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57cnrpwd2pThe Definition of Public Relations
The Public Relations Society of America defines
public relations as “a strategic communication
process that builds mutually beneficial
relationships between organizations and their
publics.” Essentially, public relations specialists
manage an organization’s public image and
reputation. They help that organization
communicate with their public and work on
developing a positive relationship between the
two.
Often abbreviated to “PR,” public relations is a
distinct discipline, but it does share characteristics
with several different specialties, such as
marketing, communications, and advertising.
Though responsibilities in these fields may be
similar, there are certain aspects of public relations
that differentiate it and make it a wonderful
industry.
Relations.
Public relations have now become an important marketing function. The
total process of building goodwill towards a business enterprise and
securing a bright public image of the company is called public relations.
It creates a favourable atmosphere for conducting business.
Few definitions of public relations:
“The art and social science of analysing trends, predicting their
consequences, counselling organisational leaders and implementing
planned programme of action which will serve both the organisation and
the public interest.” -Public Association Relations
.
Public relations (PR) refer to the variety of activities conducted by a
company to promote and protect the image of the company, its products
and policies in the eyes of the public. Thus it aims to manage public
opinion of the organisation.
1
2. The public relation department manages PR to generate positive
publicity and improve public image through news, speeches or messages
from the top management, organises events like ‘Founder Day’, ‘Sports
event’, ‘annual award programme’, charity functions etc. to.
3. They also advise top management to adopt such norms which adds to
public image of the organisation.
:
4. The events held by PR department aims to strengthen relationships and
build reputation amongst all stakeholders like customers, employees,
shareholders, suppliers, investors etc.
5. Public relations involves tactics like offering information to
independent media sources and a mix of promoting specific products,
services and events to promote the overall brand of an organisation.
“A strategic management function that adds value to an organisation by
helping it to manage its reputation.” -The Chartered Institute of Public
Relations.
Public relations have now become an important marketing function. The
total process of building goodwill towards a business enterprise and
securing a bright public image of the company is called public relations.
It creates a favourable atmosphere for conducting business.
According to Edward Barney, “Public relations are the attempt by
information, persuasion, adjustment, to engineer public support for an
activity, a cause, movement or an institution.”
Thus, in this sense, Public Relations are a mode of getting public support
for an activity or a movement.
What is Public Relations – Functions:
Community Relations, Employee Relations,
Customer Relations, Financial Relations,
Crisis Communication and a Few Others
2
Function # 1. Community Relations:
A business should be seen as a responsible citizen of the community it
operates in. A comprehensive community relation programme should
focus on building a respectable image for the company in the community
in the long run. Many organizations implement educational and health
related programmes for improving quality of life of the community
members. Such activities help to build their reputation along with
benefiting the society.
Function # 2. Employee Relations:
Employees are the most valuable assets of the company and the
organization had to create employee goodwill for maintaining a loyal
workforce. Loyal employees are more productive and interested in the
well-being of the company.
Function # 3. Customer Relations:
The most important component of external public is the customer. The
customer is the reason behind the existence of the organization. Public
relations informs the customer about introduction of new products or
changes in existing ones. Public relations plays a crucial role in attracting
the attention of the buyer towards the company’s offerings and helps to
differentiate the product from those of its competitors.
Function # 4. Financial Relations:
A segment of the company’s public consists of those individuals and
institutions the company has financial dealings with. These include the
shareholders, creditors, potential investors, banks, financial analysts, etc.
These parties have to be informed about the company’s finances, plans
for expansions, plans to raise share capital, etc. A well planned financial
relations programme is necessary to improve the organization’s image
and increase the value of its stock.
Function # 5. Political and Government Relations:
The Company has to function under the control of government rules and
regulations. It has to forge proper relations with various government
officials and political parties to ensure smooth functioning of the
enterprise.
Function # 6. Crisis Communication:
The role of public relations takes on vital significance during crisis
situations like an accident, financial scams, bankruptcies, etc. It is the
responsibility of the public relations to give the honest and accurate
3
information to the concerned publics and assure them of remedial
measures taken to control the crisis.
What is Public Relations – Types: Counseling,
Research, Media Relations and Publicity
Public relations encompasses a broad range of activities. The major areas
are discussed below, with particular attention given to those used most
frequently in brand communication campaigns.
Type # 1. Counseling:
Public relations managers in the most successful communication
programs serve a very important advisory role to senior management.
They make recommendations on policy issues as well as decisions related
specifically to communication.
Type # 2. Research:
Companies practicing either of the two-way models of public relations
make extensive use of research to better understand and influence
publics.
Type # 3. Media Relations
News releases are a ‘one-way’ communication, which do not give an
opportunity for questions. Press conferences do give an opportunity for
‘two-way’ exchanges but only with the media editors, not with the
eventual target audience. They are often used to support a news release
where it is felt the story could be enhanced by contact.
iii. Controlled Communications:
Controlled communications is the
These include other ways of reaching the chosen audience direct.
Conferences, exhibitions, lectures, shopping centre events,
demonstrations, open days, public visits and many more are examples of
activities used to facilitate contact. The environment for such contact is a
key ingredient. Then the event has to be structured to give the right level
of interest, linked to the communication message, for the event to be
considered worthwhile.
Exhibitions are an excellent way to present an organisation to its
customers. They can be expensive, but can also be a simple, low-cost
‘shell’ construction. Whatever the cost, it is important to ensure that an
exhibition is as effective as possible.
4
This means being proactive in inviting visitors to your exhibition stand,
rather than reactive, waiting for visitors to appear. The role of PR, as well
as direct mail, in attracting visitors must not be ignored. The cost of such
an exercise is only a small proportion of the cost of the exhibition as a
whole, and usually is money well spent.
affect the image of the company and guide them to involve in various
social welfare activities to increase presence in the public domain and
gain confidence of society at large.
In order to promote sales, many functions are performed by Public
Relations Department. Different Public Relations tools are adopted as
aids in this process.
Public relation Tools
These tools are:
1. News:
News is the main tool of public relations. Public Relations Department
spreads the news about the products of the company. Consumers are in a
better position to form an opinion about the company with the help of the
news they listen to or read in any publication.
2. Speech:
Speech is also an important tool to propagate about the product and the
company. The vital views concerning the company and its products being
expressed by top authorities and the personnel of the company are
published in important newspapers.
The copies of their speeches are distributed among people. All these steps
are necessary to project a better image of the company.
3. Printed Materials:
Printed materials also form important tools of public relations. Usually,
all the eminent companies have their own newsletters, annual reports and
regularly published magazines which are distributed on regular basis
among the members of the public.
