Strategic Communications Plan - Ruapehu District... · Ruapehu District Council – Strategic...

2017

Paul Wheatcroft

Communications and Media Manager

January 2017 (revised)

Strategic Communications Plan

Ruapehu District Council – Strategic Communications Plan, PRW, Corporate Communications, January 2017. 1

GLOSSARY. PAGE.

1.0 Executive Summary. 2/5.

2.0 Introduction. 6.

3.0 Situation. 6.

4.0 Environment. 7.

5.0 Strategic Corporate Communications Objectives. 8.

6.0 Principle Guidelines from the Controller and Auditor General. 9/11.

7.0 Strategic Corporate Communications Focus. 12.

8.0 Target Audience Definition. 13.

9.0 Internal Publics. 12.

10.0 External Publics. 15.

11.0 Media and Other Communications Options for External Publics. 15/17.

12.0 Psychographic Data – RDC Customer Satisfaction Survey. 18.

13.0 Account Management and External Publics. 19.

14.0 Communications Model with Publics - Two-Way Symmetric Model. 20.

15.0 Maori and Council. 21.

16.0 Council Staff in Communications. 22.

17.0 Integrated Marketing & Communications [IMC]. 23.

18.0 The Strategic Communications Process. 24/28.


1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. 1.1 The communications strategy represents a ‘statement of strategic direction’ for Council

corporate communications objectives and how they are to be achieved. This includes a strategy on the general communications focus required by Council for successfully obtaining Council communications objectives.

1.2 These objectives are a combination of Council’s legislated requirements to enable

democratic local decision-making and promoting the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being(1.2.1) of Ruapehu district communities while undertaking the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between Council and its publics [internal and external].

1.2.1 The Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) Amendment Act 2014 removed well beings from the

LGA and replaced them with principles (LGA section 14.1) that a local authority should take into account: 1. the social, economic, and cultural interests of people and communities; and 11. the need to maintain and enhance the quality of the environment; and 111. the reasonably foreseeable needs of future generations. For the purposes of this communications strategy this these are seen as equivalent.

1.3 Council’s communications functions have both informational and motivational objectives;

• Increase public understanding of the role of Council. • Encourage participation in Council’s processes by Ruapehu district residents. • Ensure Council policies and operational matters are communicated in a timely and

accurate manner to the public. 1.4 Despite any structural or technology take-up limitations [digital divide] in Ruapehu district

the Strategic Communications Plan [SCP] calls for Council to develop and implement its communications utilising the latest, proven technology available.

1.5 Guidelines from the Controller and Auditor General from the ‘Good Practice for Managing

Public Communications by Local Authorities – April 2004’ provide the basis of principles that underline the communications strategy. These are;

• Legitimacy and justification – Principles 1, 2 & 3. • The importance of reflecting a Collective Position – Principles 4 & 5. • Standards of communications – Principle 6. • Rules for consultation and public debate – Principles 7 & 8.

1.6 The SCP calls for communications to be effective and efficient. Central to this objective is

the requirement to define audiences by public[s] to allow accurate targeting of communications.

1.7 Public: A group of people who share a common problem and goal and recognise their

common interest. 1.8 Central to the need to target communications via publics is the requirement to develop a

database to collect information on publics including demographic [age, sex, class, income, ethnicity] and psychographic [personality traits – perceptions and attitudes] details as well as categories defined in the LGA of social, economic, environmental and cultural publics.

https://www.dia.govt.nz/better-local-government

http://www.oag.govt.nz/2004/public-communications

http://www.oag.govt.nz/2004/public-communications


1.9 The need for a targeted strategy for communications with Maori and the need to meet Council’s obligations under the LGA with respect to Maori is recognised with strategic approaches proposed.

1.10 The SCP recognises the importance to any Council communications programme that the

organisation has a good understanding of not just who their public[s] are, but how to communicate with them in the most efficient and reliable manner.

1.11 The strategic use of different communications methods for both internal and external

publics are reviewed recognising the need to choose the method based on the situation and to educate publics to expect specific methods to deliver specific messages e.g. listen to local radio during civil defence emergencies.

1.12 Synonymous with effective communications is the requirement to implement effective

account management with key publics. The account management process is seen as a fundamental aspect to strategic communications success.

1.13 The SCP also draws on the most recent triennial Customer Satisfaction Survey for

community psychographic input into the plan. This found the strategic need to;

• Utilise as wide as possible source of communications options including third party special interest publications.

• Pre-empt issues through proactive communications. • Correct erroneous information in the public domain. • Increase communications around Council’s role, core activities and services.

1.14 The importance of adopting a communications model [two-way symmetric communications

model] that allows for effective two-way communication is highlighted. The SCP recognises the importance of the model in establishing and maintaining source [Council] credibility and legitimacy.

1.15 The use of Council staff in communications to provide a perception of an ‘open’ and

‘accessible’ Council is covered along with the need to ensure that all communications form part of an ‘integrated communications’ approach.

1.16 The use of the Mayor and Councillors with other third parties to represent Ruapehu’s

interests and lobby for access to cost effective, reliable broadband services at a government level is a critical aspect to communications technology development.

1.17 In today’s digital age we cannot plan Council’s strategic communication plan without

considering technology and how it will support our mission. 1.18 Last [but not least] a simple four-step process for ensuring communications meet Council’s

strategic objectives is proposed. This four-step plan is designed to ensure that all issues and publics are identified, that Council is confident of the message, the media, the copy and the duration of the communications.

