Making a Media ImPRession

      A large-scale, corporate-controlled enterprise can be highly intimidating.  Many imagine a smoke-filled room where directors and board members sit and attempt to plot their next way to profit.  Public Relations, however, helps bridge a mutually beneficial relationship between a business and its customer by informing both parties of the other's intent and desire.  Because the public demands authenticity and can usually detect what is real and what is not, Public Relations has become a time-tested profession that has perfected the skill of narration and engagement.

      Now that PR practitioners have proven themselves to be skilled in strategic communication, the field of Public Relations is currently in a new transitional mode and is experiencing some growing pains.  Some professionals argue that the field of Public Relations is fundamentally different than Social Relations (SR).  They say PR practitioners primarily utilize announcements and events for message release, while SR practitioners engage in frequent communications about more routine things.

      Although PR personnel have not been predisposed to maintain proficiency in both social and digital media, they should be trained to communicate in these mediums because they will exponentially increase the “reach” of the message.

Honesty is the Best Policy

When people think about public relations, they often think of a ‘PR Stunt,’ or some kind of advertisement or campaign meant to draw attention, often on the verge of scamming the audience. People commonly don’t trust public relations because it seems to promise with no delivery. Today, public relations has built its own brand where honesty in information and relationships is the most vital way to not only increase loyalty of consumers, but to break down the walls of distrust with public relations itself. Over the course of history, public relations has developed from a ridiculous notion to the key to brand success and consumer retention.

History

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where Public Relations started because it came about when people began to persuade for an organization or cause—where people began to reach out to the public. So, really, where it can be traced back to is the Athenian rhetoricians with their public speeches and writing to persuade the people of their ideas. Even Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses can be counted as early public relations. (Lattimore et. al., 2009)

It wasn’t until about 300 years later that modern public relations began to emerge through P.T. Barnum’s tactics to get publicity for his circus—publicity solely for persuasion that ignored the truth because it wasn’t interesting enough. It was his dishonest, outrageous advertisements and displays that gave public relations a reputation of deception for the sake of making money that carries on today.

Cover and page from Barnum Courier, 1883. 2010. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 2015 Dec. 9. Courtesy of Creative Commons.

In the 1900’s, George Michaelis established the Publicity Bureau where he essentially set the ground work for the focus on fact over fiction with press releases by gathering information to publish in newspapers in order to inform the public of current happenings.Through distributing information, it was obviously more effective to communicate truth to the public that would keep consumers’ trust and loyalty. Around the same time, Ivy Lee defined public relations as a “management function” (Lattimore et. al., 2009)—making public relations a more reputable medium for companies or public figures to create a certain image and get their initiatives known to the public.  

After this, public relations even moved into the political realm as President Theodore Roosevelt communicated to the United States through press conferences and interviews. (Lattimore et. al., 2009) Once again this emphasized persuasion through being honest with the public.

Several years later, exaggeration creeped back in with perhaps the most memorable propaganda-filled public relations campaigns put on by the government during World War One and Two. (Lattimore et. al., 2009) Although these campaigns rallied loyalty and support for the war and the country, the propaganda brought about negative perceptions of certain countries and cultures.

As time went on, though, effective public relations was adapted into businesses by Edward Bernays with promotional events, Arthur Page of AT&T and his emphasis on connecting with customers, and Moss Kendrix and his advertising campaigns. (Lattimore et. al., 2009) Soon, departments and firms were established and public relations became more of a professional affair in building a trustworthy image rather than just initiatives to get attention.

According to Wren Ludlow, a current public relations professional who attended BYU, the biggest changes in public relations that will affect the careers of my peers and I are its convergence with marketing, journalism and advertising. New developments in our era such as social media and other technology have brought data and content for engaging and strategic public relations efforts. All of these aspects contribute to more efficient financial management and decision making. Organizations’ transparency about this information is what fosters trusting, “mutually beneficial relationships with key publics.”  

Howle, Jason. Social Media Apps. 2013. Flickr. Web. 2015 Dec. 9. Courtesy of Creative Commons.

Communication and Loyalty

Over the course of this progression, public relations has changed from being 100% about persuasion for business and has brought its focus into being open and transparent with its audiences. This is an essential part of the effectiveness of businesses today.

The purpose of public relations, as BYU professors have said in classes is to ‘build mutually beneficial relationships.’ Public relations professionals’ number one priority is to know exactly what is needed to build that mutually beneficial relationship with a public, individual, company, department, ect. in using effective communication and persuasion tailored to that specific audience.

