Introduction
A public relations campaign is a series of preplanned activities that aim at increasing the awareness of something (Smith, 2003). Once an interested organization identifies a particular issue that affects the public in one way or another, it carries out formative research to gather the required information. Thereafter, the organization identifies the most suitable strategy to increase public awareness and address the issue. This paper will give a summary and a critical analysis of the child safety campaign in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Using the four phases of a PR campaign, the paper will identify the weak areas of the campaign and suggest suitable ways to improve it.
Summary of the campaign
The child safety campaign appeared on the World Economic Forum page. The campaign aimed at addressing the alarming issue of the increased number of children falling from a high-rise building. Apparently, more than 50 children died because of falling from high-rise buildings in the year 2011. The campaigners of the program blamed the parents who cared less about the safety of their children at home. To bring awareness to the public, the organizing committee came up with a hard-hitting and dedicated campaign. A radio spot that used the nursery rhyme, Humpy Dumpty and print adverts were the core creative ideas that drove the message home (World Economic Forum, 2013).
Parents with young children were the target audiences, and indeed, the radio spot and the print adverts were able to reach as many parents as possible. The evaluation of the campaign indicated that the entire exercise was useful as the parents admitted that the radio spot and print adverts revealed that there was a need to be careful about children’s safety.
Analyzing the campaign using the four phases of a PR campaign
Research
This is a crucial research phase when campaigners bring a clear understanding of the current situation. The introductory phase is supposed to draw the attention of the target audience in a strategic manner (Wilcox & Cameron, 2011). In this case, the campaign starts by alerting the audience of the massive deaths that occurred because of improperly constructed balconies. The campaigners blame the parents who do not take the right precautions to ensure that their children are safe while at home. However, the paper does not prove to have adequate research on the causes of accidents.
It is evident that certain types of balconies and windows are more dangerous than others are. Certainly, the campaign does not address society’s need for safe homes; instead, it blames the parents with young children. To improve the campaign, it would be efficient to target the architects who determine the final structure of buildings. The campaigners should carry out decisive research that compares the possibility of children falling from different designs of windows and balconies. They should obligate architects to be mindful of possible accidents when constructing buildings. Essentially, the parents should be the second audience after the builders.
Strategy
At this point, the campaigners should find ways of developing communication strategies that will meet the predefined goals and objectives of the campaign (Smith, 2004). The child safety campaigners developed scolding adverts to rebuke parents with young children. The simple and direct adverts conveyed very insinuating information to the parents who were blamed for carelessness. It is noteworthy that conveying a message in a reprimanding manner would produce repulsive results, and the campaigners should find some compassionate way of communicating with the public.
Tactic
This phase obligates the campaigners to find suitable communication tools to relay their message to the target audience. The print advert that was displayed in various print media outlets and the radio spot was commendable. However, it would be wise to use the television to relay the information during the prime moments as the visual videos would enlighten many parents. Moreover, parents would have a clear understanding of what causes accidents and how they happen.
Evaluation
Evaluation is the last phase of a PR campaign that enables the campaigners to assess the success of their approaches. The campaigners determine if the entire exercise met their set objectives successfully (Michaelson, Wright, & Stacks, 2012). In this case, the campaigners admitted that the campaign was able to summon many parents, and they indicated that they would continue with the campaign. To improve the campaign, it would be necessary to give statistical figures that prove that the entire process was successful. A decrease in the percentage of the number of children falling off from the balcony in the year after the campaign would be efficient to prove that the campaign was significant.
Conclusion
From the discussions, it is evident that a public relations campaign is tricky. It requires efficient research, accurate planning, and excellent choice of communication strategies to use. The campaigners have to develop ways of addressing an issue, depending on the expectations of the public (Napier Agencies, 2004). Lastly, the campaigners have to evaluate their campaign to determine if it is necessary to improve the strategies used. Indeed, the child safety campaign in UAE is an average PR campaign that requires the above-mentioned improvements to attain perfection.
References
Michaelson, D., Wright, D.K., & Stacks, D.W. (2012). Evaluating efficacy in public relations/corporate communication programming: Towards establishing standards of campaign performance. Public Relations Journal, 6(5), 1-25. Web.
Napier Agencies. (2004). Approaches to demonstrate the impact of PR. Web.
Smith, R.D. (2003). Becoming a public relations writer. New York: Routledge. Web.
Smith, R.D. (2004). Strategic planning for public relations. New York: Routledge. Web.
Wilcox, D. L. & Cameron, G.T. (2011). Public relations strategies and tactics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Web.
World Economic Forum. (2013). Child safety Gulf news (United Arab Emirates). Web.