What is public relations (PR)?
Written by Angie Palmer, Nov 27 2008
According to Cutlip, Center and Broom (2006) of "Effective Public Relations", the definition of public relations (PR) is "the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends." Let's decipher the textbook meaning of public relations. Essentially it is about building and maintaining a positive relationship between the organization and the public.
Negative publicity, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. It depends on how the organization handles the news and what actions it takes to rectify the problem. The 1982 Tylenol recall is an excellent example of how an organization employs various tactics to respond to negative publicity successfully. Besides withdrawing all the Tylenol from the store shelves in Chicago and the surrounding areas, Johnson & Johnson also utilized extensive press coverage to communicate to its various publics during this crisis. The company was able to restore confidence of the public and Tylenol has become a family brand again.
Reactive public relations (responding to crisis and negative publicity instead of taking the initiative to build positive relationship with the public) is not the best public relations plan, but being able to turn the tables is crucial to the survival of any organization.
In public relations, communication is a key task. Without active and extensive communication both internally and externally, most organizations will not do very well. Let's say you have a very good product, but your employees are not aware of it or do not feel that they are part of it, you can imagine that the sales of this product can be sluggish.
Most people think that public relations is all about media relations or community relations, but employee relations (internal communication that engages employees and builds trust with them) is as important. I will extend employee relations to include volunteers, especially for public or non-profit organizations that rely heavily on volunteers to accomplish their mission.
Volunteers do not work for money. They volunteer for different reasons, including gaining experience, spending time for a meaningful cause, or networking with like-minded people. They obviously have a choice to work or not to work for an organization, as well as which one they want to work for. You can be well assured that they will not stay with an organization with management or board members who do not know what they are doing or who do not treasure the efforts of their employees and volunteers.
Management needs to understand that public relations is a management function that involves the psychology of masses. It is more than about organizing a fundraiser or sending a schedule of events to the newspaper. In a nutshell, it is about a package of cohesive internal and external communication materials, whether it is online or in print, that help build and maintain a relationship with various customers, employees, investors, volunteers and stakeholders.
You can contact Skye Public Relations for more details about the types of services you need for your organization.