1.19 The strategic communications plan provides the ‘road map’ of how Council needs to

develop and implement its communications to support and meet its strategic organisational objectives.

1.20 Vitally it can be seen that the role of communications and strategic communications

thinking is more important than ever for Council.


1.22 Not only is it a critical success factor for meeting legislated requirements as prescribed by the Local Government Act but is a key tool for the organisation meeting its other objectives and goals as well as developing culture, retaining staff et al.

1.23 Supported by the appropriate policy the SCP will ensure that Council is in the best possible

position to deliver against its statutory duties regarding ensuring publics are well informed, and know what they need to know, to enable understanding of Council and participation in the democratic local decision-making.


COUNCIL

SITUATION

LGA requirements

Cultural Well being

Environmental Well being

Economic Well being

Social Well being

Territorial Authority

ENVIRONMENT

communication

Community Outcomes

- avg $ income < NZ avg,

- Township growth,

Public 12.

South vs North, - 60% pop < 35 yrs,

- Tourism growth,

- Psychographics, - Demographics,

- Digital Divide, - Rural backbone,

Public 13.

Public 15.

Public 16.

Public 17.

Public 6.

Public 5.

Public 2.

Public 3.

Public 1.

Public 4. Public 14.

Public 8.

Public 10.

Public 11.

Public 9.

Public 7.

Two-way symmetric Two-way symmetric

communication

Etc.

Etc.

Elected Representatives

- Pre-emptive, - Special interest, - Corrections, - Council’s role, - Core activities, - Services, - Consultation, - Emergencies, - Council thinking, - Feedback, - Etc.

Corporate Communications

Operational Council

COUNCIL.

Mayor &

Councilors

External PUBLICS

1.24 Communications Model.

External Publics.

- ‘What’s on’ at Council, - Project status, - Inter-department news, - Etc.

Internal PUBLICS


2.0 INTRODUCTION. 2.1 The plan provides a high level framework for how Council will present Council’s work,

mission and goals to Council’s publics and other stakeholders including meeting any legislated requirements.

2.2 Unlike a commercial organisation Council has legislated functions that grant it monopoly

powers within its community including the ability to raise revenue from its constituents. Although this situation removes the need to compete [for revenue] commercially it does not remove the need for Council to relate favourably with the community and its publics. In-fact the LGA legislation requires Council to communicate with its constituents about its activities and their impact.

• Just how does Council create a favourable image in the community and with its

employees? • How can Council distinguish itself in the minds of its employees, customers, and other

relevant stakeholders, publics and constituents? • How does Council manage something so seemingly ephemeral as an image? • How does Council obtain/provide meaningful feedback and understanding to/from its

publics? • How does Council satisfy its legislated consultation requirements? • Should Council respond to misinformation and or outline operational and Council

thinking? 2.3 The answers derive from the Strategic Communications Plan that needs to reflect a clear

understanding of the Council’s strategic objectives and goals. 2.4 Communication is an essential part of good management and the effective delivery of

Council services. 3.0 SITUATION. 3.1 Council operates as the territorial authority for the Ruapehu District. As a territorial

authority Council has legislated requirements in respect to its planning and functions as defined by the Local Government Act 2002 [LGA].

3.2 The communications function is critical to Council delivering on its mission as per the LGA

to provide for democratic and effective local government that recognises the diversity of New Zealand communities

3.3 Typically there are 3 types of situations that Council needs to communicate on;

[1] A remedial programme to overcome a problem or situation [2] A specific 1-off project e.g. promotion of specific event or situation – consultation, etc [3] Reinforce on-going [business as usual] effort to preserve reputation and public support.

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0084/latest/DLM170879.html


4.0 ENVIRONMENT. 4.1 The Ruapehu District is predominately rural. This has implications for strategic

communications planning because of the issues with a lower level of technology infrastructure potentially available to some Council publics.

4.2 Broadband is now available throughout most of Ruapehu District either via landlines or

mobile services, however, the more rural parts of the District still have connection issues. 4.3 Other demographic factors such as income also impact. Analysis of household income

levels (see: profile.id) in the Ruapehu District compared to the New Zealand shows that there was a smaller proportion of high income households (those earning more than $70,000 per annum) and a higher proportion of low income households (those earning less than $30,000 per annum).

Overall, 22.6% of the households earned a high income, and 28.3% were low income

households, compared with 38.7% and 18.7% respectively for the New Zealand. As measured by the Social Deprivation index Ruapehu scores 1069.00 (mean = 1000) showing Ruapehu has on average relatively higher social deprivation

4.4 This has a direct correlation in relation to access to technology. It is likely that the

Ruapehu District has a larger ‘digital divide’ [those with access to technology/internet and those without access] than many other territories in New Zealand. The 2013 census showed 56.2% of homes in Ruapehu had access to the internet which is lower than for the rest of NZ. This is the same for access to a cell phone or a landline.

4.5 Despite the potential ‘digital divide’ Council’s strategic communications planning must still

focus on taking advantage of the latest that the internet and other technologies can provide.

4.6 The importance of ensuring that the District maintains relative access to the leading

communications infrastructure available is a critical success factor. At a political level the communications strategy calls for a proactive approach to maintaining pressure on government and business to ensuring District’s such as Ruapehu are not overlooked.

4.7 Council needs to maintain pressure through Local Government New Zealand Zone Three

meetings and direct pressure on both government and relevant business.

Strategic Statement – Environmental Status.

