DOCUMENT RESUME ED 423 572 CS 509 916 TITLE Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (81st, Baltimore, Maryland, August 5-8, 1988). Public Relations. INSTITUTION Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. PUB DATE 1998-08-00 NOTE 471p.; For other sections of these Proceedings, see CS 509 905-922. PUB TYPE Collected Works Proceedings (021)-- Reports - Research (143) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC19 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Advertising; *Computer Mediated Communication; Conflict Resolution; Curriculum Development; Females; Forestry; Health Services; Higher Education; *Information Dissemination; *Journalism; *Mass Media Role; Mass Media Use; Media Research; *Public Relations; *World Wide Web IDENTIFIERS Air Force; Technology Integration ABSTRACT The Public Relations section of the Proceedings contains the following 15 papers: "The World Wide Web as a Public Relations Medium: The Use of Research, Planning, and Evaluation by Web Site Decision-Makers" (Candace White and Niranjan Raman); "Enlightened Self Interest--An Ethical Baseline for Teaching Corporate Public Relations" (Patricia T. Whalen);, "Public Relations' Potential Contribution to Effective Healthcare Management" (Chandra Grosse Gordon and Kathleen S. Kelly); "Paychex PR: Does It Contradict the Excellence Study?" (Andrea C. Martino); "Exploring an IMC Evaluation Model: The Integration of Public Relations and Advertising Effects" (Yungwook Kim); "Public Relations and the Web: Measuring the Effect of Interactivity, Information, and Access to Information in Web Sites" (Michelle O'Malley and Tracy Irani); "Conflict Resolution: The Relationship between Air Force Public Affairs and Legal Functions" (James William Law); "Organizations and Public Relations: Institutional Isomorphism" (Hyun Seung Jin); "No, Virginia, It's Not True What They Say about Publicity's 'Implied Third-Party Endorsement' Effect" (Kirk Hallahan); "Searching for Excellence in Public Relations: An Analysis of the Public Relations Efforts of Five Forestry Companies in the U.S." (Kimberly Gill); "Fess Up or Stonewall? An Experimental Test of Prior Reputation and Response Style in the Face of Negative News Coverage" (Lisa Lyon and Glen T. Cameron); "Learning to Swim Skillfully in Uncharted Waters: Doris E. Fleischman, 1913-1922" (Susan Henry); "High Tech vs. High Concepts: A Survey of Technology Integration in U.S. Public Relations Curricula" (Patricia A. Curtin, Elizabeth M. Witherspoon, and Dulcie M. Straughan); "Women in the Public Relations Trade Press: A Content Analysis of 'Tide' and 'Public Relations Journal' (1940s through 1960s)" (Patricia Curtin and Karen S. Miller); and "Teaching Public Relations Campaigns: The Current State of the Art" (Vincent L. Benigni and Glen T. Cameron). (CR) PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR EDUCATION IN JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION (81st, Baltimore, MD, August 5-8, 1998). PUBLIC RELATIONS. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND Office al Educational Research and Improvement DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS ED ATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION BEEN GRANTED BY CENTER (ERIC) is document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization Originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reprOOUCtion Quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this docu- THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ment do not necessarily represent official INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) OERI position Or policy. 1 BEST COPy mum The World Wide Web as a Public Relations Medium: The Use of Research, Planning, and Evaluation by Web Site Decision-Makers Candace White, Ph.D. School of Journalism University of Tennessee Niranjan Raman, Ph.D. Department of Advertising University of Tennessee Presented to the Public Relations Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, August 8, 1998, Baltimore, MD. Direct inquiries to: Candace White, Assistant Professor 330 Communications Building University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 37996-0330 (423) 974-5112 [email protected] 3 The World Wide Web as a Public Relations Medium: The Use of Research, Planning, and Evaluation by Web Site Decision-Makers Abstract The World Wide Web is viewed as a new medium for public relations by many organizations.Given the evolving nature of the Web and the mixed findings about commercial successes of Web sites, little is known about the managerial aspects of Web site research, planning, and evaluation.This study found that in many cases, Web site planning is done by trial and error based on subjective knowledge and intuition, with little to no formal research and evaluation. Introduction The World Wide Web can be considered