Defining Public Relations Paper
Public relations is a term which is 200 years old this year, having first being used by Thomas
Jefferson, the US president in 1807. Throughout the course of time the definition of Public
Relations, PR for short, has adapted itself for many uses. As such there is no one set definition
for PR to date.
Definitions of Public Relations:
‘One of the earliest definitions of PR was created by Edward Bernays. According to him, "Public
Relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies,
procedures and interest of an organization followed by executing a program of action to earn
public understanding and acceptance."’ [1] Wikipedia, retrieved November 2007.
‘Public relations helps our complex, pluralistic society to reach decisions and function more
effectively by contributing to mutual understanding among groups and institutions. It serves to
bring private and public policies into harmony…. In helping to define and implement policy, the
public relations practitioner uses a variety of professional communication skills and plays an
integrative role both within the organization and between the organization and the external
environment.’ [2] Public Relations Society of America, retrieved November 2007.
‘Public relations is about reputation - the result of what you do, what you say and what others
say about you. Public relations is the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of
earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and
sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an
organisation and its publics.’ [3] Chartered Institute of Public Relations, retrieved November
2007.
Contrasting definitions:
As you can see by the three definitions above, each definition of Public Relations varies slightly
depending upon the source.
The first definition comes from the popular online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an
encyclopaedia who’s content is almost entirely made up from the general public submitting
information. This might explain why their definition of PR only relates to organisations. Being
one of the first definitions of PR, it is incomplete, but PR as a subject matter has grown over the
years, incorporating new ideas and strategies. Compared to the following two definitions it is
lacking in information and is quite a complex statement to grasp.
The second definition is sourced from the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) website.
The PRSA are the worlds largest organization for public relations professionals, representing
business and industry, counselling firms, independent practitioners, military, government,
associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and non-profit organizations. As you
would expect, their definition is infinitely more detailed than that of the first source, as PR is
their sole profession. It reflects on both company and policy based PR, which can be applied to
any form of PR. Although it is written for those who most likely already have some foundation
knowledge of PR, and neglects to define PR in layman’s terms.
The third definition was taken from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations website, whose
aim is to promote the use of the companies advertised within it, and provide information on new
techniques, strategies, training, news and events that appear within the industry. It provides a free
directory of PR firms, which deal in all aspects of public relations. Again, the definition of PR is
tailored towards both companies and policies. PR is defined in simple terms, as the people most
likely to use this site are looking for advice or companies to devise PR strategies for them. This
is the simplest yet most effective definition of PR I have come across to date. It is well written,
easy to understand, and gives the reader a broad overview of what PR can do for their policy or
company.
My personal definition of PR:
Using the three quotes above coupled with my own knowledge of PR I have devised a suitable
alternative definition:
The management of a companies or institutions reputation achieved with positive exposure
through various media. It is intended to influence public opinion in their favour, gaining
understanding, credibility and building goodwill.
I have decided to incorporate the words ‘through positive exposure through various media’, as
this covers all aspects of the media, such as press releases, newspapers, television, radio, etc. I
have also deliberately used the word positive, as negative publicity often goes against what the
implementation of PR is trying to achieve, which is the positive influence of public favour. I
have incorporated the gaining of understanding, as PR can also be used to counter negative
publicity, whether it be for an individual company or policy based. I have used the word
‘reputation’ from the third definition, as the changing of reputation, in my opinion, is the overall
goal of public relations.
Although my definition is relatively short when compared to the definitions spawned by others, I
believe it encompasses what PR is and its goal.
Differing definitions of PR:
Each company or policy that has had PR implemented to raise its profile or reputation has its
own PR strategy. This can be implemented through various media forms including television,
radio, newspapers, press releases, adverts, statements, or a combination of them all. Most
companies specialise in a certain type of PR whether it is company or policy based, as each area
needs different types. This could be one of the main reasons why the definitions of PR are so
varied, as each company adopts is own strategies. The PR strategies are so diverse, growing in
number with each passing year with each new media type which is born, there is simply not an
explanation which will be adequate enough to encompass all of its aspects now, yet still remain
true in the future. Therefore the only constant in definitions of PR globally is that it seeks to
influence others.
Sources:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations
[2] http://www.prsa.org/aboutUs/officialStatement.html
[3] http://www.ipr.org.uk/looking/index.htm