Professor Ron Smith 'Strategic
planning for public relations'
Goals & Objectives
Part of the Strategy Goal Positioning
phase of developing a ...a general statement
... a global statement
Public Relations or of how the organiza-
of how the issue
Marketing Communi- tion wants its publics
should be resolved
cation campaign to distinguish it vis-a-
vis competition
6 Characteristics of a
Goals, positioning, and
Goal Statement
objectives deal with
1. Rooted in
making decisions
organization's mission &
based on what should
vision of success
be done versus simply
2. General & non-specific
what can be done
3. Non-measured
4. Challenging
5. Attainable
6. Acceptable to man-
agement/client
3 Types of Goals
Reputation Management
- enhancing image
Relationship Manage-
ment - fostering connec-
tions
Task Management -
accomplishing something
Examples of Goals
Reputation Management
- Reinforce the school's
image with potential
donors
- Increase the company's
reputation within the
industry
Relationship Manage-
ment
- Promote better appre-
ciation of the firm among
potential clients
- Enhance the relation-
ship between the compa-
ny and its customers
Task Management
- Increase public support
- Attract a sellout crowd
Objective
...a specific state-
ment of purpose for
a public relations or
marketing communi-
cation activity
Examples of Position-
ing Statements
- The leader that sets
industry standards
- The most economicsal
and best value
- The most prestigious,
and worth the extra price
- A family-friendly
restaurant
- The hospital preferred
by women
10 Characteristics of
an Objective
1. Rooted in goals
2. Focused on a public
3. Results-oriented
4. Explicit
5. Precise and measur-
able
6. Time-definite
7. Singular
8. Challenging
9. Attainable
10. Acceptable to
management/client
We want our message
- to reach our
publics ... awareness
- who will agree with
it ... acceptance
- and act
accordingly ... action
3 Levels of Objectives
- Awareness
- Acceptance
- Action
Awareness (Cognitive)
- Attention
- Comprehension
- Retention
Acceptance (Affective)
- Interest
- Positive/Negative Attitude
(based on compliance, identifica-
tion, internalization)
Action (Conative)
- Opinion
Behavior
Examples of Objec-
tives
- To have an effect on
the awareness of senior
citizens in Smith County,
specifically to increase
their understanding of
the advantages Upstate
health offers
(60% of senior residents
within six months)
- To have an effect on
the acceptance of senior
citizens in Smith County,
specifically to increase
their positive attitudes
toward membership in
Upstate Health
(30% within six months)
- To have an effect on
the action of senior
citizens in Smith County,
specifically to increase
their patronage at Up-
state health
(10% within six months;
an additional 10% within
a year)
Note: These levels are a
hierarchy. Awareness
objectives must be
implemented before
acceptance objectives.
Note: Develop at least
one objective in each
level (awareness, accep-
tance, and action) for
each public
How to Write
an Objective
1. Objective for _____
(public)
2. To have an effect on
( ) awareness, ( ) accep-
tance, ( ) action
3. Specifically to ( )
create, ( ) increase, ( )
maintain, ( ) decrease
4. w/ awareness: ( )
attention, ( ) compre-
hension
w / acceptance: ( )
interest, ( ) positive/
negative attitude
w/ action: ( ) opinion, ( )
behavior
5. About ___________
(focus)
6. Performance level:
____________
7. Time period:
_____________