DEFINITIONS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

Public Relations is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between on organization and its publics. Institute of Public Relations, USA Public relations is the attempt by information persuasion and adjustment to engineer public support for an activity, cause, movement or institution. Edward L. Bernays (Edward Louis Bernays was an

Austrian-American pioneer in the field of public relations and propaganda, also referred as "the father of public relations).
Public Relations is a combination of philosophy, sociology, economics, language, psychology, journalism, communication and other knowledges into a system of human understanding."

 "Public Relations is distinctive management function

which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and cooperation between an organization and its publics; involves the management of problems or issues; helps management to keep informed on and responsive to public opinion; defines and emphasizes the responsibility of management to serve the public interest; helps management keep abreast of and effectively utilize change, serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and uses research and sound and ethical communication as its principal tools."
- Rex F. Harlow (a leader in public relations who helped to raise its professional standards)

History and Origin of PR

Broadly interpreted, people throughout history

have tried to influence public opinion. The key to calling that practice public relations is in the manner in which that influencing is done, for whom, and why. American revolutionaries staged events, designed symbols (flags, mottos), and wrote extensively trying to win favor for the Revolutions cause, an early but conscious and effective public relations effort. Thomas Jefferson (1807) used the phrase "Public relations" in the place of "State of thought" while writing his seventh address to the US Congress.

 Ivy Lee opens first PR office in 1903, tries

humanizing business as a PR objective. Reverses negative opinion about his early client, the Rockefeller family empire. President Wilson uses PR tactics in WW I to persuade citizens to save food, buy war bonds. Edward Bernays writes Crystallizing Public Opinion in 1923, first book to define public relations as a practice. Carl Byoir opens his famous PR agency in 1930. Roosevelt uses fireside talks as PR tool in

In India, Great Indian Peninsular Railway Company Limited (GIP Railways) carried on publicity in Public Relations campaign in England for promote tourism to India through mass media and pamphlets. During the time of First World War a central publicity board was set up at Bombay (now Mumbai) for disseminating war news to the public and press. After Second World War the Public Relations activity gained importance both privates as well as Government started Public Relations campaigns.

Main Events in the History of PR

Two mid-20th century events significantly shaped

the American culture.

The Great Depression World War II

Those events also influenced the development of

public relations as an agent of mutual influence.

How did the Depression affect public relations?

The End of Corporate Americas Era of Success

The Great Depression (1929-1939) witnessed thousands of bankruptcies and the vanishing of great wealth.

Business was viewed as a failed institution, unable to sustain prosperity. Corporate public relations became less negative and more of a positive and continuous program to rebuild After the Wall Street crash of 1929, the confidence.
Dow Jones did not recover its lost stock points until the mid-1950s.

The Depression Brought Compassion

Public relations people began to emphasize a new approach to their publicsone of seeking mutual influence through understanding (Stage 3).

Workers looking for work in the Great Depression. Click the image to see what life was like in the 1930s.
Photo 2001 Britannica.com Inc

They sought to understand the desperate needs of their publics. They facilitated acts of compassion on the part of their clients.

The Prestige of the Populace Increased

The flow of capital and production evaporated after the market crash of 1929.

The need for an informed public became more vital as government, business and labor competed for public support for the use of limited resources.

Persuasion and publicity could be effective only when they were coupled with responsible performance.

The practitioner was called upon to help organizations pursue responsible performance to increase public respect.

War gave PR a permanent place in government

Military Adopted Public Relations in World War II (1939-1945)

The deteriorating military and political situation in Europe

caused the military to increase its practice of public relations in the 1930s.
Each branch of the service built its own public relations

apparatus to promote its particular form of warfare. The Army's PR efforts employed 3,000 military and civilian personnel.

How Hitler captured public relations

Hitlers Nazi Party Became Masters of Public Relations

The greatest application of public relations techniques in the 1930s occurred in Germany. Click here to read about the The Nazi propaganda machine under American-born Axis Joseph Goebbels viciously used press Sally. She made propaganda agentry. broadcasts for
Radio Berlin in The Nazis demonstrated both the dangers and Hitler's Germany. the effectiveness of propaganda.

Slide 11 of 35

US Office of War Information Mobilized a Nation

In June 1942, with America fully engaged in the

war, the Office of War Information (OWI) was established under Elmer Davis. A massive public relations effort was mounted to rally the home front.