• Despite any structural or technology up-take limitations [digital divide] in Ruapehu District Council will develop and implement its communications utilising the latest, proven technology available.

• Council elected representatives should proactively maintain pressure at a political and business

level to ensure that rural districts such as Ruapehu have access to services on par with the rest of New Zealand.

http://profile.idnz.co.nz/ruapehu/household-income?BMID=30

http://profile.idnz.co.nz/ruapehu/deprivation-index?BMID=30

http://profile.idnz.co.nz/ruapehu/telecommunications?BMID=30


5.0 STRATEGIC CORPORATE COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES. 5.1 Council strategic corporate communications objectives are both external and internal to the

organisation.

• Externally the strategic role of Council communications is to actively support the mission of Council as per the LGA and our own aspirations.

• Internally the strategic role of communications is to actively support the development of Council culture and the efficient and effective operation of the organisation.

5.2 In either case the organisational focus is on developing relationships and an environment

whereby Council’s publics are in the best potential framework to receive Council communications.

5.3 Working within the guidelines set by the ‘Good Practice for Managing Public

Communications by Local Authorities – April 2004’ from the office of the Controller and Auditor General; Council’s communications function should seek to;

• Increase public understanding of the role of Council. • Encourage participation in Council’s processes by customers of the Council. • Ensure Council policies and operational matters are communicated in a timely and

accurate manner to the public. 5.4 Council communications fall into one of two broad communications objectives. This is

either providing information or seeking to motivate action. 5.5 Informational Objective.

A significant percentage of PR is aimed at primarily exposing audiences to information and to increasing awareness of an issue, event, etc. Most common Council informational communications objectives;

• Message exposure. • Accurate dissemination of messages; major criteria for PR effectiveness :-

[1] increase public awareness of current issues. [2] delivery of key messages.

• Increase awareness and understanding of Council purpose and establishing of strong brand recognition of key symbols e.g. Council logo.

5.6 Motivational Objectives.

Council motivational objectives = encourage participation of Council publics in democratic process, consultations, etc. Changing attitudes and perceptions are more difficult to accomplish in a PR campaign, however, are easier to measure e.g. more yes or no.

Strategic Statement – Communications Objectives.

• Council will undertake strategic communications with informational objectives with view to increasing public awareness of current issues, Council’s purpose and to promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of Ruapehu district communities and establishing strong brand recognition of Council.

• Council will undertake strategic communications with motivational objectives with view to

encouraging participation in democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, Ruapehu district communities.


6.0 PRINCIPLE GUIDELINES FROM THE CONTROLLER & AUDITOR GENERAL. 6.1 This Strategic Communications Plan derives input from a number of sources in an attempt

to build on ‘best practice’ systems already in use while avoiding ‘reinvention of the wheel’. 6.2 One of the more important guiding documents has been ‘Good Practice for Managing Public

Communications by Local Authorities – April 2004’ from the Office of the Controller and Auditor General.

6.3 The principle guidelines from the ‘Good Practice for Managing Public Communications by

Local Authorities – April 2004’ document are accepted as the basis for Council strategic communications. Some principles are more relevant to ‘communications strategy’ than communications policy and tactics and these are listed in support of the proposed strategy.

6.4 The ‘strategy principles’ confirm the role of communications in Council and the need to

adequately resource the communications function in-line with best practice. 6.5 Legitimacy and Justification. 6.6 Principle 1.

A Council can lawfully, and should, spend money on communications to meet a community’s [or a section of the community’s] justifiable need for information about the Council’s role and activities.

• Communications are a necessary and legitimate Council expense. • Council’s are justified in employing, engaging professional advice for communications

activities. • Communications should be cost justified. • Communication effectiveness should be measured. • Council communications are more important in the LGA environment. • Council has an obligation to ensure people know how they are being affected by

Council actions, and what their rights and responsibilities are in relation to those actions.

6.7 Principle 2.

Communications should be consistent with the purpose of local government and in the collective interests of the communities Council serves.

• Council’s statutory purpose includes promoting the well-being of communities in its

district. • Communication to a specific stakeholder group should be able to be justified as being in

the collective interests of all stakeholders.

Strategic Statement – Principle 1, Legitimacy & Justification.

• The role of communications within Council operations is more important than ever given the strategic objectives of the LGA environment. Council obligations under the LGA necessitate a strategic approach to communications planning. Council must ensure that the communications function is adequately resourced.


6.8 Principle 3.

Communications should comply with any applicable Council policies and guidelines as to process [including authorisation] and content.

6.9 Collective Position. 6.10 Principle 4.

Communications on Council policies and decisions should reflect the collective position of the Council.

6.11 Principle 5.

Communications on Council business should always be clearly attributed to the Council as the publisher.

• Brand all communications. • Statutory communications must state authorisation and statutory provision under which

it is being published.

Strategic Statement – Principle 2, Legitimacy and Justification.

• The most effective communications are appropriately targeted communications. The Strategic Communications Plan seeks to support Council operations and community understanding of local government and the LGA by developing targeted communications based around social, economic, environmental and cultural well-beings.

• The Strategic Communications Plan seeks to proactively establish relationships with key

publics with the objective of targeting communications more effectively and enabling two-way communication whereby all sides are able to hear and understand each other [two-way symmetric communications model].

Strategic Statement – Principle 3, Legitimacy and Justification.

• The Strategic Communications Plan must be supported by well-developed Communications Policy and other supporting Council policy e.g. Code of Conduct.

