Home
>
Public Relations
>
Is PR All About Image? NO!!

Is PR All About Image? NO!!

That's like asking if advertising is all about type faces and photography. The answer to both questions is a teeth-clenched "of course not!"

What public relations IS all about, rather than hollow images, is the very real business of dealing effectively with target audience perceptions and behaviors that have a major effect on an organization.

For example, members who believe you're not servicing them adequately; sales prospects who perceive your product as overpriced and are busy taking their buying power elsewhere; or employees who believe you don't give a tinker's damn about them and have dangerously reduced your productivity; or local citizens who believe, true or not, that you dump bad stuff into the river, thus keeping a negative media spotlight trained on your organization,

To answer the headline one more time, public relations is all about insuring that such results don't happen in the first place.

First, if those involved in the examples above had been regularly monitoring those target audiences, they would have had ample warning and the time needed to take corrective action.

So regularly monitoring those key external audiences is a must. What are they thinking about your business, if anything? Are perception problems looming? Are follow-on behaviors developing as a result?

The answers to those questions allow you to set a public relations goal, generally corrective in nature. Examples: you determine that your prices are not only fair, but below several competitors and you plan to publicize and promote that fact; or you plan to meet regularly with employees, listen to them and do something about their complaints, if you can; or you meet with the activist group and share with them the State Environmental Agency's finding that you are in complete compliance with disposal regulations.

With the public relations goal set, we obviously need a strategy designed to reach that goal. And this could be the least complex step in the problem solving sequence because there are only three possible strategies available to us - create opinion where there is none, change existing opinion, or reinforce it. That's it! It must be one of those.

In the three cases outlined above, you clearly would be aiming to change existing opinions.

Next on the public relations agenda are the persuasive messages needed to change that existing opinion. You must design them carefully and creditably to counter the misconceptions you uncover, such as those above. Run them by folks outside your organization so that you get an idea of just HOW persuasive they are (or are not!).

Now, we need to assign a few "beasts of burden" communications tactics to actually carry our persuasive messages directly to the eyes and ears of our key target audiences. Fortunately, we have available to us scores of tactics. Everything from newspaper interviews, on-camera appearances, live radio interviews and in-person meetings to brochures, speeches, op-eds, special events and editorial board meetings.

Which suggests that you consider working with a professional public relations advisor because you probably have neither the time nor expertise to handle this work.

Now, it's back to the monitoring chore to measure how many individuals received the message (and through what medium), and how many are aware of the message content. Monitoring at this point also let's us make mid-course corrections by adjusting both message content and the mix of communications tactics.

As time passes, and your monitoring of target audience opinion progresses, you will begin to notice growing signs of awareness of your business, of yourself as its proprietor, and of its role in the marketplace and the community.

It is now that you will become a believer in public relations's ability to strengthen your business relationships with those important, external audiences. People who hold in their hands not a hollow image of your business, but through their patronage and support, the actual success of your enterprise.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@tni.net.

Robert A. Kelly ? 2003.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit: bobkelly@tni.net; bobkelly@tni.net

ohare limo service Grand Rapids ..

In The News:

The International Olympic Committee on Friday announced plans to use AI in various Olympic aspects, including athlete identification, training and judging.

Tech guru Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains an easy trick to avoid squinting while working or surfing the web by zooming in on your personal computer.

Streaming giant Roku has recently been targeted by a pair of cyberattacks, and the company confirmed over a half million Roku accounts were compromised.

The Land Aircraft Carrier combines an all-terrain, six-wheeled vehicle with a two-seat aircraft, which features electric vertical takeoff and landing.

The European Union has sent TikTok a "request for information" on the video sharing platform's newest app, TikTok Lite, under the Digital Services Act, with the aim to clean up social media.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The FBI is warning the public about a recent phishing scam via text that claims its targets owe money in Pennsylvania for unpaid road toll charges.

Your Apple Music settings may be revealing to your contacts what you're listening to. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains the process to change those settings.

Learn how to secure social media accounts, implement legacy contacts, and create a digital estate plan to protect your online assets from 'ghost hackers' after your death.

A ported phone number scam is leading to more people having their identities stolen by sophisticated scammers. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson tells you what you need to know.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast marine debris vortex, is being tackled by The Ocean Cleanup’s innovative technologies. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explains.

Discover easy solutions to tame autocorrect frustration on iOS and Android devices. Turn off, customize and add personal touches to your typing experience.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals the six top things to do right now before it’s too late: Tech and life choices that can keep your safer on and offline.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson shows you some simple steps to discreetly hide apps or an entire app page on your iPhone for decluttering or confidentiality.

The ambient light sensors on smartphones may be turned into cameras, according to researches at MIT. This could pose a threat to people's privacy.

The Autonomous Road Repair System from tech firm Robotiz3d uses artificial intelligence technology to locate potholes and promptly seal them.

Scammers have stooped to using artificial intelligence to scan obituary websites to create fake obituary websites to target the grieving.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing factory in Hungary is using humanoid robots to help with human staffing shortages on the factory floor.

Some video games act like unregulated banks, according to CFPB, which has begun monitoring the situation. The agency says children may be most at risk.

Ascender the robot is capable of climbing stairs with heights up to 8.7 inches, and it can give every corner of your home a deep cleaning.

Tax-return scams are on the rise, and one tax expert from a cybersecurity firm says filing your taxes on time is one way to avoid tax scams.

The innovative XPENG Robot Unicorn is inspired by the mythical unicorn, and you may forget the robot is not actually a living creature.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The Federal Trade Commission, the federal agency to report scams to, is being impersonated as part of a new sophisticated phone scam.

Is PR All About Image? NO!!

Public Relations