OWI Developed a Broad PR Campaign

The goal of the Office of War Information was to

implement massive mobilization strategies:

selling war bonds rationing food, clothing, and gasoline planting victory gardens recruiting military personnel promoting factory productivity and efficiency

Read these posters through the eyes of a soldiers wife

Images that Mobilized a Nation at War

These posters were printed for the Office of War Information and retrieved from the National Archives and Records Administration web site at http://www.archives.gov. Slide 14 of 35

Influx of PR Practitioners after WWII

Click on the picture to hear about PR after WWII.

The Legacy of the OWI Remains Today

Several important communication agencies that are still active today trace their beginnings to OWI:

United States Information Agency (USIA) The Voice of America radio network The first broadcast (1942) of the VOA was in German, intended to counter Nazi propaganda. By 1945 the VOA was broadcasting in 40 languages weekly. The Advertising Council

In war the foundation was laid for sophistication of public relations in business.

Post World War II Era Saw Increased Sophistication

The post war era witnessed tremendous growth of public relations as a sophisticated profession.

Practitioners such as Earl Newsom with Standard Oil (1945) were increasingly invited to participate in policy decision making. During this period, new emphasis was placed on public relations functions (other than marketing) and on more sophisticated PR tools (e.g., audience analysis). Carl Byoir used public relations techniques to raise money nationally to help polio victims and to find a cure for the crippling disease.
A place in the university

Development in Education and Ethics for Public Relations

Boston University established the first school of public relations (1947).

Two years later, one hundred colleges and universities offered classes in the subject.

In 1954, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) developed the first code of ethics for the profession.

The society set up a grievance board for code enforcement in 1962 and a program of voluntary accreditation in 1964.

Moss Kendrix Changed Perceptions about AfricanAmericans

Moss Kendrix (1917-1989) was a public relations pioneer in transforming racial stereotyping. Kendrix used advertising to influence how Americans viewed black citizens. American icons such as Carnation, the Ford Motor Company, and the Coca-Cola, employed Kendrix to create campaigns that targeted the black community.
Click on the image to read about Kendrixs amazing legacy. Photo from www.prmuseum.com.

Increased Role of Government in Organizational Life

Business/government relations became increasingly important as the federal government entered a new era of regulation.
Such regulations came in part because

of several issues in the 1970s-80s:

civil rights and equal opportunity environmentalism consumerism urban problems nuclear power
March 1965 civil rights march travels 54 miles in Alabama regarding voting rights. Photo taken from www.msnbc.com.

Public Relations INDIAN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Indias Dharma, Vichar & Achar reflects ancient form

of public relations Panchtantra tales personify kings and queens efforts to know public opinions and mind set Lord Rama exiling Sita is symbol of even a God king bowing to public opinion PR history study in two phases Pre-independence and post independence times

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PRE INDEPENDENCE ERA

Traditionally business funded night halt Sarais

and drinking water facilities for travellers Tatas started humanitarian effort in Jamshedpur to improve quality of life for their employees British Indian Railways used mass media to attract tourists from US and Europe British govt. decorated leading Indians to garner support Contd.
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Pre-independence Era
Nehru, Gandhi, Patel used public relations techniques

like making charkha as symbol of opposition to British rule. Congress adopted a dress code of Dhoti, Kurta, Topi as a part of swadeshi movement to gear up Quit India movement Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his comrades went to fast unto death to fight for rights of freedom fighters

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Pre-independence era

WORLD WAR I
On joining WWI, British used PR to share information

with press and the people Central Publicity Board set up as Stanley Reed as Chairman and members from army & political depts. When war ended, Central Bureau of Information set up in 1921 under Prof. Rushbrook William 1923 the bureau named as Directorate of Public Instruction 1931, it was renamed as Directorate of Information & Broadcasting

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Pre-independence era

WORLD WAR II

Directorate of Information and Broadcasting practiced professional public relations activities Newspapers circulation increased and the government used the media to garner public support for the war effort Dept. developed units like films division, exhibition unit and Central Bureau of Public Information Commercial world consciously started public relations effort 1945 Tatas set a public relations division and resorted to institutional advertising to get public support for business

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POST INDEPENDENCE ERA

1947 massacre & mass movement of people

from Punjab and Bengal Formation of Pakistan India goes for adult franchise and elections Democratic form brought up Indian parliament and state legislatures Some multinationals like Dunlop, Goodyear Hindustan Lever, Esso, Caltex and IBM etc set up in house public relations departments