Strategic Statement – Principle 4, Collective Position.

• Council communications must clearly reflect the unambiguous collective position of Council and be 100% reliable.

Strategic Statement– Principle 5, Collective Position.

• Council communications should take place under an ‘Integrated Marketing Communications’ [IMC] framework whereby all communications are branded and reflect a minimum standard of identification with Council irrespective of media or placement.


6.12 Standards of Communication. 6.13 Principle 6.

Factual and explanatory information should be presented in a way that is accurate, complete, fairly expressed, and politically neutral.

• Accurate = founded on ascertainable facts. • Complete = contains all information for a full and proper assessment. • Fairly expressed = presented in objective, unbiased and equitable way. • Politically neutral = represents Council’s collective position.

6.13 Consultation and Public Debate. 6.14 Principle 7.

Communications about matter that are under consideration by the Council, or are otherwise a matter of public debate, should present the issues in an even-handed and non-partisan way.

• Communications concerning future Council considerations should be distinctly different

to those that follow the decision. • Before consideration communications should avoid appearance and reality of bias or

predetermination and mention both advantages and disadvantages. • After consideration communications should cover the decision and its implications.

6.15 Principle 8.

If engaging in a public debate with an interest group or a section of the community, Council should use the news media [rather than a Council funded publication] and designated spokespersons [rather than professional communications advisers] unless there is a particular justification for not doing so.

• Council is justified in responding to publicity that is unfair, unbalanced or inaccurate.

The object should be to put the record straight including a measure of rebuttal.

Strategic Statement – Principle 6, Standards of Communication.

• Council communications should be in plain English and not utilise jargon. Simplify message wherever possible. Communications should provide reader with a fair and balanced view containing all pertinent facts.

Strategic Statement – Principle 7, Consultation and Public Debate.

• Public must be provided with all pertinent information to enable a fair and balanced decision/view to be made. Impact of Council decisions must be clear.

Strategic Statement – Principle 8, Consultation and Public Debate.

• Any misinformation, biased or unfair information in the public arena that could assist a public to develop an opinion that is incorrect should be addressed by Council. This includes letters-to-the-editor, media articles/reports, etc.


7.0 STRATEGIC CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS FOCUS. 7.1 The focus of Council strategic communications derives from the need of Council to build

and maintain relationships with the communities and District it serves. 7.2 The focus is on building and maintaining relationships on behalf of Council via Public

Relations [PR] techniques such that the Ruapehu district and community receives any Council communications or messages in a positive framework [open mind].

7.3 The strategic goal of Council PR is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish

and maintain mutual understanding between Council and its public[s]. Advertising

“Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative…”

Public Relations ‘SPIN’ LINE.

More Spin Less Spin

Communication

Affinity Reality

Council

7.4 The ‘Spin Line’ demonstrates where Council should be focusing its PR communications.

The communications/affinity/reality [ARC] triangle demonstrates that with PR the objective via appropriate communication is to increase the level of affinity and common reality [on issues and subjects] that Council has with its publics.

7.5 Logically it is not possible to maximise ‘trust’ or the shared affinity and common reality [on

an issue or subject] where the organisation is perceived as putting a ‘spin’ on its communications. Spin is also incompatible with key communications principles.

7.6 The ARC triangle is shown as such as increasing the level of either communication, affinity

or reality the Council has with a public increases the corresponding level of the other attributes e.g. by increasing communication the level of shared affinity and reality also increases.

7.7 Note: In writing copy this does not mean Council should not seek to ‘accentuate the

positive’. At all times however thought should be given to the appropriate balance and ensuring that Council cannot be seen to be misleading the reader – Principles 6 and 7.

Strategic Statement – Public Relations Objectives.

• The strategic goal of Council PR is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between Council and its public[s].


8.0 TARGET AUDIENCE DEFINITION. 8.1 Defining the target audience is critical to creating the message and achieving effective

reach to the audience. There are a number of ways for Council to define its target audience e.g. stakeholder, by activity, etc. The proposed method is to define target audiences for communications purposes by public[s].

8.2 Public: A group of people who share a common problem and goal and recognise their

common interest. 8.3 From a local government perspective the classification of the target audience/community

group by the communications definition of public is useful as it groups people by recognised, shared common interests.

8.4 Council Public’s.

Councillors, operational staff or subgroup e.g. management team, policy and planning department, etc, district residents or subgroup e.g. ratepayers, Maori, business people, Ohura residents, etc, other stakeholders e.g. government, other Council’s, partnership council’s, partnership organisations [MRI], territorial authorities, etc.

8.5 Reaching Council Publics.

Council has a number of ways open to it in reaching its publics. It is extremely important to Council communications programme that the organisation has a good understanding of not just who their public[s] are, but how to communicate with them in the most efficient and reliable manner. This is of vital importance in responding to any crisis communications requirements.

Strategic Statement – Communication to Target Audiences.

• Council communications should always be as tightly targeted as possible to maximise both the reach and frequency of message to target audience.

• Communications should be targeted by mutually recognised, shared common interests

[publics].


9.0 INTERNAL PUBLICS. 9.1 Internal publics include both operational staff [employees] and elected members. In both

cases the strategic communications goal is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between Council and that public such that internal publics are well informed, and know what they need to know, for the effective and efficient running of Council, and the development of a positive, healthy culture.

