PUBLIC RELATIONS NETWORK CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The nature of public relations is very broad and therefore includes a wide range of activities referred to as the public relations network. Some of these activities are often confused as public relations instead of elements of public relations. An examination of these related concepts will enable you understand the proper relationship between them and public relations, and the role and functions of the practitioners of public relations.

2.0 OBJECTIVES

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

1.  Define the related networks in public relations such as marketing advertising, corporate promotions journalism, publicity, persuasion, propaganda, etc.
2. Identify the relationships between public relations and these networks/concepts. 
3.  Identify the qualities of a PR practitioner.

3.0 MAIN CONTENT

3.1 PR and Marketing

Public Relations and marketing are essentially corporate functions but Public Relations is not the same thing as marketing. PR is used both in the commercial and non-commercial organizations.

PR is not a marketing strategy as advertising is but PR is involved in all marketing decision made by any organization. Public Relations starts from innovation stage of any product. PR can be used in marketing of any product since the product of any company is meant for a specific market. PR can help in educating such a market.

Marketing of the product will fail if the market is not educated, if people do not know how to use the product. That is why PR helps to create a product image for the product and equally a corporate identity for the company marketing or producing the product.

A company like Nestle with a name for excellence in product has got an image to produce goods relating to its line. At the same time the company will have to consolidate the position of the product in the market by building image for the product. That is the function of public relations. PR can help to introduce a new product into the market. Public relations are very much needed to stage a good exhibition, press conference or market survey for that product. PR is also necessary in the feedback system of the product. The producers must be able to get a feedback from the consumers. A lot of people will buy a product that is guaranteed. They will buy a product that they can get spare parts or that can be serviced easily in their environment. PR is very important in positioning of a product in the market place and it helps in educating sales forces. The market of any products can be educated by press releases; houses journals and work visit to plants by consumers as well as the use of slides films and literature. PR also feature prominently in dealer’s relations, for example. Peugeot Automite Nigeria (PAN) sells its products through dealers and the dealers must be educated to know how to handle complaints by the customers.

In some cases, the dealers are educated to educate motor mechanics that will handle the repairs of the product. In all the six stages in the product life cycle, namely, development introduction, growth, maturity, saturation and decline, PR is very important. PR supports marketing through sponsorships of certain types of sporting activity- football, track and field events polo, golf, etc. Public relations support marketing by attracting and getting third party endorsements of the product.

PR and Advertising

While advertising makes the product known, PR is to build an image for the products. PR can be used in promoting the product. Nobody will buy a bad product twice and part of making the product good and acceptable is the work of the public relations officer. Advertising is basically commercial; advertising is paid for communicating to get publicity for the product or services. PR is not paid for in order to get publicity. Advertising therefore is a marketing tool and a means of achieving communication. Advertising helps to introduce a new product, to sustain an established product and to create flow of traffic for a retail outlet, to secure sales leads, demarcate a service and to promote a public cause. A public relations professional uses advertising for corporate institutional purpose. He uses the expertise of the advertising agency for copy writing purposes and for media placement.

PR and Corporate Promotions 

The public relations department will need research. The department will probably need corporate institutional or advertising research to help it plan a marketing strategy for the organization. Corporate promotions therefore provide a base for public relations department to draw its research materials. Corporate promote is a joint work of everybody in all departments to enhance the corporate image and promotions of the company.

PR and Journalism

Most practitioners of public relations enter the profession through journalism, but being a journalist does not necessarily make you a good practitioner of public relations. In the day to day operations of the public relations officers, he will need the journalist. The journalistic instinct must therefore equally exist in the public relations practitioner. The PR practitioner will have to write news releases. He will need to call press conferences; he will hold press briefings. A practitioner cannot do all this without an in-depth knowledge of how they are being done. That is the reason why the practitioners must be trained in the style of journalism. PR is beyond media relations. Also, as public affairs are concerned with politics, it does not translate to mean public relations.

PR and Propaganda

When public relations is misused, people equate it with propaganda. One of the most common misconceptions is to think that public relations, means propaganda, the manipulation of people’s minds by shady character (the Hidden Persuaders). PR and propaganda are widely different while PR’s objective is to achieve consent true dialogue, complete openness, understanding and collection of information through ethical fact finding methods respected worldwide, the objective of propaganda is to build a movement, direct information to a people already brainwashed, use and accept monologue, obscure facts or gives half truths; promote a following whether or not the people understand the issue at stake. Propagandists obtain information through questionable means.

Self Assessment Exercise

1. Distinguish between public relations and advertising 
2. Public relations is nothing but propaganda. Discuss. 

3.2 Qualities of a PR Practitioner

Public Relations involve the projection and management of image of an entity. It therefore follows that to be effective a PR practitioner should posses certain knowledge and qualities.

First and foremost the PR practitioner should have a theoretical as well as practical understanding of communication. As a foremost communicator, he must plan and execute communications that reveal, explain, defend and promote his organization’s, policies.

The PR practitioner must know how to write well, where to place what he has written and in what appropriate form i.e. newspaper articles, news story, letter, brochure, etc. Apart from written communication, the PR practitioner must be prepared to operate in whatever media appropriate to his communication objective in a professional manner.

A PR practitioner must have a strong, active, ethical and moral code to guide him in his every day work.

A PR practitioner must have good knowledge of attitude and behaviour change. He must have a good grounding in the methods of understanding and predicting human behaviour. He must have enough knowledge of such disciplines as psychology and sociology.

Reputation – A PR practitioner should be irreproachable and maintain high reputation in matter relating to moral and material integrity.
He must possess leadership qualities and radiate confidence even when he himself is not too certain of the outcome.
A PR practitioner must display unalloyed loyalty in all situations and at all times to his organization. Habit of cleanliness.
Good education – the PR practitioner must be an all-rounder. A basic knowledge in business administration is necessary for effective public relations programming.

4.0 CONCLUSION

The network that public relations is linked is wide and diverse. From marketing to advertising to journalism, public relations plays an important part in the successful working of these areas of co-marketing communication.

5.0 SUMMARY

In this unit, we thoroughly examined the relationships between public relations and other functions of communication to which it is related. We also examined the qualities a good public relations practitioner must possess to enable him to excel.

6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSGINMENT

Examine the close links between public relations and marketing