Creating of the mega sport event image using public relations tools (the content analysis of the PR campaign "Sochi-2014" results)

<p>PR as a promotion tool is an integral part of the communication program in international sports events. Relations with the media in the framework of the PR activities play a fundamental role. The aim of the thesis is to develop recommendations for PR-promotion of a major sports event based on world experience, as well as a detailed study of PR-communications Olympic brand &quot;Sochi-2014&quot;.</p><p>Analysis of the world experience of development of PR-communications has shown that the policy of openness during PR-campaign is very important in relations with the various groups of the public even in case of negative news.</p><p>In addition, the development of technology has led to a significant expansion of the PR tools range. The obvious trend today is the active growth of Internet technologies in PR-promotion. They include the promotion within social networks, blogs, forums and the official website. In addition, the Internet technology has allowed to create online versions of print publications. However, the traditional media still remain a source of information for a large part of the population. Therefore, in the current work results of &laquo;Sochi-2014&raquo; PR-campaign in the press are considered.</p><p>For evaluation of the brand image &quot;Sochi-2014&quot; in the media the method of content analysis of major Russian print media is applied. The study includes a quantitative assessment of references within range of political, economic, social and technological categories and building the map of references connected the brand in the media according to data obtained. The empirical base of the analysis is 76 articles from 5 the most popular Russian newspapers and magazines.</p><p>The study showed that the communication activities of the organizing Committee &quot;Sochi-2014&quot; in the press could be called successful: almost 90 % of references associated with the brand was neutral or positive. The structure of the image of a brand &quot;Sochi-2014&quot; in the media represents&nbsp; 9 values as it was declared by organizers: excellence, efficiency, integration, hospitality, unity, uniqueness, respect, heritage, harmony, and reflects the basic principles of the Olympic movement. A large part of the references is connected with the social sphere, which reflects the orientation and content of the event. Positive mentions of the brand are mostly connected with the sports results, preparation of the national team, regional development, innovation and new technologies, culture, Russia&rsquo;s image on the international ground. Among the negative references categories associated with the high costs of organization and holding of the Olympic Games, the effectiveness of the work of officials and schedule delays in Olympic venues construction have the highest weight. The structure of references corresponds with the public opinion about the effects of the Olympic Games. This confirms the agenda-setting theory, that argues that the media defines the criteria used by the public in the evaluation of the event.</p><p>In the end, recommendations on enhancing public relations campaign of mega sport event were developed on the basis of the analysis.</p>