Wind Future Company’s Public Relations Plan Case Study

Situational analysis or introduction

A good relationship must be built between the Wind Future and its publics. Wind Future is planning to build a wind farm to help in the generation of electricity. In conducting this exercise, they will use modern technology and they intend the farm to meet world standards. However, the key problem is that they want to build the structure along the sea near a resort. This is a public place in will elicit a lot of reactions and protests from the relevant stakeholders.

The project comes at a time when there is intensive pressure on firms and industries to drastically cut down their carbon emissions and to develop sustainable and environmentally sensitive firms. Wind Future has done thorough research into the viability and practicality of the project and they have completed environmental studies on its location. Therefore, they anticipate that the energy produced by the turbines will be substantial and clean enough to power 10,000 homes.

The projects viability is enhanced further by the support that it has received from the government. Relevant government organs have approved the project because its policies are attractive and are geared towards advancing environmental causes, such as clean power. The main challenge comes from its skepticism of the impact on the local environment and its publics who are the community. The project is positive in that it is likely to reduce unemployment through job creation; it will generate publicity for the location and it will lead to rapid industrial growth (Grunig & Hunt 2004).

Despite the underlying benefits of the project, the local residents are outraged since they consider that it is likely to interfere with their tourism activities and will likely have an impact on biodiversity. This necessitates a public relations plan to enable the operations of WindFuture to proceed in a tranquil environment. The Windy City Council cannot stop the establishment of the Wind Future project but must assure the local community that it is taking proper care of its affairs.

Objectives of the Public Relations Exercise

Public Relations strategies should be implemented to ensure the effectiveness and productivity of the company’s work and to highlight changes made to enhance its image (Lindsay 2004, p. 155). In support of Windy City Council marketing objectives and community relations, the following objectives of its PR plans are:

1. To increase the council’s recognition and credibility. Wind Future needs to be accepted by the community for it to operate smoothly. Through PR, it is likely to advertise itself to be recognised by the community and use media to attain credibility as people read about the company in the relevant media (Fitch 2004).
2. Quality prospects of the council are likely to be attained through substantial media coverage. When credibility is attained, society believes in the council and its operations since their impression is positive (Grunig & Hunt 2004).
3. Enough publicity makes an organizations more efficient than any one of the major players in the market. This enhances the council as well as the firm’s competitive advantage when compared to other firms operating in the same industry (Fitch 2004).
4. Successful public relations help a firm develop aspects of competition other than price. It is worth noting that the media is a powerful tool in building good public relations. Through media coverage, the public knows the issues at hand (Bridges & Nelson 2000, p. 102), and the firm’s products and hence will not mind the prices charged.
5. Good public relations save on the marketing budget and hence are a saving on the cost of the council’s operations. This is because news coverage is not normally paid for, therefore, the cost of a good PR program is much less than for media.
6. A good PR plan is one of the best ways to introduce a new product to the market. When a product or a brand is new, the media will find it fascinating as a news item and hence give it airtime (Fitch 2004). The Windy City Council also has the objective of restoring public confidence in the operations of WindFuture within its locality. They also intended to enlighten the community on the likely benefits they will receive from the project. Through the PR program, the Windy City Council will gain credibility and integrity, WindFuture also benefits by introducing its products, attracting a labor force, attaining a tranquil operating environment and generally achieving success in its operations (Cutlip, Center, Broom 2005).

Target publics

1. Local community The target audience in the PR exercise is the local community. This is because the local community needs to be convinced that the project is relevant and important to them (Fitch 2004). The intention is that the wider concern around the negative impact of the project on tourism will be reduced through proper research and a convincing PR strategy. The local community is likely to be reached through organised public campaigns where awareness on environmental issues is done. Seminars will also be held to address the localities about the progress of the general project, the benefits and disadvantages and any recommendations. Through such seminars, the community will be encouraged to accept or reject the project based on the facts provided (Marconi 2004).
2. Government The other side of the target public is the government who must gain support since the project will help fuel their programs involving industrial development and employment creation.
3. The company Another target public is the Wind Future company which needs the Windy City Council to create for them an enabling environment to start running their operations. Such operations are intended to be highly environmentally sensitive reducing environmental costs.
4. Strategies The strategies involve the basic planning and expanded planning strategies which may include crisis management, relationships within the company, public information, risk communication, etc. (Thomlison 2000, p. 185). At the basic planning stage, the Windy City Council develops both proactive and reactive strategies. Through public initiatives, expanded programs are put in place. The council organises forums where they perform and make presentations to the public; during such forums the public is provoked to respond to the arguments presented (Mickey 2003).

Through alliances, fully funded sponsorships and intensified activist activities the main ideas are spread and the targeted publics get informed. Communications are also passed through relevant media entities such news programs on TV and radio to help reach those who do not attend forums. After the public is provoked into a reaction, their responses are received through certain tools. The responses may be receptive to the project or the community may reject it. The publics may be highly defensive towards the prospects of the proposal to an extent that they reject it providing reasons and justifications for their position.

The proposal is designed in a way that it is able to illicit responses and reactions from the respondents, and the data aids in the development of an action plan. The formed action plan should have a clear framework for its implementation (Scott 2007). The council would undertake an investigation procedure to correct the reasons for disagreement and discontent; the strategy would initiate a program to change peoples’ perception of the intended project. After which the WindFuture Company (Scott 2010) would freely undertake the program. The major aim of a strategy is normally to persuade forces from both the positive and negative divide to support the course of action for the benefit of all.

