PR - A Management Function
November 6, 2006
The field of Public Relations has grown and changed over time. The responsibilities of the Public Relations practitioner have increased, and many businesses and organizations now have Public Relations departments. What I found most interesting was how Public Relations is no longer solely used for informing the mass media.
Professor James E. Grunig has observed the Public Relations sector of numerous organizations around the world for 35 years. Grunig states he has witnessed five major changes from when he first started off in the industry; two apply to PR as a management function. First, Public Relations is becoming a management function rather than only a technical communication tool. Second, the Public Relations practitioners are viewed more as strategic councilors rather then focusing on publicity in the mass media (http://www.leverwealth.blogspot.com).
Business newsletter Markitech Fresh Focus states that writing press releases is the least significant role in Public Relations. According to Markitech, Strategic Public Relations is, “the process of controlling the public perception of your company and the people who work for and run your company.” Additionally, Maritech found it is important to exert constant effort to maintain concrete and long-lasting relationships with the people who have influence in the market place. (Markitech, www.markitek.com/index.html)
Return of Investment (ROI) is another important part of Strategic Public Relations. ROI is basically the financial justification of a PR campaign and proves if the campaign was successful. Furthermore, MediaMeasurement.com notes the ROI is determined by reviewing many key points.
Some of the key points include:
1. Message delivery
2. Measuring against strategic objectives
3. Monitoring performance indicators
Media Measurement also believes having a meaningful evaluation gives more credibility to the Public Relations sector, therefore achieving better results. (Measuring ROI. http://www.mediameasurement.com)
The changes in the Public Relations sector have brought growth and depth to the PR profession. These changes have brought many new roles and job titles to the field.
If you would like to learn more on the topic, see some examples, or the different changes through case studies, here are some websites you can visit:
Macnamara, Jim - ‘Return on Investment (ROI) of PR and Corporate
http://www.carma.com/research/ROI_Dis_Paper.pdf
Media Measurement Ltd - ‘Measuring Return of Investment
http://www.mediameasurement.com
The Economist - ‘As Advertising Struggles PR Steps into the Breach’
by Jesse Phillips
Edited by Jessica B
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized. .
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