Contemporary Approaches to Public Relations

Musaab Adam

MCC 204 30581155

Education, Awareness

Improvement and Increased

Sponsorship Campaign for

the:

Malaysian Mental Health

Association

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Contemporary Approaches to Public Relations
Musaab Adam

MCC 204 30581155

Back ground

Recently the World Health Organisation or (WHO) released a report

estimating that one in five people will have a mental health disorder in

their lifetime. (http://bhd.bz/mentalhealth/index.cfm) This high figure

has resulted in an alarming rise in social stigma surrounding mental

illness in most societies around the world. In Africa for example a

mentally ill person could be mistaken as a voodoo practitioner or

magic spell victim, and thus could be subjected to torturous rituals as

the suitable cure. In advanced nations mental illness is identified by

symptoms which are increasingly on the rise. Identification of mental

illness symptoms is crucial because the human brain is subject to a

number of clinically proven conditions; these include epilepsy

schizophrenia, and manic depression, thought disturbance, delusions

and hallucinations.

According to David Crosbie, Chief Executive of the Mental Health

Council of Australia, (MHCA) there is disappointment among the council

that there is so little movement in towards positive reform or

considerable financial support in the mental health sector (.

mhca.org.au/MediaReleases/2010/Budget%202010%20Release.pdf).

However in contrast with our Malaysian situation we have a long way

to go until we implement health reforms such the Australian (CoAG)

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Health Reform agreement whereby the (MHCA) is allocated annual

funding commitments to improve the lives of the thousands of people

suffering from mental health disorders in Australia.

(MHCA) CEO David Crosbie argued that “State and federal

governments have underinvested in mental health for decades and

now we are all paying a huge price for this”

The wide spread ignorance about the types, symptoms and cause of

mental illness in Malaysia is fuelling the stigma surrounding it thus

leading towards further segregation against mentally ill people

specially children. The results of a dipstick survey which was carried

out at an early stage are extremely alarming. 30 youthful respondents

didn’t recognise the existence of the (MMHA) or Malaysian Mental

Health Association in addition 25 of them didn’t recognize any

symptoms of any mental illness such as depression. According to the

(MMHA) website “Mental illness is often misunderstood. For centuries,

it has been seen as either possession by evil spirits, a moral weakness

or punishment from a higher being. Those suffering from mental illness

are commonly perceived to be restless, violent and unpredictable”.

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Situational Analysis
The formative research carried out provided sufficient evidence that

(MMAH) main dilemma is in the form of visibility which is directly

affecting their volume of sponsorship, and volunteers. Another major

problem is the lack of awareness regarding mental illness in society in

addition to the wide spread ignorance about the proper methods of

caring for the mentally ill a, individuals with severe depression are

possible suicide victims if there condition left untreated. However it’s

proposed that (MMAH) collaborate with another (NGO) which is KOMAS

to produce a short film that creates awareness about the rights of

mentally ill people. KOMAS is the most probable candidate hence it is

an NGO that specialises in creating short films and documentaries to

inform the Malaysian public of societal issues.

(MMAH) will allocate a small budget to (KOMAS) for producing a short

film or a documentary about mental illness for the purpose of

informing and education various publics about the rights of the

mentally ill. A small sum should be asked as a voluntary donation as an

entrance fee in order to generate more funding in the form of revenue,

however in the case that screening is free it is very beneficial.

Exposure to the short film will consequently increase the level of

awareness about mental disease amongst the target publics, which will

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ultimately lead to improving mentally challenged individuals quality of

life besides boosting the visibility of the two institutions.

Campaign Goals and Objectives

According to Oxley (1987), the goals and objectives of the campaign

must be easily measureable and realistic with the desired outcomes

being timely and gauged freely by observing multiple statistical

variables. Examples such as the number of new volunteers and

donations raised or utilising digital media like Facebook, a strong

primary support media, promoting cheaply and counting the likes on

the fan page.

Short Term Goals Include:

The introduction and implementation of new and improved mental

health reforms, passed as a bill through senate, holding fast to the

constitution. Eliminating the stigma people associate with mental

illness. Creating long lasting attitudinal adjustments and enhance

further progress towards becoming a tolerant Malaysian society.

FindING new sources for volunteers, sponsorship and donor support

for (MMAH) by the year 2011.To increase the level of awareness

regarding mental illness educating on the symptoms and early

warning signs. Educating Malaysian youth about societal issues

affecting those feeling marginalized. Endorsement of the mentally ill

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rights by educational institutions in Malaysia through their active

engagement through advocacy.

