SMART MARKETING: An Attempt To Define "Public Relations"

If advertising is a two by four across the bridge of someone’s nose (as a means of getting their attention), public relations, properly executed, is a tap on the shoulder and a whisper in the ear. In a world cynical about promises made via advertising but unfulfilled in reality, well-executed PR sometimes does the trick, although so-called “spin doctors” are also viewed somewhat skeptically.

Public relations, by design, seldom results in direct consumer response in terms of new business. Sometimes this happens, but it should not be expected. PR involves influencing opinion vs. traditional advertising, which involves influencing behavior. PR wants you to feel something. Advertising wants you to do something.

A quick point: Strategically, PR and advertising work better together than when one tactic is employed at the expense of the other.

WHAT IS PR? So what exactly is public relations? I get asked this question a lot, and I still have some difficulty explaining it in other than comparative terms. Public relations is a package of elements designed to develop, shape or change opinion about something. In our industry, the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) is a comprehensive public relations effort designed to get people to elevate their already pretty good opinion of what we do. A second facet of the PPMA effort is to lay the groundwork for pest management professionals to expand the overall market base so that all of our businesses grow — but not at the expense of one another.

So what exactly are those elements in that package? Things like media relations, community activities, special events, networking, investor relations for public companies, government relations for those wishing to influence local or national government all come under the banner of public relations.

Some uninformed folks often mistake the letters “PR” for press release, believing that public relations is all about getting your name in the media. It’s not, and some of us who have been around this field for a while actually question the value of media exposure unless it’s in pursuit of some specific strategic objective. Since the overwhelming majority of news is negative in nature, there might be negative ramifications to a neutral or even positive news story if it’s surrounded with otherwise negative news. A wise old flack once said, “You never see a headline announcing that 8,000 planes landed safely today.”

Community relations is an especially effective way to leverage a small amount of time and money to alter of an opinion about you or your business. Donating services to a local, needy non-profit organization often results in gaining the favor of their volunteer board of directors, often some local influentials, as well as possibly getting some positive media exposure.

CONSUMER EDUCATION. Our business lends itself to consumer education and information, so creating or purchasing some educational information about termites or the health-related benefits of pest prevention and offering this information to school children (who have parents who live in single-family homes) or to homeowner associations (made up of people who live in single-family homes) can generate a substantially stronger return on investment than might a schedule of paid advertising.

A word of caution here: As with advertising, public relations takes formal education, extensive training, lots of practice, or some finely honed instincts. At best, in the wrong hands, it can be poorly executed. At worst, it can backfire and have long-lasting and far-reaching implications. As is the case with the services provided by pest management professionals, public relations is best left in the hands of professionals!

The author is senior vice president of Massey-Persons-Brinati Communications, a subsidiary of Massey Services Inc., Maitland, Fla. He can be reached via e-mail at bbrewer@pctonline.com.