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Shannon Cochran COMM 205 October 12, 2011 Public Relations Practices: Turkey Hill Dairy Turkey Hill Dairy uses ethical public relations practices to shape the companys organization, communication, and marketing techniques both internally and externally. Public relations coordinator, Ashley Pluta, has worked for Turkey Hill since May 2010 and has implemented numerous marketing and public relations methods in terms of media relations, strategic plans, research and evaluation, and crisis operations. Turkey Hill uses the two-way symmetrical communication model across many departments within the organization. This model structures every aspect of the public relations department as the company strives to maintain and create two-way, mutually beneficial relationships with their given publics. As Turkey Hill carries out these techniques, their success and number of loyal, satisfied customers grows. Turkey Hill began in the early 1930s, when a man named Armor Fry bought a small dairy farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Fry began his work day watching the sunrise from the top of Turkey Hill (which is where the companys name came from). His dairy farm started out as a milk delivery business that only delivered to a few surrounding areas, but soon grew to reach a wide range of people. In 1950, Fry, along with members of his family, started producing basic ice cream flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. With the production of ice cream, Fry gained numerous costumers and his company began to grow larger. In 1960, Fry began producing iced tea and more flavors of ice cream. These products became increasingly popular and loved by families all across the state of Pennsylvania. As evident by the growing popularity, Fry realized that he had a profitable business on his hands.

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Today, Turkey Hill has twenty-six iced tea and forty-eight ice cream flavors, each adored by many across the United States. The companys mission statement has remained the same since 1930: to continue producing a family friendly brand that people can trust while keeping that timeless goodness sealed inside every product. Customer satisfaction matters most (turkeyhill.com). Internal Structure With over 700 employees, both in the factory and in the office, Turkey Hill has their hands full in each department. Keeping employees happy and excited about their job has a lot to do with the actions of the public relations department. The PR practitioners have involvement in every department on some level because all departments depend on communication. Communication builds trust between each department from sales and marketing to human resources. This is because trust is the characteristic that allows an organization to exist (Lendingham 29). As in many organizations, all departments refer to the dominant coalition, or in this case the president and vice president, because they act as the head decision makers for each department. Although there are appointed members in each department that carry authority for what actions and plans are implemented (in terms of the PR department, that would be the PR Coordinator), the dominant collation still oversees the big tasks, while trusting their employees with the day to day processes. I found this structure to be beneficial because upper management trusts their employees yet remains in charge, keeping the organization under control and healthy. Managers influence not only the work performance, career growth, and confidence of subordinates, but also the ability of the work unit to do its job well (L. Grunig 106). This

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structure reflects the two-way model that moves the public, dominant coalition, and PR professional to benefit in terms of relationships and business success (Lattimore 63). Public relations has a specific fit throughout the structure of each department such as sales, human resources, business development, factory operations and the dominant coalition. The PR department does not have much daily contact with factory workers but they are still familiar with plant operations and how those processes run. They are responsible for communicating with the plant workers on a bi-weekly basis through employee newsletters. These newsletters keep the workers informed on the implementation of any new structures or plans within the company and other aspects that would directly affect them. Turkey Hills PR department contacts these employees because they recognize that internal communication keeps an organization strong. When targeting these internal employees the mission is principally to inform, while recognizing that the way in which this is done is likely to affect morale and collegiality within the workplace, which is why ethical communication among factory workers is vital to a sound organization (Seib 66). The PR department works with the sales department more often than other sectors. This sector helps the PR practitioners determine where their new customers are and how to go about focusing their marketing claims on these new publics. The PR practitioner refers back to the sales department daily (even while in the middle of implementing a plan) to discuss if they are reaching the right publics and what can be improved to ensure that these publics are getting the desired information. The PR department works closely with sales to ensure that the company gives as much as it receives. The personal influence model comes into play here as the public relations practitioner tries to establish personal relationships with key individuals, as contacts through favors can be sought (Lattimore 63). The sales department gives, the PR department

