Public Relations Campaigns
PRAD 337 – Section 101 – Fall 2014
Tuesdays and Thursdays – 1-2:30 pm – Byrne Hall Room 551
Instructor: Jim Motzer
[email protected]
Phone: Office – 312-362-7607; Cell – 773-209-5011
Office: 14 E. Jackson, Room 1247 (am) and SAC 589 (pm)
Office hours: Tue and Thu 9-10 am (Loop) and 3-4 pm (LPC) and by appointment
COURSE OVERVIEW
Public Relations Campaigns is designed to help students develop a thorough understanding of
the PR campaign planning process. The expectations and standards for the course will be
consistent with those in a professional public relations environment.
The course combines a theoretical overview of public relations with practical guidelines for
designing strategic public relations programs for clients or sponsoring organizations. Working in
teams, students will replicate the agency new business process by competing to develop a
winning PR campaign that best addresses a communication issue facing a real-world client.
Students will bring together knowledge from past courses as they research the client’s situation,
organization and key publics; develop campaign objectives, and strategies; formulate campaign
messages; select effective PR tactics; and create an implementation and evaluation plan for the
campaign. This includes making a final client presentation
METHODOLOGY AND OBJECTIVES
This course relies heavily on individual and group assignments, and the critique and review of
these assignments both by the instructor and peers. Classes will be divided between lecture,
class discussion and student presentations.
Objectives for the course include:
• Understanding the nine-step campaign development process
• Providing an experience in workplace teamwork by communicating openly and
diplomatically, developing a sense of accountability, demonstrating leadership with
cooperative behaviors, and practicing consensus-building skills for the good of the campaign
• Delivering an experience in workplace competition, offering a “real world” lesson in pitching
“real world” clients, and learning by comparing campaigns developed by other teams
• Enhancing students’ critical thinking skills in analyzing the effectiveness of public relations
campaigns.
• Fostering an understanding of the expected professional standards, ethics, and legal
considerations in the modern public relations field
TEXTBOOKS AND READINGS
Textbook chapters and PR campaign case studies posted on D2L are assigned to complement,
not replicate the curriculum covered in class lectures and discussion. The textbook is:
1 •
Smith, R. D. (2013). Strategic planning for public relations (4th ed.). New York:
Routledge.
In addition, students are expected to stay current with business and other PR-related news
which will also be discussed in class. Students cannot expect to make the news with their PR
campaigns without staying current with news and popular culture.
ASSIGNMENTS
For each assignment, I will distribute a sheet with instructions, a grading rubric, and instructions
on how to submit your work (dropbox or hardcopy). Please use Microsoft Word (11 or 12-point
font) with 1.5 line spacing and PowerPoint. Please do not submit PDF files to the dropbox.
All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date indicated in the week-by-week
table. Late assignments will be subject to grade penalties of 10% for each day late as marked
by the D2L stamp. Students are responsible for all assignments given during an absence.
Make-up exams and work are not available without prior instructor permission.
1. Class Attendance
Your success in this course will depend on attending class. Students are allowed one
unexcused absence during the quarter. Other absences will affect your attendance grade
unless approved by the instructor. Approved absences may include severe illness, funeral
of an immediate family member, or other event with a non-negotiable date such as an
emergency surgery or student athlete competition.
2. Reading Bullets and/or Discussion Participation
Keeping up with the assigned readings is essential for participating in the class discussion.
While I will make every effort to encourage class participation, my experience is some
students are reluctant to contribute to the discussion. To ensure everyone feels they can
succeed, students have the opportunity to earn two points based on the following options for
each grading period (outlined below):
• Contribute two significant insights to class discussion
• Submit hardcopy of two reading bullets as outlined in the class schedule
• Contribute one significant insight and submit hardcopy of one set of reading bullets
Grading periods and bullet due dates are as follows:
• Tuesday, September 16, and Thursday, September 18
• Tuesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 25
• Tuesday, September 30, and Tuesday, October 7
• Thursday, October 9, and Tuesday, October 14
• Thursday, October 30, and Tuesday, November 4
To receive credit, students must submit at least five bullets about the textbook or D2L
readings including:
• Key points which you may want to apply to your final PR campaign project
• Questions you have about the text or PR campaign cases
• Something in the chapter or PR campaign cases you’d like to further research.
• What were the most memorable quotes from the book or D2L reading?
Bullets are due as outlined in the course schedule and late bullets will not be accepted.
Bullets must be significantly different than the textbook’s chapter summaries.
2 Active class participation involves more than physical presence since the learning process
not only occurs between instructor and student, but also among students. We’ll begin each
class with a discussion of the assigned readings and current news topics with PR
implications so you have plenty of opportunities to contribute to the class discussion.
