Public relations (PR) is not about publicity; it’s about relationships. PR is not marketing; it’s about a firm’s reputation. PR is not advertising and PR is not marketing.
Many experts like to start discussions about PR by discussing first what PR is not. There’s a fairly good reason for this: most people see PR as a company’s means of damage control and reputation management. When you repeat lies often enough, however, they end up becoming the truth for the majority. This alone is sacrilege to the true purpose of PR. Some think that PR is just spin doctoring, but there’s far more than meets the eye.
For the record, PR is hardly a tool to put out the fire or help a company climb the competitive ladder. If PR works with true information, it means the company has to manage both convenient and inconvenient truths. In addition, PR has a mind of its own; its results go where the current situation and available information take them. Furthermore, PR is not always just about press releases (despite sharing the same acronym). PR brings news to the public about what’s happening inside the company: a merger, turnover, increased stocks and so on. In an age where anyone with a good Internet connection can get information, press releases and other forms of media play a more crucial role.
Many experts like to start discussions about PR by discussing first what PR is not. There’s a fairly good reason for this: most people see PR as a company’s means of damage control and reputation management. When you repeat lies often enough, however, they end up becoming the truth for the majority. This alone is sacrilege to the true purpose of PR. Some think that PR is just spin doctoring, but there’s far more than meets the eye.
For the record, PR is hardly a tool to put out the fire or help a company climb the competitive ladder. If PR works with true information, it means the company has to manage both convenient and inconvenient truths. In addition, PR has a mind of its own; its results go where the current situation and available information take them. Furthermore, PR is not always just about press releases (despite sharing the same acronym). PR brings news to the public about what’s happening inside the company: a merger, turnover, increased stocks and so on. In an age where anyone with a good Internet connection can get information, press releases and other forms of media play a more crucial role.
So the next time you ask yourself what PR really is, think about what it isn’t. It will help you a lot.
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