JOMC 434.001 Public Relations Campaigns Spring 2015

JOMC 434.001 Public Relations Campaigns Spring 2015

Mondays & Wednesdays 9:05-10:20 a.m.

Carroll Hall 143

Instructor: Marshéle Carter Waddell

Office: Carroll 261 (Faculty Lounge opposite Park Library)

Email:

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays by appointment

Course Overview and Goals

This course is your opportunity to demonstrate all that you’ve learned in previous classes, internships and jobs about the profession and practice of public relations. JOMC 434, Public Relations Campaigns, is designed to help you apply your cumulative knowledge and skills. You will develop an in-depth, systematic public relations campaign and present your proposal to an actual client.

By the end of the semester, you will:

• Understand more fully the complexities of planning a public relations campaign through individual and group work,
• Experience some of the challenges and rewards of working with a real client and creating a public relations campaign that proposes viable solutions to identified problems,
• Strengthen your teamwork skills by functioning as a member of a “mini agency,”
• Design, propose and carry out appropriate research to inform your campaigngoals, objectives, and strategy,
• Develop a realistic campaign theme, message, budget, timeline, and evaluation plan,
• Produce professional public relations materials that meet your client’s needs, strengthen your portfolio, and prepare you for employment.

Clients

The Carrboro Commons

The Carrboro Commons is a lab newspaper that serves the Carrboro community. It is produced by UNC JOMC students and is published twice monthly online during the academic year. It has a dual purpose of informing and entertaining the Carrboro community while giving journalism students hands-on, real-world experience.

The Durham VOICE

The Durham VOICE is a gang intervention community lab newspaper that serves the inner-city community of Northeast Central Durham. It is published twice monthly online and monthly in print in partnership with UNC JOMC faculty and students, area high schools and local youth NGOs.

Course Prerequisites

This is the capstone course of the public relations sequence. The prerequisites are Public Relations Principles (JOMC 137), Public Relations Writing (JOMC 232), and Case Studies in Public Relations (JOMC 431). Advertising and Public Relations Research (JOMC 279) is strongly recommended as background for this course, which places a great deal of emphasis on research. If you have not taken JOMC 279 yet, you should consider taking it first, or taking it at the same time as Public Relations Campaigns if your schedule permits.

Attendance

I expect you to attend all scheduled class periods (I will take attendance) and all team meetings (teams will take attendance). If you are late to class, there is no guarantee that you will be marked as present. Each unexcused absence will result in a 2-percent deduction from your final grade. If you know in advance that you will need to miss a class for reasons related to school or work activities (for example, job interview, conference, travel for athletes), please send me an email with confirmation of your participation in the activity as much in advance as possible. If you are ill, please send me an email before class to inform me. If you are absent more than one class period consecutively, I require a note from a health professional upon your return to class.

Use of Laptops and Other Technology

You are permitted to use laptops for note-taking, research, and other work as assigned in class. However, to minimize distractions to your classmates and to me, please minimize use of your laptop for non-class purposes. It’s particularly important to limit use of technology when we have visiting clients and guest speakers. They have made a special effort to visit with us and deserve our undivided attention. During these visits, do not text. Please limit your laptop use to note-taking. If this request is not honored, you will only receive only one warning. After one warning, each subsequent action will result in a zero for class participation for the day.

Required Readings

I expect you to come to class ready to discuss all assigned readings. You are not required to purchase a textbook for this course; however, I will assign and post readings to Sakai, primarily from Strategic Public Relations Management by Erica Weintraub Austin & Bruce E. Pinkleton, Developing the Public Relations Campaign: A Team-Based Approach by Randy Bobbitt and Ruth Sullivan, and Effective Public Relations by Glen M. Broom. In addition to Sakai, you can find these publications on reserve at Park Library as well as e-books in the UNC library system.

Grading Scale

Points correspond to letter grades as indicated below. Scores falling between point ranges will be rounded to the nearest whole number.

Letter grade / Points / Interpretation
A
A- / 95-100
90-94 / Highest level of attainment
B+
B
B- / 87-89
83-86
80-82 / High level of attainment
C+
C
C- / 77-79
73-76
70-72 / Adequate level of attainment
D+
D / 67-69
60-66 / Minimal passing level of attainment
F / Below 60 / Failed, unacceptable performance

Distribution of Points

Your success in this class will depend on your individual performance and your contribution as a member of a team. Points for some team assignments are further broken down into points assigned by instructor and the client. In addition, your teammates will evaluate your contributions to the group. The average of these two peer scores will be applied toward your final grade.

