Public image makes up 63% of the value of most companies today. When there’s a mishap or when the company’s reputation breaks down, it affects the company’s entire corporate existence and its affiliates. It takes around 4 to 7 years to overcome a negative reputation. Hence it has become important for a company to invest in good public relations strategies to maintain a beneficial relationship with the public.
What Is Public Relations?
Public relations is a strategic communication process companies, individuals, and organisations use to build mutually beneficial relationships with the public.
A public relations specialist drafts a specialised communication plan and uses media and other direct and indirect mediums to create and maintain a positive brand image and a strong relationship with the target audience.
In simple terms, public relations is a strategised process of managing the release and spread of organisation-related information to the public to maintain a favourable reputation of the organisation and its brands. This process focuses on –
- What information should be released,
- How it should be drafted,
- How it should be released, and
- What media should be used to release the information (usually earned or free media is used for the same).
What Is The Objective Of Public Relations?
The main objective of public relations is to maintain a positive reputation of the brand and maintain a strategic relationship with the public, prospective customers, partners, investors, employees and other stakeholders which leads to a positive image of the brand and makes it seem honest, successful, important, and relevant.
Functions Of Public Relations
Public relations is different from advertising. Public relations agencies don’t buy ads, they don’t write stories for reporters, and they don’t focus on attractive paid promotions. The main role of public relations is to promote the brand by using editorial content appearing in magazines, newspapers, news channels, websites, blogs, and TV programs.
Using earned or free media for promotion has its own benefits as information on these mediums aren’t bought. It has a third-party validation and hence isn’t viewed with scepticism by the public.
The functions of public relations managers and public relations agencies include:
- Anticipating, analysing, and interpreting the public opinion and attitudes of the public towards the brand and drafting strategies which use free or earned media to influence them.
- Drafting strategies to support the brand’s every campaign and new move through editorial content.
- Writing and distributing press releases.
- Speechwriting.
- Planning and executing special public outreach and media relations events.
- Writing content for the web (internal and external websites).
- Developing a crisis public relations strategy.
- Handling the social media presence of the brand and responding to public reviews on social media websites.
- Counselling the employees of the organisation with regard to policies, course of action, organisation’s responsibility and their responsibility.
- Dealing with government and legislative agencies on behalf of the organisation.
- Dealing with public groups and other organisations with regard to social and other policies of the organisation and legislation of the government.
- Handling investor relations.
Types Of Public Relations
According to the functions of the public relations department/agencies, public relations can be divided into 7 types. These are:
- Media Relations: Establishing a good relationship with the media organisations and acting as their content source.
- Investor Relations: Handling investors events, releasing financial reports and regulatory filings, and handling investors, analysts and media queries and complaints.
- Government Relations: Representing the brand to the government with regard to the fulfilment of policies like corporate social responsibility, fair competition, consumer protection, employee protection, etc.
- Community Relations: Handling the social aspect of the brand and establishing a positive reputation in the social niche like environment protection, education, etc.
- Internal Relations: Counselling the employees of the organisation with regard to policies, course of action, organisation’s responsibility and their responsibility. Cooperating with them during special product launches and events.
- Customer Relations: Handling relationships with the target market and lead consumers. Conducting market research to know more about interests, attitudes, and priorities of the customers and crafting strategies to influence the same using earned media.
- Marketing Communications: Supporting marketing efforts relating to product launch, special campaigns, brand awareness, image, and positioning.
Public Relations Examples
PR stunts or strategies range from donating to an affected community to running a brand activation stunt in a mall. Some of the examples of successful public relations campaigns are:
Google’s Fight Ebola Campaign
The outbreak of the Ebola virus in 2014 was critical as it was spread among many countries and took many lives. Google, to help the people in need and to build up a positive brand image, started a donation campaign where it pledged to give $2 for every $1 donated to the cause through its website.
The public relations strategy attracted the media attention and resulted to be a huge success as Google raised $7.5 million.
Paramount Pictures The Ring Publicity Stunt
Paramount Pictures, to promote its new horror franchise, The Ring, and to get more user attention, took a step forward and planned a publicity stunt where the protagonist haunted the people in a real-life scenario.
The film’s most iconic scene of Samara crawling out of the TV set was recreated in a TV showroom where the protagonist came crawling out of the hidden compartment behind a TV screen and scared people.
The stunt went viral and the video received over 10 million views on Facebook.
Just Eat & A Sick Customer
Just Eat is an online food ordering application that lets users add comments to their orders to inform the delivery person about the right address or to leave the order to the neighbour etc.
One unwell customer tried her luck to see if she could get the delivery person to stop en-route and get her some medicines. She wrote:
Will you please stop in the Spar on the way and get me some Benylin cold and flu tablets and I’ll give you the money. Only ordering food so I can get the tablets. I’m sick xx.
