Public Relations Consultant

/in /by

In this fictitious scenario, you are a Public Relations Consultant and have been asked to attend a meeting with Jaya James, Executive Director of Hope House in Guelph. While Hope House receives generous donations of food and money around the holiday season, and a generous amount of cash comes in through the Christmas JOY Home Tour, it is often short of food and other items in the spring and summer months. In discussing the issue, you learn that Jaya has a very small operational budget, and she is wondering if she should use the money for advertising in the local media. You believe it would be more effective to take a public relations approach instead.

Jaya has scheduled a meeting for 9am tomorrow to discuss your ideas. You are now preparing for tomorrow’s meeting.

Background Information on Hope House:

Hope House’s website is https://hopehouseguelph.com/

Here is an excerpt from a message about the Hope House by Jaya James, Executive Director: HOPE House operates and advocates on the belief that poverty, food insecurity, inequality, health and community are all interconnected. We offer services and programs that challenge the stigmas surrounding poverty and allow our community members to maintain their dignity and choice, while simultaneously providing them with tactile skills developed in a community environment; it is not about a hand-out but rather offering people a hand-up, creating long-term skills that facilitate self-sufficiency.

At HOPE House we believe in both the power of food and the power of choice. Our Food Market allows community members the dignity of choosing their groceries through our innovative choice-based, bucks-based system. Much like going to the grocery store with a budget, community members walk through the aisles selecting the food and hygiene items which appeal to their needs

Hope House Background cont’d

Items most in need at the Food Market — which is the food bank Hope House runs that allows its community to come in and “purchase” the items it needs based on points allotted for each family — include the following:

  • Baby formula
  • Deodorant
  • Body wash
  • Body lotion
  • Women’s feminine products
  • Razors
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Peanut butter
  • Canned fruit
  • Rice
  • Pasta Sauce
  • Cereal

 

Directions: 

 

 

  1.  Identify the opportunity and explain why a public relations approach will be more effective than advertising for increasing awareness about the shortage of food and other items for the Food Market. Identify and describe at least three benefits to using a public relations approach instead of advertising. 

 

  1. Identify one target public to appeal to for donations in a short statement. (no profile/persona needed.)

 

  1. Create one example of a Smart PR objective that could be shared with Jaya James to address her situation.

 

  1. Describe three ways (tactics) in which you can use public relations to increase people’s awareness about the Food Market shortage and encourage them to make donations of food items, other needed personal hygiene items and money. You can use ideas that we have discussed in class related to other successful public relations campaigns, including news articles and presentations that we have discussed or any other ideas.