Many companies give strategically as a means of bolstering their reputation within the community and supporting a cause. The corporate philanthropy of Home Depot, where employees use store materials to construct homes in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, is most definitely an example of strategic giving. The company gains notoriety within the community for involving themselves with charity work. In the meanwhile, their supplies are being used to build durable homes, showing the community that Home Depot products are of superior quality. So, Home Depot reaps double the reward. The same is true for Exxon/ Mobile. The corporate logo makes use of a tiger and, as result, the company goes to great lengths to protect tigers and the environment. This, again, is confirmation that the corporation thinks about itself, but others. Even alluding to true altruism is enough to bolster respect within consumers and clients. Microsoft’s Working Connections program funds new and enhanced IT programs at community colleges all across the nation, putting emphasis on training and recruiting underprivileged populations. Microsoft strategically gives their time and resources to directly helping out the community.

Here is a video that also discusses corporate philanthropy:

Here are some additional links that talk about corporate philanthropy as a PR strategy:

http://www.isc.hbs.edu/soci-corporate_philanthropy.htm

http://www.ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/228/117

http://www.minnpost.com/scottrussell/2008/06/17/2241/corporate_philanthropys_balancing_act_charity_vs_pr

Blogs: Blogs are regularly updated online diaries that feature links to stories and news content found on the web. News about the company (ie. Press releases and other such information) can be posted to a blog. Corporations are joining in on the blog bandwagon. The majority of Fortune 500 companies have blogs either written by their CEOs or other executives. The one drawback of having a blog is that some control in content is sacrificed when viewer comments are enabled. Livejournal.com and wordpress.com are good examples of free blogs.

Video News Release Distribution: Video can help speed up the distribution and delivery of news. The picture-and-voice releases are sent mainly to cable news networks and local stations. VNRs are sent to the news networks with space allowing for the news to input their own commentary over the images. Video has also become popularized on the Internet. Sites like Youtube.com have been very effective in getting images to media outlets and providing snippets for on-air stories.

Audio News Release Distribution: Audio operates the same as a video news release, but uses audio clips instead of video imagery. ANRs for use on the radio are also distributed by satellite. Satellite XM radio is a new technology generating a great deal of attention. It is pay-for-service radio that is analogous to cable television.

Email: Electronic mail has become an imperative for PR practitioners. It has facilitated frequent collaboration between clients and colleagues. Gmail and Yahoo mail are two popular email providers. Users create accounts to send and receive messages that contain documents, images, etc. Email is accessible so long as one has access to the internet (ie. home, school, work, and even handheld mobile wireless devices).

Websites: Websites are essential pieces of representation for organization. The website details everything from organizational culture to the goals and projections for the company. Websites are very useful in communicating things the organization deems as important for its publics to be aware of. They can also be interactive. Websites are utilized by PR practitioners in times of crisis as well; many companies have established “darksites.”

 Three Things a PR Practitioner Can Do (During Crisis):

-Practitioners should refer to their contingency plans: good public relations people know that problems, and even crises, can occur. Therefore, they develop plans beforehand that react to specific problems that may arise with a client. It is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. If the contingency plan is well thought out, then it should be easy to execute efficiently and effectively to minimize damage done.

-Practitioners should operate “dark sites”: Dark sites are websites designed to communicate during crises. They typically contain messages pre-written for media, government, and other publics. These sites operate in place of the organization website in order to disperse information accurately and rapidly. Dark sites can be a part of an organization’s contingency plan.

-Practitioners can hold news conferences or media briefings: This is a way for organizations to get the facts of the event out directly to audiences. Poor compliance with media can exacerbate the problem. Timeliness is everything! Developing a media strategy can also falls under the umbrella of contingency planning.

Do PR Practitioners Solve Crises?

Public Relations practitioners do not necessarily solve a crisis. However, they contribute to the resolution and help to ameliorate the current condition. PR practitioners help to develop plans and oversee the execution of those plans in response to various conditions that have the potential to damage the organization’s reputation and culture in the eyes of the respective publics. If plans are devised and carried out swiftly, sensibly, and sensitively, crisis can yield positive changes. These changes can be: addressing latent problems, change in employment, evolution of new strategies, and the emergence of heroes.

What is their Relationship to One Another?

