Public Relations and Politics: Background and Contemporary Practice

Literature Review and Case Studies

Austin Corthell Public Relations Theory Practice !"#C $%&&&' Public Relations Special Report (&)(*)&%

Public Relations and Politics: Background and Contemporary Practice

+,

+ntroduction
Within the life of the generation now in control of affairs, persuasion has become a self-conscious art and a regular organ of popular government. None of us begins to understand the consequences, but it is no daring prophecy to say that the knowledge of how to create consent will alter every political calculation and modify every political premise. -Walter Lippmann1 he practice of public relations in politics is often derisively referred to as

!pr" or !spin". #n the contemporary political world of elections public relations serve a key role in campaigns. his paper is focused on the study of public relations in political

campaigns. $omposed of a literature review and two best practice case studies this special report cites the research of scholars in public relations and political communications. he literature review begins by providing a formal definition of

!political public relations". % brief history of the practice of public relations, outlining important figures and events, is provided that shows the growth of the profession as a key management function. he case study section features a study of a successful public

relations campaign and a study of the effectiveness of public relations tactics in framing issues in the media. he purpose of this special report is to outline the e&isting body of

knowledge regarding the study of public relations in politics and to show specific campaigns where e&cellent public relations management led to successful outcomes.

'enton, (. Political Communication in America (3rd Ed.).

Public Relations and Politics: Background and Contemporary Practice

++,

Public Relations and Politics: Background

-verview
!*olitical public relations" is the study of the practice of public relations in

politics. #n $hristina +olt,--acha"s book Encyclopedia of Political Communication (Vol. 2) the author provides a formal definition of political public relations) that distinguishes the study from other relevant realms of study such as political marketing and political advertising. $entral to +olt,--acha"s definition are the ideas of !informing" and !persuading". .nlike marketing and advertising, which seek to match a product or service with a particular audience desire, public relations is aimed at building relationships with audiences. % similar concept that is included in this literature review is that of political communication/. his is the concept that communications holds a vital

role in mediating messages between the government and the public.

.istory
*olitical communication has grown from its humble beginnings in the 10th $entury to its grand role in contemporary politics. .nderstanding the foundations of the practice of public relations is key to the history of public relations in politics. *ublic relations scholar 1cott $utlip"s book Public Relations History is a detailed history of public relations practice dating back to the formation of the country of the .nited 1tates of %merica. $utlip provides a working frame of reference regarding the emergence of public relations practice in politics. -eginning in the late 10th $entury2 $utlip identifies

3*olitical public relations refers to the strategic communication activities of actors participating in the political process that aim at informative and persuasive goals in order to reali,e single interests 4+olt,-acha, page 5667.8 / 39ur political system processes a multitude of inputs from our social environment that become outputs of political structures, values, and actions. $ommunication channels the inputs, structures the outputs, and provides feedback from political system to the environment 4'enton, page /7.8 2 3:ore systemic efforts to carry the party message to the growing number of voters were developed in time for the 1;;< *residential campaign 4$utlip, page )1<7.8

Public Relations and Politics: Background and Contemporary Practice

the systemic organi,ation of communication tactics in *residential campaigns. %ide to *resident =rover $leveland =eorge >. *arker? is identified as a crucial figure in the early practice of public relations in politics. #n the 1;0) *residential campaign *arker helped $leveland combat negative newspaper attention by distributing copies of $leveland speeches in advance to newspapers, a practice that laid the foundation for a long-term campaign for the candidate. he 1;05 *residential campaign saw the first organi,ation of publicity and campaign management. -oth the (epublican and 'emocratic parties organi,ed their campaign headquarters, national speaking tours and produced written pamphlets meant to !educate" voters. he :c@inley also used the %merican flag as a symbol for the image

of the campaign. $utlip notes that this practice by the (epublican *arty has continued into the present5. he campaign of the 'emocratic candidate William Aennings -ryant he

was unable to match the (epublicans efforts of publishing campaign literature.

ensuing (epublican victory made clear the importance of the new publicity and campaign management tactics. >ollowing his victory, *resident William :c@inley, continued to monitor newspapers during his presidency. *rint media dominated political campaigns until the advent of radio 410);7 and television 410?)7. >ormer $linton administration communications official 1idney -lumenthal"s book T e Permanent Campai!n argues the importance of communication consultants in political campaigns and offers a history of important consultants. he

chapter 3 he interpretation of %merican dreams8 is a look at the early public relations practitioner Bdward -ernays. -lumenthal states that despite the advent of modern public
?

