Public relations plays a vital role in business today, but do you know what public relations professionals actually do and why it’s important?
How do we define public relations?
The field of public relations has always been a difficult one to define. A simple Google search for “What is PR?” will yield a myriad of results. According to the Public Relations Society of America, PR is defined as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics”.
To put it more simply, public relations helps to control brand communication crisis risks for your organization and influences how your target audience knows, likes, and trusts you.
The history of public relations
Have you ever wondered why the combination of bacon and eggs became the American breakfast? Well, we can thank public relations for that infamous combination.
Many years ago, the standard breakfast was light, often consisting of a roll and a cup of coffee or juice. Everything changed when the ‘Father of Public Relations’, Edward Bernays, started working for the Beech-Nut Packing Company. The company’s goal was to increase consumer interest in purchasing bacon. To accomplish this, Bernays had to think outside of the box.
Bernays consulted his agency’s internal physician to develop a theory that eating a more nutritious breakfast, as well as a more filling one, would be beneficial for people’s health. Bernays’s doctor wrote letters to over 5,000 doctors with the hope that they would endorse this theory.
When the doctors wrote back in favor of the fact that a more nutritious breakfast was, in fact, beneficial. Bernays had a story to present to the media. Headlines in newspapers and magazines read ““4,500 Doctors Urge Americans to Eat a More Nourishing Breakfast for Improved Health”. Bacon sales started to skyrocket. While Bernays is accused of using manipulative tactics, his campaigns were widely known and taught valuable public relations lessons.
The evolution of PR
Naturally, as time passed and the world changed, public relations evolved. Many years ago, public relations was a more traditional style, and was known as the “print model”, which involved sending press releases to journalists in the hopes of securing coverage and tracking placement. Thus, there was a saying that “Advertising is what you pay for; publicity is what you pray for”. Today, however, the expansion of the digital world has caused a significant shift in public relations.
Nowadays, public relations firms are involved in almost every aspect of a business’s strategic communication plan. Public relations professionals have adapted to incorporate social media marketing into their core services, and have developed ways to integrate these two strategies. Firms have also had to figure out ways to think outside of the box to cut through the online clutter and drive results. As a result, firms are now offering the following services:
Brand building
Communications campaigns
Media relations
Content creation
Crisis management
Strategic partnerships
Award programs
Speaking engagements
Social media
Influencer marketing
What can public relations do for your business?
Regardless of an organization’s industry or size, it relies on its reputation for success. Public relations professionals build and manage that reputation to help companies achieve their overarching business goals. Public relations also helps organizations navigate periods of instability and if the pandemic taught us anything, it’s to be ready for the unexpected. A public relations company needs to be integrated into your organization to allow for quick and strategic responses to challenges.
The Future of PR
By mid-2022, we have a clear idea of which areas of public relations will play a crucial role in the next few years.
Authentic content and messaging: Trust is now more important than ever. Consumers value organizations that convey authenticity. Public relations professionals will play a crucial role in helping companies maintain authenticity through their brand story and messaging.
Focus on Owned Platforms: Thanks to social media, we see brand messages reaching wider audiences at incredible speeds. This means public relations professionals will need to grasp rapidly changing trends and be nimble enough to pivot strategies quickly. Public relations will include focusing not only on earned media, but also leveraging brand-owned platforms to influence public opinion.
A Crucial Role in Marketing Strategy: Without a doubt, the lines between public relations and marketing will continue to blur. Public relations professionals will play a key role in integrating PR tactics with other parts of the marketing puzzle.
