2008-2009 PACE/PP&E REPORT

STAGE 1
Introduction - Setting The Scene
• Acknowledgements, Forward, Bios and Pictures of the Student Team

Executive Summary
 This Should Encapsulate the Research Findings and Recommendations

Client Situation
 Where Are We Now/How Did We Get Here?
 Operational and Competitive Environment the Organisation Operates In
 Implications Affecting Direction - Points of Difference, Challenges, Opportunities, Business Environment, Market, The
Competition, and Media Coverage it Has Gained

STAGE 2
The Brief
 What Are the Client’s Business Objectives?
 What Does The Client Want To Achieve?

Communications Objectives
 You Need To Ask What Communications Will Do For Each Audience: Inform, Think, Persuade, Feel, Motivate/Do

Target Audiences
 Who Do We Intend Reaching With These Communications?
(Existing and potential customers, employees, suppliers, business partners, politicians,
legislators, financiers, local community, & The Media who could convey your messages)

Key Messages
What are your key messages?

STAGE 3
Research
 Quantitative and Qualitative (SWOT, PEST Analyses etc)
 The Research - What does the research say/tell us. What meaningful conclusions can we draw from it.

STAGE 4
Communications Strategy
 Where Should/Could We Be/Want To Be?
 Strategic Direction - Who, What, Why?
i.e. How we will go from “where we are now” to “where should/could we be”?
Read Anne Gregory’s Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns – it should be on your desk alongside the dictionary!

STAGE 5
The Public Relations Proposals – The Methods/Tactics Section
 How Do We Get There/How Might We Get There?
 What Can We Do To Improve the Perception Of, Raise the Profile of the Organisation, What Methods Do We Use?

You Could Include a Creative/Innovative/’Thinking out of the Box’ Concept (maybe)

Perhaps a Big Idea, Theme, Slogan, Logo that embraces the Proposals (but don’t let the big idea overshadow everything else)

Timetable
 How Long Do We Need i.e. 6 months/year etc? Time Line – When & how long will it take to implement the PR proposals?

STAGE 6
Are We Getting There? (Strategic Evaluation)
This is critical. How Are We Going To Evaluate The Campaign, What Is Going To Be The Measure Of Success?
Read the Chartered Institute of Public Relations CIPR's Media Evaluation Toolkit

Budget
 How much it is it all going to cost – in terms of executive time and cost of implementing your PR proposals for the client?

Bibliography
Ensure you quote all your sources. Not to do so could open you up to plagiarism

Copyright: © Robert Minton-Taylor, November 2008 Tel +44 (0) 1535 634 634 Email robert@minton-taylor.com
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Michael J Baker author of The Marketing Manual. What a great book!