PR

1. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Public Relations:
Strategies and Tactics
11th Edition, Global Edition
Dennis L. Wilcox Glen T. Cameron Bryan H. Reber
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Chapter 9
Public Opinion: Role, Scope, and
Implications

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Chapter 9 Objectives
 Understand the implications of public opinion for public
relations
 Explain the crucial role of opinion leaders in public
discourse
 Describe key theories explaining the role of mass media
 Understand the pervasive role of persuasion in modern
life
 Enumerate key factors in persuasion
 Identify major considerations in conducting ethical
persuasive campaigns

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What is Public Opinion?
 Elusive and difficult to measure
 The collective expression of opinion of many
individuals bound into a group
 Formed by people who have a vested or self-
interest in an issue
 Opinion is determined by self-interest

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Opinion Leaders and Catalysts
 Opinion leaders serve as catalysts
for the formation of public opinion
through their knowledge and ability
to articulate ideas about specific
issues
 Sociologists describe them as:
 Highly interested in a subject or issue
 Better informed on an issue than the
average person
 Avid consumers of mass media
 Early adopters of new ideas
 Good organizers who can get other
people to take action

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Types of Leaders
 Formal, or power opinion leaders
 Informal opinion leaders
 “Influentials” profiled as…
 Being active in the community
 Having a college degree
 Earning a relatively high income
 Regularly reading newspapers and magazines
 Actively participating in recreational activities
 Showing environmental concern by recycling

7. The Flow of Opinion
 Two-step flow theory
 Multiple-step flow model
 N-step theory
 Diffusion of innovation theory
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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The Role of Mass Media
 Via mass media, public relations practitioners
become major players in forming public opinion
 Often provide the mass media with the
information
 The following theories can help practitioners
understand mass media effects
 Agenda Setting Theory
 Media Dependency Theory
 Framing Theory
 Conflict Theory

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The Dominant View of
Public Relations
 Uses of persuasion
Change or neutralize
hostile opinions,
Crystallize latent
opinions and positive
attitudes and
Conserve favorable
opinions

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The Dominant View of
Public Relations, cont.
 Persuasion in negotiation
Organizations and publics want to position
themselves to be most influential
How can public relations help here?
Changes minds and behaviors or target audiences

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 Formulating persuasive messages
 Yes-yes
 Offer structured choice
 Seek partial commitment
 Ask for more, settle for less
The Dominant View of
Public Relations, cont.

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 Findings from Persuasion Research
 Positive appeals generally more effective
 Radio and TV more persuasive than print
 Strong emotional appeals best if audience has little
topical concern or interest
 Fear appeals effective only if audience can take
action to prevent threats
 Logical appeals are better for educated audiences
 Altruism can be a powerful motivator
 Celebrity spokespersons vary in effectiveness
The Dominant View of
Public Relations, cont.

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Factors in Persuasive
Communication
 Audience analysis
Demographics
Psychographics
 Source credibility
Ethos
The 3 factors
Problems with
celebrities

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 Appeal to self-interest
 Altruism and the idea of “something in return”
 People are motivated by 8 basic appeals
 Power
 Respect
 Well-being
 Affection
 Wealth
 Skill
 Enlightenment
 Physical and mental vitality
Factors in Persuasive
Communication, cont.

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Factors in Persuasive
Communication, cont.
 Clarity of message
 Timing and context
 Audience participation
 Suggestions for action

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Context and Structure of
Messages
 Drama
 Statistics
 Surveys and polls
 Examples
 Testimonials
 Endorsements
 Emotional Appeals

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The Limits of Persuasion
 Lack of message penetration
 Competing messages
 Self-selection
 Self-perception

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Ethics of Persuasion
 Johnannesen’s ethical criteria for using
persuasive devices
 Support claims with sound evidence and reasoning
 Do not misrepresent your level of expertise
 Only use relevant logical and emotional appeals
 Do not conceal your intentions to deceive the
audience
 Do not use half-truths to distort
 Do not oversimplify complex situations
 Be honest about uncertainties
 Do not advocate for something in which you do not
believe yourself

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Ethics of Persuasion, cont.
 A public relations professional should be more
than a “hired gun”
 Persuasive messages require truth, honesty,
and candor