The Public Relations Strategic Toolkit

An Essential Guide to Successful Public Relations Practice

Alison Theaker, Heather Yaxley

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781138678651
• eBook ISBN: 9781317192725
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Media Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

The Public Relations Strategic Toolkit presents guidance to instruct and educate students and professionals of public relations and corporate communications. Alison Theaker and Heather Yaxley cover every aspect of critical practice, including definitions of public relations, key theoretical concepts and both original and established methodological approaches. Case studies and interviews are featured to provide real-world context and advice for professional development. The new edition is fully revised with brand new case studies and updated content which reflect significant developments in theory and contemporary practice. It puts particular emphasis on the use of technology (including automation) and social media in current public relations planning, corporate communications and stakeholder engagement.

The book is divided into four parts; covering the profession, public relations planning, corporate communication and stakeholder engagement. Features include:

• definitions of key terms
• contemporary case studies
• interviews with practitioners
• handy checklists
• practical activities and assignments.

By combining theory and practice, with an invaluable insight from experts in the field, this guide will introduce readers to all the professional skills needed for a career in public relations.

PART I

The profession

Introduction

Alison Theaker

This book is intended to be a kind of ‘how to’ book with brains for public relations practitioners. So whilst it includes theoretical concepts and discussions about the nature of public relations, it is also full of examples of real-life good practice. When we were discussing how this could be different from its sister book, The Public Relations Handbook, we were clear that we wanted it to be of use to those in the field. We both believe that theory improves practice, but it is not the whole story. We are happy to be making changes and updating this second edition.

You will find that each chapter is set out with the same headings. Starting with a Check Point to tell you what is in it, there will be Talking Points to flag up related issues and a Reading Point to direct you to other sources if you want to look at this area in more detail. There will also be several Action Points in each chapter, detailing the experience of practitioners so you can see how these issues might look in practice. The End Point will review what has been covered.

When I started in PR practice in 1982, I was not aware of the range of textbooks available to me that might have helped me perform my job better. Indeed, I was surprised to find a whole shelf of them in the library when I started as the first lecturer on the new BA in Public Relations at the then Leeds Polytechnic (now Leeds Carnegie University). One of the questions that I was asked at interview was, ‘What is the difference between education and training?’

Experience and training are good, but by definition they are looking at what has gone before. They are valuable but not the whole story. Education, using theory to try and see why something worked on a deeper level, is vital in enabling us to apply the lessons of experience. It gives us more ways of looking beneath the surface of what happened to us, a variety of lenses through which to view an event. It allows us to use different language when we talk to board members, we can see that we may have been using communication or management theory without being aware of it. We can be critical of our profession and so we can change it. It gives us more tools than just learning on the job. Taking time out to examine our own practice also means we can become objective about what works.

The competence of practitioners was raised in the DTI study in 2003, and is what the many qualifications in PR are trying to address. Any profession will always be judged by the few who don’t fulfil the required standards rather than the many who do. However, the willingness of more and more graduates to enter PR, the expansion of both academic and professional courses in the discipline, the ever growing body of knowledge coming from practitioners and academics willing to look at the theory underpinning their practice show the increased willingness of PR to be reflective.

This first Part starts by introducing public relations and looking at some different definitions. Traditionally, this has been a difficult area for practitioners, as everyone seems to have their own idea of what public relations is. By comparing PR to other related professions and business functions such as advertising, marketing and journalism, the picture hopefully gets clearer.

The second chapter investigates exactly what PR practitioners do, looking at the various roles they might play in an organisation, as well as listing the tasks that they perform. This is built on in Chapter 3, which gives an overview of the PR industry in the UK and looks at the various professional bodies who are striving to improve the reputation of public relations.

Finally, Part I is completed with a look at the question of professionalisation and issues affecting the development of public relations. Several prominent academics and practitioners have been asked for their views on the challenges facing the industry in the next five years.

CHAPTER 1

What is public relations?

Alison Theaker

This chapter provides an introduction to public relations and outlines its relationship to journalism, marketing, advertising, promotion and publicity. Practical examples are included to show what PR does and how it works in organisations.

CHECK POINTS

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

• Compare various definitions of public relations

• Assess criticisms of public relations

• Distinguish public relations from journalism, marketing and advertising.

DEFINITIONS

What are your initial impressions of public relations? Perhaps you think it is about organising parties, promoting pop bands, getting press coverage and launching exciting new products. Or maybe you believe it’s all about politics – writing speeches, announcing new policies, handling awkward questions or ‘spinning’ difficult situations. Clearly there are different views of what public relations is – which is why it is important to consider definitions, identify areas of debate and look to establish a common understanding.

TALKING POINT

Grunig and Hunt (1984) believe Dorman Eaton, a lawyer, was the first to use the term ‘public relations’ in addressing the Yale Law School on ‘The Public Relations and Duties of the Legal Profession’ in 1882. The meaning – looking out for the welfare of the public – was reflected by Theodore Vail, president of the American Telephone & Telegraph Co. in the theme of the company’s annual report in 1908. How does this use reflect usage of the term today?

