Public relations (PR) is a field concerned with maintaining public image for businesses, non-profit organizations or high-profile people, such as celebrities and politicians.
An earlier definition of public relations, by The first World Assembly of Public Relations Associations held in Mexico City in August 1978, was "the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organizational leaders, and implementing planned programs of action, which will serve both the organization and the public interest." [1]
Others define it as the practice of managing communication between an organization and its publics.[2] Public relations provides an organization or individual exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that provide a third-party endorsement[3] and do not direct payment.[4] Once common activities include speaking at conferences, working with the media, crisis communications and social media engagement[5], and employee communication.
The European view of public relations notes that besides a relational form of interactivity there is also a reflective paradigm that is concerned with publics and the public sphere; not only with relational, which can in principle be private, but also with public consequences of organizational behaviour [6][2]. A much broader view of neo-ubiquitous interactive communication using the Internet, as outlined by Phillips and Young in Online Public Relations Second Edition (2009), describes the form and nature of Internet-mediated public relations. It encompasses social media and other channels for communication and many platforms for communication such as personal computers (PCs), mobile phones and video game consoles with Internet access.
Public relations is used to build rapport with employees, customers, investors, voters, or the general public.[7] Almost any organization that has a stake in how it is portrayed in the public arena employs some level of public relations. There are a number of public relations disciplines falling under the banner of corporate communications, such as analyst relations, media relations, investor relations, internal communications and labor relations.
Other public relations disciplines include:
- Financial public relations - providing information mainly to business reporters
- Consumer/lifestyle public relations - gaining publicity for a particular product or service, rather than using advertising
- Crisis public relations - responding to negative accusations or information
- Industry relations - providing information to trade bodies
- Government relations - engaging government departments to influence policymaking
Other
- Publicity events, pseudo-events, photo ops or publicity stunts
- Talk show circuit: a public relations spokesperson, or the client, "does the circuit" by being interviewed on television and radio talk shows with audiences that the client wishes to reach
- Books and other writings
- Blogs
- After a public relations practitioner has been working in the field for a while, he or she accumulates a list of contacts in the media and elsewhere in the public affairs sphere. This "Rolodex" becomes a prized asset, and job announcements sometimes even ask for candidates with an existing Rolodex, especially those in the media relations area of public relations.
- Direct communication (carrying messages directly to constituents, rather than through the mass media) with, e.g., newsletters – in print and e-letters
- Collateral literature, traditionally in print and now predominantly as web sites
- Speeches to constituent groups and professional organizations; receptions; seminars, and other events; personal appearances
- The slang term for a public relations practitioner or publicist is a "flack" (sometimes spelled "flak")
- A desk visit is where the public relations person literally takes their product to the desk of the journalist in order to show them emerging promotions
- Astroturfing is the act of public relations agencies placing blog and online forum messages for their clients, in the guise of a normal "grassroots" user or comment (an illegal practice across the larger practice areas such as the European Union)
- Online social media and Internet mediated public relations practices
Best Colleges and Schools for a Public Relations Degree
Public relations (PR) degrees are available at both undergraduate and graduate degree levels. Two of the best colleges and schools for public relations degrees include the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and Syracuse University in New York.
Best Public Relations Colleges and Schools
University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles
Ranked as 2010's 26th-best college by U.S. News & World Report, USC offers a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and a Master of Arts in Strategic Public Relations. Public relations students take classes in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and gain hands-on experience by working with the on-campus public relations firm, TriSight Communications. Students can also join the USC chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Additionally, the school houses the research-focused Strategic Communication and Public Relations Center, which has earned support from such well-known companies as Nike, Home Depot and General Motors.Contact Information
- Address: University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089
- Phone Number: (213) 740-2311
