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The rapid growth of social media popularity and consequently social media marketing is creating a challenge in terms of the appropriate teaching strategy. Advances in technology are racing ahead of clear terminology. The definitions of Public Relations (PR) and Advertising are being widened to encompass more digital activities and this turf war is causing confusion within the industry, the academic world, and the classroom. This article addresses the need for more research on teaching social media marketing from a strategic perspective based on Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) objectives. It explores the use of the Paid/Owned/Earned Media (POEM) framework as a form of engaged pedagogy and part of the Active Blended Learning framework. Adopting a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, 40 student applications of the POEM framework were analyzed, and the results indicate that it enables students to identify activities within an integrated campaign and their impact on the customer journey. These results were supported by a qualitative analysis of the views of three experienced educators in this field. It is proposed that the application of classifications, such as Paid, Owned, and Earned media, are more useful when teaching social media marketing within IMC than the classifications of Advertising and PR.

While societies struggle with the implications of text-based generative artificial intelligence (TGENAI), businesses are embracing the technology. Using framing, this original activity unit prepares business communication students for professional TGENAI use. Activities emphasize the need for an effective cognitive frame, as well as introduce advantages and disadvantages to using TGENAI- generated output. This unit can be used as a stand-alone introduction or as an additional unit to existing communication theory assignments. Preliminary results suggest improvement in responsible TGENAI framing use, business communication self- efficacy, and equity. Courses: Business Communication, Public Relations, Advertising, Organizational Communication, Corporate Communications, and Social Media. Objectives: Students will be able to (1) explain the importance of cognitive framing in business communication, (2) identify positive and negative aspects of using TGENAI in business communication cognitive framing, and (3) demonstrate the ability to create and edit TGENAI-generated messages for effective business communication.

Background: As diet-related diseases have increased over the past decades, large food companies have come under scrutiny for contributing to this public health crisis. In response, the food industry has implemented Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives related to nutrition and physical activity to emphasize their concern for consumers. This study sought to describe the nature and targeted demographic of physical activity and nutrition-related CSR initiatives of large food companies in Canada and to compare companies who participate in the Canadian Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CAI), a self-regulatory initiative aimed at reducing unhealthy food advertising to children, with non-participating companies., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016. Thirty-nine large food companies, including 18 participating in the CAI, were included in the study. The webpages, Facebook pages and corporate reports of these companies were surveyed to identify CSR initiatives related to nutrition and physical activity. Initiatives were then classified by type (as either philanthropic, education-oriented, research-oriented or other) and by targeted demographic (i.e. targeted at children under 18 years or the general population). Differences between CAI and non-CAI companies were tested using chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests., Results: Overall, 63 CSR initiatives were identified; 39 were nutrition-related while 24 were physical activity-related. Most (70%) initiatives were considered philanthropic activities, followed by education-oriented (20%), research-oriented (8%) and other (2%). Almost half (47%; n = 29) of initiatives targeted children. Examples of child-targeted initiatives included support of school milk programs (n = 2), the sponsorship of children's sports programs (n = 2) and the development of educational resources for teachers (n = 1). There were no statistically significant differences in the number of CSR initiatives per company (CAI: Mdn = 1, IQR = 3; non-CAI: Mdn = 0, IQR = 2; p = .183) or the proportion of child-targeted initiatives (CAI: 42%; non-CAI: 54%; p = .343) between CAI and non-CAI companies., Conclusion: Food companies, including many that largely sell and market unhealthy products, are heavily involved in physical activity and nutrition-related initiatives in Canada, many of which are targeted to children. Government policies aimed at protecting children from unhealthy food marketing should consider including CSR initiatives that expose children to food company branding.

The study provides direct evidence of the goals of food-industry-driven public relations (PR) campaigns. Two PR requests for proposals created for The Coca-Cola Company (Coke) were analysed. One campaign related to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the other related to the 2013-2014 Movement is Happiness campaign. Supplementary data were obtained from a search of business literature. The study found that Coke specifically targeted teenagers and their mothers as part of the two PR campaigns. Furthermore, Coke was explicit in its intentions to build allies, particularly with key media organisations, and to marginalise opposition. This study highlights how PR campaigns by large food companies can be used as vehicles for marketing to children, and for corporate political activity. Given the potential threats posed to populations' health, the use of PR agencies by food companies warrants heightened scrutiny from the public-health community, and governments should explore policy action in this area.

