BASICS OF PUBLIC

RELATIONS
 Unit I:
[Concept and Evolution of Public Relations]

1. Defining Public Relations: Functions and Types of Publics

2. Evolution of Public Relations
3. Scope of PR: Issue Management, Lobbying, Corporate Social
Responsibility, Public Opinion, Advertising,
Propaganda, Publicity and PR as a marketing tool
4. Ethics in PR, PRSI Code, IPRA
 Defining Public Relations: Functions and Types of Publics

“Public relations is “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial

relationships between organizations and their publics.”

- Public Relations is defined as the set of various activities that are conducted by the business
or the firm to maintain mutual understanding between the public and the firm.

-Public relations (PR) refers to managing how others see and feel about a person, brand, or
company.
-PR for corporations, notably publicly traded companies, focuses on maintaining a positive
corporate image while handling media requests and shareholder inquiries.

-
 -”Publicrelations (PR) are the activities organizations engage in to create a
positive image for a company, product, service, or a person. ”
-
-”Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating
information from an individual or an organization (such as a business,
government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to
influence their perception.”

-PR is a part of marketing that focuses on building relationships with the

public in order to create a positive public image for a company or organization.

It also has different disciplines, such as corporate communications, internal

communications, marketing communications, crisis communications, etc.
-”Public relations (PR) refers to managing how others see and feel about a person,
brand, or company. ”

-”PR for corporations, notably publicly traded companies, focuses on maintaining a

positive corporate image while handling media requests and shareholder
inquiries.”

-PR is used to help an organisation cultivate a good relationship with its publics and
maintaining a positive relationship with stakeholders is crucial to the success of
every organisation. If the public perspective of a company is negative, people will
look elsewhere and avoid using its products or services.

No matter how you define PR, it is important to understand how public relations
as a whole is crucial to helping your brand succeed
 -Public relations professionals are experienced in communicating with a huge
variety of people on behalf of organisations across all sectors. Given this scope,
there are many different types of public relations and various areas of focus.

There are 7 different types of PR:

1. Strategic communications. Every action that is undertaken by a PR professional
should fall under strategic communication. ...
2. Media relations. …
3. Community relations. ...
4. Internal communications. ...
5. Crisis communications. ...
6. Public Affairs. ...
7. Online and social media communications.
 Functions of PR

1. Manage the Brand's Reputation.

2. Promote the Company's Values.
3. Build a Relationship with the Community.

Public Relations Department supervises and assesses public attitudes, and maintains mutual
relations and understanding between an organization and its public. It improves channels of
communication and to institute new ways of setting up a two-way flow of information and
understanding.
-The basic process of public relations – research, planning, communication, evaluation – and
how to apply this process to various situations.
-Public relations (PR) is a broad field that involves creating, managing
and distributing information about an organization to the wider public.

-PR specialists can use different types of public relations to increase

brand awareness and develop a positive brand reputation for a
company.

-Common responsibilities include designing communications

campaigns, writing press releases and other content for news, working
with the press, arranging interviews for company spokespeople, writing
speeches for company leaders, acting as an organization's
spokesperson, preparing clients for press conferences etc.
 Below are just a few of the functions of Public Relations in an organization:

• Public Image Strategy.

Public relations strategists typically work with top executives in order to craft a
visual image of how a company desires to be perceived by the public.

• Outreach Events.

• Media Relations.

• Social Media.

• Handling Emergencies.
 Publics

Publics are groups of people segmented, based on their communicative behaviour.

It's a situational phenomenon as opposed to a demographic group.

“A public is any group whose members have a common interest or values in a particular situation.”

‘Publics is the group of people that influence the business activities of a company or people who have
real or potential interest in the company. This public is responsible for building your company’s image
amongst the customers or the industry.’

The various groups in a society which can influence or bring pressure to bear upon a firm's decision
making and have an impact upon its marketing performance.

These groups include the financial public, media public, government public, citizen action public, local
public, general public and international public.
 Types of public in a marketing environment of a company

1. Financial publics: Financial publics influence the organization to acquire the funds.
2. Media publics:
3. Government publics:
4. Citizen-action publics:
5. Local publics:
6. General publics:
7. Internal publics:
Internal public relations deals with whatever is happening inside of the
organization.
8. External public relations deals with communications outside of the organization,
such as press releases, speech and interview preparation, or discussing information
with community groups.
 Types of Publics
There are following different types of publics:

1. Financial Publics
These are the people that affect a company’s funding. Banks, investors, brokerage firms, stock holders etc. This type of publics
affect a company’s ability to take loans, favorable payment terms etc. They also determine how the customers or other publics
perceive a business.
Example: If a company is a supplier of some auto-part to an automobile giant and if the automobile giant fins that the product
is faulty, it may directly hinder the company’s ability to work with the other giants. Or if a company is known to always be in
losses, investment houses may refrain from investing in such companies.

