PUBLIC RELATIONS

Public relations (PR) is a term that is widely misunderstood and misused to describe anything from selling to hosting, when in fact it is a very specific communication process. Every company, organization, association, and government body deals with groups of people affect­ed by what that organization does or says. They might be employees, customers, stockholders, competitors, suppliers, or just the general population of consumers. Each of these groups may be referred to as one of the organization's publics. The process of public relations man­ages the organization's relationships with these publics.

Companies and organizations know they must consider the pub­lic impact of their actions and decisions because of the powerful effect of public opinion. This is especially true in times of crisis, emergency, or disaster. But it is just as true for major policy decisions concerning changes in business management, pricing policies, labor negotiations, introduction of new products, or changes in distribution methods. Each of these decisions affects different groups in different ways. Converse­ly, effective administrators can use the power of these groups' opin­ions to bring about positive changes.

In short, the purpose of everything labeled public relations is to influence public opinion toward building goodwill and a positive reputa­tion for the organization. In one instance, the PR effort might be to rally public support; in another, to obtain public understanding or neutrality; or in still another, simply to respond to inquiries. Well-executed public relations is a long-term activity that molds good relationships between an organization and its publics.

Many firms use public relations activities such as publicity (news releases, media advertisements, feature stories) and special events (open houses, factory tours, VIP parties, grand openings) as supplements to advertising to inform various audiences about the company and its prod­ucts and to help build corporate credibility and image.

Advertising is generally described as openly sponsored and paid for media communications between sellers and buyers. Certainly, like public relations, the purpose of advertising is to affect public opinion. However, this is normally accomplished through the open attempt to sell the company's products or services.

Public relations activities, like product advertising, may involve me­dia communications, but these communications are not normally open­ly sponsored or paid for. Usually they take the form of news articles, editorial interviews, or feature stories. One means of relaying a public relations message, though, is through corporate advertising.

Public relations is less precise than advertising. Advertising can be strictly controlled so that its reach and impact can be charted in advance, but public relations communications are not so easily quantifiable: PR's results depend more on the experience, ingenuity, and tenacity of the people engaged in its day-to-day execution. Although PR communications may be less controlled than advertising, such communica­tions often have greater credibility.