Public relations

The ABBYY Lingvo 12 Dictionary gives the following definition:

Public relations - specialized activities of relayers (PR-men and PR-women) - specialists in the interests of individuals and corporations, government agencies, charitable foundations and trade associations to create a favorable image of the organization, its representatives, a specific person, product or idea in the public eye and social groups: shareholders, financial circles, employees of companies and institutions, real or potential customers, as well as members of municipal, district, state and federal legislations ial bodies. This activity is most often carried out by providing the press, television and radio with relevant information, which many local publications (newspapers and magazines, local radio and television stations) seriously rely on and count on.

The concept of "Public Relations" is closely related to such concepts as advertising , propaganda , journalism , campaigning , marketing , corporate communications and management . Manipulation and propaganda of PR are only indirectly associated with the concepts, since by the declared definition it is an instrument of an informed dialogue between two equal subjects. However, some are closely related to these concepts due to the realities of the 1990s and errors in interpretation.

There are often disagreements between PR specialists: whether to include the concept of “ Black PR ” in the sphere of PR.

Definitions

There are many definitions of public relations, reflecting the presence of a variety of concepts and points of view on the subject. For example:

• Summarized: “Public relays is a managerial activity aimed at establishing mutually beneficial, harmonious relations between an organization and the public, on which the success of the functioning of this organization depends.”
• PR is the art and science of achieving harmony with the external environment through mutual understanding based on truth and full awareness (Sam Black, in his book “What is PR?” ^[1] )
• Cynical: “PR is the art of creating a favorable public attitude towards a company by creating the idea that a company produces and sells goods only in the interests of the buyer, and not for profit” ^[2] .

However, the most appropriate in modern practice is considered ^{[by whom? ]} definition proposed by professors Lawrence W. Longy and Vincent Hazelton. They describe public relations as "a communicative management function by which organizations adapt to their environment, change (or save) it in the name of achieving their organizational goals." This definition is the latest theory that describes public relations as something more than just the formation of certain points of view in society ^[3] .

If we consider PR as a management function in an organization, we can give the following definition of PR: PR is the management of the organization’s communications with its target audience, with the aim of establishing stable relations, trust and mutual understanding.

“PR” or “Public Relations” - Select a Term

In Russian, the terms “PR” and “public relations” having the same origin received different semantic meaning.

According to documents from the National Corps of the Russian Language , the term “public relations” is more often used when it comes to academic discipline, its teaching, scientific research, official documents, formal job descriptions, etc.

The word "PR" usually describes the specific activities of public relations specialists and its outcome.

The frequency of use in the language is dominated by the word "PR" - 260 documents, against 16 documents that refer to "public relations" ^[4] .

This is due to the fact that in everyday life there are significant differences between academic discipline and real activity: 1) the goal of PR is to achieve a result, to impose one’s opinion, and public relations are oriented towards dialogue; 2) PR recognizes any means, and public relations - only legal; 3) The term “public relations” has a positive connotation in speech, and “PR” has a neutral or negative connotation.

The term "public relations" is promoted by specialists in this discipline, the actual predominance of the word "PR" can presumably be explained by the fact that consumers often order and pay for PR.

Other

• Corporate PR (Corp.PR) - the formation of the image of the entrepreneur, his company.

Corp.PR brings results in the form of signed contracts, government orders, investment projects, credit lines, etc. due to the “good” image of the company.

For example, David Thomson - the owner of The Thomson Corporation (a leading global company in the field of integration of information solutions in business) patronizes the Ontario Art Gallery. He is a renowned art collector and owns a remarkable collection of John Constable paintings.

• Commercial PR (CPR) - promotion of an entrepreneur’s business product, brand promotion.

For example, the need to maintain the legendary Ferrari brand forces its owners to continue the unique manual assembly of the car and to bring into its design those qualities that make it possible to win at the most prestigious races in the world - “Formula 1”. The Ferrari brand has become a symbol of quality, luxury and comfort.

• Internal (intra-corporate) PR - management of relationships within the company. In management practice, another designation is widespread - internal corporate communications .

The main task of internal PR is to build certain trusting relationships between company management and staff at all levels of management.