5
Companies make available all the vital information pertaining to the
functioning of their business, their turnovers, profits and future plans of
development. These publications are usually sent by post or couriered to
clients.
4. Special Events:
Public Relations Department makes publicity about the company. If
anything relating to company transpires, the same is made public to
consumers. For example, if a company is being awarded by the
government for its best performance in the field of production or export-
earnings, Public Relations Department takes special pains to publicise
this event among people. Such information creates a better image of the
company among people and its goodwill gets a big boost.
5. Audio-Visual Materials:
Public relations work is also undertaken through the medium of audio-
visual materials. Audio- video cassettes help in this connection. These
cassettes are shown to public in cinema-houses or at public places where
a larger audience is reached. No doubt, these audio-video cassettes have
become an important tool of advertising in modern times.
6. Public Services:
Companies resort to public welfare activities so as to have better public
relations. These public welfare activities also boost the image of
companies. Some of the examples of such activities are organizing
health-camps, free coolie service for aged people, women passengers at
railway stations, etc.
7. Institution Identity:
Some companies get their “Logos” printed to have their clear “Identity”
among the masses of the country. One immediately identifies a company
after seeing “Logo” of the company. This is also an important tool of
public relations.
8. Website:
This is the most modern tool of public relations. Companies use their
websites to advertise their products. General public can seek all the vital
information about the company after looking at the particular website of
the company.
6
As far as the marketing function of any organisation is concerned, PR can
help, if not more, at least in six different ways, apart from supplementing
and enhancing the impact/of the advertising effort –
1. Helping Create a Market:
2. Influencing Non-Consumer Groups:
3. Influencing the Influential in Crisis:
4. Influencing the Dealers and Sales People:
5. Influencing Direct Consumers through Means Other than
Advertising:
6. Influencing Employees to Serve the Customers Better:
What is Public Relations – Advantages and
Disadvantages
Advantages:
Public Relation should be an important but subtle part of the promotional
mix, not just an adjunct to advertising.
The most important advantages to be gained are:
i. Credibility – , then the credibility factor is that much greater.
ii. Greater readership – When glancing through a newspaper it is seldom
that a great deal of attention is primarily paid to advertisements. Much
more attention is given to editorial or news sections. Similarly, people are
more likely to divert attention from the television to do other things while
the advertisements are being shown.
iii. Contain more information – Public relation is able to impart more
information to the public than advertisements can. A glance is all that is
usually given to an advertisement, whereas public relation, when
7
presented as news, is given more attention and is therefore able to contain
much more detailed information.
iv. Cost benefits – No direct payments are made to the media for public
relation. There are obviously costs involved, but PR budgets are far less
than those for advertising.
v. Speed – Public relation has an advantage of speed. Information on a
major development can often be issued and reported in a short space of
time. Public relation can also be flexible and reactive.
Disadvantages:
Public Relation is generally looked upon as being of benefit, but
sometimes both companies, and famous personalities, wish that they
could avoid public relation. If there is a major accident on the premises of
a company, or an oil leak from one of the oil companies’ installations
offshore, that company will be on the receiving end of some very bad
public relation.
They can try to minimise this by breaking the news to the media
themselves, and being as helpful as possible, but damage to their
reputation will still be incurred.
i. Message distortion – A company has no control over what the media
report about them. A press release, which a company hopes is reported in
full, may in fact not be used at all, or may have only a small portion of it
reported.
ii. Repetition – With advertisements a company can ensure that there is
frequency of the message. Public Relation does not have this advantage
and the message may only be given once, if at all.
Qualities and Skill Sets of a PRO
Professional approach
Networking skills
Interpersonal skills
Written and oral communication skills
Analytical skills
Emotional intelligence
Innovating and troubleshooting skills
Organization and management skills
Leadership qualities
Creativity
Storytelling traits
Curiosity
Knowledge of current affairs
8
Result oriented
Self-disciplined
Tech-savvy
Competitive
Constructive thinker
Crisis Management:
One of the most crucial and difficult duties of a public relations person
is crisis management. Mostly, the need for such communication arises
when the stock position of the company is not favorable, mitigation of
losses is required, during a takeover situation, the organization decides
to dissolve a joint venture, there is a change in the senior
management, etc. At times, there may be a conflict of interest between
the public and the company because of some issues related to its
policies or product. A PRO should be capable enough to deal with such
problems, without causing damage to the reputation of the company.
acceptance and appreciation of any new move by the organization.
When a company has to launch a new product, announce a new
scheme, enter a new MOU or JV etc.; it is the job of the PR official to
make arrangements to promote a new corporate move. He has to plan
promotional strategies, keeping the target audience and desired result
in mind.
Press Conference:
Whenever an important decision of the organization is to be made
public, the PRO must arrange a press conference. He has to invite the
press beforehand, make arrangements at the venue, manage catering,
audio-visual facilities, stage set-up, ambiance etc. Also, he has to
prepare a press kit for the journalists, which includes a press release,
providing details of the announcement. After the press conference, he
has to request the press to ask their questions. He should be very
careful and clever in answering their queries.
Preparing Media Plan:
A PRO must prepare an event-wise media plan, detailing and
shortlisting the journalists from publications and electronic media for
gaining substantial visibility. Other media platforms like advertising, bill
boards, social media, etc. are also to be considered. This is an
important decision to be taken by the PRO as the quality and quantity
of publicity mileage can be entirely based on the media plan.
Coordinating Interviews:
Most of the senior management professionals of an organization give
interviews to newspapers, magazines, websites and television
9
channels. The PRO of the company will have to coordinate the
communication between the senior management and the journalists.
To decide and discuss where the interview is to be conducted, the
briefing points, the probable list of questions, etc. before the interview
rest on his shoulders.
Communication Budget:
It is important that a separate budget is set aside at the beginning of
every financial year for various public relations activities. The PRO has
to prepare a communication plan at the beginning of the year, giving
details of the activities along with the budget allotted to them
individually. Contingency plan for emergency communication should
also be done in the budget.
Cordial Relations:
A PRO needs to take special efforts in maintaining cordial relations with
the clients, potential clients, media persons, top management of the
company, employees, etc. He should have knowledge about every
single news regarding the organization.
Excellent Communication:
It is necessary for a PR officer to have excellent oral and written
communication skills. He must be well versed in corporate jargon as he
has to draft speeches for the senior management, and might have to
address the press himself. Apart from this, he has to prepare publicity
brochures, press releases, newsletters for employees, handouts,
company magazines, etc.
