Issue Identification and Rationale
Primark Limited has been assessed for its corporate reputation using the Reputation Quotient model. The model revealed that Primark has several issues that must be addressed to maintain its reputation and success. The most pressing issues identified are workplace environment, financial performance, emotional appeal, vision and leadership, and social and environmental responsibility (Revayová, 2022, p. 78). These issues are particularly important because they directly impact how customers and stakeholders view Primark.
The workplace environment is a key factor in determining the success of companies, and hence Primark’s workplace environment needs to be improved. The company’s financial performance is also an issue, as it needs more transparency in its financial results and reports. Additionally, Primark needs to work on its emotional appeal, as it is perceived as a low-cost brand, which can negatively impact its reputation (Grešová et al., 2022, p. 30). Primark’s vision and leadership are also a concerned, as the company has not articulated a clear and compelling vision for the future (Agnihotri and Bhattacharya, 2020, p. 49). Lastly, Primark’s social and environmental responsibility is lacking, as the company has not taken enough steps to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. The rationale behind choosing this issue is that in today’s society, consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of their purchases’ impact on the environment and the communities in which companies operate. Therefore, addressing the issues is crucial for maintaining a positive reputation and building consumer trust.
Stakeholder and Publics Analysis
It is important to understand the stakeholders and the public the PR plan will target to address the identified issues effectively. To this end, the Position-Importance Matrix assesses the stakeholders and their respective positions. The Position-Importance Matrix categorizes stakeholders into four categories: Key Influencers, Employees, Investors, and Customers.
Key Influencers include individuals or groups that have the power to influence the company’s decisions, such as media outlets, opinion leaders, and industry experts. Employees work for Primark and directly contribute to the company’s success (Liu et al., 2021, p. 820). Investors provide financial backing to the company and are interested in seeing a return on their investment. Lastly, customers are the end-users of Primark’s products and services and have the most power over the company’s success.
In terms of the public, Primark’s public can be divided into two groups: the local community and the global community. The local community includes those who live in areas where Primark has stores. In contrast, the global community includes those who may not live near a Primark store but still influence the company’s reputation. It is important to note that Primark’s public is not limited to these two groups and may include other stakeholders, such as employees, investors, and suppliers.
Primark should also consider engaging the public through digital marketing and social media channels. Primark can use these channels to reach a wider audience and engage them in an open dialogue. This will help create trust and build relationships with their customers, which can lead to increased loyalty and sales (Weinstein, 2020, p. 20). The management will consider using paid advertising to reach new customers and increase brand awareness or focus on creating informative, entertaining, and engaging content to engage the public further.
Lastly, Primark should also focus on creating a corporate social responsibility strategy to demonstrate to its public that they are committed to sustainability and environmental protection. This strategy should include initiatives such as reducing waste, using renewable energy sources, and supporting local communities. Due to this practice, Primark can show its commitment to creating positive social and environmental change, which can help them gain the trust and loyalty of the public.
Aims, Objectives, and Strategies
Primark’s PR plan is designed to enhance the company’s corporate reputation by addressing any issues that have been identified and making Primark a more attractive option for customers, employees, investors, and key influencers (Lokanan, 2021, p. 79). Through this PR plan, Primark will implement strategies to build trust and loyalty with their stakeholders, develop a positive brand image and increase awareness of their products and services. This plan will include media relations, thought leadership initiatives, content marketing, customer engagement, and social media campaigns. Primark will emphasize its commitment to sustainability, ethical production, and corporate responsibility (Ramesh, 2022, p. 30). By doing so, the company will demonstrate its dedication to providing quality products and services that meet its customers’ needs while striving to positively impact the environment and society.
The objectives of the PR plan are to improve all corporate issues and working conditions and increase public awareness of social and environmental responsibility. The plan seeks to create a positive image of Primark in the minds of its stakeholders (Ramesh, 2022, p.30). The plan also seeks to strengthen the relationship between Primark and its customers by providing exceptional customer service.
The PR plan will focus on implementing several strategies to achieve these objectives. Firstly, Primark must improve its workplace environment by ensuring that employees are treated fairly and have access to necessary resources. Second, Primark will need to be more transparent in its financial reporting and provide more detailed reports on its financial performance (Revayová, 2022, p. 78). Thirdly, the firm will need to improve its emotional appeal by creating a positive brand image, associating itself with positive causes, articulating a clear and compelling vision for the future, and ensuring that this vision is communicated to stakeholders. Fourthly, the management demonstrates its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility by engaging in environmentally friendly practices and investing in socially responsible initiatives, as well as introducing programs, such as employee training and development, to improve working conditions and create a better working environment (Iglesias et al., 2021, p130). Lastly, Primark must ensure that its communication is consistent, clear, and effectively reaches its target audiences. The firm will need to monitor the effectiveness of its communication and take immediate corrective action if necessary, measure the success of its corporate reputation campaigns, and make any necessary adjustments (Jones et al., 2019).
