and Framing the Message Chapter 12: Public Relations and Framing the Message

Some guiding questions How did modern public relations develop? What are some approaches to corporate public relations? What are some common PR strategies? What has been the relationship between journalism and PR? What are some issues facing PR today?

PUBLIC RELATIONS CAREFULLY CRAFTING AN IMAGE of a corporation, individual, service, or institution

How does PR differ from advertising?

ADVERTISING versus PUBLIC RELATIONS (PR) ADVERTISING is controlled publicity that a company or client buys. PR promotes a company or client through favorable media publicity (including news media). PR uses a wide range of media strategies, including advertising.

Social and Cultural Impact of Public Relations Helped define the relationship between businesses and their purchasers (the “public”) Set tone for corporate image-building Transformed profession of journalism Transformed the political process

PR in Twentieth-Century America Accompanied the Industrial Era and the shift to a consumer-oriented society

PR as a profession (19th century) Early press agents promoted and publicized clients. Promoters used stunts and a variety of existing media channels to shape myths. Railroads used government lobbyists and bribed reporters to insure good publicity. Utility companies used questionable publicity tactics to mislead the public.

IVY LEDBETTER LEE Founder of modern PR Advocated honesty and directness Realized that facts were open to different interpretations Clients included Penn Railroad, John D. Rockefeller and his oil interests

EDWARD BERNAYS Former journalist; applied psychology and sociology to PR Clients included major corporations (GE, GM, P&G, RCA, American Tobacco) Taught PR at New York University Developed propaganda during WWI Master at engineering public opinion

Modern PR changed the relationship between corporations, politics, journalism and the public

PSEUDO-EVENTS AND MANUFACTURING NEWS Pseudo-event: any circumstance created for the purpose of gaining media coverage Examples: interviews, press conferences, talk shows, rallies, and so on

Formal PR Education Growth since 1980s in colleges and universities Courses consider professional ethics and issues management Programs prepare students to be responsible PR professionals in growing industry.

The PR Industry Today Independent PR agencies and firms In-house PR services in companies and organizations

PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTICES AND TECHNIQUES

Activities associated with PR: Publicity Media relations Communication Public affairs Issues management Government relations Financial PR Community relations Industry relations Minority relations Advertising Press agentry Promotion Propaganda

What is PROPAGANDA? Communication strategically placed to gain public support for a special issue, program, or policy

WRITING AND EDITING FUNCTIONS Preparing press releases to distribute to the news media Preparing video news releases (VNRs) Preparing public service announcements (PSAs) Creating brochures, newsletters, and annual reports

MEDIA RELATIONS Media relations = securing favorable coverage in the news media for a client or organization. Involves arranging publicity Also involves damage control or crisis management May involve paid advertising.

COORDINATING SPECIAL EVENTS Corporate-sponsored festivals and events Corporate sponsorship of community activities or programs Aligns company image with a cause Shows company’s commitment to local community

MARKET RESEARCH Like advertising, PR needs to know its audience and create effective strategies to reach them. Mail and telephone surveys Focus groups Other feedback from public

COMMUNITY/CONSUMER RELATIONS Involves building relationships between companies and their communities Involvement of employees in community activities Charitable donations to local causes Strong customer service and consumer-related education

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS & LOBBYING Need to maintain good relationships with regulatory agencies Monitoring of legislation issues Lobbying = the process of attempting to influence the votes of lawmakers to support a client’s best interests.

TENSIONS BETWEEN PUBLIC RELATIONS and JOURNALISM: A mutually dependent and antagonistic relationship

In what ways are journalism and PR dependent upon each other? How are they antagonistic?

What are some ethical issues in Public Relations?

Examples of PR Crisis Management Exxon Tylenol Wal-mart Levi Strauss

What do you think is the socially responsible role of the PR industry in our democratic society?