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пособие Гpo-2011(оконч вар)

Text 1 Public Relations

Public Relations (PR) is a 20th century phenomenon. It is the art and science of managing communication between an organization and its key audience to build, manage and sustain its positive image.

PR is often confused with advertising. It is, however, a distinct branch of communication and involves informing and educating the public about the activities or philosophy of an organisation. PR is a powerful management function and a serious business activity. The importance of PR is growing by the day. Both government departments and the private sector have realised that advertising must be supplemented with an effective PR. This helps in two aspects: first in keeping close to the customer to satisfy needs and anticipate changes in customer demand, and second, to create a favourable impression among the people which advertising may sometimes not do.

The functions of PR can be described as follows:

  1. Press Relations: One objective of the PR manager is to ensure that the press write about the company favourably. For this, relations with media correspondents have to be maintained. They have to be provided with information and handouts.

  2. Communications: Customers, suppliers, employees, dealers and others in contact with the company must know what it is doing or plans to do in the future. Misunderstandings may otherwise arise which may affect the business in the long run.

  3. Lobbying: Effective PR can influence public policy. An important function of the PR professional will be to maintain close relations and convince influential people in various walks of life

  4. Counseling: Doubts have to be removed from the minds of people through meetings and counseling, which will help keep a direct contact and not let doubts remain, which may have an adverse impact on the company.

Corporations use marketing public relations to convey information about the products they manufacture or services they provide to potential customers to support their direct sales efforts. Corporations also use public-relations as a vehicle to reach legislators and other politicians, seeking favorable tax, regulatory, and other treatment. Non-profit organizations, including schools, universities, hospitals, human and social service agencies use public relations in support of awareness programs, fund-raising programs, staff recruiting, and to increase patronage of their services. Politicians use public relations to attract votes and raise money. Nowadays, most PR companies have a team that will come from a mixture of media backgrounds and may be able to offer all sorts of PR-related services such as branding, marketing, copywriting and advertising.

Edward Louis Bernays (November 22, 1891 – March 9, 1995) is considered one of the fathers of the field of public relations along with Ivy Lee. Combining the ideas of Gustave Le Bon and Wilfred Trotter on crowd psychology with the psychoanalytical ideas of his uncle, Sigmund Freud, Bernays was one of the first to attempt to manipulate public opinion using the subconscious. Bernays pioneered the PR industry's use of psychology and other social sciences to design its public persuasion campaigns. "If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, is it not possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing about it?” Bernays played a major role in defining the industry's philosophy and methods and thus is widely praised as the "father of public relations".

The importance of PR is expected to grow in times. One reason is that globalisation has made a lot of difference to the business environment. Global companies are very effective in PR activities. As advertising is becoming prohibitively expensive, companies understand that their campaign must have an element of direct contact also since that is the only way to know how the customers perceive the company or particular products. The future of public relations is thus very bright and will often be done in conjunction with other media.

Questions:

  1. What are Public Relations?

  2. What are the functions of PR?

  3. Why do corporations use marketing PR?

  4. Why is PR necessary for non-profit organizations?

  5. How do politicians use PR?

  6. What is the result of effective PR?

  7. Who is Edward Bernays?

  8. What are the reasons of using media by PR?

  9. What kind of team do most PR companies have?

  10. Why is the importance of PR expected to grow in time?