Definition of public relations, (PR) is 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.
Most organisations either have a separate department or hire services of professional agencies to manage public their relations activities.
Public relations is about communicating. PR is about the messages the company communicates and its ability to persuade others to voluntarily adopt or share those messages.
In large corporations, for example, the executive responsible for public relations might hold a title like Vice President of Communications.
Some people try to diminish PR by calling it spin or buzz. But putting a spin on something or making it interesting enough to generate buzz are not bad things. They are valuable techniques in a public relations professional’s tool bag.
Then there are those who define public relations as corporate propaganda. But that’s wrong because the word propaganda suggests a deliberate intention to mislead.
Effective public relations is ethical and factually accurate. The goal is not to lie, because that could backfire spectacularly when the truth comes out (and eventually it will).
The public relations 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 and many more.
Public relations manager advises top management to adopt norms which adds to public image of the organisation.
Public relations is 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.
According to The Chartered Institute of Public Relations. PR is a strategic management function that adds value to an organisation by helping it to manage its reputation.
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.
Definition of public relations (PR) is the way organisations, companies and individuals communicate with the public and media.
It creates a favourable atmosphere for conducting business. Public relations is 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 is a mode of getting public support for an activity or a movement.
A PR specialist communicates with the target audience directly or indirectly through media with an aim to create and maintain a positive image and create a strong relationship with the audience. Examples include press releases, newsletters, public appearances, email as well as utilisation of the world wide web.
The world of business is characterised by fierce competition and in order to win new customers and retain the existing ones, the firms have to distinguish themselves from the competition. But they also need to create and maintain a positive public image.
A PR specialist or firm helps them both create and maintain a good reputation among both the media and the customers by communicating in their behalf and presenting their products, services and the overall operation in the best light possible.
A positive public image helps create a strong relationship with the customers which in turn increases the sales.