What is PR?

Robert W. Gehl

Don't hesitate to ask questions, or stop me at any point!

The cover of Cayce Myers's book Public Relations History

Cayce Myers's definition of public relations

  • It's actually at least two things!

Cayce Myers's definition(s) of public relations

  • A professional function: “Modern-day public relations is a multifaceted communication practice that uses paid, earned, shared, and owned media to effectively communicate with publics, and has a management function within an organization”

Cayce Myers's definition(s) of public relations

  • A practice: “an organization or person communicates to publics to affect attitudinal or behavioral change”

Public Relations as a Professional Function

Based on the reading, how would you describe the professional function of public relations?

A screenshot of the PR Museum's page on Arthur Page, referred to as a 'Pioneer of PR'
The logo of the Public Relations Society of America
The logo of the Canadian Public Relations Society

Let's focus on the professional function aspect: “Modern-day public relations is a multifaceted communication practice that uses paid, earned, shared, and owned media to effectively communicate with publics, and has a management function within an organization”

What is "paid" media?

A screenshot of an ad for the New Ontario Place, paid for by the Government of Ontario
A screenshot of 'supported story' in the Toronto Star
"Supported Stories" in the Toronto Star are paid for by advertisers but are not approved by advertisers

What is "earned" media?

A Toronto Star story about Indigenous fashion designers

What is "shared" media?

A screenshot of a Toronto Star story in X about Lay's chips

Finally, what's "owned" media?

A screenshot of the Toronto Star's about page

If we think of PR as a "management function", what does that mean?

A screenshot of the PR Museum's page on Arthur Page, referred to as a 'Pioneer of PR'

Professional Roles can Vary

  • PR executive as "conscience of the organization" (Arthur Page)
  • PR as a counsel (Bernays, Fleischman, Ivy Lee)

If we think of PR as "the conscience of the organization," what does that make you think of?

If we think of PR as a counselor, what does that make you think of?

Public Relations as a Practice

Based on the reading, how would you think of PR as a practice?

A marble bust of the Sophist Protagoras
Protagoras, a Sophist
A marble bust of Aristotle, the philosopher
Aristotle, a philosopher

It's not just any practice, but a practice of public persuasion.

A screenshot of the Daily Bread website
NGOs and public persuasion
the cover of the book Protest Public Relations
Activists are doing their own public communication
An antifascist protest in the UK
Social movements and PR

Limitations of both views

What is the limitation of the "PR is a professional function" view?

What is the limitation of "PR is a practice of public persuasion" view?

Cayce Myers's definition of public relations

  • It's actually at least two things!

A Third Definition

  • Cayce Myers draws on Karen Russell and Margot Lamme
  • Public relations is public, persuasive communication that is has strategic intent and is directed to humans who have agency

What is "strategic intent"?

Why is important that there are "humans who have agency"?

Public relations is public, persuasive communication that is has strategic intent and is directed to humans who have agency

  • Synthesizes both the professional and practice definitions
  • Keeps our definition of publics in place

What is Public Relations?

Robert W. Gehl