Public Relations Trivia 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the acronym 'PESO' stand for in modern PR measurement?
- Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned (Correct answer)
- Public, Earned, Sponsored, Organic
- Press, Editorial, Social, Online
- Paid, Experimental, Sponsored, Outreach
Correct answer: Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned
The PESO model, developed by Gini Dietrich, categorizes media into Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned channels for integrated communications planning.
Question 2: Which federal law requires lobbyists and PR professionals working for foreign governments to register with the U.S. Department of Justice?
- The Public Relations Disclosure Act
- The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) (Correct answer)
- The Federal Communications Act
- The Truth in Advertising Act
Correct answer: The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)
FARA, enacted in 1938, requires anyone acting as an agent of a foreign principal to register and disclose their activities with the DOJ.
Question 3: What PR tactic involves monitoring online conversations to identify opportunities to insert a brand into trending topics?
- Newsjacking (Correct answer)
- Social listening
- Reactive PR
- Moment marketing
Correct answer: Newsjacking
Newsjacking, popularized by David Meerman Scott, involves injecting a brand's ideas into breaking news to generate media coverage and social sharing.
Question 4: In stakeholder theory, which group is considered the most critical 'primary stakeholder' for most corporations?
- Government regulators
- Customers
- Shareholders (Correct answer)
- Employees
Correct answer: Shareholders
In traditional stakeholder theory, shareholders are considered primary stakeholders because they own the company and bear the most direct financial risk.
Question 5: What is a 'spokesperson matrix' used for in PR planning?
- Tracking journalist contact information by beat
- Mapping which executives should speak on which topics to which audiences (Correct answer)
- Measuring spokesperson media performance over time
- Scheduling media training sessions
Correct answer: Mapping which executives should speak on which topics to which audiences
A spokesperson matrix maps different organizational spokespersons to specific issue areas and audience types to ensure appropriate and consistent messaging.
Question 6: Which PR crisis communication model advises organizations to quickly accept responsibility and apologize when at fault?
- Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT)
- Image Restoration Theory (Correct answer)
- Chaos Theory of Communications
- Excellence Theory
Correct answer: Image Restoration Theory
William Benoit's Image Restoration Theory identifies mortification (full apology and acceptance of responsibility) as the most direct path to restoring organizational reputation.
Question 7: What is the significance of the 'third-party endorsement' principle in PR?
- Paid celebrity endorsements carry more weight than editorial coverage
- Unpaid media coverage is perceived as more credible than advertising (Correct answer)
- Government endorsements are required for health product claims
- Third-party auditors must verify all press release statistics
Correct answer: Unpaid media coverage is perceived as more credible than advertising
Third-party endorsement means that coverage by independent journalists or sources carries greater credibility than paid advertising because readers perceive it as unbiased.
Public Relations Trivia 4
What does the acronym 'PESO' stand for in modern PR measurement?