Components of internal PR:

• corporate culture;
• the effectiveness of the system of interaction between departments and employees in the company;
• motivation to work;
• adoption by employees of the mission and goals of the company.

External PR - contacts with the external environment of the company: with competitors, partners, investors, buyers, customers, with all but the company employees.

Public relations is not a phenomenon of the 20th century ; its roots go deep into history. Even during the heyday of such civilizations as Sumer , China , Babylon , Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome , people were convinced that they should recognize the power of their governments and their religion. A similar practice still exists: interpersonal communication, the art of eloquence, the organization of special events, publicity , etc. This activity was not called “public relations,” but today public workers who engage in similar activities have the same goals . Scientists ^{[ what? ]} found embryonic forms of influence on public opinion and the management of communications in ancient civilizations, during the settlement of the New World and during the movement to abolish slavery in England. Basil Clark is considered the founder of public relations in the UK ^{[ source? ]} .

Propaganda (as one of the most common forms of PR) was used by the USA, Great Britain, Germany (Many modern specialists ^{[ what? ]} in public relations, Joseph Goebbels is considered the “father” of modern propaganda, and with public rejection of the ideas of Nazism and fascism , Goebbels’s “manuals” formed the basis of many ^{[ specify ]} modern textbooks on PR) ^{[ source? ]} and other countries to mobilize domestic support and demonize enemies during world wars, most historians ^{[ who? ]} believe that campaigns to develop public relations were first established in the United States by Ivy Lee or Edward Bernays , and then spread around the world. Many american companies ^{[ what? ]} with PR departments spread this practice in Europe when they set up European subsidiaries as a result of the Marshall Plan ^{[ source? ]} . That is, initially, public relations specialists solved state and geopolitical tasks and only after the end of global and strategic conflicts did they begin to solve the tasks of the commercial sector and private corporations ^{[ source? ]} .

Modern PR technologies were developed in Europe and America: in France and the USA . In 1900, Harvard University already had its own publicity bureau. The publicity office was also established at the University of Pennsylvania in 1904. In 1912, the first large PR bureau was created at the American Telephone and Telegraph Association.

Public relations departments and specialized firms appeared in the United States in the early 1920s as a reaction to the activities of the Muckrakers. One of its founders is journalist Ivy Lee (Ivy Lee) and the company of J. Rockefeller (John Davison Rockefeller), whose employee Ivy Lee later. One of the first public relations campaigns is considered a technique invented by Rockefeller personally: distribution of new shiny ten-cent coins to children.

In the early 1930s, the position of PR Advisor appeared in the US Democratic Party . A similar post in the Republican Party appears in 1936. During this period, PR stands out as an independent management function, which begins to be in demand in the largest US companies.

At the same time, the first experts in conducting political campaigns appeared.

1945-1965 - PR boom in the USA. PR finally stands out as an independent direction in management and continues to develop rapidly.

Universities begin to issue bachelors in PR. By 1965, the number of workers employed in the PR field exceeded 100 thousand people, by 2000, 200,000 people in the United States alone.

Since the 1990s, PR began to be considered as part of the concept of integrated marketing communications , which has gained popularity with the growing number of channels that communicators have to work with. The development of digital marketing , including the penetration of social networks into everyday life, has made a powerful impetus to the emergence of new channels, which has made them an effective tool for promotion. To systematize work with all the variety of existing and new communication channels, in 2012 the PESO model was proposed ^[5] , which involves the development of a unified communication strategy for Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned channels.

You can offer these types of PR, based on the allocation of certain criteria :

