Just do it, use social media!

We have already been talking pretty much about social media in this blog, but I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help it.

I found an interesting article about the differences between brand marketing and PR. Here is a clear summary of those differences

And then I found a nice blog ,written by a former Australian PR expertist, in which the differences between marketing and PR are discussed in the point of view of social media usage. I find that blog on the whole quite interesting, so need to check if there is something more to write about too.

Anyhow, about the social media and PR the blogger, Grant Common, is writing that social media means both opportunity and challenge for PR. It should be a natural extension of the PR already being done and besides it gives an opportunity to consolidate PR’s role in the organization. The threat on the contrary is if the marketing department takes the social media for itself. If that happens there is a chance that possibility to use social media as tool to build stakeholder goodwill and dialogue may be undermined and it simply becomes another promotional tool.

Those different goals of using the social media can be read more carefully in that Grant’s blog. Besides, he writes in his text, the PR practitioners need to learn how to use the social media and how to become expert in it to get in under they control, not to lose it for the marketers. Well yeah, isn’t it that’s why we are blogging in this course?

Written by Akviliina

Nation Brand Index

The image that a country has is normally thought to have a huge importance. And sure it has it, is there some land that wouldn’t like to have a good reputation in the eyes of other countries. The Anholt-GFK Roper Nation Brands Index represents yearly a unique barometer of global opinion about the nation’s images and reputations. One can read on the website that “The NBI is a report card for countries, measuring the world’s perception of each nation as if it
were a public brand. ”

In other words, The Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands IndexSM measures the power and appeal of each country’s ‘brand image’ by examining six dimensions of national competence. The six dimensions are exports, governance, culture, tourism, people, immigration and investment and the average of the scores from these constitutes the NBI score of a nation.

More about the survey methodology can be read for example in the survey made year 2008.

Year 2008 in the Nation Brand Index Ranking, Germany ranked highest. Australia ranked 9th and the nation did best in the people index, that measures, for example, the general assessment of a people’s friendliness by whether respondents would feel welcome when visiting the country and whether respondents would like to have close friend from that country.

Well, yeah, who wouldn’t like to have a friend from down under?

And by the way, both Australia and New Zealand beat Finland in the NBI –ranking. We ranked first 17th.

Written by Akviliina

Control the flow!

While we are looking at Public Relations we must not forget the basics. Intern Communication is the link to 'good' Public Relations. Tayeb (1996) has categorized 4 different management styles styles with their corresponding traits concerning relationship towards subordinates and decision making.

1. Autocratic Manager
In relationship towards subordinates he has little confidence in subordinates and makes most of the decisions alone.

2. Benevolent Autocratic Manager
In relationship towards subordinates he patronizes the organizations and some decisions are allowed to be made by subordinates.

3. Consultative Autocratic Manager
In relationship towards subordinates h has confidence and trusts and the manager has final say but seeks views of subordinates before making an decision.

4. Participative Democratic Manager
In relationship towards subordinates he has complete trust and confidence in subordinates and decentralizes the decision making process.

The management style should be more of a leadership model if creativity is to be maximised. Several significant differences between management and leadership were compiled on the website of the institute for Management Excellence, (Management versus Leadership styles, 1996) these differences are extremes and should not be followed exactly.

Management characteristics are shown to be punishment, imposition of discipline, control, hierarchy, rigidity, control of information and no interest in new ideas, while the counterparts, of leadership are rewards, value of creativity, change, network, flexibility, information availability and the seeking art of new ideas.

Networking as a leadership quality will, however, build upon the relationships within the organization and encourage open communication. The relationship with, and between, people is important, as employees will then have the feeling that they can contribute ideas.

Written by Jitske