This slideshow focuses on public relations theory and persuasion tactics. From: BrettAtwood.com

1. Public Relations
Theory Basics
Presented by
Brett Atwood

2. Basic Review
 Four elements of communication
 1. Sender
 2. Message
 3. Medium
 4. Receiver
 Who is your message aimed at?
 There may be one or multiple publics
 Who is affected by the actions
 Stakeholders

3. Persuasion vs. Manipulation
What do you think the difference is between
persuasion vs. manipulation?

4. Persuasion
 Persuasion is an attempt to influence a
person’s actions through an appeal to his/her
self-interest
 A PR person must be aware of what the
audience wants to know
 Gained knowledge is “mutually beneficial”

5. Manipulation
 The audience might not need to know the
message, but they are coerced or tricked into
that knowledge when there is little of no
benefit to them
 Can result in loss of credibility or negative
feelings

6. How PR works
 Get the attention of the audience
 Stimulate interest in the message
 Build desire and intent to act on the
message
 Direct the audience to take action

7. Dissemination ≠
Communication
 Dissemination of a message is not the same
as communicating
 The receiver might not get the message due
to:
 Technical issues
 Semantic/fidelity issues
 Other influences beyond your control

8. How do you inform?
 Attract their attention
 Get them to accept the message
 Ensure that it is interpreted correctly
 Have the message retained/stored

9. How do you persuade?
 In addition informing your audience, you must
also get them to accept and change their
point of view

10. Basic Model of
Communication
 Source -> Message -> Channel -> Receiver

11. Source of the Message
 Audience Perceptions are Important
 Credibility of sender
 Higher credibility = greater persuasion
 Irrelevant characteristics can help
 Examples: Attractiveness, Likability, etc.
 Relatability matters

12. The Message
 Simple messages are more persuasive
 One-sided messages work if the audience is
already on your side
 Two-sided messages work if you are courting
a skeptical and/or opposing audience
 Emotions vs. Logic
 Both strategies work in the right context

13. The Message
 Fear is a factor
 Can work for or against you
 Consider age, context, social vs. physical, etc.
 Negativity is more memorable than positivity
 There is often resistance to persuasion
 Audiences who perceive manipulation will be
more resistant
 Group identification reduces the effectiveness of
anti-group messages

14. The Message
 Frequency Matters
 Increased awareness = increased reach
 To move onto the agenda, increase the frequency
 To maintain one’s opinion, increase the frequency

15. The Channel
 Broadcast
 TV is the most persuasive mass medium
 On average, TV is watched 7+ hours/day
 TV is intrusive and emotional; can increase
audience attentiveness to messages

16. The Channel
 Print
 Effective for more complex messages
 Newspaper readership and reach is declining, but
still impactful for older audiences

17. The Channel
 The Internet and Mobile Media
 Fast-growing, fast-changing channel that is
particularly impactful for reaching younger
audiences
 Traditional “gatekeeper” model is joined by social
media, bloggers and other user-generated media
outlets

18. The Channel
 Interpersonal
 Intrusive and allows for interaction
 Reach is weaker (one-on-one vs. one-to-many)

19. The Receiver
 Personal Relevance/Involvement is Key
 Peer Group Influences are Significant
 Opinion Leaders Highly Influential within
Select Groups

20. Media Theory
 Does the media have an effect on viewers
and listeners?
 There are several theories that support the
extremes and the middle on this
 Yes, it impacts us
 No, it does not
 Yes and No... somewhere in between

21. Hypodermic Needle Theory
 One of the earliest theories held that mass
media was highly influential
 The media could “shoot” beliefs into people’s
minds as a doctor shoots a hypodermic
needle into a patient
 Examples: WWI propaganda, “War of the
Worlds” radio broadcast
 This theory is no longer widely held

23. Two-Step Flow Theory
Media messages observed, analyzed,
interpreted and passed on by opinion
leaders
 The mass public gets information via these
tastemakers
 Opinions are formed
 Perceptions are created
 Knowledge is gained (or repressed)

25. Opinion Leaders
 Opinion leaders serve as a powerful conduit in the flow of
information
 Opinion leaders may have more direct access to the media
and/or a better media literacy than the masses
 They have credibility with individuals that the mass media may
lack
 Political candidates
 Celebrities
 Community or religious leaders
 Teachers
 “Media analysts”
 Journalists

26. Example Scenario
 Paris Hilton has a
specific brand of mobile
phone
 She is shown in public
using it
 To some of the public,
this communicates that
the item is “hip”

27. Example
Many of us know an “early adopter” who is
always the first on the block to own the
coolest technology gadget
 This person serves as an “expert” that we may
directly or indirectly learn from

28. Limited-Effects Theory
Media often does not have a direct effect on
subjects and decision making
 However, it is just one of many influences,
including:
 Opinion leaders
 One’s prior held beliefs
 Influence of family, friends, peers

