Why PR Packs a Punch

Done right, it delivers the key, target audience behaviors you know you must have to achieve your organizational objectives.

I refer to perceptions of your organization, and resulting behaviors such as:

customers making repeat purchases;
prospects starting to do business with you;
employees really valuing their jobs;
suppliers doing all possible to expand your relationship;
community leaders strengthening bonds with you;
businesses seeking beneficial joint ventures;
unions bargaining more frequently in good faith;
and legislators and political leaders viewing you as an important member of the business community.

Yes, public relations indeed packs a punch, but only when it's based on a solid foundation. Namely, its fundamental premise. People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, the public relations mission is accomplished

And, notice, please, the implication is that when managers start looking for a return on their public relations investment these days, many will want to see the kind of key stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving their objectives.

Does your public relations program pack such a punch?

It can if you commit to action steps like these:

The list of key audiences shown above is a good one, but only you can create the ideal list of the most important external "publics" whose behaviors affect your organization the most.

Then, prioritize them as to impacts on your enterprise, and let's work on the target audience at the top of the list. By the way, the test for listing an audience is, does its behaviors affect my operation in any way? If it does, list it.

Do you know for a fact how they perceive your organization? Why take chances? Interact with members of that audience and ask many questions. What do they think of your enterprise? Do you notice negativity in their responses? How about rumors, misconceptions, inaccuracies?

With responses to such questions in hand, you're ready to set down your public relations goal. In other words, the specific perception problem and, thus, behavior change you want. For instance, kill that rumor as soon as possible, straighten out that misconception or untruthful belief, or correct that inaccuracy.

So, what do you do with that public relations goal? Not much without a strategy. But with the right one, you are quite likely to achieve your goal. Happily, when dealing with opinion and perception challenges, you have just three from which to choose: create perception/opinion where there may be none, change existing perception, or reinforce it. The strategy you choose will compliment your new public relations goal.

Now comes the hard work, creating just the right message for transmittal to your target audience. It must layout the truth clearly and creditably, so consider it carefully. The features of a successful corrective message are clarity, believability, persuasiveness and a compelling presentation. Remember, the message aims to alter existing perception.

Presumably, you will not follow the lead of the artillery commander who told his men, "Point your cannons in any direction and fire when you feel like it!" Rather your "beasts of burden," you communications tactics, will carry your message directly to the right eyes and ears among members of your target audience.

The list of such tactics is a long one. Everything from speeches, newspaper/radio interviews and press releases to op-eds, brochures, emails and many, many others.

It won't be long before you are looking for signs that your public relations program is working. And this can best be achieved by a new round of perception monitoring out there among members of your key target audience. Same questions as the first go-around, but now you're looking for responses indicating that perception has been altered in your direction.

Things not moving fast enough? Broaden the variety of communications tactics you use, and their frequencies. And take a hard look at the facts undergirding your message.

Together, these steps will create a public relations effort that packs the punch you really want.

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

Robert A. Kelly ? 2003.

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. 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. mailto:bobkelly@tni.net. Visit: mailto:bobkelly@tni.net.

Airbnb cleaning service Mundelein ...

In The News:

Luxury fashion brand Dior experienced a January 2025 data breach affecting customer personal information, and notifications were sent months after the discovery.

The commercial Unitree H1 humanoid robot weighs 104 pounds with 365 pound-feet torque per joint and demonstrates dangerous potential when software glitches occur.

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

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

Tesla vehicles manufactured since mid-2021 with AMD Ryzen processors can now access Grok 4, xAI's witty conversational assistant designed to make drives more engaging.

Understand how technology affects mental health through five concepts, including blue light exposure, screen time management and algorithmic bias.

Why PR Packs a Punch

Public Relations