Text 8 pr in Russia

PR in Russia is very young and complex industry, full of contradictions and with a questionable reputation inside and outside the country. But this does not stop the industry from growing at an annual rate of 30-40 per cent a year.
The complexity of the industry is a mirror of the complexity of Russia itself: a country of 140 million people, 89 regions, 11 time zones, hundreds of cultures, nationalities, and many religions. It is a place where East meets West, and where Christianity co-existed with Islam for centuries.

We also need to remember that Russians said 'No' to communism only in 1991, and the process of building a market economy has been painful. The same complexity applies to the Russian communications and media environment. There are hundreds of national media outlets and dozens of local media in every city, and every year there are new publications and broadcast channels. The Soviet Union had its own working tool of communication - propaganda - and although public relations is now regarded as an accepted communications vehicle, propaganda is far from dead. The origins of Russian PR can be traced to the first public relations campaign in the country: the launch of McDonald's in Moscow in the late 1980s. This was a PR stunt that turned into propaganda, as Soviet journalists had no choice but to praise the only fast food chain in town, particularly in the midst of a frenzy of criticising everything that had to do with the old Soviet culture and praising anything Western. This precedent of a propaganda/PR mix proved to have a long-lasting effect on the Russian public relations industry. It evolved into the so-called "black PR", used mostly by political parties during election campaigns, when PR tools were combined with such methods as the pouring of informational garbage on political rivals. In this market, hundreds of millions of unaccounted dollars landed in the pockets of corrupt journalists and "PR technologists".

In the rise of the crony capitalism in the ex-Soviet Union and the triumph of the oligarchs, the richest and biggest companies had the best PR: not only did they buy stories, editors and reporters, but entire media outlets. Black PR agents still work in Russia today, but have no future as the market matures.

In this "Wild East" set-up a new industry was born. A handful of young public relations enthusiasts and bookworms started working as communications consultants to international companies operating in the emerging Russian market. They were wise enough not to get involved in shady privatization deals and corrupt media arrangements. When the financial crisis of 1998 hit Russia and many foreign investments fled the country, local manufacturing had seen the first growth in years. In particular, FMCG production picked up and has been on the rise ever since. Today, the drivers of growth in the PR industry are the IT, consumer, healthcare and finance industries.

Oil oligarchs and raw materials companies still use the PR/propaganda vehicle and try not to outsource public relations services, and when they do go looking for a Western PR consultant this can lead to misunderstanding. Being used to black PR methods, local firms that attempt an IPO or a communications breakthrough in the West find it difficult to work with international PR networks. Education of Russian clients is thus a must.

The rapidly evolving nature of the Russian consumer market provides great opportunities for innovative, Western-standard PR campaigns to make a real difference. We worked with leading white goods producer Bosch, for instance, to run a programme to boost the fledging dishwasher market in Russia. The product was not new, but was viewed as an unnecessary expense by most Russian consumers, and less than five per cent of Russian homes had a dishwasher. Through an innovative campaign which included original consumer research, competitions, support from artist and musician opinion leaders, and an art installation - A Monument to the Time Wasted on Washing Up - Bosch shifted public opinion towards the advantages of owning a dishwasher, growing the market by more than 50 per cent and its own sales by 70 per cent.

The PR industry is worth around US $100 million of fees paid to agencies, but a huge proportion of PR is carried out in-house, particularly by oil and raw materials producers. In a developing market like Russia, where many industries have double-digit growth figures, PR and advertising are regarded as costs, and shareholders often decide that this function should be maintained inside the company.

Russian television - particularly national channels controlled or influenced by the government - has a simple way of understanding business news: if the company name is mentioned, it is considered to be an advertisement. This means that the story has to be paid for, regardless of whether a company is creating thousands of jobs or investing millions into infrastructure and social welfare. Some print media outlets take a similar approach, but as the local media market is maturing, there has been a positive change in attitude. There are many challenges for modern PR practitioners in Russia, thanks to its cultural, political and industrial heritage. But things are changing fast: black PR has a limited future as respected international communications networks become more established, and local companies become more transparent and seek to integrate themselves into the world economy.

