1.1: Defining Public Relations
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(The following Chapter section was remixed from 2.1: Defining Public Relations, which is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Anonymous.)
We can define corporate public relations in practice as operating an in-house public relations department within a for-profit organization of any size. By contrast, public relations agencies are hired consultants that most often work on an hourly basis for specific campaigns or goals of the organization that hires them. It is not uncommon for a large corporation to have both an in-house public relations department and an external public relations agency that consults on specific issues.
As the name implies, nonprofit public relations refers to efforts to represent and bolster the image of not-for-profit organizations, foundations, and other issue- or cause-related groups. Public affairs is the branch of public relations that specializes in managing relationships between governmental officials and regulatory agencies and their publics, sometimes thought of as constituents.
Among the many competing definitions of public relations, J. Grunig and Hunt’s is the most widely cited definition: Public relations is “the management of communication between an organization and its publics.”1 One reason this definition is so successful is its parsimony, that is, the way it uses few words to convey more complex information. It also lays down the foundation of the profession squarely within management, as opposed to the competing approaches of journalism or the promotion-based approach of marketing and advertising, which focus primarily on reaching and motivating consumers.
The component parts of Grunig and Hunt’s famous model of public relations are defined as follows:
- Management. The body of knowledge on how best to coordinate the activities of an enterprise to achieve effectiveness.
- Communication. Includes sending messages to receivers to convey meaning as well as understanding the messages of others through listening and dialogue.
- Organization. Any group organized with a common purpose; in most public relations cases, the organization is a business, a corporation, a governmental agency, or a nonprofit group.
- Publics. Any group(s) of people held together by a common interest. They differ from audiences in that they often self-organize and do not have to attend to messages; publics differ from stakeholders in that they do not necessarily have a financial stake tying them to the goals or consequences of the organization. Targeted audiences are publics who receive specifically targeted messages tailored to their interests.
As “the management of communication between an organization and its publics,” public relations has radically departed from its historical roots in publicity and journalism to become a management discipline—that is, one based on research and strategy.
In examining the text on public relations, it's clear that the field encompasses a broad range of activities and responsibilities, from managing communication and conducting research to strategizing interactions between organizations and their diverse publics. Reflecting on J. Grunig and Hunt’s definition of public relations as “the management of communication between an organization and its publics,” consider the following questions:
- PR as Management vs. Journalism/Marketing: Grunig and Hunt emphasize that public relations is distinct from journalism and marketing because it is fundamentally a management discipline. How does this distinction influence the strategies and goals of public relations compared to those of journalism and marketing? In what ways does the role of a public relations professional differ in practice from that of a journalist or a marketer?
- Evolution and Perception: The text mentions the challenge of defining public relations due to its evolving nature and the frequent misconceptions about its purpose. How has the fragmentation of media and the rise of multiple message sources impacted the practice and perception of public relations? What are some common misconceptions about public relations that you have encountered, and how do they contrast with the professional reality?
- Corporate vs. Agency vs. Nonprofit vs. Government PR: Given the different contexts in which public relations operates (corporate, agency, nonprofit, and government), how do the goals and practices of public relations differ across these sectors? Use specific examples to illustrate how public relations strategies might vary depending on whether one is working within a corporation, a consulting agency, a nonprofit organization, or a government entity.
- Publics vs. Audiences vs. Stakeholders: According to the text, publics differ from audiences and stakeholders in significant ways. How can understanding these differences enhance the effectiveness of a public relations strategy? Provide examples of how a public relations professional might tailor their approach based on whether they are addressing a public, an audience, or stakeholders.
Discuss these questions with reference to real-world examples, and consider how the concepts presented in the text can be applied to contemporary public relations challenges.
1. James Grunig and Todd Hunt, Managing Public Relations (New York: Rinehart and Winston, 1984), 4.