Chapter10: Public Relations

History of public relations Hail, Caesar! – –Acta Diurna – –Propaganda The origins of modern public relations – –Church propaganda (Congregatio de Propaganda Fide) – –Public opinion

Colonial American, US public relations Federalist Papers Declaration of Independence, Constitution

Colonial American, US, continued Davy Crockett P.T. Barnum’s circus – –“The greatest show on Earth”

Public relations in the age of the robber barons Smoothing rough labor relations – –Publicity – –Corporate press bureaus

PR pioneers Ivy Ledbetter Lee – –“The public be informed” Edward L. Bernays – –Public relations counsel The Creel Committee Arthur W. Page

Public relations matures PR events Press releases Public relations agencies Crisis communications Reputation management

The rise of public relations ethics Professionalism – –Opposition to Barnum: “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Public Relations Society of America

Trends in public relations technology New mass media-TV leads the way Videoconferencing Satellite broadcasting – –Satellite Media Tours (SMTs) Video news releases – –Video News Releases (VNRs)

Trends in public relations technology, continued Personal computer – –Broadcast fax services – –Public relations news services

On-line news and information LEXIS-NEXIS, other databases Telephone – –1-800 numbers – –Protests by phone

Public relations on the Internet Many cautions about opening up – –Intranets

Internet Monitoring / Surveillance – –Critical or polemical web sites – –What’s the competition up to? – –Copyright violations Electronic press kits

Industry organization Public communications advice Early-warning system Tech support for publicity and promotions Gatekeeping Media relations

Forms of public relations Publicity Promotion Community relations Government relations Public information

Publics for public relations Businesses – –Shareholders, Customers, Employees Not-for-profits – –Contributors, Clients, Volunteers Government agencies

Audiences for public relations, continued Elements of successful public relations Public relations organizations – –Usually assist existing corporate agencies – –Commercial news, press clippings, broadcast transcriptions The public relations profession

Public relations issues Private interests vs. the public interest Professional ethics – –PRSA code of professional standards Professional development Use of research and evaluation Public relations and society