Tactics

Tactics involves the activities to be undertaken so that the objectives set are met. There are set plans in place for the whole period and for Windy City Council, and they entail the following:

1. A calendar for press releases should be put in place. This shows the frequency of release of each news item throughout the period. This is responsible for clear focus and direction (Caywood 1997).
2. Media outreach. Before establishing a PR program, research should be conducted on several media personalities and media houses and then they should be categorised on how they are likely to impact and add value to the PR program. Once a media list is formed, they should be slotted in the calendar in the order of the outreach meetings that discuss the issues at stake (Wolfe 2005).
3. Case studies. The council should develop case studies as a way of reaching the wider public. Case studies need to be prepared when researchers intend to reach the media successfully and in time. The only challenge with this is that it will require the direct participation of the public who may be biased at first instance; hence there is an obstacle (Wolfe 2005).
4. Use of social networking media and blogs. This is most appropriate for the ‘dot.com’ generation since the targeted publics are informed and motivated to receive and spreads the message. However, the blogs should be related to the information that is to be passed (Caywood 1997).
5. Crisis plans in place. This is an integral part of any PR program since it covers unfortunate occurrences and responses to them. The awareness of the criteria of handling a crisis should be passed to every colleague in equal measure. Plans may not be exact but they are for direction and guidance so that the track is not lost. (Scott 2010)

Calendar of events

The Public relations exercise is intended to last for a duration of three months

The actions under each category of activity are split so that the findings are conclusive in nature.

Budget

This budget provides information on the funding that is needed to complete the project. The sources or intended sources are listed to give direction on how to ascertain the funds. The total expenses will show the actual cost to be incurred in the project.

Evaluation

For a public relations program to realise effectiveness and efficiency in terms of accurate measurements, communications, sales and marketing evaluation and assessment of the procedures must be conducted (James 2011). In such evaluations, the Windy City Council will use both the qualitative and quantitative data that was collected, documented and analysed. Though qualitative data will be engaged, more emphasis is paid upon quantitative data since it provides a guide as to the reliability and validity of the numbers and hence clarity on the exact differences noted. The changes are mostly realised due to the campaign efforts that are exerted in the process (Smith 2002).

The need and importance of the above campaigns has grown in the recent past to enable the effective use of relevant tools and tactics to affect the campaigns. This is derived from business leaders’ demand that their PR officers be transparent and accountable. At the same time they must justify the acts that they are engaged in. The PR officers of the council should document whether the programs they designed and placed into action actually worked to change the course of the public attitude towards the desired direction (Smith 2002). The evaluation stresses four major aspects of the PR program process:

1. It ensures that the objectives set were specific, measurable, achievable, reliable and timely. This is to realise the effectiveness of the objectives (Heath 2010).
2. Evaluation also quantifies the output and- it looks at whether the input produces the justified output. Output in this case is the measure of the image of the firm to the targeted publics (Heath & Vasquez 2001).
3. Evaluation is also geared towards finding and documenting the campaign outcomes. This is shown by whether the target audience actually received the communication and how they reacted to it. The method used to counter the reaction is also highlighted (Heath 2010).
4. Evaluation also measures the outcomes from the institution. The outcomes should be geared towards realising an increase in the business and societal relations of the business. This is witnessed through an increase in market share, improved customer satisfaction and market penetration (Heath & Vasquez 2001).

Reference List

Bridges, JA & Nelson, RA 2000, “Issues Management: A Relation Approach”, in J Ledingham, & D Bruning (eds.), Public relations as relationship management a relational approach to the study and practice of public relations, Erlbaum, Mahwah.

Caywood, C 1997, The handbook of strategic public relations & integrated communications, McGraw-Hill, New York.

Cutlip, S, Center, A, & Broom, G 2005, Effective public relations 6th ed, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs.

Fitch, B 2004, Media relations handbook for agencies, associations, nonprofits, and Congress, TheCapitol.Net., Alexandria.

Grunig, J & Hunt, T 2004, Managing public relations, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York.

Heath, R & Vasquez, G 2001, Handbook of public relations, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks.

Heath, R 2010, The SAGE handbook of public relations 2nd ed, Sage Publications, Los Angeles.

James, R 2011, Public relations and marketing for archives: a how-to-do-it manual, Society of American Archivists, Chicago.

Lindsay, AR 2004, Marketing and public relations practices in college libraries, Association of College and Research Libraries, Chicago.

Marconi, J 2004, Public relations: the complete guide, South-Western, Mason.

Mickey, T 2003, Deconstructing public relations public relations criticism, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, Mahwah.

Scott, D2007, The new rules of marketing and PR: how to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing, & online media to reach buyers directly, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken.

Scott, D 2010, The new rules of marketing and PR: how to use social media, blogs, news releases, online video, & viral marketing to reach buyers directly 2nd ed, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken.

Smith, R 2002, Strategic planning for public relations, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah.

Thomlison, TD 2000, “An interpersonal primer with implications for public relations”, in J Ledingham, & D Bruning (eds.), Public relations as relationship management a relational approach to the study and practice of public relations, Erlbaum, Mahwah.

Wolfe, L 2005, Library public relations, promotions, and communications: a how-to-do-it manual (2nd ed.), Neal-Schuman Publishers, New York.