9.2 Operational Staff/Employees.

The primary methods by which Council has communicated internally to has included; • CE weekly employee/elected member newsletter. • Social media - Facebook • All staff emails – often used by senior management and various departments e.g. HR

and IT when the department wants to control the release usually for issue of timing. • Notice board in staff rooms – more for general type information. • Intranet. • Staff meetings – have been utilised to introduce significant work programmes and other

issues e.g. CEO staff briefings

Strategic Statement – Internal Publics.

• The internal strategic communications goal is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between Council and internal publics such that internal publics are well informed, and know what they need to know, for the effective and efficient running of Council, and the development of a positive, healthy culture.

• Management and department heads must be committed to informing the process for

keeping the organisation aware of the ‘status and what’s on’ in their department according to a regular schedule.

• CE weekly newsletter should provide preferred method for communicating with staff on

‘what’s going on’, ‘status’ and ‘big picture’ type information – this should cover both operational and political information.

• All Staff email should be preferred method for time critical instructions to staff.

• Intranet is planned to allow implementation of preferred communications model and

provide method for staff feedback and comment as well as being method of access to information currently stored on S:Drive e.g. staff information.

• Intranet should provide method for keeping elected members advised of Council ‘status

and what’s on’ is developed.


10.0 EXTERNAL PUBLICS. 10.1 The strategic external communications goal is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort

to establish and maintain mutual understanding between Council and external publics such that external publics are well informed, and know what they need to know, to enable their active participation in democratic local decision making.

10.2 The primary methods by which Council has communicated with its external publics has

included; • Media Releases. • Replies to letters-to-the-editor. • Paid advertising – print, radio, social media • Council publications e.g. Long Term Plan, Consultation documents/process – Statement

of Proposal, Summary of Information, etc. • Surveys and associated two-way communications e.g. Community Outcomes. • Website • Direct mail – to identified special interest groups. • Council publications – RDC News insert into local papers. • Public meetings • Displays and presentations. • Information brochures e.g. Guide to Ruapehu Community Grants, Applying for Resource

Consent, etc. • Social media – notably Facebook

10.3 All of these tactics have a role to play in the implementation of the communications

strategy. 11.0 MAIN COMMUNICATIONS OPTIONS FOR EXTERNAL PUBLICS. 11.1 Newspapers.

Newspapers have the benefit of providing graphics and longer, more detailed articles. The two local papers (Ruapehu Press and Ruapehu Bulletin) that cover the Ruapehu District are weekly but have the advantage that they are well read within the community. The Wanganui Chronicle has a Reporter assigned to cover issues in the Waimarino area.

11.2 Editorial Issues.

The editor of the respective local papers has a significant impact on how Council information is reported and utilised. Active account management of both Editors and local Reporters is a critical success factor.

11.3 The Ruapehu Bulletin is an owner/operator business. It has experienced local staff with

experience in reporting Council business. The Ruapehu Press is a Fairfax publication with editorial control in Taupo.

11.3.1 In 2015 Fairfax changed the way they run their network of community newspapers and

have template the layout of the papers. This means more syndicated content and less room for local stories. In response we have negotiated a mayoral column in the Ruapehu Press.


11.4 Information can be placed in the press in a number of ways;

1. Press Releases – these are free but only used at the paper’s discretion. 2. Letter-to-the-editor – these are free but only used at the paper’s discretion.

Provides an opportunity to correct or clarify a falsely reported matter particularly when there is a contentious issue.

3. Advertising Supplement [advertorial] - as significant advertisers in both local papers there is an opportunity to have editorial published on Council issues.

4. News Statement – when information needs to be published verbatim a paid for news statement is an option.

5. Feature Story – full-length magazine style articles. Experience suggests that passing on the story idea to the media without actually writing it would be more successful with the local papers.

6. Advertising – Public Notices expensive, Run-of-paper a lot cheaper. 7. Reactive Interviews – when the paper seeks out a spokesperson to comment on

a topic. 8. Inserts – Council written inserts are a lot more expensive than run-of-paper

advertising. 9. Mayoral column – established with Ruapehu Press. Agreement to target monthly

insert.

11.5 The strategic issue with both local papers is the requirement for close, proactive account management to ensure Council business is seen as a priority and presented in a balanced manner, as well as the confronting of any unbalanced reporting [or lack of reporting] on Council issues.

11.6 Radio.

Ruapehu District Council [RDC] has radio advertising contracts with the three main commercial radio stations in Ruapehu being; Peak FM, Ski FM and Cruise FM. Maintenance of good relationships with local radio is a critical success factor.

11.7 The use of these radio stations alone does not however provide RDC with full coverage as

there are areas of the District not covered by these stations notably Ohura. There are also Iwi radio stations however these have not been run as professionally and can be difficult to work with.

11.8 Due to cost none of the local radio stations have audience audits. As such there ‘claims’ as

to relative market share and audience demographic needs to be understood in this light. 11.9 Iwi radio provides an excellent strategic opportunity to target Maori publics directly

however experience has proven that they can be unreliable to work with. 11.10 Social Media Social Media is now a critical aspect to Council’s communications. 11.11 We have established accounts with Facebook, Twitter and Youtube

• Facebook with pages set-up for: Council Library Youth Council Rates Department (not regularly active)

Council should seek to gain membership of local ‘closed’ Facebook groups. It is important to understand and respect the culture of these groups when posting.


The approach has been to have a few Administrators and multiple Editors. Editors are empowered to create and post their own material as long as they work within the Social Media guidelines. Twitter and Youtube have not been used consistently. Thought needs to be given how to better utilise these channels.

