Answer to Question 1
D
Answer to Question 2
A proactive public relations strategy is guided by marketing objectives, seeks to publicize a company and its brands, and is offensive rather than defensive in spirit. It starts with a public relations audit, which identifies the characteristics and activities of a firm that are positive and newsworthy. The next step is to take information from the audit and turn it into a public relations plan. The plan identifies the objectives and activities related to the public relations communications issued by the firm. The components of a public relations plan include a current situation analysis, program objectives, program rationale, communications vehicles, and message content.
A reactive public relations strategy is guided by events outside the control of a company, focuses on problems to be solved rather than on opportunities, and requires defensive rather than offensive measures. Since the events that trigger a reactive public relations strategy are unpredictable and uncontrollable, it is much more difficult to implement a reactive than a proactive strategy. Part of the preparation for a reactive strategy occurs during the public relations audit prepared for the proactive strategy. The information provided by the audit gives a firm what it needs in a time of crisis so it can issue public statements based on current and accurate data. A second step in preparing a reactive strategy is the identification of vulnerabilities, that is, the areas of potential weakness in products or operations that might create a negative situation.