Public relations is becoming a very
popular profession, both nationally and around the world. More organizations
are focusing on their reputation and relationships with the public. Although
the organization faces cultural and language differences, as well as many
others, the basic goal of public relations remains the same. This paper
communicates the relationship that public relations has with the organization
and other departments such as marketing and advertising. The similarities of
proactive and reactive plans are also discussed with examples. This paper also
distinguishes between advertising and publicity. Communication with internal
and external publics is imperative, both in good times and times of crisis.
However, crisis management is an important part of public relations, so
discussion on that topic is also included. Finally, the paper concludes with
discussion on the impact of technology and globalization on public relations.
Despite the increasing popularity and demand for public relations, the profession is still difficult to define. Many have composed excellent definitions, for example, the authors of Public Relations: The Profession and the Practice (Lattimore, et. al. 2007 p. 4)use this definition
Public Relations is a leadership and management function that helps achieve organizational objective, define philosophy, and facilitate organizational change. Public relations practitioners communicate with all relevant internal and external
Despite the increasing popularity and demand for public relations, the profession is still difficult to define. Many have composed excellent definitions, for example, the authors of Public Relations: The Profession and the Practice (Lattimore, et. al. 2007 p. 4)use this definition
Public Relations is a leadership and management function that helps achieve organizational objective, define philosophy, and facilitate organizational change. Public relations practitioners communicate with all relevant internal and external
publics to develop positive
relations hips and to create consistency between organizational goals and
societal expectations. Public relations practitioners develop, execute, and
evaluate organizational programs that promote the exchange of influence and
understanding among the organization’s constituent parts and publics.
The public relations practitioner must research the history of the company, build the reputation of the company with its present consumers, and ensure the safety of the company for the future. When the state of the company is healthy, the public relations practitioner still communicates with the public to gather their needs and wants, and then advises the organizational leaders in their choices. In his book The Practice of Public Relations, Fraser P. Seitel (2007, p. 4) states “Public relations is a planned process to influence public opinion, through sound character and proper performance, based on mutually satisfactory two-way communication”. This definition touches upon three functions of the public relations practitioner. First, the planning process which defines the managerial portion of the professions. Second, the definition includes the honesty and integrity that must be present in order to be a successful public relations practitioner. Finally, Seitel includes the importance of two-way communication between internal and external publics.
Marketing is measured with the number of sales it produces. Advertisements and promotions are done to increase revenue. The relationship between the marketing
The public relations practitioner must research the history of the company, build the reputation of the company with its present consumers, and ensure the safety of the company for the future. When the state of the company is healthy, the public relations practitioner still communicates with the public to gather their needs and wants, and then advises the organizational leaders in their choices. In his book The Practice of Public Relations, Fraser P. Seitel (2007, p. 4) states “Public relations is a planned process to influence public opinion, through sound character and proper performance, based on mutually satisfactory two-way communication”. This definition touches upon three functions of the public relations practitioner. First, the planning process which defines the managerial portion of the professions. Second, the definition includes the honesty and integrity that must be present in order to be a successful public relations practitioner. Finally, Seitel includes the importance of two-way communication between internal and external publics.
Marketing is measured with the number of sales it produces. Advertisements and promotions are done to increase revenue. The relationship between the marketing
division of the organization and the
consumer is strictly a profit oriented relationship. The easiest way to
distinguish the two areas of the organization is to look at goal orientation.
The goal of the marketing manager is to increase revenue while the goal of the
public relations manager is mutual understanding or positioning with the
organizations publics. The line between marketing and public relations
is blurred in advertisements. Some commercials are marketing-oriented and sell
the consumer an item while others build goodwill for the company. After the oil
spill in the Gulf BP started strong public relations efforts using TV
commercials and an internet website. Government and the media came down hard on
the oil company. Environmentalists used the story to showcase their dislike for
using oil at all. Once BP was able to plug the pipe and cleaning efforts
started we began to see good-will building commercials. The company also
created an informational website highlighting the company’s concern for the
environment, steps they are taking to clean up, and videos of key people within
the organization.
