MOULOUD MAMMERI UNIVERSITY OF TIZI OUZO –FACULTY OF LETTERS & LANGUAGES –DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

MASTER I LITERATURE& CIVILIZATION

Need for Public Relations

Investing on Public relations will help the organisation to achieve its objective effectively and
smoothly. Public Relations is not creating good image for a bad team since false image cannot be
sustained for a long time. Though the organisation product or services are good it needs an effective
Public Relations campaign for attracting, motivating the public to the product or service or towards
the purpose of the program. Effective Public Relations can create and build up the image of an
individual or an organisation or a nation. At the time of adverse publicity or when the organisation is
under crisis , an effective Public Relations can remove the "misunderstanding" and can create mutual
understanding between the organisation and the public.
Functions of Public Relations
 Public Relations is establishing the relationship among the two groups (organisation and public).
 Art or Science of developing reciprocal understanding and goodwill.
It analyses the public perception & attitude, identifies the organisation policy with public interest
and then executes the programmes for communication with the public.
What is a Public Relations Specialist?

A public relations specialist is someone who creates and maintains a favourable public image for their
employer or client. They write material for media releases, plan and direct public relations programs, and raise
funds for their organizations. Public relations specialists typically do the following:

1. Write press releases and prepare information for the media

2. Identify main client groups and audiences and determine the best way to reach them
3. Respond to requests for information from the media or designate an appropriate spokesperson or information
source
4. Help clients communicate effectively with the public
5. Develop and maintain their organization's corporate image and identity, using logos and signs
6. Draft speeches and arrange interviews for an organization’s top executives

Public relations specialists handle an organization’s communication with the public, including consumers,
investors, reporters, and other media specialists. In government, they may be called press secretaries. They
keep the public informed about the activities of government officials and agencies. They must understand the
attitudes and concerns of the groups they interact with to maintain cooperative relationships with them. They
draft press releases and contact people in the media who might print or broadcast their material. Many radio or
television special reports, newspaper stories, and magazine articles start at the desks of public relations
specialists. For example, a press release might describe a public issue, such as health, energy, or the
environment, and what an organization does to advance that issue. In addition to publication through traditional
media outlets, releases are increasingly being sent through the web and social media.

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Public relations specialists also sponsor corporate events to help maintain and improve the image and identity
of their organization or client. In addition, they help to clarify their organization’s point of view to its main
audience through media releases and interviews. They observe social, economic, and political trends that might
ultimately affect the organization, and they recommend ways to enhance the firm's image based on those
trends. For example, in response to a growing concern about the environment, an oil company may create a
public relations campaign to publicize its efforts to develop cleaner fuels.

In addition, they may handle internal communications, such as company newsletters, and may help financial
managers produce an organization’s reports. They may help the organization’s top executives by drafting
speeches, arranging interviews, and maintaining other forms of public contact.

Public relations specialists must be able to work well with many types of other workers to accurately report the
facts. In some cases, the information they write has legal consequences. They must work with the company's or
client's lawyer to be sure that the information they release is both legally accurate and clear to the public.

Distinguishing Factors between Advertising and Public Relations

Advertising and public relations are two different conceptions and there have been differences
between them on the basis of certain factors:

Paid for or Publicity

- Public relations does not regularly have to pay for the positioning of messages in the media. Although a
good amount of funds are spent in public relations on such objects as corporate advertising which mainly
means promoting the representation of the company, not its products or services, the immensity of its
messages are publicity. Publicity is basically free exposure provided usually by the media and activated by
such message vehicles as press conferences, press releases, and product publicity which consists of trade
magazine articles, etc.

Advertising almost always pays for publicizing its messages. The improvement is that the promoter has
absolute power over what the message will say and how, where, and when a message will be positioned
because they are paying for that opportunity. That’s the positive aspect; the negative aspect is that
advertising is very expensive.