In 1976, Rex Harlow gathered 472 definitions of public relations and many hundreds more have been proposed subsequently. Faced with so many opinions, you may feel that John Marston’s 1963 view of PR is still true today: ‘a brotherhood of some 100,000 whose common bond is its profession and whose common woe is that no two of them can ever quite agree on what that profession is’ (cited in Hutton, 1999). Indeed, there is robust debate over whether PR is indeed a profession (L’Etang and Pieczka, 2006a).

Some definitions of public relations are positivist; that is, they are based on explaining what is involved in the practice of public relations, or what it achieves within organisations. Others are normative and state a vision of what PR should be. Any difference between positivist and normative definitions reveals disagreements about whether the reality of PR lives up to the ideals or aspirations for its practice.

Definitions are also useful in clarifying what public relations is not, distinguishing it from other functions where there may be some confusion. It is important to remember that those who present definitions are putting across their own view of what PR is, should be or is not. They are seeking to persuade, not simply explain or inform. A definition also needs to be put into a social context, since meaning may change over time or be culturally dependent. This can be seen when reviewing different definitions or views of public relations:

• ‘Public relations is a distinctive management function which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and cooperation between an organisation and its publics; involves the management of problems or issues; helps management to keep informed on and responsive to public opinion; defines and emphasises the responsibility of management to serve the public interest; helps management keep abreast of and effectively utilise change, serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and uses research and ethical communication techniques as its principal tools.’ (Harlow, 1976)

• ‘Public Relations is the art and social science of analysing trends, predicting their consequences, counselling organisation’s leadership, and implementing planned programs of action which will serve both the organisation’s and the public interest.’ (1st World Assembly of Public Relations, Mexico 1978)

• ‘Public relations helps our complex, pluralistic society to reach decisions and function more effectively by contributing to mutual understanding among groups and institutions. It serves to bring private and public policies into harmony.’ (Public Relations Society of America, first adopted in 1982)

• ‘Public Relations is the management of communications between an organization and its publics.’ (Grunig and Hunt, 1984)

• ‘Public relations is about reputation – the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you. Public relations is the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics.’ (Chartered Institute of Public Relations, first proposed in 1987)

• ‘Public relations is the strategic management of relationships between an organization and its diverse publics, through the use of communication, to achieve mutual understanding, realize organizational goals and serve the public interest.’ (CPRS, 2008)

• ‘Public relations is about building and managing relationships. Our role is to assemble and navigate the complex and ambiguous relationships required to operate either as an organisation or as individuals living and working in our fragmenting environment.’ (Catherine Arrow, 2008)

• ‘Public relations is the occupation responsible for the management of organisational relationships and reputation. It encompasses issues management, public affairs, corporate communications, stakeholder relations, risk communication and corporate social responsibility. Public relations operates on behalf of many different types of organisation both at the governmental and corporate level, to small business and voluntary sectors. Public relations arises at points of societal change and resistance.’ (L’Etang, 2009)

• ‘PR practitioners:

– Participate in defining organisational values, principles, strategies, policies and processes.

– Apply social networking, research skills and tools to interpret stakeholders’ and society’s expectations as a basis for decisions.

– Deliver timely analysis and recommendations for an effective governance of stakeholder relationships by enhancing transparency, trustworthy behaviour, authentic and verifiable representation, thus sustaining the organisation’s “licence to operate”.

– Create an internal listening culture, an open system that allows the organisation to anticipate, adapt and respond.’ (Stockholm Accords, 2010)

ACTION POINT

What do you think is the purpose of these definitions or views of public relations? Are they positivist and/or normative? Which clarify your understanding? In what way do they distinguish PR from other functions? Do you agree or disagree with the viewpoints expressed?

TALKING POINT

In 2011–12, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) invited people to submit their own definitions of public relations. A shortlist was voted upon and the winner was:

‘Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.’ (PRSA, 2012)

What do you think of this way of defining a profession? Would other professions do this?

The key elements of PR involve being able to convey information in an appropriate way to a specific public – which may include announcing news, narrating stories or engaging in discussion – in order to build relationships that help achieve relevant aims and objectives.

There are three considerations of the word ‘public’ that are relevant to understanding public relations:

1 In sociology, ‘public’ relates to a community or group of people who have something in common, for example, an interest or activity. Sometimes the phrase ‘general public’ is used to indicate everyone, which is so broad that, according to Cutlip et al. (2000: 383) ‘there simply is no such thing’. This indicates that communications should normally engage with more defined categories of people. PR practice doesn’t necessarily mean engaging directly with the public; it often involves...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• Acknowledgements
• Part I The profession
• Part II Public relations planning
• Part III Corporate communications
• Part IV Stakeholder engagement
• Appendices
• Bibliography
• Index