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Sincerely,

C. Dermody

Colleen Dermody

PR Director

Enc.

Phone/ Fax Number

Sample 4.3

Read and translate the following pitch letter. Assess its content.

April 3, 20__

Mr. Joe Smith

Features Editor

The Daily Herald

Anytown, OH 423152

Dear Joe:

On November 19, during halftime of the California –Stanford game, 80,000 people will make history.

They will be helping to establish a New World Record by participating in the largest participatory game in a monumental round of Pictionary, led by the Stanford Marching Band.

The band will use formations to create pictures of words and phrases. The crowd will then have the chance to guess the word, by cheering at the appropriate choice read aloud by the public address announcer.

Rob Angel, the man who began the Pictionary craze, will be in town for the recordsetting attempt. In just five years, Rob’s risen from waiter to millionaire. One of the most successful game inventors in history, he’s now a celebrity in his own right (he was recently featured on the cover of USA Weekend as part of their “Young Millionaires” issue).

Rob will be available to discuss the “Mega-Pictionary” game, and his role as inventor of America’s favourite game on Thursday, November 17 or Friday, November 18.

I’ll be in touch soon to discuss a possible interview. Look forward to speaking with you.

Sincerely,

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5. THE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (PSA)

The Public Service Announcement (PSA) is a notice on television or radio that educates people about important issues or encourages people to do things for the good of society. They are useful to nonprofit organizations or businesses that sponsor events that benefit nonprofits. PSAs can provide a warning about something that could put the public in danger, like drinking and driving. They may support a Red Cross blood drive and encourage the audience to give blood. They can also share information of value to the general public, such as free training provided by a local business, or promote positive fan behaviour at sporting and entertainment facilities.

The PSA can range from a simple live statement to a pre-taped radio spot with sound effects and music. The simplest type of radio PSA is the spot announcement involving no sound effects that is read by station personnel.

When you write a PSA, remember who your audience is and what people are likely to be doing while the spot is airing. People are not sitting there waiting for the PSA.

During a radio spot, there’s a good chance your listener is cooking dinner, talking with neighbors, or driving home through a horrendous traffic jam after a long day at work.

You have to compete for your listener’s attention, and you have to keep it once you have got it. It will be easier to rivet the listener’s attention if you start by telling him why he should pay attention to you. Don’t say, “You should listen to me because…”

Think, instead, of how your message will benefit your listener. Tart it with a strong statement of that benefit – a short sentence or two that appeals directly to the listener’s self-interest. Then follow that with the good old who, when, where, why, how, and what. Conclude by telling the audience what you want them to do: call you, write to you, come to an event, or change their thinking on the issue. Never try to get attention by talking about something more interesting that has nothing to do with your message.

PSA FORMAT

After the regular letterhead, put PSA across the top of the page, then the date line. The contact person line should give the name of the person who can provide additional information, a telephone number should always be included. The topic line should give the station editor a clear indication of the subject of the PSA. The requested air dates means the date you wish the radio or television station to broadcast your PSA.

The length of your PSA is very important. It must be 10 (about 25 words) seconds or 30 seconds (about 80 words) or 60 (125 words) seconds in length when read by

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announcer. Keep it clear and simple. Don’t write a 60 second PSA for something that could be covered in 30 seconds. Type the copy in all capital letters and double-space. Write the announcement the way you would say it. Read the copy aloud and clearly – more than once – to make sure it is understandable and no longer than the length requested. Remember that what may make sense on paper does not always come across clearly when read aloud.

Sample 5.1

Read and translate the following PSA. Assess its content. Identify its category and target audience.

Letterhead

: 30 SECOND PSA

Contact: Alton Miller, Publicity Director

Phone; 312-555-555

Night line: 312-555-555

Begin Sept. 3, 20__

End Sept. 17, 20__

VIDEO GAMES THAT TEACH

OH-OH. YOUR KIDS ARE PLAYNG VIDEO GAMES AGAIN, INSTEAD OF DOING THEIR HOMEWORK. OR ARE THEY? MAYBE THEY ARE DOING THEIR HOMEWORK WITH THAT NEW EDUCATIONAL VIDEO GAME

“EDU – PLAY.” HISTORY, MATH AND SCIENCE CAN BE FUN WHEN YOU’RE LEARNING IT STRAIGHT FROM ABE LINCOLN AND ALBERT

EINSTEIN. IF YOUR KIDS HAVE EVER PLAYED VIDEO GAMES, THEY

ALREADY KNOW HOW TO USE “EDU – PLAY.” IF YOUR SCHOOL DOESN’T HAVE “EDU – PLAY,” ASK THEIR TAECHER WHY NOT – IT’S

AVAILABLE FOR FREE TO SCHOOLCHILDREN OF ALL AGES. -end-

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Sample 5.2

Read and translate the following PSA. Assess its content. Identify its category and target audience.