Effective Marketing:
The PRO should have sound sales and marketing skills that will help in
effective promotion of the products and services. Besides, it also helps
if he is a creative person and is able to come up with new and
innovative ideas to attract the public. He may have to plan mass media
films and videos to promote or enhance the sales of a particular
product. He may even have to assist in market research.
Internal Communications:
He has to work closely with the internal communications team, for
devising a objective bound communication for employees located at
one or several locations. He has to play an instrumental role in
communicating a single message throughout the organization. This can
also impact the employee engagement effectively.
Media Coverage: His job not only involves getting media coverage, but
also includes following its tone and nature. He should also evaluate and
analyze the coverage to understand the impact of the communication.
Communicating with Senior Management:
Other duties of the PRO include keeping the senior management
abreast about the moves made by competitors.
10
He has to be aware about the cutting edge competition and should
have up-to-date information on the prevalent market conditions.
Answering Queries:
Media people often raise queries about the decisions and working of
the organization. It is the duty of the PRO to answer them
diplomatically without divulging unnecessary details.
Corporate Identity:
Every organization has its own set of corporate brand identity. The PRO
has to check whether the logo and branding of the company in
advertisements, newsletters, brochures, etc. are in accordance with
the company’s interests. The placement, size, color and other details
pertaining to the corporate identity are to be verified before a public
event.
Translating Content:
Sometimes the content on the website, press releases, press notes,
brochures, leaflets, etc. needs to be in different languages for easy
readability and comprehension of people in a particular country. It is
the duty of the PRO to get the content translated from an agency and
verify it before communicating the same.
Maintaining Archives:
As a part of the responsibilities of a PRO, he has to maintain an event-
wise docket of all the press coverage in both print and electronic
media. Also, maintenance of proper documentation and archives is
expected from him.
CSR Activities:
Organizations across the world are increasingly waking up to the idea
of environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility
(CSR). It is expected from the PRO to give an impetus to such activities
and provide them good publicity by utilizing various platforms of
communication.
Anthropology and Psychology:
Along with knowledge of the media, sales and marketing, it is also
important for the PR official to know something about the anthropology
and psychology. This will help him in understanding and planning
different kind of strategies that would work for varied group of people.
Other Functions:
A PRO has to conduct events, exhibitions, road shows, parties, facility
tours, delegation meets, conferences and undertake sponsorships or
allied activities that the firm supports in order to gain public attention.
It is his responsibility to get the website and social networking pages of
the organization updated from time to time.
Qualities and Skill Sets of a PRO
11
Professional approach
Networking skills
Interpersonal skills
Written and oral communication skills
Analytical skills
Emotional intelligence
Innovating and troubleshooting skills
Organization and management skills
Leadership qualities
Creativity
Storytelling traits
Curiosity
Knowledge of current affairs
Result oriented
Self-disciplined
Tech-savvy
Competitive
Constructive thinker
As Alan Harrington has rightly quoted, “Public relations specialists
make flower arrangements of the facts, placing them so that the wilted
and less attractive petals are hidden by sturdy blooms.” Therefore, it
would not be wrong to say that the job of a public relations officer
entails great responsibility. To become eligible for a PR job, one has to
do a course in public relations, but this is not always necessary. A
person with a graduate degree in communications, journalism,
advertising, etc. is equally qualified to become a public relations
officer. Actually more than the qualification, it is the skill that matters,
to be successful in this field. A PRO is a person who has the duty to
uphold the prestige of the company or organization he works for.
Hence, it is better to gain
12
a sound launch pad where one will get excellent hands on experience.
968DutiesOfficerPublic RelationsQualities
13
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Duties and Qualities of Public
Relations Officer
January 22, 2013 1 Comment
16
17
Write about the duties and qualities of a Public Relations
Officer.
Duties and Qualities of Public Relations Officer:
In recent years, the demand for public relations officer in both private
and public sectors has gone up considerably. It can be a very
interesting career option where one can get exposure to press
conferences, organizing events, communication budgeting, reputation
management, etc. If you want to find your niche in the dynamic domain
of PR, read on to understand the responsibilities and required skill sets
of this field.
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width="588" height="362">
According to the Institute of Public Relations, USA, “Public Relations is a
deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain
mutual understanding between an organization and its public.” A public
relations officer (PRO), also known as ‘Media Specialist,’ is the
spokesperson of an organization. His or her role is to convey the
policies and interests of the organization to the public through various
modes of media. For an organization, ‘public’ refers to the existing
customers, potential customers, shareholders, financiers, media,
government bodies, employees, etc. The need for a PRO can be found
in almost all sectors, including private companies, advertising
agencies, financial organizations, government agencies, charities, etc.
As a PRO has to be dedicated 24/7 to protect the interest of a
company, it can be a very demanding job. However, it is also a
lucrative and interesting means of making a career. If you are ready to
take up the challenge, here are a few points that will help you in
understanding the public relations officer’s job better.
Reputation Management:
The prime function of a public relations officer is to create, maintain
and enhance the reputation of an organization. It is the responsibility of
the PRO to promote the people, products, services or solutions of the
establishment he works for.
Goodwill Creation:
A seasoned PRO should not only manage and maintain reputation, but
should also continuously work towards creating and ameliorating the
goodwill of the organization. This will help in creating a favorable public
image of the organization by strengthening its credibility.
Crisis Management:
One of the most crucial and difficult duties of a public relations person
is crisis management. Mostly, the need for such communication arises
18
when the stock position of the company is not favorable, mitigation of
losses is required, during a takeover situation, the organization decides
to dissolve a joint venture, there is a change in the senior
management, etc. At times, there may be a conflict of interest between
the public and the company because of some issues related to its
policies or product. A PRO should be capable enough to deal with such
problems, without causing damage to the reputation of the company.
PR Strategies and Campaigns:
A PRO should constantly look out for opportunities to present the
organization in a positive light. He needs to come up with different PR
strategies that will lead to easy acceptance and appreciation of any
new move by the organization. When a company has to launch a new
product, announce a new scheme, enter a new MOU or JV etc.; it is the
job of the PR official to make arrangements to promote a new
corporate move. He has to plan promotional strategies, keeping the
target audience and desired result in mind.
Press Conference:
Whenever an important decision of the organization is to be made
public, the PRO must arrange a press conference. He has to invite the
press beforehand, make arrangements at the venue, manage catering,
audio-visual facilities, stage set-up, ambiance etc. Also, he has to
prepare a press kit for the journalists, which includes a press release,
providing details of the announcement. After the press conference, he
has to request the press to ask their questions. He should be very
careful and clever in answering their queries.
