Your opinion matters and were here to listen

PR Plan by: Autumn Wells

I have abided by the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy on this assignment. All work contained
within is my own work and follows the guidelines provided above: Autumn Wells 12/2/14

Abstract
I would like to thank you for reviewing the enclosed Public Relations Plan for the
Carolinian. This plan is designed to increase the attentiveness of the student body
towards the universitys student newspaper and to encourage and take note of the
feedback given to staff throughout a years time.
The first section contains the client-based research information. This section will provide
the target publics for the campaign, the short and long term goals, strengths and
weaknesses of the Carolinian, as well as a strategic research design. In the second
portion of this plan you will find information on the spokes entity and spokesperson with
a communication objective that allows the Carolinian to connect with the target public.
The third section of the plan includes a press release, pitch letter, and event timeline of
the planned event the Carolinian will host along with plans for publicity.
This plan will give the Carolinian a chance to connect with their target public in a way
that benefits both parties. I thank you for your careful review and look forward to
working with you.

Table of Contents
Section One: Situational Analysis 1
Contact Information

Days and Hours of Operation

Description of Services

Mission Statement

Administrative Staff

Short Term Goals 4

Long Term Goals 4
Strengths of Organization5
Challenges of Organization
Existing Competitors

Government and Regulatory Agencies

Reference Publications

Channels of Communication
Client Publics

Opportunity Client Statement

Target Public Description and Defense 10

Target Public Demographics

10

Target Public Psychographics

11

Defense of Psychographics

11

Strategic Research Design

12

Budget

12

Section Two: Strategic Planning Detail13

Communication Objective 14
Message

15

Days and Hours of Operation

15

Spokes Entity

16

Section Three: Communication Tactics 17

Event Description

18

Event Rationale

19

Event Timeline

20

Event Day Timeline 21

Event Partners

22

Partner Rationale

22

Publicity

23

Feedback

23

Media Contacts

24

Press Release

25

Pitch Letter 26
Sample Survey Questions 27
Appendix

28

Section One:
Situational Analysis

Contact Information:
The Carolinian
Box N1, Elliott University Center, UNCG
Greensboro, NC 27413
Phone: (336) 334.5752
Fax: (336) 334.3518
Website: www.uncg-carolinian.com
Days and Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday: 11A.M. 3P.M.
Saturday-Sunday: Closed
Description of Services:
The Carolinian, founded in 1919, is a weekly tabloid newspaper that distributes each
Wednesday during the traditional school calendar. It reflects the diversity of the UNC
Greensboro population through its all-student content.
Mission Statement:
The Carolinian is a teaching newspaper that is organized and produced by students of
the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It is our objective to teach young writers
journalist skills while emphasizing the importance of honesty and integrity in campus
media.

Administrative Staff:
Autumn Wells
Publisher
Phone: (704) 705.6308
Email: publisher@uncg-carolinian.com
Joseph Abraham
Editor-in-Chief
Phone: (252) 532.2293
Email:editor@uncg-carolinian.com
Jessica Weeks
Ads Manager
Phone: (704) 264.6399
Email: Ads.carolinian@gmail.com

Short-term Goals:
To hire a new web manager and get the new website up and running.
To make the paper more active on social media.
To generate more interest in their paper among the student body.
To begin posting stories online before they print days after the event.
Long-term Goals:

To become a central part of the UNC Greensboro campus.

To begin a slow shift to digital content, continuing in the pattern most newspapers
are making.
To find a way to expand the personnel in a way that also fits within the budget
To explore the idea of bringing on copy editors within 1 to 2 years.

Strengths of Organization:
The Carolinian is proud to have a main theme of all things UNCG and the city of
Greensboro itself. They have made major progress in narrowing down their focus to
local and campus news and activities in order to create a more relatable image to the
student body.
The Carolinian also believes in hiring students for the benefit of building portfolios for
those seeking careers in journalism and photography. They pride themselves on making
the job a learning experience for each employee and encourage them to leave room for
improvement in the work.
Revenue for the paper has gotten closer to its projected income margin in the past year
increasing by 15% in the past two years.

Challenges of Organization:
The Carolinian has suffered much neglect from students as their focus has drifted to all
things technology. Without a website and secure web manager to get them off the
ground, The Carolinian is now faced with coming up with new ways to get their paper
back in the hands of their student audience.
Staff writers and photographers are faced with very little income for each article or
picture they contribute to the published paper. Personnel should be increased so that
higher pay can be promised to staff.

