Pr - Art Or Science

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Public Relations: Art or Science? Public relations seems like a self-explanatory

term, yet after more than a century as a profession, a business, and a process, controversy and confusion might be greater than ever about what public relations is and what it does. Most people would probably agree that PR is an information function, but that would likely be the point at which agreement ended.

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Public Relations: The Complete Guide

One Term, Many Meanings, Lots of Misunderstanding When a scandal becomes the big news of the day, it is not uncommon for someone to describe those at the center of the scandal as “having a PR problem.” Well, if they are good people and have been caught up in the scandal unjustly, then public relations might indeed be the best way to clarify the situation, resolve the issues, and preserve and restore good reputations—perhaps ultimately leaving the people in even better standing for having overcome an ordeal. On the other hand, if those involved in a scandal or charged with wrongdoing are not good people, then theirs is not a PR problem, but rather a problem with the fact that they are not good people. Contrary to a belief held by many, public relations is not a system designed to make bad people and bad things seem like something else. This is not to suggest that unethical practitioners in PR or any other profession can’t pull off a sleight of hand and confuse people for a time, but such tactics are, like patches on a bad tire, only temporary and ultimately there’s the price to be paid for the deed itself, as well as for the deception. Perhaps one of the greatest areas of misunderstanding is that public relations is the same as publicity—that PR people are publicists or press agents and that their only reason to exist is to generate attention in the media. Public relations is an umbrella term that covers a variety of areas and functions, including communications, community relations, customer relations, consumer affairs, employee relations, industry relations international relations, investor relations, issues management, media relations, member relations, press agentry, promotions, publicity, public affairs, shareholder relations, speechwriting, and visitor relations. Clearly some of these functions overlap and many are virtually indistinguishable from others. They become distinctive in the ways that individuals, companies, and organizations regard a particular function relative to their own needs and objectives. Promotion, for example, has evolved into a large area of practice that may or may not be revenue generating, but raises the subject to a higher level of visibility. Many of the functions listed include the creation, produc-

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tion, and publication of literature, research reports, surveys, audio and video materials, online programs, newsletters, posters, seminars, or workshops. Agencies may specialize in particular areas, such as financial relations, event management, or crisis communications, and a company’s PR department will not necessarily require or desire the full range of capabilities or services listed above. It is important, however, to understand that not all experts in one discipline are experts in every other aspect of public relations. Another misunderstanding about PR gained momentum in the 1990s when the term spin came into common usage and eventually became extremely popular in some media circles. The term was applied to a practice by public relations people that was similar to the efforts of propagandists of another era who focused solely on promoting a particular doctrine or point of view, almost at any cost. Spin is in fact just putting information in either a positive or negative light, depending on the side of the issue the presenter is representing. There is nothing devious or sinister about it, though “the spinmeisters” and “spin doctors” were often referred to as if they were engaged in practicing a form of black magic. Yet another area of confusion has to do with lobbyists, who are in many instances lawyers or experts on a particular subject, engaged in efforts to persuade regulators and legislators to support or oppose the creation, expansion, or elimination of certain rules or laws. Typically, lobbyists refer to what they do as a form of public relations, which it is. Unfortunately, the only time the general public hears the term lobbyist used is when one is rumored to be exerting unreasonable pressure or alleged to have bribed public officials with bags of money or a junket to an island resort. The typical lobbyist tries to persuade bureaucrats by showing why a particular education subsidy or airport runway will be good for local constituents. Lobbyists are involved on both sides of most major issues, urging or recommending consideration of changes regarding health care, agriculture, transportation, energy, communications, environmental matters, and most of the lesser issues as well. It’s not all about the heavy-handed wielding of extraordinary power and huge campaign contributions in small, unmarked bills.

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Public Relations: The Complete Guide

A Potent Persuader and Problem-Solver Veteran public relations specialist Robert L. Dilenschneider calls PR “the art of influence.” In Power and Influence: Mastering the Art of Persuasion, he notes, “Power comes from remembering and using the linkage of communication, recognition and influence. . . . The art of influence is defining, realizing, and gradually strengthening your personal agenda.” Public relations means, in the vernacular of creative advertising people, giving the public “permission to believe.” If a message resonates, people want to accept it; they just need a reason. So PR experts give them that reason. They tell the public that the product was “ranked number one by J.D. Power and Associates!” Or that the subject recently won a prestigious Snerkle Award for Excellence in its class! Who are J.D. Power and Snerkle? It doesn’t matter. The overwhelming number of people don’t actually care. They are just pleased to be reassured that their product has been favorably recognized by some type of accrediting authority or some impressive-sounding organization. Despite being head of one of the largest PR agencies in the world, William D. Novelli never actually considered himself a public relations man. The co-founder and President of Porter Novelli, who later served as the Executive Vice President of CARE and as Executive Director and CEO of AARP, believes in integrated marketing solutions. “At CARE we distributed t-shirts to everyone with the words ‘integrate or die,’ ” he says. “It’s necessary to step back and look at the whole picture. Look at what needs to be accomplished and use whatever tactics and tools in the marketing mix will get it done.” PR’s wide range of functions can be tapped and merged to create a plan and strategy to address the specific requirements of a project, from responding to requests for statistics or producing the company’s annual report to writing seminar presentations and building archives. Not all PR people are publicists, lobbyists, or spinmeisters. And not everything a PR person devises is a “publicity stunt.”