29. Decision-making Process
 Exists on a continuum
 Depends on:
 The information itself
 Personal psyche or disposition

30. Decision-making Process
 Some key factors:
 Socio-economic status (class)
 Religion
 Gender
 Intra-familial status

31. Moderate-Effects Theory
 A “middle ground”
 Recognizes that media is not all-powerful in
its influence
 However, under certain circumstances it can
have a very strong effect

32. Powerful-Effects Theory
Media has the potential for a huge influence
on the audience
 Influence increases if:
 Audience has little or no opinion on a subject
 Subject is non-ego threatening
 Audience has no direct experience with the
subject

33. Framing
 “Framing” is the shaping of views and
discussions through selective choice of facts,
themes and words
 Sender makes the selection
 PR has a huge influence in “framing” how the
media will discuss a product, person,
development or ideology
 “Framing” creates the context in which the
discussion occurs

34. Examples
 A tech company makes a “comeback” with
the introduction of a new product following a
less successful product
 The war on Iraq is a “war on terrorism”
 A movie’s success is discussed in terms of
opening weekend box-office numbers
 Katie Couric’s new anchor role at CBS is
discussed in the context of her gender

35. Agenda Setting
 The pattern of news coverage of a particular
topic helps to determine what the public
perceives as important
 In other words, the media sets the agenda
 Through Emphasis or even Omission
 Through Repetition and Prominence of Coverage

36. Perceptions of Reality
 Does what we see on TV impact our view of
reality?
 For many people, the TV serves as a key
way we learn about the world
 Particularly, when it exposes us to things or
places that we might not normally encounter in
“real life”

37. Uses and Gratification Theory
 Communication process is interactive
 It is a selective process
 People consume the media (and absorb
messages embedded within it) for a reason
 It meets their needs
 Entertainment
 Information

38. Cognitive Dissonance
 A message will not be believed if it is contrary
to the predispositions of the receiver
 To combat this, a PR writer must introduce
new information that says it is OK to change
 This may take the form of a credible
spokesperson

39. Power of the Media:
TV vs. “Reality”
What happens when TV’s portrayal is wrong
 Do we learn incorrect information or do we
know better?
 Example:
 “Summer of the Shark” coverage
 Violent crime coverage

40. Cultivation Theory
 The more that a person is exposed to media,
the more likely that person’s construction of
social reality will be more like that in the
media and less like reality

41. Racial, Ethnic, and Sex-Role
Stereotypes
 Are we really seeing accurate portrayals of
race, ethnicity, and sex roles in the media?
 Example:
 Women in Media
 Men outnumber women 2 to 1 in starring roles, yet
women make up 51% of the population
 When women are featured, they are usually in
subservient or younger roles

42. Diffusion and Adoption
 Five steps to acquiring new ideas
 1. Awareness
 2. Interest
 3. Trial
 4. Evaluation
 5. Adoption

43. Diffusion and Adoption
 In PR, the first two stages (awareness and
interest) are most relevant

44. What causes change?
 Adoption may be due to several factors:
 Is the idea better?
 Does it fit into my existing paradigm?
 Do I understand it?
 Can I safely try it out?
 How observable is it?

45. Application of Theory
 As a PR professional, your goal is to
persuade
 Persuasion is easier if the audience has an
interest in the topic and is predisposed to accept it
 Active audiences are already aware of the
product and have an interest in it
 Passive audiences must be lured into accepting
your message
 An inactive public has less interest in the topic
and, thus, will be even more difficult to persuade

46. M-A-O Model
 Use the M-A-O model to lure a passive
audience into action
 Motivation
 Ability
 Opportunity

47. Motivation
 You must motivate the audience to become
aware that your message even exists
 Can be done with various tactics:
 Design and style of message
 Unique form of delivery
 Reliance of credible tastemakers
 Bribe the audience

48. Ability
 Enable easier understanding of the message
(once the public is aware of it)
 Can be achieved various ways:
 Simplify the message
 Relate the message to what they already know

49. Opportunity
 Structure the message for optimal processing
 Repetition
 Create an environment where message is most
likely to be heard
 Keep it interesting

50. Example: M-A-O Model
 Progressive Direct car
insurance campaign
 Many consumers do
not “shop around” for
car insurance
 They stick with their
existing insurance…
even if there is a price
advantage to shopping
around

51. EXAMPLE
 Progressive has a campaign to motivate would-be
consumers to think about their rates so that they
may build awareness of their service
 They “bribe” people with free airline miles to request
a quote
 Then, the consumer is exposed to the information
and interest is generated due to the anticipated
reward
 Once the consumer gets the quote, it is hoped that
they will take action on their knowledge of the
competitive rate