1- What is PR? Who are the various public involved?
Ans-Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) and the public.
Public Relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. In simple words it can be defined as the practice of managing communication between an organization and its publics.
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 release, newsletters, public appearances, etc.
Public relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment.
Public relations is the way organisations, companies and individuals communicate with the public and media. 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, etc. as well as utilisation of the world wide web.
A PR specialist is usually required to have a relevant type and level of education such as a Bachelor’s degree in communications or journalism. Proper education, however, is not enough to become a PR and much less to become a successful PR. A PR specialist needs certain skills (they are acquired through additional education and training), in the first place excellent writing and verbal communication skills. But a PR specialist also must know to work under pressure and be able to answer a variety of questions including unpleasant ones. For example, if the client is under a public “attack”, a PR specialist needs to establish a control over the situation and protect the client’s good reputation.
PR specialists and firms use a number of tools and techniques to boost their clients’ public image and help them form a meaningful relationship with the target audience. To achieve that, they use tools such as news releases and statements for media, newsletters, organisation and participation at public events conferences, conventions, awards, etc.. PR specialists of course also utilise the Internet tools such as social media networks and blogs. Through the mentioned tools, PR specialists give the target audience a better insight into their clients’ activities and products/services as well as increase publicity.
The various public involved in Public Relations are prominently classified as Internal Public and External Public.
Internal Public is an organisation’s employees or board members. While PR typically involves mass media, internal PR does not. While most of the times it is overlooked, PR should be an important part of an organization’s communication strategy. To do the Internal PR the right way, see it as a two way communication process, tailor your messages, prioritize it and establish a hub.
External Public deals with communications outside of the organization such as press releases, speech and interview preparation or discussing information with community groups.
2- How is PR different from Advertising, Public Opinion, Propaganda and Branding?
Ans-
Public Relations V/S Advertising
Paid vs. free
Advertising: you pay for an advertisement to be placed in the media.
PR: your PR agency develops strategies for you to gain publicity in the media. PR professionals develop a range of tactics to gain positive media attention for your brand, which is very effective at increasing your target audience’s brand awareness.
Message control
Advertising: you have control over the content of your advertisement including where and when it will be seen in the media.
PR: you have less control of your coverage in the media. Once you send a story idea to a journalist they have control over it. They can choose to change your story idea or not even publish it at all. However, your PR agency should offer you media training so you know how to control an interview and make the most of any media opportunities they create for you.
Duration of coverage
Advertising: You can pay for an advertisement to be shown in the media as many times as your budget allows.
PR: An advantage of PR is that you can send a story idea to a number of journalists who will then publish the story in different ways. This allows your target audience to see the information differently in many mediums, which may be more effective at reinforcing the message.
Target audiences
Advertising and PR are similar in that they both want to convey a message to their client’s target audience. However they convey that message differently and in different mediums. Advertising: your company can pay for an advertisement to be placed directly in the media your target audience is interested in, whether this is women’s magazines, TV or drive-time radio.
PR: PR professionals can communicate your message to a target audience in a variety of channels. The key to reaching a target audience is to place your message in the channel that your target audience is likely to use. For example; the channel could be an article in a company newsletter, a letter to local residents, an email to specific people, a blog post, a tweet, an article by a journalist and much more. This means that PR may be more effective than advertising because it can help your business reach their target audience in a variety of mediums.
Public Relations v/s Public Opinion
Public opinion and public relations are both technical terms that don’t carry much meaning to those not in the field. Both involve shaping public opinion, and typically use grassroots tactics to gain support. Bu what truly is the difference? Public affairs is considered a specialty in the skill set of a public relations professional, but the two fields are unique.
Public opinion is the PR specialty involving public policy and law-making. Companies often want to influence public policy because it will have an impact on their business, but they aren’t sure how to do it. Public affairs work helps businesses bridge that gap between public and private interests. Without public affairs efforts, the voice of a business may be ignored by those who are creating public policy and laws.
Both public relations and public affairs attempt to influence the public to act a certain way. Public affairs efforts can often target public opinion and voting behavior. Sometimes, that means helping form coalitions between groups that have similar goals and then leveraging that coalition to get the desired result. Public relations efforts also target public opinion, but in a way that motivates the public to buy a certain product, hear a message more clearly, or learn about a new business in a creative and unusual way.
Public relations, therefore, is typically more commercialized than public affairs. Public relations campaigns are put into place to help companies achieve their business objectives. But public relations is not advertising. If advertising is telling people about your company, public relations is getting people to tell others about your company. (And PR efforts are typically much cheaper than ad campaigns.)
The primary correlation with public affairs and public relations is that they both involve connecting with communities on a personal level. People are not influenced to act, think or purchase in a certain way unless they feel they have a reason to do so.
Public Realtions v/s Propaganda
Some people believe propaganda and public relations are the same thing because “they both lie.”
Sure, both public relations and propaganda seek to shape perceptions and influence public opinion. Both use mass media. Both are directed at specific audiences. The end result of both is to get people to take action (though those actions differ immensely).
The main difference?
Truth.
Propaganda uses lies, half-truths, innuendo, smears, misinformation, one-sided arguments and inflammatory rhetoric to influence the public’s attitude toward a cause, ideal or, usually, a political agenda.
Public relations uses truth if, for no other reason, their claims can be checked. PR relies on logic, facts and sometimes emotions to spread information between an organization or individual and its publics—information to promote products, services and build good will for the organizations offering them.