BP’s reaction to the oil spill in the gulf is an example of reactive public relations. Reactive and proactive public relations hold equal importance but are derived from different circumstances. A crisis such as the oil spill is one case in which the public relations department for BP had to react. To be reactive is to respond to a given situation. Proactive public relations, however, are the plans that public relations practitioners
BP’s reaction to the oil spill in the gulf is an example of reactive public relations. Reactive and proactive public relations hold equal importance but are derived from different circumstances. A crisis such as the oil spill is one case in which the public relations department for BP had to react. To be reactive is to respond to a given situation. Proactive public relations, however, are the plans that public relations practitioners
put in place to position the company
favorably and maintain the reputation. Proactive public relations also keep the
company forward looking and allow them to minimize or eliminate future
problems. For example, if BP was aware of the faulty pipeline a year before the
leak they could have made the necessary changes to either replace the item or
plan accordingly for the disaster to clean it up more quickly.
The media is integral in both proactive and reactive public relations. An organization must establish a media relations policy and a philosophy for dealing with the media. The most important rule of thumb for dealing with the media is to always be honest. Building a positive, long term relationship in any situation requires honesty. It is important to become a trusted source for the media and treat the journalist professionally. A well-built public relations plan has a policy for communicating with the media. This policy could include guidelines for inquiries from and interviews with the media and a pre-determined spokesperson. Written materials for media communication could be outlined in the policy guide as well (Seitel, 2007. p. 182-183). As seen in the case of BP, media can be your friend or it can be your worst enemy. A positive relationship with the media is imperative for every organization.
Publicity is a benefit of a positive relationship with the media. It can be used to announce a new product or service. This is seen frequently for new versions of the I-Phone; the public is always interested in upgrades
The media is integral in both proactive and reactive public relations. An organization must establish a media relations policy and a philosophy for dealing with the media. The most important rule of thumb for dealing with the media is to always be honest. Building a positive, long term relationship in any situation requires honesty. It is important to become a trusted source for the media and treat the journalist professionally. A well-built public relations plan has a policy for communicating with the media. This policy could include guidelines for inquiries from and interviews with the media and a pre-determined spokesperson. Written materials for media communication could be outlined in the policy guide as well (Seitel, 2007. p. 182-183). As seen in the case of BP, media can be your friend or it can be your worst enemy. A positive relationship with the media is imperative for every organization.
Publicity is a benefit of a positive relationship with the media. It can be used to announce a new product or service. This is seen frequently for new versions of the I-Phone; the public is always interested in upgrades
and new additions to the popular
phone and the media creates hype months before the new product is on the
market. So much hype is created that people are actually put on a waiting list
to purchase the new phone. Publicity can also be used to reenergize an old
product or explain a product if it is too complicated for advertising alone.
While advertising is generally expensive, publicity is usually much cheaper;
about ten percent of the cost of advertising (Seitel, 2007. p. 186).
Publicity can also be used to enhance an organizations reputation or respond to
a crisis. Many organizations use publicity to enhance their reputation when
giving to charities or aiding in a relief fund.
To explain the organizational and societal functions of public relations one can consult Bizcovering; a website that publishes stories about business, including finance, accounting, management, and public relations, to name a few. This is how one author, Easy, explains the functions of public relations:
An organization has a committed image and typically this image is dependent on the degree of the support received by the organizational missions, goals, and strategies. Therefore, the role of the public relations practitioner serves as a communicator between organizations and its internal and external publics. Public relations also provide the message and informs the publics about events which the organization requests to present. The function of public relations can be categorized as organizational and societal in nature. Dealing with the media is
To explain the organizational and societal functions of public relations one can consult Bizcovering; a website that publishes stories about business, including finance, accounting, management, and public relations, to name a few. This is how one author, Easy, explains the functions of public relations:
An organization has a committed image and typically this image is dependent on the degree of the support received by the organizational missions, goals, and strategies. Therefore, the role of the public relations practitioner serves as a communicator between organizations and its internal and external publics. Public relations also provide the message and informs the publics about events which the organization requests to present. The function of public relations can be categorized as organizational and societal in nature. Dealing with the media is
an important function especially
concerning the legitimate entities.
