Principles of Public Relations

"Public Relations is a planned process to influence public opinion, through sound character and proper performance, based on mutually satisfactory two-way communication"

Research, Action, Communication, and Evaluation

Research, Objectives, Strategies, Implementation, and Evaluation

1. Internal = stockholders, employees, directors2. External = Press, customers, clients, schools, etc.3. Primary = who do you most need to reach?4. Secondary = less than important than primary

Must have access to management and provide unbiased counsel; must inform management what the public thinks about the company

Writing: press releases, speeches, etc.media relations: relationships, coachingplanning: special events, etc.counseling: management, key clientsresearching: attitudes, opinions, and behaviorpublicity: generating positive exposure in the media...along with: marketing, communications, community relations, employee relations, government affairs, investor relations, and special publics relations

= rise of big business and turn for the worse for the pubic; 'Profit is King' -- "The public-be-damned" mindset. Journalists eventually stepped in to expose them.

= Wall Street Journal reporter who adopted the "public-be-informed" idea; believed in honest and accurate PR and that companies have to earn the public's goodwill.

= influential father of PR

1. growth of large institutions2. changes/conflicts among interest groups3. greater public awareness (thanks to technology)4. growing power of public opinion/global democracy5. dominance of the internet and world-wide web

1. over 2002. 70%

1. to inform (ie: AAA releases information on safe driving habits, performing a public service)2. to persuade (ie: CDC's program to protect people from swine flu)3. to motivate (ie: getting internal public to "pull for the team")4. to build mutual understanding (ie: community leaders and plant manager meet to discuss environment convers

1. Media -- opinion leaders -- public2. from great thinkers -- disciples -- disseminators -- politically active -- politically inert

= voting with the majority; we don't want to be ostracized

Phrases that have been in the media for years such as: "I'll be a monkey's uncle", "Boob tube", or more modern ones like "sick", "boss"content = the message and what we say with itmedium = the way in which the message is carried