RE:PR debate cont
MarketS...good post...and if one thinsk about it logically speaking...why would anybody want the status quo to continue in regards to PR being done inadequately so inhouse?
The only party(s) that would want it to continue are those with unfettered access individually vs universal communication being provided.
To argue-to see the arguements that the status quo be continued and that professional PR has no place or service or effect in representing and sponsorsing all facets of a publicly or privately traded companies visibility and communication efforts-is trul enlightening to see the same individuals believe the status quo random efforts on this issue should just continue.
Public relations professionals do more than draft press releases and build relationships with key media representatives. They must also be familiar with the attitudes and concerns of consumers, employees, public interest groups, and the community in order to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships.
In addition to fulfilling their traditional role of getting a company's message out to its audience, those who have completed their studies in communications and public relations may also be responsible for developing and running programs designed to keep the lines of communication open between company and organization representatives and their various audiences. This might include such activities as scheduling speaking engagements for key company staff and speech writing.
Why is Public Relations Important?
At its core, public relations revolves around this universal truth: people act based upon their perception of facts. By managing, controlling, or influencing people's perceptions, public relations professionals hope to initiate a sequence of behaviors that will lead to the achievement of an organization's objectives. When those in public relations successfully create, change, or reinforce opinion through persuasion, their primary objective is accomplished.
Working For Companies: Public Relations Firms
While some companies keep the function of public relations entirely in house, others opt to outsource all public relations functions. Others strike a balance in which in-house public relations efforts are complemented by the work of an outside agency. A good example of an agency campaign that has increased product sales while raising awareness and establishing a company as a concerned corporate citizen is Yoplait's "Save Lids to Save Lives" campaign. This unique breast cancer awareness and fundraising campaign has Yoplait making a donation for every pink yogurt container lid mailed back into the company. The campaign has not only raised awareness and funds (Yoplait has donated over $10 million for breast cancer research), it has also given the brand added visibility and resulted in increased sales.
GROWTH.COM
Why You Need PR
Getting the word out about your product or service
should always be a priority. Why is public relations important for my company?
A: According to Public Relations News, "Public relations is the management function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or an organization with the public interest, and plans and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance."
While the public part implies inclusion of things like public affairs, community relations, investor relations, public press conferences, media events, internal communications and crisis communications, it also involves a lot of behind-the-scenes, non-public activity. It could involve simply the writing of a press release, but it could also involve coordinating media contacts for an event or conference, securing credentials, lobbying for article placement and the like.
Sometimes public relations is an effort to influence the public. This is especially true for political action groups, associations and other groups. Sometimes public relations is community relations. Just look around your own community to see how many companies and organizations have a community affairs initiative or a person in charge with a related title. In larger, publicly held firms, this person is sometimes the director of investor relations. Investors are a public entity, so in this case public relations is appropriate.
What the public wants to hear is a good story. Good PR is the telling of a good story. The better the story, the better the acceptance by the public and the better the public relations. Of course if the story is especially appealing to those that could be your clients, then you could have a PR homerun. In this case, it is communication with your target market that may or may not be very public.
PR's importance is changing, according to The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR (HarperBusiness). American marketing strategists Al and Laura Ries argue that public relations has become the most effective way to build a brand. Well-known brands like The Body Shop, PlayStation and Harry Potter spend little on brand-name advertising. The same is true for many entrepreneurial companies like yours. Business owners become known in their respective fields of concentration many times through public relations and the associated media generated.
PR is communication in many ways with your target market. Maybe instead of public relations we ought to call it target market relations or TMR. You may be communicating about a new product, spreading news about your company or making a major announcement. You want to communicate publicly, but the only people you care about are potential prospects, customers or investors, in the case of a partnership or a public company. One exception may be communication to a group that you are trying to influence for the best interest of your company and target market. An example of this is lobbying government.
Define what your public or target is in your public relations effort. This is best done by defining your target market and then any sub-segment. Lining up publications and broadcasts with the market and the segments will define what the public is for your public relations.
The bottom line is to get word out about you, your company, your products and services to those who could potentially buy from you. Public relations is just one part of marketing, as marketing is made up of many things. The good news about PR is the cost and the effectiveness when it's in front of your target market.
marketsense wrote: So the answer on PR is to do nothing because of other peoples failures. EUO is undergoing
game changing developements, is grossly undervalued and represent outstanding value
in profitability metrics for investors at these levels yet hardly anyone knows it exists? A car
has all the technology for movement yet still needs a driver to start it down the road. That's
what PR is for. If you read my post it goes hand in hand with execution. It's part of a co-
ordinated plan to raise visibility. Its not a stand alone plan. How else are you going to do it?
What I have said in this post as well as others in theirs would fill a very nice PR pieice in itself.
I know I do DD on interesting PR all the time, don't you?