Stakeholders and Messages

• Transmitted through the communication process
  • Set of words or images 
  • Meaning of communication content as perceived or intended by the individual expressing it
  • Meaning attributed to it by those receiving it

• Objectives may include targets for increasing awareness of facts, encouraging more favourable attitudes, or changing behaviour
• Objectives may include getting messages across in the media

• May have strategy concerning messages
• May have a phased-message strategy

• Media
  • Media angles resonate with key messages
  • Spokespeople briefed on key messages
  • Media analysis includes analysis of messages in media coverage
• New Media
  • Starting conversations is key
  • Less emphasis on emphatic messaging

• What has your organisation previously stated?
• What are your competitors and or partners publically saying?
• What are your other publics?
• Perceptions about the topic, your organisation, your competitors, relevant issues?

• Understanding publics enables creation of meaningful messages
• Looking at different publics:
  • Make sure messages consistent
  • Make sure messages tailored to each public

• Four steps
  • Looking at existing perceptions of publics
  • Define shift desired
  • Identify elements of persuasion
  • Credible and deliverable
• Looking at different publics
  • Make sure messages tailored to each public
  • Make sure messages consistent
• Presentation of messages
  • Format - Words, pictures
  • Tone - Serious, light-hearted
  • Context and timing
  • Reception - Often or too much?
  • Credibility - Believable? Trustworthy?

Choo, G

'Publics and stakeholders used interchangeably'

'Having a stake or interest in an organisation'

'Stakeholders implies a closer relationship to the organisation that publics'

Difference between Publics and Stakeholders

Publics behaviour can be predicted and understood by analysing its perceptions of a certain situation

Useful for the PR in activating publics

• Hostility --> Sympathy
• Prejudice --> Acceptance
• Apathy --> Interest
• Ignorance --> Knowledge

• Starting point for all planned communications
• 1st stage strategic management based on environmental and situational analysis
• Broad understanding of the diversity and scope of stakeholders

• Starting point for all planned communications
• 1st stage strategic management based on environmental and situational analysis
• Broad understanding of the diversity and scope of stakeholders

• Range of audiences
  • Broad categories
    • Internal to organisation
      • Staff in different regions
    • External
      • Clients, consumers, donors, investors
    • Influencers
      • Journalists, experts
  • Distinct groups
    • Employees, media, government, suppliers, distributors, financiers, customers, community, competitors
  • Sub-groups

'An orgnaisation's relationships can be seen to have a vertical and horizontal dimension'

• Vertical
  • Supply chain relationships
• Horizontal
  • Collaborators and partners

• Geographic
  • Regional, national, international
• Geo-demographic
  • ACORN, Mosaic
• Demographic
  • Age, gender, socio-economic, socio-cultural
• Psychographic
  • Lifestyle, values
• Behavioural
  • Usage, benefit

Segmenting based on awareness and action

• Four types of publics:
  • Non-publics - No characteristics apply
  • Latent publics - Have a problem as a result of an organisation's action but unaware of it
  • Aware publics - Groups recognise problem but are not active
  • Active publics - Groups organise activity

• Apathetic
  • Disregard all issues/problems
• Single Issue
  • Active on a small set of issues/problems that has limited popular appeal
• Hot issue
  • Active on a single issue that has significant appeal
• All issue publics
  • Active across a wide range of issues

Specific Segments

• Reasons for focusing on particular segments
  • Profitability
  • Lack of competitor focus
  • Likelihood of success

Once Priortised Target Stakeholders

• Conduct futher research into attitudes and behaviours
• Learn more about the communication channels they use

Developed new approachs to stakeholder analysis, focused on stakeholders impact on the organsiation, their interests, expectations, needs and power (See Mind Map for Power/Interest Matrix)

• Power
  • Ability to influence others into following a course of action, sources of power include:
    • Hierarchy and status, charismatic leadership, control of resources, involvement in strategy implementation, possession of knowledge and skills, networks
• Interest
  • Desire to impress expectations on the organisational purposes and choice of specific strategies
• Predictability
  • Need to understand stakeholder predictability; if highly powerful but difficult to predict how they will react then stakeholders beocme difficult to manage; if highly powerful and predictable then their stance can be predicted and can be useful to the organisation
  • Need to build relationship and understanding to check out predictability

• Conduct further awareness to understand
  • Awareness levels, attitudes and behaviour
  • Use of communications
• Set objectives related to their awareness, attitudes or behaviours
• Develop messages that these publics will relate to
• Use communications that the publics engage with