Preparing Media Plan:
A PRO must prepare an event-wise media plan, detailing and
shortlisting the journalists from publications and electronic media for
gaining substantial visibility. Other media platforms like advertising, bill
boards, social media, etc. are also to be considered. This is an
important decision to be taken by the PRO as the quality and quantity
of publicity mileage can be entirely based on the media plan.
Coordinating Interviews:
Most of the senior management professionals of an organization give
interviews to newspapers, magazines, websites and television
channels. The PRO of the company will have to coordinate the
communication between the senior management and the journalists.
To decide and discuss where the interview is to be conducted, the
briefing points, the probable list of questions, etc. before the interview
rest on his shoulders.
Communication Budget:
It is important that a separate budget is set aside at the beginning of
every financial year for various public relations activities. The PRO has
to prepare a communication plan at the beginning of the year, giving
details of the activities along with the budget allotted to them
19
individually. Contingency plan for emergency communication should
also be done in the budget.
Cordial Relations:
A PRO needs to take special efforts in maintaining cordial relations with
the clients, potential clients, media persons, top management of the
company, employees, etc. He should have knowledge about every
single news regarding the organization.
Excellent Communication:
It is necessary for a PR officer to have excellent oral and written
communication skills. He must be well versed in corporate jargon as he
has to draft speeches for the senior management, and might have to
address the press himself. Apart from this, he has to prepare publicity
brochures, press releases, newsletters for employees, handouts,
company magazines, etc.
Effective Marketing:
The PRO should have sound sales and marketing skills that will help in
effective promotion of the products and services. Besides, it also helps
if he is a creative person and is able to come up with new and
innovative ideas to attract the public. He may have to plan mass media
films and videos to promote or enhance the sales of a particular
product. He may even have to assist in market research.
Internal Communications:
He has to work closely with the internal communications team, for
devising a objective bound communication for employees located at
one or several locations. He has to play an instrumental role in
communicating a single message throughout the organization. This can
also impact the employee engagement effectively.
Media Coverage: His job not only involves getting media coverage, but
also includes following its tone and nature. He should also evaluate and
analyze the coverage to understand the impact of the communication.
Communicating with Senior Management:
Other duties of the PRO include keeping the senior management
abreast about the moves made by competitors.
He has to be aware about the cutting edge competition and should
have up-to-date information on the prevalent market conditions.
Answering Queries:
Media people often raise queries about the decisions and working of
the organization. It is the duty of the PRO to answer them
diplomatically without divulging unnecessary details.
Corporate Identity:
Every organization has its own set of corporate brand identity. The PRO
has to check whether the logo and branding of the company in
advertisements, newsletters, brochures, etc. are in accordance with
20
the company’s interests. The placement, size, color and other details
pertaining to the corporate identity are to be verified before a public
event.
Translating Content:
Sometimes the content on the website, press releases, press notes,
brochures, leaflets, etc. needs to be in different languages for easy
readability and comprehension of people in a particular country. It is
the duty of the PRO to get the content translated from an agency and
verify it before communicating the same.
Maintaining Archives:
As a part of the responsibilities of a PRO, he has to maintain an event-
wise docket of all the press coverage in both print and electronic
media. Also, maintenance of proper documentation and archives is
expected from him.
CSR Activities:
Organizations across the world are increasingly waking up to the idea
of environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility
(CSR). It is expected from the PRO to give an impetus to such activities
and provide them good publicity by utilizing various platforms of
communication.
Anthropology and Psychology:
Along with knowledge of the media, sales and marketing, it is also
important for the PR official to know something about the anthropology
and psychology. This will help him in understanding and planning
different kind of strategies that would work for varied group of people.
Other Functions:
A PRO has to conduct events, exhibitions, road shows, parties, facility
tours, delegation meets, conferences and undertake sponsorships or
allied activities that the firm supports in order to gain public attention.
It is his responsibility to get the website and social networking pages of
the organization updated from time to time.
Qualities and Skill Sets of a PRO
Professional approach
Networking skills
Interpersonal skills
Written and oral communication skills
Analytical skills
Emotional intelligence
Innovating and troubleshooting skills
Organization and management skills
Leadership qualities
Creativity
Storytelling traits
Curiosity
21
Knowledge of current affairs
Result oriented
Self-disciplined
Tech-savvy
Competitive
Constructive thinker
As Alan Harrington has rightly quoted, “Public relations specialists
make flower arrangements of the facts, placing them so that the wilted
and less attractive petals are hidden by sturdy blooms.” Therefore, it
would not be wrong to say that the job of a public relations officer
entails great responsibility. To become eligible for a PR job, one has to
do a course in public relations, but this is not always necessary. A
person with a graduate degree in communications, journalism,
advertising, etc. is equally qualified to become a public relations
officer. Actually more than the qualification, it is the skill that matters,
to be successful in this field. A PRO is a person who has the duty to
uphold the prestige of the company or organization he works for.
Hence, it is better to gain a sound launch pad where one will get
excellent hands on experience.
968DutiesOfficerPublic RelationsQualities
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Fakhar Naveed, from Gujranwala, Pakistan.
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Relations Job Description
Template
We are seeking to hire a public relations specialist
who will be responsible for building and
maintaining a positive image for our company.
You will be in charge of establishing and
maintaining relationships with consumer,
community, employee, and public interest groups
24
by writing press releases and other media
communications, responding to requests for
information and press conferences, and coaching
client representatives in the correct way of
communicating with the public and with clients.
To be successful in this role, you will need a deep
understanding of consumer marketing. You will
also need excellent written and verbal
communication skills. Previous experience in
handling a press conference is also an advantage.
Public Relations Responsibilities:
Responding to requests for information release or
press conference from the media or designating a
spokesperson or source of information.
Establishing and maintaining relationships with
consumer, community, employee, and public
interest groups.
Writing press releases and other media
communications to promote clients.
Planning or directing the development of
programs to maintain favorable public and
stockholder views of the organization's agenda
and accomplishments.
Coaching client representatives in effective
communication with the public and employees.
Studying the organization's objectives,
promotional policies, and needs to build public
relations strategies that influence public opinion
and promote products, ideas, and services.
25
Preparing and editing organizational publications,
including employee newsletters or stockholders'
reports, for internal and external audiences.
Updating and maintaining Web content.
Conferring with managers to identify trends and
group interests and providing advice on business
decisions.
Public Relations Requirements:
Bachelor degree in journalism, PR, marketing or
related field.
