Redefining public relations

How the role of public relations has changed

Public relations professionals are known for their communication skills. However, when asked to communicate what it is a public relations professional actually does, many (including myself) come up short. How do you succinctly describe a job that encompasses everything from media relations to social media to collateral material creation to event planning to marketing? Even the textbook definition of public relations leaves something to be desired:

Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.

This has been the formal definition since 1982. But how can we expect anything from 1982 be relevant in today’s ever-changing communication world? Needless to say, the Public Relation Society of America’s (PRSA) campaign to redefine PR is long overdue.

In his New York Times article, Stuart Elliot explains how the role of public relations has changed due to new ways of communication:

Perhaps the most significant changes have occurred most recently, as the Internet and social media like blogs, Facebook and Twitter have transformed the relationship between the members of the public and those communicating with them. A process that for decades went one way — from the top down, usually as a monologue — now goes two ways, and is typically a conversation.

And with this change in communication process has also come a change in the role and expectations of PR professionals. PR agency’s can no longer hang their hats on traditional PR skills and companies should expect more than press releases and clipping reports from their agency. To get a message to the public, PR pros need to expand their skill set to be proficient in social media, video production, inbound marketing and word-of-mouth advertising.

So how do you define such a complex and varied profession? It’s up to us to decide. The finalists in the search for a new definition of public relations will be posted on the PR Defined blog where you can vote for your favorite definition.

Tags: inbound marketing, PR, PR agency, public relations, social media, Video Production

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