The purpose of public relations firms and departments is also primarily to build up the image, or brand, of an organization. In other words, the focus of my career is to use strategic planning to increase the credibility of whoever/whatever I represent through relationships, campaigns and other tactics to gain loyalty and trust.

In order to do this, I have to be aware of current trends in society in order to make my communication kairotic enough for people to pay attention. Emotional and logical appeal are then used deliberately to craft messages with distinct rhetorical techniques designed for each specific public. 

Throughout all of these communication techniques, the real loyalty comes from the transparency and vulnerability that an organization offers. To tie this all together, I’ll use an example. When Tylenol's reputation was as stake, Johnson & Johnson saved their image (which is why Tylenol is still a household name) while creating a historic case study:

In the Fall of 1982, cyanide was found in several bottles of Tylenol in the mid-west. Several people were fatally poisoned and a nationwide scare quickly arose due to extensive media coverage. Johnson&Johnson lost the trust of millions of customers as people suspected that they created dangerous products or may have been careless in the production process.

Tylenol rapid release pills. Wikipedia. Web. 2015 Dec. 9. Courtesy of Creative Commons.

In order to fix this, Johnson&Johnson kept the public informed through news and other media about what they were doing to find the source of the tragedy. They also recalled their products, warning consumers not to partake of the medication in case it might be dangerous. This strategy maintained consumer trust and is the reason why we still see Tylenol on store shelves today. (Markel, 2014)

Analysis

This case study not only shows the value in transparency, but how to utilize that transparency to be most effective. If Johnson&Johnson had not been honest with their audience, they would have lost the valuable relationship with consumers that kept them in business. By being transparent, they were able to portray to consumers that their first priority was the consumer’s health and lives rather than trying to salvage what money they could from what was lost after recalling so many bottles of Tylenol.

This may seem counter-productive to the business as a huge aspect of why businesses exist is to make money, but it actually works for both sides. When a company is honest and willing to have open communication, the customer feels cared about and connected to that company. In turn, companies are able to retain a loyal audience and continue to keep their business growing and being successful.

Overall, we have come a long way from the days of P.T. Barnum’s tall tales meant to use deception as the main tactic for drawing in attention and ultimately revenue. Today, public relations professionals are kept honest not only through the success of their company, but by the Public Relations Society of America and its authority, network and code of ethics. To be transparent in public relations is almost not a choice, as the consequence of being discovered for dishonest PR Stunts is the loss of reputation, consumer loyalty and business as a whole. Looking at the whole picture, public relations builds loyalty with honesty in businesses in order to create its own image of honesty to earn the loyalty and trust of the public.

Works Cited

Lattimore, Dan, Otis Baskin, Suzzette T. Heiman, and Elizabeth L. Toth. "The History of Public Relations." Public Relations: the Profession and the Practice. 3rd ed. N.p.: Mcgraw-Hill Education, 2009. 25-43. PDF.

Markel, Howard. "How the Tylenol Murders of 1982 Changed the Way We Consume Medication." PBS. NewsHour Productions LLC., 29 Sept. 2014. Web. 09 Dec. 2015.

Annotated Working Draft and Hot Spots in Public Relations

Component Assignments:

1.            Relating to the Public

This post explains that the functions of public relations include building relationships, strategic planning and effective communication. I also show the importance of Kairos, ethos, pathos and logos in crisis communication and creating campaigns targeted towards specific publics.

2.            Storytelling in Public Relations

In this post I use the example of cyanide-laced Tylenol killing several people and how public relations saved Johnson & Johnson’s reputation. This shows how public relations professionals use stories creatively and succinctly to generate ideas and resolutions.

3.            Public Relations within the History of Civilization

Public Relations dates back to ancient rhetoricians. In this post, I briefly outline the stages and development of public relations from ancient times to modern practices involving the convergence of marketing, journalism and advertising.

4.            Institutional Authority and Communication in Public Relations

This is a fictional story about a student who turns to his mentor—a professor at BYU—for ways to continue networking past graduation at BYU. It talks about the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)—one of the key ways to stay connected while working in the field—and some of the resources and opportunities it offers including the PRSA International Conference.

Hot Spots

1. (Field/History) In the past, such as with the example of P.T. Barnum, public relations has had a reputation for using ‘stunts’ to rope people into purchasing or committing to a company in some way. On the contrary, most public relations initiatives today focus on complete transparency as many companies have found that being completely honest with the public fosters better relationships.

