PUBLICITY----DEFINITION Publicity is the means of using an external entity (celebrities, people from the media, etc) to increase the awareness levels of the product, company, goods etc amongst the public and/or buying segment. “Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject”. Publicists “A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a product, public figure, especially a celebrity, or for a work such as a book or movie. Publicists usually work at large companies handling multiple clients”. The subject of publicity includes people (for example, politicians and performing artists), goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment. From a Marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion. The other elements of the promotional mix are • Advertising, • • • Sales promotion, and Personal selling. Promotion is one component of marketing. Publicity is a tool of public relations. Whereas public relations are the management of all communication between the client and selected target audiences, publicity is the management of product- or brand-related communications between the firm and the general public. It is primarily an informative activity (as opposed to a persuasive one), but its ultimate goal is to promote the client's products, services, or brands. A publicity plan is a planned program aimed at obtaining favorable media coverage for an organization's products - or for the organization itself, to enhance its reputation and relationships with stakeholders. Basic TOOLS of the Publicist are: • Press Release • • • • Telephone press conferences In-studio media tours Multi-component video news releases (VNR’s) Newswire stories But the publicist cannot wait around for the news to present opportunities. They must also try to create their own news. Examples of this include: • Contests • • • • • Art exhibitions Event sponsorship Arrange a speech or talk Make an analysis or prediction Conduct a poll or surveyIssue a report Take a stand on a controversial subject Arrange for a testimonial Announce an appointment Celebrate an anniversary Invent then present an award Stage a debate Organize a tour of your business.