The primary relationship between these two theories is evident when examining the association between the audience and the message. The agenda-setting theory implies that the media does not tell the public what to think, but rather what to think about. The fact that most media outlets cover the same stories daily stresses which stories are of importance. However, according to the use and gratification theory, media consumers have the freedom to choose how they will use the media and the effect it will have on them. The audience reserves a little more discretion in selecting which messages will be received and which will be acted upon. Feedback is an integral component of this model as the audience also has an influence on the media. The idea that the media has subconscious authority on the lives of individuals is omitted from this theory, but in the agenda-setting theory that idea is omnipresent. The differences between the two lie in the focus, one focuses on media and the other on the audience.

What is the Role of PR Practitioners in This?

In agenda-setting theory, it is to be considered an accomplishment for a PR practitioner to get his or her subject on a media agenda. A little coverage can greatly advance the goals of an organization. Therefore, it is the primary concern of a practitioner that follows this theory to generate as much media attention as possible and garner support for his or her company’s goals. In the uses and gratification theory, it is the role of the practitioner to feed information into the media through use of the public.

It is imperative for this organization to generate more attention for itself. This attention should be used to create awareness for its professional visions and establish credibility. This needs to be the goal of the organization in the present time. More resources should be allocated in attempts to accomplish this goal. Credibility of PRSA would be best complimented by creating organizational awareness. The more publics targeted, the greater the likelihood that PRSA, and public relations as a field, will be viewed more seriously.

In designing a strategy for PRSA, measurable objectives must be implemented. The first of these objectives (Objective 1) is to increase awareness of the organization by 50% within the next two years. The second objective (Objective 2) is to increase organizational membership by at least 25% in the same two year time frame. Increasing the awareness of the organization should help to generate interest and attract more prospective members. So, in essence, by completing Objective 1, Objective 2 should be easily met not long after.

To accomplish Objective 1, increasing awareness by 50% in two years, research must be conducted to assess how many people currently know of and understand the varied roles of PR practitioners. This research needs to be done at random. Surveying is the best method for that. The survey is to be comprised of questions that are accurately worded and well designed to gauge the true knowledge of the subjects. After that preliminary assessment is made, focus groups can be conducted to provide the organization with more information (in the form of open ended responses). This will help determine what PRSA needs to do to reach various publics. From there, PRSA can start an active campaign to put itself in the public eye. I suggest handing out more informational material, leaving more materials with universities and their PRSSA groups, hosting more events nationally, etc.

Objective 2 can be met by creating incentives for current members to invite fellow professionals to join PRSA. If a current member can recruit a certain number of people to join yearly, he or she should be exempt from dues for that year. This will serve as compensation for meeting their target. Rewards like this will instill a sense of pride in members because they are more engaged in the recruiting process.

After two years has elapsed, surveys can be re-issued to determine whether the level of awareness has increased.Benchmarking the progress should help to determine this. Also, assuming that membership statistics are generated yearly, one can easily see if over the span of two years the initiatives have put a spike in the number of professionals joining the organization.

Credibility will come as a result of these two initiatives. PR will be taken more seriously if more people are aware of and participate in the field. The easiest way to become involved in public relations is by being educated by PRSA or their undergraduate chapters (PRSSA). This will serve as a great stepping stone for people. Typically, people respect individuals or institutions that they establish relationships with. I do not believe it to be any different in the case of PRSA.

Licensing has been proposed as one alternative to curtail unethical behavior in the industry. However, it is the belief of many that licensing would not “protect the profession and the public from incompetent, shoddy opportunists who do not have the knowledge, talent, or ethics required of public relations professionals.”[i] Requiring licenses of PR practitioners runs the risk of violating the First Amendment. Also, licensing is a state issue; whereas the increasing national and international functions of PR operate outside the parameters of individual states. Lastly, licensing is not sufficient enough to ensure the credibility of those practicing in the field.

Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) began a program in accreditation over 40 years ago. This accreditation is a voluntary process, constituting of written/ oral exams and a submission of portfolios filled with work samples. A preview course, that is available online, and a questionnaire must be completed before a practitioner is eligible to take the exam. Once a candidate passes this exam, they are able to add the prestigious title of APR (Accredited in Public Relations) to the end of their name.

