What is PR? | Functions of PR Department | Promotion tools
What is Public Relation?
A company must relate constructively to a large number of interested public. Public is any group that has an actual or potential interest in or has an impact on a company’s ability to achieve its objectives. The public can facilitate or hamper a company’s ability to achieve its objectives, Effective public relations can enhance the usefulness of promotion tools employed by the service company. Public relations involve a variety of programmes designed to promote a company or to protect the image or its individual products.
According to Stanton
public relations is a management tool designed to favorably influence the attitude towards an organization, its products and its policies.
The definition given by British Institute of Public Relations is
It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill between an organization and the public.
Publics are all groups of people and organizations which have an interest in the service company.
A wise company endeavors to maintain successful relations with its key public. Most companies operate a public relations department. This department maintains a goods communication channel with the public to develop good will.
Functions of public relations department (promotion tools in PR)
Public relations department monitors the attitude of the public in general in favor of the company. It sends out information and spreads communication to the public for building goodwill of the organization. The public relations department counsels the top management to adopt positive programmes. They eliminate questionable practices so that negative publicity does not arise against the company.
A Public Relations Departments perform the following functions:
1. Press relations: A PR department performs the function of Creation and dissemination of information to Press. This is known as publicity.
2. Product Publicity: The product information presented in the ‘Paid space‘ of media is read or heard by a company’s customers or prospects. The department publicizes the product through sponsoring efforts.
3. Corporate communication: PR Departments promote the understanding of the company and its products and services. For this purpose, they undertake external and internal communication.
4. Lobbying: Lobbying means dealing with legislators and government officials to promote or defeat unfavorable legislation and regulation. Professional lobbyists are employed in order to influence the key decisions of the government affecting company’s prospects.
5. Counseling: Public Relations departments advise the top management on matters related to public issues. This also includes advising the company in the event of product mishap.
6. In-house journals: Many service organizations such as hospitals, . health care, beauty parlor etc., publicize their own magazines which are circulated among customers. The role of PR Departments in developing- in house journals.is significant. Apart from in-house journals,. companies publish annual reports, brochures, articles, company’s newsletter and audio-visual materials. Creating websites on the history of the company and its present developments also influence the target markets..
7. Special events: PR Departments help organizations attract media attention by arranging newsworthy organizations. These special events are the backbone of service marketers.
8. Public service activities: PR Departments help companies build goodwill by contributing money and time to good causes. Large corporate ask executives to support community affairs.