While this is a great explanation of organizational and societal functions of the public relations practitioner, the functions may be fewer or greater than what is described. The functions depend upon the culture of the organization and the desire of inclusion by top management. Some public relations practitioners serve strictly technical functions while others serve as consultants to top executives and have a hand in policy making (Wilcox and Cameron, 2009. p. 125).
Internal publics include management, shareholders, employees, and suppliers. The communication that exists within a company is very important to building positive internal public relations. The key to organizational success lies in the ability of the company to communicate effectively with internal publics. Employees, especially, require a considerable amount of communication. These important publics must be dealt with respectfully with honest feedback. Acknowledging and recognizing hard work makes employees feel successful. Communication internally is not just once sided; a good public relations practitioner builds strong communication both ways, giving the employees a voice. This two-sided communication builds encouragement and loyalty among internal publics and the organization. External publics include the public, employers, community organizations, local authorities, job centers, career offices, funding bodies, specialist agencies, and many others. The ability of the public relations practitioner
While this is a great explanation of organizational and societal functions of the public relations practitioner, the functions may be fewer or greater than what is described. The functions depend upon the culture of the organization and the desire of inclusion by top management. Some public relations practitioners serve strictly technical functions while others serve as consultants to top executives and have a hand in policy making (Wilcox and Cameron, 2009. p. 125).
Internal publics include management, shareholders, employees, and suppliers. The communication that exists within a company is very important to building positive internal public relations. The key to organizational success lies in the ability of the company to communicate effectively with internal publics. Employees, especially, require a considerable amount of communication. These important publics must be dealt with respectfully with honest feedback. Acknowledging and recognizing hard work makes employees feel successful. Communication internally is not just once sided; a good public relations practitioner builds strong communication both ways, giving the employees a voice. This two-sided communication builds encouragement and loyalty among internal publics and the organization. External publics include the public, employers, community organizations, local authorities, job centers, career offices, funding bodies, specialist agencies, and many others. The ability of the public relations practitioner
to communicate effectively defines
his or her success.
A proactive plan helps the organization anticipate emerging issues and identify issues selectively. Such a plan allows the organization to see problems that may arise one to three years in the future, therefore making proactive planning a pre-crisis activity and helping to deflate the severity of the crisis (Seitel, 2007. p. 403). This attention to future activities also allows the company to see future opportunities and vulnerabilities. For example, a security company, in looking toward the future, may have seen the opportunity to build an application for an I-Phone that turns off lights and alerts the homeowner immediately of intrusion, regardless of where they are in the world. Vulnerability could be potential software problems that fail to keep sensitive user information safe. It is also important to plan from the outside in; meaning that external publics drive the important factors in crisis management. The bottom line is to defend the organization and maintain reputation. To do this, the public relations practitioner must create policy and programs and diagram a time table for such a crisis. Top management must be on board with all crisis management plans, because without them, the proactive plan becomes a reactive plan when crisis hits.
The role of the public relations practitioner in a crisis starts with planning. Information must be gathered to understand the risk and steps taken to demonstrate a course of action. The public relations practitioner must
A proactive plan helps the organization anticipate emerging issues and identify issues selectively. Such a plan allows the organization to see problems that may arise one to three years in the future, therefore making proactive planning a pre-crisis activity and helping to deflate the severity of the crisis (Seitel, 2007. p. 403). This attention to future activities also allows the company to see future opportunities and vulnerabilities. For example, a security company, in looking toward the future, may have seen the opportunity to build an application for an I-Phone that turns off lights and alerts the homeowner immediately of intrusion, regardless of where they are in the world. Vulnerability could be potential software problems that fail to keep sensitive user information safe. It is also important to plan from the outside in; meaning that external publics drive the important factors in crisis management. The bottom line is to defend the organization and maintain reputation. To do this, the public relations practitioner must create policy and programs and diagram a time table for such a crisis. Top management must be on board with all crisis management plans, because without them, the proactive plan becomes a reactive plan when crisis hits.
