Public Relations - Oklahoma State University-Stillwater

Public Relations What is public relations? Public relations is a management tool for leaders in business, government and other institutions to establish beneficial relationships with other institutions and groups

Four steps necessary for PR First, identify your publics--your existing relationships Second, evaluate the relationships using research Design policies to improve the relationships

Implement the policies enlightened selfinterest Role of public relations in a democracy A way for public to speak its desires & interests to organizations A way to achieve mutual adjustments

between institutions and groups A safety valve for freedom An essential element to keep us informed Can help activate social conscience of organizations where we work

Origins of public relations Moguls in trouble Vanderbilt

social Darwinism Ivy Lee Rockefeller Ludlow Massacre Philanthropy Public relations on a new scale

World War I George Creel--Creel Committee World War II Elmer Davis--Office of War Information Corporate giving Minneapolis--5% club United Way campaigns Edward Bernays Freuds nephew

WWI Creel Comm. 1923 Crystallizing Public Opinion 1955 Engineering of Consent Social responsibility Structure of public relations

Arthur Page at AT&T PR as a management function External relations Internal relations Media relations PR agencies PR services Publicity &

promotion Lobbying Political communication Image consulting Financial PR Fundraising Contingency planning Polling Events coordination

PR and advertising Both persuade through mass media PR shapes org policy Sells points of view and images PR tries to influence media to tell its story a certain way Integrated marketing

communications Hot new buzz word. IMC--attempts to coordinate advertising as a marketing tool with promotion and publicity of the sort that PR experts can provide. Ad agencies move into PR Overlap in institutional advertising Media relations: crisis management Open media

relations Tylenol case history Proactive media relations Persian Gulf Steps in Tylenol case Halt Tylenol manufacture & distribution Remove Tylenol

from stores Launch massive ad campaign to exchange Tylenol for safe product Staff press center 50 PR experts for media & consumers Ordered internal co. investigation Full cooperation with govt investigators

Tamper proof pkg. Proactive media relations Crisis management seize leadership on a story Persian Gulf war Pentagon spokesman with Defense Secy & Chiefs of Staff Lots of news briefings

Adversarial media relations General Motors 1954 severed media relations with information boycott Mobil oils Herb Schmertz attacked media critics Use of paid advertising, advertorials Use corporate reps to tell Mobils side Respond to any media criticism of oil industry Professionalization of PR

Tarnished image PT Barnum Huckster whitewashing Flaks public information, public affairs, corporate communication departments Standards,certification, accreditation Professional associations