THE

PROFESSION
Le Vu Lan Oanh
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduce PR 2 History of PR

3 Theoretical basis 4 Law & ethics

 1
Introducing PR
 How is DIFFERENT?
Advertising

IMC

PR MEDIA
 Definition
Public relations is a leadership and
management function that helps achieve
organizational objectives, define philosophy,
and facilitate organizational change.
Practitioners communicate with all relevant
internal and external publics to develop
positive relationships and to create consistency
between organizational goals and societal
expectations.
THE PUBLICS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
Employees Consumers

Financial
Media
Markets

Community Government
Agencies
DIFFERENT AREAS OF PR PRACTICE

Not-for-profit Public Relations

Corporations Government
organizations Agencies/Couns
eling Firms
 THE NATURE OF PR

Boundary spanners Problem solvers

You must be connected to both your Problems are opportunities for you to
organization and its publics. make a difference.
 THE PR PROCESS AND RESPONSIBILITY

● Recognize that organizational behavior does affect public opinion.

● Seek to influence in a proactive manner

● The practitioner attempts to…

○ predict behavior through research
○ plan accordingly to influence behavior
○ maximize benefits for all concerned
 Communication task

Press releases Annual reports Employee magazines

PR campaign
Electronic
creations and
newsletters
management
COMMUNICATION SKILLS REQUIRED FOR PR

• Knowledgeable in research, planning and

evaluation techniques
• An excellent writer and speaker
• A specialist in communication technology
• An expert in graphics and audiovisual
communications

You should be
Good communication starts with
supplying accurate information
from an organization’s PR office.
Actively interpret the organization’s
values, policies and plans to your
publics.

Actively interpret the publics’ needs and

concerns to the organization.

TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION IN PR
CHALLENGES

• Technological Developments
• Increased Governmental Control
• Rise of International Business
• Frequency of Mergers and Acquisitions
• Developing Countries Attracting
Investment
Communication task +…

Crisis
Communications

+
Social Media
WHAT CAUSES OF A BUSINESS CRISIS?

1 Acts of God
storms, earthquakes, etc

Mechanical Problems
2 something breaks

Human Errors
3
when an employee does something wrong

Management
4
decisions/indecisions
 SCOPE OF THE PR INDUSTRY
Scope of PR Industry

100% • Average age for practitioners is

90%
39 and has been dropping for the
80%
last decade
Percent of Employment

70%
• More than 7 of 10 (71%)
60%
practitioners are female.
50%

40% 33% 33%

• Men hold proportionately more
30%
top managerial positions
20% 14%
10%
• Salary differences are still an
10%
5% 5% issue with males having
0% proportionately higher salaries on
average.
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Industry
 2
History of PR
 WHERE PR WAS BORN?
Made in America

• Public relations as a profession was initially an American

phenomenon.
• By the end of the 20th century, the same forces were
mandating a need for PR throughout the industrialized
world.
• Leaders through the centuries have always sought to
influence their publics.
 MAJOR INDUSTRIAL FORCES

Competition among
institutions for public
support

Development of
Broad recognition of
media to quickly
the power of public
influence public
opinion
opinion
 THREE STAGES OF PR DEVELOPMENT
Journalistic/
Rhetorician Press Agent Publicity Today
Tradition

Used publicity to make Numerous Away from using

Influence publics any available
money governmental
through what was means to achieve
Became increasingly regulations desired public
said, not
outrageous, exploitive, Increasingly hostile opinion
necessarily what
manipulative, and even criticism from the toward informing
was done
cruel press the public and
The twentieth century Rise of the providing
witnessed the use of information and
American labor counsel to
non-violent, staged union movements management
events to draw
attention to
social/political issues
 REVIEW OF PRINCIPLES
The public relations profession was born in the industrial age through dynamic changes in American
life.
• Organizations must accept the need to deal with public opinion.
• In a media-strong democracy, the public can powerfully express its opinion.
• PR professionals help organizations avoid costly expressions of public discontent in an age of
fierce competition for public support.

The Depression-War era led public relations to value mutual influence and develop massive,
sophisticated strategies to communicate with and influence the public.
Public relations became a respected, sophisticated and expanded profession during the post-WWII
era, largely through governmental and public influence.
Currently public relations is evolving as a force for adaptation to public concerns on vital issues.
The Internet and social media have opened up public relations for more specialized audiences and
applications
GLOBAL INFORMATION SOCIETY
Internet to Social Media
• Internet moved public relations into a new era of media relations
• Social Media through the Internet is now a major source for interviews,
quotes, and additional information
Global Communication Demands
• New communication channels have opened up public relations worldwide
because of the demand for information.
Proliferating Communication Channels
• Increasing cable, magazine and online media make public relations
available to more specialized audiences.
 3
Theoretical basis
 Theories help practitioners explain and predict
human behavior and communication and guide
organizational decision making.

A theory is a prediction of how

How?
events and actions are related.
Using theories can make
What? campaigns and messages more
effective.
 THEORY IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
Relationships Cognition and Media and
behavior communication
Social exchange theory Use and Gratification
Systems theory Diffusion theory Theory
Situational theory Social learning theory Framing Theory
Agenda Setting Theory

Definition
Benefit
Apply
 IN SUMMARY

Understanding the theories behind the behavior of an

organization’s publics is essential for developing strategies and
tactics that can help an organization achieve its goals. Modern
PR practitioners focus on two-way communication that values
the input of the publics as much as the persuasive power of the
organization.
 4
LAW & ETHICS
 The Practitioner’s Focus

Goal
Responsible
The Lawyer’s Focus Behavior

Avoid
Liability
Pits

4-
32
 TWO RULES OF THUMB

Do not lie to the press, even if full

50%
disclosure is not possible.

Do not allow a legal perspective on issues

to determine corporate policy or
response on any given issue. 25%
LEGAL OBLIGATIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS

• First Amendment rights

• Defamation
• Invasion of privacy
• Copyright and trademark laws
• Regulations of the FTC, FDA and FCC
 WHAT IS ETHICS?
Definition Ethics is what is morally right or wrong in social conduct, usually as
determined by standards of professions, organizations, and individuals.

Area • Ethics as standards of social conduct

• Individual ethics
• Business ethics
• Ethical dealings with news media
• Ethics and laws
THANKS