Experience handling a press conference.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to pitch to media.
Knowledge of consumer marketing.
An ability to work on big strategy plans as well as
day-to-day tasks.
Ability to think both creatively and strategically.
Ability to run PR campaigns that deliver
measurable results and meet objectives.
Deadline-oriented, inquisitive, with great follow-up
and reporting skills.
Creativity in securing coverage and buzz with
traditional outlets.
Understanding of social media and solid
experience working with bloggers.
Project and budget management skills.
Responds well under pressure with strict time
limit.
Quick and enthusiastic learner.
## Public Relations FAQ:
What is a public relations job?
26
Public Relations Specialists cultivate and protect a company’s image. They
manage communications between an organization and the public and help
shape the public’s perception of a business. Add your essential public
relations tasks and duties to our public relations description to create a
professional and informative job listing for your business.
Can I edit or add to your public relations
specialist job description?
Your public relations job overview should reflect your company’s needs. Feel
free to customize any section of our public relations job description sample to
get a listing that works for your company.
What should I include in my job listing when
I post a public relations job?
When you advertise a public relations job, you should provide details about
the public relations requirements for your organization. Tell applicants more
about the qualities and qualifications you’re looking for and the PR duties
they’ll have to perform. Use or add to our public relations job description
sample above to design your public relations job listing and begin attracting
top talent today.
Do you have interview questions for public
relations specialists?
We have interview questions to go with all of our job descriptions.
Related Articles:
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28
Relations Job Description
Template
We are seeking to hire a public relations specialist
who will be responsible for building and
maintaining a positive image for our company.
You will be in charge of establishing and
maintaining relationships with consumer,
community, employee, and public interest groups
by writing press releases and other media
communications, responding to requests for
information and press conferences, and coaching
client representatives in the correct way of
communicating with the public and with clients.
To be successful in this role, you will need a deep
understanding of consumer marketing. You will
also need excellent written and verbal
communication skills. Previous experience in
handling a press conference is also an advantage.
Public Relations Responsibilities:
Responding to requests for information release or
press conference from the media or designating a
spokesperson or source of information.
Establishing and maintaining relationships with
consumer, community, employee, and public
interest groups.
Writing press releases and other media
communications to promote clients.
29
Planning or directing the development of
programs to maintain favorable public and
stockholder views of the organization's agenda
and accomplishments.
Coaching client representatives in effective
communication with the public and employees.
Studying the organization's objectives,
promotional policies, and needs to build public
relations strategies that influence public opinion
and promote products, ideas, and services.
Preparing and editing organizational publications,
including employee newsletters or stockholders'
reports, for internal and external audiences.
Updating and maintaining Web content.
Conferring with managers to identify trends and
group interests and providing advice on business
decisions.
Public Relations Requirements:
Bachelor degree in journalism, PR, marketing or
related field.
Experience handling a press conference.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to pitch to media.
Knowledge of consumer marketing.
An ability to work on big strategy plans as well as
day-to-day tasks.
Ability to think both creatively and strategically.
Ability to run PR campaigns that deliver
measurable results and meet objectives.
Deadline-oriented, inquisitive, with great follow-up
and reporting skills.
Creativity in securing coverage and buzz with
traditional outlets.
30
Understanding of social media and solid
experience working with bloggers.
Project and budget management skills.
Responds well under pressure with strict time
limit.
Quick and enthusiastic learner.
## Public Relations FAQ:
What is a public relations job?
Public Relations Specialists cultivate and protect a company’s image. They
manage communications between an organization and the public and help
shape the public’s perception of a business. Add your essential public
relations tasks and duties to our public relations description to create a
professional and informative job listing for your business.
Can I edit or add to your public relations
specialist job description?
Your public relations job overview should reflect your company’s needs. Feel
free to customize any section of our public relations job description sample to
get a listing that works for your company.
What should I include in my job listing when
I post a public relations job?
When you advertise a public relations job, you should provide details about
the public relations requirements for your organization. Tell applicants more
about the qualities and qualifications you’re looking for and the PR duties
they’ll have to perform. Use or add to our public relations job description
sample above to design your public relations job listing and begin attracting
top talent today.
Do you have interview questions for public
relations specialists?
We have interview questions to go with all of our job descriptions.
Related Articles:
31
Marketing Assistant Job Description
Learn about the key requirements, duties, responsibilities, and skills that
should be in a marketing assistant job description.
Marketing Director Job Description
Learn about the key requirements, duties, responsibilities, and skills that
should be in a marketing director job description.
Marketing Manager Job Description
Learn about the key requirements, duties, responsibilities, and skills that
should be in a marketing manager job description.
Social Media Manager Job Description
Learn about the key requirements, duties, responsibilities, and skills that
should be in a social media manager job description.
Copywriter Job Description
Learn about the key requirements, duties, responsibilities, and skills that
should be in a copywriter job description.
Copywriter Interview Questions
Top 5 copywriter interview questions with detailed tips for both hiring
managers and candidates.
Blogger Interview Questions
Top 5 blogger Interview interview questions with detailed tips for both hiring
managers and candidates.
The fastest way to hire
Follow @betterteamapp
Send Jobs to 100+ Job Boards with One Submission
Country
United States
32
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15 Important Characteristics of Public Relations (Explained)
Updated on: October 12, 2019 Leave a Comment
Public Relations is deliberate, planned and sustained efforts to establish and
maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its public. It is an
important tool of the promotion mix of the firm which is used to establish and
enhance a positive image of an organization and its products among its various
public.
33
Characteristics of Public Relations
This concept is based on the fact that the right of an organization to operate is
conferred by the public and this privilege may be withdrawn if an organization fails to
serve the primary needs of its public.
It is clearly meant that Public relations is involved with more than just customer
relationships, and it is often handled at the corporate level rather than at the
functional level of Marketing Management.
An Organisation, through its Public Relations functions, Monitors the attitudes of its
publics and distributes information and communications to build goodwill.
Characteristics of Public Relations
Some of the important characteristics of public relations are as follows:
1. It is two-way communication between an organization and its public through
which they both try to understand and corporate with each other and eliminate
misunderstanding.
2. Public Relations is not only a social philosophy, expressed in policy
inactions of a firm, but it is also the communication of this philosophy to its
concerned public. 12 Essential Tools of Public Relations (Explained with
Example).
3. It is a method of establishing a mutual understanding between an
organization and its publics.
4. It is an important promotion mix tool of a firm which involves a variety of
programs designed to promote or protect a company’s image for its
individual products.
5. It helps in developing a favorable or positive image of an organization and its
products among its various publics.
