Outline

Overview

This core unit of study analyses corporate communication strategy selection in organisations to determine effectiveness. Students examine the strategic intent of a national or international corporation by studying its corporate communication tactics, specifically its annual reports and other marketing collateral. The unit will equip students to determine the effectiveness of the organisation's communication with stakeholders and strategic publics including customers, employees, environmental groups, governments and shareholders.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	MECO6908
Academic unit	Media and Communications
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Mitchell Hobbs, mitchell.hobbs@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Mitchell Hobbs, mitchell.hobbs@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Brittany Ferdinands, brittany.ferdinands@sydney.edu.au
	Charlotte Launder, charlotte.launder@sydney.edu.au
	Jessie Nguyen, jessie.nguyen@sydney.edu.au
	Sally Tindall, s.tindall@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	PR tactics presentation Students will prepare and present a PR campaign	30%	Multiple weeks	20 minutes (equivalent to 2,000 words)
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Communication plan Industry Practical Assessment	30%	Week 04 Due date: 15 Mar 2024 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay Long-form essay	30%	Week 13 Due date: 24 May 2024 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Tutorial participation Weekly PR practicum and/or quiz	10%	Weekly	30 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Communication plan: Students need to prepare a strategic communications plan that could be successfully implemented in the Australian business and legal context. Students must identify a corporation or organisation that will be their ‘client’ (i.e. a case study) for this assessment.
PR tactics presentation: In groups of three, students will deliver a 20minute presentation (with an additional 5 mins for questions from the audience). This presentation covers some of the points raised in Assignment 1 but focuses on the specific messages, tactics and communication materials that would be used in the communication campaign. Specifically, students need to choose one corporation/organisation and scenario, and then prepare a portfolio of public relations tactics (i.e. communication materials) and present these to the class. Particular tactics should be consistent with the overarching strategy presented in the communications plan.
Essay: A series of essay questions will be released (via Canvas). Students must answer one question only.
Tutorial participation: Expectations and grading of class participation will be discussed in the first seminar. Students will complete weekly quizzes or activities based on unit content.
Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

All assessments must be attempted to pass this unit of study.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

Professional Criteria for PR Assessments

High Distinction (HD) 85-100%: "Excellent"

Professionalism in Stylistic Features: Impeccable professionalism; materials are exceptionally well-presented and adhere to the highest industry standards.
Understanding of Publics, Issues, Products, and Organizations: Demonstrates an excellent, nuanced understanding with insightful, comprehensive analysis.
Messaging Strategies: Features highly creative, coherent, and perfectly aligned messaging strategies with campaign goals.
Application of Theory and Research: Sophisticated and subtle use of theories and research, maintaining an excellent industry tone.
Originality and Ambition: Shows exceptional originality, creativity, and ambition, such as a unique campaign approach, innovative use of media, and appropriate storytelling or novelty for the context.
Understanding of Media Relations: Demonstrates excellent understanding and strategic use of media relations.
Understanding of Owned and Paid Media: Exhibits an advanced, best practice understanding and application from a public relations perspective.
Use of Supporting Evidence: Excellent use of well-researched, relevant evidence to inform strategic aspects.
Awareness of Industry Ethics: Shows deep understanding and integration of ethical considerations in all campaign aspects.
Professional Standards for Exhibition: Work is of outstanding quality, suitable for professional exhibition.

Distinction (DI) 75-84%: "Very Good but Not Perfect"

Professionalism in Stylistic Features: Very well-presented with minor areas for improvement.
Understanding of Publics, Issues, Products, and Organizations: Very good understanding with detailed analysis, minor gaps in insight.
Messaging Strategies: Highly creative and coherent, with slight misalignments in campaign goals.
Application of Theory and Research: Very good use of theory, with minor lapses in maintaining an industry tone.
Originality and Ambition: Demonstrates significant originality, creativity, and ambition, with room for more innovative approaches and novel storytelling.
Understanding of Media Relations: Strong strategic use, with room for deeper engagement or creativity.
Understanding of Owned and Paid Media: Very good understanding and application, with minor areas for deeper integration.
Use of Supporting Evidence: Strong use of evidence with room for more comprehensive integration.
Awareness of Industry Ethics: Very good ethical consideration, with minor areas for deeper reflection.
Professional Standards for Exhibition: Very good quality, nearly ready for professional exhibition.

