1. Lecture Two: Working In PR
Amiee Shelton
Associate Professor
Roger Williams University
Rhode Island, USA

2. Public Relations Departments
Average of 9 people
Access to management
A trend towards outsourcing
Often broken into sections
Hard to sometimes understand PR activities

3. Public Relations Starts with Top Management
Top management must demonstrate:
Commitment to and participation in public relations
Retention of competent public relations counsel
Incorporation of public relations perspectives in policy making

4. Public Relations Starts with Top Management
Two-way communication with both internal and external publics
Coordination of what is done with what is said
Clearly defined goals and objectives

5. Role in Decision Making
Line Versus Staff Management
Traditionally, line functions involve product and profit-producing functions. Staff functions include those that advise and assist line executives.
Public relations is a staff function. It advises and supports line managers who have responsibility and authority to run the organization.

6. Line and Staff Organization
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7. The Internal Department
The most common organizational structure for public relations.
The department’s advantages:
Team membership
Knowledge of the organization
Economy to the organization for ongoing programs
Availability to associates

8. The Internal Department
However, team membership can become a liability.
The department’s disadvantages: Loss of objectivity
Domination and subservience
Confused mission and roles

9. Corporate Public Relations Department
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

10. Working With Other Departments
Marketing
Public relations and marketing must work in harmony. This is often called “integrated communication.”
The lines between the two disciplines are blurring.
Competition and conflict can arise between these two functions.

11. Working With Other Departments
Legal counsel
Traditionally, legal and public relations counselors approach situations from different perspectives.
Lawyers tend to favor “no comment,” while public relations favor openness and communication.
However, cooperation is both essential and possible.

12. Working With Other Departments
Human Resources
Employee communications can be a source of conflict; it requires close cooperation between Human Resources and public relations.
Information Technology
The IT department must work closely with public relations to speak with “one voice.” Each needs the other’s expertise.

13. Working With Other Departments
Business intelligence
Many businesses now do “data mining” and other sophisticated environmental and competitive scanning and analysis.
Public relations practitioners must work closely with this function to identify key stakeholders and maximize relationships.

14. Line vs. Staff function Line Function Staff Function
Delegate authority
Set production goals
Hire
Directly influence work of others
Staff Function
Little authority
Follows orders
Indirectly influences through advice
Accepted management theory makes PR a staff function

15. Public Relations Firms
Disadvantages
- Superficial
- Lack of Commitment
- Prolonged briefing period
- Resentment of staff
- Expensive

16. Levels of influence Advisory Compulsory-advisory Concurring authority
No obligation to take advice
Enron
Compulsory-advisory
At least must listen
Tylenol
Concurring authority
Must Ok before PR happens
Integrated materials
Can limit PR departments
Command authority
Can make changes to PR with out permission of PR Dept

17. Public Relations Firms
Advantages
- Objectivity
- Variety of skills/expertise
- Extensive resources
- Offices across country/globe
- Special problem-solving
- Credibility

18. The Outside Counseling Firm
Public relations firms
These range widely in terms of size and scope.
More than 1,700 public relations firms operate in the U.S., serving more than 7,000 clients.
With growing globalization, the public relations capital has shifted form New York to London.

19. The Outside Counseling Firm
Reasons for retaining outside counsel
Management has no formal public relations program in place
Headquarters is far from communications and financial centers
The firm has a range of up-to-date contacts

20. Structure of Firms Account Teams Account Supervisor- Account Executive
one major client or many small
Account Executive
Daily contact with client reports to supervisor
Assist. Account Executive
Media lists
Writing
Info gathering

21. The Outside Counseling Firm
Reasons for retaining outside counsel
Experienced executives and creative specialists, who would otherwise be unavailable
Highly specialized services the clients cannot afford or does not need on a full-time basis
Independent judgment of an outsider on crucial policy matters

22. The Outside Counseling Firm
Client-firm relationship: Initially, public relations counsel will make a “new business pitch.”

23. The Outside Counseling Firm
Counseling firm costs
Fees are typically set in one of four ways:
Monthly retainer
Minimum retainer plus staff time
Hourly charges based on staff expertise
Fixed project fee

24. New Approaches
More organizations are now using a combination of internal departments and outside counsel for the public relations function.
Top management increasingly recognizes the importance of public relations in attaining organizational success.

25. Billing
3x persons salary
Markup 15-20%

26. lecture Series in PR Practitioners of Public Relations

27. Numbers and Distribution
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, public relations employment is projected to grow much faster than average.
The U.S. government expects more than 341,000 practitioners by 2018.

28. Numbers and Distribution
Geography Job opportunities exist in almost every community, but are concentrated in major population centers.
Employers
Business and commercial operations
Nonprofits and associations
Public relations firms and agencies

29. Public Relations Employers

30. Numbers and Distribution
Gender The number of women in public relations has increased steadily; by the late 1980s, females became a majority.
Race and ethnicity According to PRSSA, in 2011, about 20 percent of its members were non-White. However, minorities remain under-represented in the public relations practice.

31. Numbers and Distribution
Education and preparation Increasingly, public relations is the major of choice for students entering the field. Journalism experience is no longer required. However, employers still value media experience. Many employers also want experience in a specialized field.

32. Salaries
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2008 median annual salary was $51,280 in public relations.
The highest paid 10 percent of practitioners earned more than $97,000 annually.
Diversity of work experience will help you ascend to the executive level.

33. Work Assignments Writing and editing Media relations and social media
Research
Management of clients and staff
Strategic planning
Counseling
Special events
Speaking
Production
Training
Personal contacts

34. The Common Denominator
Regardless of your career path in public relations, writing is the common denominator.
Writing skills will be a key requirement throughout your career.

35. Insights from Roles Research
Technicians versus managers Technicians are primarily concerned with writing, producing, and disseminating communications. They typically earn less and are not part of the management inner circle. Managers are required to be skilled researchers, strategic thinkers, and able to think in terms of outcomes or impact of public relations activities.

36. Challenges
Professionalism A key concern and a goal for those entering the field. Public relations practitioners now qualify as “professionals” by meeting professional and ethical standards.
Ethical conduct Another key concern for public relations practitioners. It all comes down to individual behavior and personal choice.

37. Requirements for Success
Writing
The ability to write well tops the “skills” list every time. You must learn to write copy that is:
Grammatically correct
Easy to read
Forceful
Informative
Persuasive
…for publication and speech, in both traditional and digital formats.