Public Relations, also known as PR, or community relations, is a challenging matter to define. Especially recently the demand for “Good PR” has really become a priority. Most major colleges provide both upper and lower level courses in PR with topics ranging from campaigns to writing. Yet precisely what really is Public Relations and what does it do?
Most broadly, Public relations is about establishing and keeping public image. Public Image is the way in which the public views and reacts to person, product or service or concept. Public image is particularly important for a variety of groups from commercial enterprises to non-profit organizations, people of high-profile, academic institutions, governments, nations, and even sports teams. One meaning of PR is the management of communication between the these organizations and the public (also known as stakeholders). Everything in PR is focused toward the desired public. Determining exactly where PR comes from and what is does will aid to reveal its function.
The history of PR can be really considerable but the following is simple and brief selection. The most generally regarded founder of Public Relations was Edward Bernays, nephew of Sigmund Freud, who is famous for for an event in 1929. As part of one of the earliest PR campaigns named the “Torches of Liberty Contingent”, Bernays, secretly employed by the American Tobacco Company, encouraged women to march in the New York City Easter Day Parade smoking. This shattered the previous social taboo of female smokers, meant a considerable payment for Bernays and a positive shift in public opinion to cigarette smoking under the guise of gender equality. One particular of the first cases of PR with positive commercial consequences for the tobacco industry.
To understand Public Relations you also need to understand its goals. PR goals can be divided into four groups:
1) Create, maintain, and defend reputation
2) Enhance status
3) Present a positive image
4) Create good will (for the group, item or idea)
A unique distinction of Public Relation is that it is different from advertising. Particularly because PR is depicted by a third party resulting in cost-free but uncontrolled exposure, credibility, and unpredictability of cost and effectiveness. PR is often much more challenging and time intensive that standard marketing.
To achieve its goals, those people in the PR industry have a assorted tool box and procedures. They include Press Releases, in the form of newsletters, reports, brochures. Social Media Outlets like blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. Press Kits that involve various types marketing material. Other methods are publicity stunts, talk show circuit, speeches, visits and “AstroTurfing”.
Among the Procedures that PR employ are:
1) Identifying all relevant factors
2) Establishing goals
3) Outline tactics
4) Interaction with the desired public
5) Feedback from the public
6) Modify and adapt as necessary
One distinctive aspect of Public Relation is “spin”. Spin relates to the action of representing an event through a lens of bias. This means selective representation in the amount and method of facts displayed to the public. The people that take on this task are known as “spin doctors” and they use everything from cherry picking to euphemisms to non-denial as their methods.
Public Relations is additionally separated into a number of sub-categories
Financial - involves current as well as potential investor and analysts
Consumer/lifestyle - to educate and build relationship with current or future consumers
Crisis - to deal with accidents, disasters, mistakes or wrongdoing
Industry - to promote relationships within industry whether products or for employees
Government - to deal with the public view in all situations
Through this whole procedure, Public Relations can and does work. The final results can be free good publicity and that brings into increased curiosity and enhanced publicity, sales and image. So never take Pr for granted as a powerful instrument to build or ruin.
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