What really enlightened me was when Tanya gave the example going to the movies which I will explain. We might think that the only threats that Cathay may receive is through other movie companies like Golden Village or Shaw Brothers. However, that is only on the surface. Competitors and competition may not be that obvious. It could be caused by other factors, perhaps in an intangible form. For example maybe a potential movie-goer got a sudden migraine, that would stop the person from going to the movies, or even, if a potential movie-goer suddenly feels like staying home to watch his or her favourite DVD.

Public Relations is not a solution to everything. What it does is that it creates awareness, but it does not mean that people will get it. People still have a choice to choose if they want to go for it. You would have to push sales. PR works best when it is part of an integrated communication campaign and everything done must be sending out the same message.

There are nine steps to follow in preparing, implementing and evaluating a strategic public relation plan. They are:

Research can be done internally and externally. The internal research is generally done first as its least expensive and it works best when systems are in place for good record keeping.

You would have to analyze your results. Doing a SWOT analysis would be good as it offers a way of sorting and evaluating results.

When setting your PR goal, it should essentially be a broad one

Then when it comes to setting the objectives for your PR campaign, it will be specific. Use SMART as a guideline for your objectives. S-Specific, M-Measurable, A-Achievable, R-Results-oriented, T-Time frame for competition.

Your target audience is one of most important ingredient because without them, your campaign would not work. You might think that your campaign is the most important, people people out there don't care. They see many advertisements every day on buses, at bus stops that they don't even realize that they are "immune" to them. Ask yourself if the ad would interest you. If it does not, then forget it, move on to the next idea.

When developing a strategy, think of a range of options that might deliver the desired outcomes of the campaign.

Tactics are often seen as the "bread and butter" skills of PR, i.e. writing, pitching, liaising, arranging and organizing. There are many kinds of tactics that can be used. For example, personal contact, presentations, videoconferencing, printed and digital publications, special events, logos and branding and many more.

Monitoring is done during the campaign.

Evaluating is done after the campaign.

I am glad to have learnt these and to be able to share this with others.