What is Public Relations?Chapter 1

Many definitions…

• The Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines public relations as the art, technique, or profession of promoting goodwill between an organization or an individual and the public, employees, customers, etc.

• The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as "the art or science of establishing and promoting a favorable relationship with the public."

Some are just plain wrong:

• Public Relations (or PR) is a field concerned with maintaining public image for high-profile people, commercial businesses and organizations, non-profit associations or programs.

(It’s not just for politicians, celebrities and corporations)

My definition

PR is about two things: information and image. Every organization, big or small, needs to distribute information: facts about upcoming events. Details about past accomplishments, objectives, opinions, philosophies, goals. All that information ultimately shapes the public’s perception of that organization – in other words, it’s image. Information and image – bottom line, those are the two things PR is about.

Why do you think there are so many different definitions of PR? Why can few people agree on a definition?

Because PR can mean different things to different people.

Relations w/ disparate publics

So PR is good?

• The author is very pro PR, of course. He’s very idealistic about PR as clean/honorable profession.

• But take what he says with a grain of salt. He clearly has biases: e.g. see how he characterizes Ivy Lee & Al Sharpton

• That said, while the textbook is not gospel, it is spot on 90 percent of time

Or is it bad?

• On other hand, many view PR exactly the opposite as author. See, e.g.: – 1. PR = Propaganda (0:45 – 1:42 mark)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyxlxj_the-century-of-the-self-1of4-happiness-machines_shortfilms

– 2. PR = info manipulationhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rPQCPwdwHQ&feature=related

Why does PR get a bad rep?

•misconceptions: like media, bad apples get lumped in, anyone can do it, no license required

•misunderstanding of PR’s role, sort of like law, representing clients, helping them get their side of story out

Why the bed rep?

• clients/bosses lie or ignore PR ppl or take others advice like lawyers or advertisers, etc – but PR ppl get blamed

• sour grapes – not every can afford it

• It’s not just PR. many professions aren’t respected, unless you’ve walked in someone’s shoes, don’t judge

In defense

of PR

• http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4200929n

PR is simply a tool … Ethics separates good from bad

How ISIS uses PR

To conclude

• There is no one generally accepted definition, but rather many approaches to defining public relations

• Because of this, PR is often misunderstood• The power and value of public relations have

never been greater. • Public relations, stated simply, come down to

doing the right thing.• Tell the truth, don’t spin.

Chapter 2

History of PR

Ancient beginnings

In Ancient Greece, ability to speak well gave people influence. In Ancient Rome, Ceasar created newspaper to share information with empire.

Ancient Beginnings

• Catholic Church established an organization to propagate the faith

• In WWI, the US government used communications to generate national pride in the war effort

• Circus showman PT Barnum was a master publicist

https://youtu.be/iOwUkkE2A4c

Forefathers of PR• Ivy Lee, Bernays,

Fleischman (his wife) were the modern PR pioneers.

• https://youtu.be/l1KKlzgU-eM

Modern growth

Spurred by 5 major factors:– growth of big institutions and their sense of

responsibility to public– increasing incidence of change, conflict,

confrontation– heightened awareness of communications– Increased importance of public opinion &

democracy– the Internet

1. Big institutions change tone• “Robber barons” like Vanderbilt had a PR

approach of “The public be damned.”

• But investigative journalists, known as muckrakers, exposed their bad practices and the government began to crackdown. Labor unions formed. The public demanded accountability and change.

2. Public opinion starts to matter

Business leaders began to care about public opinion. They especially needed PR after The Great Depression

as Henry Ford said, business can’t just be a bonanza – i.e. not just about profit (that’s why the US government is considering regulating Internet Service Providers more strictly)

3. Corporate social responsibility• Big issue today. It’s “A self-regulatory mechanism

whereby a business monitors and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards and international norms.”

• “Corporations that disregard [corporate social responsibility] risk more than their reputation—nine-in-10 global citizens say they would boycott if they learned of irresponsible behavior,” a 2013 study by Cone Communications found.

4. Change & Conflict

• Wars, racial and gender inequality, the environment, changing demographics, etc. all created a need for better communication and understanding.

5. Internet Age

The industry has completely changed due to the Internet…

•Old days: legacy media with captive audience•Internet Age: Disruption in the media. So many choices. Anyone can start a blog. The U.S. president forgoes press conferences for Twitter. •Result: Audiences have so many options. Reaching them and holding their attention can be difficult.

The Internet has also brought new challenges for companies:

•A controversial post on social media can lead to a media firestorm. •Unhappy consumers can post bad reviews on Yelp and other sites. •Bad news and misinformation can spread at the speed of a tweet.

Who needs PR?

Everyone needs PR!

The reality is that almost any organization that has a stake in how it is portrayed in the public arena engaged in PR and employs at least one PR manager. Large organizations may even have dedicated communications departments. Government agencies, trade associations, and other non-profit organizations commonly carry out PR activities.