11.12 Video Video needs to be used significantly more than in the past.


12.0 PSYCHOGRAPHIC DATA. 12.1 The findings of Council’s Customer Satisfaction Surveys undertaken by the National

Research Bureau together with analysis of census and other research data by Profileid provided community psychographic data that has been extremely useful in developing this Council Corporate Communications strategy with respect to external publics.

12.1 Strategically the implications were;

• Council should seek to utilise as wide as possible communications methods for achieving reach and frequency of message exposure. For various reasons the legislated documents such as Statement of Proposal and Summary of Information documents do not achieve the wider level of ‘community understanding’ we would hope that they would. This strategy includes establishing closer communications relationships with key special interest publics e.g. Federated Farmers, Rotary, TEI, Ohakune 2000, DOC, Police, etc.

• Council should seek to pre-empt issues wherever they can be identified e.g. coming into summer when the water level in the water sources drops need to pre-empt ‘quality’ issue comments by promoting RDC water standards, recent investments, etc

• All incorrect information in the public domain should be confronted and corrected. • Increased communications in support of Council’s role and legislated process are

required. • Increased communications in support of Council’s core activities and services.

Strategic Statement – External Publics.

• The strategic external communications goal is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between Council and external publics such that external publics are well informed, and know what they need to know, to enable their understanding of Council and active participation in democratic local decision making.

• Utilise as wide as possible source of communications options including third party

special interest publications.

• Pre-empt issues through proactive communications.

• Correct erroneous information in the public domain.

• Increase communications around Council’s role, core activities and services.


13.0 ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT (ENGAGEMENT) AND EXTERNAL PUBLIC[S]. 13.1 In developing the communications process it is important to recognise that Council should

be seeking the development of long-term relationships with its key public[s]. This underlines the importance of the strategic nature of PR / Communications within the organisation.

13.2 The goal of the Account Management of Council’s public[s] is to have them understand that

Council values their views, are interested in their opinions, and are prepared to act to address an issue when required.

13.3 As such two-way communication is an important and regular part of the relationship. It is

important that an environment with the necessary tool-sets to support such a relationship exists.

13.4 A regular, scheduled Account Management programme is required with any significant

public to discuss how the relationship is going, clear the air with respect to any issues to ensure no ‘baggage’ is being carried forward, and promote new ideas, etc. For communications this specifically means local and regional media.

13.5 Any information, ideas gained from these meetings needs to feed back into that public’s

communication plan.

Strategic Statement – Account Management.

• Account Management is a fundamental aspect to strategic communications success with significant external publics.

• Effective Account Management requires regular scheduled meetings between Council and

its significant publics.


14.0 PROPOSED COMMUNICATIONS MODEL WITH PUBLICS. 14.1 The basic model that Council needs utilise with its publics is the ‘two-way symmetric’

communications model. 14.2 The ‘two-way symmetric’ communications model allows for a public response to Council

communications within a ‘collaborative’ framework i.e. all sides are genuinely open to hearing and understanding each other – a truly open model of communication. This is a requirement for both internal and external communications.

14.3 Any extent to which our [Council’s] communication model is closed is an indication of our

insensitivity to our publics. 14.4 The proposed solution is not complex, likewise it is not completely simple either. The key

to long-term, sustainable communications requires the following;

• A well designed and proven model for communications. • Source credibility and accountability for the information communicated. • Manage communication strategically. • Credibility [institutional legitimacy].

14.5 Basic to the foundations of communication is source credibility and accountability for the

information communicated. As Council’s relationship with its public’s evolves the publics will seek knowledge from and about Council to reduce uncertainty [regarding Council credibility and accountability].

14.6 Whereas historically public relations at Council have been practiced primarily as a

communications activity, the proposed model of PR as part of Council relationship management requires that communication is managed strategically. The strategic intent in this case being the art of devising or employing plans toward accomplishment of a [communications] goal that includes development of long-term relationships with Council publics.

14.7 Key to any discussion of communication strategy is the pivotal institutional component of

credibility [institutional legitimacy]. This is a vital concept as audiences have a greater tendency to receive messages when the communicator has a high level of credibility.

14.8 A ‘two-way symmetric’ communications model is a key component in being perceived as

credible and maintaining that credibility. However, it must be recognised that credibility must be earned.

14.9 In addition source credibility is still largely a matter of perception. Source credibility is not

something inherent in either a speaker or an organisation. It is created and assigned by the recipient as perceived [Perception is reality]. Audiences receiving messages perceive the presence or lack of credibility traits within the source, and attribute overall credibility accordingly.

14.10 Legitimacy goes deeper. In considering strategic approaches, Council needs to be first

concerned with its legitimacy, and then with its credibility, before it even considers strategic management of its communication and messages. Communication strategies must clearly support organisational legitimacy and credibility.

Strategic Statement – Communications Model.

• Communication strategies must be clearly designed to support organisational legitimacy and credibility e.g. strategy to pre-empt issues via proactive communication.


15.0 MAORI AND COUNCIL. 15.1 One of Ruapehu District’s significant publics is Maori. Strategically it is vital that Council as

part of its Strategic Communications Plan seeks to identify how to address this issue. This requirement is also legislated under the LGA.

15.2 81. Contributions to decision making processes by Maori.