Existing Competitors:
WUAG-FM
402 Tate St.
Brown Building Room 210, UNCG
Greensboro, NC 27412
Phone: (336) 334.4308
Email: wuag@uncg.edu

Government and Regulatory Agencies:

Campus of Activities and Programs
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Suite 221, EUC
Greensboro, NC 27402
Phone: (336) 334.5800
Fax: (336) 334.3008
Email: capso@uncg.edu

Reference Publications:

ACP(Associated Collegiate Press)

2221 University Ave SE, Suite 121
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: (612) 625.8335
Fax: (612) 605.0072

YES! Weekly
5500 Adams Farm Ln. Suite 204
Greensboro, NC 27407
Phone: (336) 316.1231
Fax: (336) 316.1930
www.yesweekly.com

Channels of Communication:

Facebook
Twitter
Internet
Website
Word of Mouth
Distribution drop advertisements

Client Publics:
Rank
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Public
University Media Board
Editorial Board
Staff
Media
Students
Faculty & Staff
For-Profits
Non-Profits

Reason
Oversight
Guidance
Content
Awareness
Existence
Existence
Ad Revenue
Ad Revenue

Internal/External
I
I
I
E
E
E
E
E

Opportunity Client Statement:

Since its founding in 1919, The Carolinian has worked endlessly to bring outside news
to the students of UNC Greensboro. They have gained much recognition around
campus because of their latest change focusing more on the community that surrounds
the university. They work hard to maintain an image that the student body can relate to
and have increased incoming revenue numbers by 15%.
Because things are quickly moving into a technology ruled universe, Demand for print is
not as high from this generation of students. The Carolinian faces the challenge of
developing a new website and other social media outlets in a short time frame in order
to keep their student audience interested.
An opportunity exists to strengthen the media popularity for the Carolinian. Over the
next year the Carolinian will work to build up the social media outlets for the paper and
developing a new website and mobile app to ensure the interest and encourage more
feedback and input from the student body. This plan will help give the Carolinian a new
modern and edgier delivery of UNCG news.

Target Public Description and Defense:

The Carolinians target public will be the entire student body of the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro. The student population is very diverse but holds one common
factor which is social media. They have endless access to the internet through their
phones, tablets, and laptops. The students will find it more efficient and interesting if
access to their own university paper right at their fingertips.
Target Public Demographics:
The target public for this plan is 1500 members of UNCG student body. They are only a
small portion but also represent the main target audience of the paper and their
feedback and recognition is significant to The Carolinians existence. The student body
is well diverse and offers various points of view.

10

Target Public Psychographics:

Achievers
Motivated by the desire for achievement, Achievers have goal-oriented lifestyles and a
deep commitment to career and family. Their social lives reflect this focus and are
structured around family, their place of worship, and work. Achievers live conventional
lives, are politically conservative, and respect authority and the status quo. They value
consensus, predictability, and stability over risk, intimacy, and self-discovery.
With many wants and needs, Achievers are active in the consumer marketplace. Image
is important to Achievers; they favor established, prestige products and services that
demonstrate success to their peers. Because of their busy lives, they are often
interested in a variety of time-saving devices.
http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes/achievers.shtml

Makers
Like Experiencers, Makers are motivated by self-expression. They express themselves
and experience the world by working on itbuilding a house, raising children, fixing a
car, or canning vegetablesand have enough skill and energy to carry out their
projects successfully. Makers are practical people who have constructive skills and
value self-sufficiency. They live within a traditional context of family, practical work, and
physical recreation and have little interest in what lies outside that context.
Makers are suspicious of new ideas and large institutions such as big business. They
are respectful of government authority and organized labor but resentful of government
intrusion on individual rights. They are unimpressed by material possessions other than
those with a practical or functional purpose. Because they prefer value to luxury, they
buy basic products.
http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes/makers.shtml

Defense of Psychographics
The Achievers label for this psychographic is appropriate because as students of
UNCG, their main goal is to achieve their degree. This group of people works hard
every school term to get closer to that goal. Student fee money is spent on operations
for the Carolinian, since their money is being spent and the paper represents their own
institution, the achievers will do more to help make the Carolinian get the attention it
deserves.