3. Online Quiz – due Thursday, October 2 by 1:00 pm.
After the first several weeks of class, students will be assigned a brief (D2L) take-home quiz
that will cover the assigned readings and lectures through Tuesday, September 30. The
quiz will be active after class on September 30 and is due by the beginning of class on
Thursday, October 2.
4. Midterm Exam – Take-home, due in dropbox, Thursday, October 16, at 1:00 pm.
The midterm exam will cover all readings and lectures through Tuesday, October 14.
5. Engaging Social Media Campaign Presentation, Thursday, October 23
Outside of class, student groups will identify an engaging social media campaign (not listed
on the syllabus), and research and develop a presentation on the campaign. Absent
students will earn a zero for the presentation so please plan accordingly.
6. Public Relations Campaign Project
Throughout the quarter, students will replicate the agency new business process by
competing to develop a PR campaign that best addresses a communication issue facing a
real-world client, including making a final presentation to the client. The instructor will
identify two client-based communications issues and randomly divide the class into six
student teams. Three teams will focus on each communications issue and the “winning”
team will be selected by the client, instructor and potentially other professionals.
To keep on track, student teams will meet with the instructor outside of class three
times to share their progress verbally and in writing (PPT document) with key campaign
development tasks. All students in the team must be present at meetings which will last
about one hour except for the client questioning session (20 minutes). In addition, students
will submit a program PPT draft of formative research and objectives. Key dates include:
• Formative research (analyzing the situation, organization, and publics) and objectives
PPT document due in the group dropbox Friday, October 3, by 5:00 pm. This will
include your plan for original research which is required.
• Client Questioning Session (at client’s convenience) – between October 6-10
o Team and instructor check-in with client by phone for 20 minutes to ask questions and
pre-sell research conclusions, strategies and messages. This will be the only
opportunity for teams to connect with the client.
o Students will submit questions via email by 9 am the day before the call.
o Students to identify potential dates for instructor to schedule call by Sept. 23.
• Strategy, messaging, and tactics meeting – on or before Friday, October 24.
• Presentation Rehearsal (including timetable) – schedule between Wednesday,
October 29, and Wednesday, November 5
• Client presentations (three per class) – November 11 and 13. Because the final
presentations involve clients, no make-up presentations are available. For final
presentations, students will receive two grades: team and individual. I will assign the
team grade and the individual grade will be an average of your teammates’ feedback.
Student teams are responsible for scheduling meetings with instructor. Teams that
miss deadlines for check-in meetings will receive a 5-point penalty per day.
7. Pitch Letter and Subject Line Exercise – due Thursday, October 30, by 1:00 p.m.
3 The writing tests for many public relations firms require writing a pitch letter which oftentimes
is not emphasized in PR writing courses. You will have several pitch options and you will
use the format outlined in class.
8. Extra Credit
Students have the opportunity to earn up to four extra credit points added to their final grade
average for the quarter based on one assignment. Students may also earn extra credit
points for an outstanding performance in an in-class team presentation. Extra credit will be
assigned on Tuesday, November 18, and will be due at 2 pm on Thursday, Nov. 20, which is
the end of the regularly scheduled final exam period.
There will be no final exam.
GRADING ALLOCATION
• Attendance – 10%
• Readings bullets and participation – 15%
• Online quiz – 5%
• Midterm exam – 15%
• Engaging Social Media Campaign Group Presentation – 10 %
• 8% team and 2% individual
• PR Campaign Project – 40%
• Formative research and objectives PPT document – 5%
• Client questioning session – 5%
• Strategy, messaging and tactics check-in – 5%
• Presentation rehearsal – 5%
• Final client presentation – 20%
o 15% team and 5% individual
7. Pitch letter and subject line exercise – 5%
Grading Scale
A
AB+
B
B-
93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
C+
C
CD+
D
COURSE SCHEDULE
F
Wk Date
1
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
60-66
Below
Class Topics
Thur • Introductions
9/11 • Review course outline
• Assign PR Campaign
teams
• Lecture/discussion
o Public relations and
advertising
o Four stages of a
strategic PR campaign
o Ethical standards
Readings
Deadline/ Schedule Mtg
Student groups
select PR campaign
for in-class group
exercises
4 Tue • Distribute Campaign briefs
9/16 • Discussion: Reading &
Smith
• Introduction pp. 1-18
• Ethics – Appendix B, pp.
410-415
• Research – Step 1, pp.
19-27 and 38-40
• Research--Step 2, pp.
41-56
D2L
• Dreyer’s Creates Smiles;
Trojan Vibrations; Xbox
One launch
• Reading bullets
(hardcopy)
Thur • Discussion: Reading &
9/18
news Lecture/discussion
Smith
• Research – Step 3, pp.
