 Planning is such an important part of public relations, it is useful to understand the different requirements of an event, a campaign, and a programme. An event is a one-shot occurrence. It happens in one time frame-an hour, a day, or perhaps as long as a week-and it serves one prime purpose with one or more selected publics. The deciding factor may be the types of objectives desired by the client: - Communication, - accuracy, - understanding, - agreement, and - complementary objectives.

 Planning is good for you!  Planning helps clarify your intentions  Planning Starts with a Mission Statement  Target Audiences  Communication Objectives for an Event  Objectives for a Campaign  Objectives for a Programme Refer to guide

 TYPES OF CAMPAIGN There are three kinds of movement, programme or campaign Larson in Rensburg and Cant (2009:200).  The politically oriented campaign  The product- or service-oriented campaign  The ideological, issue- or cause-oriented campaign

 Stages of effective campaigns On pages of your prescribed text book the following is listed, you are required to familiarise yourself with each of them.  Identification  Legitimacy  Participation  Penetration  Distribution  Sample objectives for campaigns and strategies: Make your objectives: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Timely (S.M.A.R.T) where possible. For instance, your objectives may be related to:  Increasing stakeholder awareness  Improving team efficiency and productivity  Gaining management sponsorship and buy-in  Changing the perception of your team  Improving team culture and behaviour.

 Planning the campaign Include the following steps in your action plan:  Consultations and meetings  Layout and design  Conceptualization  Copywriting and editing  Imagery development  Mock-ups  Compilation of the campaign Guideline to write a campaign (refer to guide)

 SELECTING CHANNELS AND MEDIA  During the planning of a campaign or a program, part of the analysis of each key public should include such questions as: Where do members of our key publics get their information? Which media do they rely upon to make decisions about what is important and how to behave? Which channels provide the two-way communication that enables key publics to provide information to our organisation about their needs and concerns?  Another level of analysis focuses on the characteristics of each medium and their relationship to the campaign or programme: Which media allows us to get our point of view across most effectively? Which media are best suited to the information requirements of our campaign, such as the presenting of visual images, the need for two-way communication, or the ability to tell a story in depth? Which media are most cost-effective for this type of information?

 BUDGETS  Operating budget : Forecast the goods and services the organisation expects to consumer.  Financial budget : A detailed estimate for the amount and organisation expects to spend during the budget period and where the funds come from.  PR budget : Administrative costs (salaries, benefits) and programme costs (event, publications), production costs, suppliers.  Standing Plans : (Policies, Procedures and Rules) Programmable decisions call for standard and consistent response.  Policies : Guidelines for decision making Procedures: Detailed guidelines for implementing policy decisions.  Rules : Specify action to be taken in a particular situation DO’s & DONT’S of a budget / case study (refer to guide)

 Nothing goes for free, so also effective PR does not come cheaply. Certainty of programmes and sellable ideas invariably ease the task of costing campaigns.  The major areas of costing in PR include:  Prints and production,  Exhibition,  Workshops and seminars,  Media briefings  Conferences,  Advertising,  Transportation,  Sponsorship,  Supplements and media coverage

A good budgeting plan may address the problems, objective, public, strategy, media, message and anticipated result. There should also be a time frame for each budgeted activity.  Consultancy Budget The charges for consultancy services vary from one organisation to the other. But specifically for a long-time PR campaign, the considerations for the budget include advisory fees which are charged after the firm has accepted the service. The consultants charge the expenses to cover the days or hours of attending meetings, its research and the submission of the report. Example of budget (refer to guide)

 In-house Budget The in-house PR practitioner submits annual budget which, after consideration, the fund involved is released quarterly or monthly to the office to carry out its activities. Some programmes which are periodical or exceptional and extraordinary are funded at the appropriate time. On the need, request may be made from the approved budget estimate to take care of events and programmes as they unfold.  Budget Defence  Publications  Corporate items  Media activities  Equipment  Advertisement  Editorial board meeting  Information technology  Human resources management Example of a Budget breakdown (refer to guide)