3*arker had known $leveland in a casual way previously, but from this time on, he served the conservative 'emocrat in many important ways as a public relations aide 4$utlip, page )1/7.8 5 3(epublicans today still e&ploit the flag as though they had a corner on patriotism 4$utlip, page )167.8

Public Relations and Politics: Background and Contemporary Practice

relations strategy and tactics it was -ernays who provided the original foundation for all public relations practice in politics6. -ernays is credited with formulating the !engineering of consent", a key social doctrine used to determine audience understanding and desire;. #n general, -lumenthal credits -ernays with legitimi,ing the vital role of the public relations consultant in a political campaign0. 1tanley @elley Aunior"s book Professional Public Relations and Political Po"er offers a perspective of the role of public relations in politics at the midway point of the )<th $entury. he book contains case studies of e&cellent public relations in

political campaigns of the time and a summary of the role of public relations in political campaigns. he book identifies the growing role of the public relations practitioner in

relation to the growth of mass media1< and the production and delivery of key messages to audiences11. @elley further illustrates the public relations practitioner"s growing importance in the realms of party politics and public discussion of issues.

+++, Politics and Public Relations: Contemporary Practice

Role in modern campaigns
#n contemporary world public relations serves a vital role in the management and strategy of political campaigns. *olitical communication scholars (obert B. 'enton and =ary $. Woodward"s book Political Communication in America
6

3>or it was -ernays who in the 10)<s invented the media event, the latent message, appeals of indirection, and initiated market research 4-lumenthal, page 1)7.8 ; 3+e introduced the scientific approach to problems of public opinion, developing a coherent conceptual understanding of advertising he called the !engineering of consent". his social doctrine has been used to understand and manipulate the psyches of voters as well as consumers 4-lumenthal, page 1/7.8 0 3:ore, -ernays established the role of the media consultant as respectable and essential 4-lumenthal, page 1/7.8 1< 3:ore than anything else, public relations as an occupation owes its e&istence to the growth of the mass media of communication 4@elley, page )<)7.8 11 3Bach medium has a somewhat different audience and a different meaning to its audience. Bach message that is sent through the communication system must compete successfully with thousands of others, if it is to reach the consumer at all 4@elley, page )</7.8

Public Relations and Politics: Background and Contemporary Practice

(3rd Ed.) focuses on the roles and functions of communication in politics. he authors

argue that modern political campaigns are e&ercises in communication that are scientific in their research methods and systematic in their methods of implementation. he specific demands modern campaigns place on organi,ations requires professional e&pertise on the part of the consultant or practitioner1). 'enton and Woodward cite the e&ample of former *resident (onald (eagan to further argue that governing, following a successful campaign requires constant campaigning1/.

Role o/ advertising
here is an overlap between public relations and advertising in regards to politics12. he importance of advertising in modern politics1? means it plays a vital role in

public relations practice. $hristina +olt,--acha"s collection of academic essays T e #a!e Handboo$ of Political Ad%ertisin! e&plores the role of political advertising in nations around the world. #n the .nited 1tates political advertising is viewed by many scholars as being dominated by an image driven model15. he idea of #mage building16,

as we shall see, is central to the practice of public relations in politics.

Role o/ image
1)

3 oday, campaigns are run by professional consultants who coordinate the activities of media, advertising, public relations, and publicity. hey understand both the new technologies and the unique requirements of campaigning 4'enton, page 1<17.8 1/ 3=overning the nation, then, becomes a perpetual campaign where the public is constantly addressed and its support continually solicited. (onald (eagan brought into the White +ouse some of the most sophisticated marketers, pollsters, and media advisors to ever work for a president 4'enton, page 1<)7.8 12 3+owever, the two concepts may overlap insofar as political advertising can affect the image of a political actor, Cust as long-term political public relations can influence voting behavior 4+olt,--acha, page 5667.8 1? 3%t almost every electoral level, from school board elections and the selection of court Cudges to the selection of the president, political advertising is the predominant form of communication between candidates and office seekers and citi,ens 4+olt,--acha, page /67.8 15 3 his argument often manifests itself in the concern that television advertising will focus the voters" attention more on the image and personal qualities of a candidate than on a candidate"s issue e&perience and positions 4+olt,--acha, page 217.8 16 3#mage building Dwhich is applied to organi,ations as well as persons- aims at establishing credibility and trust that may guarantee long term support without having to ask for understanding for each single decision and that enhances the chances that public relations messages are adopted by Cournalists 4+olt,-acha, page 5607.8

Public Relations and Politics: Background and Contemporary Practice

%s previously mentioned the concept of image building is crucial to political advertising. *olitical advertising has become central to the practice of public relations in modern political campaigns1;. #n her book Political Empiricism& Communication strate!ies in state and re!ional elections author (ita @irk Whillock applies communication research in order to show ties between theory and practice in political communication. Whillock argues that image building is crucial in the contemporary world of political campaigns because of publics" general lack of motivation to search to research information when making voting decisions10. Whillock further contends that images inform the public of how a candidate might react to pressure situations when in office)<. #n his book Candidates and t eir ima!es scholar 'an Nimmo addresses the concept of image in political campaigns. Nimmo draws on the work of public relations scholar %lbert A. 1ullivan in distinguishing the relationship between images and reality)1. 1ullivan wrote that the Cob of public relations is to present truthful images)). Nimmo finally arrives at his own concept of public relations in the concept of the imageE 3 hus, the public relations posture is that images are summary reflections of things consisting of as much of what we feel about a product or company as what we $no" 4Nimmo, page ?7.8 Nimmo"s analysis of the role of image building in political campaigns bridges the divide between political advertisement and political public
1;

