Research Guides: Public Relations
Reference Desk: 415-442-7244
E-mail: askalibrarian
When beginning a project in Public Relations, such as creating a PR plan, begin by making a list of the different areas you will need information about. Your list may look something like this:
Company information: Is the company a) publicly traded or privately owned and b) U.S. or international. Also, what industry is the company in, and what area of business will your PR campaign focus on?
Industry information: What other companies are leaders in this industry? Do you need industry statistics or financial information? Are their any trade organizations or associations that can help with my research?
Consumer information: What is my target market? What information do I need about them?
PR case histories: Are there any case histories in a similar company or industry that I can learn from?This guide has some useful suggestions, but it can also be more helpful to talk to a librarian before beginning your research to map out a strategy and choose which type of information source is best for your research. You can call (415) 442-7244, e-mail askalibrarian@ggu.edu, or stop by the Reference Desk at the University Library.
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| BEST BETS | | |
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Business Source Completeo
(via EBSCO) | Because you will be looking for many different types of information to prepare your PR plan, Business Source Complete is an excellent first step. Searching this database allows you to find articles, market research reports, industry reports, country reports, company profiles and SWOT analyses at one time. It is also useful to see what kinds of articles or news items are already being written about the company or industry you are planning to cover, and will give you a sense of what is needed. |
| Mintel | Mintel is a database of excellent market research reports and industry news. The reports offer detailed analysis of the industry, main competitors, and consumers in a given market. Search the database using the 'quick search' box in the upper right corner, or browse through the list of reports using the links in the center of the screen. (Note: When using Mintel, you need to click on I Accept on the terms of use page after logging in, and then create your own Mintel profile using your email address.) |
| IBISWorldo | For getting a quick overview of the industry your company is in, IBISWorld is an excellent place to start. This database includes over 700 reports categorized by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), and you can search using the NAICS code is you have or search using words that describe your industry or even a company name. Additionally, you can look at reports for Global and Chinese industries. Each IBISWorld report is updated every four months and provides an overview of the industry, competitor information, market share data, and more. Reports can be viewed online, or downloaded in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat PDF. |
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| COMPANY INFORMATION | | |
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Business Source Completeo
(via EBSCO) | To find information on a specific company, type in the name of the company and use the drop down menu in the search screen to limit your search to CO Company Entity. From the result list, you can click on the links at the top of the list for company profiles, SWOT analysis, and product reviews. Another option is to select the "Company Profile" link in the menu on the right side of search screen and enter your company name to find a Datamonitor report, which contains company history, SWOT analysis, and other valuable information. |
| OneSource | OneSource provides access to financial information for over 3.7 million global companies, 45,000 of which are public; annual reports, ratio data, executive information, analyst reports, and recent developments are all available in this database, among many other features. Financial data can be downloaded and exported into Excel. Note: to access OneSource, click on "Search More info" next to International Databases; or, select "International Databases from the drop-down menu at the top of the screen. |
| Faulkner Technology | Great for technology or telecommunications companies, Faulkner provides comprehensive reports covering computer system software, networking, telecom technologies, trends, vendor profiles, product solutions, and security management practices. (After choosing Faulkner Technology, click on FACCTS to enter the database). |
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| INDUSTRY INFORMATION | | |
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| Standard & Poor's Net Advantage | The Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys are great tools to use to find industry analysis, leading companies, industry publications and associations, and current trends. In the database, select your industry using the drop down menu under Industry Surveys on the right side of the screen. These reports also include a section on how to analyze a company in the given industry. |
| IBISWorldo | For getting a quick overview of the industry your company is in, IBISWorld is an excellent place to start. This database includes over 700 reports categorized by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), and you can search using the NAICS code is you have or search using words that describe your industry or even a company name. Additionally, you can look at reports for Global and Chinese industries. Each IBISWorld report is updated every four months and provides an overview of the industry, competitor information, market share data, and more. Reports can be viewed online, or downloaded in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat PDF. |
| Mintel | Mintel is a database of market research reports and industry news. The reports offer detailed analysis of the industry, main competitors, and consumer in a given market. Search the database using the 'quick search' box in the upper right corner, or browse through the list of reports using the links in the center of the screen. (Note: When using Mintel, you need to click on I Accept on the terms of use page after logging in, and then create your own Mintel profile using your email address.) |
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| CONSUMER INFORMATION | | |
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| Mintel | Search the database using the 'quick search' box in the upper right corner, or browse through the list of reports using the links in the center of the screen. Once you have found a relevant report, you can click on the section of the reports called The Consumer. This leads to an area where Mintel reports survey information and other consumer behavior type reporting that can be useful when learning about your target market. (Note: When using Mintel, you need to click on I Accept on the terms of use page after logging in, and then create your own Mintel profile using your email address.) |
| U.S. Census Bureau | This is the main portal page to the data collected by the U.S. Census. The website can be searched a few ways. 1) You can use the front page links to focus your search to a particular section of the census data: people, business, geography, etc. 2) You can search by subject by clicking on the Subjects A-Z link at the top of the page, or 3) Enter your search terms in the search box at the top of the page and get quick links to facts and frequently asked questions. |
| American FactFinder from the U.S. Census Bureau | The American FactFinder is another data service from the Census Bureau. The search menu format is fairly user friendly, and they get down to the city level in their reports. Data is pulled from four different reports, so you can get info collected after the 2000 Census. |
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| PR CASE HISTORIES | |
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| GGU Online Catalog | Many PR case histories or case studies can be found in books. You can find what books are in the University Library, and some that are available online by searching the library catalog at http://library.ggu.edu. Some subject headings to use when searching for public relations are: public relations, customer relations, mass media and business. |
| Ebraryo(library database of electronic books) | Ebrary is the library's database of electronic books. You can search for case studies or analysis of public relations campaigns, many of which are found at the end of PR books in the appendix. Search for the name of the company or industry you are investigating and add the phrase "case study" or "case history" to the search. Ebrary searches for your words on every page of over 32,000 books! To view the book in Ebrary, you need to download the Ebrary Reader from the link on the first page of the database. If you have any questions or problems with the download, please call the Reference Desk at (415) 442-7244. |
| Web search engine (such as Google or Ask) | You can also look for PR case histories that are freely available on the web by using a search engine. You can type in the search "pr case history", "public relations" "case histories" or something similar. If you ever find something that asks for money to view, please ask a librarian to find it for free. |
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