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The Role of the PR Professional That not all practitioners adhere to a common standard of ethics or are supremely competent is another issue PR people confront. In a later chapter this subject will be explored more fully, but certainly the issue of ethical conduct has become more subjective than it was in earlier times. The late Philip Lesly, a leading figure in the profession for nearly fifty years, held that public relations “involves complete analysis and understanding of all the factors that influence people’s attitudes toward an organization.” Such analysis and understanding must certainly extend beyond generating media interest. In some of the most visible situations, a PR person is often an organization’s liaison to the outside world. A press secretary for a candidate for public office or a spokesperson for a department of government, for example, is usually the senior public relations person. Such high visibility and the potential impact that might result from remarks delivered— whether carefully crafted or offered spontaneously—underscore the importance of the “complete analysis and understanding” requirement of Mr. Lesly’s position. It also calls for a certain degree of diplomacy and good presentation skills. The PR person in many situations is second only to the CEO as the “face” or “voice” of an organization to its most important constituent groups. Additionally, as a front line contact person, fielding questions and receiving comments from people outside of the organization, the PR person is a critical source of information about what members of the public are thinking or saying about the organization. He or she has an open line to those that management seeks to influence, and it is a line that must be managed with care.

Art or Science? Even the Professionals Don’t Agree Members of the profession continue to debate whether public relations is best described as an art or science, while a pragmatic third view is simply that it’s a job and a function and PR people should not take themselves too seriously, conferring exaggerated importance on

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Public Relations: The Complete Guide

their tasks and devising new reasons to give themselves awards. Since the 1970s, PR specialists, realizing how much a client or company receiving an award can be used to enhance its reputation and status in its industry, have increasingly lavished honors on themselves. It is certainly true that, after more than a hundred years, many management-level people still don’t have a clear appreciation for PR or an understanding of its importance to both the company’s reputation and the marketing mix. Too many executives still regard PR largely as the entity set up to release earnings statements and handle questions from pesky reporters. But such executives hold to this attitude at their peril. Influencing how the public views a company is hardly an incidental function. In the days of instant messaging, instant access, and 24/7 news cycles, strong, professionally run public relations operations have been critical to the success of the most successful organizations. Writing and presenting information that properly describes a subject, an issue, or a company in the best possible light obviously requires a certain degree of creative ability, and a job that demands the crafting of “message points” calls for organizational as well as presentation skills. It clearly is an art. And PR’s reliance on demographic and psychographic research, lifestyle studies, census data, and opinion surveys reflects a scientific approach to most key PR processes.

Public Relations and the Media Public relations professionals are expected (and required) to have an expert understanding of the workings of various media and at least some knowledge of emerging technology and research, as well as legal, cultural, political, and behavioral considerations that might be factors in addressing the concerns of particular constituent groups. A PR person who writes or disseminates a press release for an event on the community calendar is performing a function that will benefit an organization. While we know that writing is not something anyone or everyone can do with great skill, writing is only one of the basic skills of PR professionals. But expect the billing rate to be even higher for the unique and special capabilities of an experienced crisis management expert. From a business perspective, fees for expertise in crisis management, reputation management, in-

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vestor relations, and mergers and acquisitions services are comparable to those of many top lawyers, financial advisors, and management consultants. So, public relations is an art and a science and for all that it can contribute to a company’s reputation, market position, and bottom line, it is surely a serious factor in marketing and business as well.

S UMMARY • Public relations means giving the public “permission to believe” your message is true and has value. If a message resonates, people want to accept it; they just need a reason. • One of the greatest areas of misunderstanding is the perception that public relations is the same as publicity. • Public relations is an umbrella term for communications, community relations, customer relations, consumer affairs, employee relations, industry relations, international relations, investor relations, issues management, media relations, member relations, press agentry, promotions, publicity, public affairs, shareholder relations, and speechwriting. • The term spin is commonly thought to have a negative connotation, but in fact it is simply putting information in either a positive or negative light, depending on the side of the issue the presenter is representing. • PR people are often the “face” or “voice” of an organization to its public, fielding questions and receiving comments from important constituent groups.

References Robert Dilenschneider, Power and Influence (New York: PrenticeHall, 1990). Philip Lesly, ed., Lesly’s Handbook of Public Relations and Communications, Fifth Edition (Chicago: McGrawHill/Contemporary, 1998). William D. Novelli, Executive Director and CEO of AARP, quoted in a 2003 interview with the author.