Key stakeholders and target publics

Target public Reason

Primary stake The campaign revolves around them

holders

The mentally ill

Internal

stakeholders
Sponsors Sponsor groups are vital hence they contribute towards

MMAH funding
NGOs/ The contributions Non Governmental organisations will

Humanitarian provide is critical hence they could join forces with MMAH to

organisations fight for the same cause.

Local community
Public The aid provided in the form of volunteerism and donations

puts the Malaysian public at a high level of importance.

The media
New media, print and The main attraction to new media is its relatively low cost of
advertising in addition the target publics are youth therefore
broadcast new media is an exceptionally effective tool. In addition the
broadcast and print media will aid in publicising the cause for
free. These media corporation have an agenda of social
cultural responsibilities to fulfil.
Community/interes

t group
Universities and Youth from schools and colleges are targeted by this

colleges campaign hence the main concern is to educate them about

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mental illness and the social stigma associated with it.

members of

parliament
Government Government organization are able to advocate for the cause
by writing reforms that will established grounds for laws to
parties protect the rights of mentally ill people which could lead to
the elimination of some of the systemic discrimination against
people who experience a mental illness

Message

Developing mental disorder is not by choice; nevertheless as a

community we have the choice of developing the right attitude

towards the mentally challenged.

The core message of this campaign is aimed at creating awareness

amongst the target publics and calling for government action

regarding the issue.

The slogan of the campaign aren’t we courteous will complement all

messages distributed. The slogan was developed and designed in

order to remind us of our compassionate Asian culture.

The target publics will be approached with different messages moulded

to suite the different perspectives they occupy. These messages will be

tailored as to inform five different categories which are:

• The target Public -the message here will focus on creating

awareness about mental illness and call for donations.

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• Youth – to inform and enlighten them about social issues

associated with mental illness as to reduce the systematic

discrimination against mentally ill individuals.

• The Government – to call for an action in the form of creating

new mental health reforms or even follow the Australian federal

government footsteps by adopting few of their successful

strategies and possibly appointing a minister for mental health.

• NGOs – to encourage collaboration.

• The media – to generate awareness by broadcasting the

materials produced in collaboration with KOMAS.

Strategy/Tactics

The strategy of this campaign is based on affirmative action and direct

interaction in conjunction with Xavier’s structure, Johnston and Patel

(2005). The introduction of new mental health reforms and the

expected change in policies of the administrative Government will be

the direct consequence of the Action plan while a Communication plan

will sustain the action strategy by motivating and informing publics.

According to Newsom, Turk and Kruckenberg (2004) key PR tactics

usually consist of rhetoric, symbols and slogans in this campaign the

following strategies are proposed:

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• Organizing events and providing channels for the families of

mentally ill individuals to share their experience and educate the

rest of publics about mental illness.

o Marathon

o Speeches and visual presentations

• Employ a local celebrity to become the ambassador of MMAH

o Celebrity endorsement.

• To utilize new media technologies especially social media

networks as an effective mechanism for creating awareness

about mental illness.

o Setting up a face book support page

• Fruitful collaboration with the media to increase funds and

awareness through the endorsement of the short film/

documentary produced by KOMAS.

The planned tactics will take account of:

• Participation in the World Mental illness day on 10th October 2011

• Setting up a community booth in Kuala Lumpur convention

centre KLCC.

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o The booth will function as a station for distributing flyers

and selling tickets for the film.

• The incitation of a cooperative (MMAH) (KOMAS) YouTube

channel to promote the 30 minutes short film produced by

KOMAS.

• Publicity through print and broadcast media.

• Organizing a charity marathon in Klang valley.

o Family meeting sessions after the marathon.

• Setting up billboards and distribution of flyers around Petaling

Jaya area to elevate public awareness.

According to a study on the effects of socialization which was aimed to

measure students attitudes in relation to socialization Anderson &

Western (1967) concluded that students apply three meanings which

are political economic liberalism which opposes mainstream thinking

patterns and rather support the left way of thinking, social liberalism

which magnifies the believe that every man/woman should be free

from restrictions forced by the society and intellectual interest.

Anderson & Western findings concluded that students are increasingly

socially committed and have the capacity to participate in solving

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problems of their society due to their insubordinate pattern of

thoughts from the first definition.

