“What public relations is not…” and Chapter 13 Reading Notes

 

• Public relations has a broader reach than marketing. Marketing efforts are targeted just toward consumers, while public relations focuses on many different publics.

• Public relations differs from advertising in that it does not purchase specific placements in order to control the messages being sent.

• Consumer-focused marketing is becoming more popular as organizations are realizing the growing ineffectiveness of mass marketing.

• Public relations typically plays a role in the marketing mix by aiding with promotion.

• Integrated marketing communications is most successful when one clear message is sent. However, a slightly different initial message may help pave the way for a later campaign.

Chapter 1 Reading Notes

 

• Public relations aims to encourage and promote relationships that are advantageous for both the company and the public.

• A public is defined as a group of individuals with shared interests or values in a certain situation.

• Public relations is composed of various elements that are all associated with the concept of relationship management.

• The three disciplines within integrated marketing communications have very different definitions. Advertising involves the use of controlled media to persuade a target audience. Marketing deals with the development and distribution of a product. Public relations focuses on relationship management.

• The traditional four-step model of the public relations process is not always followed precisely as the realm of public relations is constantly changing and values are incorporated into the decision making process.

A New View of PR

 

Looking over various examples of public relations helped me to better understand the true definition of PR. Coming into this class, I viewed public relations as a one-way street. I thought that public relations just involved telling the rest of the world about different products, companies, and people. For me, the most thought provoking statement was at the end of the Red Cross Social Media Document. It reiterated the point that public relations exists to connect people. Whether these connections involve informing individuals about natural disasters or telling them about a new and innovative cleaning product, public relations serves as the bridge to connect people to the things that they want to and/or should know about and vice versa.