1. A local authority must:- a. establish and maintain processes to provide opportunities for Maori to contribute to

the decision making processes of the local authority; and b. consider ways in which it may foster the development of Maori capacity to

contribute to the decision making processes of the local authority; and c. provide relevant information to Maori for the purposes of paragraphs (a) and (b).

15.3 Council has been attempting to work closely with local Maori both at an Iwi and Hapu level

and also through the Ruapehu District Maori Council (RDMC). The RDMC has been an issue in its own right as not all local Iwi/Hapu have seen value in it.

15.4 The strategic Maori communications goal is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to

establish and maintain mutual understanding between Council and the Maori publics such that Maori publics are well informed, and know what they need to know, to enable their active participation in democratic local decision making.

15.5 Council has agreed a communications plan to better support the RDMC. The objective is to

build the mana of the RDMC such that all local Iwi/Hapu take up their allocated seats at the table.

Strategic Statement – Maori Strategic Communications.

• The strategic Maori communications goal is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between Council and Maori publics such that Maori publics are well informed, and know what they need to know, to enable their understanding of Council and their active participation in democratic local decision making.

• Account Management will be a fundamental aspect to strategic communications success

between Council and Maori publics.

• Communications support for the Ruapehu District Maori Council to assist build their mana within local Iwi and Hapu such they are seen as an organisation worthy of being part of.


16.0 USING COUNCIL STAFF IN COMMUNICATIONS. 16.1 Using Council staff in communications with the public provides a useful tool for assisting to

realign brand equity/perceptions the community has of Council. 16.2 The objective is to ‘personalise’ communications from Council to the community and in

doing so to lessen the perceptions of ‘they’ or ‘them’ being the ‘nameless/faceless’. It also provides a ‘feeling’ to the community that the Council is ‘accessible’.

16.3 In order to maintain editorial control over communications Council should only use this

strategy for formal media releases. It is not suggested that staff speak directly to the media. By quoting Council staff in communications it establishes the human face of Council.

16.4 This has a number of direct benefits for communicating with Council publics;

• Community ‘down-to-earth’, does not stand on formality or artificial hierarchy. • Provides perception of;

- Council is ‘hands-on’ - Council is accessible. - Council personnel have a grasp of the issues. - Council has specialist expertise on staff.

Strategic Statement – Staff in Communications.

• Where appropriate Council staff should be used to develop ‘human face’ of Council such that Council is not perceived as a ‘nameless, faceless, authoritarian organisation but is accessible, hands-on, has specialist expertise, and that Council staff have a grasp of the issues.

• Important part of telling Council stories.


17.0 INTEGRATED & MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS [IMC]. 17.1 As part of an Integrated Marketing and Communications [IMC] strategy it is important that

Council utilises every opportunity to highlight for the community how Council supports and engages with the community.

Strategic Statement – Integrated Marketing & Communications [IMC].

• Council communications should follow an IMC model whereby every opportunity to reinforce Council brand and associated values, messages is adopted and that this is reinforced by duplicating brand and values across all marketing and communications. This approach provides the greatest opportunity for maximising both reach and frequency for each communication.


18.0 THE STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PROJECT PROCESS. 18.1 To ensure that Council communications adhere to the Strategic Communications Plan all

communications need to adhere to a simple ‘4 step’ project programme. Irrespective of the size of the communications the ‘4 step’ project process should be utilised.

18.2 The ‘4 step’ project does not need to involve in-depth stages for each step and can utilise

casual or informal sources of information [information readily at hand or apparent]. The important factor is that the ‘4 steps’ are applied and the communications are ‘thought through’ via this model.

18.3 Effective PR is a process. A simple model for this process can be defined as;

Step 1. Research. What is/are the issue[s]? Step 2. Planning [Action]. How is it going to be solved? Step 3. Communication [execution]. How will the public[s] be told. Step 4. Evaluation. Was the public reached and to what effect?

18.4 Research. 18.5 Research; Determining attitudes and behaviours of publics in order to plan PR strategies.

The research outcomes can be used to [1] generate mutual understanding or [2] influence and persuade publics. [D.L.Wilcox et al; PR Strategies and Tactics 6th ed, 2000]

Research is a form of listening – a process of - “ controlled, objective and systematic gathering of information for the purpose of describing and understanding.” [Prof G.Broom and D.Dozier; Using Research in Public Relations; San Diego State University]

18.6 It is important that as a matter of practice that prior to undertaking any PR or

communications all relevant information and data needs to be collected and analysed with as much interpretation as possible applied.

18.7 The research process is a prerequisite to mapping out strategies for effective

communication programmes. The level of research will be determined by the situation and factors such as time available. In every case the research stage should identify;

• The issues, • The public[s]

And allow confident decisions to be made on;

• Communications methods, • The media to be used, • Message design/copy, • Duration.

18.8 In smaller organisations such as Council formal research can weigh heavily on resources. It

is also important to recognise that this part of the communications process can take a lot of time. Utilise existing sources where possible.


18.8 The outcome of the research process is to provide confidence in the decision process.

Because of the very nature of communications it is impossible to predict with absolute certainty how each and every public could react. As such it is about being as right ‘on’ as we can be.

18.9 Confidence that we are targeting the right audience with the right messages and are

focusing on the right perceptions and attitudes. Ensure the right strategy and direction has been identified.

19.0 Definition of key publics. This includes detailed information covering demographics,

lifestyles et al characteristics. 19.1 Correct messages. This is about identifying the most powerful message salient to a

targeted public[s]. 19.2 Help management keep in touch. Communication within the organisation should not be a

problem, however, as the range and depth of Council publics increase having a ‘finger in every pie’ and an understanding of the public[s] moods and attitudes may get more difficult without a formal research process.