the first public relations mass medium in that it allows managed communication directly between organizations and audiences without the gatekeeping fimction of other mass media; content is not filtered by journalists and editors. Indeed, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide touts the Web as an ideal public relations medium (Gleason, 1997). It is a unique medium that affords new opportunities for organizations to reach and interact with stakeholders. Cross (1994) points out that businesses use the Web for not only advertising and marketing activities, but also to obtain feedback and improve public relations. Alba et aL (1997) theorize how electronic marketplaces might fimction and explore consumers, retailers, and manufacturers' motivations for playing an active role in such environments. Johnson (1997) notes that public relations practitioners use the Web to facilitate media relations, for employee communication, and government and investor relations as well as for customer and consumer relations. However, most academic research to date has focused on the "first-level effects" of the technology, defined by Sproull and Kiesler (1991) as the anticipated or potential 4 efficiency effects of the technology itself Likewise, professional seminars proliferate that advise organizations how to create a Web site, but few communication professionals are asking why. A review of articles from September 1994 to the present in Public Relations Tactics, a newsletter published by the Public Relations Society of America, found most articles about the World Wide Web fit into the following categories: designing and creating Web sites, media relations (posting and disseminating news releases, source- reporter relations, setting up media centers for crisis communication), publicizing web sites, and using the Web (to monitor competition, public opinion, news sites). Articles about setting up Web sites focused on design considerations, links and navigation, and software. Professional trade journals in advertising and marketing also focus primarily on the technological capabilities. (Computerworld [Seybold, 1996], however, cautions companies not to allow corporate public relations departments to control Web sites lest they become boring corporate brochures.) Marken (1995) advocates strategic thinking for creating Web sites and calls the Web the perfect channel for educating, informing and persuading organizations' diverse audiences, but focuses on site design. When the term "planning" is used in most articles about the Web, it is refers to planning what the site should look like and who will maintain it. This perspective does not take into account the needs of the audience with whom the organization wishes to communicate. In fact, most articles assume there is an audience ready and waiting. However, it must be recognized that the audiences for many organizations do not fit the profile of Web users, a fact that is often overlooked particularly by those in corporate and academic settings where Web access is common. 2 5 Commerce Net/Nielsen Media Research (1997) reports nearly 23 percent of about 220 million individuals over the age of 16 in the U.S. and Canada use the Internet. About 37 million individuals or 17 percent are Web users. While this number increases daily, it is still only a small portion of the public of most organizations. Research, planning, and evaluation The direct link between research, planning and evaluation and achieving effective public relations outcomes is well-documented (Broom and Dozier, 1990; Dozier and Ehling 1992; Kendall, 1996; Wilcox, Ault, and Agee, 1997). In a typical public relations planning process, formative research is conducted to define the problem clearly and to define publics or target markets. Objectives specify desired outcome, identify target audiences and state an expected level of attainment (Kendall, 1996). This step is followed by the formulation of message strategy and message testing before any communication is implemented. Gronstedt (1997) advocates an "outside-in" approach to planning which considers the behavioral and communication objectives of the audience and the "personal media network" for the target audience. Evaluative research is conducted after the communication campaign is executed (Wilcox et al. 1997). A similar exercise is followed for marketing and advertising. A budgeting exercise considering competition, objectives, and resources is conducted and a media plan and creative strategy are mapped out. A mechanism for assessing effectiveness of the program is also planned (Batra, Myers and Aaker 1996). With the Web becoming an important medium to reach stakeholders, it would seem apparent that Web site creation would follow a detailed and organized planning 3 6 effort equal to if not more than traditional communications planning. Thus