2. (Personal) Many times, public relations focuses on money and commercial gain as quantifiable measurements of success in crisis communication and campaign planning. As I want to focus on more non-profit and humanitarian public relations, I want to be able to measure success by people helped and lives changed—raising awareness of positive messages and relationships.

3. (Authority) Sometimes, public relations practitioners are put in a position where their superiors instruct them to build messages based off of dishonest intentions to boost or save a reputation. Employees must strategically make decisions based on their ethical standards and the standing of their careers. 

Public Relations within the History of Civilization

By nature, elements of Public Relations have likely been used throughout the history of mankind. We have evidence of early adaptations spotted here and there, but it was not until the 20^th century that the practice truly became a recognized field of its own.

In 49 BC, Julius Caesar sent reports of his achievements in a daily publication entitled Acta Diurna. (source) Thomas Jefferson was the first to use the term “Public Relations” in an address to the US Congress in 1807. (source)

However the first time PR was applied to managing communications between an organization and the public was in 1912 when a man by the name of Ivy L. Lee was hired by the Pennsylvania Railroad.  After a train wreck, Lee issued the first official press release—printed by The New York Times—to help the organization manage the adversity both internally and externally. (source)

After Lee’s press release, there was a shift in perspective with Public Relations.  Practitioners understood that PR was certainly necessary in times of crisis, but the influence of desire was a territory yet to be explored.  

During WWI, the US government began it’s own PR team titled, “The Committee on Public Relations”.  Here is where we see the birth of “Uncle Sam” and propaganda techniques to inspirit support for the military. (source)

Edward Bernays, often referred to as “the father of public relations”, was the first to incorporate psychology and other social sciences into Public Relations. He was the nephew of Sigmund Freud and was skilled in manipulating the public’s motivations and desires. Bernays was hired in 1929 by the tobacco company, Lucky Strike, to boost sales from female consumers, and succeeded tremendously by signaling fashion and the suffrage movement. (source)

Harold Burson pioneered the global aspect of PR and opened the first firm in 1953.  Today there are several hundreds of firms joined together by the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO). (source)

I spoke with Larry Macfarlane, an adjunct instructor here at BYU, who has long-served within the field of Public Relations.  He has said that during his many years in communications functions, social media has created a significant shift in the approach PR practitioners take. He says social media has put the “public” back into Public Relations.  Social media offers a robust way to talk about your company, product, or service in a way that feels genuine.  He pointed out that with social media, much more controversy emerges, but it is important to not ignore it, as it will only add fuel to the fire.  A final comment Macfarlane said was—as PR practitioners, it is necessary to constantly become proficient will new and emerging forms of social media. You never know how each new platform may build your brand.  

Storytelling in Public Relations

Foreword:
In my previous post I mentioned how a PR Practitioner’s entire purpose is to “tell a story” about the individual, company, or institution he or she is representing.  PR done well educates the public in a personal way about an organization’s efforts—whether it be to tell of new positive performance or renewing a damaged reputation.   

A PR Practitioner or Team will sit down and plan every single campaign with eight basic elements that comprise what is commonly known as the “PR Matrix” or “Program Plan”. The outline of the matrix is the following: Situation —> Objectives —> Target Audience—> Strategies —> Tactics —> Calendar —> Budget. Public Relations takes a situation and considers its objectives, audience, and strategies to create its tactics—a re-telling of the story.  

The following could be a first-draft pitch given within a boardroom of UPS headquarters about a situation. Perhaps Earth Day is approaching and the team wants its customers to know of UPS’s efforts of going green. 

Story: 

UPS delivers 18 million packages and documents worldwide every day and has a delivery fleet of more than 99 thousand vehicles that log a few billion miles a year (source).  Many concerned customers ask for facts about emissions associated with their individual package delivery and UPS is actively trying to minimize its carbon footprint. UPS is loyal to sustainability and to limiting its environmental impact, and is committed to delivering more while using less. 

Analysis: 

This short review is very informative and persuasive with data and numbers, and it does help the audience become aware of UPS’s purpose, however there is a problem with the lack of character that can make this pitch personal.  The commitments to “deliver more while using less” is empty without a plan or strategy. 

Retelling the Story:

With the help of a PR Team to create the message’s final draft, picture the following monologue voiced-over a short ad or video with shots of UPS employees and delivery vehicles. It is important to be aware that given the kairos of the situation (Earth Day and going green), it would be counterintuitive to tell this story through print. 

“‘Our trucks never turn left’ (source). 

