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PR Audiences
Dr. Linda M. Perry

Public Relations Publications

  • Controlled media designed for priority publics and target audiences.
    • Targeting publics makes PR publications an effective tactic.
      • You must learn everything you can about your target public for each publication.
      • People read and view PR publications for specific information to meet specific needs.
        • Publications must be relevant to readers in design and content.
        • Relevance clues--verbal or visual--catches readers' attention
  • A PR publication's design is based on the publication's purpose, objectives and target public(s).
    • Must research target public to predict their design preferences and to tailor the message.
    • Key message must be clear and compelling.
      • Visual and verbal communication should reinforce each other.


Publics v. Audiences

  • Mass media effects are determined by our individual differences and social categories.
  • Publications managers must understand who their publics, priority publics and target audiences are to effectively communicate an organization’s message.

  • Publics
    • Publics: Groups of people who
      • are affected by or have an effect on the organization, and
      • share common concerns or goals.
    • Basic publics:
      • Active, aware or latent.
      • Events can mobilize latent publics to become active.
  • Publics can
    • emerge from geographic markets.
    • be defined by their roles and positions,
      • such as editor, home owner, student, community leader, manager, parent, alumni, arts patron.
    • be defined by their use of media:
      • subscribers, viewers or those exposed to messages.
      • be identified by their reactions to certain issues of concern to the organization.

  • Priority publics: Stakeholder publics to whom a public relations campaign, program or effort is aimed.
    • Include employees, stockholders, customers, activists and media representatives.
    • Described with demographics, psychographics & sociographics.

Target audiences:

  • Groups to whom messages are directed, groups you need to reach with a specific message.
    • Fliers, brochures, and advertisements are most often aimed at target audiences.
    • Websites are, too.
      • Publics merge in cyberspace.
    • Described with demographics, psychographics & sociographics.

Integrated communication

  • Managing communication to an organization's publics through various media.

Demographics

  • Facts about people that influence how they perceive messages
    • age, gender, race, family size, socioeconomic status, income, education, occupation and geographic information.
    • People are born with these characteristics, which change as they mature and change.
    • Most countries' demographics are constantly changing.

Psychographics

  • Psychological characteristics that influence the way people perceive messages.
    • Psychographics ([psycho]logy + demo[graphics]) behaviors, trends, cultures, and ways of thinking. 
    • Considers beliefs, attitudes and opinions,
      • whether deeply held parts of the personality, or fleeting and inconsequential.
    • Can be inferred from demographics.
    • Values and Lifestyles (VALS)
      • consumer segmentation system based on key attitudes and demographics.
      • VALS Types (take the VALS survey)

Sociographics

  • Sociological characteristics that influence the way publics perceive messages,
    • such as the groups that people belong to.
    • Can be inferred from demographics.

Message Design

  • Design and other communication decisions should be informed by target public’s shared characteristics,
    • although no group characteristic applies to all people in the group.
  • Creative Process
    • Formulate the purpose of the publication and set objectives for each target public.
    • List target audiences' characteristics
      • From that infer their information needs and design preferences.
    • Formulate key message and types of information to be included in the publication.
    • Find design solutions to best reach target audience.
      • Use the solutions consistently throughout the publication.

Diversity

  • Communicators need to be aware of the beliefs, attitudes and values of people with diverse backgrounds.
    • Especially in multicultural societies such as Singapore.
  • Must learn the cultural nuances of publics in order to communicate effectively with them.
    • "Talk their language" and represent their lifestyles.
  • Substantial differences within groups.
    • For each minority group
      • Communications designed specifically,
      • Ideas pre-tested, and
      • Media-use understood.

 

Your projects

  • Must know your organization’s publics (research project)
    • Especially priority publics
    • Demographics
      • Use the resources listed below.
  • For each publication
    • Target specific audiences
    • Explain their demographics & infer their preferences (justification or creative brief)
    • Set objectives for each one.

Selected resources