The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term ‘public relations’ as:
‘the professional maintenance of a favourable public image by a company or other organisation or a famous person. The state of the relationship between a company or a famous person and the public: companies justify the cost in terms of improved public relations.’
As a broader definition, ‘public relations’ is an important method of promotion used in communications and marketing. Public relations experts act on behalf of a person, organisation or product in order to encourage the public to view them positively. Their role may be to build hype and a positive image around a new product or company in order build a solid foundation for the success of future marketing campaigns. At the other end of the spectrum, a public relations professional may be required to organise a campaign to limit any negative public opinion that might be caused by a person or company’s words or actions.
The terms ‘spin’ and ‘spin doctors’ are sometimes used in association with public relations as experts in this field are able to put a positive ‘spin’ on an event which may otherwise be viewed negatively. They draw attention to positive aspects while keeping negative ones hidden. These terms can be associated with sporting as putting a spin or curve on a ball controls its direction and hides certain sides whilst showing others.
Techniques used by public relations experts in order to create a positive impression of a person, product or organisation include providing editorials to news reporters and industry publications, arranging for a prominent figure to speak at a press conference that they have organised and co-ordinating celebrity endorsements of a product or organisation.
Current methods of public relations originated in the early 1900s in America. Key figures in public relations at this time included Edward Bernays and Ivy Lee. The prominence of public relations has grown around the world since the Second World War to reach the status that it has gained today as an important component of marketing and communications in both political and commercial circles.