PR Textbook Ch 1 Pg 17-end

PR Foundations – Introduction to Public Relations (Notes)

• PR as a management function that differentiates from journalism, advertising, and marketing, yet should play an integrated role with them.
• PR can serve as a bridge connecting advertising, journalism, marketing, and other related disciplines to foster a collaborative, integrative team process.

PR in relation to Advertising, Journalism, and Marketing

• Advertising
  • PR helps understand the why behind advertising messages and taglines.
  • PR professionals promote and engage audiences through media platforms that emphasize dialogue rather than one-way broadcasting.
• Journalism
  • PR embraces experiential media to tell stories and builds a content marketing initiative through owned media.
  • Journalists explore new storytelling approaches; PR can contribute by aligning narrative strategies with media innovations.
• Marketing
  • PR considers influencers and nontraditional media platforms and understands the media’s role in a campaign.
  • PR is moving beyond earned media to include paid media, working in sync with advertising professionals.
• PR’s evolution
  • PR professionals are embracing more brand journalism and storytelling by creating their own content.
  • PR helps Marketing understand relationships with individual influencers beyond mere transactional engagement.

Key shifts in the PR landscape

• Public relations is expanding from earned media to integrated approaches that include paid media.
• The integration with Advertising, Journalism, and Marketing is essential for a unified communications strategy.

Case Study: Mayo, Florida → Miracle Whip Campaign (2018)

• Scenario

  • Mayo, Florida, temporarily renamed itself Miracle Whip as a grassroots campaign to spark buzz and reactions from residents.
  • The city signs were changed and content was created showing residents discarding non-Miracle Whip products.
  • Publicly posted on social media; e.g., Miracle Whip tweet during the event: "MAYO BREAKING NEWS: Mayo removed from a small town in Florida. Here's why. #NoMoreMayo" at 6:56 PM on Aug 25, 2018. The post generated substantial engagement: $2{,}115$ comments/mentions and $1{,}016$ people talking about this.

• Why it generated buzz

  • Digital-first approach: content, stories, and resident reactions were centered online.
  • The campaign leveraged surprise and experiential content rather than traditional broadcast advertising.
  • It demonstrated a unique tactic: altering a town’s identity temporarily to elicit engagement and conversation.

• Ethical and legal issues

  • Kraft Heinz allegedly met with Mayo’s city council in secret to coordinate the campaign without public knowledge.
  • Potential violation of Florida open meeting laws, risking legal problems for both the city and the brand.
  • Secrecy in governance processes raises transparency and accountability concerns.

• Major takeaways

  • Entertaining audiences and enabling people to experience the brand can generate engagement and relationships, but execution must be sound and ethical.
  • Proactive audience involvement is valuable for relationship-building, but projects must adhere to ethical and legal standards to avoid governance problems.
  • The incident illustrates that closed-door coordination can undermine legitimacy; transparency should be prioritized.

• Learnings for PR practice

  • Balance innovation with compliance; new ideas must respect ethical and legal guidelines.
  • Digital-first ideas require careful stakeholder management and clear channels of communication.

Game Changer: Interview with Stephen Waddington (PR Professional)

• How he started

  • Began as a tech journalist in the 1990s during the internet boom; noticed a shortage of communicators who could explain technical concepts to the public.
  • Moved into PR; doubled his salary; later pursued formal education in the field.

• Favorite part of PR

  • The field is always changing; thrives on the dynamic, modern media environment.
  • Uses his blog and Twitter as personal media, networking, and professional development tools.

• Most challenging part

  • The always-on nature of PR can be draining; requires deliberate effort to switch off.
  • Growing conversations about mental health and well-being in PR have become more prominent and are a positive development.

• Biggest game changers for the PR industry

  • Fragmentation of traditional media and the explosion of new media forms.
  • The rise of technology platforms (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google) as core media ecosystems;
    checks and balances in this space remain a work in progress.

• Lessons learned and advice for newcomers

  • Early in PR careers, under-recognition of the profession’s need for reputation-building.
  • The profession should strive for credentialing, qualifications, continuous learning, and stronger ties between theory and practice.
  • Stephen Waddington’s roles: partner and chief engagement officer at Ketchum; visiting professor at Newcastle University; champion of integrating digital/social capabilities in client engagements; author, editor, and contributor to multiple PR titles; Chartered Public Relations Practitioner and Fellow status with industry organizations.

• Context and contributions

  • Waddington emphasizes the importance of understanding modern media ecosystems and the integration of digital/social capabilities in client work.
  • He advocates for bridging practice with academia and for professional recognition through APR and related credentials.

