Planning ahead is a tool many people use as they employ a forward-thinking mindset to prepare for the future. Professional industries plan ahead to anticipate the needs of stakeholders and outline tasks according to predictable cycles such as tax season for accountants or the holiday rush for retailers. In “Rethinking Reputation: How PR Trumps Marketing and Advertising in the New Media World,” Fraser P. Seitel and John Doorley discuss how public relations practitioners can use strategic planning as a tool to not only anticipate needs or potential crises but to ensure the success of campaigns.
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When Setiel and Doorley discuss The Pickens Plan, they break down how T. Boone Pickens used strategic planning and business maneuvers to alter the American oil industry, making it more efficient for the future. Setiel and Doorley explain that a good strategic plan accomplishes goals or objectives and implements a strategy by employing tactics. The Pickens Plan, specifically, conducted diligent research to determine a problem, then used that research to develop a measurable and specific goal. The strategies and tactics used to achieve that goal incorporated audiences that aligned with the research while including new media technology in every aspect of the process. The integration of grassroots efforts, coalition building, expert narratives and a combination of traditional and new media helped this plan become a success.
“A fool with a plan can beat a genius with no plan” - T. Boone Pickens, billionaire tycoon, philanthropist, energy policy authority, activist.
Furthermore, an integral part of this plan that determined its success was the truth behind its messaging. Strategic plans that are grounded in a core principle such as honesty or transparency will exude a cohesive factor that results in undeniable success. In the twenty-first century, communications is imperative to salvage reputation, and when a company holds all business activities to a standard of doing the right thing and committing to honesty, success is inevitable.
Considering strategic planning as a fundamental and timeless tool for public relations practitioners as they encounter various client problems or global situations, the COVID-19 pandemic serves as the ideal platform for strategic planning to aid global communicators..
The COVID-19 pandemic tested our skills of agility and adaptability as its unforeseeable nature negatively affected countless businesses around the world. Today, in April 2021, companies and employers are still navigating an ongoing pandemic where nationwide restrictions continue to affect day-to-day activities, while rapidly growing vaccine distributions give hope for a return to “normal” in the near future.
While strategic planning helps public relations practitioners plan ahead to achieve goals and objectives, it can also be used to account for the “what if” in any business activity. Specifically, strategic planning has the unique ability to help public relations practitioners anticipate the needs of clients, consumers or potential crises that may arise. While no strategic plan can predict the unpredictable, like the COVID-19 pandemic, strategic crisis planning can help agencies and in-house communications teams employ tactics based on tangible data to better prepare for the future.