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EMERGENCE OF PROFESSIONALISM
1966 Kali H Mody, founded the Public Relations

Society of India He remained president from 1966 to 1969 1968 1st All India Public Relations Conference organized in Delhi April 21 is observed by PRSI as Foundation Day PRSI have chapters all over India with good membership of professionals PRSI so far have organized 30 all India public relations conference on various themes concerning profession

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MEDIA SCENE

Media Print, Radio, Television, Cinema & Internet slated for tremendous growth One of the sectors which has consistently outperformed the rate of growth of gross domestic product in India, is the entertainment and media services sector. Eleventh Five Year Plan April 1, 2007

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Media Scene

TV COMES TO THE SCENE

From Black & White to Colour, the TV media has

raised the hopes and expectation of the people Well informed public makes demands on their elected governments for performance Public relations plays a vital role in spread of communication to masses for response 24+7 TV telecast has triggered information revolution and tremendous rise in advertising revenue Public Relations have a great role to play to reach information to the masses

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Media Scene

THE INTERNET REVOLUTION

Availability of information social, cultural, political,

economic, has opened new vistas for public relations profession Web advertising was Rs.4.5 billion in 2008, 69% over 2007 & 60% over 2006 Pricewaterhouse Cooper Globally internet ad spend is pegged at US $44billion Even daily newspapers and publications have now their own websites India is now part of the information super highway

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Media Scene

RURAL PR A CHALLENGE
Reaching 70% of India rural population is a challenge India has six lakh village and only 3000 cities & towns Companies like TATA, Birla and ITC etc venturing into

rural markets is a challenge for public relations ITC net connected more than 30,000 villages thru echaupal concept The Dish TV is new miracle of media reach Gram Panchayats becoming focus of attention for public relations professionals for reaching target public

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Media Scene

THE MASS MEDIA

Mass media serves shapes the opinions and life

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styles Journalism has changed, so will have to change the public relations responses Public relations to serve as vital information source Media to perform five functions: 1. Providing credible information, 2. Doing critical investigation, 3. Educating the public, 4. Agenda setting, & 5. Propaganda function dictated by commercial values N. Ram, Editor in chief, the Hindu Public relations has its own role in the process

Media Scene

SURGE OF FILM INDUSTRY

Film production now recognized as industry This Rs 5600 crore industry sells 4 billion ticket / year New multiplexes have multiplied opportunities and

wider reach for the cinema Bollywood supported by hundreds of nameless PR professional who contribute skills in planning, promotion and communicating the themes to public Cinema is not only entertainment but a powerful tool for social change

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CRISIS MANAGEMENT NEEDS

Changes economic, political and governmental

often create crisis big and small for industry TATA took to extensive public relations exercise to avoid nationalization Union Carbide resorted PR to soften feeling of Bhopal Gas leak victims Escorts took to a PR exercise to avoid hostile takeover A crisis is the acid test for a public relations professional

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PR AGENCIES & EDUCATION

PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCIES With professional maturity, hundreds of public relations agencies have sprung up in the country Economic liberalization and multinational have promised very rewarding PR agency business and growth PR EDUCATION Seeing the employment opportunities, young men and women are gearing up to be in profession Hundreds of media & PR schools have mush roomed. Some good signs for professional growth
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What is Public relations?

There has always been confusion about whether

public relations include advertising, marketing and so on. Two decades ago, marketing and PR were two vastly different functions and PR was an unimportant part of any business. But in the past 20 years, the meaning and importance of PR in a company has reached a position where PR serves as the face of the company as the name Public Relations suggest. It has become a vital factor for the success of any company, professional, celebrity or brand.

 The concept of Public Relations is about maintaining

and enhancing reputation. The meaning of Public Relations is different for different people/ publics. Public Relations is often defined with the help of its tools and techniques such as publicity in the newspaper, or publicity that attracts sales of a company or in case of government it is about creating awareness and dispersal of information. The effort by an organization of establishing and maintaining goodwill with its various publics (customers, employees, investors, suppliers, government, opinion leaders, etc.) is known as public relations.

 M. Cutlip, Allen H. Center, and Glen M. Broom

provide another widely taught definition stating,

Public Relation is the management function that identifies, establishes, and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the various publics on whom its success or failure depends.

