Defining Public Relations Paper
Victor Torres
MKT/438
November 23, 2015
Richard Dool
Defining Public Relations Paper
“No matter which formal definition one settles on to describe the practice, to be successful, public relations professionals must always engage in a planned and ethical process to influence the attitudes and actions of their target audiences” (Seitel, 2014, pg.5). Public relations is of great value to those in the for profit and not profit sector as public relations deals with image and branding in a favorable manor with the public. Public relations broken down reflects that the point and value behind are two important factors any business, agency, for and not for profit value with the utmost concern and regard which is; the public also known as the customer/s who make the business, and the relation with that public. Public relations is commonly synonymous with marketing, although two completely different definitions, most people incorrectly use each interchangeably although they represent two different meanings. While public relations and marketing support each other, there is much value and importance in differentiating the two as to understand each purpose and value to any organizations or business. Marketing is defined as the promotion or advertisement for sale of a service or item or brand. According to Businessdictionary.com, 2015 marketing is defined as;
“The management process through which goods and services move from concept to the customer. It includes the coordination of four elements called the 4 P's of marketing: (1) identification, selection and development of a product, (2) determination of its price, (3) selection of a distribution channel to reach the customer's place, and (4) development and implementation of a promotional strategy” (businessdictionary.com, 2015).
Understanding the definition of marketing, supports the understanding of public relations and what it is not. Public relations supports marketing in every aspect, however is public relations is a standalone process and this paper will further explore the definition and purpose of public relations from a variety of sources.
Definition of Public Relations
Public relations is the practice of managing publicity of a product, person, place or thing. Essentially, public relations allows those in positions of sharing or withholding information from the public for whatever reason to be in control of what is made known and not. The intention of withholding or sharing limited information is to allow for total control of how the information is shared and when. This is also known as managing of the public relations, so to allow those sharing the information, presently known as public information officers (PIO) to manage relationships with the public, engage the public, and uphold the image of the company, brand, or business they represent.“The earliest definitions emphasized press agentry and publicity, while more modern definitions incorporate the concepts of “engagement” and “relationship building.” The PRSA National Assembly adopted the following definition in 1982: "Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other” (Public Relation Society of America, 2015). Another definition of public relations offered by Marla Aaron of MRM Worldwide, 2015 is; "Public relations is communicating your organization's messages at the right time and in the right place to the right audience. With the proliferation of tools and technologies, we can measure the value of those efforts and how they align with a business' overall mission". Marla’s definition is centered on the message of the organizations being delivered at the right place and right time and messaging is the foundation of many businesses aside from the actual product or service offered to the publics. A third definition is; “Using the news or business press to carry positive stories about your company or your products; cultivating a good relationship with local press representatives” (Entrepreneur.com, 2015). This definition offered by entrepenuare.com, appears to be focused on the outlets used to deliver the messages