PUBLIC RELATIONS & MEDIA

Thomas Friedman, foreign affairs columnist, New York Times asserts,

“This is the age of globalization and the countries that succeed best at globalization are those that are best at glocalisation i.e. taking the best global innovations, styles and practices and moulding them with their own culture”.

Though Public Relations as a practice in India has come a long way into establishing its need and indispensable role with country’s corporate world. Compared to the stimulating application of Public Relations in the global market, Indian PR industry still has miles to go.

Where the Corporate India is breaking all the barriers to adopt the most innovative of strategies and processes to chart out the most viable and effective communication plans, the role of Public Relations is still largely a media relations game that can potentially influence the key constituencies either by creating a perception, or informing/educating through NEWS. Media is one indispensable channel/mode towards achieving one or more Public Relation objectives of a Business.

Recently a corporate communication professional working for a financial institution was called for an interview by a well known business house. During the course of the interview, the candidate was asked how strong his relationship was with the media. Could he ensure nothing negative appear in the press about the organisation.

When a public relation agency goes for a pitch, the first question asked is CAN YOU GET A FRONT-PAGE STORY in a pink paper or COVER STORY in a business magazine or PLANT STORIES AGAINST COMPETITION? If the P R Agency says NO then the chances of its losing the business are very high. The competition is so intense that some firms succumb to such unreasonable demands as promising editorial space in publications by the column centimeters.

Has the PR industry been able to deliver? Is it growing fast? Is it still doing the same old stuff wining and dining journalists, planting and spiking stories? Is it a mere tool for corporate narcissism? The truth lies somewhere in between.

So what is Public Relations? Is it the face of the organisation, an effective management and marketing tool? The Public Relations mean different things to different people at different levels.

To some it is receive and see off CEO or other higher executives at Airport. To others organising confirmed plane or train tickets, or passes for a cultural event. For a few it means helping management to organise a press conference or getting the CEOs photograph published in a newspaper. Public Relation is one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted professions.

In fact the best definition of Public Relations comes from author Michael Levine in his book “Selling Goodness”.

“When the circus comes to town and you paint a sign about it that’s Advertising. Put the sign on the back of an elephant and march him through Beverly Hills that’s Promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed, that’s Publicity. And if you can get the mayor to laugh or comment about it, that’s Public Relations.

AS PER FRANK JEFKINS A RENOWNED PR EXPERT “PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSISTS OF ALL FORMS OF PLANNED COMMUNICATION, OUTWARDS AND INWARDS, BETWEEN AN ORGANISATION AND ITS PUBLICS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ACHIEVING SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES CONCERNING MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING”.

So Public Relations effectively reach out to Investors through Investors Relations and Financial Communications, Employees through Internal Communications, Government and Regulatory Bodies through Lobbying. Public Relations also   include Event Management, Marketing Consultancy and Brand Management.  But it is largely perceived as Media Management. Media Management is one of the important components of Public Relations. 

The job of Public Relations is to facilitate a journalist to get the correct information in the right perspective. Media Management is the key attribute of Public Relations worldwide. It is a single vehicle that has the mass reach. Media is the quintessence of Public Relations. It is the last mile connectivity. After a whole lot of research and strategy it has to end with media. All the strategy and plans of the organisation finally must be translated into stories that appear in the media. Only then would the stakeholders know what the organisation is up to. 

Media is very important in the whole value chain. Media is part and parcel of the Public Relations industry as it helps to effectively mould the public opinion and perception. But the real trouble begins when publicity-hungry organisations turn media shy at the first sign of the trouble. There could be several reasons and at that time organisations tend to calm up and ask their PR Heads to keep the media at bay or kill the stories. This is where they antagonize the media. When the going was good, the journalist was CEO’s good friend but the moment the boat rocks, the journalist becomes persona non grata. 

Many a times the media is blamed for not being accountable and responsible, and it become a fashion to say “It is a trial by the media”. But we must understand that the media themselves face tough competition within the fraternity. With electronic media, newspapers, news-magazines and the internet fighting for an audience’s mind space and a retailer’s shelf space, media are forced to chase issues that will appeal to its viewers and readers.

Organisations for their part use pressure tactics also to prevent a story from appearing. But forced Public Relations do not work at all and failures cannot be camouflaged. It is here that an organisation’s investment in reputation helps. If an organisation has been historically known for its transparency and best trade practices and where promises are matched with performance then it can be sure that media will not go on overdrive. First deserve then desire is the name of the game.

Media Management or Relations is an ongoing cultivation process...................

Your organization's strategy for media coverage needs to go beyond trying to land one big story; you want the media to know that you are THE organization to contact whenever they are doing a story on a subject that relates to your organization's work, and that you are a reliable source for information and stories.  In short, you want to be quoted or referenced in a variety of stories, not just one. 

Therefore, don't think that every media release is going to result in media coverage- it's not. But sustaining regular press contacts will build recognition of your organization among reporters, and the result will be ongoing payoffs down the road. As coverage for your organization is generated, you won't just be reaching new audiences you will also be reaching existing clients, reminding them of what your organization is doing and what they have chosen to be a part of.

Lots of PR :)