PR Capstone: Strategies for OG&E

Action & Response Strategies to

Generate Awareness within a Targeted Public

According to Smith, proactive strategies such as actions, special events, audience engagements and activism, are the best approaches to creating tangible deeds in order to achieve objectives (Smith, p. 157).

For our client, OG&E, the best proactive strategies are rooted in education and awareness objectives that provide key publics with the benefits of working for OG&E. As a result, strategies like utilizing social media and providing educational information sessions are highly recommended as they allow multiple key publics (high schoolers, potential employees, parents, high school faculty) to be informed and communicate with each other.

In Keisha Brewer's TEDTalk, she showcases how a reactive strategy is not a mode of manipulation, rather it is strategic communication rooted in preparation and preemptive action. A pre-emptive action is best used when expecting potential negative publicity; while an offensive response is best utilized when there is a need for recourse in addressing public scrutiny and distrust.

Strategizing for OG&E

For our client, OG&E, proactive approaches would look at we may market energy careers through events like Careers in Energy Week and the use of social and earned media ti help bolster attention and publicity to these opportunities.

A pre-emptive action would consider the reactivity of OG&E stakeholders as they bring topics that are not inherently related to the campaign such as the winter storm issues and the state's action on this situation. As a result, the best reactive approach would be to acknowledge these issues but re-focus the audience into solely the topic of employment and educational opportunities. In doing so, we acknowledge the public's issues without disregarding them but we also advocate and highlight actions by OG&E that are rooted in economic development, historic goodwill and actions that are based in helping the community and the youth of Oklahoma.