Sources and Further Reading

These sources support the outside facts, laws, and studies named in the chapters. They are offered for verification and further reading, not as a substitute for current professional advice. Laws, rules, and platform features change, so check the date on any page and read the current version before relying on it. Figures in worksheets and case studies are made up for illustration and have no source.

CHAPTER 1, WHAT PR IS

Public Relations Society of America. “About Public Relations.” prsa.org/about/all-about-pr (public relations as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics”).

American Marketing Association. “Definitions of Marketing.” ama.org/the-definition-of-marketing-what-is-marketing/ (the definition of marketing quoted in Chapter 1).

Google. “Maps User Contributed Content Policy.” support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114 (reviews may not be paid for, directly or in kind; businesses may not offer incentives such as payment, discounts, or free goods for reviews).

CHAPTER 2, MEDIA MODELS AND THE FTC REVIEW RULE

Spin Sucks. “What Is the PESO Model?” spinsucks.com/communication/what-is-the-peso-model/ (the model was created by Gini Dietrich and launched in 2014 with the book Spin Sucks; the four media types are paid, earned, shared, and owned).

Perkins Coie. “FTC Finalizes Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials.” perkinscoie.com/insights/update/ftc-finalizes-rule-banning-fake-reviews-and-testimonials (the rule is effective October 21, 2024; civil penalties of up to $51,744 per violation were stated at the time of publication and are adjusted over time).

Federal Trade Commission. “FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking.” ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking (connections between an endorser and a business, including payment or free products, should be disclosed clearly and conspicuously).

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP. “FTC Finalizes Rule on Fake Reviews.” Ad Law Access, kelleydrye.com (bans fake and AI-generated reviews, incentives conditioned on sentiment, undisclosed insider reviews, review suppression through threats, and buying fake followers or views).

CHAPTER 5, POSITIONING AND EXPOSURE

Ries, Al, and Jack Trout. Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. 1981. (Cited secondhand, through reader summaries; the book’s original wording was not checked.)

Zajonc, Robert B. “Attitudinal Effects of Mere Exposure.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Monograph Supplement 9(2, Pt. 2), 1968. (Repeated exposure to something, without any reinforcement, tends to make attitudes toward it more favorable.)

CHAPTER 6, SOCIAL PROOF

Cialdini, Robert B. Influence: Science and Practice. 5th ed. Pearson, 2009. (Publisher’s page opened; social proof is one of six principles organized in the book. The work has appeared in several editions under related titles.)

CHAPTER 7, WORD OF MOUTH AND OPINION LEADERS

Lazarsfeld, Paul F., Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet. The People’s Choice. 1944.

Katz, Elihu, and Paul F. Lazarsfeld. Personal Influence: The Part Played by People in the Flow of Mass Communications. Free Press, 1955.

SimplyPsychology. “Two-Step Flow Theory of Communication.” simplypsychology.org/two-step-flow-theory-of-communication.html (a secondary summary used to confirm the citations above).

CHAPTER 8, STORYTELLING

Green, Melanie C., and Timothy C. Brock. “The Role of Transportation in the Persuasiveness of Public Narratives.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2000. (Cited secondhand: we confirmed the definition of narrative transportation through the 2024 review below but did not read the original in full.)

Green, Melanie C., and Markus Appel. “Narrative Transportation: How Stories Shape How We See Ourselves and the World.” Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 70, 2024, 1–82. doi.org/10.1016/bs.aesp.2024.03.002 (preprint opened).

CHAPTER 10, FIRST AND LAST IMPRESSIONS

Kahneman, Daniel, Barbara L. Fredrickson, Charles A. Schreiber, and Donald A. Redelmeier. “When More Pain Is Preferred to Less: Adding a Better End.” Psychological Science 4(6), 1993, 401–405. doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1993.tb00589.x (citation confirmed through a secondary summary of the peak–end rule).

CHAPTERS 13, 26, AND 35, EMAIL, TEXT, AND PRIVACY RULES

Federal Trade Commission. “CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business.” ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business (eight requirements, including honest header and subject lines, identification as an ad, a postal address, a clear opt-out, and prompt honoring of opt-outs; penalties of tens of thousands of dollars per violating email, adjusted over time).

Paul Hastings LLP. “Marketing Texts in Texas: SB 140 Broadens State Telemarketing Regulations.” paulhastings.com (a Texas law effective September 1, 2025, that treats certain marketing texts as telephone solicitation under Chapter 302 of the Business and Commerce Code, with registration with the Secretary of State, civil penalties, a private right of action under another chapter, and an exception for current or former customers).