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takes, and vice versa as a way of doing favors for one another, which increases the relationship between the two. The accounting department tells the PR sector what amount of money they can spend while meeting their goals, where they can afford to travel for face to face promotion with external publics, and what they are allotted to do locally in terms of promotions. The accounting department serves an important role in the planning stages for PR because Turkey Hill will not even begin to plan in more depth or implement a plan without consent from the accounting department. In my interview with Ashley Pluta, she admitted that often times this relationship can come off as asymmetrical because [we] receive the information and then we are off on our way. Typically the way we communicate with them again is through evaluation at the end of a promotion with the president, but we are working on ways of keeping them involved throughout the entire process, (Ashley Pluta, personal communication, 11/9/2011). This hinders their ability to have a strong relationship with the accountants and maintain a healthy working environment. Pluta mentioned that they have been asking accountants to attend meetings, even when they do not necessarily need to be there, but it keeps them more involved in the planning process which strengthens the relationship as they seek to pursue the same goal (mission statement). The human resources department watches over the PR department in a big brother type of way. They make sure each public relations practitioner represents Turkey Hill in a way that reflects their mission to the external publics. Though this relationship tends to lean more towards the asymmetrical model, where the PR department does not receive any benefits in terms of relationships, I firmly believe the two-way symmetrical model exists in this relationship. For example, recently the PR department acted as a vendor at a local Lancaster county high school

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football game where they gave out free samples of ice cream and provided the team with iced teas. Before going out that day, the PR department met with human resources on how they should conduct themselves when communicating with teenagers. Though the conversation was routine (make sure they know their facts, conduct themselves as adults though they want to reach a younger audience, focus on family-friendly conversation, etc.), it became beneficial when the PR department put in their input about how they feel they constantly represent the company well and the ways in which they continue to do so. When human resources decided that the routine conversation was not always necessary, both departments agreed that we enjoy our time together to discuss improvements. Human resources doesnt always tell us what to do. They check up on us, keep up with us, and our relationship continues to grow [in a symmetrical way] (Ashley Pluta, personal communication, 11/9/2011). Public relations should always possess the understanding of each departments role, and when they understand each role, needs are met and relationships continue to build with increasing strength and trust (Lattimore 61). This trust increases through face-to-face interaction (Ledingham 199). The PR department has minimal interaction with the dominant coalition in terms of the tactical decisions. During the spring they meet with the president of Turkey Hill, Quintin Fry (grandson of Armor Fry), to get approval on projects, certain publics they want to reach, and if their plans the previous year were successful. For example, this spring of 2011 the PR department wanted to focus mainly on Atlanta and Nashville (more mid-west) to reach unaware publics. They received approval to do two events in those areas, one for the older generation (50 and up) and one for the younger generation (16 and up). Typically, they meet with the dominant coalition a couple times a year for structured meetings while maintaining a strong relationship outside the work place. Turkey Hill strives to be a family friendly business externally and

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because of this they function the same way internally with the dominant coalition and other departments. The PR department keeps this communication flowing by scheduling times to meet and chat during the day about topics that are unrelated to the work place. When an employee feels comfortable enough to share some of his or her personal life with the president or other fellow employee, then they will feel comfortable enough to trust them on important business related matters, which also lessens any internal conflicts. When public relations helps the organization build relationships with strategic constituencies, it saves the organization money by reducing the costs of litigation, regulation, legislation, pressure campaigns, boycotts, or lost revenues that result from bad relationships with [internal] publics (Lendingham 32). The marketing department and the public relations department work together as a unit. There are two sections of the public relations sector: promotions and marketing and thus, the two departments work under the same umbrella. The PR promotions department itself consists of three people, all who are titled public relations coordinators. All three coordinators oversee and update social media outlets, enforce crisis plans when necessary, plan events and work them, and strengthen internal communication among employees. The other side of the PR department, marketing, focuses on advertising and helps other departments implement research strategies. Overall, I see the internal structure as strong and relational, needing little changes. Turkey Hill strays away from press agentry where the information moves only one way, which can create relational gaps (Lattimore 63). Sometimes the public information model is implemented from department to department, but the PR sector recognizes this inconsistency with their mission statement. PR coordinator make every effort to use the two-way symmetrical model through more laid back meetings, encouragement for more involvement from every department in the planning process, while showing their appreciation when certain departments

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step up in their involvement. Turkey Hills family friendly internal atmosphere diffuses through to the external public. They maintain this atmosphere through daily interactions where the discussions are fuelled through give and take, mutually beneficial relationships. External Publics Turkey does not have a specific group of publics. Many government or non-profit organizations will have a very specific group they want to reach in order to obtain a certain number of votes or receive a large amount of support. In retrospect of this knowledge, Turkey Hill feels that they are not out to have the most customers, but to have the most satisfied customers. They gear their products toward families, mothers, children, and the older generation but do not discriminate in terms of who we try to reach. We focus on families a lot but our products are for anyone who wants to enjoy them, (Ashley Pluta, personal communication, 11/9/2011). Because Turkey Hills main concern is upholding personal relationships with their publics, their business grows and succeeds even in this time of struggle with the damaged economy. For example, when promoting products in certain areas, they will research to find where their publics can purchase their products in that area and answer any questions they may have. Recently, the PR department traveled to Atlanta to promote their products and they made sure they could tell their publics where to buy the products, address any concerns they may have, and simply get to know them through friendly conversation. We really enjoy simply talking with our publics. When you are face-to-face with a customer, it makes everything you work for inside the office come to life. Public relations is about people, and thats what we love here: people (Ashley Pluta, personal communication, 11/9/2011).