Credit (CR) 65-74%: "Good but Room for Improvement"

Professionalism in Stylistic Features: Good presentation, but noticeable areas for refinement.
Understanding of Publics, Issues, Products, and Organizations: Good understanding with some notable gaps in analysis.
Messaging Strategies: Creatively aligned, but with noticeable areas for improvement in coherence.
Application of Theory and Research: Good application, but lacking subtlety or depth in industry tone.
Originality and Ambition: Shows originality and creativity, but lacks ambition or innovative methods and storytelling.
Understanding of Media Relations: Competent use, but lacks depth or strategic impact.
Understanding of Owned and Paid Media: Adequate understanding, with clear areas for improvement.
Use of Supporting Evidence: Adequate use, but lacks depth or full integration into strategy.
Awareness of Industry Ethics: Shows understanding, but requires more comprehensive integration or critical reflection regarding a misuse of power.
Professional Standards for Exhibition: Good for internal review, but not ready for external exhibition.

Pass (PS) 50-64%: "Satisfactory Attempt"

Professionalism in Stylistic Features: Basic presentation, needs significant refinement for professionalism.
Understanding of Publics, Issues, Products, and Organizations: Surface level understanding, lacks depth and detail.
Messaging Strategies: Some creative elements but lacks coherence and alignment with goals and/or publics.
Application of Theory and Research: Basic application, missing industry tone and depth.
Originality and Ambition: Shows some originality but lacks ambition and innovation, with minimal evidence of creative storytelling.
Understanding of Media Relations: Basic strategic use, lacks impact and engagement.
Understanding of Owned and Paid Media: Basic understanding, needs significant development.
Use of Supporting Evidence: Limited use, needs more thorough research and integration.
Awareness of Industry Ethics: Basic awareness, but lacks comprehensive understanding and presents risky or unethical ideas.
Professional Standards for Exhibition: Not ready for client viewing, needs significant revision.

Fail (FA) 0-49%: "Failed Attempt"

Professionalism in Stylistic Features: Poor presentation, lacks basic professionalism.
Understanding of Publics, Issues, Products, and Organizations: Insufficient understanding, with major gaps in analysis.
Messaging Strategies: Lacks creativity and coherence, misaligned with campaign goals or relevant publics.
Application of Theory and Research: Inadequate application, missing industry relevance.
Originality and Ambition: Lacks originality, creativity, and ambition, with no evidence of appropriate storytelling or novelty.
Understanding of Media Relations: Inadequate strategic use, lacks impact and understanding.
Understanding of Owned and Paid Media: Poor understanding, with significant deficiencies in application.
Use of Supporting Evidence: Poor use, lacks depth and relevance in strategic application.
Awareness of Industry Ethics: Little to no understanding of ethical considerations.
Professional Standards for Exhibition: Unsuitable for any form of professional exhibition, requiring extensive revision.

Essay grading criteria

HD 85-100% Work of outstanding quality, demonstrating an excellent standard of written English and of criticism, logical argument, interpretation of materials or use of methodology. Evidence of extensive research and use of primary sources, a thoughtful structure, substantial additional work and independent learning. This grade may be given to recognise particular originality or creativity.

DI 75-84% Work of superior quality, demonstrating a command of language, sound grasp of content, efficient organisation and selectivity. Evidence of relevant research, additional work and independent learning.

CR 65-74% A sound performance, competent and appropriate. Work that is well written and demonstrates good research skills. Demonstrates a clear grasp of the basic skills and knowledge. Work of good quality, showing more than satisfactory achievement.

PS 50-64% A satisfactory attempt to meet the demands of the assignment. Demonstrates understanding and command of basic skills and core knowledge. The assignment may have significant weaknesses, or may not be wholly successful or coherent, but shows at least satisfactory achievement in more important aspects.