3Whole campaigns are often centered on image qualities of the candidate such as leadership, e&perience, integrity, independence, honesty, intelligence, and trustworthiness 4Whillock, page 1117.8 10 3#mage campaigns become particularly important to those who lack the desire to sort through the mass of materials or the ability to do so 4Whillock, page 11/7.8 )< 3#n such cases, the candidates" images are perceived as more telling of how they are likely to react in the future than are their statements about their stand on a particular issue 4Whillock, page 11)7.8 )1 31ullivan distinguishines between images and reality, but notes a close relationshipE images are reflections of reality that carry information about things that lie outside the mind 4Nimmo, page /7.8 )) 31ullivan concludes that in dealing with images, public relations must be above suspiscion in its regard for the truth 4Nimmo, page 27.8

Public Relations and Politics: Background and Contemporary Practice

relationsE 3=enerally, contemporary image campaigns are carefully orchestrated combinations of advertising and news accounts furnished through all available media D radio, television, newspapers, campaign brochures and mailings, and billboards, among them 4Nimmo, page 67.8 he overarching strategy of image building also shows the

comprehensive management role in public relations practice in modern political campaigns.

IV.

Case Studies
he following case studies are included to illustrate best practice in

political public relations and the effectiveness of public relations in framing issues in the media.

Best Practice
@. 1ai *rasaad and (amya (aghupathy"s Cournal article 3% snapshot of a successful public relations strategy8 outlines their research of the public relations activities of a candidate in the )<<2 #ndian election)/. heir case study shows that

appealing to audience"s emotions and successful use of caste image)2 were catalysts for the candidate"s electoral victory. -y organi,ing a comprehensive public relations campaign that included media relations, public outreach, event planning and use of multimedia the candidate was able to be elected into office by a wide margin.

0valuating Public Relations

(omy >roehlich and -urkhard (udiger"s Cournal article 3>raming political public relationsE :easuring success of political communication strategies in =ermany8 is
)/

3 his case study is a chronological outline of the public relations activities that a politician, (aghuveera (eddy, undertook in his quest for a seat in the legislative assembly of the southern #ndian state of %ndhra *radesh during the elections of )<<2 4*rasaad, page 5/<7.8 )2 3 his also received media coverage, which in general terms portrayed (aghuveera (eddy as interested in not only the welfare of his own community but also the general uplifting of all communities 4*rasaad, page 5/17.8

Public Relations and Politics: Background and Contemporary Practice

a case study of the political debate in =ermany on immigration. he study attempts to

evaluate the overall effectiveness of press releases at !framing" the debate in the news media. he authors analy,ed both the thematic frames, which analy,e the points of

emphasis, and the position frames, which cover the political definition of the issue, in their study. he study found that the various political parties in =ermany were able to

insert their messages into the media via press releases)?.

1,

Sources

Books: -lumenthal, 1. 410;<7. T e Permanent Campai!n. -oston, :%E -eacon *ress.

)?

3#n doing so the findings of this framing study suggest that the political players in the =erman immigration debate were effective in placing their preferred frames in the media and, respectively, being related to these frames 4>roelich, page )27.8

Public Relations and Politics: Background and Contemporary Practice

$utlip, 1. 4100?7. Public Relations History. +illsdale, NAE Brlbaum %ssociates. 'enton Ar., (.B., Woodward, =.$. 4100;7. Political Communication in America (3rd ed.). Westport, $ E *raeger *ublishing. +olt,--acha, $., @aid, L.L. 4)<<;7. Encyclopedia of Political Communication (Vol. 2). housand 9aks, $%E 1age *ublications. @elley Ar., 1. 410?57. Public Relations and Political Po"er. -altimore, :'E Aohns +opkins *ress. Nimmo, '. 410657. Candidates and t eir 'ma!es. *acific *alisades, $%E =oodyear *ublishing. Whillock, (.@. 410017. Political Empiricism. New Fork $ity, NFE *raeger *ublishing. "ournal Articles: *rasaad, @.1., (aghupathy, (. 3% 1napshot of a 1uccessful *ublic (elations 1trategy8. American (e a%ioral #cientist. Gol. 20. No. 2 4'ecember )<<?7E 5)0-5//. >roelich, (., (udiger, -. 3>raming political public relationsE :easuring the success of political communication strategies in =ermany8. Public Relations Re%ie". Gol. /). No. 1 4:arch )<<57E 1;-)?. Walters, .N., Walters, L.:. 3%genda building the 100) presidential campaign8. Public Relations Re%ie". Gol. )). No. 1 41pring 10057E 0-)?. einowit,, #. 3=9*"s contract winning in *(, ad arenas8. Ad%ertisin! A!e. Gol. 55. No.1? 4%pril 100?7E ;-0. %n, 1., Ain, +.1., *fau, :. 3 he effects of issue advocacy advertising on voters" candidate knowledge and turnout8. )ournalism and *ass Communication +uarterly. Gol. ;/. No. 1 41pring )<<57E 6-)2

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