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They consider their publics to be their friends, and they treat them as such when they promote products on location or answer a question via social media. Publics are often considered to be equal participants in the dialogue or relationship. When power is omitted from the relationship, it is possible to assume that an organization and its publics are able to meet on equal terms and are able to develop mutually beneficial outcomes (Johansson 280). I appreciate Turkey Hills love for their publics because caring for each customer and ethically delivering a message to the public without spin or any other type of puffery shows the real heart of PR. The openness they create can produce more symmetry in the distribution of power in a relationship, and thus, assists the PR practitioners in their search for creating mutually beneficial relationships with the public (Lendingham 37). Researching and Planning, and Evaluating Techniques Turkey Hills public relations professionals do not have a specific research technique because they often leave that up to other departments such as sales and business development. Research is an essential component of strategic public relations but few communications managers are trained as researchers (J. Grunig 185). These two departments do the bulk of the research on publics both in the United States and internationally via surveys (both mail and internet) and through environmental monitoring. These departments keep tabs on the publics they are reaching and keep the PR practitioners informed when changes in opinions or trends occur. Although the PR department does not perform research regularly, they are still responsible for gaining information about certain planning objectives and they should measure these objectives through research to determine the success of the programs [they want to implement] (J. Grunig 159). Typically, they stray away from focus groups because, in the past,

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they did not bring much improvement to the company. When a focus group was implemented it did not provide them with a clear basis of where to begin further research. This could be because they sampled only those in the Pennsylvania area (out of convenience). Although they should not generalize focus groups to the whole public, it would have been better to get samples of people from different states where those publics may have different experiences with Turkey Hills products, but because of expenses and travel, that was not feasible. Due to the fact that focus groups provide little to no benefit, PR coordinators use similar surveys that the sales and business development departments will implement. These surveys ask questions about the wants of the public in a certain area, how satisfied they are with other dairy/ice cream companies, what they would like to see in a dairy company, etc. For example, as I stated previously, Turkey Hills target publics for this year were in the mid-west and before planning promotional activities in those areas, they needed to find out if there really was a need (or in this case, a want). After sending out over 2,000 simple surveys, and receiving about half of them in return with the majority having positive feedback, Turkey Hill knew they could continue planning to reach these publics. Though survey research falls under the asymmetrical model, the results led to more symmetrical actions because once the feedback is obtained PR professionals determine how to respond and effectively communicate with the sampled publics. I find the implementation of research done primarily by different departments rather than the PR department to be very off-base from other companies. Once the various departments perform the majority of the research (which Ashley did not go into depth about because she is not positive about how it is implemented each time), they simply pass on the information and the PR professionals can begin planning. This asymmetrical form of communication is not ideal, but

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seems to work well for the company. We dont feel cheated [by not doing all the research]. Its helpful (Ashley Pluta, personal communication, 11/9/2011). After research takes place, the planning begins, which typically does not take much time. Since their research focuses primarily on the advertising side of PR, they implement the same promotional plan. Once an area is established as interested in the product, they will look for vending opportunities in the area at local activities. They plan how much of each product they will need according to how many people typically attend the event, what information they need to know about the area, and where their vending stand will be set up. These aspects are discussed among the three PR coordinators and usually do not have to be review by upper management. Normally their planning is structured in this way because all of the advertising and branding planning for in-store promotions is left up to the production department. We dont have to do a lot of new planning every year because the way we reach our publics works and has been working for years. If our promotional plans [as vendors] failed, we would go back to the drawing board and do more research (Ashley Pluta, personal communication, 11/9/2011). Though their planning is not as extensive as other departments, their process seems to work well for them. I would suggest that they have more contact with opinion leaders when they are planning promotional events. Discussing, interviewing, or surveying opinion leaders such as the head of popular grocery stores in the area, leaders in activist groups, and even government officials has great benefits. Having those people on the good side of the company only boosts branding campaigns and public involvement. Since new event planning is not an everyday occurrence for the PR department, they focus their energy on other aspects such as the use of social media outlets for promotion.

