Obtain information about a PR agency, company or consultancy and prepare a report about its philosophy and activities, based upon research and an email interview. Choose a company that specialises in PR (do not choose a PR department within an organisation) and complete the following steps:
a Visit the company’s website and analyse its content to illuminate the way the company presents itself to the world. Your analysis might include such elements as the visual imagery the company uses, the kinds of services it oers (such as ‘issues management’ or ‘perception management’) and any specialities that it may indicate (such as high-tech or business-oriented public relations).
b Obtain at least one media release from the company and brie‑y analyse its approach, looking at such matters as: whether and how it uses journalistic language; what techniques you think are being used to attract the attention of journalists; what you might do dierently if you had been assigned to this task; and whether you think the story angle is clear.
c Seek an email interview with a PR consultant who works with the company. You should rst nd the name and contact details of a PR professional, and write a brief and polite introductory email explaining who you are and what you want to do. Then, if you receive a positive response, compose a series of questions. Give your questions careful thought, and encompass such matters as how the company positions itself in the market, how it goes about achieving outcomes for its clients, examples of accounts held (some companies treat this as condential, which is an important fact in itself); what the individual approach of the person you are questioning is to their tasks; and any other related issues that interest you. Write a brief reflection on what the person had to say.