In today’s world, corporate activities have become increasingly sensitive to the reactions of the outside world. As a result, PR is doing more to raise the visibility and marketing capability of a business, compared with advertising, if the PR tool is effectively utilized. When a crisis takes place, PR will become the limelight of public gazes. Handling the relationship between a business and the public or media makes the core of PR activities, though media is an effective means that PR has to work on.
Edward Bernays, father of public relations, founded the first PR firm in the United States in 1919. In this context, public relations in the modern age is no more than 100 years from today. During this short period of time, public relations has been defined in diverse versions. Definition of public relations in the earlier time is made too lengthy, giving excessive details on how public relations works, rather than what public relations is.
Definitions on Public Relations:
In 1998, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) made the following definition for public relations: “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.”
In the 8th edition of Effective Public Relations, a famous book on public relations published in 2000, it is defined that public relations is the management function that establishes and maintains a mutually beneficial relationship between an organization and the stakeholders on whom its success or failure depends.
Denny Griswold, founder of the Public Relations News, produced a definition on public relations that has been quoted most frequently: “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.”
While promoting the stability, prosperity, and development of a society, public relations also creates a positive image for a business before the public, which brings up endless business opportunities.
At a regular business, PR activities can be conducted through in-house PR professionals, or outsourced to an independent PR practitioner, or in the combination of both. When selecting a public relation firm, the following are the major points calling for attention: qualification and fame, staff quality, clients, financial position, and service charge. A public relations firm usually works in a four-phase manner, including investigation, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
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