Public Relations and Target Markets

Solution Preview

Hi,

An interesting set of questions! Let's look at each question through discussion and example.

1. What are some differences between an organization's publics and its target market(s)?

The organization's publics are the groups of people that have an actual or possible interest in or impact on the company's efforts to achieve its goals. External publics: Every company or organization has an infinite number of external publics, all different one from the other, and only a clear understanding of the fixed objectives enables to identify the publics involved, case by case. Internal publics: There is just one kind of public that is present in every enterprise or organization, the internal public (employees). This is often neglected although it is the closest, the most clearly identified, the most stable for its position within the organisation and therefore within the communication process. However, it often happens that a message - the content of a communication - reaches the internal public subsequently from the outside world, from an indirect source, rather than being directly delivered to the internal public as first addressee. Opinions and judgments of the internal publics interact with those of the external publics, and the combination of the two identifies the frame of the enterprise's communication. http://www.cerp.org/papers/internal_relations.asp

Conversely, the organization's target market is the particular segment of a total population on which the retailer focuses its merchandising expertise to satisfy that sub-market in order to accomplish its profit objectives. Or for the library, a target market might be within the market area served, children 5-8 years old, for summer reading programs, to increase juvenile use and registration. http://www.ifla.org/VII/s34/pubs/glossary.htm

2. Why is it critical to define your organization's internal and external publics?

It is critical because the internal and external publics are the groups of people that have an actual or possible interest in or impact on the company's efforts to achieve its goals. Therefore, it is imperative to define both the internal and external publics to include them in the communication process. For example, a smart advertiser will purchase ad space in only those media whose audiences are known to be consistent with the target audiences the advertiser wants to reach. Thus, the external publics must be defined and known. http://www.cerp.org/papers/internal_relations.asp

3. Why is it important to keep internal publics informed?

Looking at internal publics, basically company employees, we see some material values: salary, ...