Describe the organization that you are choosing to review.
You will submit a 6 to 8 page analysis for a specific event, campaign or initiative for your chosen organization, as outlined below. You are required to submit your choice of organization to the instructor during class in week three through the Week 3 Discussion: Term Project Check-in discussion. Before selecting an organization (corporate, nonprofit, institution), conduct some research to ensure that you will be able to access the information you will need to complete the project.
Through research, you will need to uncover its public relations objectives and track how well it met those objectives through measurable results such as media exposure, event success or business results. Select your organization carefully. Find an organization about which you can obtain plentiful information. Avoid being forced to start over at the last minute.
The Assignment
Throughout history, there have been many successful public relations campaigns. For your term project this semester, your job is to select one of these campaigns. Then, drawing on everything you’ve learned this term, write a six- to eight-page paper reviewing the campaign and analyzing its goals, strategies, tactics and success.
You are free to study any campaign you like from the past or present, presuming you are able to research and find the necessary background information for the assignment. Below, however, you’ll find a selection of 17 famous campaigns. You are free to choose any of these as well.
BIG HINT: Before choosing a campaign, do some preliminary research on several that sound of interest.
Once you have done your research and selected your campaign, you may begin writing. Your paper should contain the following components. Be sure to include sections identified in boldface below.
I. Introduction
Describe the organization that you are choosing to review. Be specific. Discuss:
Organization’s history and background
Organization’s Mission, Vision and Brand Essence
History of PR efforts, if pertinent
Describe the specific campaign you are reviewing:
the media that were used (TV, billboards, publicity stunts, websites, Facebook, etc.)
the format of the campaign (public service announcements, newspaper editorials, public symbols a’ la Smokey the Bear, etc.)
when and where the campaign took place
This description should be OBJECTIVE. Just explain what the program is about without making judgments or analysis. When you are finished with this section, the reader should have a clear picture of what the campaign looked, sounded and felt like, and when and where it appeared, and who is behind it.
II. The Problem Statement
Write a simple, clear statement that summarizes the problem that the campaign is intended to solve. For more explicit details on what this statement should and should not include, refer to page 244-245 of your textbook.
In Week 5, you are asked to create a Problem Statement for your term project in the Week 5 Discussion: Term Project Jump-Start –The Problem Statement. Refer to your previous work for this section of your paper.
III. Situation Analysis
Write all the background information needed to expand upon and illustrate in detail the meaning of your problem statement. Your situation analysis should include all that is known about the situation, its history, forces acting upon it, and hose involved or affected by it, internally and externally.
That includes any important context about events going on in the world and society at the time. (For example: during World War II, the government created campaigns encouraging people to comply with the rationing programs that were necessary while the war was going on. In a situation analysis, you would need to provide information about commodity shortages, concerns among the poor that rations would not be distributed equally, etc.)
In Week 6, you are asked to create a one-paragraph summary of a situation analysis in the Week 6 Discussion: Term Project Jump-Start — The Situation Analysis. You are encouraged to begin with that summary and now expand upon it for the final paper.
IV. Goals, Audiences/Publics, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics
Keeping in mind what you learned in Chapter 12 about PR Planning and Programming, analyze the campaign you selected and write a paragraph on EACH of the following:
Goals: (see p. 264-265) – What is the overall outcome that this campaign has been designed to achieve? Cite components of the campaign that support your analysis.
Audiences/Publics: (p. 267) – Who is this campaign designed for? Be as specific as possible. Cite examples from the campaign that support this analysis.
Objectives: (p. 270-271) – What are the key results that this campaign is designed to achieve? Think of these as smaller-scale outcomes that collectively lead to the larger goal.
Strategies and Tactics (p. 273-274) – What is the OVERALL approach (strategy) that was taken to achieve the campaigns objectives and goals? What specific tactics (communication tools) were used to support this strategy? (Choose those that are applicable)
Traditional media (print, TV, outdoor, etc.)
Digital/social media (websites, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, etc.)
V. Evaluating Campaign Success
Was the campaign a success? Why or why not? Did it make a difference? Did it show measurable results? (RESEARCH THIS AND REPORT WHAT YOU FIND.)
REQUIREMENTS
Your seven- to eight-page paper should be double-spaced and written in 12-point type. It should be free of spelling, grammar and usage errors. Points will be deducted if your paper does not meet these requirements.
Topic:
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
For the past 75 years, Americans across the country have witnessed hundred-foot helium balloons of cartoon characters floating among Manhattan skyscrapers and Rockettes tap dancing in Herald Square, thanks to a publicity campaign so successful that it is recognized by many as the official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a great, family-oriented annual event that has built awareness and recognition for the Macy’s brand,” said Jon Weisberg.
Answer preview Describe the organization that you are choosing to review.
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