57-78 and 84-92
D2L
• Depend Great American
Try-on; Hallmark
#birthdayfail
• Reading bullets
(hardcopy)
Schedule Client
Questioning
Session by Sept 23
news
• Lecture/discussion
o Research – analyzing
the situation/issue
• Nine-step case –
Dreyer’s Creates
Smiles
o Research – analyzing
the organization
o Issues/crisis
management cases
2
o Analyzing the publics
o Passive audience cases
• In-class group exercise:
Communications Issue and
SWOT analysis
Wk Date
2
Class Topics
Tue • Discussion: Reading &
9/23
news
• Lecture/discussion
o Applied research
methods
o Research cases
3
Readings
Smith
• Appendix A – pp.
361-385; pp. 389-401
D2L
• America’s Flannelest
Cities; Food Dialogues
Deadline/ Schedule Mtg
• Reading bullets
(hardcopy)
Schedule Client
Questioning
Session by Sept 23
Thur • Discussion: Reading &
9/25
news
• Reading bullets
Smith
• Step 4, Establishing
(hardcopy)
• Lecture/discussion
objectives, pp. 93-97;
100-112
o Strategy--Establishing
objectives
D2L
o “Defined objectives” and • Wendy’s Pretzel Bacon
multicultural cases
Cheeseburger; Hispanics
• In-class exercise: Publics
Oral Health Care
analysis
Tue • Discussion: Reading &
9/30
news Lecture/discussion
o Proactive & reactive
strategies
o Newspeg cases
• In-class exercise: Writing
SMART objectives
Smith
• Step 5 – Proactive &
reactive strategies pp.
113-145; 166-171
D2L
• Dos Equis Dos de Mayo;
Gillette Shaves the Man
of Steel; Scope Bacon
• Reading bullets
(hardcopy)
• Online quiz
activated
Research/
objectives PPT
document in
dropbox due Friday
10/3
5 4
Thur • Discussion: Reading &
10/2
news
M
• Lecture/discussion
Smith
• Step 6 – Message
strategies, pp. 178-196
Ethos
–
Message
D2L
o
• Axe Showerpooling;
sources
Logos
–
Reason
AT&T Texting & Driving
o
Corporate
social
Can Wait (2010 & 2013);
o
responsibility (CSR) and
Fresh Look at Frozen
message cases
Food
• In-class exercise: Theme
Verbiage and Proactive &
reactive strategies
Tue • Discussion: Reading &
10/7
news Lecture/discussion
Smith
• Step 6 – Message
strategies, pp. 196-212
D2L
• Purple Purse: Allstate &
Domestic Violence
• Reading bullets
(hardcopy)
Client Questioning
Session 10/6-9
Thur • Brainstorming creative
10/9
tactics
Smith
• Creativity – pp. 219-224
• Step 7–Tactics, pp.
225-245; 255-263
• Reading bullets
(hardcopy)
Client Questioning
Session 10/6-9
Smith
• Step 7–Tactics, pp.
264-289
D2L
• Edelman – Paid Media
• Defron – 10 Steps To
Reinvent Media Strategy
• Starbucks Earth Month;
Netflix Binge; ZYRTEC
Allergy Face
• Reading bullets
(hardcopy)
• Midterm exam
assigned
o Pathos – Emotion
o Branding/campaign
theme
• Guest Lecturer: Christine
Pietro, FleishmanHillard,
Purple Purse
5
o Lisa Claybon, SVP,
FleishmanHillard
Tue
10/14
Wk Date
6
• Online quiz due
Research/
objectives PPT
document in
dropbox due Friday
10/3
• Engaging social
media campaign
group presentation
assigned
• Discussion: Reading &
news Lecture/discussion
o Selecting tactics
o Packaging tactics
o PESO strategy
• Storytelling cases
• In-class exercise: Key
Messages and Tactics
Class Topics
Readings
Thur • Class time to work on PR
10/16
Tue
10/21
• Midterm exam due
Campaigns
o Team meetings cannot
be scheduled
• Social media guest
lecturer: Jeremy Mullman,
Olson Engage
Deadline/ Schedule Mtg
D2L
• Dunder Mifflin Scranton
Super Bowl
Strategy,
messaging and
tactics group mtg
by Fri, 10/24
6 7
Thur • Discussion: Reading &
10/23
news
• Group presentations:
Engaging social media
campaigns
• Lecture/discussion
o Social media cases
Tue
• Class time to work on PR
campaigns
10/28
8
9
Thur • Discussion: Reading &
10/30
news Lecture/discussion
o Implementing the
strategic plan
o Evaluation research
o Results cases
o In-class exercise:
Evaluation
Tue
11/4
• Discussion: Reading &
news Lecture/discussion
o Media pitching
o Media relations cases
• Social media
campaign PPT due
(dropbox) Wed,
Oct 23 by 9 am
Strategy,
messaging and
tactics group mtg
by Fri, 10/24
Smith
• Step 8 – pp. 304-318
• Step 9 – Evaluation
research, pp. 329-358
D2L
• Coppertone sunscreen
grade; Clorox Ick
• Reading bullets
(hardcopy)
Final rehearsal
group mtg
10/29-11/5
D2L
• Chapter 5 – PR writing
and media techniques
• Taco Bell launches Cool
Ranch Doritos Tacos
• Reading bullets
(hardcopy)
• Pitch exercise
assigned
Final rehearsal
group mtg
10/29-11/5
Thur • Class time to work on PR
11/6
campaigns
Tue
11/11
10
D2L
• U by Kotex Generation
Know; Dunder Mifflin
Scranton Super Bowl
• Pitch letter &
subject line
exercise due
• Groups 1-3 present
campaigns (HanesBrands