2. Media publics
This type of publics generally use newsletters, articles, blogs, magazines, radio announcements etc. to make a perception about
a business in the minds of the stakeholders. Having good media relations can always help a company hide its faults and
highlight its strengths. But if the media relations are not good, it might lead to heavy losses.

3. Government publics
The Government rules and regulations need to be followed while operating a business. Any change in the rules should be
noted and corresponding alterations should be done in the business procedures.
A business should always be updated about the Government policies and may consult a Government official or advocates etc.
for doing so.
4. Citizen-action publics
These are the voluntarily or involuntarily formed public groups for the benefit of the general consumer. These include
consumer groups, environmental groups etc. A company’s PR department needs to be updated about what these groups
have to say regarding the company.
The general public that might affect the business should be known and efforts should be taken to keep friendly
relationships with them.

5. Local publics
These include the neighborhood citizens, general local bodies etc. A community relations officer needs to be appointed to
solve the issues of the local public.

6. General publics
General public includes the general customers. The customers brand perception is very important for the company’s success.
Various advertising campaigns might be undertaken to build a healthy image.
General public’s perceptions can be judged through their feedback on social media.

7. Internal publics
A company’s employees, managers, distributors, suppliers, volunteers, stakeholders, Board of Directors etc. are very
important assets of a company. If the internal public is happy and content, then only they will try to increase the goodwill of
the company, in the outside world. Newsletters, memos, company meetings etc. can be used to educate and motivate the
employees.
They can also be used to inform the employees about the new advancements in the company.

A business may develop strategic plans to target some or all of the publics to achieve greater profits through increased
goodwill.
 The Publics in PR can be categorised in many different ways:

1. Traditional and non-traditional

Traditional publics: They have an ongoing relationship with the organisation. Examples: employees,
governments, investors, consumers, multicultural communities, voters, and other businesses.
Non-traditional: There is usually no ongoing or long-term relationship with the organisation. They
exist on the fringe, not very relevant to the organisation. However, if there are some
organisational changes, they might become your Public.

2. Latent, Aware, or Active

• The latent Public has no functional relationship with the organisation.

• Aware Public is aware of a relationship or commonality of values or interests with the
organisation but has made no organised efforts to respond to such a relationship.
• Active Public is aware of the relationship and realises its importance and makes efforts to
manage that relationship on its own terms
• 3. Intervening Public
Any public that helps you to send a message to another public.
Example mass media without which any organisation cannot build
relationships with other publics.

• 4. Primary and secondary publics

Primary Publics are essential to an organisation, relationship with it
can directly affect your organisational goals. For example, employees,
your immediate community, media, Govt., shareholders, financial
institutions, etc.
Secondary publics are also critical; you must have a good relationship
with them. But, the degree to which they affect your organisation's
pursuit of its goals is minimal
 5. Internal and external

Internal Public are those in relationships within the organisation. Like in an

educational institution, students, academics, non-academics, canteen
managers, etc., are the internal Public.
External publics: Those who are not within the organisation but have a
relationship with the organisation. Like your immediate community, providers
of social amenities like water, electricity, other institutions like educational or
medical, etc.

6. Domestic and international

Domestic Publics: Those who are within your country.
International Publics: They are beyond the boundary of the organisation.
Relationship with these publics is now growing more in the face of globalisation.
It may include knowledge about that country, its culture, belief, value, etc.
 According to the theory of Linkages, there are four types of Publics:

1. Functional Publics: The publics help an organisation achieve its chosen goals.
Customers, consumers, employees, trade unions, suppliers, etc.

2. Enabling Publics: The Public permits an organisation to function within the

framework of the society to which it belongs.
Example; Regulatory bodies, Community Leaders, politicians, Shareholders, etc

3. Diffused Leaders: The varied publics.

Example: Media Organisations, Pressure Groups, Local Residents, etc.