Breakdown
Assessments / Points / Instructor / Client / Peers
Individual work (30 points)
Attendance / 15 / 15
Participation in class discussions/exercises / 15 / 15
Team work (60 points)
Research proposal outline / 5 / 5
Research report – presentation / 10 / 10
Research report – written / 15 / 10 / 5
Campaign plan – presentation / 15 / 10 / 5
Campaign plan – written / 15 / 10 / 5
Peer evaluations (10 points)
Mid-semester / 5 / 5
End of semester / 5 / 5
TOTAL / 100 / 75 / 15 / 10

Assignments

Assignments should be completed by the start of the class session on which they are due unless otherwise noted. Written assignments must be single-spaced with 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Use “Assignments” on Sakai to turn in reaction papers and other individual work. Late assignments will receive a reduced grade, unless you have a valid reason and have made prior arrangements with me. Details for specific assignments will be discussed in class and/or posted on Sakai.

Research proposal outline/materials (5% of total grade)

Your first team assessment involves proposing research to help you develop a plan to meet the needs of your client and key audiences. Research proposals should include background research (what is known about the company, the issue, target audiences, and previous efforts); your recommendations for primary research; survey and interview questions you plan to use; and your work plan for obtaining research participants and conducting research. Specific guidelines will be provided in class. You will NOT be allowed to begin your research until you have obtained approval from me and (as needed) from the client.

Research report (25% of total grade)

Your team will present to the class (10%) and submit a written report (15%) of the findings of the research you conducted. At this point, you should be prepared to discuss preliminary campaign ideas that are suggested by research findings. Specific guidelines will be provided in class. Client evaluations will be part of the grade for the written report.

Campaign plan (30% of total grade)

Your team will present (15%) to the client and class and submit a written campaign plan (15%) that represents the best possible solutions your team has developed to meet your client’s needs. Your plan must include 1) a review of the client’s needs, relevant literature, and the major findings of your research, 2) a communication matrix to summarize target audiences and their needs, 3) goals/objectives and strategies, timeline, budget, and evaluation plan, and 4) ready-to-use pieces (for example, press releases, pitch letters, social media content, etc.) and other communication tools that support campaign objectives. Specific guidelines will be provided in class. Client evaluations of your plan and presentation will be part of the grades for your team’s presentation and written report.

Peer evaluations (10% of total grade)

You will evaluate the performance of each group member after you have completed your research report mid-semester and again at the end of the semester after you have turned in your final campaign plan. Peer evaluation forms will be posted on Sakai under Resources.

NO FINAL EXAM! Your campaign plan and presentation areyour final exam. Your ability to develop a well-researched, creative, and feasible plan will be the evidence of your achievement of our course objectives.

ACEJMC Core Competencies

The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) requires that, irrespective of their particular specialization, all graduates should be aware of certain core values and competencies. This course is particularly relevant to the following competencies:

• Understand concepts and apply theories in the use and presentation of images and information;
• Think critically, creatively and independently;
• Conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work;
• Apply basic numerical and statistical concepts

The full list of competencies is available here:

Communication Policy

You are encouraged to e-mail me with any questions or comments you have throughout the semester. I will do my best to answer within 24 hours. If your e-mail relates to your group project, please copy your group members on the e-mail. It is your responsibility to check your e-mail and Sakai regularly for messages and updates.

The Honor Code

It is my duty to report any and all suspected Honor Code violations to the Student Attorney General. If you are not familiar with the Honor Code, please review it at . As stated in the Honor Code, “It shall be the responsibility of every student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve academic process or University student or academic personnel acting in an official capacity.”

A special note about plagiarism: The Instrument of Student Governance at UNC defines plagiarism as “deliberate or reckless representation of another’s words, thoughts, or ideas as one’s own without attribution in connection with submission of academic work, whether graded or otherwise.” Copying-and-pasting from online sources without citing the source from which you obtained the content is clearly an instance of plagiarism. However, it may also be plagiarism if you rely too heavily on the structure and reasoning of another piece (for example, if you rely too much on swapping out synonyms or making only very superficial changes to content that is not yours). This type of extensive paraphrasing is not acceptable in this course, which requires you to demonstrate original thinking and analysis. If you have any questions about whether your use of reference material is appropriate, please see me. If any part of your work is judged by me and an independent faculty member to reflect inappropriate use of reference material, I reserve the right to adjust assignment and course grades downwards, in addition to reporting suspected violations as described in the preceding paragraph.

Students with Disabilities

If you have a diagnosed or suspected disability that you think might affect your performance in this course, you should contact the Department of Disability Services to determine whether and to what extent services or accommodations are available. If you think this might apply to you, please contact the Department of Disability Services at 962-8300 or visit the Department’s Website at Please understand that I’m not qualified or permitted under University policies to provide any disability-related accommodations without authorization from DDS.