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The Makers label is also deemed appropriate because self-expression is the one the
thing the Carolinian values most. Freedom of speech is what protects the paper and this
psychographic as a free flying public.
Strategic Research Design:
Informal, research for the website and social media outlets will be conducted in order to
create a site that will catch the eye of the student body and encourage them to log on
and check out what is happening in their community. Through third party sites and
search engines research for layout ideas and samples will be used to create a starting
point for the website.
Formal, primary research will also be conducted by staff of the Carolinian in order to
gain from the target audience a better understanding of what needs to be done so they
will feel more motivated to read an issue.
Brief informal interviews will be conducted around campus between Carolinian staff and
UNCG students with many qualitative questions such as: How could The Carolinian do
a better job at publicizing? What would you lie to see more of from the Carolinian? What
could the Carolinian do that would make you as a student here want to tell others about
us? How do we get you to pick up a copy every Wednesday morning? What would you
like to see when you get on our website?
The answers to these questions will provide The Carolinian with the feedback to help
steer them in the direction of more student body acknowledgment and ideas to add to
the story board of the new website and social media design.
Sample copies of the Carolinian will distributed by staff in popular locations on and
around campus to UNCG students and surrounding community members/business in
order to build up the attention base needed.

Budget:
The budget for this plan will be $3,000.

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Section Two:
Strategic Planning Detail

13

Communication Objective:
To strengthen attentiveness for the Carolinian with 1500 members, of the student
population of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The primary goal is
informational and behavioral, as the plan concentrates on gaining exposure for the
paper as well as pushes the staff to motivate the student body to begin reading the
Carolinian and provide them with feedback. The secondary goal is attitudinal, for
change of attitude for the Carolinian as a whole. This change will help bring about a
smoother transition into new variations such as the website and app for the Carolinian.
This will take place over the next year, effective November 10th, 2014 and ending
November 10th, 2015.
By strengthening the attentiveness of the student body the Carolinian will begin to
receive more attention from the community members/businesses as well. More
feedback will be given and more revenue will be brought in via local business and
organizations on and off campus. Once this level of admiration is reached the Carolinian
will then launch a new website and mobile app to bring in more ad revenue and more
support from the student body.
To achieve these objectives research, informal and formal, will be conducted by staff of
the Carolinian to gain understanding from the targeted audience of what can be
improved upon to make them want to pick up an issue of the paper. With the research
conducted via interviews with the public, sample copies of the Carolinian will be handed
out for students to browse through after which they will fill out a survey that the
Carolinian will store and throughout the year this campaign runs, staff will conduct the
interviews and surveys once every 8 weeks within the two 16 week semesters of the
school year tracking the success of the paper based off student feedback.

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Message:

Your opinion matters and were here to listen.

This message appeals to the target public, the 1500 members of the student body, as it
lets them know what the Carolinian wants from them. This slogan appeals to the
Achievers of the target public because it informs them that this is an organization
looking for ways to achieve a certain objective. These personalities within this
psychographic work hard to reach their goals and can relate to the Carolinian with this
slogan. Appealing to the Makers, this slogan offers them a chance to state their view as
every person creating and self-expressing would like. This slogan appeals to all those
who walk the campus of UNCG, support the UNCG community through local business,
and all other UNCG affiliates. It invites all feedback and criticism of the paper to improve
upon the Carolinians relationship with the public.

Spokesperson:
The selected spokesperson for the Carolinian will be Jessica Weeks, the current
advertising manager for the Carolinian. Miss Weeks is a current second semester junior
majoring in marketing in the Bryan School of Business at UNCG. With her already
based knowledge of marketing and business experience in the ads and revenue
departments of the Carolinian, Jessica already knows what it takes to gain the status
the Carolinian seeks. Jessica also connects the demographics as she is a member of
the student body and can also give an opinion from that role as well. She also connects
with the Achievers and Makers through her numerous academic achievements and free
expression with her contributions in creating ads for the paper.

15

Spokes Entity:

Your opinion matters and were here to listen.

This is the best spokes entity for the Carolinian aimed at connecting to their target
demographic through any means of communication necessary. The target public is one
end of the communication realm while the Carolinian is on the other listening to the
feedback, suggestions, and critics the demographic offers. The only way the Carolinian
will expect any success is through the audience and this entity establishes that base
connection with the target public. Makers will appreciate this because they are most
happy when great steps are taken to reach a goal, in this picture that is the creation of
the can phones. In connecting to the Achievers, they take greater strides to come out at
the end of the journey with an accomplished goal. The entity and message together
convey an open line of communication between the Carolinian and demographic to
obtain their goal.