• Black PR - the use of “black” technologies to tarnish the reputation of a competing organization, group, etc., disseminating insulting or economically dangerous statements on its behalf, etc. Sometimes it’s enough to limit yourself to publishing compromising information . The phrase is formed by analogy with the expression "black propaganda." Under the "black PR" is meant the creation of information lines based on scandal, which are based on the negative attitude of society to the object of PR.
• Political PR is a specialized activity of political entities aimed at the effective management of their public communication and increasing political competitiveness by attracting public support ^[6] .
• Social PR is an activity aimed at the formation, support and development of the necessary (most often positive) relationships, the formation of positive behaviors, etc. This sphere of PR traditionally includes social and charitable projects and programs of business structures and projects of public and non-profit organizations.
• PR “external” and “internal”: according to the criterion of working with target audiences outside and inside organizations; from the technological point of view, in the first case we are talking about working with uncontrolled, in the second - with controlled media;
• PR “positive” and “negative”: we are talking about positive, creative or negative, destructive work; many PR specialists categorically deny the very possibility of considering a negative direction as in principle related to public relations;
• PR “negative” and “anti-crisis”: “service”, providing attacking or defensive business activities; this dichotomy is conceivable only if the question of “negative” PR and the anti-crisis anti-crisis is seriously raised; the opposite approach, in essence, considers the real society as conflict-free, consisting for the most part of highly moral people;
• PR “everyday” (“routine”) and “anti-crisis” (“emergency”): in the first case we are talking about PR-activities in a relatively calm, everyday environment associated with positive activities and allowing a high degree of planning due to the controllability of the situation; in the second, on activities in time pressure, stress, and a high degree of uncertainty caused, as a rule, by “external” forces;
• Everyday PR and project design: performing either routine, ordinary work, which in principle does not have time horizons, or mobilization-related activities related to the development and implementation of projects;
• PR in the areas of commercial, non-profit, political and state: the implementation of PR-activities related to the difference in access to resources, a greater or lesser degree of risk, more or less the ability to perform creative work;
• PR personal, organizational and commodity (PR of people, organizations and goods / services): by the criterion of the work of the PR structure with a particular object of PR promotion;
• “PR offline” and “PR online”: PR-activity in a regular environment or using a full-fledged PR agency and on the Internet or using an online PR agency;
• PR is eventful and sensational: in the first case, the central category is “news”, in the second - “sensation” (also news, but one that almost automatically attracts the attention of the press);
• PR support and PR promotion: in the first case, we can talk about news coverage in the media of such independent types of promotion as an exhibition, presentation, press conference, holiday, anniversary, etc., in the second - about creating events of this kind that interesting in the media themselves, and whose “promotional” nature is not obvious to the target audience.

Relayter, Communications Specialist

Relaiter ( Eng. Relaiter ) - a specialist in public relations, a link between a person or organization (company, enterprise, person) and the public. The field of activity of the relater is the positioning of persons and organizations, the establishment and maintenance of harmonious relations between the customer (client) and the public. Often, a PR specialist also functions as a marketer, advertiser, image maker, brand maker and other related professions.

The duties of a specialist in public relations also include the creation, expansion, maintenance of favorable relations with the media (media relations), which includes the selection (selection) of the most suitable publications, television and radio channels, Internet resources that satisfy client needs and goals specific project. Active work with selected media and constant contact with the public helps to strengthen the reputation of a person or organization, and to increase publicity and intangible assets in a competitive environment.

Working with the media, currently the “fourth power,” requires a systematic approach. In this regard, a specialist in public relations should take into account the psychology of a journalist, his motivation, desires and needs in a modern rapidly changing world. Creation of special events by the relay should arouse public interest in information, be interesting and relevant, topical.

International and foreign industry organizations

• Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management Global Alliance
• Center of Communicative Technologies - CCT Black & White PR ( Minneapolis , Minnesota ) Creator Nikolai Zeveron
• International Organization of Communications Consulting Companies ICCO
• East European Network of Independent PR Agencies CEEPR-net

History of PR in Russia

In Ancient Russia, the authorities used two main channels to bring information to society - the secular state apparatus and church governance structures. In the annals, starting from the 10th century, special heralds are mentioned - “birichi” or “biruchi”. They were supposed to “click” “at the auction” (in crowded trading areas) about the appearance of new princely decrees. Later, with the advent of paper and the gradual spread of literacy, the practice of posting written decrees appeared. Through church channels, information (for example, news about the birth of the heir) was brought to the parish priests, and they already transmitted it to the flock. Feedback was provided through “petition”, which each person could submit not only to the appropriate government body, but also personally to the head of state. This practice was abolished only by Peter I , who forbade personally submitting petitions to the sovereign in cases that had not previously been considered by the relevant state authorities. An illegal but widely practiced way of communicating with the authorities was “osprey and conspiracy”, when the people gathered in a “crowded place” (large crowd) went to the sovereign or representatives of local authorities with demands and threats (sometimes with petition).

