Public Relations, better known as PR, is one of the most valuable constituents of the global economy. The Public Relations Market Report 2021 by the highly-rated The Business Research Company (TBRC), states that the global PR market is poised to reach $ 97.13 billion in 2021 compared with $ 88.13 billion in 2020. The market shows a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.2 percent. The price of the TBRC report itself is an indication of PR belonging to the top end of the elite business segment. The PDF format of the report comprising 175 pages is priced at $ 4,000 per copy. So, ladies and gentlemen, we are looking at an industry that belongs to the very top of the global business pyramid.
Notwithstanding such a high profile a large section of the people in India, including PR professionals, are naive enough to consider public relations as nothing but ensuring the display of press releases in the media. The time has come for jettisoning such reductionist notions. Media handling is only part of the PR work. In the era of instant images of news and views press release bartering belongs to the lower end of the PR value chain. The primary task of public relations nowadays is to devise the most appropriate communication message that would help in shaping the public persona of the client engaging the PR professional. The PR professional is tasked to devise the appropriate communication message and the suitable medium for its dissemination. I would give a brief overview of the PR industry and profession before proceeding further.
PR Industry: The description of the PR market by the TBRC provides a clear idea of the broad spectrum of activities that comes under the PR umbrella. “Public relations services’ companies manage, design, and implement communication between an organization and its customers. Activities of PR firms aim to promote the image of their clients and encourages favorable relations between the client and its stakeholders, such as consumers, government, the general public, employees, and investors”.
The primary function of the PR profession has been described succinctly by the authors of the TBRC report. Although media was not mentioned as part of the core activities of the PR profession we should not forget that media is very much embedded in the PR profession. The support and cooperation of the media are essential to promote the image of the client as well as developing good relations between the client and other stakeholders.
Catalyst or Camouflage: This brings us to the issue of whether PR acts as a catalyst for the overall economic prosperity or works as camouflage for the promotion of the limited interests of a particular group. The portrayal of PR as an activity engaged in promoting the private agenda of business and corporate entities has been known since the beginning of the PR industry. The industry has been successful in discarding such negative vibes in the past few decades. The industry has been now recognized as an essential component in articulating the overall development agenda in every society. In short, the old debate on PR being a camouflage for advancing the private agenda of the business and corporate entities no longer holds any validity. The changes have also brought new responsibilities and challenges to the PR profession.
Authenticity: Authenticity of information and data sources have emerged as key variables in shaping the credibility of the PR profession across the world. The important task of the PR professional is vetting the information and data source to ensure authenticity and advice the client accordingly. Aberrations on the authenticity of information could act as a boomerang for the client. The history of the PR profession is replete with many such blemishes leading to disastrous consequences for the client as well as the PR profession. The authenticity of information has become crucial in the age of the information revolution as people are having multiple resources to cross-check the veracity of given information. The first lesson for any PR professional is to master the authentic sources of information and database on a given subject. I would place a premium on the PR professionals proactively telling the client about the pitfalls of having a PR strategy based on half-baked information or information lacking authenticity.
The PR disaster confronting the US administration following the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan is a telling example of a communication strategy based on information lacking authenticity going terribly wrong. The US administration including President Biden was telling the world that the 300,000 odd Afghan Army trained by the US Forces would mount a spirited challenge to the Taliban after the US withdrawal. But on the day of reckoning, the much-vaunted Afghan Army vanished into thin air without offering even token resistance to the Taliban. The prestige of the US, the world’s most powerful economy and military power, has not suffered such damage even at the time of withdrawal from Vietnam compared with the current situation in Afghanistan. Although a number of experts familiar with the ground situation have given enough and more indications on the coming disaster key persons behind the AfPak policymaking in the US administration continued to put their faith in the capacity of the Afghan Army in confronting the Taliban. As a communication professional, I don’t have any hesitation to say that a flawed communication strategy was equally responsible (apart from military blunders) for the flak received by the US after the withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan.
The multiplicity of Media: The multiplicity of media is another major challenge facing PR professionals. The traditional media ecosystem marked by print, radio, and television has undergone a major transformation with the arrival of digital media platforms. The digital media platforms are also instrumental in shaping radical changes in the dissemination and display of information. The emergence of a large number of media outlets with an avowed anti-corporate agenda supported by grass-root level activism is another factor needed to be taken seriously by PR professionals. It may be true that such media outlets have limited reach to the mass audience compared with mainstream media but, they have often succeeded in amplifying issues with their dogged persistence. On many occasions, the mainstream media has been compelled to provide space for the issues flagged by such new-age media outlets.
The emergence of PR as an important catalyst and strategic tool in social, economic, and political life has been recognized by everyone. The standard operating principles of an ethical and transparent PR strategy have also been well appreciated by all the stakeholders. The details of these developments would be elaborated further in the coming chapters.