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Part I: Evolution: Chapter One: What Is Public Relations, Anyway?

Public relations is a growing multibillion-dollar industry practiced globally. It is defined as a planned process to influence public opinion through two-way communication and mutually satisfactory relationships. PR helps organizations adapt to their various public stakeholders. Successful PR requires interpreting an organization to its publics and public views to management. PR differs from marketing and advertising in that it promotes the entire organization rather than just products or services. PR practitioners serve in roles like media relations, writing, and issues management.

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Manoj Chaurasia
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37 views23 pages

Part I: Evolution: Chapter One: What Is Public Relations, Anyway?

Public relations is a growing multibillion-dollar industry practiced globally. It is defined as a planned process to influence public opinion through two-way communication and mutually satisfactory relationships. PR helps organizations adapt to their various public stakeholders. Successful PR requires interpreting an organization to its publics and public views to management. PR differs from marketing and advertising in that it promotes the entire organization rather than just products or services. PR practitioners serve in roles like media relations, writing, and issues management.

Uploaded by

Manoj Chaurasia
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Part I: Evolution

Chapter One:
What is Public Relations, Anyway?
Public relations is a growth
industry in the 21st century!
In numbers:
 PR is a multibillion-dollar business practiced by 158,000
professionals in the U.S. alone.

 Employment growth is increasing faster than average


through the year 2012.

 PR has grown rapidly across the globe,


from Europe to China, Latin America to Africa.

2
Public relations growth……
In respect:
 A 2005 survey of Fortune 1000 company executives revealed
strong support for the practice.

 250 U.S. colleges and universities offer PR degree programs


to more than 20,000 majors.

 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has 20,000


members in 116 chapters.

3
So what is public relations?

Let’s define the field……

4
One definition to consider:

“Public relations is a planned process to


influence public opinion, through sound
character and proper performance, based on
mutually satisfactory two-way communication.”

5
Another definition from PRSA:

“Public relations helps an organization and its


publics adapt mutually to each other. Public
relations is an organization’s efforts to win the
cooperation of groups of people.”

6
Marston’s four-step “RACE” model
describes the PR process:
 R = Research
 A = Action
 C = Communication
 E = Evaluation

7
No matter how PR is defined,
two elements guide the process
1. Management
To succeed, PR must report to top management, unimpeded
by any other group.

2. Action
True PR cannot take place without ethical, consistent action.
No amount of persuasion will cover up for poor performance.

8
Sharpe’s five principles:
 Honest communication for credibility

 Openness and consistency for confidence

 Fairness of actions for reciprocity, goodwill

 2-way communication to build relationships

 Research and evaluation to determine actions and adjust for


social harmony

9
Public relations
professionals
serve as interpreters
for the organization.

10-Second Quiz!
Who is that lady in the blue dress,
and why is she with President Bush?
10
PR professionals serve as management
interpreters
To publics, they interpret management’s:
 Philosophies
 Policies
 Programs
 Practices

11
And as public interpreters

To management, PR interprets the public’s:


 Opinions
 Needs
 Desires

Management needs to know what the public thinks about the


organization and its practices! 12
Now it’s your turn……

Can you think of recent events in


which organizations were not
correctly interpreting public views?

13
The “publics” of public relations

 Practitioners must communicate with many


different publics at once.

 Each public has its own special needs, media


habits, and communication requirements.

14
Ways to view our publics

 Internal or external
 Primary or secondary
 Traditional and future
 Proponents, opponents,
and the uncommitted

15
Ways to view our publics……
Segmenting by values and lifestyles
 Actualizers  Strivers
 Fulfilleds  Experiencers
 Believers  Makers
 Achievers  Strugglers

16
Now it’s your turn……

Who makes up the publics at your


college or university?

How many do you belong to?

Are they internal or external?

How can they change? 17


Public relations, marketing, and
advertising……
aren’t they all the same thing?

18
The answer is……not really!

 Marketing and advertising traditionally


promote products and services.

 Public relations promotes the entire


organization.

19
Functions of Public Relations
They are numerous:
 Writing  Consumer relations
 Media relations  Employee relations
 Planning  Government affairs
 Counseling  Investor relations
 Research  Special publics relations
 Publicity  Public affairs and
 Marketing issues management
Communications  Web site development
 Community relations and interface
20
The curse of “spin”
 What does the term mean
to YOU?

 Spin equals distortion,


obfuscation, or even lying

 Spin cannot cover up


for poor performance

 Spin does NOT equal


good public relations!
21
Becoming a PR practitioner
Key knowledge areas:
 The field
 The communications process
 Technology
 Current events
 Business
 Management

22
Becoming a PR practitioner
Key personal characteristics:
 A tendency toward communication
 A desire to counsel senior managers
 A strong base of personal ethics
 A willingness to take risks
 A positive outlook on life

23

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