• Summary reflection

  • The PR field benefits from practitioners who can navigate both traditional media skills and new digital channels, while promoting ethical, well-being oriented, and transparent practices.

The Sharing Economy and Public Relations

• Why the sharing economy matters for PR

  • The sharing economy demonstrates how key stakeholders and publics can influence behavior and direct markets in new directions to meet needs and expectations.
  • Creates opportunities for new partnerships and collaborations that PR professionals can leverage.
  • Highlights the need for agility, responsiveness, and innovation when approaching new industries, challenges, opportunities, and relationships.

• Implications for PR practice

  • PR should be proactive in identifying and cultivating partnerships within the sharing economy space.
  • Emphasis on stakeholder engagement and co-creation of value with publics who participate in sharing platforms.
  • Requires ongoing monitoring of how these platforms alter traditional relationships and brand narratives.

Summary: The Future Path of Public Relations

• Core question: Should PR continue with traditional perspectives, ideas, principles, and models, or pursue innovation that blends science and art?

  • Safe path: maintain familiar approaches that are comfortable for gatekeepers; risk of stagnation.
  • Innovative path: integrate creativity, analytics, and new collaboration models to advance the field.

• Vision for PR leadership

  • Public relations should have opportunities to lead, grow, and influence other disciplines through voice and vision.
  • Like marketing and other disciplines, PR should be able to lead initiatives, not just support them.

• The chapters of this text aim to bridge traditional PR theory with new cases, stories, and practical takeaways to push the field forward.

• Key points about functions and identity

  • Public relations functions as a management discipline with a coordinating role across communications channels and stakeholders.
  • The field should evolve to integrate with digital, social, and experiential media to stay relevant.

• Encouragement for ongoing collaboration and evolution

  • PR educators and practitioners should collaborate more closely (e.g., Commission on Public Relations Education, 2018).
  • Attaining Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) remains a respected professional distinction, though not mandatory for practice.
  • Engagement with diverse perspectives, including media, journalism, and other disciplines, helps strengthen PR practice.

• The path forward includes embracing related areas and exploring outside the PR box

  • Innovation is not exclusive to PR; journalism and other fields also create innovative messages and use AR/VR and other tools.
  • PR should think beyond its boundaries to bring back new perspectives that benefit practice.

• Research and diversity

  • PR research should incorporate diverse topics and perspectives (race, age, sexuality, thought, etc.) to broaden insights and applications (see Chapter 4).

• The sharing economy and the environment of ownership

  • The PR field should be mindful of social trends toward sharing rather than owning, and how this affects messaging, partnerships, and consumer behavior.

Key Terms

• Advertising
• Engagement
• Marketing
• Public relations
• Publics
• Stakeholders

Discussion Questions

1) What is your overall impression of the field of public relations?
2) Discuss the skills a PR professional needs. Which two skill areas surprise you the most?
3) PR is about relationships. What are the benefits and challenges of this perspective?

Ethical, Legal, and Practice Implications

• PR will face ongoing ethical and legal challenges as technology and social landscapes evolve.
• Lobbying and influence activities are important areas for PR to monitor (per Myers, 2018).
• Cyberattacks and crises involving brands (e.g., Wells Fargo, Uber, Michigan State University, USA Gymnastics) require preparedness.
• PR principles are increasingly taught across disciplines (e.g., brand storytelling in journalism courses), which can blur professional boundaries.
• Collaboration between PR educators and practitioners is crucial; Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) remains a respected but optional credential.
• PR must embrace innovations across related areas (AR, VR) and think beyond traditional PR boundaries to stay relevant.
• Diversity in topics, perspectives, and voices must be integrated into PR research and practice (see Chapter 4).
• The sharing economy exemplifies a broader environment where ownership models shift and PR must adapt messaging and stakeholder engagement accordingly.

Collaboration, Education, and Professional Standards

• PR educators and practitioners should work more closely to bridge theory and practice.
• Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) serves as a professional distinction, though it is not required to practice.
• Interdisciplinary learning helps PR remain relevant as other disciplines absorb PR skills and insights.

Connections to Foundational Principles

• PR as a management function with leadership potential across disciplines.
• The balance between science (data, analytics) and art (storytelling, human insight) in public relations.
• The role of ethics, transparency, and governance in maintaining public trust.
• The importance of ongoing learning, professional development, and industry recognition (APR, credentials).

Remember

• Always consider the ethical and legal implications of innovative PR tactics.
• Strive to integrate traditional PR principles with digital, social, and experiential media.
• Build and nurture relationships with diverse publics and stakeholders to sustain trust and engagement.