Channels of delivery

The extremely interactive nature of web 2.0 applications will enable

the campaign to utilize the two-way symmetrical communication

model which was developed by Dozier & Grunig (1993), however the

internet will be looked upon as a primary channel due to its

inexpensive and powerful delivery methods Instead of spending

millions on expensive advertisements, social media sites allow us to do

it for free and quite possibly, reach a larger audience.

Furthermore the two ways asymmetrical communication process with

its high level of interactivity will allow for an accurate measurement of

the campaign desired affect at all times.

According to Marshall (2001) the internet has the potential to become

a place for a new public sphere where ideas could be exchanged and

debated freely.

The campaign will make the most of social media websites such as:

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MCC 204 30581155

Facebook According to a survey conducted by international firm TNS Malaysians

have the most number of friends on social networking websites like

Facebook. They also spend the most hours per week on such sites.

(http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?

file=/2010/10/13/nation/7212273&sec=nation)
Twitter The website will feature daily comprehensive updates informing the

target publics of MMAH events and activities.

YouTube The short film aimed at creating awareness amongst target publics

which was the result of the collaboration between MMAH and KOMAS

will be free and available to all publics on a specially MMAH endorsed

channel.
Blogs An instrument of Informal communication approach provided by new

media technologies.
MMAH A modified and enhanced website that is live chat enabled will be

official created in order to increase interactivity with target publics.

website

Budget

Activity/ Category Venue Cost

Internal expenses

Bills MMHA Headquarter RM 7,000/ year

Materials MMHA Headquarter RM 5,000/ year

Research N/A RM 9,000/ year

External expenses

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Short film production RM 25,000/

year

Flyer distribution booth Shopping malls, University and RM 19,000/ year

college campus

Public seminars Shopping malls, University and RM 10,000/ year

college campus

Press Conference Hall room RM 7,000/ year

Publicity

News Letter/ Press Local Print Media RM 3,000/ year

Release

Brochures the Klang valley REGION AND RM 5,000/ year

JUST OUTSIDE Selangor Kuala

Lumpur
billboard advertisements LDP, NKVE, and The Sprint HWY RM 50,000/ year

Internet MMHA Head quarters RM 1,750/ year

Total cost RM 141,750

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Evaluation

The success of the PR campaign is measured in terms of the total

number of objectives achieved. According to Oxley (1987) the success

of any campaign is reflected in the target public attitude change, and

changes in the level of awareness regarding the issue or the

organisation. The overall success of the campaign is evaluated after

considering few elements such as the communication audit in the form

of a dipstick survey which was conducted at different stages of this

campaign.

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The analysis of the results will aid in identifying minor or major flaws in

the communication plan. However the success of the campaign will be

measured using the Stewardship concept developed by Harrison

(2003) the concept will allow researchers to gauge accurate

measurements of objectives success in addition to providing necessary

information for future proposals and reference.

Furthermore evaluation will be carried out at each stage of the

campaign to eliminate any possible errors that might affect the

success of the communication plan.

The World’s “Mental Health Day” held every October 10th is of great

importance. The MMAH is responsible for organising major events with

another evaluation by counting visitor numbers and furthermore

observing intensity of media coverage received. Evaluating the level of

awareness about mental disease and changes in attitude towards

mentally ill people will require another dipstick survey to be carried

out.

Tactics 1- press release

No. 8 Jalan 4/33 off Jalan Othman,
46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
MALAYSIA

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Press release For immediate

release
Contact:
Datin Dr. Ang Kim Teng
8 jln 4/33, off Jalan Othman,
46050, Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia
mmha@malaysia.com
tel : 03-77825499 / 03-77835432

Mental health and social stigma

Taking steps
Selangor, KL- 3rd November 2010 - Everyone is at risk of developing
mental health problems. According to the World Health Organisation,
one in four people experience mental health disorder during their life
time. Unemployment, dysfunctional marriage , and financial hardship
are few factors often increase the possibility of developing mental
health disorders due to stress. Mental illness is a major cause of social
stigma, discrimination and exclusion.

Doctors say “The healthy mind healthy body” the wellbeing of an

individual depends on a healthy mind. Yet a small portion of those
suffering from mental health problems receive treatment.
Discrimination and rejection by society are few reasons why individuals
with mental disorders don’t seek help. Learning about the symptoms,
and creating family support groups can help mentally ill people enjoy
meaningful lives. We need to start thinking positively as the first step
to de-stigmatise mental illness.