Planning
Primark will need to use various PR tools to implement the identified strategies. Media relations will be essential to effectively communicate its message and improve corporate reputation (Wang et al., 2021, p. 76). It will include engaging with key influencers such as media outlets and opinion leaders. Primark can also host events in stores and online to show customers and other stakeholders that it is committed to improving its corporate reputation. Additionally, Primark can support causes and initiatives that align with its values and vision by participating in sponsorships or creating content and campaigns to showcase its commitment to its stakeholders and the environment (Weinstein, 2020, p. 20). This will help to influence the public’s perception of the company positively.
Primark might also opt to use media relations to reach out to key influencers and communicate its message in a way that will improve its reputation (Grešová et al., 2022, p. 30). Primark should focus on building relationships with media outlets and opinion leaders, as this will help to increase its visibility and credibility in the public eye or even use events to show customers and other stakeholders that they are committed to improving its corporate reputation. Events can include product launches, special promotions, and conferences focusing on sustainability (Graça & Barry, 2019, p.50). Primark can also participate in sponsorships to support causes and initiatives that align with its values and vision. This will help ensure that the public knows Primark’s commitment to corporate responsibility.
Lastly, the organization can use publicity to create content and campaigns that will help to positively influence the public’s perception of the company (Bosman et al., 2020, p.10). For instance, it should create content that focuses on its commitment to its stakeholders and the environment. It could include creating videos, infographics, and articles showcasing their efforts and creating campaigns to generate awareness and encourage customers to support their initiatives. Primark can also leverage social media to share these campaigns and content with a wider audience (Lou and Yuan, 2019, p. 56). Primark can effectively implement strategies to improve its corporate reputation using these PR tools.
The estimated budget for the plan is $50,000. The plan will be implemented over six months, with activities taking place every month. A Gantt chart mapping the development of the plan is as follows:
Evaluation of the Plan:
Customer feedback surveys will be conducted to measure consumer sentiment toward the company’s social and environmental responsibility efforts to evaluate the plan’s success. The surveys will assess the effectiveness of PR tools such as media relations, events, sponsorships, and publicity, as well as the engagement and reach of the social media campaign. The surveys will also ask customers to rate the company’s efforts to make their products more sustainable and environmentally friendly (Tussaadah et al., 2021, p. 67. Attendance and feedback from the live event will need to be monitored. It will include tracking attendance, recording customer responses to the event, and measuring the impact of any distributed promotional materials. The feedback collected from the surveys and events will be analyzed to identify areas of improvement and determine whether the plan was successful.
To further monitor the plan’s progress, the company will employ a multifaceted approach to monitoring the success of its plan. It will involve collecting customer feedback regularly to track consumer sentiment over time and conducting customer surveys to measure the effectiveness of their PR tools and social media campaigns (Graça & Barry, 2019, p.50). Additionally, the company will assess the attendance and feedback from the live event, analyze their efforts’ return on investment, and track their initiatives’ success in meeting their goals. This comprehensive approach to monitoring will provide the company with a comprehensive view of the success of its plan and allow them to make any necessary adjustments to ensure maximum effectiveness.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The comprehensive PR plan includes various tools to help Primark demonstrate its commitment to social and environmental responsibility. These tools include creating a budget of $50,000 to fund the plan, creating a Gantt chart to map out its development, and using PR tactics such as press releases, advertising, interviews, and social media campaigns to communicate Primark’s message. Primark will ensure that its stakeholders and the public are aware of its commitment to social and environmental responsibility, which is essential for the company’s reputation and long-term success, by taking a proactive approach to its public relations.
To ensure that the PR plan is successful, it is recommended that Primark should focus on implementing a comprehensive, long-term strategy that includes all aspects of its public relations, from media relations and public affairs to corporate communications. This should include setting clear objectives and goals, developing a plan to reach those objectives, and establishing a timeline to measure progress.
The company should also focus on building relationships with key stakeholders, including customers, media, and public members, to ensure that Primark is seen positively (Li et al., 2021, p.123). For instance, this can be achieved by engaging with customers through social media, creating relevant and engaging content, and utilizing traditional media channels to spread the company’s message. In addition, Primark should strive to build trust with key stakeholders by being transparent and honest in its communications. This can be done by creating open dialogues with stakeholders, providing timely and accurate information, and being open to feedback and criticism. Finally, Primark should evaluate its PR plan regularly to ensure it achieves its desired results by tracking media coverage, monitoring customer sentiment, and analyzing how the plan impacts the company’s reputation. With regular evaluations, Primark can adjust its strategy to ensure its long-term success.
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