PART ONE

EVOLUTION

CHAPTER ONE
DEFINING PUBLIC
RELATIONS
Markers of Public Relations Growth
United States growth:

 200,000 U.S. public relations professionals

 Employment growth increasing faster than average

through the year 2010

 The amount of respect and public relations spending are

correlated among Fortune 500 companies

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Markers continued
 Education growth:

 250 colleges and universities in the U.S. and

overseas have public relations programs

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Markers continued
 Government growth:

 U.S. government large employer of public

relations practitioners

 Includes: Army, Navy, Air Force, and the

U.S. Information Agency

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Markers continued
 Professional Associations Growth
 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
has 20,000 members in 117 chapters

 The International Association of Business

Communicators (IABC) has 13,500 members
in more than 58 countries.

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Markers continued
 International Association growth:

 International Public Relations Association

(IPRA) with membership in Latin America,
Africa, Europe, and China

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Public relations roots
provide the foundation
 “a democratic society where people have
freedom to debate and make decisions—
in the community, the marketplace, the
home, the workplace, and the voting
booth. Private and public organizations
depend on good relations with groups and
individuals whose opinions, decisions and
actions affect their vitality and survival.”

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What is Public
Relations?
Defining the field
“Public relations is a planned
process to influence public
opinion, through sound character
and proper performance, based
on mutually satisfactory two-way
communication.”

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Defining the Field
 Many definitions
1975 commissioned study found 472
definitions reduced to an 88-word
definition.
1980 Task force offered two definitions

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Public Relations definition by PRSA
Task Force:
 Public relations helps an organization and
its publics adapt mutually to each other.
Public relations is an organization’s efforts
to win the cooperation of groups of people.

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Marston’s Four Step Model
encompasses the process:
 Research
 Action
 Communication
 Evaluation

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R-A-C-E
 Research–Action–Communication-
Evaluation

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Two Elements that Guide the
Process
 Management

 Action

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Sharpe’s Five Principles
 Honest communication
 Openness and consistency
 Fairness of actions
 Two-way communication
 Research and Evaluation

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  Call out

 Let me show you the

way……

Public Relations professionals

serve as interpreters for the
organization.

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Interpretation for management:
 Philosophies, policies, programs, practices
 Convey attitudes
 Communicate truthfully and correctly

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Interpretation to management:
 Management has a need to
know
 Whatthe public thinks about the
organization and its practices

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What recent events have occurred
in which organizations were not
interpreting public views?

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Publics
 Internal
 External
 Interdependence
 Networks
 Systems

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Publics
 Key groups
 Classification system based on
 Issue, organization, viewpoint, time,
 Interest, location, values, lifestyle, relationship

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Who makes up the publics at your
college or university?
 Clue: Break it down

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Why are publics important to
organizations?
 Clue: To know them is to please them.

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Public relations, marketing and
advertising….aren’t they all the
same?

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 Marketing and advertising promotes a
product or service

 Public relations promotes the entire

organization.

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Functions of Public Relations
 Writing  Community relations
 Media relations  Consumer relations
 Planning  Employee relations
 Counseling  Government affairs
 Researching  Investor relations
 Publicity  Special public relations
 Marketing  Public affairs & issues
Communications management
 Web site development
and interface

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Spin versus Public Relations
 Differences
 Issues
 Implications

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How do you answer when
someone says public relations
equals spin doctors?
 Clue:

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Competent Practitioners
 Do you have the right stuff?
 Academic background
 Technical skills
 Personal characteristics

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