Public Relations Planning A Practical Guide for Strategic Communication, 2E by Vieira
(Author), Yulong Li (Author)
End-of-Chapter Questions, Exam Questions and
Answers
*Represents the correct answer.
Chapter 1 Questions
1.1) Define public relations.
ANSWER: Public relations is perhaps best defined as a managed, researched, and planned
process involving efforts to directly or indirectly strategically communicate to publics of one or
more persons or groups in a manner that informs, persuades, and/or compels a call to action.
Ideally, the impact of these messages should be assessed to inform future efforts.
1.2) What is propaganda?
ANSWER: Propaganda attempts to persuade based on appeals unsupported by sound reasoning
and/or evidence presented. Propaganda makes use of exaggerated language, name calling,
stereotypical labeling (directly or indirectly), fear tactics, euphemisms, and a host of other
tactics.
1.3) What is asymmetric public relations?
ANSWER: Asymmetric public relations uses publicity, one-sided facts, and appeals with
evidence to support a specific position that is short term and eliciting a desired response to an
existential issue.
1.4) What is symmetric public relations?
Information Classification: General
, ANSWER: It is communication that is socially responsible and considers all the positions of the
various publics in a free flow of information and give-and-take. Public relations is transparent,
relational, and long term.
1.5) Define organic public relations.
ANSWER: It is public relations created and developed at the grassroots level.
1.6) What is transactional public relations?
ANSWER: It is public relations shaped by the interaction of the publics.
1.7) Define glocalization and provide an example.
ANSWER: It is a global strategy with a local focus on execution. For instance, McDonalds has
an overall marketing strategy that is customized for local cultures. McDonald‘s has created rice
dishes for local Chinese markets and veggie burgers in India, where eating beef is proscribed.
1.8) What general types of organizations use public relations?
ANSWER: A public relations campaign can be commissioned by a company, nonprofit
organization, special interest group, or governmental entity.
1.9) Name three functions of public relations.
ANSWER: Functions include lobbying, promoting products, advising senior management on
media relations, and social media management.
1.10) What are some types of public relations?
ANSWER: Public relations can be corporate public relations, corporate communications,
corporate relations, community relations, media relations, employee relations, governmental
public affairs, publicist for the chief executive officer, legislature affairs (lobbying), industry
relations, collective labor affairs, strategic communications, integrated communications, and
financial relations.
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Information Classification: General
, 1.11) Define advertising.
ANSWER: Advertising is paid messaging. It is typically one-way messaging and short term
geared toward selling brands, products, and services. In the past, it was strictly mass
communication. Now, some advertising micro-targets.
1.12) Define integrated marketing communication (MARCOM).
ANSWER: It includes public relations, advertising, personal selling, and anything else
concerning messaging and selling products, services, or brand in the marketplace.
1.13) Describe the senior public relations management/leadership role.
ANSWER: Senior public relations management/leadership persons operate as ―consultants‖ to
the organization. They have extensive experience and participate in strategic decision-making.
These individuals span boundaries (reach out to various groups) among internal and external
stakeholders. Some responsibilities involve organizational image strategy, product and services
positioning, and public relations campaign strategy and evaluation.
1.14) What is the policy/operations management role?
ANSWER: The policy/operations management people have technical responsibilities required
for managing and developing strategic plans. Policy advisors have extensive experience. Their
activities involve spanning boundaries by interacting with internal and external stakeholders.
These managers understand what can be done, can marshal resources, and assess the pre-
campaign, during the campaign, and post-campaign situations so that plans will be cost-effective,
monitored throughout the campaign, and adjusted if necessary.
1.15) What is the brand specialist role?
ANSWER: These practitioners are typically technicians, but sometimes perform some
supervisory duties. They possess less experience than those fulfilling management roles. They
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Information Classification: General
, are often involved with company brands, corporate image, or building the organizational brand
with internal stakeholders.
1.16) What is the internal communicator‘s role?
ANSWER: The internal communicator role consists of technical and managerial duties. This
position requires someone with years of experience like the brand specialist. Practitioners in this
role are concerned with employee morale, motivation, and a variety of internal communications.
Much of their communication is face-to-face.
1.17) Define the media specialist/manager‘s role.
Answer: These individuals are involved with technical as well as managerial tasks. They have
extensive experience. Their primary focus is external stakeholders especially concentrating on
the news media. They also consult with senior management about key stakeholders. These
practitioners also provide some strategic planning inputs especially about news media.
1.18) Define the social media technician role.
ANSWER: This person develops and implements public relations tactics such as writing news
releases and blog posts.
1.19) What is the social listening and analytics role?
ANSWER: Social listening and analytics involves monitoring and interpreting social media
communications and trends using analytics. Environmental scanning is used to identify opinion
leaders and surveil news media activities. Last, the practitioner in this role measures social media
effectiveness and helps develop problem detection protocols as part of risk and issues
management.
1.20) Define the online media relations role.
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Information Classification: General