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Evaluation occurs at several steps for the PR coordinators. They evaluate the research process to see if their methods (such as simple random sampling, which they use often) obtained enough information to start planning. They evaluate during the planning phase to see if the planning follows directly from the research. In the event that their planning fails to do so, they go back to the research phase and start over. Formative evaluation is a part of their day to day process of reaching their publics and planning promotional events. They also participate in summative evaluation to measure the success or failure of a program once it has been carried out. They do this with the dominant coalition to discuss what the budget was and if they stayed within that allotted budget. Based upon how many people they interaction with at events, how many product they hand out, and how many more likes or followers on Facebook and Twitter they obtain, the PR coordinators, along with other departments such as sales and business development, decide whether or not the event was a success. If the event failed, they do more research to figure out what went wrong and what they can do to improve and better understand their publics. Their evaluation process is top-notch in the sense that it occurs at every step, which is vital for a successful business in general. The reason why Turkey Hill has so much success with their events is because they constantly evaluate the process to make sure it reflect the wants and needs of their publics. The two-symmetrical model is definitely seen through their evaluation process. Social Media Outlets Social media usage is an everyday occurrence for Turkey Hills PR coordinators especially with the creation of their newest attraction The Turkey Hill Experience. The Turkey Hill Experience acts as an interactive tour that simulates the actual factory where their products

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are mass produced. This family friendly attraction is house in a historic silk mill that is only fifteen minutes from the plant and with this new attraction, advertising via social media was needed to bring it to the public attention. Turkey Hill uses a local advertising agency that helps the PR department manage their social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, blog site, official website, and Four Square. They use Facebook and Twitter as their primary outlets with two Facebook pages (one for Turkey Hill Dairy and the other for the Turkey Hill Experience) and one twitter page. Facebook [and Twitter] has made the relationships with our audience so relational. It is a great way to connect with people and we can instantaneously interact with them (Ashley Pluta, personal communication, 11/9/2011). All three PR coordinators are in charge of monitoring and updating these social media outlets daily in order to keep their publics in the know about new products, or contests being offered and to troubleshoot any crises that may occur. Recently, they put on their Whoopie Pie Contest via Facebook and Twitter where people were asked to fill out a survey about their ice cream (looking for improvements that the public wants to see such as more or less of a certain flavor, what new flavors they would like, etc.) and it would automatically entire them into the drawing for a year supply of whoopie pie ice cream and a trip to the factory for a free tour and stay in a local hotel. This contest brought a large amount of traffic to their Facebook and Twitter page. Now Turkey Hill has even more followers than before seeking updates and information about new products simply because of one contest. Increasingly, publics consider the Internet to be the most reliable source [] especially ideal for generating timely communication, unique information, and interactive conversations (Liu 346). Their blog site is geared towards the older population for those who do not use Facebook or Twitter but still want to receive updates and hold conversation. Typically, PR coordinators will post new information about twice a week to the blog. Their blog receives a

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good amount of traffic, but certainly not as much as Facebook and Twitter. We have several different outlets [in order] to reach our various consumers (Ashley Pluta, personal communication, 11/9/2011). I consider their use of social media to be the strongest aspect of their PR department. I personally had a great experience with Turkey Hill via Facebook where I asked a question and received a response in less than three hours that same day. The PR coordinators are on top of what happens on the various social media outlets and regularly update each page with new information and this is extremely beneficial because in some cases publics assign a higher level of credibility to social media coverage than to traditional mass media (Liu 346). Turkey Hill uses social media as a way to diffuse information, receive feedback, and obtain more stakeholders. This controlled media not only brings opportunities for branding promotions but also maintains the two-way symmetrical relationships they work hard to create. They way in which they go about using social media strays far away from the press agentry model where oneway communication is a key factor. Instead, they use social media to produce more relationships in order to uphold a friendly atmosphere. Media Relations and Crisis Communication The public relations department does not have an extensive crisis plan due to the fact that they have experienced few crises. They do not have any standing plans laid out for specific situations that may occur. When a crisis situation arises, they develop single-use plans that pertain to the situation at hand. The president compiled a list of crisis contacts for the PR department to use in case of a serious incident but they are only to use this list for when a crisis gets out of hand, or when they feel they are not apt to handle the crisis.