16

Selection Three:
Communication Tactics

17

Event Description:
The Carolinian staff will host their first annual #TalkBack program on the University of
North Carolina at Greensboro campus. This program is to give members of the UNCG
community a chance to provide the staff with feedback, critics, questions, and
suggestions about the newspaper. The event will take place in the Elliott University
Centers Cone ballroom on Wednesday, February 18 th, 2015 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The Carolinian is funded through student fees therefore it is important that the students
have this open interaction with staff so that a mutual beneficial relationship is
established. UNCG catering will arrange for finger sandwiches, spinach dip, meatballs,
chicken tenders and lemonade, tea, and water for the event and music will be provided
through WUAG, the universitys radio station. The Carolinian editorial board will supply
the decorations and sample issues of the Carolinian.
Spokesperson, Jessica Weeks, will be given the opportunity to welcome the target
public and explain to them what the point of #TalkBack is. Jessica will introduce the
Carolinian staff. After brief introductions members of the student body will be
encouraged to visit the various sections of the paper where they will then be given the
chance to have face-to-face interaction with staff where we will also encourage them to
take out their phones and tweet using #TalkBack . The Spokes entity will be the focal
point of the program as it reassures the student body that the program is specifically
designed for the Carolinian to listen and take note of all the feedback given. The student
body will be notified of the event via the CAP offices student group shout outs email,
sent out every week, to the entire UNCG community. Jessica, along with Carolinian staff
will be passing out flyers throughout the cafeteria and EUC dining hall every day at
12:00pm beginning one week prior to the event date.

18

Event Rationale:
The main purpose of #TalkBack is to help strengthen the media popularity for the
Carolinian with 1500 members (the target public), of the student population. With open
dialogue with the public, this event gives Carolinian staff the chance to collect as much
response from the public through brief forums and surveys. It also gives the staff a
chance to showcase their work so far and to begin notifying the public of the media
changes that the Carolinian will soon be making.
Achievers will appreciate this program because they have much respect for any journey
of achievement and to be able to help another reach their target goal is a personal
achievement to their own selves. Makers will also find the event successful because it is
a program where self-expression is welcomed. Offering them the chance to place their
opinions and detailed responses on paper that will be taken into account in order to
make a better paper is an option they will appreciate.
Holding the event on campus is best because it builds that connection to the student
body and UNCG as a whole that the Carolinian is a paper for UNCG by UNCG. The
target public will also have a better chance at getting to the event in a timely fashion
without a long travel because it will be held in the heart of campus.

19

Event Timeline:
For ultimate success of #TalkBack the following timeline will be used.
November 19th, 2014

Staff meeting to discuss event idea and plans

November 24th, 2014

Call EUC reservations to reserve ballroom

December 1st, 2014

Book UNCG catering and WUAG DJ for event

December 3rd, 2014

Staff meeting to confirm current plans for event

January 12th, 2015

Call UNCG catering and WUAG DJ to confirm for event

January 14th, 2015

Staff workshop day to create displays/pitches for each section

to showcase

January 15th, 2015

Send email request to CAP to be added to their student group

shout out weekly email

January 19th, 2015

CAP student shout outs sent out to the entire student body every
Monday

January 20th, 2015

Begin promoting event during lunch hours in the cafeteria and

EUC every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

February 4th, 2015

Staff meeting to begin tying up loose ends for the event

February 11th, 2015

Workshop day for the staff preparing decorations, pitches,

displays for event

February 18th, 2015

#TalkBack program in EUC Cone ballroom 5pm-8pm

February 25th, 2015

Hold staff meeting to evaluate feedback from surveys and

notes from editors and Jessica to determine overall success.

20

Event Day Timeline:

This timeline will be followed in order to ensure success on the event day.
2:30 p.m.

Carolinian staff arrives in ballroom to begin set up

4:00 p.m.

WUAG DJ arrives for music set up

4:00 p.m.

UNCG catering arrives for food set up

5:00 p.m.

Doors Open

5:20 p.m.

Spokesperson Jessica Weeks welcomes audience

5:30 p.m.

Program officially begins

7:00 p.m.

Program ends

7:15 p.m.

Clean up/ Break down

8:00 p.m.

Editorial board takes supplies and surveys back to office to be locked up

and go home

21

Event Partners:
WUAG campus radio station- A DJ from the station will provide appropriate music for
the event.
UNCG catering- this partner will supply the event with food and beverages for the public
and staff to enjoy
Partner Rationale:
WUAG- This will provide two important media outlets on campus a chance to
collaborate for the first time also showing how UNCG is committed to helping UNCG
succeed. In exchange, the Carolinian will cover the stations anniversary event in the
spring.
UNCG catering- is the only food allowed at any event in held In the EUC for a fee.