CSR – MSLGroup)
Thur • Groups 4-6 present
11/13
campaigns (Fruttare –
GOLIN)
Tue
• In-class exercise: Key
course takeaways
• Extra credit assigned
• PR campaign de-brief by
group
11/18
NO FINAL EXAM: Extra Credit due in dropbox on Thursday, Nov. 20, by 2 pm
Scheduling changes will be announced in class and posted on D2L.
CLASS POLICIES
Students will be treated as you can expect to be treated in the work place. As an adult
professional you will be expected to be on the job on-time every day and responsible for your
own performance. Students are expected to turn off all cell phones in the classroom. Students
who leave while the class is in session will be marked as absent except in the case of extreme
emergency as defined by student and instructor.
Technology-Assisted Learning Policy
7 You are welcome to use computers to take notes in class. If you are seen using your computer
in class for another purpose, you will have to take notes by hand for the rest of the course.
Desire to Learn (D2L)
I will use the class D2L site as the primary method of communication with you. On D2L, I will
post assessment criteria for all assignments, additional readings, and the Powerpoint slides for
all lectures by 10 p.m. the night before class sessions. Please become familiar with the site and
check it often.
Writing
Strong writing and grammar skills including accurate spelling and correct punctuation are
essential to succeed in the public relations field. Errors undermine the thoughtfulness and
credibility of your documents and will have a negative impact on your grade for an assignment.
DePaul students looking to enhance their writing skills have a great resource in the Writing
Center. You may schedule 30 or 50-minute appointments to review your assignments or receive
other free writing assistance. Visit http://www.depaul.edu/writing/. In some cases, extra credit
points may be available for students who work with the Writing Center.
Academic Integrity Policy
Violations of academic integrity, in any of their forms, are detrimental to the values of DePaul.
Plagiarism is a serious form of violation of this standard. Plagiarism involves the deliberate
taking and use of specific words and ideas of others without proper acknowledgement of the
sources. For more information on plagiarism and acceptable paraphrasing, visit: http://
www.academicexperts.us/dl/Plagiarism.pdf
Plagiarism of academic work will result minimally in the instructor assigning the grade of “F” for
the assignment or examination. In addition, all instances of academic dishonesty must be
reported to the appropriate persons within the university. Please refer to the DePaul’s Academic
Integrity Policy for additional guidelines.
Guest speakers
During the quarter, several guest speakers who are leaders in their fields will share their
insights. Please grant them the respect and attention they deserve, which will also reflect well
on DePaul. Take full advantage of the opportunity: familiarize yourself with their work before
class; take notes during their presentations; ask thoughtful questions; introduce yourself after
class and invite them to be part of your professional network.
Accommodations
Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should
contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussion will remain
confidential. To ensure that you receive the most reasonable accommodation based on your
needs, please contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first
two weeks of the course) and contact the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD), #370,
Student Center, LPC, 773-325-1677, for support and additional services. Please notify the CSD
with your request in advance of a particular test, assignment or event.
Dean of Students Office
The Dean of Students Office (DOS) helps students in navigating the university, particularly
during difficult situations, such as personal, financial, medical, and/or family crises. Absence
Notifications to faculty, Late Withdrawals, and Community Resource Referrals, support students
both in and outside of the classroom. Additionally we have resources and programs to support
health and wellness, violence prevention, substance abuse and drug prevention, and LGBTQ
8 student services. We are committed to your success as a DePaul student. Please feel free to
contact the office at http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/dos/.
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