State PR in foreign media

In Russia, purposeful activities aimed at combating the spread of negative information abroad and the formation of a positive information background have been carried out since the 1660s. The need for this work was due to the fact that the Russian government strove to develop contacts with other European countries, and the success or failure of the Russian embassies depended on how Russia was evaluated in Europe. In addition, the Russian government was actively involved in attracting foreigners to the Russian service — military, medical, mine workers, shipbuilders, artists, and others. Negative publications about Russia affected the cost of hiring foreign specialists. The news of various Russian troubles negatively affected trade and made it difficult to obtain foreign loans.

During the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich , the following methods of influencing the foreign press were tested in practice - diplomatic protests, sending materials prepared in Moscow to foreign publications, payment for the services of foreign publishers, and pressure on Russia's trading partners associated with European publishers. A significant number of positive publications about the Russian state fell into the Western press through foreign diplomats working in Moscow, who sought in this way to improve relations with the Russian authorities.

The Russian authorities began to pay special attention to PR in foreign media after the outbreak of the Northern War . During these years, special PR agents were hired. The reason for the changes was that Russia was at war against one of the leading European states. The need for support from the maximum number of allies forced us to take care of a good (or at least neutral) image. In fact, after the start of the Northern War between Russia and Sweden, an information war also unfolded. Caring for the “positive press” has become the norm for the Russian government, the daily activities of Russian diplomats and agents ^[7] . By the end of the reign of Peter I, the system of foreign PR was raised to a level that could not be achieved in later periods. European press publications were tracked at two levels (by residents and the College of Foreign Affairs ). The persecution of “pashkvilyantov” (those who published negative materials) was ensured by international agreements. For example, in Hamburg , one of the most important centers of the European press of that time, it was allowed to publish only those materials that were provided by the Russian resident. In the College of Foreign Affairs, a well-established mechanism has been created to “refute” negative publications and send official news. The reliable operation of such a system was reinforced by fear of Russian troops stationed in German lands. Любопытно, что политическая конъюнктура позволяла российским властям оплачивать услуги PR-специалистов крайне скупо и нерегулярно, о чём свидетельствуют многочисленные челобитные агентов, отложившиеся в Коллегии иностранных дел ^[8] .

В 2007—2014 годах правительство РФ с согласия президента Путина перечислило около 2 млн долларов американской коммуникационной компании Ketchum за услуги по продвижению международного имиджа России. Уполномоченным представителем России и куратором в этом проекте был пресс-секретарь президента РФ Дмитрий Песков ^[9] .

Объёмы PR услуг в РФ

По данным АКОС , ^[10] объём российского рынка PR в РФ в 2008 — $2,5 млрд (рост на 43 %, в 2007 — $1,75 млрд).

Средняя доля бюджета на аутсорсинг (использование PR-агентств) в крупных компаниях составляла 40-41 % в 2007, 37-38 % в 2008.

Объём агентских гонораров/вознаграждений за 2008 год оценен в диапазоне от $200 до $500 млн. Доля «неинституциолизированных» консультантов — $30-80 млн.

Расходы производителей товаров повседневного спроса (FMCG) на PR составляют в среднем до $1 млн в год, компаний добывающей и перерабатывающей промышленности — до $5 млн, финансовых организаций — до $10 млн. В большинстве компаний доля PR-бюджета не превышает 10 % от общих затрат на маркетинговые коммуникации, лишь в финансовом секторе, IT и телекоммуникационной сфере этот показатель может достигать 20-30 % ^[11] .

По данным исследования консалтингового агентства IFORS, совокупный объём PR-бюджетов российских компаний в 2010 году составил 1,66 млрд долларов ^[12] .

