How two State Agencies uses online Communications and P.R

I think it is important to define what a state agency is before I discuss how one uses online Communications and P.R to its benefit. A state agency is a government run and funded organization that provides a service to a particular group or the wider community. One notable example would be Teagasc (the agriculture and food development authority). Teagasc established in 1988, provides a service in which they educate the young farmers of the future. They also advise more seasoned farmers on the best ways to increase outputs on their farm; they also provide a multitude of other services. Teagasc is part funded by the exchequer fees for reaserch advisory and training services income from EU research programmes as well as revenue from farming activities. Teagasc is probably the  best example of how a government run agency has used online Communications and P.R to promote itself. This state agency not only has s fully functional website it is also quiet active on social media sites such as  Facebook and Twitter and it even has a blog, but it is probably not as good as this one!!!!!!!! I found it interesting how on the website it gives you an opportunity to share any interesting articles or pieces of research you may find on social media sites i.e. (Facebook and twitter).. I believe while it is important to generate positive press on social media, however it is a proven fact that people treat state agency websites as a more reliable source of information. In this blog I have spoken about Teagacs and how it has used online Communications and Public Relations to its benefit. However it would be wrong of me not to highlight the fact that there is many farmers who avail of certain services from Teagasc that have no internet access, and therefore if this state agency’s main audience can’t access their online message one would have to ask how effective is it?

The Department of Health is an area of government that is of interest to all or least it should be. Its core role is to support the Minister in the formulation of polices for the health services. We have seen in the past the department’s poor attempt at Public Relations. It seems there online Communications and P.R effort is not even marginally better. Due to the current economic situation government departments are coming under increasing pressure from not only the media but also members of the public. Therefore the Department of Health needs an effective online Communications and P.R plan. It is a well-known fact that websites act the as the centre of any such plan along with other online tools such as social media. However I would rate the Department of Health website as poor on a number of fronts. Firstly I struggle to understand why there is a need to have a link to the gathering on the Department of Health website. Secondly they give little updates in terms of press releases. For the most controversial corner of government I find it hard to believe it only issued four press releases so far this year. Finally the main page would not encourage you to return. Perhaps if the departments’ online Communications and P.R effort improved somewhat maybe they would be less controversial

Ideological Analysis - Bank Of Ireland Advertisement

The piece I am compiling an ideological analysis on, is a Bank of Ireland advertisement which appeared in the Irish Independent promoting the fact that they are ready to lend to people who are attempting to get on the property ladder. I believe it is important to define an ideology before discussing it further, it is “a set of shared ideas that seem to those who hold them to be natural and unquestionable they seem to spring up un hidden as fundamental components of the reality of the world”. (Long and Wall 2009)

The following topics are discussed in this ideological analysis

·         Dominant ideologies that inform the advertisement.

·         The groups portrayed and excluded in the advertisement.

·         How ideological image systems are produced.

·         How mediational image systems are used by the producer.

·         What is the preferred reading of the advertisement?

Evaluation of the main points of this ideological analysis will show that this advertisement uses a number of different methods to promote ideologies.

I believe the main ideology that informs the piece is capitalism. It can be defined as an “economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit rather than by the state”. (Oxford Dictionary.com 2013).   It is clear that the main aim of this advertisement is to make money for Bank of Ireland. Ideologies work in a number of different ways such as making their values appear natural, concealing or denying contradictions and appearing universal. I believe very few people who read this advertisement would consider Bank of Ireland to be a caring financial institution. I would consider patriarchy to be another ideology evident in this advertisement. Patriarchy can be defined as “a system of society or government in which men hold power and women are largely excluded from it” (Oxford Dictionary.com 2013). This advertisement also suggests that men are mostly renting and waiting to get on the property ladder.

There can also be little doubt that the dominant group behind this advertisement is Bank of Ireland. It is my belief that the main reason Bank of Ireland take out such advertisements is due to the negative representation they receive in the media. Perhaps this is due to the role that they played in the economic collapse. First time buyers and long term renters are also portrayed in this advertisement. They quote the man in the advertisement as saying. “I thought I would be renting forever but Bank of Ireland helped me move”. Therefore it would suggest that this advertisement is targeted towards those particular groups. I also believe one particular group who are not mentioned is the taxpayer, who bailed out the banks. The point could be argued that the main motivation behind this advertisement is to give the impression that Bank of Ireland are lending money to people.

Ideational image systems can be defined “as systematic forms of ideological expression that combines images of message structure into an integrated whole”. Advertising is probably the best example of this. One of the main features of an ideational image system is to encourage audiences to become more involved with commercial products. In this advertisement Bank of Ireland are encouraging potential customers to arrange an appointment  through text, they also give a helpline number and website details. Mediational image system refers to media transmitted ideology. The ideologies are represented in language and interpreted through language by people in social interaction. It also refers to how ideologies are expressed and elaborated by technological intervention and interpersonal communication. In this advertisement Bank of Ireland use varying font sizes to express their ideologies. It is interesting to note how a bold white font is used to highlight various ways customers or potential customers can learn more about mortgage options offered by the bank. They also use the same font but a different background colour to highlight the fact that Bank of Ireland will help people move into their new home. Preferred reading can be defined as “where the text is created and understood using the same code”. (Long and Wall 2009). A code is a means for converting information into a special format in order to communicate it. (Long and Wall 2009). Therefore Bank of Ireland want to communicate not only to their own customers but also potential customers that they are ready to provide advice that will enable people to get on the property ladder.

In conclusion there can be little doubt that the main ideology that informs the piece is capitalism and the dominant group   portrayed in the piece is Bank of Ireland. The banks also use a variety of different methods to express their ideologies.

References

Long, P., Wall, T. (2009) Media Studies Texts, Production, Context 2nd edition. London: Pearson.

Oxford Dictionaries.com (2013) Definition of Capitalism in English. [Online], available http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/capitalism [ accessed date 24th of October 2013].

Oxford Dictionaries.com (2013) Definition of Patriarchy in English. [Online], available http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/patriarchy?q=patriarchy [ accessed date 24th of October 2013].