While the main purpose of public relations is to present a subject favorably to the public, an organization can also use it to support certain causes and advocacies. This relies mostly on its use of mass media, which can spread a message more effectively than personal or field promotion. Often, a company will attach its name to a charity or organization, or vice versa, so that both groups can pool their resources (including client base) to increase publicity.
According to a 2002 article published in the journal Public Relations Strategies, PR plays four basic roles in society: educator, facilitator, partner, and persuader. A company can play one or all four roles using PR strategies, although each role has its distinct advantages.
Educator
While they are hired to build good reputations, PR professionals are trained to present unbiased facts, in neutral language, and in a way that does not attempt to influence the audience. Good PR works by presenting alternate courses of action, allowing the public to decide on its own. A primary example of the PR-educator role is the public information office in most government agencies. Government agencies use information campaigns on related issues (such as labor agencies releasing employment manuals) to establish their presence without the perception that they are using public funds for publicity purposes.
Facilitator
When an organization has a fixed target audience, PR practitioners determine the predispositions of that group and create materials to help them in the process. They might send out membership cards to environmentalist groups, or mail-in application forms to potential credit card customers. Online forms and surveys, pamphlets, and postage-paid envelopes are other examples of PR material playing the role of facilitator.
This role is a step ahead of the educator strategy because it sends out information as well as the tools you need to act on the cause. The additional material can persuade otherwise idle consumers to respond to the material. However, it does not involve a direct call for action, which reduces the chances of favorable response from the consumers.
Persuader
This is when the PR practitioner gets pronouncedly biased – the material appeals directly to the sentiments of the public in order to influence its decisions. It presents information from the point of view of the organization, in a language that is certainly not neutral, persuading the readers to share the same opinion. Many groups protest this kind of publicity, calling it “spinning” or “engineering of consent.” However, it has proven effective for many organizations, and is still one of the most widely used strategies today.
Partner
The partner role is the only strategy that involves two-way communication between the organization and its public. To do this, the company collaborates with real communities and advocacy groups for actual, concrete projects. This involves an open exchange of information, from defining the problems to planning and executing actions to solve them. This is the most difficult of the PR strategies, but it is the only one that promises benefits for both the public and the organization.
Conclusion
The function of PR is not limited to promotions – more importantly, it establishes good reputation by enabling your company to directly contribute to your community. A good PR campaign is not sales-centric – it puts goodwill first.