Propaganda’s underlying philosophy is us against them. “They” are often denigrated as undesirables or simply “the enemy.” (We have freedom fighters; they have terrorists.)
Public relations’ underlying philosophy is building trust between an organization and its products and services with its targeted audiences for mutual benefit.
Propaganda relies on one-way communications. It seeks to eliminate dissent, and those who disagree may suddenly “disappear.”
Increasingly, public relations relies on two-way communications via social media and encourages different points of view so organizations can better service their clients and customers.
Public Relations v/s Branding
It can be hard for a small business owner to distinguish between branding and public relations since both are used to accomplish business goals. In addition, both share foundations such as research, writing, psychology and communication and often the same tools such as social and traditional media. However, it is important for business leaders to understand the uses, strengths and limitations of each discipline in order to avoid wasting time, money and resources.
Goal
Understanding the differences between public relations and branding starts with untangling the end goals. In a nutshell, public relations is about managing relationships while branding is centered on creating an identity. According to the Public Relations Society of America, “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” Put more simply, organizations employ public relations to manage relationships with their stakeholders such as employees, media, government officials and investors. On the other hand, branding is designed to create an identity for an organization or product. According to an article in “Bloomberg Business Week,” an organization’s or product’s identity is built through creating a personality, promise or lifestyle or a combination of the three.
Timing
The order of public relations and branding is a key difference between the two. Developing a brand must come before engaging in public relations, advertising, marketing or any other communications-related company activity. Without clear agreement on the identity of the company or product, communications efforts will be scattered, ineffective and a waste of money.
Functions
Public relations and branding have different subsets. Employee, government, media and investor relations are under the public relations umbrella. By contrast, branding subsets include individual, generic and family branding, brand extensions and brand imagery and naming.
Reputation Managment
While both deal with an organization’s reputation, public relations can help a small business owner protect and defend her company during times of crisis. Crisis communication, a subset of public relations, is designed to research, predict and combat situations which disrupt the normal flow of business such as an accident, lawsuit or persistent online or real world rumors. For example, Johnson & Johnson used effective public relations to quickly and openly communicate with the news media and consumers during the 1982 Tylenol poisonings. Through public relations, Johnson & Johnson was able to protect and even solidify its company’s brand in the eyes of consumers.
3-Public Relations creates an environment for Brand Activation
Ans-Have you ever noticed when you go to buy a popular brand’s product, do you ever stop to ask yourself, how did they become so trustworthy and admired?
When a product is first manufactured it is virtually unknown to the general public.
Public Relations or PR is the practice of managing communications between an organization and its publics to build manage and sustain a positive image. It includes the activities that are used to create public interest in a product, person, idea, institution or business establishment. It works with strategic communication process to deal with their clients effectively and efficiently.
Public Relations play an important role in creating positive perception for new brands by narrating your story with different news angles to the media because now we live in a communication conscious society where people come across various commercial messages on daily basis. To establish a brand into market, bringing it into limelight capture a large audience i.e. Its target market by placing its value in the market through media which is possible only with an effective PR agency.
POWERS OF PR IN BUILDING BRANDS
PR creates the environment for brand activation, brand exhibition, brand education and brand after sales-services.
PR places more emphasis on two way communication, that is, it completes the communication cycle by ensuring feedback form, customers to ascertain brand experience and value.
PR helps to create brand understanding, its importance & necessity & build customer loyalty towards the brand.
PR can be effectively used to mitigate and manage brand related crisis.
PR shapes opinion, inspire action and change perspectives about brands.
PR in a way strategically helps the company to hold on to its brand promise, credibility and consistency.
Most people hardly believe what they see in adverts, but emphasize on more credibility which is communicated through PR.
PR is about building perception and managing reputation. It act as a bridge that connect brand with customers, builds the relationship and sustain the perception.
PR includes a variety of programs to promote and protect a company brand image. It analyses market trends and predict likely consequences to brand image and equity.
Example: Pirelli Tires
Here is an example of how brand activation can work. Pirelli Tires relies heavily on a strategy built on key partnerships with Formula One grand prix events, in order to promote its tires as being high performance.
There is a huge value with being a part of this world class racing event, as is the value of the premier performance and technology of the tires.
Having the name and logo as a part of the F1 racing circuit emotionally engages the consumer and all fans of racing, since the events are associated with high performance vehicles and expert driving.
Live experiential marketing events are being used by global brands to help position the brand into the consumers’ minds by attracting and emotionally engaging them in personal experience.
These events give people a chance to try a product, ask questions about it and participate in some way that makes them feel apart of the brand.
This can be achieved by blending physical and digital experiences together, so that the participants are encouraged to play apps and games, have their photos taken or ride on virtual reality car and bike simulators.
The purpose is to reach people on multiple levels (emotional, rational, psychological) so that they walk away from event remembering what is was like to touch, taste, and feel the product rather than just reading about it.
Promotional marketing involves raising awareness of your brand and its products in order to generate more sales and gain a loyal customer base.
The targeting of promotional marketing can take many forms, it can be targeted at businesses, to retail and wholesale companies or it can targeted at the end consumer. Consumer promotions can be executed by using reward loyalty programs, giveaways, special offers, product samplings as well as point of sale displays.
Business promotions can used in workshops, event sponsorships, trade show booths and direct mail campaigns. Wholesale trade promotions may consist of using incentives, or providing entertainment value or other methods like bonuses to reward resllers.
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