: ○ How concerned are consumers/ your target client’s target audience about this issue and the role your client plays in it? ○ What might motivate them to change/adjust their behaviors? ○ What behaviors are they more/less likely to adopt ○ What communications channels do your target consumers trust most and use most frequently? ○ What messaging does/doesn’t resonate for them? ○ Who do they consider to be credible sources of information (i.e. influencers)? CONSIDERING CLIENTS WHO TO “REPRESENT” THIS SEMESTER?