Book Review
Public Relations
Averill Elizabeth Gordon,
Oxford University Press,
2011
400pp.
ISBN: 978-0-19-956574-0
£33.99
Keywords Public Relations, Professional Practice of PR, Communications Theory,
Student Texts.
One of the challenges in teaching an introductory course in Public Relations is
selecting a text that adequately balances the professional practice of PR with a
sufficiently detailed discussion of academic theory, as well as providing
contemporary illustrations and cases that will engage our students. Such are the key
strengths of Averill Gordon’s (2011) Public Relations, published by Oxford
University Press. Drawing on the author’s own professional practice and teaching of
PR, the text sets out to combine theory with practice, to “stimulate students to develop
their own creativity and link theoretical concepts to good practice in consultancies and
organizations…”(Preface).
The text is organised into three parts, with a total of 13 chapters, plus a glossary of
terms. Part A outlines the background of PR, its multiple definitions and the critical
points in the development of PR as a profession in the US and UK. There follows a
chapter on the key models and theories that underpin the academic study of public
relations and communication. While much of this is standard for Public Relations
texts, this section is differentiated by an additional chapter on media theory. Exploring
the key elements of mass communications, current media trends and developments
and the changing role of PR within this context, this chapters helps students to put the
study of PR into its wider context. The six chapters in Part B track the development of
a campaign from intelligence gathering, goal setting and implementation to
evaluation, with a further chapter here on business communications. This section
successfully avoids an overly practical emphasis through its discussion of the
historical and theoretical context, for example, of how publics form and of the how
Plain English contributes to the creation of meaning. Part C offers chapters on issues
and crisis management, ethics and corporate responsibility, online PR and PR trends,
providing examples of good practice and usable guidelines for the use of social media.
Each chapter follows a similar format of definition, theoretical and historical roots,
influences and application to industry, which, although working well to provide the
bridge between theory and practice, becomes laboured at times. Students may find it
frustrating that not all the terms highlighted in the text as being explained in the
glossary actually appear there e.g. ‘consumer culture’ and ‘mass culture’. The text
follows a familiar pedagogical style, introduced with (sometimes overly-complicated)
learning objectives, and concluding with points for discussion and references. The
presentation of the text is attractive and engaging. There are many full colour images
that contribute to student understanding and demonstrate the creativity of PR
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professionals, e.g. the inflatable heads used in the Betfair campaign designed to
“increase the number of people placing bets during the 2008 London mayoral
election” (pg. 104). However, many of the publisher’s own images (e.g. pg. 80, 180,
223 and many more) seem to be only tangentially related to the text and serve little
purpose other than to fill space. While the chapters provide case studies, illustrations,
and practitioner insights, an Online Resource Centre provides further support for
lecturers and students, including active learning games and an employability-focused
learning skills portfolio.
One of the strengths of this text is that relevant theories, both from within the
discipline and further afield are brought together in one text as a one-stop resource for
students. Unlike many texts where communications theory appears only as the
required discrete chapter at an early point in the book, each subsequent chapter in this
text introduces or further develops an aspect of theory. In doing so, the author draws
upon the full range of academic expertise in PR both in the UK and US. Where the
text falls down, if indeed it does at all for the student of an introductory course on PR,
is that it does not develop its critique of existing theories as far as it could. The
emphasis on collecting together all the relevant theories means that such coverage is
gained at the expense of detailed discussions of the value of such theories. What is
lacking is a discussion of the continued relevance (or not) of more dated
communication theory, of some of the problems associated with the ‘unmanaged’
adoption of new technologies (e.g. indiscrete Twitter comments) and the need for
theory to advance alongside these new developments in PR practice. These perhaps
are issues for a further volume for more advanced students.
Notwithstanding this emphasis on theory, it is the practical and professional focus of
this text which come to the fore. The practitioner insights, current case studies and in
particular the ‘PR Tool’ at the end of each section (which includes evaluation
checklists, photocall guides, negotiation techniques etc) not only provides reassuring
frameworks and checklists for students but useful seminar activities for class tutors.
The presentation of the case studies in the highly structured format of campaign
stages rather than narrative is again useful to students. This practical emphasis makes
this an appropriate text for undergraduate programmes in marketing, business and
communication, and for more professionally oriented courses.
There are now several introductory Public Relations texts from which to choose, and
Gordon’s text should certainly be considered as a valuable addition to these. It is an
attractive book, which, with its comprehensive coverage and engaging case studies
and practical techniques, will be a useful addition to the lecturer’s bookshelf as well
as being an accessible, informative and ‘creatively inspiring’ text for their students.
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