FA 49% or less Work that does not meet the basic standards for
undergraduate work. A mark in this range indicates an inadequate understanding of the methodologies and subject matter of the field or fields studied, and significant deficiencies in argument and expression.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Work not submitted on or before the due date is subject to a penalty of 5% per calendar day late. If work is submitted more than 10 days after the due date, or is submitted after the return date, the mark will be 0.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction: strategy and tactics in PR	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	Organisational goals and communication plans	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	Excellence in corporate public relations	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	Grand strategies and contingencies	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Developing a messaging strategy	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Media relations: strategy and tactics	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Dialogic strategies for social media and the web	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	Strategies for community engagement	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	Crisis communication and strategy	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 10	Strategies for issues management	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	Strategies for internal communication	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 12	Ethics, persuasion and strategy selection	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 13	Course conclusion	Seminar (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Week 1 Introduction: Strategy and tactics in PR

Bernays, E. L. (1947). The engineering of consent. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 250.1, pp. 113–120.

Week 2: Organisational goals and communication plans

Hallan, K. (2015) Organizational goals and communication objectives in strategic communication. In D. Holtzhausen, & A. Zerfass (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of strategic communication (pp. 244-266). New York: Routledge.

Week 3: Excellence in corporate public relations

Grunig, L., Grunig, J., & Dozier, D. (2002). Models of public relations. In L. Grunig, J. Grunig & D. Dozier’s Excellent Public Relations
and Effective Organizations (pp. 306-382). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Week 4: Grand strategies and contingencies

Botan, C. (2006). Grand strategy, strategy and tactics in public relations. In C. Botan, & V. Hazleton (Eds.), Public relations theory II (pp. 223-248). London: Routledge.

Pang, A., Jin, Y., Kim, S., & Cameron, G. T. (2020). Contingency theory: Evolution from a public relations theory to a theory of strategic conflict management. Crisis communication, 23, 141.

Week 5: Developing a messaging strategy

Werder, K. P. (2015). A theoretical framework for messaging. In D. Holtzhausen, & A. Zerfass (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of
strategic communication (pp. 269-284). New York: Routledge.

Hobbs, M. (2020). Conflict Ecology: Examining the Strategies and Rationales of Lobbyists in the Mining and Energy Industries in Australia. Public Relations Review, (Article number 101868): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.101868

Week 6: Media relations: strategy and tactics

Tsetsura, K. (2021). Public relations as media relations. In C. Valentini (Ed.), Public Relations (pp. 141-158). De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110554250

Zoch, L. M., & Molleda, J.-C. (2006). Building a theoretical model of media relations using framing, information subsidies, and agenda-building. In C. H. Botan & V. Hazleton (Eds.), Public Relations Theory II (1st ed.). Routledge.

Week 7: Dialogic strategies for social media and the web

Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2021). Fostering dialogic engagement: Toward an architecture of social media for social change. Social Media + Society, 7(1), Article 2056305120984462. https://doi.org10.1177/2056305120984462

Smith, B. G., Golan, G., & Freberg, K. (2023). Influencer relations: Establishing the concept and process for public relations. Public Relations Review, 49(2), 102305.

Week 8 Strategies for community engagement

Lane, A. & Kent, M. (2018). Dialogic Engagement. In K. A. Johnston & M. Taylor (Eds.), The Handbook of Communication Engagement
(pp. 61-72). Medford, MA: John Wiley & Sons.

Johnston, K. A. (2018). Toward a Theory of Social Engagement. In K. A. Johnston and M. Taylor (Eds) The Handbook of
Communication Engagement (pp. 19-32). Medford, MA: John Wiley & Sons.

Week 9: Crisis communication and strategy

Benoit, W. L. (2015). Image repair theory in the context of strategic communication. In D. Holtzhausen and A. Zerfass (Eds.), The
Routledge Handbook of strategic communication (pp. 303-311). New York: Routledge.

Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting Organization Reputations During a Crisis: The Development and Application of Situational Crisis Communication Theory. Corporate Reputation Review, 10(3), 163–176. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1550049

Hobbs, M., O'Keefe, S. (2024). Agonism in the arena: Analyzing cancel culture using a rhetorical model of deviance and reputational repair. Public Relations Review, 50(1 Article: 102420). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2023.102420

Week 10: Strategies for issues management

Heath, R.L. & Ihlen, Ø. (2018). Public relations and rhetoric: Conflict and concurrence. In Ø. Ihlen & R. L. Heath (Eds.), Handbook of
organizational rhetoric and communication (pp.51-66). Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.

McKnight, D., Hobbs, M. (2017). Fighting for Coal: Public Relations and the Campaigns Against Lower Carbon Pollution Policies in Australia. In Benedetta Brevini, Graham Murdock (Eds.), Carbon Capitalism and Communication: Confronting Climate Crisis, (pp. 115-129). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-57876-7_10

Week 11: Strategies for internal communication

Marchiori, M. & Sergio, B. (2015). Strategy as communicational practice in organizations. In D. Holtzhausen and A. Zerfass (Eds.), The
Routledge Handbook of strategic communication (pp. 190-200). New York: Routledge.

Week 12: Ethics, persuasion and strategy selection

Heath, R. L. (2009). The rhetorical tradition: Wrangle in the marketplace. In R. L. Heath, E. L. Toth, & D. Waymer (Eds.), Rhetorical and
critical approaches to public relations II (pp. 17-47). New York, NY: Routledge.

Fitzpatrick, K. (2006). Baselines for ethical advocacy in the “marketplace of ideas”. In K. Fitzpatrick & C. Bronstein (Eds.), Ethics in
Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy (pp. 2-14). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Week 13: AI and the Future of PR

Neyazi, T., Ng, S., Hobbs, M., Yue, A. (2023). Understanding user interactions and perceptions of AI risk in Singapore. Big Data & Society, 10(2).

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. analyse the effectiveness of different corporate communications strategies
LO2. research, design, and construct a communications plan
LO3. create public relations tactics consistent with an overarching communication strategy
LO4. implement public relations strategies that are ethical and effective
LO5. develop advanced industry skills in integrated public relations.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Student feedback is always taken into consideration to ensure teaching excellence.

Additional information

Detailed Assessment Instructions

Assessment 1: Communication Plan

Length: 2000 words

Due: Friday of Week 4

Students need to prepare a Strategic Communication Plan that could be successfully implemented in the Australian business and legal context. Students must identify a corporation that will be their ‘client’ (i.e. a case study) for this assessment.

The goal of this assessment is to develop a strategic communication plan applicable to one of the following scenarios:

Publicity: Generate significant public interest in a new product, brand, or service using mostly earned media and owned media.
Crisis Communication: Improve a company's public image following a major crisis such as a product failure, social scandal, or environmental issue.
Corporate Social Activism (CSA): Persuade audiences to support social or environmental movements, political groups, or policies.
Two-Way Communication: Refresh and reposition a product, brand, or service, using market research and creative strategies.
Stakeholder Engagement/Issues Management: Assist a controversial multinational corporation in maintaining a mutual understanding with strategic publics, including government regulators, investors, or others.
Public Affairs/Issues Management: Influence legislation creation through internal and public lobbying campaigns. This might involve working with an industry lobby group.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Create a CSR campaign that bolsters a company's reputation through initiatives focused on environmental conservation and/or addressing a social issue. The campaign should highlight the company's commitment to making a positive impact on the community in which it operates, thereby enhancing its public image through responsible actions.
Internal Communication and Employee Engagement: Create an internal communication campaign to enhance employee engagement, aligning staff with the company's goals and fostering a positive corporate culture.

Once a corporation and scenario have been chosen, students need to conduct research into the background, brands, products, publics, and issues relevant to their case study. For instance, the database Factiva can be used to locate all news stories on a particular corporation and is therefore a great source of independent information. Likewise, annual reports are an excellent source of information on a corporation’s values, operations and finances. Primary research in the form of a small-scale survey or focus groups can also be conducted with classmates and the public in order to test message strategies or understand public perceptions of a particular product or company. More information on these research methods will be provided in class.

