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Week 1 Lecture

What is Public Relations?

  • Definition: Public Relations (PR) is the management of communication between an organization and its publics; a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.
  • Scope of organizations involved: For-profit, non-profit, governments, individuals (e.g., politicians, celebrities).
  • Publics: Groups of people with shared interests relevant to the organization.
  • Forms of communication: Verbal, non-verbal, in-person, mediated.
  • Core idea: PR is about relationships and mutual benefit, not just image management.
  • Framing question for newcomers: PR is often misunderstood as spin, but its core is strategic relationship-building and two-way communication with key groups.

Misconceptions About Public Relations

  • Common misunderstandings include:
    • PR is just “spin.”
    • PR is the same as advertising.
    • Anyone who’s good at talking is good at PR.
    • PR is only for big corporations or celebrities.
    • PR is merely about making an organization look good.
  • Takeaway: PR involves strategic, ethical communication that builds relationships and trust, not just persuasion or image tweaking.

Explaining PR to Family / Foundational Questions

  • How to explain PR: PR is the management of relationships and communication between an organization and its publics.
  • What you do in PR: Work across relationships, messaging, media, campaigns, and issue management to support organizational goals.
  • Job titles in PR: A variety of roles exist within organizations and agencies; see note on typical titles below.

What is Public Relations? Key Elements

  • PR as a management function of communication between an organization and its publics.
  • It is a strategic process aimed at building mutually beneficial relationships.
  • Applicable to multiple kinds of organizations (for-profit, non-profit, government, individuals).
  • Publics are groups with shared interests relevant to the organization; engagement is tailored to these groups.
  • Communication modalities include verbal, non-verbal, in-person, and mediated channels.

Discussion: Publics and Communications at MRU

  • Examples of key publics for MRU (Mount Royal University) might include:
    • Current students and prospective students
    • Parents and families of students
    • Faculty and staff
    • Alumni
    • Local communities and neighbours
    • Government and funding bodies
    • Donors and potential donors
  • Examples of communications MRU might receive (from MRU sources):
    • Campus announcements, emergency alerts, and newsletters
    • Invitations to events (open houses, information sessions)
    • Social media updates and public statements
    • Forms of feedback (surveys, town halls, comment opportunities)

Why These Are Misunderstandings? (Recap)

  • The listed misconceptions reflect a narrow view of PR as merely hype or mere persuasion rather than a strategic, relationship-focused function.
  • PR requires understanding audiences, channels, ethics, and long-term relationship-building rather than quick wins.

PR Responsibilities: What Practitioners Do

  • Core duties:
    • Manage relationships with various publics
    • Government relations
    • Media relations
    • Community relations
    • Internal relations
    • Donor relations
    • Customer relations
    • Crisis communication
    • General public communication (social media, newsletters)
  • Note on duplications: The list includes “Community relations” twice, which may reflect emphasis or a duplication in the source material.
  • Implications: A PR professional often wears multiple hats, coordinating messaging across internal and external audiences, and handling both routine communications and crisis scenarios.

Discussion: PR Roles and Career Titles

  • Based on PR responsibilities, it’s common to search online for three PR job titles; examples typically include roles such as communications specialist, information officer, media relations officer, public affairs officer, publicist, press secretary, social media manager, etc.
  • Personal interest: Identify which roles align with your strengths (e.g., writing, media relations, event planning, digital strategy).

Job Titles in Public Relations

  • Common titles found in the field include:
    • Communications specialist
    • Fundraising consultant
    • Information officer
    • Media coordinator / media relations officer
    • Public relations officer / public affairs officer / public relations consultant
    • Publicist / publicity agent
    • Press secretary
    • Social media specialist / manager
    • Community relationship specialist / manager
  • Note: Titles vary by organization (in-house, agency, consultancy) and level of responsibility.

PR Job Outlook and Career Paths

  • In-house PR: Full-time PR professional within an organization (e.g., health networks, corporations, universities).
    • Example in Canada: Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network (an example of in-house PR)
  • PR agencies / agencies: Work for multiple clients; examples include Parker PR, Worthington PR, Edelman PR.
  • Self-employed / consultancy: Your own practice, potentially serving multiple clients; can be combined with social media influence or advisory roles.
  • Other pathways: Consulting firms, advertising agencies, corporations, associations, government agencies, museums, galleries, public-interest groups, cultural organizations, etc.

PR, Marketing, and Advertising: Definitions and Differences

  • Advertising:
    • Paid, non-personal communication through media channels to persuade or inform target audiences about products, services, or ideas.
  • Marketing:
    • The broader process of creating, promoting, delivering, and exchanging offerings (goods, services, ideas) that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society.
  • Core question: What are the differences among PR, marketing, and advertising?

Side-by-Side: PR, Advertising, Marketing (Key Aspects)

  • Main Goal:
    • PR: Build good relationships and trust
    • Advertising: Persuade or inform about products/services through paid channels
    • Marketing: Meet customer needs and sell products/services
  • Control:
    • PR: Limited — relies on media/public response
    • Advertising: Full control — paid message
    • Marketing: Mixed — some controlled elements (ads, price) and some less controlled (PR and other channels)
  • Cost:
    • PR: Usually less money, more time/effort
    • Advertising: Expensive — space or airtime must be purchased
    • Marketing: Varied — depends on strategy; can be costly
  • Tools:
    • PR: News, social media, events, community engagement
    • Advertising: TV, print, online ads, billboards
    • Marketing: Product, price, place, promotion (the “4 Ps”)
  • Note on the 4 Ps: The marketing framework is often summarized as ext{4 Ps} = ig ext{Product}, ext{Price}, ext{Place}, ext{Promotion}ig
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Professional Bodies Supporting PR Professionals

  • Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) – Calgary chapter
  • International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
  • These bodies offer networking, certification, resources, and professional development

How to Get Involved with PR Communities (CPRS)

  • Follow CPRS on social media
  • Become a student member
  • Access learning resources on CPRS websites
  • Compete for scholarships (regional scholarships)
  • Attend events (MRU PR Students Association events, etc.)
  • Consider becoming a student representative

History of Public Relations: A Prompt for Reflection

  • Reflective question: “How do you think organizations used to communicate with the public 100 years ago?”
  • Purpose: To show that PR has evolved from one-way publicity to more nuanced, two-way communication and relationship-building

The Four Models: Evolution of PR Practice

  • Grunig and Hunt’s four models show how PR has been practiced over time and how organizations may use these approaches today. They are analytical tools for understanding how messages are produced and received.
  • The four models are:
    • Press Agentry / Publicity (one-way). Focus: hype, attention, and publicity. Example: Richard Branson’s sensational publicity events.
    • Public Information (one-way). Focus: distributing factual information (not always interactive). Examples: Government press releases, university announcements. Case example: a Vietnam helmet campaign.
    • Two-Way Asymmetrical (two-way, unbalanced). Organization listens to publics to persuade them; uses feedback/research to persuade publics to change attitudes or behaviors for organizational benefit. Example: Advertising research used to tweak a sales message; Cambridge Analytica & the 2016 U.S. Election.
    • Two-Way Symmetrical (two-way, balanced). Organization and publics listen to each other and adapt. Example: Community consultation before building a new campus building; CSR initiatives; CSA actions; advocacy for EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion);
  • Significance: These models are not just historical; they help analyze and predict how organizations use PR today and guide strategic choices in communications campaigns.

Models in Practice: Applying the Models to Scenarios

  • Prompt examples to practice analysis:
    -