The art and science of establishing and maintaining favorable relationships
Copyright © 2010 Penman PR, Inc. - All rights reserved.
What is Public Relations?
It’s not advertising.
It's not marketing.
It's not promotion.
It's not sales.
What is Public Relations?
PR is the art and science of establishing and maintaining favorable relationships with an organization's publics.
Businesses of all sizes and in all industries benefit from accurate, consistent and timely communications that convey the right messages to the right audiences. Positive media mentions have an innate ability to provide third-party credibility which creates awareness and support among an organization's constituents for its products, services, management views, intellectual capital and its distinct approach to doing business. It helps build credibility, manage risk, establish reputations and drive sales.
Where advertisers strive to sell a product or service, public relations focuses on shaping an image. Marketing uses targeted communications to achieve a desired action while public relations professionals seek third party credibility and thought leadership.
A Brief History of PR
William Seward, Lincoln's secretary of state in 1861, gained a large American audience through his understanding of how to use the press. He told his friend Jefferson Davis (friends before the war): "I speak to the newspapers – they have a large audience and can repeat a thousand times what I want to impress on the public.”
Public relations became a profession in 1903 as Ivy Lee undertook to advise John D. Rockefeller on how to conduct his public relations. Rockefeller owned coal mines and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Miners were on strike and the railroad hushed up the facts when its trains were involved with accidents. Lee advised Rockefeller to visit the coal mines and talk to the miners. Rockefeller spent time listening to the complaints of the miners, improved their conditions, danced with their wives, and became a hero to the miners. After a railroad accident, Lee invited reporters to inspect the wreck and get the facts. The Pennsylvania Railroad then obtained its first favorable press coverage.
Lee professionalized public relations by following these principles:
1. Tell the truth
2. Provide accurate facts
3. Maintain access to top management
Lee defined public relations, saying: Public relations means the actual relationship of the company to the people and that relationships involve more than talk. The company must act by performing good deeds.