34
6. It is not only an art but science also.
7. It is the top management function of a firm that continuously monitors the
attitudes of the organization public, distributes information and adopts positive
programs to present negative publicity in the first place.
functions of public relations
8. Human relations, empathy, persuasion, and dialogue are the basic elements
of public relations. uman relations emphasis on the fact that every person is a
humanly. ‘Empathy‘ is feeling with the other person. It can be regarded as
the primary prerequisite for a satisfying experience in any relationship where
a certain degree of depth of understanding is expected. ‘Persuasion‘ focuses
on the sense of human interest instead of compilation while dealing with
another person. Dialogue is a reasonable exchange of Ideas bringing into a
being a new form of knowledge, the use of dialogue is for influencing
behavior. 18 Benefits and Objectives of Marketing Control (Explained).
9. Four basic elements of public relations: 1. It is a social management
philosophy. 2. It is an expression of this philosophy in policy decisions. 3. It is
action resulting from these policies and, 4. It is two-way communication that
contributes towards the creation of these policies and them explains, reveals,
defends or promote them to the public so as to secure mutual understanding
and Goodwill.
10. Public Relations activities can be targeted to a small specialized audience if
the right target media of vehicle used.
11. Advertising, lobbying, press agency, and publicity are tools of the public
relations fraction.
12. It is the social responsibility of each business institution.
13. Good Public Relations cannot be achieved by the delegation of action to a
public relations manager and a staff of specialists but is achieved by every
operating Department head as well as of line and staff executives. 37
Essential Qualities of a Successful Entrepreneur (Must Know).
14. The function of the public relations department is to assist top
management in executing policies and developing good relations with the
various publics.
15. Public relations is the overall discipline of understanding, and Justing to, and
motivating group attitudes. It deals with many intangibles and by its, the very
nature tends to be diverse. But it is not meant that:
It is a substitute for bad management or a clue all for poor policies, products, and
services.
It is a device for deceiving the public.
35
It is a temporary defensive activity to compensate for management’s mistakes in
dealing with the public.
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What Is Public Relations? PR Functions, Types, & Examples
February 28, 2022 by Aashish Pahwa
Public image makes up 63% of the value of most companies today. When
there’s a mishap or when the company’s reputation breaks down, it affects the
company’s entire corporate existence and its affiliates. It takes around 4 to 7
years to overcome a negative reputation. Hence it has become important for a
company to invest in good public relations strategies to maintain a beneficial
relationship with the public.
Contents show
What Is Public Relations?
Public relations is a strategic communication process companies, individuals,
and organisations use to build mutually beneficial relationships with the public.
A public relations specialist drafts a specialised communication plan and uses
media and other direct and indirect mediums to create and maintain a positive
brand image and a strong relationship with the target audience.
41
In simple terms, public relations is a strategised process of managing the
release and spread of organisation-related information to the public to
maintain a favourable reputation of the organisation and its brands. This
process focuses on –
What information should be released,
How it should be drafted,
How it should be released, and
What media should be used to release the information (usually earned or free
media is used for the same).
What Is The Objective Of Public
Relations?
The main objective of public relations is to maintain a positive reputation of
the brand and maintain a strategic relationship with the public, prospective
customers, partners, investors, employees and other stakeholders which
leads to a positive image of the brand and makes it seem honest, successful,
important, and relevant.
Functions Of Public Relations
Public relations is different from advertising. Public relations agencies don’t
buy ads, they don’t write stories for reporters, and they don’t focus on
attractive paid promotions. The main role of public relations is to promote the
brand by using editorial content appearing in magazines, newspapers, news
channels, websites, blogs, and TV programs.
Using earned or free media for promotion has its own benefits as information
on these mediums aren’t bought. It has a third-party validation and hence isn’t
viewed with scepticism by the public.
The functions of public relations managers and public relations agencies
include:
1. Anticipating, analysing, and interpreting the public opinion and attitudes of the
public towards the brand and drafting strategies which use free or earned
media to influence them.
2. Drafting strategies to support the brand’s every campaign and new move
through editorial content.
3. Writing and distributing press releases.
4. Speechwriting.
5. Planning and executing special public outreach and media relations events.
6. Writing content for the web (internal and external websites).
7. Developing a crisis public relations strategy.
8. Handling the social media presence of the brand and responding to public
reviews on social media websites.
9. Counselling the employees of the organisation with regard to policies, course
of action, organisation’s responsibility and their responsibility.
42
10. Dealing with government and legislative agencies on behalf of the
organisation.
11. Dealing with public groups and other organisations with regard to social and
other policies of the organisation and legislation of the government.
12. Handling investor relations.
Types Of Public Relations
According to the functions of the public relations department/agencies, public
relations can be divided into 7 types. These are:
Media Relations: Establishing a good relationship with the media
organisations and acting as their content source.
Investor Relations: Handling investors events, releasing financial reports
and regulatory filings, and handling investors, analysts and media queries and
complaints.
Government Relations: Representing the brand to the government with
regard to the fulfilment of policies like corporate social responsibility, fair
competition, consumer protection, employee protection, etc.
Community Relations: Handling the social aspect of the brand and
establishing a positive reputation in the social niche like environment
protection, education, etc.
Internal Relations: Counselling the employees of the organisation with
regard to policies, course of action, organisation’s responsibility and their
responsibility. Cooperating with them during special product launches and
events.
Customer Relations: Handling relationships with the target market and lead
consumers. Conducting market research to know more about interests,
attitudes, and priorities of the customers and crafting strategies to influence
the same using earned media.
Marketing Communications: Supporting marketing efforts relating to
product launch, special campaigns, brand awareness, image, and positioning.
Public Relations Examples
PR stunts or strategies range from donating to an affected community to
running a brand activation stunt in a mall. Some of the examples of successful
public relations campaigns are:
Google’s Fight Ebola Campaign
The outbreak of the Ebola virus in 2014 was critical as it was spread among
many countries and took many lives. Google, to help the people in need and
to build up a positive brand image, started a donation campaign where it
pledged to give $2 for every $1 donated to the cause through its website.
The public relations strategy attracted the media attention and resulted to be a
huge success as Google raised $7.5 million.
43
Paramount Pictures The Ring Publicity
Stunt
Paramount Pictures, to promote its new horror franchise, The Ring, and to get
more user attention, took a step forward and planned a publicity stunt where
the protagonist haunted the people in a real-life scenario.
The film’s most iconic scene of Samara crawling out of the TV set was
recreated in a TV showroom where the protagonist came crawling out of the
hidden compartment behind a TV screen and scared people.