Also: the little guy

• Not only high profile people and organizations need PR. PR can also be local and for small organizations and unknown people. That’s kind of the point: let the public know who you are!

• Bill Gates that if he had only a single dollar left to spend, he’d spend it on PR – ringing endorsement of PR

You’ve probably even engaged in PR. Ever sent out evite or created a Facebook event? Ever helped with a fundraiser? Participated in a political campaign? Made and posted flyers for a club or event? Then you’ve done PR.

• Former Jets’ owner and oil tycoon Leon Hess was famous for this.

• But, today, such views are foolish.

• The NFL, of all organizations, knows this all too well in light of recent events.

“I don’t want PR!”

Even ISIS utilizes PR

They actively use social media

They have their own magazine!

“The videos have strikingly high production quality — they are shot in HD and include sophisticated graphics and logos. Most of the content is in English, suggesting that they are specifically designed as a recruitment tool for Western audiences.”

Time magazine observes:

“Unfortunately, the media, political analysts and public officials – really all of us – are unwilling participants in ISIS’s public relations branding campaign. Every time we refer to ISIS as the “Islamic State,” call its members “jihadists” or in any way grant it the religious legitimacy that it so desperately seeks, we simultaneously boost its brand, tarnish the image of Islam and further marginalize the vast majority of Muslims who are disgusted by the group’s un-Islamic actions.”

Consequently, many types of PR practitioners and specialties:•Big PR agencies

http://fleishmanhillard.com/• Specialized PR http://www.chamberlainpr.com/• Crisis communications http://levick.com/• Small general firm http://www.comsolutions.com/•In house PR http://about.adelphi.edu/leadership/administration/public-affairs/

PR Tools

Some standard tools used are; press releases, press kits, satellite feeds, pod casts, web casts, wire service distribution of information and internet placement. Others include entertainment product placement (television, events, celebrity), product launches, press conferences, media seminars, producing events, speechwriting, establishing partnerships and more is often required.

Naturally, PR is growing

• Good news: more jobs• Bad news: more students studying it, so more

competition. Even the best students struggle to find work.

• It’s hard work. It requires versatile and multi-talented individuals.

• You need to be the best communicator: writing, strategic thinking, research, planning, technology, marketing, counseling, etc.

• Your career success starts now. Do well on assignments, build a portfolio and parlay that into a good internship.

To conclude

While public relations antecedents stretch back over time – as long as individuals tried to persuade others to adopt their cause – modern public relations practice is not yet even 100-years-old. Its history is still being written. Its leaders, therefore, are those teaching – and learning – in the practice as we speak. So the responsibility to help build this field lies with each of its practitioners and students.

Chapter 3

Communication

More important than ever

Because of the Internet, now that we live in a time where the power has shifted from those who report the news to those who make it – who needs the filter of the media when you can just broadcast to the world what you’re making, doing, selling, etc., via the internet, social media, yadayadayada – PR people are needed to help our clients raise their voice above this incredible DIN.

You’re shouting through cupped hands, the PR guy gives you a megaphone. You got a megaphone, PR guy gives you a microphone. You got a microphone, PR guy finds a celebrity who’ll tweet about you.

You must be the best communicator

• Just as accountant must know math and numbers, lawyer must know law. You must know comm. And that doesn’t just mean knowing how to create a Facebook page. It means knowing the fundamentals of comm. Writing is basis – must know grammar. Must be effective public speaker. Etc.

Speaking of planning…

As our textbook notes: Planning and performance must precede publicity. It’s a 4-step process:1.Research: research attitudes about issue at hand2.Action: Identify action of the client in the public interest3.Communication: Communicate the action to gain understanding, acceptance and support4.Evaluation: Evaluate the communication to see if the opinion has been influenced

Goals of communication

• inform

• persuade

• motivate

• build mutual understanding

Theories of communication

Many theories exist about the most effective way for a source to send a message through a medium to elicit a positive response. See pages 51-53. Probably some truth to all of them. Might be a test question on them.

Must choose words carefully to communicate effectively

• always keep audience in mind• if you convey message but receiver doesn’t

pay attention, understand or care, your effort was in vain

• the way you communicate with your peers is different than way you comm. with parents vs professors vs strangers, etc. Word choice, tone, assumptions, etc matter

• Words proceed message formation

Delivering the message

• not just what you say• also who says it –

politicians win on charisma and not issues– Both Bush and Obama did

this

• and where they say it

Receiver’s bias

• stereotypes• symbols• semantics• peer influence• media: “people base perceptions on what

they read or hear, often without bothering to dig further to elicit the facts.”

Stereotypes

Symbols

Semantics

• US Military & “chink in armor”

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=29RBOQJo054

• “Year of Monkey” NBA controversy

http://bit.ly/1SZXrtx

Feedback is critical

You need it to know whether your message is getting through and how it’s being received. This may take time.

To conclude

PR people must be the most skilled communicator – the best writer, best speaker, and the most knowledgeable about the media and communications theory. In other words, communications is their trade. It’s what public relations people do. Students should know it and be good at it.