Public relations

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Public relations[1], often abbreviated as PR, is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. This field, which traces its roots back to the early 20th century with key figures like Ivy Lee and Edward Louis Bernays, primarily focuses on managing the perception of an organization among its stakeholders. The role of PR professionals can vary from designing communication campaigns to managing crisis situations. They work across different sectors such as PR firms, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. PR tactics can include financial communication, consumer[3] publicity[2], crisis response, legal dispute management, and government engagement. PR professionals also follow ethical codes and international standards to balance public and private interests.

Terms definitions
1. Public relations ( Public relations )
1 Public relations, often abbreviated as PR, is a complex field that primarily revolves around managing communication between an organization and its stakeholders. It's a strategic communication process that helps organizations and individuals build mutually beneficial relationships with the public. The roots of public relations can be traced back before the 20th century, but it was pioneers like Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays who defined its modern-day practice. In essence, PR involves managing information dissemination with the aim of influencing public opinion and perception. The key responsibilities of PR professionals include designing communication campaigns, managing reputation, crisis management, brand awareness, and event management. They also leverage social media platforms for marketing and tailor messages to meet different audience needs. The field, despite its importance, faces criticism for negative practices such as spin and unethical behaviors. However, to counteract these, organizations such as CIPR, PRSA, and IPR have published ethical codes to guide PR practitioners.
2 Public relations, often abbreviated as PR, is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. This field, which traces its roots back to the early 20th century with key figures like Ivy Lee and Edward Louis Bernays, primarily focuses on managing the perception of an organization among its stakeholders. The role of PR professionals can vary from designing communication campaigns to managing crisis situations. They work across different sectors such as PR firms, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. PR tactics can include financial communication, consumer publicity, crisis response, legal dispute management, and government engagement. PR professionals also follow ethical codes and international standards to balance public and private interests.
2. publicity. Publicity, derived from the French word 'publicité', is a strategic promotional tool aimed at intentional consumer exposure. It began in the 19th century United States where companies utilized explanations, demonstrations, and exaggerations to gain public attention. Later, the approach was refined by Albert Lasker who introduced consumer psychology into advertising. Though often mistaken as a form of sales promotion, publicity serves as a result of public relations, providing favorable information to media and third-party outlets. The role of a publicist is crucial in this realm, as they generate, manage, and shape publicity to influence the public's view of companies, individuals, or works. Negative publicity, while potentially damaging to a brand's reputation and revenue, can be managed through strategies such as corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite the common misconception, a significant portion of publicity is not free but paid for.
Public relations (Wikipedia)

Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Public relations and publicity differ in that PR is controlled internally, whereas publicity is not controlled and contributed by external parties. Public relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. The exposure is mostly media-based, and this differentiates it from advertising as a form of marketing communications. Public relations aims to create or obtain coverage for clients for free, also known as earned media, rather than paying for marketing or advertising also known as paid media. But in the early 21st century, advertising is also a part of broader PR activities.

Media conferences are one approach used in public relations.

An example of good public relations would be generating an article featuring a PR firm's client, rather than paying for the client to be advertised next to the article. The aim of public relations is to inform the public, prospective customers, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders, and persuade them to maintain a positive or favorable view about the organization, its leadership, products, or political decisions. Public relations professionals typically work for PR and marketing firms, businesses and companies, government, and public officials as public information officers and nongovernmental organizations, and nonprofit organizations. Jobs central to public relations include internal positions such as public relations coordinator, public relations specialist, and public relations manager, and outside agency positions such as account coordinator, account executive, account supervisor, and media relations manager.

Public relations specialists establish and maintain relationships with an organization's target audience, the media, relevant trade media, and other opinion leaders. Common responsibilities include designing communications campaigns, writing press releases and other content for news, working with the press, arranging interviews for company spokespeople, writing speeches for company leaders, acting as an organization's spokesperson, preparing clients for press conferences, media interviews and speeches, writing website and social media content, managing company reputation (crisis management), managing internal communications, and marketing activities like brand awareness and event management. Success in the field of public relations requires a deep understanding of the interests and concerns of each of the company's many stakeholders. The public relations professional must know how to effectively address those concerns using the most powerful tool of the public relations trade, which is publicity.

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