The role of the public relations practitioner in a crisis starts with planning. Information must be gathered to understand the risk and steps taken to demonstrate a course of action. The public relations practitioner must
get the media on their side as
quickly as possible. This includes setting up media headquarters and
establishing rules for engaging the media. Information must be honest and thorough;
never speculative. A good public relations practitioner turns a crisis into an
opportunity and communicates effectively with both internal and external
publics.
Finally, a paper on public relations would not be complete without discussing the impact of technology and globalization. With the growth of international business the public relations profession is seeing both new opportunities and new challenges. Cultural, legal, and language barriers make international business a risky one, but for the well-rounded public relations practitioner international business could be very profitable. Information is sent around the world instantly with the invention of the internet. Publics, both internal and external, gather information instantly with this new tool. The public relations practitioner must be able to monitor all organizational information that is available. Corporations can use blogs and internal sites (intranets) to share information with internal publics. Web sites can be the first stop for any consumer to gather information about an organization, making it the face of the company. Users can research information on the page and ask questions that are immediately answered by one of the staff. The ability to build a relationship, whether nationally or globally, has multiplied substantially with the invention of the internet.
However, it’s not
Finally, a paper on public relations would not be complete without discussing the impact of technology and globalization. With the growth of international business the public relations profession is seeing both new opportunities and new challenges. Cultural, legal, and language barriers make international business a risky one, but for the well-rounded public relations practitioner international business could be very profitable. Information is sent around the world instantly with the invention of the internet. Publics, both internal and external, gather information instantly with this new tool. The public relations practitioner must be able to monitor all organizational information that is available. Corporations can use blogs and internal sites (intranets) to share information with internal publics. Web sites can be the first stop for any consumer to gather information about an organization, making it the face of the company. Users can research information on the page and ask questions that are immediately answered by one of the staff. The ability to build a relationship, whether nationally or globally, has multiplied substantially with the invention of the internet.
However, it’s not
all fun and games with this new
technology. Anyone has the ability to post information or opinions online,
which makes it important for a public relations team to control information.
Disgruntled employees can create sites such as walmartsucks.com and create bad
publicity for a company. While the company can take legal action against this,
the damage has been done and the website has been seen by upwards of millions
of people. With any organization, round-the-clock monitoring of online
information is necessary and a large part of maintaining a good reputation.
The future of the public relations profession is bright; for the skilled ones, that is. Proper management of the organizations reputation and an ability to promote positive two-way communication is the key to being a successful organization. Company’s both big and small can benefit from the knowledge and people skills of the public relations practitioner. A plan that focuses on the goals and strategies of the organization and is open and honest will bring the public relations practitioners of the future much success.
References
http://bizcovering.com/marketing-and-advertising/organizational-and-societal-functions-of-pr/
http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9034442&contentId=7063846
Lattimore, D., Baskin, O., & Heiman, S. T. (2007). Public relations the profession and practice (2nd ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Seitel, F. P. (2007). The practice of public relations (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
The future of the public relations profession is bright; for the skilled ones, that is. Proper management of the organizations reputation and an ability to promote positive two-way communication is the key to being a successful organization. Company’s both big and small can benefit from the knowledge and people skills of the public relations practitioner. A plan that focuses on the goals and strategies of the organization and is open and honest will bring the public relations practitioners of the future much success.
References
http://bizcovering.com/marketing-and-advertising/organizational-and-societal-functions-of-pr/
http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9034442&contentId=7063846
Lattimore, D., Baskin, O., & Heiman, S. T. (2007). Public relations the profession and practice (2nd ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Seitel, F. P. (2007). The practice of public relations (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
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