Defining Public Relations Paper

Defining Public Relations

A public relations department works on enhancing a company’s reputation with the use of skilled publicists. These people possess the ability to highlight positive attributes of the business, product, or person. Business today is extremely competitive. For companies to remain competitive, they need to stand out from the crowd and appeal to both the public and the media. The public are the buyers of the product and the media are responsible for selling it. (Crystal, 2007).

Public relations provide a service for the company by helping to give the public and the media a better understanding of how the company works. Within a company, public relations can also come under the title of public information or customer relations. These departments assist customers if they have any problems with the company. They are usually the most helpful departments, as they exist to show the company at their best. (Crystal, 2007).

PR also helps the company to achieve its full potential. They provide feedback to the company from the public. This usually takes the form of research regarding what areas the public is most happy and unhappy with. (Crystal, 2007).

People often have the perception of public relations as a group of people who spin everything. Spin can mean to turn around a bad situation to the company’s advantage. It is true that part of the purpose of public relations is to show the company in a positive light no matter what. There are certain PR experts that a company can turn to for this particular skill. (Crystal, 2007).

The Definitions

According to Wikipedia, “The term Public Relations was first coined by the US President Thomas Jefferson. He used the term during his address to Congress in 1807. One of the earliest definitions of PR was coined by Edward Bernays. According to him, "Public Relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interest of an organization followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.”” Public relations is the art and science of managing communication between an organization and its key constituents to build, manage, and sustain its positive image. The process of aligning the perceptions of targeted audiences (or publics) with the current realities and reasonable prospects of another entity is also a public relations effort. PR is about targeting an audience and being able to get your point across clearly and effectively. Corporations use marketing public relations (MPR) to convey information about the products they manufacture or services they provide to potential customers to support their direct sales efforts. Typically, they support sales in the short and long term, establishing and burnishing the corporation's branding for a strong, ongoing market. Corporations also use public-relations as a vehicle to reach legislators and other politicians, seeking favorable tax, regulatory, and other treatment, and they may use public relations to portray themselves as enlightened employers, in support of human-resources recruiting programs. Non-profit organizations, including schools and universities, hospitals, and human and social service