Week 12: Public Relations and the Promotion of Ideas PDF

Week 12: Public Relations and the promotion of ideas 1. What is public relations? - Public relations has developed into a profession concerned with creating understanding or positive image toward an organization, company or person or product. Public relations is a strategi...

Week 12: Public Relations and the promotion of ideas 1. What is public relations? - Public relations has developed into a profession concerned with creating understanding or positive image toward an organization, company or person or product. Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. It involves managing the spread of information between an organization and its audiences, including the media, investors, customers, and the general public. This field encompasses a variety of activities, including media relations, corporate communication, crisis management, and event management, with the aim of shaping public perception and maintaining a positive reputation. - In today’s definition public relations is understood as the act of creating an understanding between an organization and its publics. - In today’s world however, it is not only organizations that seek understanding. - Governments, sports people and others with public followership all desire public understanding. - That is why organizations, companies, governments and celebrities are the major users of public relations. 2. What public relations does - Private companies, government organizations or individuals that deal with people or the public have got two things in common. a. They all want to be understood. b. They all want the public to respond to them positively. We can get the public to respond to us positively in three ways: i. Use of power i.e., use of policy or law or peer influence ii. Use of patronage i.e. paying someone through favors or money iii. Use of persuasion i.e., providing facts and arguments to get someone to do what you want. 3. Examples of Public Relations Activities Writing and distributing press releases Pitching stories to journalists Organizing press conferences and media interviews Managing social media accounts 1  Creating and distributing content such as blog posts, articles, and infographics Planning and executing events Managing relationships with key stakeholders such as customers, employees, and investors 4. Goals of Public Relations Build and maintain a positive reputation Increase brand awareness Manage public perception during a crisis Promote products and services Educate the public about an organization's mission and values Build relationships with key stakeholders 5. Public relations helps in shaping public opinion - Whether it is government, company or celebrity positive public opinion can only enhance your reputation and make it easy for you to achieve your goal. - If the public holds an opinion about you as honest, kind and descent it becomes easier for your policies to be supported by them. - Leaders all over the world have realized the importance of positive public opinion and the role of public relations in this. - As a result, the budget of public relations among Western governments has risen by over 200% in the last twenty years. - Augustus Caesar was said to be the first leader to realize the importance of positive public opinion when he directed his statue to be erected throughout the Roman Empire as a way of promoting his image. 6. Ivy Levy and early public relations - The best-known founder/pioneer of public relations practice is Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays. - The first public relations firm was called the Publicity Bureau opened in Boston in 1900. - Its early assignment was to handle growing criticism against American railways. - When his bureau was criticized for secretly promoting the railways Lee responded that the work of his bureau is ‘to provide the media and public with accurate information about subjects of interest to the public’. - Lee was also hired by Rockefeller to counter negative publicity surrounding his company. - Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays: Often considered the founders of modern public relations, Ivy Lee emphasized the importance of providing honest and direct information to the media, while Edward Bernays focused on 2  understanding the psychology of the public and engaging in persuasive communication. - Lee believed in being accurate and truthful in his messages. He wanted to avoid making false or misleading statements. - Bernays believed that public opinion could be shaped and manipulated through the use of propaganda. He argued that propaganda could be used to promote social and political change. Ivy Lee (Right) and Edward Bernays 7. Codes of ethics for public relations - In the 1930s there were no standard requirements for one to practice public relations. - Because of this all sorts people were claiming to be practicing public relations. - In those days press agents were especially known for practicing PR and giving it a bad reputation. - Concerns over ethical conduct of public relations practitioners led to the establishment of the first code of ethics for the profession in 1954 by The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). - The code of conduct was expanded in 1959 with a Declaration of Principles and still exists today to guide the practice of public relations. - Since the mass media re important channels for public relations messages the growth of mass media generally led to the growth and expansion of PR practice around the world. 8. The specialties of public relations - Over the years the practice of public relations has developed into several specialties. 3  - While there are many specialties in public relations the most familiar are financial public relations, product public relations and crisis public relations. a. Financial public relations: Public relations has stated that its function is to create understanding between an organization and its public. - Financial public relations therefore provide information to business or financial reporters by using good economic language. b. Product public relations: Let us not confuse this with advertising. Product public relations uses PR techniques to seek publicity for products and services. - Companies believe it is cheaper to seek publicity or awareness for a product than to advertise it. c. Crisis public relations: Companies, governments and celebrities could find themselves in crisis that is capable of damaging their reputation. - Crisis PR is the response to such emergency that could damage a reputation. Here is an example of PR: A new company that sells electric cars wants to get the word out about its product. The company's PR team writes a press release about the new car and sends it to automotive journalists. The journalists then write articles about the car, and the articles are published in newspapers and magazines. This helps to build awareness of the new car and generate interest among potential customers. Summary: 1. Definition of Public Relations: Public relations is a profession aimed at creating understanding or a positive image for organizations, companies, or individuals. It builds relationships between entities and their publics, encompassing media relations, corporate communication, crisis management, and event management. 2. Objectives of Public Relations: The primary objectives are to be understood by the public and to receive positive responses. This can be achieved through power (policy or law), patronage (favors or money), or persuasion (facts and arguments). 3. PR Activities: Common activities include writing press releases, pitching stories to journalists, organizing press conferences, managing social media, creating content like blog posts and infographics, planning events, and managing stakeholder relationships. 4 4. Goals of PR: These include building and maintaining a positive reputation, increasing brand awareness, managing public perception during crises, promoting products and services, educating the public about the organization's mission and values, and building stakeholder relationships. 5. Impact on Public Opinion: PR plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion, with positive public perception aiding in achieving organizational goals. The importance of PR in shaping opinion has led to significant budget increases in Western governments. 6. Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays: Ivy Lee, known for promoting honest information to the media, and Edward Bernays, who focused on understanding public psychology and persuasive communication, are recognized as the pioneers of modern public relations. 7. PR Ethics: The lack of standard requirements in the 1930s led to ethical concerns in PR. This resulted in the establishment of the first code of ethics by The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 1954, which still guides the profession. 8. Specialties in PR: PR has evolved into various specialties, including financial PR (communicating with financial reporters), product PR (gaining publicity for products, distinct from advertising), and crisis PR (managing emergencies that could damage reputation). 9. Evolution of PR: Initially focused on countering criticisms, like those against American railways, and managing negative publicity for figures like Rockefeller, PR has significantly evolved over time in its approach and scope. 10. Wide Usage of PR: PR is utilized not just by organizations but also by governments, celebrities, and sports personalities, indicating its broad relevance and application in various sectors for managing public perception and relationships. 5