This communication plan should be written in report format and include the following sections:

1. Introductory Information

Executive summary (introduce the organisation, the scenario and the aims)

2. Research and analysis

Background to the problem, issue, scenario or brand
Situation analysis
Research findings (primary and secondary findings)

3. Campaign Strategy

Campaign Goals and Communication Objectives (the latter needs to be measurable statements)
Publics (These are your different stakeholder groups and others relevant to the campaign)
Key messages (what you want to say to your strategic publics and whether there is strategic storytelling)
Tactics (outline the PR tactics that you will use to deliver your messages, unpacking why they are important)
Risk management (anticipate counter arguments or potential problems)
Ethical considerations
Budgeting (be realistic by sourcing current industry prices)

4. Implementation

Project management and timing (use a Gantt chart).

5. Evaluation and adjustment

How will you measure the effectiveness of messages, media and outcomes

6. References (these will not be included in the word count)

This is an industry assessment item. As such, students can make use of bullet points and tables where appropriate, but fragmented expression should be avoided. Evidence will also be needed to support the strategic approach outlined in the Communication Plan. Accordingly, students should provide in-text citations (using APA-7) and a list of references. Both academic and industry sources will be valuable sources of evidence, and should be cited using the APA system of referencing. All Communication Plans must be submitted through Canvas.

Assessment 2: PR Tactics Presentation

Length: 20 minutes in total

Due: During class, Weeks 5 – 13

In groups of three students will deliver a 20-minute presentation. This presentation covers some of the points raised in Assignment 1, but focuses on the specific messages, tactics and communication materials that would be used in the PR campaign. Specifically, students need to choose one corporation and scenario, and then prepare a portfolio of public relations tactics (such as media releases) and present these to the class. Particular tactics should be consistent with the overarching strategy presented in the communications plan.

Student groups should complete 6-9 tactics (at least two per student) of the following for their tactics portfolio. It is recommended that all students complete 1 media release as part of this presentation (with the exception being the internal communication scenario).