PR-агентства России

В международный рейтинг бюллетеня The Holmes Report (один из самых авторитетных независимых отраслевых источников о пиар-индустрии в мире) «Top 250 Global Rankings 2014» (глобальный рейтинг коммуникационных компаний) попали следующие российские PR-компании (в скобках указано место в рейтинге) ^[13] :

• (60) AGT Communications Group
• (62) Mikhailov & Partners
• (82) iMARS Group
• (83) CROS ( Компания развития общественных связей )
• (152) Pro-Vision Group

С разной степенью периодичности выходят и внутренние рейтинги агентств, которые ранжируют компании преимущественно по традиционным критериям — по степени упоминаемости в СМИ, а также размеру годового бюджета. Вместе с тем появляются и оригинальные версии рейтингов — например, «Рейтинг доверия» исследовательской группы W-City.net ^[14] , в котором агентства выстроены в зависимости от уровня и степени доверия к ним со стороны бизнес-среды.

В 2013 году под эгидой Российской академии общественных связей (РАОС) и крупнейших отраслевых ассоциаций (АКОС, РАСО, IABC/Russia, АКМР) был сформирован и представлен первый в России Национальный рейтинг коммуникационных компаний. При составлении рейтинга учитываются три показателя: доходы за год, профессиональный опыт (клиентский и кадровый портфель), а также публичная активность компаний в СМИ. ^[15]

Отраслевые организации

International

• Международная ассоциация медийных и коммуникационных исследований (МАМИКИС)

Российские

• Ассоциация компаний консультантов в области связей с общественностью (АКОС) ^[16]
• Ассоциация коммуникационных агентств России (АКАР) ^[17]

Отраслевые награды, конкурсы и премии

• Национальной премии в области общественных связей Серебряный Лучник
• Национальная Премия Медиа-Менеджер России
• Всероссийский конкурс социальной рекламы «Новый Взгляд»
• Фестиваль рекламы Идея!

• Advertising
• Консультативно-совещательный орган
• The brand
• Имидж
• Journalism
• Промоутер (реклама)
• Marketing
• Press release
• Пресс-конференция
• Пресс-тур
• PR-стратегия
• Бэкграундер
• Паблицитный капитал
• Инициатива снизу (Grassroots)
• HR

• Сэм Блэк. Паблик Рилейшнз. Что это такое?. — М. : Новости, 1990. — 239 с. — ISBN 5-7020-0370-5 .
• Иванченко, Г. В. Реальность Паблик Рилейшнз . — М. : Смысл, 1999. — ISBN 5-89357-050-2 .
• Вуйма А. Чёрный PR. Защита и нападение в бизнесе и не только. - SPb. : БХВ , 2005. — ISBN 5-94157-771-0 .
• Филипп Гуров. Продвижение бизнеса в Интернет: все о PR и рекламе в Сети. — М. : «Вершина», 2008. — 136 с. — ISBN 978-5-9626-0408-4 .
• Юрий Борисов. Забыть Герострата // Игры в «Русский M&A». — М. : Спец-адрес, 2005. — ISBN 5-902415-04-7 .
• Музалевский М. Е. PR-проект: от проблемы к результату. — М. : Саратов: «Научная книга», 2003. — 96 с. — ISBN 5-93888-121-8 .
• Муртазина, Г. Х. Этика связей с общественностью и культура управления : учеб. пособие. - SPb. : СПбГИЭУ , 2005.
• Дэвид Мирман Скотт . Новые правила маркетинга и PR. Как использовать социальные сети, блоги, подкасты и вирусный маркетинг для непосредственного контакта с покупателем = The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, & Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly. — М. : «Альпина Паблишер» , 2011. — С. 352. — ISBN 978-5-9614-1400-4 .
• Игорь Райхман. Практика медиа измерений. Аудит. Отчетность. Оценка эффективности PR. — М. : Альпина Паблишер, 2013. — 432 с. — ISBN 978-5-9614-4499-5 .
• Catlip M. Scott, Center H. Allen, Broome M. Glen. Public Relations. Theory and practice. 8th ed .. - M .: Williams Publishing House, 2003. - 624 p.
• Yagodkina M.V., Ivanova A.P., Slastushinskaya M.M. Advertising in the communication process. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2014 .-- 304 p. - ISBN 978-5-496-00398-8 .
• Mikhail Umarov. Real-time PR: Trends. Cases. Rules. - M .: Alpina Publisher , 2016 .-- 230 p. - ISBN 978-5-9614-5746-9 .

• Russian Association for Public Relations
• Professional portal for specialists in public relations Sovetnik.ru