Chapter 12

PUBLIC RELATIONSand

Framing the Message

Some guiding questions

How did modern public relations develop?

What are some approaches to corporate public relations?

What are some common PR strategies?What has been the relationship between

journalism and PR?What are some issues facing PR today?

PUBLIC RELATIONS

CAREFULLY CRAFTING AN IMAGE of a corporation, individual, service, or institution

How does PR differ from

advertising?

ADVERTISING versus PUBLIC RELATIONS

ADVERTISING is controlled publicity that a company or client buys

PR promotes a company or client through favorable media publicity (including news media)

PR uses a wide range of media strategies, including advertising

Social and Cultural Impact of Public Relations

helped define the relationship between businesses and their purchasers (the “public”)

set tone for corporate image-buildingtransformed profession of journalismtransformed the political process

PR in Twentieth-Century America

Accompanied the Industrial Era and the shift to a consumer-oriented society

PR as a profession (19th century)

early press agents promoted and publicized clients

promoters used stunts and a variety of existing media channels to shape myths

railroads used government lobbyists and bribing reporters for good publicity

utility companies used questionable publicity tactics to mislead the public

IVY LEDBETTER LEE

founder of modern PRadvocated honesty and directnessrealized that facts were open to

different interpretationsclients included Penn Railroad, John

D. Rockefeller and his oil interests

EDWARD BERNAYS

former journalist; applied psychology and sociology to PR

clients included major corporations (GE, GM, P&G, RCA, American Tobacco)

taught PR at New York Universitydeveloped propaganda during WWImaster at engineering public opinion

Modern PR changed the relationship

between corporations, politics, journalism and

the public

PSEUDO-EVENTS and Manufacturing News

pseudo-event: any circumstance created for the purpose of gaining media coverage

examples: interviews, press conferences, talk shows, rallies, and so on

Formal PR Education

growth since 1980s in colleges and universities

courses consider professional ethics and issues management

programs prepare students to be responsible PR professionals in growing industry

The PR Industry Today

independent PR agencies and firms

in-house PR services in companies and organizations

PUBLIC RELATIONS

PRACTICES AND TECHNIQUES

Activities associated with PR:

PublicityMedia relationsCommunicationPublic affairsIssues managementGovernment

relationsFinancial PR

Community relationsIndustry relationsMinority relationsAdvertisingPress agentryPromotionPropaganda

What is PROPAGANDA?

Communication strategically placed to gain public support for a special issue, program, or policy

WRITING AND EDITING FUNCTIONS

preparing press releases to distribute to the news media

preparing video news releases (VNRs)preparing public service

announcements (PSAs)creating brochures, newsletters and

annual reports

MEDIA RELATIONS

media relations = securing favorable coverage in the news media for a client or organization

involves arranging publicityalso involves damage control or crisis

managementmay involve paid advertising

COORDINATING SPECIAL EVENTS

corporate-sponsored festivals and events

corporate sponsorship of community activities or programs

aligns company image with a cause shows company’s commitment to

local community

MARKET RESEARCH

like advertising, PR needs to know its audience and create effective strategies to reach them

mail and telephone surveysfocus groupsother feedback from public

COMMUNITY/CONSUMER RELATIONS

involves building relationships between companies and their communities

involvement of employees in community activities

charitable donations to local causesstrong customer service and

consumer-related education

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS & LOBBYING

need to maintain good relationships with regulatory agencies

monitoring of legislation issueslobbying = the process of

attempting to influence the votes of lawmakers to support a client’s best interests

TENSIONS BETWEEN PUBLIC RELATIONS and JOURNALISM:

A mutually dependent and antagonistic relationship

In what ways are journalism and PR dependent upon each other?

How are they antagonistic?

What are some ethical issues in Public Relations?

Examples of PR Crisis Management

ExxonTylenolWalmartLevi Strauss

What do you think is the socially responsible role of the PR industry in our democratic society?