4. Normative Publics: The publics like Trade Associations and Professional Bodies,
Political Parties, etc
 Stages in the Development of Publics:
The involvement of the Public varies from stage to stage. For example, it may transform from Non-Public, Latent Public or
Apathetic Public to Aware and Active Public.
1.Non-public
- have nothing in common
- no consequences between organisation and group of people
Public Relations Activity: Monitor
2.Latent Public
- face a similar situation
- unaware of consequences
Public Relation Activity: Plan for communication
3.Apathetic Public
- face a similar situation
- don't care; consequences not perceived as important Public Relation Activity: Monitor
4.Aware Public
- face a situation
- perceive it as relevant
- not organised or active on the issue
Public Relation Activity: Initiate proactive communication
5.Active Public
- face a situation
- perceive it as relevant
- organised for action
The active Public may be enthusiastic about all issues, popular topics, or single issues
 Evolution of Public Relations

"The first public relations department was created by the inventor and industrialist George
Westinghouse in 1889 when he hired two men to publicize his pet project, alternating current (AC)
electricity."
The first appearance of the term "public relations" was in the 1897 Year Book of Railway Literature.
Propaganda was used by both sides to rally domestic support and demonize enemies during the First
World War.
PR activists entered the private sector in the 1920s.
Public relations became established first in the U.S. by Ivy Lee or Edward Bernays, then spread
internationally.
• Edward Bernays (1891-1995) American publicist who is generally considered to have been the first to
develop the idea of the professional public relations counselor—i.e., one who draws on the social
sciences in order to motivate
• The father-figure of professional PR practitioners in India, Kali H. Mody, was the founder President of
PRSI from 1966 to 1969

Many American companies with PR departments spread the practice to Europe after 1948 when they
created European subsidiaries as a result of the Marshall Plan.
 Public relations may seem like a modern profession, but people having actually been
strategically placing stories in the media for years. As far back as the late 1800s, famous
historical figures and occurrences were promoted through smaller scale weekly
newspapers.

• The second half of the twentieth century was the professional development building era of
public relations.
Trade associations, PR news magazines, international PR agencies, and academic principles
for the profession were established.

In the early 2000s, press release services began offering social media press releases.

Overall, the evolution of PR has been driven by changes in technology, society, and the
media landscape. As these forces continue to shape the way we communicate, it is likely
that PR will continue to evolve and adapt to meet the changing needs of organisations and
their stakeholders.
• Social media has been a massive factor in the modern evolution of PR, with many
businesses not knowing how to take it on.
Public relations professionals have adapted, learning to navigate these new platforms to
our advantage by strategizing how to manage, create and post content.

• The evolution of public relations has now progressed to the point where the news can
actually be read by directly accessing the news sites.
•
• This has now eliminated the need for news clippings since users can log onto their
desired site to receive any public relations message provided by an organization.

• Gone are the days of simply sending out news releases to journalists.
• Newsrooms are constantly shrinking, and the digital world continues to expand,
changing the way the world consumes its media.

• PR professionals are evolving, forced to think outside the box.

• With the development of the Internet, PR changed drastically.

• PR now has moved from a broadcast model to an engagement

model, meaning PR professionals are in a constant two-way
conversation with the media.

• Now PR specialists are focusing less and less on traditional efforts and
are trying to make outreach and engagement with the media more
organic.
By doing so, the messages that we are offering to editors seem more
natural and specific to their interests, rather than a mass email that
reads generic and regulated.
 SCOPE OF PR:
The scope of public relations is wide, spanning business,
government, non-profits and more. It can help win friends,
influence people, build reputation, and manage conflicts or crises.

1. Issue Management
2. Lobbying
3. Corporate social Responsibility
4. Public Opinion
5. Advertising
6. Propaganda
7. Publicity and
8. PR as a marketing tool.
 ISSUE MANAGEMENT

• As a PR, issues management is about looking for emerging issues that can affect the client’s
organisation.

• But it’s also about building long-term, trusting relationships with stakeholders such as
employees, customers and investors, as well as external public bodies, both at a
government and grass roots level.

• Communication is a key factor in the issues management process, which is why public
relations practitioners play such a key role. When communications around issues are clear,
honest and open, a mutual understanding can be fostered.

• When a well-thought-out issues management strategic PR plan is in place and an

organisation has the capabilities and commitment to support it, the organisation is in a
good position to adapt to any issues – and opportunities – as they present themselves.
Lobbying is a discipline within public relations where the
general intention of the activity is to inform and influence
public policy and law.

'Lobbyists' are practitioners who execute planned and sustained

efforts to deliver specific objectives within this broad profile of
activity

“Lobbying” means communicating directly with any official in

the legislative or executive branch of the government with the
purpose of influencing any legislative action or an
administrative decision.
 Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• Corporate social responsibility, has a much broader scope. It
not only deals with corporate philanthropy but also other
issues that affect the environment, consumers, human rights,
supply- chain sustainability and transparency for the benefit of
the society at large.