Communication is a critical government function that has important implications for public administration and effective governance. This research study explores how communication competencies are taught in public affairs programs in the United States. Based on a general web content analysis of graduate programs, and specific analyses of course titles, course descriptions, and course syllabi, this study examines the extent to which communication competencies are integrated into public affairs curricula. This paper also discusses how communication skills map on to the five NASPAA core competencies. Compared to previous decades, communication courses are increasingly emphasized in public administration programs. But there is greater potential for such offerings in the age of digital government, social media, and Artificial Intelligence. This study's findings have important implications for the teaching and practice of public affairs.

This study investigates current attitudes and opinions toward pharmacies' advertising. The purposes of this study were to determine (a) consumers' attitudes toward advertising by pharmacies and (b) whether age, race, income, marital status, occupation, education, sex, and number of children in household of the consumer accounted for any significant difference in attitudes toward pharmacies that advertise. The intent was to discover information that would be useful to pharmacies in planning marketing strategies and improving the quality of their advertising. The study seems to confirm the belief of many pharmacies that advertising and marketing clearly have a place in the future of pharmacists' services.

Extension administrators discussed the competencies and characteristics of Extension professionals as they explored how Extension will need adapt to changing clientele, both in who they are and how they want to receive information. Extension education curriculum is not fully preparing future Extension employees in all required competencies, falling short on use of technology, diversity and pluralism, volunteer development, marketing, and public relations, risk management, and the community development process. Additionally, the Extension educator workforce development pipeline is not preparing a demographically representative population, leaving state administrators struggling to hire prepared professionals, especially those with in-culture competency (e.g., racial and ethnic minority and urban).

The academic capitalization in higher education has aroused much public attention with its impact on every aspect of universities. To survive in the market, universities in Hong Kong have been striving to build desirable images among stakeholders in public communication. Drawing upon critical genre theory and the notion of interdiscursivity, this study examines the annual reports of six universities in Hong Kong from academic year 1994/95 to 2015/16. Analysis shows that the genre of university annual reports is a hybridity of management discourse, reporting discourse, and public relation discourse. Such hybridity reflects the multi-facet nature of academic capitalization influenced by corporate values of managerialism, public accountability, promotionalization, and stakeholder orientation. The diachronic analysis indicates an increasing awareness of branding and public relations in university public communication. The study contributes to the previously overlooked research on university public relations communication, as well as to the understanding of academic capitalization and its development in Hong Kong.

Based on the practices at Xuzhou Central Hospital, the authors analyzed the improvements in the healthcare quality and economic efficiency after implementing a brand marketing strategy. Using methods including questionnaires and business controlling means, we summarized that the improvements to the healthcare quality and economic efficiency after strategies were implemented in the areas of network, reputation, academic research, and public welfare. After the implementation of a brand marketing campaign, the medical service quality and brand reputation have been greatly improved. Meanwhile, a central hospital group was formed and gradually became the central healthcare provider in the Huaihai Economic Zone. The new marketing facilitated the drastic increase of medical service and brand reputation.

This study compares library and information studies (LIS) departmental websites from 1999, 2009, and 2019 to explore the evolution of program promotion practices. Websites were analyzed using the 7Ps Marketing Mix model to explore how programs were marketed across this timeframe. Similar promotional messages were used across the years, but a key difference over time was that the 1999 sites promoted the program whereas the 2019 sites promoted people (faculty and students). Three key findings concerning changes in how LIS program websites evolved between 1999 and 2019 to serve program public relations goals were that (1) websites and social media have become key mechanisms for relationship building and promotion; (2) websites have evolved from sharing program details to showcasing faculty and student success stories as the core element of program promotion; and (3) the development of social media and dynamic websites have made these websites more interactive and content rich. An understanding of changes in LIS program websites over time can assist LIS program administrators in developing current and future program promotions activities.

