Public Relations and Politics:The Image Industries

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Chapter OutlineHistoryIndustryControversies

Public relations is ▪ The art or science of establishing and promoting a favorable

relationship with the public. Public relations is different from advertising.

Can anyone tell me how these two things are different?

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Both public relations and advertising, however, are persuasive endeavors and work together in integrated marketing.

Internal publics ▪ Those within the client’s organization and include

employees, stockholders, and members.

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Precursors of Public Relations People have always had opinions and others have always tried

to influence those opinions.▪ Ancient Greeks hired Sophists to help fight their verbal

battles in public forums.

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Precursors of Public Relations▪ Ancient rulers employed spies to keep in touch with public

opinion and spread favorable rumors▪ Most people in the colonies were indifferent to the cause of

American independence. ▪ Patriots used PR techniques, such as the Boston Tea Party of

1773, to gain public support for the war.

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In the new U.S. quick-witted people from sideshow barkers to Broadway press agents worked to generate publicity for their clients.

The dramatic means they used was known as hype.▪ P.T. Barnum planted stories filled with lies about his

attractions, ▪ Named his circus “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

▪ What are some recent examples of “HYPE” today?

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▪ In the 1800s, public relations techniques were used by ▪ Land speculators and railroads to entice people west with glowing

reports of fertile land and cooperative natives.

▪ The railroads encouraged the westward migration ▪ Why would railroads want people to move west?

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A popular eatery that you enjoy has caused numerous people to get sick, Local authorities say its due to

undercooked or tainted meat This has resulted in the death of two

children Would you still eat there? Why/Why Not

What would have to happen in order for you to go back or continue eating at the restaurant?

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Public Relations As a Profession Ivy Ledbetter Lee ▪ The father of the modern public relations industry. ▪ A former newspaperman, he was hired in 1906 to rebuild the tarnished

images of U.S. coal mine owners, including John D. Rockefeller. Lee believed that the goal of public relations was not to fool or

ignore the public.▪ Often credited with being the originator of modern crisis communications

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Edward Bernays coined the term ▪ “public relations counsel” in his book, Crystallizing Public Opinion,

He also taught the first university public relations course at New York University.

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FDR established the Office of War Information ▪ Promoted WWII bonds, encourage work productivity and the

rationing of food, clothing, and gasoline.

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The FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” Program ▪ Started off as a reporter’s request to name their most-wanted fugitives.

Subsequent positive publicity after the story culminated into the “List.”

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Today, countries with expanding economies such as Korea and some countries of the former Soviet union, ▪ Hire PR firms to improve the perception that international investors

have of them.

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After September 11th, 2001 attacks on the U.S. ▪ Our government established media specifically designed to sway

anti-U.S. sentiment in the Arab media:

▪ “Al Hurra” is a slickly produced Arab-language cable television network.▪ Radio Sawa is an Arab-language radio service.▪ Radio Farda is a Farsi-language radio service.▪ Hi Magazine is a geared towards Iraqi elites.

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After poisoned Tylenol capsules in 1982, ▪ President of Johnson & Johnson and company execs had a

teleconference, 600 reporters in 30 cities ▪ Allowed the company to explain the extraordinary precautions that

Johnson & Johnson was taking to protect consumers.

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News reports indicate that there is a spike in muggings and assaults at the local community college You find out several students were robbed

at gunpoint after an evening class You are in charge of developing a solution

to this problem and calming community outcry

What are some things that you can do?

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PR Activities Research that occurs through the public relations process is used

to:▪ define problems,▪ identify publics,▪ test concepts,▪ monitor the progress of a campaign,▪ evaluate its effectiveness when it is over.

PR practitioners are involved in decision-making and organizational policy-making of companies and politicians.

This includes ▪ Coaching clients on how to behave in an interview, offering grooming

advice or teaching how to avoid answering direct questions.

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PR Strategies News management techniques include:▪ publicity stunts to create human-interest stories,▪ creating news hooks to interest media gatekeepers in the

information that clients want to publicize,▪ developing media relations, or press relations, that

maintain contact with reporters,▪ using leaks and trial balloons to test public reaction to a

major policy,▪ granting exclusives to just one news outlet to increase the

impact of publicity. PR maintains good community relations by giving

corporate aid to schools, charities and nonprofits.

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Crisis management ▪ Is the action used to repair a client’s public image following an

emergency, such as a major error, accident, or sabotage. E. coli poisoning leads to Odwalla juice recall (1996) Wendy's restaurant patron found finger in bowl of chili (2005) Multi-State Outbreak of E. coli Infections From Spinach (2006) Companies will use PR Agencies to calm the public and attempt

to restore trust in their products/services▪ What company is currently working to repair their tarnished image?

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Lobbying is any attempt to influence the voting of legislators. ▪ The name comes from the practice of PR representatives

speaking to lawmakers in the lobbies outside their hearing rooms.

▪ U.S. companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually in their lobbying efforts.

▪ Multi-million dollar industry associations are set up purely for the purpose of influencing how laws are written.

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Some Public Relations Tools Press releases, or news releases, are short documents, written

in standard news form, for insertion into news reports.▪ Canned news and editorials are digital files to be inserted

verbatim into feature or editorial sections.▪ Audio news releases include interviews and sound bites

ready for insertion into news reports.▪ Video news releases (VNRs) are ready-to-broadcast tapes.▪ For example, a drug company might distribute a VNR that provides

interviews with experts who have developed and tested a new drug along with satisfied users.

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You are the account executive in charge of a new account The client wants to generate a buzz for

their new shoe line You don’t have enough money to run

ANY ads What are some things you can do to get

the word out?

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Some Public Relations Tools VNRs have become controversial in recent years, ▪ Often called Fake News, when used without attribution.

A 2006 Center for Media Democracy study ▪ Found 36 VNRs that had aired on 77 stations.

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The Ethics of PR Tactics Many PR professionals and journalists have a “love-hate”

relationship. Neither respects the other’s job yet they need each other. Journalists call PR people “spin doctors and “flacks,” ▪ Derives from the term for WW II anti-aircraft fire.

spin is ▪ Providing an interpretation of an event or campaign▪ Persuading public opinion in favor or against an

organization or public figure

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The Ethics of PR Tactics To some, spinning is the practice of twisting the truth so that

what is said puts the best possible face on the facts. ▪ Critics contend that most spinning is a type of lying, or a half-truth at

best “The Big Lie” occurs when people state something they know

to be untrue and stick to it▪ In spite of all evidence in the hopes that the press and public will

become confused by the issue and forget about it.

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Greenwashing Covering up environmental problems caused by the client by

associating that client with beneficial environmental actions. Many critics believe that freebies▪ Including junkets, meals, and gifts designed to curry favor with reporters

and magazine writers, amount to bribes.

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