People suffering from mental illness are often marginalised to the

extend they are unable to take part in society. Mentally ill people are
unable to obtain jobs, access education or enjoy leisure activities as a
result of being discriminated against.
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It is very important to learn about mental disorders in able to reduce

the stigma that prevents people from getting help as mental disorders
are not permanent and can be cured. Today psychology and modern
medicine provide us more than ever before with treatments, strategies
and drugs to treat mental disorders.

Additionally family acceptance is one of the most important factors for

recovery. “ To help mentally ill individuals in our society It is important
to get over the myth and embrace the facts” says Dr. Ang Kim Teng.
The MMHA is a non-profit agency governed by an elected volunteer
Board of Directors.

Our campaign is now online! Visit our webpage and support

our campaign at: www.mentalhealth.org.my/index.cfm?
menuid=6&action.

Speech
This speech has been written for Datin Dr. Ang Kim Teng the President

of Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMAH). For the “aren’t we

courteous” campaign speech to be delivered during the opening of

the film festival on the 3rd of December 2010 at 3-4pm

Good afternoon.

I am delighted to join you today in this wonderful event. My best

congratulations to the organisers, volunteers and every one attending

this event, I am very impressed by the collaboration with KOMAS which

resulted in the production of the amazing documentary they produced

in conjunction with raising awareness about mental illness.

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Today, in keeping with the theme of the documentary i would like to

share some thoughts with you about mental health issues in Malaysia.

I am here on behalf of the Malaysian Mental Health Association and all

the marginalised mentally ill persons in our society. The most

disturbing fact about mental illness is the discrimination mentally ill

people face every day. This discrimination is observed in lack of

opportunities in seeking jobs or the active participation in society.

The role of everyone in eliminating stigma surrounding mental illness

is not limited, each and every one of us is compelled to advocate the

rights of mentally challenged people.

I am pleased to indicate the role MMHA plays in creating awareness in

our society , and the education of the public about the symptoms and

the methods of caring for the mentally ill. Our lack of knowledge about

mental illness is the main cause of this social stigma today.

Every member of the civil society should mobilize and get involved in

creating awareness to eliminate this stigma, often the main reasons

why mentally ill people don’t come forward and seek treatment.

Depression is the most common mental disorder in Malaysia today.

Reports estimates two in every five Malaysians suffer from mild to

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chronic depression. Left untreated depression can lead to more mental

disorders or even suicide.

Youngsters suffering from mental disorders are not just suffering from

teen age angst, they are our children. Mental disorders such as

depression will have direct impact on their health. Recognition of

symptoms such as weight loss, and extreme change in mood is the

first step in helping them. It is critical to dismiss myths about mental

disorders in able for us to de-stigmatise mental illness.

Psychiatric and brain disorders are true medical illnesses that requires

medical intervention just like diabetes and heart conditions. Children

and adolescence can develop severe mental disorders such as anxiety

disorder. According to statistics one in every 10 children in Malaysia

suffers from mental disorders severe enough to cause impairment.

These children deserve to receive proper treatment.

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Reference List:

Anderson, D. & J Western. 1967. An Inventory to measure student’s

attitudes In University of Queensland Papers, Departments of

Government and History, St. Lucia: University of Queensland

Press.

D. Dozier, Grunig, L. and, Jane Grunig 1995. What is communication

Excellence? In Communication and Conflict Management: Theory

and Practice (MCC345) Unit Reader 2005, Murdoch: Murdoch

University. 3-11.

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Marshall, P David. 2004. New Media Cultures. New York: Amold

Publishing.

Newsom, D., J. Turk & D. Kruckenberg, 2004. This is The Realities of

public relations. (8th ed.), POP: Thomson Wadsworth.

Harrison, K. 2003. Strategic Public Relations (3rd ed.), Perth: Century

Ventures.

Oxley, H. 1987. The principles of public elations, Londres: Kogan Page.

Xavier, R., Johnston, K. and A. Petal, 2005. Exploring strategy: What

public relations strategy means in practise, In Asia Pacific Public

Relations Journal 6:2.

Electronic References
mhca.org.au/MediaReleases/2010/Budget%202010%20Release.pdf

(accessed October 31, 2010)

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http://bhd.bz/mentalhealth/index.cfm (accessed November 2nd, 2010).

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?

file=/2010/10/13/nation/7212273&sec=nation (accessed October

31, 2010).

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