Media Releases: Craft up to three distinct media releases (300 words each) focusing on different aspects of the campaign. Each release should be newsworthy and tailored to specific media outlets. Strategic timing is also important.
Backgrounder: Provide a detailed backgrounder (300 words) offering in-depth information on the campaign's context, purpose, and relevance.
Fact Sheet: Create a concise, easy-to-read fact sheet presenting key facts and figures about the campaign or issue.
Infographic: Design an engaging infographic that visually represents complex data or concepts related to the campaign.
Pitch Email for feature story: Write a persuasive pitch email to a specific publication for a profile article or feature story, highlighting unique angles and why the story is relevant to their readership.
Write a pitch email that seeks to place a relevant speaker or stakeholder on breakfast television or talkback radio so that they might provide some strategic storytelling that supports the campaign. This this email should succinctly and engagingly highlight how the speaker is newsworthy and why they will be of significant interest to the audience of the relevant program.
Profile/Features Article: Develop a comprehensive profile or feature article (500 words) about a CEO, issue, or product, suitable for owned media platforms.
Crisis Statement: Prepare a crisis statement (400 words) for a media conference, addressing the issue, steps taken, and future measures.
Q&A Talking Points: Compile Q&A talking points (400 words) for a media conference, anticipating potential questions and preparing succinct, on-message answers.
Newsletter: Design a newsletter (400 words) with a professional layout, incorporating images and a clear messaging strategy.
Original Photographs/Images: Produce 5 original photographs or edited images for distribution with media releases or as part of other tactics.
Media Event Plan: Formulate a detailed plan for a media event, like a press conference, including speech notes for an opening address (600 words).
Issues Pamphlet: Create an issues pamphlet using Adobe InDesign, detailing key campaign issues in an engaging format.
Direct-Mail Letter: Write a direct-mail letter (300-400 words) on a pertinent issue, with targeted messaging and proper formatting.
CEO Statement: Draft a CEO's statement (300 words) for an Annual Report, investor conference, or townhall meeting, focusing on key accomplishments, future goals, and stakeholder engagement.
Mission/Vision Statement: Develop a clear and inspiring mission and/or vision statement (200 words) for the organization.
Social Media Campaign Plan: Outline a detailed plan for a social media campaign, including influencer engagement, message examples, hashtags, and a distribution strategy.
30-Second Video: Create a 30-second video for social media platforms (excluding television), which could be a promotional video, an issues ad, or a Q&A style video.
Spot Ad: Design a spot ad for a newspaper, magazine, or website using Adobe InDesign, tailored to the target audience and campaign goals.
Radio Advocacy Ad: Produce a 30-second radio advocacy advertisement, using clear, persuasive messaging suitable for audio format.
Advertorial: Create an advertorial using Adobe InDesign, ensuring it's ready for distribution, blending informative content with promotional elements.
Stakeholder testimonials: Create written or video testimonials and a plan for their strategic distribution. Focus on storytelling.
Internet Memes/GIFs: Develop a collection of internet memes or GIFs, designed to be shareable and engaging on social media, related to the campaign's themes.
Billboard: Design an issues billboard or ad billboard for a strategic location using InDesign/Photoshop, ensuring it captures attention and conveys the campaign's message effectively.
Webinar or Online Q&A Session: Develop and execute a webinar or online Q&A session. This includes creating a detailed event plan outlining the webinar's objectives, target audience, content outline, and logistics. A role-play aspect should be integrated, where students simulate hosting the event, engaging with hypothetical audience queries.
Op-Ed Article with Pitch Email: Write an op-ed article on a relevant issue, demonstrating authoritative insight and persuasive argumentation. In addition, craft a pitch email to a publication, convincingly explaining why the op-ed is relevant to their audience and timely.
Corporate Blog Posts: Write a blog post (as an example of a series of posts) and present their content strategy, target audience, and key messages to the class.
User-Generated Content Campaign Plan: Develop and present a plan to encourage user-generated content, detailing the campaign mechanics, promotional strategy, and guidelines for submissions.
Influencer Briefing Document: Create a briefing document for a hypothetical influencer collaboration and present it, explaining the campaign objectives, content guidelines, and influencer expectations.
Brand Partnership Proposal: Draft and present a brand partnership proposal, outlining the benefits, strategic alignment, and proposed collaborative activities.
CSR Report or Statement in Digital Format: Produce a digital CSR report that narrates the company's efforts and achievements in CSR, using storytelling elements to make it engaging (500 words). Plan for its distribution through the company's website, email newsletters, and social media channels.

Proposed format of the presentation:
1. Introduction;
2. Objectives (including informational, such as raising awareness, or motivational, such as getting people to take actions or make purchases);
3. Target publics and stakeholders (audiences);
4. Key messages (messaging strategy, storytelling, positioning);
5. Tactics (at least six tactics, with justifications for their use);
6. Evaluation (here you will discuss how you will measure the success of your campaign).

The presentation is group work and involves ALL group members, plus questions and answers from the class. PowerPoint should be utilised as part of this presentation, with the PR tactics embedded into the slides. While the presentation might be brief, students must be sufficiently prepared to answer questions on their hypothetical campaign. Groups should rehearse their presentations in order to identify any issues before the day of their presentation. Interpersonal conflicts or other issues regarding group dynamics and contributions should be brought to the attention of the Unit Coordinator before the presentation. Where group members have not sufficiently contributed to their group work assessment items, they will be allocated an alternative assessment item and/or marked on an individual basis.

The final numerical score for these presentations will reflect both the quality of the presentation (i.e. public speaking skills, professional
use of PowerPoint or similar software, etc.) and the quality of the PR tactics presented to the class (i.e. creativity, professionalism,
potential effectiveness, etc.). Additional advice on this assessment will be provided in class.

Assessment 3: Essay

Length: 2000words

Due: Friday of Week 13

A series of essay questions will be released via Canvas on Friday of Week 11. Students must answer one question only.

Assessment 4: Tutorial Participation (10%)

Students will complete a weekly practicum, such as writing a media releases and/or quiz questions based on the readings.

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Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

MECO6908: Strategy Selection in Corporate PR

Semester 1, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect