Understanding the ABC of Public Relations, Public Information, Publicity, Propaganda, Lobbying, Advertising, Networking, Marketing, & Sales promotion

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Today I’m very happy to present 98th Blog “Understanding the ABC of Public Relations, Public Information, Publicity, Propaganda, Lobbying, Advertising, Networking, Marketing, & Sales promotion”.

Public Relations

Public Relations consists of all forms of planned communication, outwards and inwards, between an organization and its publics for the purpose of achieving specific objectives concerning a two-way of mutual understanding based on truth, knowledge and full information. Public Relations also is an attempt by information and persuasion to engineer public support for an activity, cause, movement or institution. Public Relations is always positive because its role is to enhance public opinion. Public Relations is the long-term strategic planning that businesses and organizations undertake to build awareness and relationships with the public.

Public Information

Public Information is a way to convey to public at large the positive and motivational messages and the benefits that can be obtained from that information. Objectives of Public Information are as under:-

• To increase knowledge about a subject.

• To raise awareness.

• To encourage a positive attitude.

• To increase levels of participation of the public at large.

Publicity

Publicity is a component of public relations and is the short-term tactics that organizations use to gain awareness. Publicity results from information being made known. It is a particular manner of information projection through various media of mass communication about an individual, issue, product or an event to generate favorable response. Publicity can be based on wrong information and can be negative also. Public Relations is used to mend the damage caused by negative publicity, at the same time positive publicity can be used by PR persons to highlight the achievements. Publicity may or may not involve any expenditure and is entirely non-personal stimulation of demand for a product or service.

Propaganda

Propaganda is the control of opinion by significant symbols or to speak more concretely and less accurately by stories, rumors, reports, pictures, and other forms of social communication. Propaganda means the making of deliberately one-sided statements to a mass audience. Propaganda is the consistent, enduring effort to create or shape events to influence the relations of the public to an enterprise, idea or group. Propaganda is also the means of gaining support for an opinion, faith or belief. It may be designed to injure the reputation of a person or a cause or to convert people to a particular cause without caring for the finer points of advertising or publicity. Successful PR has to be credible, whereas Propaganda is liable to invite suspicion or at least disagreement. Propaganda is mostly one-sided communication whereas PR is based on two-way process without which mutual understanding is never possible. PR believes in ethics, truthful means, and based on factual, accurate and credible information to achieve defined objectives whereas the purpose of Propaganda is all together different hence liable to invite distrust and disbelief.

Lobbying

Lobbying is a major component of government relations functions of the typical large corporations. In Govt. Relations activity Public Relations and Liaison services also play major roles but LOBBYING has a strictly different meaning. The essence of lobbying is that it has to be discreet and low profile. It is one of the chosen methods to influence legislative and decision-making processes in favour of the company’s own interests. The target groups for lobbying are therefore influential politicians, bureaucrats, legislators and other power centres. A lobbyist, therefore, has to be a person of extra-ordinary caliber and with high connections. Lobbyists have to play undercover, in total secrecy. The crucial decision to go for lobbying and its stages of influence are exclusive information. Lobbying can be very helpful in explaining potential consequences of any legislative or bureaucratic function to a legislator or the government. Lobbyist can play an important role by suggesting an alternative constructive proposal designed to achieve a purpose which is considered to be in the interest of public at large. In our country lobbying is done by person(s) managing corporate affairs, civil societies, non-govt. organizations and organizations representing business organizations and corporate world.

Advertising

Advertising is a form of controlled and assured commercial communication activity intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action upon a particular idea, product, or service, or institution through mass media. Advertising presents the most persuasive possible selling message to the right prospects for the product or services at the lowest possible cost. Advertising is limited to informing, selling and buying tasks such as promoting goods and services, buying supplies or recruiting staff etc.

Networking

Networking is about building relationships and is a long term activity whereby an extended group of people with similar interests and or concerns interact and remain in informal contact for mutual assistance and or support. Networking is an activity designed to create, maintain and utilize interpersonal connections and is and will always be an essential skill. However, without a solid understanding of how to network effectively and efficiently, no person can make the vital connections that it needs to survive and prosper in today's super-connected economy.

Marketing

Marketing is a function of executing all the factors that stimulate sale, including pinpointing the market and exploitation of the same. Marketing is also the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably. Marketing is indeed not a direct function of PR but definitely, like Advertising, both functions can go hand in hand in the interest of the business. PR can advise the management and the marketing group whether to continue with the product, modify the same or to discontinue and opt for a new brand. The product life cycle (PLC) is the universally known indicator for the right understanding of marketing as a fundamental of business operation. PLC is -> Introduction of the product-> Growth-> Maturity-> Saturation-> Decline.

Sales Promotion

Sales Promotion is an effort to make the public aware of products or services made available by a business or an organization. Sales promotion indeed is not PR but PR can extend support in the competent execution of sales promotion campaigns. Effective sales promotion needs a lot of skill, creativity and keen sense of market environment. PR can support sales promotion campaigns through persuasive communication and other related PR tools like Road Shows, Exhibitions, Demonstrations and Media Coverage.

Thank you for reading the blog.

 

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