4.1. Response-shaping process
First of all the Tour de Yorkshire press team tries to convince the audience to attend the event by giving weight to the fact that people don’t want to miss out if everybody else is going. That connects to Stiff and Mongeau’s (2003) assumption that individuals monitor the behaviour of other people. The campaign team uses that theme several times in their press releases by pointing out that the race will be “one of the most (…) popular sportives in the British calendar” (TDY Press Release 1). They furthermore emphasise how it is bound to be a “historic race” and “these three days are set to go down in history” (TDY Press Release 14). Hopwood (2004:3) argues that the English are passionate about sport and big events …show more content…
The campaign team continues this thematic strategy throughout the press releases with narratives such as “one of the greatest sports events in the UK” and that the race is “expected to become the UK’s flagship cycling event in 2015” (TDY Press Release 8). Even though these quotes are not directly saying that people will miss out if they don’t attend the event the phrasing still implies that everybody else is talking about it and will be going. That is a typical persuasive technique in public relations work according to Heath (2009). He argues that professional communication creates scenarios that influence how people conduct their life. By framing it as a lifestyle choice and implying a feeling of group pressure it becomes important for the individual to be there as nobody wants to be excluded. That leads back to Aldoory and Sha’s (2007) argumentation that the level of personal involvement is important for the success of the campaign. By ensuring that people feel almost pressured to be part of the “real buzz about the Tour de Yorkshire” (TDY Press Release 13) the campaign team plays towards the insecurities of today’s society. Falkheimer (2009) confirms that people nowadays feel at risk and uncertain and public relations will fill that void with
First of all the Tour de Yorkshire press team tries to convince the audience to attend the event by giving weight to the fact that people don’t want to miss out if everybody else is going. That connects to Stiff and Mongeau’s (2003) assumption that individuals monitor the behaviour of other people. The campaign team uses that theme several times in their press releases by pointing out that the race will be “one of the most (…) popular sportives in the British calendar” (TDY Press Release 1). They furthermore emphasise how it is bound to be a “historic race” and “these three days are set to go down in history” (TDY Press Release 14). Hopwood (2004:3) argues that the English are passionate about sport and big events …show more content…
The campaign team continues this thematic strategy throughout the press releases with narratives such as “one of the greatest sports events in the UK” and that the race is “expected to become the UK’s flagship cycling event in 2015” (TDY Press Release 8). Even though these quotes are not directly saying that people will miss out if they don’t attend the event the phrasing still implies that everybody else is talking about it and will be going. That is a typical persuasive technique in public relations work according to Heath (2009). He argues that professional communication creates scenarios that influence how people conduct their life. By framing it as a lifestyle choice and implying a feeling of group pressure it becomes important for the individual to be there as nobody wants to be excluded. That leads back to Aldoory and Sha’s (2007) argumentation that the level of personal involvement is important for the success of the campaign. By ensuring that people feel almost pressured to be part of the “real buzz about the Tour de Yorkshire” (TDY Press Release 13) the campaign team plays towards the insecurities of today’s society. Falkheimer (2009) confirms that people nowadays feel at risk and uncertain and public relations will fill that void with