Establishing a Public Relations Committee

What is “Public Relations?”

• Term first used by US President Thomas Jefferson in address to Congress in 1807

A Definition of PR

• “Public Relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interest of an organization followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.”

– Edward Bernays, early PR theorist

A Definition of PR

• Bernays never deviated from his fundamental axiom to "control the masses without their knowing it."

PR vs. Advertising

• Advertising is a non-personal form of promotion that is delivered through selected media outlets that, under most circumstances, require the marketer to pay for message placement.

PR vs. Advertising

• Cost—Advertising is EXPENSIVE; PR is essentially NO-COST

• Creative control vs. no control

Example

• Corporations—support of sales–Tobacco industry• “Torches of Liberty Contingent”—

1929 New York Easter Parade with women smoking• Product placement—TV shows,

movies, etc.

Example

• Non-profits—support of fund-raising and participation

• Politicians—attract votes; raise money; support policies–Press conferences–Town meetings–Press releases

PR Can Benefit Freemasonry

• Direct support of our “vision”• Help prospective members “find

the door”• Promote positive rather than

negative image

Audience Targeting

• Market research–“Soccer moms”–“Nascar dads”

The Press Release

• Written statement distributed to the media

• Fundamental tool of public relations

• Must be newsworthy• Used properly, extremely

effective

Press Release Format

• Who is sending the message / contact information

• The words “For Immediate Release” and the date

• A headline or title

Press Release Format

• A lead (leade) that encapsulates the entire story in the first sentence

• Background information in the last paragraph

• Some sort of symbol indicating the end (### or -end-)

Valley Example

Use of the Internet

• Optimized press release• Carefully selected key words• Attractiveness to search engines

Use of the Internet

• Proper headlines• Text links• Landing pages

Spin and “Spin Doctors”

• Selectively presenting facts and quotes to support one’s position (“cherry picking”)

• Non-denial denial

Spin and “Spin Doctors”

• Phrasing in a way that assumes unproven truths

• Euphemisms to disguise or promote one’s agenda

• Ambiguity

Spin and “Spin Doctors”

• Skirting• Rejecting the validity of

hypotheticals• Out-and-out denial• “Spin Doctors”–Bill O’Reilly—“The No-Spin Zone”

Managing Language

• Choose words with proper connotation–Death tax vs. estate tax–Climate change vs. global warming

Managing Language

• Masonic buzz words–Secret–Cult–Men only

Playing Up Weaknesses

• “Any publicity is good publicity”

Playing Up Weaknesses

• Jessica Simpson–Chicken of the Sea• “Is this chicken, what I have, or is this

fish? I know it’s tuna, but it says, “Chicken by the Sea.”

–Liquid Ice• “Is it really liquid, or is it ice?”

Managing Mistakes

• Gerber, 1986–Glass in food

• Tylenol, 1986–Cyanide poison

• Exxon, 1989–Prince William Sound oil spill

Managing Mistakes

• Dick Cheney, 2006–Hunting accident

• Jet Blue, 2007–February snowstorm–Passenger Bill of Rights

• O.J. Simpson, 2007 –Book, “If I Did It”

Branching Out

• The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about at all

• Celebrities–Authoring children’s books–Celebrity restaurants, car

dealerships, etc.

Masonic Branching Out

• Partnering with major corporations–Disney• National Treasure: Book of Secrets

–Golf tournament sponsorship• Liberty Mutual, Food Lion

Masonic Branching Out

• Use of philanthropies–RiteCare–Scottish Rite Scholarships– JROTC Medals

Establish a PR Committee

• Each Valley–Coordinate and work with Orient

Committee

• Finding the right people—especially the Chairman–Contact with the media–Energy

The UltimatePublic Relations Secret

Think Like a Reporter!!!

Establishing a Public Relations Committee