What is Public Relations?

What is public relations? Many people have this question and it is difficult to answer for those who do not know. Many people think that public relations is the same as marketing and advertising; while they are similar in theory, they are different practices entirely. It is said that PR is something you do not pay for while marketing is something you have to pay for. Also, advertising and marketing seek to control the conversation and message while PR communicates and builds relationships with target markets, or publics, and opinion leaders of the public.

Of course, to answer the question, "What is PR?" We have to dive deeper and explain what public relations  practitioners can do and not do. What franchise industry PR can do is to help build and maintain a good image for a company and/or person. One thing the PR firm must do for this is to build credibility for the client. The reason the firm must build credibility for the client is because it helps with the client's persuasion and builds trust and power behind the client's words.

 A second task of a PRP for a client is manage the client's reputation; this means to build and maintain. If a client wants to appear generous, then the franchise PR agency will create PR opportunities or capitalize on good moments. People sometimes think that PR stunts are negative but this is not true, when a PR firm does a PR stunt, it can be for pure promotion of an event, etc and not to cover up or create anything bad. The negative connotation of PR stunts typically comes from the PR stunts that are done for celebrities. But back to the main point that franchise public relations firms do use and create moments for reputations is often good.

 A third task of a PRP is to inform public opinion and create understanding. When publics, or consumers, don't understand something a company is doing, it is up to the franchise PR firm to resolute the questions and issues.

 A fourth task of a PRP is to create unity among people. For example, a PRP at a company is supposed to create loyalty, a whole-hearted volunteer effort, etc. They are supposed to create that sense of "togetherness" for a company so they will perform better. A common misconception of public relations is that it is supposed to cover up mistakes and faux pas of companies; this is not true at all, at least not for PR firms that believe in ethics. Ethical PRPs know that you do not sweep anything under the rug but rather you acknowledge the error. resolve it, and move on. Ignoring an issue or covering it up is a huge mistake and creates a bad reputation, worse than the original error. 

Hopefully this blog helped you understand what public relations is and now you can sleep peacefully knowing what it is and how it's different than advertising and marketing.