The stunt went viral and the video received over 10 million views on
Facebook.
Just Eat & A Sick Customer
Just Eat is an online food ordering application that lets users add comments
to their orders to inform the delivery person about the right address or to leave
the order to the neighbour etc.
44
One unwell customer tried her luck to see if she could get the delivery person
to stop en-route and get her some medicines. She wrote:
Will you please stop in the Spar on the way and get me
some Benylin cold and flu tablets and I’ll give you the
money. Only ordering food so I can get the tablets. I’m
sick xx.
The delivery person delivered both and this public relations stunt went viral
over the media.
Facebook Paris Support Profile Pictures
In response to the tragic shooting in Paris in 2015 where at least 129 people
died, Facebook added a France flag filter which the users could apply to their
profile pictures to support France. Millions of people applied this filter and
appreciated this effort by Facebook.
45
Advantages Of Public Relations
Credibility: Public trusts the message coming from a trusted third party more
than the advertised content.
Reach: A good public relations strategy can attract many news outlets,
exposing the content to a large audience. Moreover, this medium can help the
company utilise certain organic touchpoints that are hard to capitalise on
otherwise.
Cost effectiveness: Public relations is a cost effective technique to reach
large audience as compared to paid promotion.
Better Communication: Public relations help the company to communicate
more information to the public than other forms of communication media.
Disadvantages Of Public Relations
No Direct Control: Unlike paid media, there isn’t a direct control over the
content distributed through the earned media. This is the biggest risk of
investing in public relations.
46
Hard To Measure Success: It is really hard to measure and evaluate the
effectiveness of a PR campaign.
No Guaranteed Results: Publishing of a press release isn’t guaranteed as
the brand doesn’t pay for it. The media outlet publishes it only if it feels that
it’ll attract its target audience.
Importance Of Public Relations
With over 63% of the value of most companies dependent on their public
image, public relations has become a very important topic today for numerous
reasons:
Builds Up The Brand Image
The brand image gets a boost when the target customers get to know about it
through a third-party media outlet. A good public relations strategy help the
brand builds up its image in the way it wants to.
It’s Opportunistic
Public relations strategies make the brand capitalise on the opportunities.
Google was in the news for donating to Ebola. Facebook promoted LGBTQ
rights. Coca-Cola did a PR stunt against obesity.
These opportunities even attract many influencers to share the brand story to
their followers.
Promote Brand Values
PR is used to send out positive messages which are in line with the brand’s
value and its image. This builds up the brand’s reputation.
Strengthen Community Relations
PR strategies are used to convey that the brand is as much part of society as
the target audience. This builds up a strong relationship of the brand with the
public.
Public Relations vs Marketing vs
Advertising
Public relations deals in communicating expertly drafted messages using non-
paid/earned media to build mutually beneficial relationships with the public.
Advertising, on the other hand, is a paid communication message intended to
inform people about something or to influence them to buy or try something.
Marketing is the umbrella under which all the divisions dealing with creating,
communicating, delivering, and exchanging dwells. That is, PR is the subset
47
of marketing. Everything a PR department does is determined by the
marketing goals set by the organisation.
Marketing Advertising Public Relations
Public relations is a
Marketing refers to Advertising is the marketing tool of
activities a company action of calling communicating
undertakes to create, public attention to expertly drafted
communicate an idea, good, or messages using non-
Definition
promote, deliver, and service through paid paid/earned media to
exchange the offerings announcements by build mutually
that have value for the an identified beneficial
customers. sponsor. relationships with the
public.
Company/Brand Communication
Relationship driven Driven by
growth driven driven
Communicatio
Two-way One-way Two-way
n
To communicate to
the target audience
Identify and cater to about a certain To build a favourable
the customers’ needs offering, action, relationship with the Importance
to survive and thrive. work, or other target audience.
brand-related
information
Go On, Tell Us What You Think!
Did we miss something? Come on! Tell us what you think about our article on
public relations in the comments section.
48
Aashish Pahwa
A startup consultant, digital marketer, traveller, and philomath. Aashish has worked
with over 20 startups and successfully helped them ideate, raise money, and
succeed. When not working, he can be found hiking, camping, and stargazing.
Categories Marketing Essentials
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What Is Public Relations? PR Functions, Types, & Examples
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What Is Public Relations? PR Functions, Types, & Examples
February 28, 2022 by Aashish Pahwa
52
Public image makes up 63% of the value of most companies today. When
there’s a mishap or when the company’s reputation breaks down, it affects the
company’s entire corporate existence and its affiliates. It takes around 4 to 7
years to overcome a negative reputation. Hence it has become important for a
company to invest in good public relations strategies to maintain a beneficial
relationship with the public.
Contents show
What Is Public Relations?
Public relations is a strategic communication process companies, individuals,
and organisations use to build mutually beneficial relationships with the public.
A public relations specialist drafts a specialised communication plan and uses
media and other direct and indirect mediums to create and maintain a positive
brand image and a strong relationship with the target audience.
In simple terms, public relations is a strategised process of managing the
release and spread of organisation-related information to the public to
maintain a favourable reputation of the organisation and its brands. This
process focuses on –
What information should be released,
How it should be drafted,
How it should be released, and
53
What media should be used to release the information (usually earned or free
media is used for the same).
What Is The Objective Of Public
Relations?
The main objective of public relations is to maintain a positive reputation of
the brand and maintain a strategic relationship with the public, prospective
customers, partners, investors, employees and other stakeholders which
leads to a positive image of the brand and makes it seem honest, successful,
important, and relevant.
Functions Of Public Relations
Public relations is different from advertising. Public relations agencies don’t
buy ads, they don’t write stories for reporters, and they don’t focus on
attractive paid promotions. The main role of public relations is to promote the
brand by using editorial content appearing in magazines, newspapers, news
channels, websites, blogs, and TV programs.
Using earned or free media for promotion has its own benefits as information
on these mediums aren’t bought. It has a third-party validation and hence isn’t
viewed with scepticism by the public.
The functions of public relations managers and public relations agencies
include:
1. Anticipating, analysing, and interpreting the public opinion and attitudes of the
public towards the brand and drafting strategies which use free or earned
media to influence them.
2. Drafting strategies to support the brand’s every campaign and new move
through editorial content.
3. Writing and distributing press releases.
4. Speechwriting.
5. Planning and executing special public outreach and media relations events.
6. Writing content for the web (internal and external websites).
7. Developing a crisis public relations strategy.
8. Handling the social media presence of the brand and responding to public
reviews on social media websites.
