Introduction to PR

• Initial thoughts and perceptions about Public Relations

  • Common associations:

    • Advertising

    • Crisis management (e.g., fixing bad public image)

    • Maintenance of public image

    • Celebrity PR agents and their role in shaping public perception

Defining Public Relations

• PR is often misunderstood; traditionally viewed as damage control

• Examples of characters in media associated with PR

  • Samantha Jones from "Sex and the City"

  • CJ Craig from "The West Wing"

  • Olivia Pope from "Scandal"

    • Based on Judy Smith, real-life crisis manager

The Dual Perspectives on PR

• Variations in definitions of PR from scholars vs practitioners

  • Scholars' definitions tend to be broad and theoretical

  • Practitioners focus on practical applications and strategies

• Integration of scholarship and practice

Academic Definitions of Public Relations

• Key contributions on defining PR from influential scholars:

  • Communicative efforts to influence opinion

    • Emphasis on socially responsible performance

    • Notion of two-way communication

  • Brumann Dozier's perspective: PR concerns numerous publics affecting organizational survival and growth

  • Coombs' view: PR as management of relationships between organizations and stakeholders

Practitioners' Perspective on Public Relations

• The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) definition:

  • Strategic communication process

  • Focus on building mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics

• Lewis PR firm definition:

  • Seamless integration across multiple communication channels

Key Principles in Public Relations

• Centrality of relationships in effective PR practice

  • Building understanding of dynamics and expectations of involved parties

  • Aim for a win-win approach in interactions

• Historical context:

  • Shift from spinning the narrative to transparent communication in modern PR

• Emphasis on proactive PR

  • A solid PR strategy involves ongoing dialogues before crises arise

Understanding Publics in Public Relations

• Clarification of what constitutes a "public" in PR

  • Publics defined as groups of stakeholders with a relationship to the organization

  • Importance of categorizing publics to tailor messages effectively

• Effective PR requires understanding the similarities and differences among publics

  • Avoid creating messages for the general public

  • Cohorts may be categorized by:

    • Age

    • Gender

    • Socioeconomic status

    • Psychographics (lifestyles, attitudes, behaviors)

Practical Exercise: Identifying Target Publics

• Activity to classify target publics of a selected company

  • Teams of students to brainstorm different publics

  • Analyze similarities and differences among selected target publics

    • Example: General Motors identified truck drivers, sports car drivers, and minivan drivers

    • Discussion on how messaging could differ among these groups

Class Discussion on Target Publics Examples

• Groups presented their findings on different companies and their target publics:

  • Nike:

    • Target publics included street runners, student athletes, and recreational users

    • Attributes and differing characteristics discussed

  • Grove City College Bookstore:

    • Publics included prospective students, current students, and alumni

  • Under Armour:

    • Publics included professional athletes, adults into athletic wear, and kids

  • Starbucks:

    • Publics included business people, college students, and young girls

Conclusions on Effective Public Relations Strategy

• PR practitioners represent their organizations and build relationships with various publics

• Understanding organization’s identity and its publics is crucial for effective communication

• Messaging must be integrated across all channels, targeting while maintaining brand consistency

• Next steps in course structure:

  • Read chapters 1 and 3 of Wilcox text for upcoming class

  • Complete a discussion board exercise analyzing a specific PR incident.