Chapter 1 10 07 2012 What is Public Relations Anyway Combination of social media and public relations has revolutionized the way organizations and individuals communicate to their key constituent publics around the world o EX Bin Laden Half hour address released four days before the sixth anniversary of September 11 attacks on the US Bin Laden s address was memorable not only because of the terrorist s bizarre appearance but also because he chose to stage his comeback through a public relations video on the Internet Attempted to restyle himself as a civilian leader and ideologist rather than a zealous mass murderer served as a prime example of using public relations methods and techniques to recast an image Even terrorists understood the impact of public relations messages and the reach of the World Wide Web to deliver them Society overwhelmed by communications the public is bombarded with nonstop messages of every variety o Traditional newspapers and magazines 24 7 talk radio and television o Nontraditional instant messages blogs podcasts wikis and assorted other Internet exotic Challenge of the communicator cut through the clutter to deliver an argument that is persuasive believable and actionable In the 21st century the power of PR has never been greater In the US public relations is a multibillion dollar business practiced by 158 000 professionals The International Public Relations Association boasts a strong membership and the practice flourishes from Latin America to Africa and from Europe to Russia to China 250 colleges and universities in the US and many more overseas offer a public relations sequence or degree program Prominence of Public Relations The US government has thousands of communications professionals who keep the public informed about the activities of government agencies and officials The Department of Defense alone has 7 000 professional communicators spread out among the Army Navy and Air Force The world s largest public relations firms are all owned by media conglomerates which refuse to divulge public relations revenues o EX Omnicom The Interpublic Group and WPP Group Companies nonprofits governments religious institutions sports teams and leagues arts organizations and all others wrestle with constant shifts in economic conditions and competition security concerns and popular opinion the public relations profession is expected to thrive because increasing numbers of organizations interested in communicating their stories What is Public Relations o A planned process to influence public opinion through sound character and proper performance based on mutually satisfactory two way communication Author o A brotherhood of some 100 000 whose common bond is its profession and whose common woe is that no two of them can ever quite agree on what that profession is Robert o Information given to the public persuasion directed at the public to modify attitudes and actions of an institution with its publics and of publics with those of the institution Edward Heilbroner Bernays 1923 o Public relations is a distinctive management function which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communications understanding acceptance and cooperation between an organization and its publics involves the management of problems or issues helps management to keep informed on and responsive to public opinion defines and emphasizes the responsibility of management to serve the public interest helps management keep abreast of and effectively utilize change serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends and uses research and sound and ethical communication techniques as its principal tools Foundation for Public Relations Research and Education 1975 o Public relations helps an organization and its publics adopt mutually to each other Public Relations Society of America 1988 Implies the functions of research planning communication dialogue and evaluation all essential for the practice in public relations Planned Process to Influence Public Opinion R A C E John Marston o Research research attitudes about the issue at hand o Action identify action of the client in the public interest Key step You can t have effective communication or positive publicity without proper action Positive action communicated straightforwardly will yield positive results o Communication communicate that action to gain understanding acceptance and support o Evaluation evaluate the communication to see if opinion has been influenced R O S I E Sheila Clough Crifasi o Encompass a more managerial approach to the field o R esearch Objectives Strategies Implementation Evaluation o Set a clear objectives working from set strategies and implementing a predetermined plan is a key to sound public relations practice R P I E o R esearch Planning Implementation Evaluation o Emphasizes the element of planning as a necessary step preceding the activation of a communications initiative o Public relations is the management function which evaluates public attitudes identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or an organization with the public interest and plans and executes of action to earn public understanding and acceptance Danny Griswold o Public relations must report top management Serve as an honest broker to management Must be unfiltered uncensored and unexpurgated o If the action is flawed or the performance rotten no amount of communicating or backtracking or post facto posturing will change reality Harmonizes long term relationships among individuals and organizations in society Professor Melvin Sharpe o Five principles to the public relations process Honest communication for credibility Openness and consistency of actions for confidence Fairness of actions for reciprocity and goodwill Continuous two way communication to prevent alienation and to build relationships Environmental research and evaluation to determine the actions or adjustments needed for social harmony the management of communications between an organization and all entities that have a direct or indirect relationship with the organization i e its publics Professor Janice Sherline Jenny The goal of effective public relations is to harmonize internal and external relationships so that an organization can enjoy not only the goodwill of all its public but also stability and long life Public Relations as Management Interpreter Need to establish good public relations Public relations affects almost everyone who has contact with
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