The delivery person delivered both and this public relations stunt went viral over the media.
Facebook Paris Support Profile Pictures
In response to the tragic shooting in Paris in 2015 where at least 129 people died, Facebook added a France flag filter which the users could apply to their profile pictures to support France. Millions of people applied this filter and appreciated this effort by Facebook.
Advantages Of Public Relations
- Credibility: Public trusts the message coming from a trusted third party more than the advertised content.
- Reach: A good public relations strategy can attract many news outlets, exposing the content to a large audience. Moreover, this medium can help the company utilise certain organic touchpoints that are hard to capitalise on otherwise.
- Cost effectiveness: Public relations is a cost effective technique to reach large audience as compared to paid promotion.
- Better Communication: Public relations help the company to communicate more information to the public than other forms of communication media.
Disadvantages Of Public Relations
- No Direct Control: Unlike paid media, there isn’t a direct control over the content distributed through the earned media. This is the biggest risk of investing in public relations.
- Hard To Measure Success: It is really hard to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of a PR campaign.
- No Guaranteed Results: Publishing of a press release isn’t guaranteed as the brand doesn’t pay for it. The media outlet publishes it only if it feels that it’ll attract its target audience.
Importance Of Public Relations
With over 63% of the value of most companies dependent on their public image, public relations has become a very important topic today for numerous reasons:
Builds Up The Brand Image
The brand image gets a boost when the target customers get to know about it through a third-party media outlet. A good public relations strategy help the brand builds up its image in the way it wants to.
It’s Opportunistic
Public relations strategies make the brand capitalise on the opportunities. Google was in the news for donating to Ebola. Facebook promoted LGBTQ rights. Coca-Cola did a PR stunt against obesity.
These opportunities even attract many influencers to share the brand story to their followers.
Promote Brand Values
PR is used to send out positive messages which are in line with the brand’s value and its image. This builds up the brand’s reputation.
Strengthen Community Relations
PR strategies are used to convey that the brand is as much part of society as the target audience. This builds up a strong relationship of the brand with the public.
Public Relations vs Marketing vs Advertising
Public relations deals in communicating expertly drafted messages using non-paid/earned media to build mutually beneficial relationships with the public.
Advertising, on the other hand, is a paid communication message intended to inform people about something or to influence them to buy or try something.
Marketing is the umbrella under which all the divisions dealing with creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging dwells. That is, PR is the subset of marketing. Everything a PR department does is determined by the marketing goals set by the organisation.
Public Relations | Advertising | Marketing | |
---|---|---|---|
Definition | Public relations is a marketing tool of communicating expertly drafted messages using non-paid/earned media to build mutually beneficial relationships with the public. | Advertising is the action of calling public attention to an idea, good, or service through paid announcements by an identified sponsor. | Marketing refers to activities a company undertakes to create, communicate promote, deliver, and exchange the offerings that have value for the customers. |
Driven by | Relationship driven | Communication driven | Company/Brand growth driven |
Communication | Two-way | One-way | Two-way |
Importance | To build a favourable relationship with the target audience. | To communicate to the target audience about a certain offering, action, work, or other brand-related information | Identify and cater to the customers’ needs to survive and thrive. |
Go On, Tell Us What You Think!
Did we miss something? Come on! Tell us what you think about our article on public relations in the comments section.
A startup consultant, digital marketer, traveller, and philomath. Aashish has worked with over 20 startups and successfully helped them ideate, raise money, and succeed. When not working, he can be found hiking, camping, and stargazing.
Well-articulated, very helpful for growing organizations, it has helped me to prepare for training.
This is precise and concise. I’ll definitely use it in my practice.
i have benefited from the content.
thanks
Hi
Hei
Thank you for the information, continue helping
It is very impressive and could read it over and over
Well articulated article, indeed the biggest asset of every organization is its reputation which should be managed well through planned and sustained PR
NICE WORK DONE
very helpful, well explained
Very helpful and expalined well.
Good writing! I’m wondering that comparing message and channel, which one is more important, and why?
Thanks the research is short and well ellaborated to understand the 3 keys word used in business and of which many do not understand them ie.PR.ADVERTISEMENT,MARKETING
Well articulated
Great work done
👏👏👏
Very Nicely Explained.
Very informative article. Im curious if PR ever works in the opposite direction by exposing the negative …. As to obtain justice for those it has harmed?
Very useful
studying for exams btw
A very informative and interesting read. I have found it to be very useful.
it is so easy to understand. The writing method is so good. everyone can understand it easily.
So interesting and time tasted article
.
Explain the various types of publisity?
Apt.thank you,you have helped me understand what has been worrying me about pr
Very insightful and so rich. Also very simple explanation of the subject matter.