• CSR lends itself to good news stories and is a source of

positive public relations (PR). Make the most of your CSR
activities by publicising them to let customers, suppliers and
the local community know about the good that you are doing.
 Public opinion

• Public opinion, or popular opinion, is the collective opinion on

a specific topic or voting intention relevant to society. It is the
people's views on matters affecting them.

• Public opinion is an aggregate of the individual views,

attitudes, and beliefs about a particular topic, expressed by a
significant proportion of a community.
• Some scholars treat the aggregate as a synthesis of the views of
all or a certain segment of society; others regard it as a
collection of many differing or opposing views.
ADVERTISING
Advertising and public relations are important because they increase
brand credibility and product awareness. They also drive sales and
strengthen the company's competitive advantage.
How can advertising and public relations work together?
Advertising and public relations are strategic communication processes
for engaging with the target audience. They can work together to create a
consistent message and enhance the synergy effect.

( Advertising targets potential customers while PR targets a wider

audience including stakeholders, media, legislators and the general
public.
Advertising focuses on short-term goals such as sales promotion, while PR
pursues long-term objectives such as a positive brand image.)
Advertising vs PR
Although both PR and advertising are forms of marketing, they are different in various ways:

• Advertising is a direct means of marketing, while PR is an indirect one.

Ads are intrusive and more focused on evoking a response, while PR is passive and emphasises a brand’s narrative and
reputation.

• For advertising, the goals are more short term in nature. These goals include sales promotion and brand
awareness, all to generate an increase in revenue.
PR is used to pursue more long-term objectives – it is used to build a strong brand image, positive
reputation, and high credibility.

• Advertising content is published on paid marketing channels such as ad spaces on social media, websites,
magazines, and newspapers; billboards; and TV commercials.
PR involves generating awareness organically through media coverage appearing in newspapers, magazines,
news websites, and other media platforms

• Earned media coverage is considered more credible than advertising, which is paid.
People consider media outlets to be unbiased sources, so people are more inclined to trust them.
In contrast, people usually find ads to be annoying and tend to skip them.
 But They Are Not Completely Different…
Similarities

• The overarching aim of both advertising and PR is to promote a brand, generate

awareness about it, and garner the target audience’s attention about a company’s
services and content

• Both aim to build relationships between the brand and the target audience, the
general public, and other stakeholders.

• Both require creative use of storytelling to educate and inform the audience about a
brand’s existence.

• Both aim to turn casual content consumers into a brand's supporters and advocates.

• By creating positive brand experiences, both aim to increase engagement and,

consequently, revenue.
Propaganda
“Propaganda is the attempt to influence others to some predetermined end by appealing to their thought
and feeling.”

As per Anderson and Parker, propaganda is the deliberate use of communication to induce people to
favour one predetermined line of thought or action over another.

In simplest terms, propaganda is the use of reasoning or facts in order to persuade another person to
favour a particular kind of action that he would otherwise not favour.

Propaganda has to be continuous and needs to have impact not only on the people who do not support
the propagated idea, but also has to consolidate those who already support the idea, but have doubts,
and eliminate these doubts.

Propaganda is not always negative: Although, it uses strong persuasive tools to change one’s opinion in
the favour of a particular subject, groups and organizations
Propaganda is merely a means of influencing others often towards a desirable end.

It also aims at persuasion by means of symbols.

• Publicity, in stricter sense, means a conscious
and calculated attempt to manage the public's
perception of a subject.
• Liberally interpreted, publicity would tend to
draw attention of people or entities towards a
particular subject.
• It usually seeks to create a positive opinion
and to gain public awareness for a product,
person, service, or organization.
Public Relations as a marketing tool

PR is a subset of marketing that focuses on building relationships with the public in order to create a
positive public image for a company or organization.
It also has different disciplines, such as corporate communications, internal communications, marketing
communications, crisis communications,

Public Relations is responsible for managing communication between your organization and the general
public, with the objective of building, managing, and maintaining your business's positive image.

Public relations can help increase brand awareness. By generating positive media coverage, businesses
can reach a wider audience and build credibility and trust with potential customers. This can lead to
increased website traffic, social media engagement, and ultimately more sales.

Public relations is a valuable tool in the promotional mix.

