OBJECTIVE:
Students will utilize their public relations knowledge to critique and evaluate a PR case or campaign. The report will be a critical analysis of a public relations case/campaign that you select (must be approved by instructor by July 29th by 11:59 pm). You will assess the dilemma or scandal presented, examine the problems it poses, discuss how it was handled, suggest how it could be handled differently and suggest what sorts of steps the company involved could do to ensure this dilemma is not a problem in the future. You MUST use sources for these papers (5 minimum). Use the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) style for citing sources.

Your evaluation of the PR campaign should work through the RACE acronym that is present throughout your book and should clearly articulate tasks and objectives for each letter in the acronym. I should be able to read your critique and know what action was taken immediately. Additionally, you should discuss theories and course concepts within your campaign. Things to consider are audience, social media, law, or persuasion, among others. For example, when discussing the “R” or Research portion of your campaign, you will discuss what type of research is needed, suggest sources, and state the objective of the research with regard to your campaign.

Do not let this assignment intimidate you. If you have completed the readings, discussions and assignments, you have the necessary tools for this project.

Final project proposal DUE: July 29th by 11:59 pm
Final project outline DUE: August 9th by 11:59 pm
Final project paper DUE: August 11th by 5 pm

Final project proposal (25 points)
A 1-page written proposal of your PR campaign is due Friday, July 29th by 11:59 pm. This proposal identifies the company or organization that was responsible for the campaign, identifies the exact case to be analyzed, and provides a minimum of 5 credible sources that reference this campaign. This document is just for my approval of your campaign and topic.

Final project outline (25 points)
An outline of your PR campaign critique is due Tuesday, August 9th by 11:59 pm. This outline can be bulleted or full sentence. Please include a separate page of references. (See page 3 of this document)

Final project paper (100 points)
This paper is due Thursday, August 11th by 5 pm. This finalized paper includes all sections listed below, cites references, etc. It should not be longer than 15 pages. You must submit the final project to D2L no later than this date and time. All portions of this project submitted after the indicated deadlines WILL NOT be accepted, under any conditions (i.e., plan ahead in case unforeseen issues arise).

All information should be clearly organized (i.e., using headings when necessary) and professionally written. Arguments should be logical and based in factual, accurate information. Be sure to properly cite sources in your paper (i.e., any information, in which you are not the original source, must be cited). Use APA style, one-inch margins, and 12 point Times New Roman font.

 
FINAL PAPER:

Introduction—briefly introduce the case or campaign, why it was selected, and which area of public relations the case relates to (ex. Employee relations? Community Relations? Crisis Management? etc.)

Background on the Organization
I want you to tell me as much as possible about your organization. When was it founded? Who are the leaders? How many employees? What is the organization’s mission statement? What products does it produce or what is its purpose? What are its markets? How are sales? Who are its publics? Etc.

PR Campaign —This section will be the bulk of your paper. Here you will apply the main components of R.A.C.E., which are underlined. This section of the paper should cover the following items:

➢ Research
− Analyze the situation/issue/problem/case/campaign
o The current situation of the campaign within the organization and any present challenges/opportunities.
o State the problem statement
➢ Action
o Include detail about the case/campaign. Meaning, you should present any and all relevant research, the goals and objectives of the campaign, and then discuss strategies and key messages of the campaign in detail.
o Analyze the main publics/target audiences involved and affected
➢ Communication
o Describe the communication tactics the organization used and evaluate the strengths and of the campaign.
o What were the channels used? What was the calendar/timetable used? Was there a spending budget identified?
− Analyze the “big picture” – the overall plan, and how those plans achieved or did not achieve the organization’s goals and objectives. This section of the paper should cover the following:
o Theoretical basis for the case/campaign – which theory do you think this case/campaign is ground in? What theory makes the most sense to be applied?
o The communication strategy of the organization. What media outlets were used? How were the tactics received by the public – successful? Not successful?
➢ Evaluation
− Once the campaign was over, what were the next steps the company took? This section should contain the following:
o What did the company do to recover from this campaign?
o If this is a current situation, what are the steps the organization is currently taking? If this is not a current issue, what was the end result?
o You must address what could this organization could have done differently or what to do differently in the future. For example, how could they spin the negatives into positives? What could they promote instead? What relationships can they strengthen to show an improved image to the public?

Conclusion—All papers must have a conclusion that provides a summary and review of the current paper. I should be able to read this section and know in general what your paper discussed. This should emphasize the “big picture” and the possible impact of the campaign/case you chose. This section should be 1-2 pages.

 
OUTLINE TO INCLUDE:
• Title Page (creative title and your name)
• Introduction
• Research
• Situation Analysis
• Problem Statement
• Action
• Goal
• Objectives
• Target Audience(s)
• Strategy
• Key Messages
• Communication
• Channels
• Tactics
• Theory
• Calendar/Timetable
• Budget
• Evaluation Plan
• Conclusion
• Appendices
• Press release/any and all media materials (i.e., press kit)
• Communications materials (i.e., public service announcements, speech outlines, statements, institutional ads, brochure mockup).
• References
• You will cite parenthetically within the proposal and have a reference page at the end of the proposal.
• All citations must be in APA style, because it is the standard in the field of communication.