Part I Unit 1. What is Public Relations?
Pre-reading task:
Write down some words and phrases associated with public relations.
In groups of three or four give your own definition of public relations.
Compare and contrast your ideas.
Read the text:
Public relations involves the cultivation of favorable relations for organizations and products with its key publics through the use of a variety of communications channels and tools. Traditionally, this meant public relations professionals would work with members of the news media to build a favorable image by publicizing the organization or product through stories in print and broadcast media. But today the role of public relations is much broader and includes:
building awareness and a favorable image for a company or client within stories and articles found in relevant media outlets;
closely monitoring numerous media channels for public comment about a company and its products;
managing crises that threaten company or product image;
building goodwill among an organization’s target market through community, philanthropic and special programs and events.
The World Book Encyclopedia defines public relations, or PR, as "an activity aimed at increasing communication and understanding between an organization or individual and one or more groups called publics." The ultimate goal of any public relations effort is for a corporation, institution, organization or individual to win favor with the general public. In order to do this, the public's interests and concerns must be addressed. Good communication is the foundation of any successful public relations campaign.
Persuasion and information distribution have been around, in one form or another, since the beginning of time. However, public relations as an industry or practice has only been around since the early 1900s. With the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, young corporations discovered that their growth depended on gaining the goodwill of the masses. Rex Harlow1 scoured through 472 definitions of public relations to come up with the following paragraph:
Public relations is a distinctive management function which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and co-operation between an organisation and its publics; involves the management of problems or issues; helps management to keep informed on and responsive to public opinion; defines and emphasises the responsibility of management to serve the public interest; helps management keep abreast of and effectively utilise change, serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and uses research and ethical communication techniques as its principal tools.
(Harlow, quoted in Wilcox et al. 2003: 7)
The Public Relations Society of America offers this definition: ‘Public relations helps an organization and its publics to adapt mutually to each other. Public relations is an organization’s effort to win the co-operation of groups of people. Public relations helps organizations effectively interact and communicate with their key publics’.
In the USA the social science elements dominate the understanding of PR, as is reflected in their education and texts about the subject. In the UK, there has been a tension between those who see public relations as a management function and those who view it primarily in relation to the media. Originally most PR degrees were taught in business schools. However, recent research for the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) (2003) suggests an increase in degrees based in schools of media and journalism.
The IPR is the UK’s leading professional body for public relations practitioners and was established in 1948. The definition framed by the IPR in 1987 is still useful:
Public Relations is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain good will and understanding between an organisation and its publics.
Many think that PR is just about promoting an organisation, whereas most PR work involves ensuring publics have an accurate view of the organisation, even if they don’t like what it does. The definition also raises that strange word ‘publics’. It is important, however, to stress that public relations is not about dealing with ‘the public’ as people often think. One of the key concepts of PR is the idea that these groups – or publics – have different information needs and exert different demands on organisations. Understanding these differences is a vital skill of PR.
Philip Kitchen2 (1997: 27) summarises the definitions as suggesting that public relations:
is a management function;
covers a broad range of activities and purposes in practice;
is regarded as two-way or interactive;
suggests that publics facing companies are not singular (i.e. consumers) but plural;
suggests that relationships are long term rather than short term.
Nessman1 adds the following to the mix: creating and reinforcing trust; arousing attention; creating and preserving communication and relationships; articulating, representing and adjusting interests; influencing public opinion; resolving conflicts; and creating consensus (quoted in Wilcox et al. 2003: 4).
In tracing the similarities between diplomacy and public relations, L’Etang2 (1996b: 15) points out that both involve three kinds of function:
Representational (rhetoric, oratory, advocacy). This would cover the language and images used to represent the organisation in communication with publics, including written, spoken and visual communication.
Dialogic (negotiation, peacemaking). The public relations practitioner is often seen as a bridge builder, the voice of different internal and external publics within the organisation, and the voice of the organisation to those different publics. They have to see other people’s point of view.
Advisory (counselling). This role covers both pro-active PR, such as campaign planning, and re-active PR, such as dealing with a crisis.
These functions are underpinned, in both public relations and diplomacy, according to L’Etang, by intelligence gathering. Public relations practitioners need to be acutely aware of political, social, economic and technological developments within their organisation, area of operations, and local, national and, increasingly, global communities.
According to IPR Public Relations practice is the discipline concerned with the reputation of organisations (or products, services or individuals) with the aim of earning understanding and support. Public relations is about reputation – the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you.
Give Russian equivalents of the following words and word combinations:
Key publics, favourable image, build awareness for smth, relevant media outlets, target market, ultimate goal, establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, keep informed on and responsive to public opinion, ensure smb, accurate view, exert different demands, short term, reinforce, beneficial, negotiation.
Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases and illustrate their meaning in the sentences of your own:
Publicize, broadcast media, aimed at, win favor with, emphasize, keep abreast of, anticipate trends, tension, framed by, haphazard, adjust interests, arouse attention, resolve conflicts.
Study the difference between the words involve, include, exclude, comprise, consist, contain, incorporate, then use these words to fill in the gaps in the sentences below:
Involve – to include someone or something in something, or to make them take part in or feel part of it. The second accident involved two cars and a lorry.
Include – to contain something as a part of something else, or to make something part of something else. The bill includes tax and service.
Exclude – to keep out or omit something or someone. We can't exclude the possibility that he is dead.
Contain – to have something inside or include something as a part. How much liquid do you think this bottle contains?
Comprise – (formal) to have as parts or members, or to be those parts or members. Italian students comprise 60% of the class.
Consist of – to be made of or formed from something. The team consists of four Europeans and two Americans.
Incorporate – to include something as part of something larger. Suggestions from the survey have been incorporated into/in the final design.
How much milk does this jug …?
The list … the names of many famous writers.
They … her from the meeting.
His job … a lot of travelling.
The land he conquered … several provinces.
New York City … of five boroughs.
She … his suggestions into her proposal.
Read and decide which of the statements are true and which are false. Change the sentences so they are true:
The growth of public relations began with the dawn of World War II.
Information is the foundation of any successful public relations campaign.
In the USA public relations is viewed in relation to social science.
According to IPR public relations is about establishing and maintaining good will and understanding between an organization and its consumers.
Both PR and diplomacy involve representational, dialogic and advisory functions.
Answer the following questions:
Why do you think public relations is so difficult to define?
Which of the existing definitions seems most useful to you? Why?
Find similarities and differences in PR definitions given in the text above.
How do you understand the function of PR in the society?
What mistaken ideas exist concerning PR and publics?
What are the differences in the understanding of public relations in different countries?
Is the role of public opinion important in modern society?
Can an organization communicate with its publics properly without public relations people? Prove your answer with examples.
Why do you think public relations is undervalued in some organisations?
What do you think is the most powerful contribution public relations can bring to an organisation?
Translate the following sentences into Russian:
Эдвард Льюис Бернес и Айви Ли, авторы базовой теории PR, в начале 90-х определяли PR как управление, нацеленное на координирование отношений с аудиторией, выбор политики компании и ее конкретных действий, а также выявления интереса компании и достижения публичного признания и доверия.
Основными функциями PR, согласно PRSA, являются изучение аудитории, планирование, налаживание диалога и оценка.
PR должен обеспечивать эффективный диалог между организацией и ее целевой аудиторией, формируя и поддерживая позитивный образ, репутацию организации, ее услуг и ключевых сотрудников.
Цель любого PR-мероприятия – создание благоприятного имиджа фирмы-коммуникатора в глазах потребителей. Существует множество средств PR, основными являются паблисити и организация мероприятий событийного характера.
Понятие «связи с общественностью» тесно связано с такими терминами, как «реклама», «агитация», «маркетинг». С понятиями «манипуляция» и «пропаганда» PR связан лишь, поскольку по определению является инструментом осознанного диалога двух равных субъектов.
Based on the information provided answer the questions:
How does this illustrate the complex boundaries between public relations vs propaganda/communication vs. information / power vs. influence?
Why do you think some people accuse PR of being the same as propaganda? What arguments would you present against this point of view?
PR vs Propaganda
It is essential to distinguish corporate public relations from propaganda, because public perception often confuses the two concepts. Elliott (1975) defines propaganda as:
statements of policy or facts, usually of a political nature, the real purpose of which is different from their apparent purpose. In this sense propaganda existed before the twentieth century, but its importance has increased in an age when communication is easier and when it is more useful to influence ordinary people. The term is used to describe a statement which is believed to be insincere or untrue, and designed to impress the public rather than to reach the truth or to bring about a genuine understanding between opposing governments or parties. People do not usually admit that they are issuing propaganda, and the word is much misused. Propaganda by one’s own government or political party is described as a policy statement or as a part of its news service; genuine approaches and statements of policy by another government or party are frequently dismissed as mere propaganda.
This is as true today as when it was written.
In order to succeed, public relations must be transparent, free from bias and demonstrate a two-way dynamic process where the aim is mutual understanding of the facts even if there is no subsequent agreement on policy or ideology. Organizations often need to respond to unfavourable criticism. Jefkins (1993) argued for an anatomy of public relations based on the transfer process, which shows an organization converting four negative states into positive ones, whereby hostility is converted into sympathy; prejudice to acceptance; apathy to interest; and ignorance to knowledge.
Prepare a report about the role of public relations in the modern world.
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