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When dealing with a minor crisis, the PR coordinators are instructed to not speak with the media because that could potentially create unnecessary media traffic. Recently a few people in the Lancaster area complained about the new wind turbines installed at the plant that help Turkey Hill to lower their energy costs. Publics complained that they were killing birds because the turbines were built too high, creating a block for birds as they fly. Due to the fact that only a few people complained about this, and no uproars occurred via social media, the PR coordinators referred those publics to upper management to deal with the issue. If a detrimental crisis occurs, they involve the media right away. When meeting with the media, we need to have taking points so that we know what we want to say. Its about being honest and saying everything we need to say [to the media] (Ashley Pluta, personal communication, 11/9/11). They will use a press release if a major crisis arises as a way of informing local business and the media. Typically they gravitate toward social media when informing their publics because that form of communication is most effective and convenient on both ends. Recently a big crisis occurred with the recent flooding. A man walked into a minimart, where Turkey Hill products are primarily sold, and asked for a large amount of bottled water to give out to those who were working to clean up the mess. The man working the store said no because a donation request needs to be filled out and approved before products can be given away in bulk. When people heard about this, active publics tore up their Facebook page with cursing and crude remarks that expressed their anger towards Turkey Hill for being inconsiderate. These discourteous posts occurred because during crises publics social media usage increases especially during the initial crisis event (Liu 345). Because of the vulgar nature of some posts, the PR coordinators deleted some comments because it caused other people to add to the crisis and took away from their family friendly atmosphere. They quickly responded to the

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situation via all social media outlets to inform the public of the incident, apologized for coming across as inconsiderate and explained that a donation request was needed (unless it had been an emergency). PR coordinator Ashley Pluta wrote up a few talking points for the spokesperson, President Quintin Fry, to address when confronting the media. These talking points were similar to the points discussed via social media sites. In this case, the PR department jumped right on the case to solve the problem as quickly as possible. The PR departments actions towards crisis situations are thorough and prompt, but could benefit if more thought was put behind them. Single-use plans are not the best way to approach a crisis because it takes time to think up a different plan every time something goes wrong. Standing plans are necessary in this case and would lessen the damage to Turkey Hill. They should have plans for dealing with social media, promotional or branding problems, issues with surrounding neighborhoods, etc. Scenario construction could help them see what consequences could occur by executing a certain plan and coming up with a hypothesis for how each plan would play out. The PR department works well with the media as they strive to keep everything open and honest, which shows the media and the publics that they are determined to uphold an ethically sound organization. Successes and Improvements Turkey Hill Dairy has been around for eighty years and that in itself is a great success. Their customers really love and value their company and the PR department has always had the pleasure of communicating with those publics on a regular basis. Also, their recent attraction, the Turkey Hill Experience is another success that has helped the PR department grasp a better sense of how to use social media to advertise and diffuse information.

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The public relations department continues to do an amazing job creating two-way symmetrical communication internally and externally with their publics. Their Facebook page is constantly swamped with positive feedback on how much consumers love their products, and their helpful employees. When public relations researchers and practitioners [are] primarily concerned with external communication, or relations to external publics, the publics respond with positive feedback to cultivate the relationship (Johansson 275). The areas that need improvement are crisis communication and research techniques. The PR department does not have a set plan for how to execute these necessary aspects and in order to become even more success, all three coordinators need to cultivate standing plans for crisis occurrences and research. If the research was in the hands of the PR coordinators more often, they would know their publics even better and maybe even implement their plans more effectively and differently. Conclusion The public relations department at Turkey Hill dairy has many successes and accomplishments to be proud of. Their communication has remained effective and family friendly, as stated in their mission statement, and continues to reach people all over the world. As their business grows and gains more popularity, the PR department grows as well. They adapt to difficult situations, respond to crises when necessary, and use the two-way symmetrical model to maintain healthy, mutually beneficial relationships that not only influence the external publics, but also the internal publics in every department. Ashley Pluta demonstrates what the heart of public relations truly looks like as she works hard to remain ethical and honest in every practice she performs, along with her co-workers. After having the pleasure of understanding the ins and outs of Turkey Hills public relations department, I must say that their communication skills and

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love for their customers reflects that timeless goodness they package into each and every product.

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Works Cited Grunig, James E. Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management. Hillsdale, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 1992. Print. Grunig, Larissa A., Elizabeth L. Toth, and Linda Childers. Hon. Women in Public Relations: How Gender Influences Practice. New York: Guilford, 2001. Print. Lattimore, Dan. Public Relations: the Profession and the Practice. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print. Ledingham, John A., and Stephen D. Bruning. Public Relations as Relationship Management: a Relational Approach to the Study and Practice of Public Relations. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum, 2000. Print. Liu, Brooke Fisher, Lucinda Austin, and Yan Jin. "How Publics Respond To Crisis Communication Strategies: The Interplay Of Information Form And Source." Public Relations Review 37.4 (2011): 345-353. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Johansson, Catrin. "Goffman's Sociology: An Inspiring Resource For Developing Public Relations Theory." Public Relations Review 33.3 (2007): 275-280. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.

Seib, Philip M., and Kathy Fitzpatrick. Public Relations Ethics. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College, 1995. Print. Turkey Hill Dairy | Ice Cream, Iced Tea and Fun | Imported From Lancaster County. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://turkeyhill.com/>.