Audience analysis is essential for creating successful messages across communication fields. The audience persona is an effective tool for understanding the characteristics and needs of a target audience. Through this unit activity, students experience the process of persona development, build skills in data collection and analysis, and gain in-depth understanding of a specific audience in preparation for subsequent messaging assignments. Courses: Strategic Communication, Public Relations, Content Marketing, Advertising, Public Speaking, Mass Communication, Social Media Communication, Mass Communication Research Methods. Objectives: Through this unit activity, students will be able to (1) apply the principles of audience persona development, (2) build skills in data collection and analysis, and (3) gain in-depth understanding of a core audience group as the basis for crafting effective messages.

Drawing on a specific case of the El-Hawwar Sporting Club, located in El-Mansoura, Egypt, the primary intent of this study was to identify variables and key factors that contribute to an effective sport marketing promotional mix, used to enhance visibility and consumption of products and services of the sport organization. A total of 100 participants completed a questionnaire with questions using a 3-point Likert scale including demographic information to determine the effectiveness of a promotional mix to increase the service consumption of the HSC Sporting Club. The findings confirm the extraordinary value of a well-chosen promotional mix to increase the visibility and profitability of the touted goods and services. Participants provided several practical recommendations that include a call on today's sport marketers to invest sufficient time and resources in conducting a thorough market and consumer behavior analysis as a foundation for an effective promotional mix. This study found the use of promotion mixes in Egyptian clubs is still at its infancy and there is a dire need for more research on the topic in the future.

Rodeo is one of the few sports still sponsored by the tobacco industry, particularly the US Smokeless Tobacco Company. Rodeo is popular in rural communities, where smokeless tobacco use is more prevalent. We used previously secret tobacco industry documents to examine the history and internal motivations for tobacco company rodeo sponsorship. Rodeos allow tobacco companies to reach rural audiences and young people, enhance brand image, conduct market research, and generate positive press. Relationships with athletes and fans were used to fight proposed restrictions on tobacco sports sponsorship. Rodeo sponsorship was intended to enhance tobacco sales, not the sport. Rural communities should question the tradition of tobacco sponsorship of rodeo sports and reject these predatory marketing practices.

Whether you think of it as your image, your standing in the community, or your reputation, your medical practice is also a brand. While many organizations, companies, products, and services are known for specific attributes that make them stand out from competitors, most use a combination of marketing disciplines to communicate who and what they are to their customers, consumers, and patients. Public relations is often considered the most powerful, cost-effective, and efficacious of the marketing disciplines, surpassing advertising, promotion, and direct mail in molding and developing brands. Your practice can benefit from a well-crafted branding public relations program.

There is level of uncertainty prevailing in the health care profession today. No one knows what the future will bring for hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, physicians, and patients. However, one thing is certain: physicians will need to market and promote their practices. This article will provide several practical ideas that any practice can use to market and proS mote itself in an ethical fashion.

Between 1999 and 2001, British American Tobacco, Philip Morris, and Japan Tobacco International executed Project Cerberus to develop a global voluntary regulatory regime as an alternative to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). They aimed to develop a global voluntary regulatory code to be overseen by an independent audit body and to focus attention on youth smoking prevention. The International Tobacco Products Marketing Standards announced in September 2001, however, did not have the independent audit body. Although the companies did not stop the FCTC, they continue to promote the International Tobacco Products Marketing Standards youth smoking prevention as an alternative to the FCTC. Public health civil society groups should help policymakers and governments understand the importance of not working with the tobacco industry.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals tapped publis relations (PR) giant Ketchum earlier this year to spearhead a marketing campaign that would make its new U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved prescription-based medication, Enablex, stand out among the crowd in over active bladder (OAB) treatment. OAB is a disorder that affects an estimated 33 million Americans making this treatment highly in demand with consumers and highly competitive with other pharmaceutical companies.

