WHY PR?

The simplest definition of public relations, devised by Edward Bernays, one of the profession’s founding fathers, is “engineering public consent”. If you don’t engineer (guide, manage, modify or construct) the consent (acquiescence, compliance, agreement or approval) of your publics, other people will. (See “Communicating the Value of Public Relations,” by John Beardsley, The Public Relations Strategist, Spring 2004.)

PR shouldn’t be your only communications tool, of course. As Abraham Maslow observed, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” However, PR should play a leading role—if not the leading role—in your overall communications program, including advertising. (See “Why PR is the Nail for the Hammer of Advertising,” by Al Ries, Advertising Age, September 15, 2003.)