w4m: My definition of Public Relations

Definition of Public Relations

By David Piggott

Public relations can be defined as a trade; a discipline in which the goal is to communicate with the desired audience. The communication must seek to inform the audience and encourage understanding of and prompt desired behaviour towards a subject. Public relations requires its practitioners to be adaptable and flexible, aiming to reconcile the goals of the client(s) and the wants/needs of the audience.

A key defining feature of public relations is that it is not impartial in its work. It works to provide the best outcome for the client that utilises the service. It functions primarily through the media as this is often the most appropriate and effective means of communication with audiences, publics and stakeholders. However, public relations can be found anywhere that its audience goes, from the internet to town hall meetings. To achieve the desired outcome, public relations uses many tools; from media releases, publicity stunts, and creating dialogue through social media, to lobbying, opinion polling, and setting up bodies and pressure groups (to draw attention to and influence opinion in line with the interests of a particular client).

Public relations has its roots in both war propaganda and psychology although the term itself did not come in to use until the mid twentieth century. Nessmann (2000) argues that European P.R. can trace its beginnings to the systematic news office of Frederick the Great (1712-1786) and Napoleon’s mobile printing press that he employed to send favourable stories back from the front during military campaigns.

Ivy Lee (1877-1934) is considered to be the first widely recognised P.R. practitioner. He was a publicity agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad and advocated that businesses reach out to a dubious public, who were sceptical of their legitimacy and goals. Lee believed that without the support of the public, business’ would not be able to function in the way that they wanted. Lee was one of the first to introduce press releases, keeping journalists up to date with news.

Edward Bernays (1891-1995) is widely believed to be the “father” of modern public relations. He took many of his ideas from his uncle Sigmund Freud, adding a psychological dimension to the role of P.R. Bernays believed that people followed a “herd instinct” and felt manipulation was necessary to control a society he regarded as irrational and dangerous. He began his career as a press agent, his main client being the opera singer Enrico Caruso.  In 1917, US President Woodrow Wilson engaged Bernays to set up the Committee on Public Information in collaboration with others. This body worked to influence public opinion towards supporting American participation in World War I. He is famous for many P.R.campaigns including Torches of Freedom on behalf of the American Tobacco Company (using the woman’s liberation movement to encourage smoking among its female followers) and working for Proctor & Gamble to convince people that Ivory soap was medically superior to other brands (using sculpting contests to draw attention to the brand). For some, he is most synonymous with the work of the United Fruit Company, using political propaganda to destabilise and overthrow the democratically-elected government of Guatemala. It is thought that the term “banana republic” originates from this campaign.

Ends

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