Much of what we venerate in the name of 'strategic communications'—the process of discovery, original content marketing, measuring return on investment—is actually part of a much larger puzzle called 'public relations.'
At times, the entire field of PR, noble by so many measures, is pigeonholed into the narrow scope of media relations, crisis management and product promotion. Somehow "public relations" and "PR" have come to mean two different things; the latter assuming a decidedly more unfavorable disposition than the former in the public sphere. One, strategic, outward facing, policy oriented. The other tied to shameless promotion, spinning with a whiff of dishonesty.
We may be biased, but the Collective thinks it's time to push the conversation along, reclaiming the heart of PR by taking it back to its roots...
You can trace the modern craft of PR to its origins in the aftermath of World War II when more than 75,000 service men and women who staffed the US Office of War Information entered the American workforce. Their wartime duties translated conveniently to use in the postwar corporate environment.
During the years that followed, "from New York to San Francisco," public relations departments began sprouting up wherever business owners tried to make sense of the "crazy-patchwork of ideas and activities" that constitute the modern marketplace.
Today, just as it did back then, public relations defies attempts to simplify its definition. No doubt, on the occasion when one of my mother's friends asks me what it is I do for a living the “oh, PR and Marketing,” most easily reduces to, “it’s complicated.”
That’s because exceptional public relations, that capable of channeling real value through an authentic, well researched voice is an amalgam of social scientific applications—economics, sociology, psychology, political science and history. All of these disciplines, whether consciously or unconsciously, factor into a well-rounded communications strategy.
DRA Collective’s take on PR aligns closely with one researcher who defines it as, "the management function that entails planning, research, publicity, promotion and collaborative decision making to help any organization's ability to listen to, appreciate and respond appropriately to those persons and groups whose mutually beneficial relationships the organization needs to foster as it strives to achieve its mission and vision." Simple, right?
In short, we help businesses and organizations pull inspiration from their strategic vision, form it into great ideas and achieve actionable results.
It's complex and intensive but you've got nothing to worry about.