Hardin Library for the Health Sciences offers an education service called Hardin House Calls. In collaboration with the University of Iowa libraries' public relations coordinator, the education team developed a marketing campaign for Hardin House Calls. Marketing strategies included designing a new logo, meeting with external relations representatives and faculty, distributing a user survey, and producing and distributing posters and advertisements. These marketing strategies greatly increased the visibility and use of Hardin House Calls. The campaign also led to a series of faculty development sessions, education collaborations with smaller health sciences departments, and collection development opportunities. Promoting an instructional service through a public relations frameworkwas found to be a highly successful strategy.

Objectives: To describe the tobacco industry's relationships with and influence on homeless and mentally ill smokers and organisations providing services to them., Methods: Analysis of internal tobacco industry documents and journal articles., Results: The tobacco industry has marketed cigarettes to the homeless and seriously mentally ill, part of its "downscale" market, and has developed relationships with homeless shelters and advocacy groups, gaining positive media coverage and political support., Discussion: Tobacco control advocates and public health organisations should consider how to target programmes to homeless and seriously mentally ill individuals. Education of service providers about tobacco industry efforts to cultivate this market may help in reducing smoking in these populations.

Most firms build their marketing strategies around the concept of the product life cycle--the idea that after introduction, products inevitably follow a course of growth, maturity, and decline. It doesn't have to be that way, says HBS marketing professor Youngme Moon. By positioning their products in unexpected ways, companies can change how customers mentally categorize them. In doing so, they can shift products lodged in the maturity phase back--and catapult new products forward--into the growth phase. The author describes three positioning strategies that marketers use to shift consumers' thinking. Reverse positioning strips away"sacred" product attributes while adding new ones (JetBlue, for example, withheld the expected first-class seating and in-flight meals on its planes while offering surprising perks like leather seats and extra legroom). Breakaway positioning associates the product with a radically different category (Swatch chose not to associate itself with fine jewelry and instead entered the fashion accessory category). And stealth positioning acclimates leery consumers to a new offering by cloaking the product's true nature (Sony positioned its less-than-perfect household robot as a quirky pet). Clayton Christensen described how new, simple technologies can upend a market. In an analogous way, these positioning strategies can exploit the vulnerability of established categories to new positioning. A company can use these techniques to go on the offensive and transform a category by demolishing its traditional boundaries. Companies that disrupt a category through positioning create a lucrative place to ply their wares--and can leave category incumbents scrambling.

Three years ago, 70-year-old Hill-Rom Incorporated was in a position familiar to many mature businesses: The company was strong but needed to be stronger. It was a top producer of hospital beds and specialty mattresses, its core product lines. It also had competitive complementary lines of stretchers, furniture, and architectural equipment. It had an extensive customer base, a respected sales force, and solid profit margins. But by the time Ernest Waaser took over as chief executive in early 2001, revenue growth had been slowing, and competition was on the rise. To secure Hill-Rom's place in the market, Waaser decided to focus first on the sales organization--partly because the cost of sales had risen gradually over the past five years and partly because acquisitions and other initiatives had made the sales organization more complex. The CEO took several steps to restructure the sales force. First, the company changed its customer segments to better reflect customers' demands and financial status, ultimately targeting two main groups: key and prime customers. It then changed the overall structure of the sales organization so it could tailor its approach to these two segments; key customers received more specialized service than prime customers. Finally, Hill-Rom adjusted the sales force after the company took an in-depth look at historical data on products and services and sales completed. Reasons for staffing changes were carefully communicated to the sales force. Because of Hill-Rom's initiatives, the cost of sales is down, short-term revenue growth is up, the outlook for long-term revenue growth looks bright, sales and profit margins are up, and customer satisfaction has increased. Best practice, indeed.

In an effort to expand the nursing workforce, nursing organizations, schools and hospital recruiters are targeting men, who now comprise only 5.4 percent of the current workforce.

