Foundations of Public Relations

Grunig & Hunt’s Four Models of Public Relations

All four models of public relations are still used today – although some clearly belong to an earlier time. The ‘ideal’ that we
should always be working towards is two-way symmetrical communication, although it is generally agreed that perfect
two-way symmetrical communication is not possible. This is because of varying power and resources in most
situations.

Model Name Type of Purpose Model Characteristics

Communication
Press One-way Propaganda Uses persuasion and manipulation to influence
agentry communication Persuasion audience to behave as the organization desires.
/publicity Little or no research. Mainly output research e.g.
model Accuracy of news clippings. Practiced by sports, entertainment
information/truth industry, and in product promotion.
not essential
Public One-way Dissemination Not necessarily persuasive, focus on provision of
Information communication of information information. Research is limited – e.g. readability
model tests to see if the public understand message. Often
Accuracy of practiced by government and not-for-profit
information is organisations.
important
Two-way Two-way Scientific Organisation wants to persuade public. Strategic
asymmetrical communication persuasion research is used to understand & measure public
Imbalanced attitudes and improve communication strategies.
model outcome Practiced mostly in competitive business.

Two-way Two-way Mutual Uses communication to negotiate with publics,

symmetrical communication understanding resolve conflict, and promote mutual understanding
model Balanced and respect between the organization and its
outcome public(s).

Strategic research is used to determine public

perception and attitudes.

Evaluation research is used to see if communication

has improved public’s understanding and to inform
the organisation on needed operational or message
change.

Often used by regulated or flat-structured businesses

and those who value the ‘triple bottom line’ (profit,

Introduction to PR Page 1 of 3
 people & planet)

Sources: Tench, R. & Yeomans, L. (2006). Exploring Public Relations. Essex: Prentice Hall.
Harrison, Kim (2006) Strategic Public Relations: a practical guide to success, 4th edition, Century Ventures, Perth

Discuss these descriptions of communication in your groups and decide which model
they are closest to.

1. The government plans to introduce new traffic laws. The transport department
uses street banners to advise citizens of the change and the banners include a
website where people can find further information.

2. The new Twilight movie is about to be released. A fancy dress competition is

held for fans at Megastar Hung Vuong Plaza and media are invited to cover the
announcement of the winner who will be flown to Singapore for the Asian premiere
where they will meet the stars.

3. After conducting a survey with its employees, ABC Company has determined
that employees are unaware of the organisation’s current corporate vision. The senior
management feels it important for the employees to not only know the vision but to
also have input into its revision as part of the re-branding of the company. The PR
department conducts consultations with employees to find out what they think the
corporate vision should be. This then feeds into the decision making process at a
senior level.

4. A telecommunications company conducted research to identify what social

issues its customers were concerned about. The research identified that this public
was concerned about the lack of support for teenagers with depression. This
information was used to develop the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility
program which included setting up a helpline for teenagers. The new CSR program
was then promoted through various channels including media.

5. A property development company is planning to build a shopping mall in a

residential area. They conduct public meetings to hear the concerns of the public –
Introduction to PR Page 2 of 3
which include the issues of noise and traffic congestion. The communication team for
the developers use information from these meetings to build a PR campaign to
convince the public of the benefits of the development.

Introduction to PR Page 3 of 3