19.3 Prevent crises. No matter how well run Council is there will be from time-to-time issues

arising that may or may not be anything we can control. The key is to develop systems that assist with the uncovering of trouble spots and public concerns before they become page-one news or have an appropriate response organised if they do.

19.4 Monitor the competition. For a territorial authority this may seem somewhat irrelevant,

however, there is usually always individuals or organisations that will take a contrary view and seek to use whatever methods they can to confront Council decisions.

19.5 Sway public opinion. Key qualified and quantified data can be invaluable in developing key

communication/marketing messages e.g. Changing demographics, etc.. 19.6 Generate publicity. Surveys and polls can generate publicity and focus attention of the

media and other key public[s] 19.7 Measure success. A key requirement of a managed PR and communications programme is

evaluation of outcomes. 20.0 Use of Research to Support Strategic Communications Decisions. 20.1 Excellence in communications is strongly correlated with the ability to do research and

relate those findings to the organisations objectives. The importance of the research process is reinforced by the fact that the outcomes are used in most all phases of the communications programme.

20.2 Research Techniques.

Research techniques fall into two broad categories of approach being; [1] casual and informal, and, [2] formal.


20.3 Within these approaches the research can be based on existing material and sources

[secondary research] or based on new and original information [primary research] From a communications perspective the range and depth of questions should allow qualification and quantification of information concerning the issue and publics involved.

• What is the problem/issue? • What kind of information is needed? • How will the research results be used/add value? • What specific public[s] should be researched? • How will the research data be analysed? • How soon are the results needed? • What is the cost?

21.0 Planning [Action]. 21.0 The second step in the PR process after Research is programme planning. PR is a tool in

support of the Council’s objectives. As such PR planning should be strategic in nature. 21.2 It is not simply a process of putting PR releases out. It is part of the process of assisting to

solve the organisation’s problems via communications. 22.0 Approaches to Planning. 22.1 There are a number of different approaches to the planning stage of the

PR/Communications programme however in practical terms they all take a similar approach. An important fact to recognise is the importance that the research / information gathering phase has to planning.

23.0 Management by Objectives [MBO] MBO is about formulating a strategy that will accomplish an organisation’s specific

objectives. This involves ensuring the ‘production of relevant messages and establishing criteria against which campaign results can be measured.’

23.1 The following ‘9 Step’ model outlines the proposed approach to planning strategic

communications. 24.0 9 Basic Steps. 24.1 Step 1.Council Objectives;

What is the purpose of the communication and how does it promote or achieve the objectives of the organisation?

24.2 Step 2. Public[s];

Who exactly should be reached by the message, and how can that public[s] help achieve the organisation’s objectives? What are the characteristics of the audience and how can demographic/psychographic information be used to structure the message?

24.3 Step 3. Public[s] Objectives;

What does the public[s] want to know? How can the message be tailored for the self-interest of the public[s]?


24.4 Step 4. Media Channels;

What is the best media channel for reaching the target public? How can multiple media channels reinforce the message with key public[s]?

24.5 Step 5. Media Channel Objectives;

What is the media gatekeeper looking for in a news angle? N.b. Step 5 underpins why it is vital to proactively create a good, managed relationship with the key media important to Council.

24.6 Step 6. Sources and Questions;

What primary and secondary sources of information are required to provide a factual base for the message? E.g. Are expert witnesses required? Database et al research?

24.7 Step 7. Communication Strategies;

What environmental factors can be identified that will affect dissemination and acceptance of the message? E.g. Current perception of Council by target public[s]. Macro/micro factors.

24.8 Step 8. Essence of the Message;

What is the planned [desired] communication impact on the target audience? Is the message designed to merely inform or change perceptions?

24.9 Step 9. Nonverbal Support;

How can the use of photo’s, film, video, graphs, charts, maps, statistics, etc.. clarify and visually enhance the message.

25.0 Communication [Execution]. 25.1 This represents the most visible part of the PR / Communications process. The

communications stage is the implementation of the earlier decisions made regarding targeted objectives and the strategies and tactics that are required to achieve those goals.

25.2 As such the goals of the communication process are to inform, motivate, persuade or

achieve an understanding. 25.3 As far as this document and its purpose are concerned the understanding that Council must

develop to assist the success of their communications objectives is to recognise the importance of two-way communication.

25.4 Communication is a dynamic process and as covered earlier feedback is required to allow

for measurement and evaluation. 26.0 Evaluation. 26.1 The last [but far from least] step of the PR process is evaluation. This is where the

outcomes are measured against the established objectives. 26.2 The simple key to ensuring that there is validity to this stage is to ensure that the

objectives defined within the PR Project plan are measurable. In analysing the outcomes it is important to ensure that the results that are being measured are in fact due to PR / Communications factors.


26.3 The basic evaluation questions are;

• Was the programme well planned? • Did the target audience [public] understand the message? • How could the programme strategy been more effective? • Were all primary and secondary publics reached? • Was the targeted organisational objective achieved? • Were there any unforeseen issues that affected the outcome? • Did the programme come in under budget? • How can things be improved next time?

End.

Strategic Statement – Planning Strategic Communications.

• Strategic communications should always utilise 4-Step Planning Model to ensure that the issues and publics are identified, and that Council is confident of the message, media, copy and duration of communications.

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