Diversity

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is committed to equality of educational opportunity. The University does not discriminate in offering access to its educational programs and activities on the basis of age, gender, race, color, national origin, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. The Dean of Students (Suite 1106, Student Academic Services Building, CB# 5100, 450 Ridge Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5100 or [919] 966-4042) has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the University’s nondiscrimination policies.

JOMC 434.001Spring 2015 Weekly Schedule

[As of January 7, 2015, and subject to change]

Date / Topic, Assignments, Due Dates
Week 1 / Wed., Jan. 7 / Introduction and Course Overview: Syllabus Part 1 Expectations
Week 2 / Mon., Jan. 12
Wed., Jan. 14 / Course Overview: Syllabus Part 2 Calendar and Clients
Homework: “Where the Strategic Manager Begins: Taking Stock” (A&P)
The Act of Persuasion
Homework: Field Observation (1-2 hours either in Durham or in Carrboro) and a one- to two-page reflection paper of your experience due Wednesday, Jan. 21.
Week 3 / Mon., Jan. 19
Wed., Jan. 21 / No Class- Extra Credit Opportunity: Observe the local MLK March today and write a one-page reflection paper
An Overview of the Public Relations Campaign
Field Observation Discussion, Team Assignments
Homework: “Elements of the Campaign Recipe” (A&P) and
Write a one-page fact-finding and informal communication audit of your client. Include two thoughtful questions for client at end of reflection paper, due Monday, Jan. 26. Come to class Monday prepared to ask client two substantive questions.
Week 4 / Mon., Jan. 26
Wed., Jan. 28 / Meet the Client: The Carrboro Commons
In-class note-taking SWOT
Meet the Client: The Durham VOICE
In-class note-taking SWOT
Week 5 / Mon., Feb. 2
Wed., Feb. 4 / Client Visit Debrief and Park Library Research Overview
Homework: “Determining Research Needs: Developing the Research Plan” (A&P)
Pinpointing Insights in a Haystack of Data:
Guest Lecturer JoAnnSciarrino
Homework: Observe CC and DV staff 2-3:20 p.m.
Carroll Hall 268 (sign up for time slots)
Week 6 / Mon., Feb. 9
Wed., Feb. 11 / Preliminary Research
Homework: “Making Research Decisions: Informal Research Methods” (A&P)
Research Methods Overview:
Guest Lecturer Joe Cabosky
Homework: “Making Research Decisions: Formal Research Methods” (A&P)
Week 7 / Mon., Feb. 16
Wed., Feb. 18
Thurs., Feb. 19 / In-class Teamwork: Research Proposal and Design
In-class Teamwork: Research Proposal and Design
Research Proposal Outlines due at end of class
Homework: Observe CC and DV staff 2-3:20 p.m.
Carroll Hall 268 (sign up for time slots)
Campaigns, VOICE, Commons “Meet and Greet,” 6:30 p.m.
Linda’s on Franklin Street (optional)
Week 8 / Mon., Feb. 23
Wed., Feb. 25 / Fieldwork Week: Teams conduct approved research
No scheduled class
Fieldwork Week: Teams conduct approved research
No scheduled class
Week 9 / Mon., Mar. 2
Wed., Mar. 4 / Team Research Reports (Rehearsals in class)
Team Research Presentations to Client
Team Research Written Reports due
Mid-semester Peer Evaluations due
Homework: Observe CC and DV staff 2-3:20 p.m.
Carroll Hall 268 (sign up for time slots)
Week 10 / Mon., Mar. 9
Wed., Mar. 11 / Spring Break
Spring Break
Week 11 / Mon., Mar. 16
Wed., Mar. 18 / Goals and Objectives
Messages and Themes
Week 12 / Mon., Mar. 23
Wed., Mar. 25 / Team Workday
No scheduled class
Channels and Strategies
Week 13 / Mon., Mar. 30
Wed., Apr. 1 / From Goals to Strategies: The Campaign Roadmap
Campaign Plan DRAFT due
Week 14 / Mon., Apr. 6
Wed., Apr. 8 / Evaluation: Measuring Campaign Effectiveness
Campaign Evaluation DRAFT due
Week 15 / Mon., Apr. 13
Wed., Apr. 15 / Final Presentations/ Rehearsals (CC)
Instructor and Peer Feedback
Final Presentations/ Rehearsals (DV)
Instructor and Peer Feedback
End-of-semester Peer Evaluations due
Week 16 / Mon., Apr. 20
Wed., Apr. 22 / Final Presentations to Client (CC)
Final Presentations to Client (DV)
Final Exam / Tuesday, May
4:00 p.m. / Back-up Date for Final Presentations to Client or
Class Breakfast Debrief at Ye Olde Waffle Shop (my treat)

1