The greatest danger to public health might be "checkbook science": research intended not to expand knowledge or to benefit humanity but to sell products. Much of the media coverage of health news stories is based on public relations efforts on behalf of the companies that sell the products, including pharmaceutical companies, diet clinics, or doctors selling new techniques. The author presents three case studies of how companies selling medical products effectively but invisibly shaped recent news coverage of medical products: fen-phen diet pills, breast implants, and hormone replacement therapy. All involve subtle strategies whereby physicians and other experts paid by corporate interests are influential because they are perceived to be objective medical experts. Articles in prestigious medical journals are sometimes ghostwritten by individuals paid by companies or are based on biased analyses or interpretations shaped by corporate interests. Nonprofit organizations that tout the benefits of specific medical products also may be part of the public relations efforts of the companies making the product. Meanwhile, important newsworthy studies are ignored by the mass media when corporate interests do not publicize or pitch the results to influential reporters and producers.

In recent years, social media has provided higher education institutions with new means of communication with their target groups. In this study, research was conducted on top public universities from four countries in Central Europe, with a focus on their Public Relations activities on Facebook. The purpose of this research is to explore the use of Facebook by selected universities and to provide a set of practical benchmarks on successful communication with the public. The quantitative data analysis was conducted using the data mining tool Netvizz. Data from 2017 and 2018 obtained from 31 Facebook profiles of selected universities were used. The findings provide evidence on the use of Facebook by universities for Public Relations. Furthermore, they reveal that different post features generate different customer behaviour. The study contributes to a better understanding of marketing-related activities on social media in higher education field.

The continuing technological development of the advertising and public relations (PR) industry and increasing transfer of marketing expenditures from traditional channels to emerging digital media have placed a heavy burden on advertising and PR education. While it is not clear how educators are responding to the digital challenge, this study provides a complete picture of advertising and PR digital media education in the United States. Through a content analysis of curricula from 99 universities with advertising and PR programs, we found that nearly one-quarter (23.5%; n = 1,128) of advertising and PR major courses taught digital media and that digital media education placed greater emphasis on skills courses. Furthermore, the advertising and PR discipline was still based on mass communication, journalism, and marketing rather than computer-related fields. It is hoped that this article will shed some light on the digitalization of future advertising and PR education.

The purpose of this article is to describe and encourage an approach to a public relations course that can be applied to any discipline. Grounded in the experiential learning theory, students prepare for 16 weeks to present an issue-based campaign to a targeted, live audience at an oncampus venue. Using the course textbook and required readings as a guide, students are taught to "do" as the readings instruct, rather than be bound to merely memorizing the material. During the semester, the goal of the student evolves from earning a good grade, to attracting and enlightening an audience though public relations. While the project was assigned to public relations students, renditions of the described approach can be creatively applied to other disciplines interested in students acquiring real world experience outside of internships, within the safety net of their own campus.

Despite ample research indicating creativity is valuable in creating a competitive advantage and enabling individual success in the global knowledge economy, there are still industry concerns about how adequately individual student's creative abilities are developed for the workplace (McCorkle, Payan, Reardon & Kling, 2007). In considering how well teaching practices can strengthen creative performances in classrooms, this paper details an action research project that investigates creative and critical thinking among an undergraduate cohort of marketing and public relations students in the School of Business, The University of Notre Dame Australia. In particular this study: 1) considers how business students understand creativity; 2) examines whether the performance of creativity can be enhanced through individual critical reflection on the nature and value of creativity; and 3) analyses how student's self-assessment data can extend teaching practice and improve curriculum design so business students can better meet industry expectations of creative skills.

One common way of conceptualising recent changes in university governance is by stating that the universities are being pushed towards a market-like setting where the uniqueness of each university's strategy and capacity for introducing organizational change is seen as necessary to improve the functioning of the university. We argue that the strategic functioning of the university is conditioned by the extent to which key decision makers, in the strategic decision-making process, share interpretations of the university's strategic advantages and hence have a coherent view of the strategic choices to be made. Our discussion is based on an analysis of a unique survey among principal decision makers at 26 universities in 8 countries in Europe.