22

Publicity:
Controlled

Emailed shout outs to student body

Printed flyers
Verbal promoting by Carolinian staff and Spokesperson Jessica Weeks

Uncontrolled

Word of mouth
Coverage from WUAG (post and pre event)
Coverage from the Carolinian writers and photographers

Feedback:
Verbal feedback will be collected through open conversation with editors, writers,
photographers, and Jessica Weeks as students walk from section to section with
their questions and suggestions. Paper feedback will be filled out at each section
(sports, news, opinions, etc) and dropped in boxes to be collected and evaluated
after the event. To ensure better participation the Carolinian will offer prize drawings
for those who respond.

23

Media Contacts:
Viki Han
News Director
WUAG
Borwn building
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Phone: (336)-334-5470

24

Box N1 Elliott University Center, UNCG, Greensboro, NC 27413

NEWS RELEASE
February 11, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELAESE

Contact information:
Autumn Wells, Public Relations Director
Office: (336) 368-0294
Fax: (336) 368-0297
aewells@carolinian.com

THE CAROLINIAN HOST FIRST ANNUAL #TALKBACK EVENT

CAROLINIAN SEEKS FEEDBACK FROM STUDENT BODY

GREENSBORO, NC- The Carolinian successfully hosted their first annual #TalkBack event on
the campus of UNCG in the EUC cone ballroom yesterday, December 2nd
The event gave members of the UNCG community a chance to provide the staff with
feedback, critiques, questions, and suggestions about the newspaper. Through face-to-face
interaction, staff of the Carolinian walked away with a better understanding of what they looked
for the paper.
Advertising manager, Jessica Weeks, states: We have been looking for ways to get our
issues into more hands of the student body. We put together this paper every week for them
and it is important that we build that connection with our readers so that they are proud to have
a paper that not only focuses on issues of UNCG but also takes into account what they want to
see and read in their school paper each Wednesday. I am very pleased with the turnout at the
event and my fellow staff for working so hard to make it a success.
For more information regarding the event, please contact Jessica Weeks at (336) 3345752 or Joseph Abraham at, Editor-in-chief, at (336) 334-5749.
The Carolinian prides itself on being a teaching newspaper. Its mission: to teach young
writers journalist skills while emphasizing the importance of honesty and integrity in campus
media. Going forward the Carolinian will take the necessary steps to learn from its readers as
well. As one of the universitys main media passages it is important that the line of
communication is always open and welcomed from the UNCG community.

25

26

December 3rd, 2014

Contact Information:
Autumn Wells
(336) 368-0294
aewells@carolinian.com

Viki Han
News Director
WUAG
Brown building
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Phone: (336)-334-5470
Dear Viki:
On Tuesday, December 3rd, 2014 the Carolinian staff hosted their first annual #TalkBack event in
the EUC cone ballroom of UNCGs campus.
Staff held the event for members of the student body come and give feedback, critics,
questions, and suggestions about the newspaper. Through face-to-face interaction, staff of the
Carolinian walked away with a better understanding of what they, the students, look for in the
paper. The event went extremely well with catering from UNCG dining and music from one of
your stations very own DJs.
The Carolinian has known for a while that the interest in the paper from students has decreased
over the years. They are now taking the steps to boost the number of readers they have and are
in the process of launching a new website and updated social media to help modernize the
paper. It is important that the communication gap be bridged between the Carolinian and its
audience in order to assure that student fee money is spent with recognition to student needs
and wants. The Carolinian is focused on revamping itself for the student bodys interest.
As the Public Relations director, I would like to invite you to conduct an interview with
advertising manager, Jessica Weeks. Jessica brings to the paper her business savvy attitude
and also a student perspective. She will be able to inform you of all the Carolinians latest
updates and give her opinion as a UNCG student. I will contact you Friday, December 5th in
regards to the interview. If you have any questions feel free to contact me at the contact
information listed above.
Thank You,
Autumn Wells, Public Relations Director

27

Sample Feedback Survey Questions:

All members of the UNCG community who stop by the forum will take the survey every eight
weeks. The Carolinian will host this forum twice a semester using the responses to improve the
paper. Below are a few sample questions that will be on the feedback survey.
1.
2.
3.
4.

What about the paper captures your interest?

What would you like to see in the paper?
In what ways could the paper use improvement?
How would you like to see yourself contributing to the Carolinian?

28

Appendix

Abraham, J. (2014, October 9). Interview with Joseph Abraham. Editor-in-chief of the Carolinian,
UNCG, Greensboro, NC
The Carolinian Official Website (2014). Retrieved from www.carolinianuncg.com
UNCG Dining Services. (2014). Retrieved from http://dining.uncg.edu/catering-2/
WUAG radio station. (2014). Retrieved from http://wuag.uncg.edu

29