Public Service Announcement

From: Community action Agency

Main Street

Anytown, USA 55555

Contact: Linda Evanston

Phone: (xxx) xxx-xxx

For Use: January 19 – February 10

Length: 30 seconds

HARRISTOWN, JANUARY 19: WONDERING HOW TO CUT YOUR ENERGY BILL AND MAKE YOUR HOME WARMER THIS WINTER? COME LEARN ABOUT BASIC WEATHERIZATION MEASUERS FOR YOUR HOME. THE COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY IS SPONSORING A FREE HOME WEATHERIZATION WORKSHOP FOR ALL COMMUNITY RESIDENTS.

JOIN THESE TRAINED TECHNICIANS ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, FROM 9:30 A.M. TO 11:30 A.M., AT THE HARRIS COMMUNITY CENTER. IN ADDITION TO ENERGY-SAVING TIPS, YOU’LL LEARN HOW TO

AVOID COMMON HEALTH HAZARDS, SUCH AS CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT MS. LINDA EVANSTON AT (323) 424-555

# # #

Sample 5.3

Read the following PSA script. Identify its category. How does this PSA characterize activities of FEMA?

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PSA

READY: 15

BEFORE A DISASTER TURNS YOUR FAMILY’S WORLD UPSIDE DOWN.IT’S

UP

TO YOU TO BE READY. GET A KIT. MAKE A PLAN. BE INFORMED. LEARN

HOW AT WWW.READY.GOV. BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE FEDERAL

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND THE AD COUNCIL.

6. POSITION PAPER

A position paper is a statement of the organization’s stand on some public issue.

They may be distributed in response to media requests, may be sent to all media that might want to know the organization’s position, or may be included in press kits. The purpose of a position paper is to generate support on an issue.

The following structure is typical for a position paper: 1. An introduction

a)identification or explanation of the issue

b)the organization’s position statement

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b) possible solutions

The introduction should clearly identify the issue. It should be written in a way that catches the reader’s attention.

The body of the position paper may contain several paragraphs. Each paragraph should present an idea or main concept that clarifies a portion of the position statement and is supported by evidence and facts. Evidence can be primary source quotations, statistical data, interviews with experts, and indisputable dates and events. The body may begin with some background information and should incorporate a discussion of both sides of the issue.

The conclusion should summarize the main concepts and ideas and reinforce, without repeating, the introduction or body of the paper. It could include suggested courses of action and possible solutions.

Sample 6.1

Position Paper of European Association of Communications Agencies. Read and translate it. What principal idea does the EACA want to express?

The EACA Statement on Tobacco Advertising

The Communications Agency Industry fully recognizes society's right to restrict the sale and manufacture of products with potential harmful effects. However, it also distances itself from the current European debate singling out the existence of advertising of tobacco.

In light of claims made in the current public debates about tobacco advertising, not least related to the European Parliament's decision to curb tobacco advertising in order to 'tackle smoking effectively', the EACA, in its capacity as the central body of the advertising agency industry in Europe, restates its position.

The EACA fully supports any action, which could limit underage smoking, as well as possible harmful effect of tobacco use by adults. Banning advertising is not such an action, and is based on misleading interpretations of the role advertising plays in tobacco, and other, consumption in any mature market.

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Advertising does not have the power to make consumers buy products that they do not want. There is ample evidence that in mature markets, such as tobacco, petrol, soap, coffee, served by established competitive products, brand advertising affects market shares but does not influence total consumption (i.e. does not increase the overall size of the market).

Blanket bans on advertising have not resulted in decreases in tobacco consumption in Canada, Norway, Iceland, Italy and Finland. Neither will an advertising ban stop young people from starting to smoke.

Research lists the important reasons why juveniles may start to smoke, e.g. parental smoking, and peer pressure. The influence of advertising is not one of the main reasons of smoking initiation. In most markets with advertisement bans, juvenile smoking has actually increased.

Countries with tight voluntary agreements restricting the size, format, location and theme of tobacco advertisements, such as the UK and The Netherlands, have seen a reduction in the levels of smoking beyond that of other EU countries. For example, since 1973 there has been a reduction in cigarette sales of over 40% in the UK. The wide acceptance of filter-tipped and low tar cigarettes could not have been effectively achieved without advertising.

For these reasons, the latest Opinion of the Section Committee of the Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC) on the proposed EU Tobacco Advertising Directive recommended: 'The European tobacco industry should be given the opportunity to draw up binding self-regulatory measures covering direct and indirect advertising...'.

EACA believes that rigorously enforced self-regulatory rules, against the background of existing framework EU legislation, would be the best way to responsibly provide consumers with their essential right to make choices between different brands of products which are legally available on the market.

Responsible advertising for tobacco products means responsible brand advertising to adult smokers. The position that products legal to produce, sell and consume should also be legal to advertise is also widely supported in European consumer attitude surveys (Gallup Int. 1993, 1997).

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Sample 6.2

Read and translate the following position paper. What is the position of AAOM on the problem chemical sensitivity?

American Academy of Environment Medicine

6505 E. Central Avenue, # 296

Wichita, KS 67206

CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY

(ABSTRACT)

Chemical sensitivity is a physical reality that our society will have to recognize and address. The word “sensitivity” implies that tiny exposures lead to big problems. The 90,000 chemicals commonly circulating in our modern world appear to be causing considerably more problems for humans than are typically recognized. Chemically sensitive persons, when reacting to even small chemical exposures, suffer with various symptoms that range in intensity from being unpleasant to being temporarily or even permanently disabling. Only too frequently this condition is unrecognized as it progressively leads to poor health, reduced activity, stressed social relationships and reduced job productivity.

