San Francisco State University

Instructor: Dr. Deborah Lowe

Office: BSS 344              Phone 338-2202        email: dlowe@sfsu.edu

Text:  Public Relations Strategies and Tactics. Dennis Wilcox, Phillip Ault, and Warren Agee.

Harper Collins Publishing. 5th edition.

  Marketing 432 Course Guide. (Copy center will bring to

       class for you.)

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Course Objectives:

This course provides the student with the knowledge of the role of pro-active public relations and the tools a manager can use to make public relations effective for his or her company. It examines both ways to create positive news and how to handle crisis communications. Included in this course are ways of reaching special publics, targeting an audience, and specialized formulas for crafting the image for the company. Also included are press kits, event planning and simulated press conferences using media coaching techniques. The course will concentrate on experiential learning as well as theory. The student will learn to work with a public relations team to write and create a press kit. Client presentations and press conference skills will also be emphasized.

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Thurss Jan 28  Orientation. Communications methods. Tools of PR.

    Internal and External Publics. Corporate Public

   Relations departments. Memory.

   Chap 1,  21 READ GUIDE p. 1-15

Discussion Assignment: Watch a Television news program.Be prepared to discuss news angles in class.

Read guide for what is newsworthy. One page analysis due next time.

   List every story and divide them between hard  news and features

. List the news angle.

   Hard News  Features  News Angle

   Bobbit trial     Battered wife

         seeks revenge.

      Baby eagle   Endangered

      born zoo  animal birth

Tues FEB 2  One page on TV news angle due. Discussion.

   Public opinion. Types of publics.  Bring Guide to

   class next time. Writing to an 

   audience. Proactive public relations definition.

   Discussion of news program today.

   86241 Writing the News: What is News. 14 min

   Elements that make something newsworthy:

   currency, celebrity, conseequence, magnitude  and proximity.

   Chap  10, 11

Thurs FEB 4  Press kits versus press releases. External and

   Internal PR. What news is. . Group Organization

   Read: Guide-what is in a press kit.Go over press kit 

   examples in guide.

   86242 Writing the News..the lead. 14 minutes.

   Five w's, plus how to make it catchy.

Tues FEB 9   Client comes in. Project assignment.

Thurs FEB 11  Press kit sorting. Fact sheets, backgrounders.

   Defining objectives. Crafting a message.

   Reaching an audience. Write a headline and three

   paragrahs for Feb 18 on the client's news

   angle. It must be typed. It must have a logo on

   it in the left hand corner that you dropped in

   using Pagemaker

   Chap 8,9

Tues Feb 16  Internet PR.

Thurs FEB 18  News angle decision in group. .Press release due.

   This is an individual release..each person does

   one. The best angle will be picked by the group

   out of all the ones you each do and you can use

   it for your kit.

   86254 Beyond the Front Page: 24 min

   How to write feature stories that touch the

   reader.

   Chap 20

Tues FEB 23  The media. .Do's and Don'ts of reporters.

   Tapes of Wrath. Read: Guide-on Reporters.

Thurs FEB 25  Vals tape.

   The use of psychographic segmentation.

   The use of psychographics in events/ media.

   Guide: Read on segmentation.

   Chap 6

Tues Mar 2  Selecting roles in PR. What a PR team 

   does. Flow charts.  Theories of PR. What types

   of questions to ask a client.

   Chap 7

Thurs Mar 4  Packaging the press kit

Tues MAR 9  Fundraising in nonprofits. Review for midterm.

Thurs MAR 11  Midterm

Tues MAR 16  Group work. lst draft of kit due. 

   Assignment. Each person must turn in lst draft of

   press kit/org plan/graphics/media list/event ideas

   to group leader and to me today. No late papers.

   What is a corporate ad. Planning the action. Activistgroups.

   Social Responsibility public relations.

   84944 Social Responsibility in Business

   Assignment. Bring in Corporate ad next time.

   Chap 17

Thurs MAR 18  Corporate ad due. Discussion of FTC Rule of

   balance. Corporate ads.  lst draft back.

   Product placements in movies. Working with

   celebrities. Sports marketing.

   Chap 19. 

Tues MAR 23  Presentations that Sell. Media coaching.

   Speakers bureaus. Newsletters. Working with

   employees. Positioning an image. Presentation skills

   to clients.

   Chap 22.

Thurs Mar 25   Graphics/Color Color tag demonstration. Body

   language in Media coaching. Presentation skills

   Chap 23

Spring Break   March 29 to April 2

Tues April 6  84939 Video news releases.  11:15. Trade publicity.

   Presidential snack foods/Hills brothers video

    release.   Guide on VNR's

Thurs Ap 8  Press kit due.International PR. Bridging the culture

   gap. 11: 45

   Chap 15

Tues AP 13  Press kit back.Dealing with the government in

    crisis.  Re-edit due in one week. 3 points.

   84351 Betrayal of

   Democracy.

   Chap  13,14

Thurs AP 15  Legal trends Legal aspects of public relations.

   Chap 12.

Tues AP 20  LEGAL TRENDS/GROUP WORK

Marketing 432

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