Manningham Bus Service Review: A Public Relations Plan - Case Study Example

Manningham Bus Service Review: A Public Relations Plan Executive Summary As a member of a grassroots local social action group, it is our responsibility to make sure that programs proposed and introduced are enforced and in order, particularly in monitoring whether the government is doing its role – walking the talk. It is our belief, however, that with the public’s growing distrust and skepticism in governmental action, it is imperative that we help government this time in bringing in the people’s awareness and consciousness that such project takes time to implement and requires wide public support. This Public Relations Plan is in the view that it will resolve concerns and issues growing against the Manningham Bus Service Review’s prospect for success, which is in fact a roadmap outlining approaches that will improve the municipality’s bus transport system in a span of five years. When implemented, backed and funded by the government, Manningham will benefit from – increased patronage, improved connectivity and accessibility, and increased coverage of the service area. Situation Analysis Commuters are seldom heard complaining about transport systems. When they do, their complaints and grievances can sometimes pose big dilemma for the government. Such is posing great challenge in the cities of Manningham, Monash and Whitehorse, areas comprising of 26,500 ha of various land uses and a population of approximately 416,000. The area is a middle-suburban municipality comprised of a mix of thickly-residential with little local employment opportunities and consequently, a large number of residents work in or near the central business district. In view of the Manningham Bus Service Review, several problems posed questions about the capability and capacity of Manningham to maintain better image in the eyes of the public. These and other issues that this proposed plan will address are – Commuters find the recent efforts to improve bus services in Manningham inadequate unless the government – from local to national – will fund and backup the solutions required by the Manningham Bus Review. Recent transport condition disappointments coupled with skepticisms and doubts mar any future action related to the enhancement and imporovement of the transit system by the local government, which may be bad in gaining support from the public and increasing local government income from investors. Commuters view that although new roadmap to improving Manningham’s public transport system is in place, the government is not fully supporting and backing up the proposals. Goals and Objectives With an an umbrella goal to improving the public image of Manningham through the Bus Service Review through increased awareness and appreciation, the following short-term objectives are geared towards achieving the Plan’s goals – To increase (by 25% this year) community knowledge of the vision and goals of the Manningham Bus Services Review, including its benefits when all stakeholders support the project. To increase (by 25% this year) commuters’ public trust that the Bus Service Review is not only doable but sustainable in the long run. Through a survey, we will measure public commuters’ confidence that the local confidence will support the bus review and commit in improving public transport conditions. To encourage (20 percent) of the population of Manningham community to try the new and enhanced bus services (during the present year). Target Publics Generally speaking, public transport commuters are males or females, with age ranging from five to 80 years old, who reside in and around the suburban Manningham. Most of these commuters are students, professionals, and geriatrics. Commuters, like parents, students, vendors, country decision makers, and business owners, are among the primary audiences because of their direct stake in the success of the proposed project. Middle-aged to senior citizen group and members of the press are considered influencers and decision-makers, who are key in influencing discussion on the Manningham Bus Services Review. They are the type of people, whose professional affiliations and age, are factors that draw people towards them to listen to their opionions and sentiments with deep respect and regard. Any complaint or grievances they have against the government are easily believed. Strategy As the review indicates, bus network in the Manningham city provides coverage to approximately 94.1 percent of households. When implemented, the proposal will result in vast improvement in the number of bus trips operated and in the distance travelled by each bus. Inevitably, such improvements will yield for Manningham annual operating cost increases. To achieve this vital vision, the proponents recommend that the Manningham local government take immediate, effective and credible action each of the concerns that commuters and transport pundits identified. Regular reporting and monitoring should be established, particularly on any substantive effort, progress, and intended action to the local community, local officials, social community groups, and members of media. It will be of help for the local government to develop spokesperson assignments, hold speaker training sessions, and conduct question and answer backgrounders to deal with any reports that the media will report for or against the project. In addition, it will also be of value to conduct a highly visible public information program that demonstrates commitment by the local government to the community and commuters’ welfare. Our proposed concept will be – No one ever wants to wait long for the bus to arrive, but pays waiting in the bustling community of great and friendly people. The commuters will be convinced of the value of the projects if the Manningham Bus Services Review concepts, especially when these are endorsed by the influencers and decision-makers (directly or subliminally), with whom most people in the community respect. Tactics In the old-school media relations exposure, the agency and its client would agree to employ the following – a ) 70 percent feeds and photocaps (media kit), b) 20 percent events, spectacles and junkets, and c) 10 percent one-on-one interviews. However, this strategy was found problematic because it has been proved to be less effective in generating results because of the lack of authenticity and attention. In contrast, the newstyle media relations practice employs – a) 20 percent feeds and photocaps, b) 40 percent of interviews, and c) 40 percent for events, spectacles and junkets. The modern practice works better since it ensures that articles are bylined, article sizes are larger, company activities are seen as more credible, and the contents comes out faster. Thus, in order for the campaign to receive an unprecedented visibility among the target audience, feeds (usually in the form of press kits with photo attachments) given the media would normally appear in print, television and digital media over a three-month period. As it is usually practiced, the exposure and visibility in the media expects the following –a) with blog, the release of content is immediate; b) on television, exposure and visibility of the message can range from one to ten days; c) on broadsheets and weeklies, exposures may last from one to ten weeks; and d) on glossies or magazines, the visibility of the campaign can last up to twelve weeks. The campaign’s timing is determined by three (3) editorial factors, namely – story power, available space, and thematic relevance. For the awareness campaign, we will employ the following: network cable, community-centric media (TV, radio, newspaper). The reach and depth of print and televisual media make them the critical proving ground for creative excellence. Evaluation Evaluating the “success” of this public relations campaign will post a great challenge for the implementers. Positive press coverage, negligible complaints, considerable prase by former critics will be considered vital indicators. Success metrics will be measured by both the number of commuters participating in the program and the reaction of the community populace. A qualitative survey will also be used in statistically determining the success of the campaign, particularly in finding out the difference in the number of commuters who took rides before and after the campaign was launched. Read More