Posts Tagged: PR

Below are the original framing questions I posted for Week 1 and my responses after today’s discussion.

1. Although quantitative research methods are the most popular when it comes to gathering and analyzing data, there are many benefits to the qualitative approach as well. As a researcher, which method appeals to you most and why? Is there one particular aspect/component you find compelling?

As a researcher the qualitative method appeals to me the most. While I appreciate hard data and numbers to help support qualitative analysis, I feel that tools like observation and interviews give research a certain warmth and make it more relatable. I also feel that it gives research an opportunity to explore the “human” side of an issue rather than just base it on numbers. Qualitative methods also allows for flexibility and exploratory research, which can be beneficial when first tackling a new issue. The component I find most compelling within qualitative research is the interview aspect, or using other people’s experience and knowledge to help shape the results. The interview process (and the flexibility of this kind of research) allows the researcher to ask follow up questions or go in-depth about certain aspects in regards to whatever issue is currently being studied. While I prefer qualitative methods, I do believe that both methods are needed in order to understand communication theories in today’s society.

2. In chapter 13 the authors assign certain theories to communication professions demonstrating real-world use of theory. Pick one of the industry-related fields and decide if you agree with the authors suggestions. For example, do you agree that in Public Relations the theory of framing and agenda setting would be useful/applicable? Why or why not? If possible try to tie in work/internship/classroom experiences that help demonstrate this.

Having worked in PR for two years I can see how I used the framing and agenda setting theories in my everyday work experiences. The way I would word or frame press releases, pitches and media materials was based on what I thought would grab the media’s attention and thus result in a story being written. For example, one client I worked for was an auto insurance company and we developed an annual campaign for them testing driver’s knowledge based on if they would pass a standard DMV test today. Based on the findings we would frame headlines to read XX Insurance Company Finds  Americans May Be Unfit for Roads*. With this headline we wanted to convey that our survey results indicated that many would not pass the DMV test, however because it was not a “scientific” study (more entertainment based) we had to be careful about phrasing, which is way we used “may be unfit.”  By keeping the wording vague we were able to avoid backlash from those who would measure it by scientific standards and challenge the methodology. What’s interesting is that while I was using the theory to help launch the campaign and make it successful,  at the same time I was completely unaware that I was doing it – it felt natural and almost obvious. I think this is a great example of how we use theory in our daily lives and that it’s become an ingrained part of our thinking process.

3. This last question doesn’t directly involve the reading, but as I’m interested in using interviews as part of my research paper I thought it would be beneficial to discuss. The authors suggest that interviews are a strong qualitative measurement when it comes to communications research and theory. What is the best way (email, phone?) to secure an interview with a source who the researcher may not know? How can researchers frame their idea in such a way that will excite a prospective interviewee into participating?

While we didn’t discuss this in class, I believe the best way to start a “cold” conversation is to first research the person you want to interview and see if there are any commonalities. Did you both go to school in the city? Does he/she have a masters in Interactive Media? I would then compose a brief email with using this information and also about my research project. I’d request to have no more than 15 to 20 minutes of their time and give them all my contact information. Depending on the source, if I hadn’t heard back I might try a follow up call, but again this would depend on the source and on the research topic. To help engage the source in my research I would talk about the importance of their expertise and also how their work has influenced this topic (it’s a little brown nosing, but it never hurts, right?) I’d also explain why I think their contribution would be valuable. However, if the source isn’t interested I would move onto a new potential source and continue until I found someone who would be able to fit my research purposes and provide useful insight to my topic.

* I omitted the client’s name for privacy reasons (should someone stumble across this blog).