A PR Question For Chinese Managers

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Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

A PR Question For Chinese Managers

As the practice of public relations in China continues to
mature, it seems appropriate to ask whether Chinese
business managers – tutored as they have been by
European, North American and other PR specialists –
continue to apply major public relations emphasis to
print and broadcast communications tactics. In other
words, do they still see PR through the lens of simple
publicity, as many in the West still do?

Or, do the best among Chinese managers -- as is also true
for many businesses in Western economies -- realize
they need true behavior change among their most
important outside audiences leading directly to achieving
their managerial objectives?

And, do they then take steps to persuade those key external
stakeholders, who have the greatest impacts on their
organizations, to their way of thinking, then move them
to take actions that help their departments, divisions or
subsidiaries succeed?

Let us presume that you are that business manager in China,
and that you are well aware of the high-impact fundamental
premise of public relations. Namely, “People act on their
own perception of the facts before them, which leads to
predictable behaviors about which something can be done.
When that opinion is created, changed or reinforced by
reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very
people whose behaviors affect the organization the most,
the public relations mission is accomplished.”

Managers who employ such a PR blueprint often see results
such as prospects for their services or products starting to
do business with them, fresh proposals for strategic alliances
and joint ventures arriving on a regular basis, specifying
sources starting to look their way, increases in visits to show
rooms, and existing customers beginning to make repeat purchases.

If this approach to public relations appeals to you, before
that PR blueprint is first employed, you need every member
of the PR team assigned to your unit to agree that it’s
crucially important to know how your outside audiences
perceive your operations, products or services. Dig deep
to ensure they REALLY accept the reality that perceptions
almost always lead to behaviors that can damage your
operation.

With that understanding achieved, It’s time to activate the
PR blueprint and begin monitoring and gathering perceptions
of those key external stakeholders by questioning members
of that very important outside audience. Ask questions like
these: how much do you know about our organization? Have
you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the
interchange? How much do you know about our services or
products and employees? Have you experienced problems
with our people or procedures?

Fortunately, the PR people assigned to you are, by definition,
already in the perception and behavior business, so they can
be of real use for this opinion monitoring project. While
professional survey firms can be brought in to handle the
opinion monitoring, that can be expensive. But whether it’s
your people or a survey consultant asking the questions,
your objective is to identify untruths, false assumptions,
unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, and misconceptions.

But which of the above “negativities” is serious enough
that it obviously must become your corrective public relations
goal because, unattended, it will lead to seriously hurtful
behaviors? For example, clarify the misconception? Spike
that rumor? Correct the false assumption? Fix those
inaccuracies? Or yet another offensive perception that
could lead to negative results?

With your public relations goal thus established, you can
assure you’ll achieve it by picking the right communications
strategy from the three choices available to you to show you
HOW to reach your goal. Change existing perception, create
perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. But be
sure your new strategy naturally compliments your new
public relations goal.

So what will your message emphasize when you address
your key stakeholder audience to help persuade them to
your way of thinking?

Select your best writer to prepare the message because s/he
must put together some very special, corrective language.
Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable,
but clear and factual if they are to shift perception/opinion
towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you
have in mind.

Happily, the next step is easy. You select communications
tactics to carry your message to the attention of your target
audience. Making certain that the tactics you select have a
record of reaching folks like your audience members, you
can pick from dozens that are available. From speeches,
facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings,
media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many
others.

Keep in mind that HOW one communicates often affects the
credibility of the message, so you may wish to deliver it in
smaller meetings and presentations rather than through a
higher-profile media announcement.

You’ll soon feel pressure for signs of progress. And that will
lead to a second perception monitoring session with members
of your external audience. Employing many of the same
questions used in the first benchmark session, you will now
be watching carefully for signs that the communications tactics
have succeeded in altering the offending perception in your
direction.

Remember that you can always accelerate the program by
adding more communications tactics as well as increasing
their frequencies.

This bears repeating – successful managers everywhere
generally use every public relations weapon they can lay their
hands on, and that includes strategic, rapid-fire print and
broadcast tactics.

But those same competitive managers also know that above
all, they need an aggressive blueprint such as this one that
will deliver planned behavior change among their most
important outside audiences leading directly to achieving
their managerial objectives.

end