Public Relations and Framing the Message Chapter 12

Public Relations vs. Publicity l Publicity: one type of PR communication – Messages that spread information about a person, corporation, issue, or policy in various media l l E. g. , Kraft Foods launching a food education campaign after fatty processed foods came under attack Public relations: The entire range of efforts by an individual, an agency, or any organization attempting to reach or persuade audiences

Historical Development l Press agents – – l Hype and stunts P. T. Barnum and William F. Cody Modern PR Agents – – Ivy Lee Edward Bernays l The father of modern PR

Ivy Lee l Pennsylvania Railroad – l Ludlow massacre – l l Advocated open dialogue between clients and press Rehabilitated Rockefeller image Nazi clients Soviet clients (his undoing)

Edward Bernays l Freud’s nephew – l l PR’s first “counselor” Torches of Freedom – – l l l Applied behavioral sciences to PR Made smoking fashionable among women Sign of their independence and celebration of suffrage Engineering consent Lippmann vs. Bernays Wrote Crystallizing Public Opinion – The field’s first textbook

“Public relations is the attempt, by information, persuasion, and adjustment, to engineer public support. ” —Edward Bernays, 1923

The Practice of Public Relations l Growing field since the 1970 s and 1980 s l Public relations agencies: Counseling firms that provide clients with PR service l In-house services: A company has an in-house staff to take care of any PR-related concerns. l “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other. ” —PRSSA, 1988

Top Public Relations Agencies l Burson-Marsteller – – l 103 offices in 58 countries Clients include Coca-Cola, Mc. Donald’s, and Walmart Hill & Knowlton – – 71 offices in 40 countries Clients include American Express, Starbucks, and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals

Types of Public Relations Writing l l Press releases Articles – – l l Newspapers Magazines Brochures and catalogues Company newsletters Speeches Scripts – Television l – Video news releases (VNRs) Radio l Public service announcements (PSAs) – For TV and radio

Some Types of Work in PR l l l Media relations Special events Research – – – l l l PR’s fastest-growing segment Determines why particular campaigns succeed or fail Targets specific audiences Community and consumer relations Government relations and lobbying Nonprofit PR – PSAs

Public Relations Ethics l In 2006, the Pentagon investigated the Lincoln Group for misrepresenting its capabilities and connections, and secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by the U. S. military.

Pejorative Public Relations: What journalists fear about PR l Flacks – l l l Propaganda Spin Pseudo-event – l l PR people who insert themselves between their clients and the press Coined by Daniel Boorstin Fabricated stories Block reporters from sources

“We need to amend our work product, to get away from message triangles, hyped-up press releases, and controlling access to our clients. ” —Richard Edelman, Edelman CEO, 2006

Public Relations Society of America Ethics Code Advocacy Honesty Expertise Independence Loyalty Fairness

“In politics, image [has] replaced action. ” —Randall Rothenberg