Unlike paid marketing programs such as advertising your business, public relations is focused on earned
media and can take advantage of unpaid communication channels.
Public relations is about managing perceptions – how people think about your business.
 ETHICS IN PR,
PRSI Code, IPRA

IPRA- the International Public Relations Association

Launched in 2011 the IPRA Code of Conduct is an affirmation of professional and ethical conduct by
members of the International Public Relations Association and recommended to public relations
practitioners worldwide.
The Code consolidates the 1961 Code of Venice, the 1965 Code of Athens and the 2007 Code of Brussels.

PRSI- Public Relations Society of India- The Public Relations Society of India PRSI has signed a co-
operation agreement with IPRA, the International Public Relations Association at its 1st National
Conference at New Delhi on 21-4-1968 where it adopted the International Code of Ethics for Public
Relations.

The Public Relations Society of India PRSI has signed a co-operation agreement with IPRA, the International
Public Relations Association.
Public communication can be powerful and influential, so those
communicating need these ethical boundaries.

Just as public relations can influence and build positive relationships and
reputation, unethical communication can erode public trust and potentially
create a crisis situation.

Act promptly to correct erroneous communications for which the member is

responsible.

Investigate the truthfulness and accuracy of information released on behalf

of those represented.

Reveal the sponsors for causes and interests represented.

• Each year, PR professional organizations use the month of September to underscore ethics
and remind PR pros of their pledges to act ethically.

• Nearly every professional public relations and communications organization has ethical
guidelines or codes of conduct — PRSA, PRCA, Institute for PR, Page Society, ICCO — similar
to the journalism code of ethics and most other industry associations. Some organizations
even hold the power to expel members who are found violating this code.

• PRCA ethics: In the UK, PRCA successfully expelled Bell Pottinger five years ago for “stirring
racial hatred in South Africa.”
• PRCA Director General Francis Ingham recently commented on the topic. “It was a defining
moment for us.
It proved that our code has teeth, that it is enforced and that it does have serious
consequences if you breach it. More importantly, it was a defining moment for the PR
industry.
It began a conversation about ethics and an acknowledgment that ethical standards need
to rise year on year all around the world.”
 Ethics in PR
One of the main functions of public relations is to build trust and credibility for a particular
brand, organization or company. And ethics are paramount to earning trust.
Ethics are the standards of integrity that support a person’s moral choices in certain
situations.

The six core professional values in PR are:

1. Honesty: Providing accurate and truthful information — the foundation of earning public
trust. Be honest and accurate in all communications.
2. Advocacy: Providing views from different sides and/or people and all relevant facts so
people can make informed decisions.
3. Independence: Taking responsibility for your own actions; providing objective counsel.
4. Expertise: Acquiring knowledge and using critical thinking to maintain credibility as an
expert and earn a trusting relationship between those you represent and the public.
5. Loyalty: Respect and maintain loyalty to those you counsel and represent (but not at the
expense of the public interest).
6. Fairness: Respecting and considering all views and opinions.
• Ethics is not limited to, press releases, media relations
activities, social media, marketing communications,
employee communications, emails, blogs — even the images
you choose to accompany your informations.

Being ethical means-

• Be truthful and respectful.
• Watch your tone.
• Be considerate and inclusive.
• Be fair and empathetic.
• And hold yourself accountable.
 Unethical communication behaviors
According to Redding’s (1996) typology of unethical communications, there are six general categories
of unethical communication:
• Coercive: Behavior reflecting abuse of power. For example, intolerance or refusal to listen to others’
opinions, freedom of speech constraints, quashing dissenting discussions.
• Destructive: Aggressive or misuse of information to make others feel inferior. This includes things like
derogatory insinuations, epithets, distasteful jokes, character assassination.
• Deceptive: Dishonest and misleading messages. For example, euphemisms intended to obscure defects
or deeds, deliberate ambiguity, weaponizing truth, concealing or covering up displeasing facts.
• Intrusive: Communication that invades or denies others’ rights to privacy. This includes listening to
others’ phone messages, reading someone else’s files, employer surveillance of workers, and other
forms of corporate intrusion. This could also include engaging in corporate espionage.
• Secretive: Nonverbal communication. For example, intentional unresponsiveness, manipulating a
message to skew how the reader interprets it, culpable silence (purposefully preventing information
from being given).
• Manipulative: Communicating without concern for the public interest or otherwise preventing the
receiver from knowing the actual intentions behind a message. This includes demagoguery (exploiting
people’s fears, ignorance or prejudices for gain) or using a patronizing or condescending tone.
In many ways, these unethical communicative behaviors overlap and can build on one another.