Chemical sensitivity is a very real chronic medical condition that has been only slowly gaining the public recognition it deserves. Recently estimates suggest that chemical sensitivity, that is, hyperreactivity to various environmental agents (also known as triggers), may afflict something like 10 – 15 % of the American population. Increasing awareness of this frequently annoying, often quite devastating and at times completely disabling illness has been due, in large part, to the efforts of environmental medicine practitioners, who have long appreciated the demanding impact – to both body and brain of certain highly susceptible individuals – of exposures to the myriad environmental toxins being manufactured at everincreasing rates around the world.

The fact that chemically sensitive individuals demonstrate exquisite vulnerability to toxic injury should serve to alert us to the disturbing reality that our modern industrial society, despite its many adventures, may ultimately compromise the health of us all.

Depending upon the severity, symptoms precipitated by exposures to toxic compounds can range from the subtle to the dramatic. And any organ system in the body can be affected. The most common symptoms include headache, weakness, muscle and join pain, depression, panic attacks, impaired memory and mental focus, difficulties breathing and swallowing, cough, chest pain, burning of the eyes and nose, and skin rashes.

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Very sobering is the reality that certain man-made chemicals, like pesticides, were specifically designed to kill living things by poisoning their nervous system. It should be no surprise that they wreck havoc on the brains of humans as well.

Common incitants include the following:

-Those substances widely recognized as toxic, e.g., pesticides; natural gas; petroleum-based solvents; heavy metals; tobacco smoke and automobile exhaust fumes.

-Those substances less often recognized as toxic, e.g., fragrances like perfumes, air fresheners, and other “pleasant-scented” products; newspaper print; personal care products, laundry detergents and fabric softeners; fluoride-containing toothpaste; and

-More generally, the many pollutants found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Sometimes sensitization develops because of a sudden, catastrophic exposure to a chemical pollutant; but sometimes it arises from the cumulative impact of repeated, lowdose exposures to chemicals over an extended period of time.

The scientific literature offers abundant support for the concept that the initial induction, and later triggering, of chronic health problems can occur as a result of chemical exposures. Despite the growing body of research literature in highly respected, peer-reviewed journals that demonstrate very clearly the physical reality of both chemical toxicity and chemical sensitization, many persons in positions of authority remain unaware of the widespread prevalence and seriousness of environmental illness and are still oblivious to the adverse health effects of the multitude of man-made toxins contaminating our air, our water, and our food.

Minimizing subsequent exposures, strengthening the body’s nutrition, and other supportive measures will afford considerable symptomatic relief and go a long way restoring quality of life to those afflicted with this unfortunate illness.

Given the unfortunate reality of chemical sensitivity, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) offers the following:

1.We recognize the reality of chemical sensitivity as a primarily physical, not psychological, condition.

2.We support the education of healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with chemical sensitivity.

3.To prevent induction of chemical sensitivity, we advocate the creation and maintenance of clean (less polluted) environments in the home, the school, the work place, and the car.

4.We advocate the enforcement, by both public and private regulatory agencies, of fragrance-free classrooms, work sites, and other public places.

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5.We believe that those people responsible for air, water, and food quality must be educated with respect to both the toxic and the sensitizing effects of environmental chemicals.

6.We encourage academic institutions and public authorities to do all that they can do to advance the public’s awareness of this condition.

7.We advocate the creation of guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chemical sensitivity.

8.We support continued research into the underlying causes, diagnosis, and treatment of chemical sensitivity.

For more than 40 years, the AAEM has been one of the few professional voices drawing attention to this problem of chemical sensitization. As a service to the healthcare community, the AAEM offers regular opportunities for formal training in Environmental Medicine; and, for those interested, we can provide an extensive bibliography of supporting medical research through our Central Office at AAEMonline.org.

The views expressed in this document are intended to be neither exhaustive nor conclusive. Our sincere and urgent hope is simply that more and more people in medicine, academia, government, and industry will come to understand and appreciate the very real issues of environmental toxicity and chemical sensitization.

7. PUBLIC RELATIONS LETTERS

(GOODWILL LETTERS)

Public relations concerns the efforts a company makes to influence public opinion, to create a favorable company image. Its purpose is not to sell or stimulate immediate business, but rather to convey to the public such positive qualities as the company’s fair-mindedness, reliability, or efficiency.

Public relations is big business, and large corporations spend millions of dollars a year on their public relations campaigns. When a major oil company sponsors a program on television, that is public relations; when a large chemical company establishes a college scholarship fund, that is public relations, too.

Public relations letters are those letters written for the purpose of strengthening goodwill. A goodwill letter is not written to obtain an order, or to collect outstanding bills. It is intended to pay for itself in another way, by building up goodwill. They give both the writer and the recipient pleasure when the occasion arises to enclose a gift, to send good wishes, to express thanks or to remember an anniversary. Goodwill letters