Are you a "PRofessional"?

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.”

— Daniel J. Boorstin

What is ‘public relations?’ According to Robert Wanes, public relations specialist, “PR is the Persuasion Business. You are trying to convince an audience, inside your building or town, and outside your usual sphere of influence, to promote your idea, purchase your product, support your position, or recognize your accomplishments.” PR encompasses more than just advertisements; it is convincing the public to pay attention to a certain subject, individual, company, or product by any means necessary.

A prime example of this is when IHOP came with a strange campaign about changing their name to IHOB to promote their burgers, or Denny’s when made jokes on Twitter about being a little too obsessed with eggs, they both participated in public relations. Specifically, they used humor and the viral tendencies of the internet to get both free advertising, and to humanize their companies to the public. They did this by making them seem funny, friendly, and unique, rather than intimidating or power-hungry. Behind every silly corporate tweet exchange, is a team of PR experts. James Grunig, the writer of Managing Public Relations, developed "Four Models of Public Relations" in 1984.

Model #1: Press Agent/Publicity

The Publicity Model was originally used most and was brought into common use by P. T. Barnum, the creator of the first circus. It is the simplest method. A company or individual put out an ad to the public. Barnum did not care whether or not an advertisement rang true, only that people saw the ad. He was an expert at manipulating public fancy and imagination by extreme exaggeration. The Greatest Show on Earth became irresistible, despite the fairly obvious deception. He sent anonymous articles to local newspapers to stir up curiosity before he even made it into town. Although obviously immoral, Barnum’s method succeeded, and many modern companies still employ this method when it comes to PR practices. Pop up ads that promise something ‘your doctors don’t want you to know,’ or gossip magazines, are both products of the Publicity/Press Agent PR model.

“If I only had two dollars left I would spend one dollar on PR.” - Bill Gates

2nd Model: Public Information Model

While the previous theory makes no effort toward honesty whatsoever, the Public Information Model does somewhat. Utilized famously by publicist Ivy Lee, it was used to help change the poor public image of Rockafeller’s son into something more favorable. The Public Information Model takes what the client wants people to believe about them. The PR professional has the client participate in press-covered activities that help prove they are whatever they wish to be. For Rockafeller Jr., Lee paraded him around lower-class people, took pictures of him helping the poor, hugging, etc. Lee created the narrative he wanted people to believe, while Barum simply faked a narrative with no attempts to make it a reality.

Politicians often use this model to prove they care about people by participating in philanthropy and publicizing their charitable acts. Donald Trump recently released a campaign ad that told the story of an older African American woman who, in tears, recounts the help that Trump gave her by releasing her from prison. The intended message is simple enough. The Trump administration helps black people. See? He did so here. Vote for Trump. Trump is not nearly the only politician to utilize such methods. Most of them do so. It’s a rotten business and a slippery slope morally. On one hand, perhaps the client is a genuinely good person, and they just need help showing people who they ‘really are’, but on the other hand, they might just want people to like them (or vote for them) regardless of their behavior.

Some YouTubers involved in recent scandals quickly utilized this model. People like Shane Dawson spend days filming notoriously hated YouTubers, (people like Logan Paul, Eugenia, and Jeffery Star) in hopes to bring a more positive spotlight on them. For the most part, it works. It could be because the ‘clients’ are genuinely misunderstood. People are more than their mistakes, and there usually is a reason behind bad behavior. But it is also possible that they agree to interviews with him for more selfish reasons and pick their positive attributes to highlight. Whatever the reason behind it, this model works to publicize one's good acts and get them admired by the public.

3rd Model: The 2-way Asymmetrical Model

Brought into style by Edward Burnays, the 2-way Asymmetrical Model is also morally questionable. As opposed to the first two theories, which do not consult the public’s opinion much at cigarettes afterward, flaunting their rights as women to smoke, and have the press take pictures of them doing so. The women agreed, and cigarette sales soared as more and more women caught onto the trend. This model looks at what the current public opinion is and then uses scientific means to trick people into changing their minds

4th Model: 2-way Symmetrical Model

This method, pioneered by Arthur Page, comprises only a small part of modern advertising. It asks what the public wants and then gives it to them. It argues that a public relations expert should be a mediator between the organization and the public, not a persuader. A PR practitioner using this model might take surveys, learn about the public opinion, what they like and do not like about a company, and then take that information to the company. They will then help the company better organize how to gratify the needs of their customers. This may mean updating an old website, advertising in a different way, becoming more convenient for the customer, etc. While it is more difficult and probably not as effective as mentally tricking people, or just straight-up lying, this method is much more morally sound than others and can be used very well by various companies.

Overall, Public Relations is a complex and fascinating subject, filled with many different ideas on how to skillfully address public opinion. Professionals need to be aware of the types of models potential Public Relations practitioners work under, and determine what works best for their individual needs. It is important to note people like an honest company that truly works to create the best product for their customers. Not to mention, trustworthy companies do better than their peers overall.