Press agentry, public information, two-way asymmetric public relations, and two-way symmetric public relations are four models of public relations theory devised by Grunig and Hunt (1983). In this essay, the author goes on to identify an example each from current public relations business practices that goes on to show the four public relation models in action. Further stress is provided to ensure that the examples have all been taken place within last twelve months in the Australian media and justification of selection is to be done by comparing it with real world examples that are chosen.
Grunig, Sriramesh & Lyra (2009) explains press agentry model of public relations as the most commonly used and earliest form of public relations, in
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Another one-way model of PR is the public information model. Grunig and Hunt (1983) stresses that the public information model is all about having the appearance of journalism to increase credibility and authority of the message. and it has been found to be used mainly by government agencies, law enforcement agencies and military units all around the world (Simpson,2015). This model does not place stress on gathering feedbacks. Non-government organisations campaign against the permission given for Adani Coal mines in Queensland is a typical example of using the power of journalism and press releases to influence public opinion. Press releases and articles done by Sydney Morning Herald “YourVote: Great Barrier Reef should be prioritised over coal mining, survey shows” by Hasham (2016) and “Environmental groups slam Adani approvals as resources sector celebrates” by Atfield (2016) are classic examples of how PR can be used to influence people by providing it an appearance of journalism. PR strategists for the Greenpeace Australia and other environmental groups have successfully been able to influence targeted public with press releases. This public information model used to block Adani Coals from starting mines in QLD, is a perfect example as Grunig, Sriramesh & Lyra (2009) notes the major characterizers of public information model as being one sided communication where the strategists acts as a journalist to produce objective
Early PR practices were deemed "press agentry" and were thought of a group that fell into a comparison with propaganda. This was because of the use of hype and manipulation of information. For the most part during development of the practice, there was little to no ethical boundaries. In the early 1900's however, there was a major focus on using factual information and labeling it public information, though somewhat manipulation, in order to help gain the public's interest or trust. This factual information however, was based solely around one-way communication, where the information was published simply for the knowledge of others, and not necessarily with the expectation that any action would come of the information. Of course the name of the game in public relations was always to convince someone to change or solidify their opinion on a topic or issue, in the
Public relations, also referred to a PR, represent an essential component of business, in which the business interacts through various modes such as promotions, initiatives, and so forth with its customer base, as well as, the potential new customers. Subsequently, according to Davis (2009), this interaction permits the business, as well as, the public to intermingle in such a way to disseminate information to the public, which possesses a newsworthy nature via media sources such as a trade magazine or journal, the traditional radio or television networks, the newspaper, or the internet. Hence, an effectual public relations program has the potential to not only maximize, as well as increase sales, but also, enhance profitability by establishing a competitive advantage with relation to business contenders. Therefore, an effective PR campaign accomplishes this goal by creating greater visibility for the business, its products, and augmenting the credibility of the business, while, attempting to neutralize potential crises, as they arise. Thus, public relation programs represent an invaluable tool utilized by businesses such as the Olive Garden Restaurant.
I am a top performer because I always have strived for excellence throughout college, which in turn allowed me to graduate a semester early. In addition, I held multiple leadership positions throughout college, including President of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communications honor society, my college's Student Alumni Association, and Vice President of my college's chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).
The implementation of communication theories and models to a public relations campaign is imperative to its success. Aligning with the advancements of the media, more specifically social media and the rise of citizen journalism, the press agentry or publicity model is fundamental to any campaign. Based around the requirement for free media, this model outlines the technique of orchestrating public stunts to gain media attention (Johnston & Sheehan, 2014). In order to execute this model successfully, a PR professional must have thorough knowledge of media choices, what kinds of events make news headlines and the campaigns target audience. Understanding
The most recent definition of public relations, according to the Public Relations Society of America (2012), states that “Public Relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Through the rapid advancement of modern media and technology, there have never been more outlets and opportunities available for accomplishing the goals of public relations. Believing the development of social media has not created serious changes in the way public relations practitioners go about their duties would be foolish and a fast track to falling behind in this rapid world of communication. The main goals of public relations are “to
Public opinion is not just a belief, but rather an expression of a view that is central to a functioning democracy. In 1965 Krugman stated that advertising doesn’t change attitudes, it simply changes the perception of what should matter when buying. Whether what that citizen is buying is a certain brand of coffee or the idea of going to war, communication is the cornerstone for how our society functions as a whole. Public relations is not just for products and companies, it shapes ideas and movements. With an increasing global market and issues the need for public relations has and will continue to grow.
