EMERGING ROLE OF PR

EMERGING ROLE OF PR

Public relation is a emerging tool for most companies and many still have to find value in it. But it is something that is growing, more and more companies are opening up their own PR department or hiring PR agencies. To understanding the emerging role of PR, I will go on to three topics.

n CREDIBILITY:

Many do not realize, but in future PR could very be more important than marketing. This is because PR offers creditability to the consumers. PR is about generating stories. An editorial verse an advertisement. An editorial will have more impact on consumers than an advertisement. This creditably is not just perceived, but it has substance, since it has to go through evaluated, filtered and edited. The audience trust the media as third party that is vouching for the product, that there must be something worthwhile in the product. Also the information could be positive or negative hence some sense of honesty is perceived.

The press may be deny that they are conduit for PR, but the consumers themselves are demanding this information. Consumers are in constant engagement with media, unlike advertisements. With the inclusion of media, the number of senders and receives increasing which is a boost to market communication. PR heavily relies on third person creditability.

The demonstration of a new product on the news channel or the comment on from an expert that the company is taking the right action

Another way to look at creditability is reputation. Reputation is created when all is amassed. PR has the responsibility of building the company’s reputation and brand. It build up deposits, memories of goodwill that a company can fall back on in times of crisis.

Once a company gains enough of reputation, it gains enough creditability and the need for third party creditability is gone.

n PR A BROADER VIEW OF THE MARKET:

While PR is often used as only a marketing communications functions, few realize that it has the ability to give wide orientation to a wide range of stakeholders like employees, suppliers, ngos, government and customers. To understand this stakeholder approach, a stakeholder map can be drawn. It allows one to identify stakeholders, their influence and who in the company is charged with tracking the actions and reaction of them. Through uses of symbols impact of firm, number of contact, public and media perceptions of negative or positive relationships amoung stakeholders and a variety of other such detailed information can be shown on a stakeholder map.

The stakeholder map is very important. In times of crisis it can be used to make the correct decisions, since now you can understand all your stakeholder and understand their probable reaction.

n ACCOUNTABILITY AND MEASURE PERFORMANCE

PR tries to separate itself from the marketing communication function. It is more concerned with the company’s business and not with communication of business.

PR has always tried to set standards for itself.

There are variety of awards set and these are judged on the basis of research, planning, execution and evaluation.

- Research: Overall planning and identification of audience. Found a need for opportunity.

- Planning: Definite objectives. Objectives support the organizations over all goals.

- Execution: Use of tactics, creativity of tactics, implementation of tactics, efficiency of implementation.

- Evaluation: Success in achieving organizations objectives, results reflected original plan, team work, continuous refinement.

As business environments get harder, the role of PR will continue to grow and become very important.