Questions:

1. Why is the Russian Pr a young industry?

2. How was the Russian PR originated?

3. How was “Black PR” used in Russia?

4. What was the first PR campaign in Russia?

5. How did crisis of 1998 affect Russia?

6. Why is it difficult for oil oligarchs and raw materials companies to work with international PR networks?

7. What does the rapidly evolving nature of the Russian consumer market provide?

8. What is the PR industry is worth?

9. What is the simplest way of understanding business news for Russian television?

10. Are there many challenges for modern PR practitioners in Russia?

Text 9

PR and Law

Since the time when people first began living together rules have been adopted to protect individuals and groups and to govern their relationship. Law is the best kind of authority.

Law in politics and jurisprudence is a set of rules or norms of conduct which mandate proscribe or permit specified relationships among people and organizations, provide methods for ensuring the impartial treatment of such people, and provide punishments for those who do not follow the established rules of conduct.

Justice is a concept involving the fair, moral, and impartial treatment of all persons, especially in law. It is often seen as the continued effort to do what is "right." In most of all cases what one regards as "right" is determined by consulting the majority, employing logic, or referring to divine authority, in the case of religion. If a person lives under a certain law in a certain country, justice is considered making the person follow the law and be punished if not.

To be effective PR writing must be conducted within a legal and ethical framework. PR writer must know legal concepts. Careless work can lead to costly litigation for PR writer and his employer. Actions are ordinarily brought against the top officials of an organization but PR writer can be named as a co-defendant.

Any false statement about a person that is printed or broadcast and tends to bring on this person public hatred, contempt, or ridicule or to inflict injury on his or her business or occupation may be libel. If the statement is broadcast it may constitute either libel or slander. If it is made to a third person but neither broadcast or printed it may be slander. Remember that one needn`t use a name to commit libel. A recognizable description serves the same purpose. If the subject remains unnamed but the public knows who is being talked about, there may be ground for a libel case. In recent years there has been a great increase in sensitivity to invasion of privacy. To protect the privacy of individuals laws have been passed and lawsuits have been filed.

When the story is written PR writer should show it to the person mentioned. Once the material is approved it is necessary to get the subject`s written consent. Using names and photos of people in advertising, product publicity and promotions requires special handling and extra legal attention. The courts have ruled that a person’s right of privacy is violated when photos or names of individuals are published without prior written consent for commercial purposes or purposes of trade. In addition to a signed consent form, individuals are usually offered a cash payment.

Signed consent forms and releases usually cover a specified period of time that the person’s name or image can be used. Consent forms for advertising can be complex, while for most PR purposes a simple release will probably suffice. A release is not necessary when the photo records a public event, but if that picture is later used for promotional purposes and individuals are identifiable PR writer should have releases.

PR writers use information from a variety of sources and it is important for them to understand the difference between fair use and copyright infringement. The copyright law protects original materials published during and after the author`s lifetime as well as unpublished materials. PR staff should not copy anything if the intent is to capitalize on or take advantage of its renown. The use of cartoons, illustration and photographs always requires copyright permission. The use of a quotation from outside source in a product news release or sale brochure should be cleared with the source to avoid possible lawsuits.

If a PR writer quotes a lengthy passage of more than 1000 –word from an article or a book, it is best to get permission, otherwise it might constitute copyright infringement. Writers should be careful about using whole paragraphs of copyrighted material with only few words changed. If the content and structure of the sentences are the same, this constitutes not only copyright infringement but also plagiarism.

Releasing false or misleading information can get PR writer in trouble with government regulatory agencies, which may issue cease-and-desist orders, injunctions or levy fines. In summary, a public relations firm and its writers have a responsibility to know all pertinent regulatory guidelines.

Questions:

1. What is the definition for the term “Law”?

2. Why must PR writing be conducted within a legal and ethical framework?

3. What is libel?

4. What is slander?

5. Why does a PR specialist need the subject`s written consent?

6. When is a right of privacy violated?

7. What can get PR writer in trouble with government regulatory agencies?

8. What are offered individuals in addition to a signed consent form?

9. What does the copyright law protect?

10. What is plagiarism?