The theory explains that the value of public relations in organization and society lies in socially responsible managerial decisions and quality organization to public relations. Organisations must behave in ways that solve the problems and satisfy the goals of the stakeholders as well as the management in order to be effective. Good relationship with organisation’s strategic publics is helpful in developing and achieving goals desired by both the organization and its publics, reducing costs of negative publicity, and increasing revenue by providing products and services needed by stakeholders. Practitioners identify publics who are affected by or affect organizational decisions and communicate symmetrically with them to build high quality long term relations.
The public relations tactics in relation to the corporate context will now be examined. Customer relations can be associated with the monitoring of attitudes of key publics and stakeholders especially in regards to any negative incidents that have the potential to effect the organisation’s reputation and consumer trust (Wilcox, 2013, p.312). For Malaysian Airlines, this is evident given the potential for consumer boycotts with the missing aircraft’s (Crossman Communications, 2015, p2). Having over 12, 000 employees, employee relations are important for the organisation. Employee relations consist of monitoring employees’ attitudes and beliefs towards the organisation (Wilcox, 2013, p316) as there is potential for negative word of mouth by employees essentially damaging the company’s reputation. This is evident as according to Malaysian Airlines, they offer a “dynamic exciting environment that nurtures a diverse talented team that work to make great things happen” (2017). Finally, media relations are vital in a corporate context as “negative coverage can cause a corporation’s reputation to plummet” (Wilcox, 2013, p. 310). Having said that, it is important as public relations professionals to establish positive relationships with those who operate in the media industry. Kimberly Blessing argues the two fields (public relations and journalism) have an important working interrelationship with “60% of PR
The use of corporate communication to describe the Public Relations practitioner has recently gained an acceptance among scholars and practitioners (Groenewald, 1998:58). Moreover, the term could be used interchangeably to showcase that the function of Public Relation or corporate communication involves both internal and external communications of an organisation (Steyn, 1999). Cornelissen (2011) observed that corporate communication apart from coordinating all the interactions that goes on both within and outside the organisation, it also involve establishing and maintaining constructive reputations with stakeholder groups upon which the organisation is
Public relations practitioners in general or media relations practitioners in particular communicate information to journalists by using information subsidies which can be defined as ‘efforts of news sources to intentionally shape the news agenda by reducing journalists’ costs of gathering information’. Information subsidies such as press release, statements, speeches, conferences help the company to communicate information to the journalists as well as setting the news agenda. (Kelly,
Ever since Bernany’s work, public relations have continued to become a vital part to businesses success, as the field continues to grow. While this progression has occurred, different public relations functions also have developed. Specifically,
Because they have a large degree of understanding of the public relations is an image of the establishment of business or put more persuasion efforts for business. The reporter general agree PR is in a public image, propaganda, persuasion activities, as well as marketing efforts, and promote the organization 's position. As the role of public relations become more diverse and important, public relations progress toward becoming the subject of strategy management, it is essential for public relations to the strategy. And to a wide range of business functions integration marketing communication (IMC) concept of the functions of public relations as a commitment to development a of an organization and its product, the image and the impact of the public or the consumer in the campaign of behavior(Ha, JH, & Ferguson, MA 2015).
Only recently being recognized as a discipline in itself, modern day professional public relations practices can trace its roots to the early 1900s where the first public relations firm, the Publicity Bureau, was founded in Boston. In 1923, Austrian-American public relations pioneer, Edward Bernays, identified three fundamental concepts of public relations. In 1984, American theorists, Grunig and Hunt, conceptualized the now-famous four models of public relations and the excellence theory that were generally adopted by public relation agencies across the globe. With so many significant milestones and theories of public relations established in the United States, it stands to reason that public relation practices would naturally adopt a western perspective.
"Public relations is the management of communication between an organization and its publics." (Grunig & Hunt's, 1984)
Public Relations in New Zealand is widely useful, practised and builds up an organisation’s relationships with its publics. PR in short, is essentially about communication and relationship building. PRINZ [Public Relations Institute of New Zealand] (2009) defines PR as “The deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics.” This essay will deconstruct and critically examine this definition of public relations in relation to PR theories. These theories being Systems Theory, Relationship Management and Excellence Theory will be examined and applied to campaign examples. This will give a comprehensive understanding of the theory’s meanings as well as relationships with aspects of the PRINZ definition of PR. To understand PR theories however, the term publics must first be addressed.