Why? 

Because we are committed to doing everything we can to become not only more efficient in time, but in fuel as well.  In honor of Earth Day approaching, we have launched our own proprietary GPS system that helps our drivers navigate routes with the best fuel efficiency. This includes avoiding idling at intersections to complete left-hand turns. This simple new policy will reduce our emissions by 32 thousand metric tons— the same annual output of 5,200 cars. 

But, we will not stop there.

This year, UPS placed the world’s largest order for electric hybrid vehicles, and have replaced the trucks in our fleet that have stop-and-go routes in city centers. For rural routes, UPS has propane trucks for routes spanning 100+ miles. 

   

Finally, UPS is announcing a new paperless invoice system to save paper and make global invoicing easier.  

Using alternative fuels and advanced technologies are small steps that will make a huge difference. Our goal is to continually deliver more while using less.” 

Through a plan of three actions, this script for a video helps persuade the audience that UPS is leading the industry in green technology and behaviors.  There is still data, but it parallel to the message and lifts the ethos of the rhetor. 

Communication and Persuasion in Public Relations

Being an emphasis within the Communications field, the work of a Public Relations (PR) practitioner is a constant conversation.  First you are passing information, then investigating how the information was received, and then finally drawing analysis and conclusions for how to refine your methods.  PR really could be considered a behavioral science.  

Unfortunately some consider PR to only be managing your image, blasting news releases, or even spinning the truth.  Rather, in practice, Public Relations is starting the conversation, joining the conversation, and changing the conversation.   

A PR Practitioner wants to tell the “story” of the company or institution he or she is representing.  Though it sounds cliché, you want to build a relationship with real people.  It’s easy to forget the need to be approachable and accessible. The first, and most obvious public is your customers. The second are the very employees of the organization you represent.  The conversation had with the outside public and inside publics should both maintain the same level of truth and accuracy, but the messages may be tweaked to fit your audience.

Public Relations is a never-ending consciousness of one's kairos. You must be aware of what, how, and where your message is.  Today, in an age of mass media, every interaction is in real-time and the communication is around the clock. PR practitioners use email, social media, video and radio broadcast media, billboards, magazines, and of course, public speaking. As a PR practitioner, you must be aware of the public’s reaction by measuring clicks, tweets, views, and likes. It’s about having positive features in the newspaper and doing all you can to influence the public to have conversations about you.

I would consider PR to equally be epidictic, forensic, and deliberative.  Behind the scenes, a PR practitioner must earn and charm his or her way into conversations. Formally, however, the field is focused on affect attitudes and change perceptions through persuasion.

Again, Public Relations is starting the conversation, joining the conversation, and changing the conversation.   

All my life I have had a strong craving for the opportunity to lift the stations of others in my career ahead. It has been my lifelong goal to serve within the United Nations, where I hope to do exactly that. Having lived overseas for five years, and with my nuclear family continuing to do so, I have broad international exposure and inclination. I feel that I am able to understand other publics and points of view. With my degree and PR training I will mold and craft public opinions, beliefs, values, and behaviors to promote a global vision of peace.

Relating to the Public

Public relations is 100% about effective communication and persuasion. Actually, that’s pretty much exactly what it is.

One of the most vital aspects of public relations is, as the BYU program puts it, “building mutually beneficial relationships.” Public relations professionals’ number one priority is to know exactly what is needed to build that mutually beneficial relationship with a public, individual, company, department, ect. in using effective communication and persuasion tailored to that specific audience.

The purpose of public relations firms and departments is also primarily to build up the image, or brand, of an organization. In other words, the focus of my career is to use strategic planning to increase the ethos of whoever/whatever I represent through relationships, campaigns and other tactics to gain loyalty and trust.

In order to do this, I have to be aware of current trends in society in order to make my communication kairotic enough for people to pay attention. Pathos and logos are then used deliberately to craft messages with distinct rhetorical techniques designed for each specific public.  

For instance, a public relations firm might target a campaign for some kind of fast food towards young adults. They would build ethos by attaching some sort of celebrity to the brand through commercials, ads and social media; pathos by showing “cool people” eating the fast food and, in turn, making young adults think that they somehow be or feel more attractive by eating the same food; and logos by explaining why the food is an ethical or financially wise choice.

So, I guess what I’m saying is that public relations is literally relating to publics, which, as made evident by Cicero, Pericles and many other ancient and modern communicators, requires the use of rhetoric/communication and persuasion to elicit effective action.