In order to clearly understand what public relations mean this definition can be divided into four parts: First, it emphasizes on public relations as a management function As a management function it involves planning about what is to be done and how it is to be done in order to achieve the desired outcome. Further, the terms identifies, establishes, and maintains refer to the immense research and sustained efforts. Thirdly, it emphasizes on mutually beneficial relationships. Mutually beneficial relationship refers to the two-way process that helps the organization to take steps in the interests of both related publics and itself. Lastly, it emphasizes that its success or failure

 The word publics refers to specific target audiences

within the general public. Different publics have different interests in the same organization. Therefore, every kind of public should be treated in a distinct manner and must be reached and communicated through a unique public relations initiative. Publics for an organization could be customers, employees, investors, media, shareholders, business partners, etc. For example, for an NGO, its donors, members, potential supporters and volunteers could be publics. Also, publics of newspapers could be its readers, advertisers, employees, general public, government officials and shareholders.

 Public Relations as a function can be most efficient

only when it is done with proper planning by the PR professionals of the organization. As soon as a PR problem or opportunity is defined, the PR department should start planning carefully so that strategic decisions can be taken about what is to be done and how it is to be done in order to make something happen or prevent it from happening, as in the best interest of the organization. Preparing a plan does not guarantee success, but it enhances the probability of success. Thus, proper planning of PR function is important and PR as a function cannot be left to chance.

Public Relations is neither Advertising, Publicity, Propaganda nor Lobbying.

Advertising is one way communication by an

organization with an objective to disseminate information about a product, service or an idea through paid media. For example, getting an advertisement published in the local newspaper is advertisement as the company is paying for it. But, if a journalist thinks that the activities of a company or product is worth an article and writes about it, this would be public relations as it is free. Publicity is a deliberate attempt to gain public attention towards a particular product or activity. It is generally done for a short term and is not always under the control of the organization. Propaganda is a deliberate and systematic attempt to influence attitudes, opinions and actions of the target audience. Propaganda usually has a negative connotation attached with it. Lobbying is building and maintaining relations with legislators and government officials to influence

Public Relation is a much wider term. Public Relations as a function is the process of making policies and plans concerning the various publics, deciding upon the actions to be taken to fulfill the plans made and communicate to the public about these plans, so as to enable a two-way communication between the organization and its publics. Emphasis is on the creation of favorable public opinion.

Main PR Functions:
1.

2.
3. 4. 5.

Identify internal & external stakeholders Create positive image-building activities Assess the corporate reputation Prevent or reduce image damage Audit corporate social responsibility

Traditional Publics in public relations include employees, the news media, investors, governments, customers/consumers, multicultural community groups, constituents/voters, and businesses. No matter how an organization classifies the publics essential to its success, the organization should answer several questions regarding each public. Among the most important are: What is the public's stake, or values, in its relationship with us? What is the public's opinion of the issue in question?
Answering these and other important questions eases the challenge of building relationships with

Mistakes in PR in the PAST

Dominos Pizza Viral Video

In a video on YouTube, two Dominos Pizza employees taped themselves spitting in a customers pizza. This went viral, and customers would not dare use them. While the company fired those employees, the CEO had to make a public apology in a video and put up a Times Square NYC billboard to display customer comments (good or bad) uncensored, and it showed they ended up staying true to their brand.

Know Your Grammar Rules!

If people are analyzing your word usage, they are not thinking about your message. Nobody is immune; when Steve Jobs once called an iPod the funnest ever, the following buzz was not on the features of the new product, but on the correct usage of fun in the English language.

Toyotas Camry Effect Campaign

During the Superbowl, Toyota planned a major Twitter campaign meant to promote the Camry. Creating a number of Twitter accounts labeled CamryEffect1 through CamryEffect9, Toyota intended to engage users by directly tweeting them. However, this had the opposite effect: users accused Toyota of bombarding and spamming them with unsolicited messages. Though Toyota quickly suspended the accounts, this campaign still resonates as an example of a failed, large-scale endeavor.

The top 10 PR Crises of 2011 were faced by companies like Blackberry, Sony, HP, Dow Chemical and Tepco. http://www.holmesreport.com/featurestoriesinfo/11377/The-Top-10-Crises-Of-2011.aspx

Bharti Walmart to Adopt 50 Government Schools In India