9. Counselling the employees of the organisation with regard to policies, course
of action, organisation’s responsibility and their responsibility.
10. Dealing with government and legislative agencies on behalf of the
organisation.
11. Dealing with public groups and other organisations with regard to social and
other policies of the organisation and legislation of the government.
12. Handling investor relations.
Types Of Public Relations
54
According to the functions of the public relations department/agencies, public
relations can be divided into 7 types. These are:
Media Relations: Establishing a good relationship with the media
organisations and acting as their content source.
Investor Relations: Handling investors events, releasing financial reports
and regulatory filings, and handling investors, analysts and media queries and
complaints.
Government Relations: Representing the brand to the government with
regard to the fulfilment of policies like corporate social responsibility, fair
competition, consumer protection, employee protection, etc.
Community Relations: Handling the social aspect of the brand and
establishing a positive reputation in the social niche like environment
protection, education, etc.
Internal Relations: Counselling the employees of the organisation with
regard to policies, course of action, organisation’s responsibility and their
responsibility. Cooperating with them during special product launches and
events.
Customer Relations: Handling relationships with the target market and lead
consumers. Conducting market research to know more about interests,
attitudes, and priorities of the customers and crafting strategies to influence
the same using earned media.
Marketing Communications: Supporting marketing efforts relating to
product launch, special campaigns, brand awareness, image, and positioning.
Public Relations Examples
PR stunts or strategies range from donating to an affected community to
running a brand activation stunt in a mall. Some of the examples of successful
public relations campaigns are:
Google’s Fight Ebola Campaign
The outbreak of the Ebola virus in 2014 was critical as it was spread among
many countries and took many lives. Google, to help the people in need and
to build up a positive brand image, started a donation campaign where it
pledged to give $2 for every $1 donated to the cause through its website.
The public relations strategy attracted the media attention and resulted to be a
huge success as Google raised $7.5 million.
55
Paramount Pictures The Ring Publicity
Stunt
Paramount Pictures, to promote its new horror franchise, The Ring, and to get
more user attention, took a step forward and planned a publicity stunt where
the protagonist haunted the people in a real-life scenario.
The film’s most iconic scene of Samara crawling out of the TV set was
recreated in a TV showroom where the protagonist came crawling out of the
hidden compartment behind a TV screen and scared people.
The stunt went viral and the video received over 10 million views on
Facebook.
Just Eat & A Sick Customer
Just Eat is an online food ordering application that lets users add comments
to their orders to inform the delivery person about the right address or to leave
the order to the neighbour etc.
56
One unwell customer tried her luck to see if she could get the delivery person
to stop en-route and get her some medicines. She wrote:
Will you please stop in the Spar on the way and get me
some Benylin cold and flu tablets and I’ll give you the
money. Only ordering food so I can get the tablets. I’m
sick xx.
The delivery person delivered both and this public relations stunt went viral
over the media.
Facebook Paris Support Profile Pictures
In response to the tragic shooting in Paris in 2015 where at least 129 people
died, Facebook added a France flag filter which the users could apply to their
profile pictures to support France. Millions of people applied this filter and
appreciated this effort by Facebook.
57
Advantages Of Public Relations
Credibility: Public trusts the message coming from a trusted third party more
than the advertised content.
Reach: A good public relations strategy can attract many news outlets,
exposing the content to a large audience. Moreover, this medium can help the
company utilise certain organic touchpoints that are hard to capitalise on
otherwise.
Cost effectiveness: Public relations is a cost effective technique to reach
large audience as compared to paid promotion.
Better Communication: Public relations help the company to communicate
more information to the public than other forms of communication media.
Disadvantages Of Public Relations
No Direct Control: Unlike paid media, there isn’t a direct control over the
content distributed through the earned media. This is the biggest risk of
investing in public relations.
58
Hard To Measure Success: It is really hard to measure and evaluate the
effectiveness of a PR campaign.
No Guaranteed Results: Publishing of a press release isn’t guaranteed as
the brand doesn’t pay for it. The media outlet publishes it only if it feels that
it’ll attract its target audience.
Importance Of Public Relations
With over 63% of the value of most companies dependent on their public
image, public relations has become a very important topic today for numerous
reasons:
Builds Up The Brand Image
The brand image gets a boost when the target customers get to know about it
through a third-party media outlet. A good public relations strategy help the
brand builds up its image in the way it wants to.
It’s Opportunistic
Public relations strategies make the brand capitalise on the opportunities.
Google was in the news for donating to Ebola. Facebook promoted LGBTQ
rights. Coca-Cola did a PR stunt against obesity.
These opportunities even attract many influencers to share the brand story to
their followers.
Promote Brand Values
PR is used to send out positive messages which are in line with the brand’s
value and its image. This builds up the brand’s reputation.
Strengthen Community Relations
PR strategies are used to convey that the brand is as much part of society as
the target audience. This builds up a strong relationship of the brand with the
public.
Public Relations vs Marketing vs
Advertising
Public relations deals in communicating expertly drafted messages using non-
paid/earned media to build mutually beneficial relationships with the public.
Advertising, on the other hand, is a paid communication message intended to
inform people about something or to influence them to buy or try something.
Marketing is the umbrella under which all the divisions dealing with creating,
communicating, delivering, and exchanging dwells. That is, PR is the subset
59
of marketing. Everything a PR department does is determined by the
marketing goals set by the organisation.
Marketing Advertising Public Relations
Public relations is a
Marketing refers to Advertising is the marketing tool of
activities a company action of calling communicating
undertakes to create, public attention to expertly drafted
communicate an idea, good, or messages using non-
Definition
promote, deliver, and service through paid paid/earned media to
exchange the offerings announcements by build mutually
that have value for the an identified beneficial
customers. sponsor. relationships with the
public.
Company/Brand Communication
Relationship driven Driven by
growth driven driven
Communicatio
Two-way One-way Two-way
n
To communicate to
the target audience
Identify and cater to about a certain To build a favourable
the customers’ needs offering, action, relationship with the Importance
to survive and thrive. work, or other target audience.
brand-related
information
Go On, Tell Us What You Think!
Did we miss something? Come on! Tell us what you think about our article on
public relations in the comments section.
60
Aashish Pahwa
A startup consultant, digital marketer, traveller, and philomath. Aashish has worked
with over 20 startups and successfully helped them ideate, raise money, and
succeed. When not working, he can be found hiking, camping, and stargazing.
Categories Marketing Essentials
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What Is Public Relations? PR Functions, Types, & Examples
by Aashish Pahwa
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