Thanks
The essentials of marketing you have discussed here are really helpful for enhancing my knowledge thank you so much…👍👍
Your article is a great read. It’s practical, simple and easy to understand. The main points stand out well. I would recommend it to business owners, to be able to maximize on PR strategies as a valuable tool to reach masses and build a relationship with both their targetted audience and the public. This contributes to business sustainability and growth.
Just everything I needed. Well explain on public relations.
It’s very helpful 👍👍.
thank u sir , very helpful
It is very helpful👍👍👍👍👍
The different between in house public relations department and public relations agencies.
Thanks so much
Well explain for my exams
I, especially, liked the examples part. you chose wonderful examples.
Excellent explanation, thanks
You are a master piece in communications
Thanks so very much Aashish, i learnt a lot from your exposition of Public relations. I need to learn more on best way approach get corporates audience.
good and well compiled article
well- informed, thanks
Great article!! pls what are the types of PR agencies
To me it was good because I am new learner of public relations . The contents are well structured so I need more information to learn.
If possible you can assist in notes so that I can learn and being a Public relations officer afterwards.
Thanks for that script of information.
Thanks
Nicely explained.liked it.Thank you.
Thanks Aashish for this expose on PR. its rich and robust.
Thank you very much to be a half some people or person to need know about the public relations
Thanks alot You’ve helped me a lot for my test
Inyang BASSEY
Student of research work ..focusing on PR strategies impact of financial services
Helpful thank you
That’s wonderful. I need a help.
I need to set up a Public Relations company, I don’t know what to do, please help.
Build a command over writing Press releases , speech writing and creating effective communication campaigns .Also you need to build your connection with journalist who will let your story roll out among your target audience .
Nice work
Pls add something about public relations transfer.
I would love to know about it.
thanks
PR and it’s related disciplines?
Thank
Helpful information especially to the upcoming PR,
Thanks.
Thanks you for helping me the meaning of public relations I understand well God bless you however I can help the tactics of techniques of public relations
please hepl me in public techniques
I want an explanation on how to prepare public relation plan
I was searching for some good content on public relations here I have found this. Thank you so much Mr.Asish
Thanks for good explanation about public relations I understood well
it was good teachings in PR
nice thanks for the information ,i am impressed
I am impressed by the info i have read here. Thanks heaps
This was what I just needed, thanks a lot! But I would like to know which five functions of public relations are the most critical?
Very helpful article about public relations and it’s all functions.
Joining pr classes soon really do appreciate the article
Am glad I took my time to go through this. It’s indeed very helpful to me as a Medical sales representative.
This is more than helpful. Thank you. It has simply and clearly defined the core and valuable Points I needed to inform my mind with.
Bro , YOU ARE AMAZING…. INFORMATION DOESN’T EXIST IN ANY websites YOU ARE GREAT
IF YOU PLEASE CAN YOU TEACH ME?
THANKS THAAAAANKS
I’m failing to understanding the purpose of media relation in organisation
your article was fantastic.
thank you so much.
Very very heplfuly notes
Am tanzanian student of bacher in pr am so happy to see that notice her so thnks mo
I really appreciate this piece. It made PR very easy to understand. This is very rewarding. Thank you so much.
Wow! This indeed in great simplicity… Thanks
Great article, please keep the good job on.
‘Really it is very exciting post, that you had been posted so far as me. i would to say thank so much and i get your channel.i will drop my comment in every single post since am pr student it will be good to me to keep in touch with you.
Very good and helpful 🌷❤️
Hello Prunella
We’re glad you liked it.
You can also add the history of PR in India and in the world. From where PR was started. Growth of PR in India. Principles of PR. Major difference between Advertising, Publicity and PR. How PR is different from Propaganda etc.
Perhaps the article you have written was simple and in well mannered.
If you need any help in writing the above topic,just mail me.
Very nyc information nd everything iz covered in a simple nd easy way it helped meh to revise for my exam nd thanqqqq🙂🙂🙂
Hello Swanpil i may need your help . I appreciate your contribution, i was recently employed for PR and im clueless kkkk
Hello I’m Joash,I would love to draft a message of our group, Friends For Friends Yago Youths Group via PR but I still don’t know how to begin, will you please help me
Can i get references on this if there are any
This is so so good. The way different examples are detailed in explanation of helping a leh-man understand what the topic is about. its really rich and nice. I look forward to having so many of my questions answered through this page. Thank you very much.
We are glad you liked it. Thank you!
This article is wholesome in simplicity,with a vast view of the topic covered and comprehensive language to enhance learning too!GOOD job!
We’re glad you liked it. Follow us on Facebook for daily updates.
much support I really like the article
Excellent insights