Public Relations Case Study
This case study is worth 30 percent of your final grade. The description and
requirements of the case study are as follows:
Description
Congratulations! You've just been named the new Public Relations Team for either
the Minneapolis/Hennepin County stadium group or the St. Paul stadium group.
As a team you are responsible for all facets of public relations for your organization.
With legislation, financing, citizen support and just about everything else
uncertain, you are in a tough position!
Requirements
Develop a comprehensive public relations plan to address the situation faced
by your group (Minneapolis or St. Paul). Assume that we are operating in real
time (and you will want to search out additional materials). Who are the relevant
publics? How should each of the relevant publics be addressed? What actions
will you take? What message(s) will you send? At a minimum, you are required
to turn in your PR plan (with a timeline) and at least one news release. Beyond
that, I will consult with teams on an individual basis. Just be aware that what
I tell one team may not be well suited for another given that PR plans can vary
significantly. In any event, you are not allowed to change any information from
that which already exists in the real world. You must stick to what is there.
Of course, your PR proposal will change the future!
Presentation
On May 13th each team will have 15 minutes to present their PR plans to the
Minnesota Stadium Authority (an as yet unformed government committee that will
be responsible for negotiating a stadium deal with both proposed sites). If
the Stadium Authority has not been created by May 13th (it is supposed to be
composed of 4 members appointed by the State Legislature and 7 members chosen
by Gov. Pawlenty), each team will present to Gov. Pawlenty (sorry, I don't expect
he'll show up in person, the honorable Dr. Sochay will fill in by proxy). Though
a PR plan will not seal the deal for either group, it may go a long way toward
deciding which site will get a stadium (assuming a stadium will be built!).
In other words, the strength of the PR proposal will serve as a substitute for
the strength of the stadium proposal. So, you will be competing with each other
to come up with the best PR proposal.
The plan will count as 75 percent of the project grade, the presentation 25
percent.
Groups:
Minneapolis/Hennepin 1
Heather A., Beth C., Nicole F., Allie J., Nick J., Jamie Q., Hannah R.
Minneapolis/Hennepin 2
Hannah B., Paula D., Arleigh H., Aaron J., Shera L., Steph S., Ben T.
St. Paul 1
Adrienne B., Becky C., Keary E., Greta L., Dan M., Amanda M., Chris W.
St. Paul 2
Dave B., Joel D., Jessie F., Erin H., Carissa H., Jackie M., Lydia Q.
Key starting points:
Twins ballpark page:
http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/min/ballpark/new_index.jsp
Minneapolis/Hennepin County page:
http://www.urbanballpark.com
St. Paul page:
http://www.stpaulbaseball.com
Minnesota Legislature page:
http://www.leg.state.mn.us/
What does a PR plan look like?
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Tool/Time
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Week 1
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Week 2
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Week 3
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Week 4
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Week 5
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News Release
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Identify the public(s) | Identify the public(s) | Identify the public(s) | ||
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Letter
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Identify the public(s) | ||||
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Pamphlet
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Identify the public(s) | ||||
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Annual Report
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|||||
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Website
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Identify the public(s) | Identify the public(s) | Identify the public(s) | Identify the public(s) | Identify the public(s) |
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News Conference
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Identify the public(s) | ||||
| Speaking Engagement | Identify the public(s) | ||||
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...
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Then, a text document is attached with the rationale/goals for
each.
Ex. Why are we doing this? – for each of the PR activities you are proposing
A letter to respond to:
To whom it may concern:
As a taxpayer and citizen of Minnesota, I've been following the debate over
the proposed new stadiums for the Twins and Vikings. I have several concerns:
Why should I, as a taxpayer, have to subsidize a billionaire owner and millionaire
ballplayers? Why can't they build their own stadium without taxpayer funds?
Didn't the San Francisco Giants build Pac Bell without a single taxpayer dollar?
Why can't the Twins?
With budget deficits in Minnesota and cutbacks in aid to the needy, is this
really the right time for Minnesota to spend tax dollars on stadiums?
If a stadium bill passes, will my local taxes go up? Will there be a referendum
on taxes or will local governments decide? Where does your organization stand
on this?
Does your organization support new casinos (Indian or non-Indian) so that gambling
proceeds could be used to pay the government's part of the stadium costs rather
than using taxpayer dollars? Why/why not?
Most economists say that taxpayer funding for new stadiums doesn't make sense
economically. If this is true, why do it?
And lastly, could you please send me some free Twins merchandise?
Sincerely,
Dontwanna Payaredcent