Nixon Peabody LLP. “FCC Partially Delays New TCPA Consent Revocation Rules.” April 11, 2025, nixonpeabody.com (consent may be revoked in any reasonable manner; requests must be honored within a stated time; one provision was delayed to April 11, 2026. We did not confirm its status after that date).

Texas Attorney General. “Texas Data Privacy and Security Act.” texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/file-consumer-complaint/consumer-privacy-rights/texas-data-privacy-and-security-act (effective July 1, 2024; small businesses as defined by the Small Business Administration are generally exempt but must get consent before selling sensitive data; enforcement by the Attorney General, a thirty-day cure period, and civil penalties of up to $7,500 per violation).

Google. “Understand Your Business Profile Performance and Insights.” support.google.com/business/answer/9918094 (the metrics reported for verified profiles, including interactions, searches, views, directions, calls, and website clicks).

CHAPTERS 14 AND 27, PLATFORM SIGNALS AND DEFINITIONS

Hutchinson, Andrew. Social Media Today, January 22, 2025, socialmediatoday.com (reporting Instagram head Adam Mosseri’s statement that the top ranking signals are watch time, likes, and sends).

YouTube Help. Audience retention and key moments. support.google.com/youtube/answer/9314415 (average view duration as average minutes watched among viewers who stayed to watch; what the retention line shows).

YouTube Help. Impressions and click-through rate. support.google.com/youtube/answer/7628154 (impressions click-through rate; not every thumbnail sighting counts as an impression).

Buffer. “TikTok Analytics: A Guide for Creators and Small Businesses.” September 18, 2026, buffer.com/resources/tiktok-analytics/ (a secondary description of TikTok metrics; TikTok’s own help page did not load when checked).

CHAPTERS 17, 29, AND OTHERS, ALCOHOL PROMOTIONS

Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. “16 Tex. Admin. Code § 45.103 — On-Premises Promotions.” law.cornell.edu (search the citation). The rule limits certain promotions, including multi-drink discounts, unlimited-drink offers, and giving alcohol as a contest prize, and allows some food and entertainment offers not tied to alcohol purchases.

Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. tabc.texas.gov (current guidance and rules).

CHAPTER 11, ACCESSIBILITY

U.S. Department of Justice. “ADA Update: A Primer for Small Business.” ada.gov/resources/title-iii-primer (last updated February 28, 2020; restaurants and bars among covered public accommodations; readily achievable barrier removal; effective communication; service animals; reasonable modifications).

CHAPTER 18, CRISIS COMMUNICATION

Coombs, W. Timothy. “Protecting Organization Reputations During a Crisis: The Development and Application of Situational Crisis Communication Theory.” Corporate Reputation Review 10(3), 2007, 163–176. doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1550049 (citation confirmed through a secondary summary).

CHAPTERS 21 AND 22, WHY MEASUREMENT FAILS

Apple Inc. “Apple Advances Its Privacy Leadership with iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, and watchOS 8.” Apple Newsroom, June 7, 2021. (Mail Privacy Protection “helps users prevent senders from knowing when they open an email.”)

Mailchimp. “Mail Privacy Protection.” mailchimp.com/resources/mail-privacy-protection/ (arrived with iOS 15 and macOS Monterey in September 2021; marketers may see inflated open rates; clicks and purchases are stronger indicators than opens).

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (2016)” enforcement action. consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/wells-fargo-bank-2016/ (“spurred by sales targets and compensation incentives”; more than two million deposit and credit card accounts that may not have been authorized; filed September 8, 2016).

Goodhart, Charles. “Problems of Monetary Management: The UK Experience.” In Papers in Monetary Economics, Reserve Bank of Australia, 1975.

Strathern, Marilyn. “‘Improving Ratings’: Audit in the British University System.” European Review 5(3), 1997, 305–321. (Source of “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.”)

Ries, Eric. The Lean Startup. Crown Business, 2011. (Vanity metrics and actionable metrics.)

CHAPTERS 28 AND 40, ADVERTISING VALUE EQUIVALENCY

PR Daily. “Why AVE Is Toxic to PR.” 2017, prdaily.com (criticism of advertising value equivalency; reports that the measurement association AMEC announced in May 2017 an initiative to eliminate it, and that the Barcelona Principles rejected it).