According to the text, Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics, “to date, about 5,000 practitioners have earned APR status, or about 25 percent of the PRSA’s membership.” This number is drastically low in comparison to the number of practitioners out there. PRSA does not account for all the PR practitioners in the field, making the number of people accredited that much smaller.

Ways to Make Accreditation More Visible:

• PRSA can make accreditation more visible by educating and urging PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) members to take their accreditation exams prior to entry in the “working world”.
• PRSA should hold regional/local conferences targeted specifically to PR agency and boutique executives and inform them of the benefits of accreditation. Handouts, presentations, flyers, videos and pamphlets would make a more sound case for completing accreditation.
• PRSA could incentivize practitioners to get APR certified by reducing the cost of the exam, which is currently $385.

[i] Wilcox, Dennis, & Cameron, Glen (2000). Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics Eighth Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc..

I started my search on Indeed.com. I could have easily stopped there after spotting an Assistant Manager for Neiman Marcus’ public relations. It sounded like the pefect job for a female interested in fashion, like myself. I even got ahead of myself by figuring out the great discounts I’m sure I’d be able to take advantage of with such high corporate rank.

My search then took me to Monster.com where I found a great posting for the Vice President of Public Affairs/ Health Policy for TogoRunTM. This position appealed more to my philanthropic side. It sounded a little heroic being an important figure in a company who specializes in health and pharmaceutical public relations. I thought back to the time that I wanted to be a doctor and save lives. I know I wouldn’t have been any great contribution to the medical field, but public relations for companies who are able to provide care for others is the next best thing, maybe even just as noble.

Back on Indeed.com, I found a posting for a PR & Communications Coordinator for a Premiere NYC law firm. This might be the ONE for me. It combines the best of both of my worlds. My interest in law and my passion for the public relations sector would both be satisfied if only I was of age and qualifications to accept this job. My third and FINAL dream job would put me back in the city that I am very familiar with and think of as a second home, NEW YORK!

Although these three postings were all found on different sites, located in different states, and termed differently in regards to job titles,  they shared some overarching qualities. To have any involvement and success in the PR field, I knew I would have to be:

-Organized: Every job cited organization as not only a strength, but a necessity. In such a fast paced industry this becomes pretty self-explanatory.

-A good planner: This seemed to tie into the importance of organization for the reasons above.

-Creative: Nobody wants a stale idea being recycled in their organization when they could replace it with a young fresh mind or idea. I can’t blame them.

-Knowledgeable: The jobs were looking for knowledge of social media and new communication mechanisms. To keep up with the increasingly globalized society, this becomes a high-ranking characteristic.

-Posses Good Oral/ Written Communication Skills: Excellent oral and written skills are imperative to deliver satisfactory service to our customers and information to our publics. Writing and speaking are the basis for what the PR industry uses to disperse information.

One can only dream that jobs of this nature will be still available when I graduate.

Marketing focuses on the selling of goods and services to customers. Although it makes use of public relations tactics to disseminate information and generate interest to increase demand for whatever good or service, it loses sight of an integral component of public relations, building relationships between the individidual/ organization and the various publics. With marketing adopting some aspects of public relations, it appears more accurate to denote it as a possible subset of public relations rather than to rank it more highly within the departmental structure of an organization.

Advertising, like marketing, is concerned with the consumer. However, unlike public relations, advertising buys space and time separate from the news coverage that public relations practitioners try to earn for their clients. There is to be no confusion, PR spends a great deal of time and money crafting the message of clients and strategically getting coverage for that message. However, public relations is subject to the censorship of media gatekeepers that is more often avoided when an organization buys time and space (whether it be on tv, newspapers, etc) directly.

PR engulfs both marketing and advertising. It can be argued, maybe to the dismay of some, that advertising is a function of marketing and marketing a factor in public relations. For this reason, my personal belief is that public relations should come first in an organization. PR is a process dealing with counseling, research, media relations, publicity, employee/employer relations, community relations, public affairs, government affairs, issues management, financial relations, industry relations, development, special events, workplace diversity, and marketing communications, as noted by Public Relations Strategies and Tactics, 8^th Edition. Marketing is a secondary division in the workplace and advertising a tertiary division. Without the groundwork that public relations lays within the publics of society, marketing and advertising should be obsolete. For without the goodwill generated by public relations to various publics, marketing and advertising should have a harder time appealing to mass consumers.