Individual Semester Project - 50%
This is a comprehensive semester-long project in which each student works on a strategic campaign.
Each student will develop a comprehensive public relations campaign for an organization. Your grade for this project will be based on the following criteria:
- 25% Formative Research
- 25% Strategy
- 25% Tactics
- 15% Evaluative Research
- 10% Written/visual Presentation (Final)
Article Reviews - 10%
Each student will photocopy two articles from Public Relations Strategist (or another professional publication approved by the instructor) and two articles from an academic journal such as the Journal of Public Relations Research, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Journal of Marketing, Communication Quarterly, Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Journal of Applied Communication, Journal of Applied Communication Research or Journal of Advertising Research. Write a review of about 300 words for each article. Discuss your thoughts on the article, what it accomplished for the reader, what you learned from it, and whether/why you would recommend it to another student. Your grade for each review will be based on the following criteria:
- 20% Summary of main points.
- 30% Content: Does the information seem to be balanced? Well presented? Credible? relevant?
- 30% Personal Discussion: What you learned; personal evaluation; recommendation.
- 20% Writing mechanics.
Practice Campaigns - 30%
Each student will develop and present an original public relations campaign for each of the different types of campaigns discussed throughout the course. These projects are designed to give students the opportunity to apply public relations concepts, research, strategy, tactics, and evaluation methods to realistic communication situations.
For each campaign type, students will be given or select an organization, issue, opportunity, or communication challenge and develop a campaign appropriate for that category. Students should approach each project as if they were the public relations professional responsible for developing and pitching the campaign to the organization or client.
Each campaign should include appropriate background information and research, identification of the target audience(s), campaign goals and measurable objectives, key messages, strategy, specific communication tactics, and a plan for evaluating the success of the campaign. Students should demonstrate an understanding of how the campaign type influences the communication strategy and tactics selected.
Students will present each campaign to the class using professional visual support. Presentations should clearly communicate the campaign idea, explain the reasoning behind strategic decisions, and demonstrate how the proposed tactics work together to accomplish the campaign objectives.
Your grade for each campaign project will be based on the following criteria:
20% — Background, Research & Analysis
20% — Goals, Objectives & Strategy
20% — Tactics & Creative Execution
20% — Evaluation & Campaign Rationale
20% — Professional Presentation & Supporting Materials
Discussions 10%
Each module will include a graded discussion about the current content. They are designed both to help you learn and for you to assist each other in learning, connecting, and applying the module connect.