Public Relations Case Study Analysis
CAT: Impact of Approach
The CAT process is a standardized approach for public relations students and professional practitioners to use as a tool for analyzing the case studies of real-world organizational problems, issues, and crises. Learning from the mistakes of others can prevent the repetition of historical missteps by those new to the field. Discovering, from specific examples, exactly how problems can evolve into issues that snowball into a full-blown crisis is effective training to understand what to look for during environmental scanning.
Practicing situational resolution techniques in a hypothetical setting is a safe way to grow in ability without incurring organizational damage from real-world experimentation. Public relations specialists can gain experience in how to proactively manage organizational situations without the stress from actual circumstances. They may become more effective as reputational managers and stakeholder liaisons for the organizations that hire them. Public relations counsel may also be better able to foresee trouble in order to preemptively address problems before issues become crises. If a fast-developing crisis occurs, they will better understand how to resolve it using the RPIE process embedded within the case analysis tool.
CAT: Process & Organization
The CAT process is a case analysis tool used to methodically analyze a public relations scenario and describe proposed actions to appropriately intervene in an organizational problem, issue, or crisis. It is a standardized method to examine and learn from historical situations that adversely impacted real-world organizations.
The first of the six steps is to learn the essential facts of a case and classify it as a problem, issue, or crisis. One then discerns what potential outcomes could possibly result from the specified set of facts.
The second step is to consider what organizational leaders could have done to preemptively inhibit the adverse situation.
The third step is to deliberate on any potential ethical considerations that may have impacted the case and describe why moral violations apply. Wisdom suggests a review of the codes of conduct and ethics published by the International Public Relations Association and the Public Relations Society of America, respectively.
The fourth step is to assess what factors of diversity, equity, and inclusion are pertinent to the case and why they apply.
The fifth step is to employ the RPIE process to explain recommendations to organizational leadership with concrete rationale. Research entails defining the situation; describing the primary, secondary, and intervening publics; listing the demographics of the publics; and labeling the publics’ psychographics. Then proposals for primary and secondary research are given. Planning requires strategic guideline writing, key message identification, and listing tactical rationale to manage the problem, issue, or crisis toward achieving certain outcomes. Implementation necessitates formulating communication tactics for key message dissemination to target audiences to support proposed strategy toward intended outcomes. Evaluation identifies methodologies to assess outcomes with predetermined time-based measurements of campaign success.
The sixth and last step of the CAT process is to describe in detail the overall outcome one envisions for the organization and its publics.
RPIE: Discussion & Explanation
The foundational four-step process for public relations is known by the acronym RPIE. It is a proven method that public relations practitioners can use to conduct an outcome-focused campaign on behalf of an organization that addresses specific problems and needs to accomplish measurable goals and timely objectives. The RPIE letters stand for research, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
The first research phase analyzes and describes the primary situation as a problem, issue, or crisis that potentially threatens the organization. It also seeks to specify the primary publics, which directly impact organizational goals by resource allocation and support; secondary publics, with fluctuating peripheral influence; and intervening publics, as media which disseminates organizational messages. These public groups are further defined by their demographic traits, such as age, ethnicity, gender, location, and socioeconomic status. Psychographic traits, such as beliefs, values, and attitudes, are also characterized.
The second planning phase specifies strategic guidelines, key messages, and tactical rationale to resolve the problem, issue, or crisis listed in the research phase. Message planning is definitively oriented toward key publics to achieve specifically outlined goals.
The third implementation phase assigns specific communication methods to tactically distribute the key messages, listed in the planning phase, to target defined audience segments. Approaches to support the strategy may entail the implementation of events, speeches, social media engagement, news releases, press conferences, etc.
The fourth and last evaluation phase seeks to analyze outcomes with specific and predetermined time-based measurements to accurately conclude the level of campaign success. This is also a time to assess what tactical elements could be improved upon in subsequent public relations campaigns for better organizational outcomes.
RPIE: Significance
RPIE is a significant process in the public relations field, because it bases campaign planning upon social science research rather than gut-instinct. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method data from primary and secondary research form the basis of business strategy and tactics to better enable successful outcomes for organizational benefit. Such outcomes are not assessed by unreliable anecdotal evidence but are quantified by preassigned measurements of predetermined goals.
The field has increased relevance and credibility by having a stable and organized discipline-wide system for practitioners. Public relations students may study the standardized process for real-world preparation, so that they may methodically engage in proven methods on their first day working for an organization. Practitioners with expertise in the RPIE process may elect to earn accreditation by passing an exam given by the Universal Accreditation Board. This aids organizational recruiters to identify credible candidates for essential positions. Organizations cannot afford to jeopardize the strategic management of their reputation and relationships with various public entities and key stakeholders. Additionally, qualified PR professionals are crucial to identify potential problems in order to prevent them from evolving into issues that could become a full-blown organizational crisis.
© Leigh N. Eldred 2025
Reference
Hapney, Jr., T. L., & Lovins, J. (n.d.). Public Relations Case Studies: Successes & Failures—Business, Nonprofit, Government, Education, Health Care. Stukent. January 23, 2025, https://my.stukent.com/student