The marketisation of schools has emerged as a defining feature of the education landscape. While the role of principals and lead teachers in carrying out marketing work was investigated in the late 1990s, there has been scant evidence of how the people and practices of marketing in schools have evolved into the twenty-first century. Expanding on existing literature on educational marketing practices in schools, and through in-depth interviews with a unique sample of school marketers, this study explores the emergence of the school marketing professional. The interviews reveal the diverse backgrounds and experiences of these individuals, the transfer of their business skills into schools and the tensions in professional boundaries with educators who traditionally performed school marketing activities. Ultimately, the study furthers insights into the co-existence of educational and managerial agendas in the schools market.

Social media have affected daily activities, communication practices, and business practices throughout society. Social media are more frequently embraced in higher education as well. One indication of this growth is the fact that more than half of all teaching faculty use social media at least monthly for professional reasons, with professors in professions and applied sciences being at the forefront of the use. Interviews with more than 20 industry professionals representing nonprofits, corporations, and subject matter experts provide insights into key considerations for social media education. Future social media education should provide not only academic training but also industry expertise.

Undergraduate marketing and public relations capstone courses utilize client projects to allow students to apply their knowledge and encourage collaboration. Yet, at the graduate level, especially with courses offered in an online modality, experiential service learning in the form of client project assignments presents unique challenges. However, with an increased emphasis on practical application across the business curricula and growth in distance learning, client projects can provide opportunities for adult learners to hone their skills and encourage teamwork using new collaborative technology. This paper discusses experiential service learning and gives an example of a client project model.

Students studying Marketing, Fashion, Public Relations, Advertising and similar subjects need to develop a "critical eye" in relation to images, media and digital technologies. This project aims to empower teachers to develop multimedia learning resources that would support students engaging in this essential activity. Developing such resources is usually demanding in terms of time and effort, and staff can be reluctant to take part due to their (perceived) lack of skills in using unfamiliar software. A key aspect is that the resources developed should act as "open educational resources" (OERs) that could be reused and re-purposed easily by other teachers. An action learning methodology is followed to develop two learning resources, embed them in two different classroom contexts, and evaluate student reaction. The evaluation shows that use of the resources across a large module with over 300 students made a difference by the inclusion of theory in the students' written work and that use in a smaller classroom with international students assisted in overcoming cultural barriers of "speaking out" in a discussion setting. The teachers in both class settings report that they, and their students, found these resources relevant, accessible and useful both inside and outside the classroom. (Contains 2 figures.)

Online programs and courses are established presences in higher education, and so are processes such as online registration. Prospective students routinely turn to the web for information to help them decide on the most appropriate programs for their situation. Digital public relations (digital PR) is rapidly becoming one of the cornerstones of an effective competitive strategy, and by efficiently combining marketing, search engine optimization, and digital PR to promote news about the professional and continuing education programs of the university, University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) member institutions will reach millions of people searching for information online daily. In this article, the author, who is the director of marketing for Linfield College's Division of Continuing Education, relates how she employs digital PR to produce significant increases in visitors to the institution's website and to targeted webpages by prospective students conducting searches that are a close match with the university's professional and continuing education programs.

Reviews of editorial practices and academic studies have shown that journalists often rely on organization websites--and online newsrooms in particular--to inform news stories. Yet, at a time when many academics are called upon as experts by the media, university newsrooms have been ignored. To fill this gap, this study assesses newsrooms of universities to determine whether they are providing adequate resources to cover the institution or identify experts. Previous research demonstrated higher ranked Fortune 500 companies have more comprehensive newsrooms, potentially putting them at an advantage when it comes to news coverage. To better understand whether disparities exist among the top US institutions, this study features a content analysis of the newsrooms of the top 202 universities ranked by "U.S. News & World Report." Findings show that although higher ranked universities typically feature more comprehensive newsrooms, universities at all levels are missing opportunities to provide journalists with information necessary to cover the university, thus limiting visibility to outside stakeholders. The most common features were internally written news stories and links to social media. Resources specifically for journalists were less common. Assessing newsrooms is valuable because they influence media coverage, which can improve credibility and perceived external prestige.