Why Public Relations?
The value of a business is not only found on its balance sheet, expressed in its physical and financial assets, but it also consists of vital intangibles, such as corporate reputation and public trust.
A company cannot acquire these “soft assets” through hard currency. Nor can the functions of advertising, sales or marketing do the job.
Only the various disciplines within the field of public relations can provide the soft currency that puts these assets in the plus column; namely, the currency of right ideas and messages that are consistently, clearly and passionately articulated to the right audiences at the right times.
The purpose of public relations is to help an organization communicate and build relationships with its various publics, and those that influence those publics, in order to forward or protect an organization's reputation and interests—in an ethical and responsible manner.
During the hysteria of the ‘90s, when the blind were leading “the blinder,” people seemed to have lost sight of the need for credibility. The self-proclaimed “visionaries” who were “revolutionizing” one thing or another, talked only about “branding,” which they thought happened in an instant with a Super Bowl ad and some “hype, spin and buzz,” four-letter words mistaken for “P.R.”
In any event, there was no understanding of the connection between what a company actually delivers to its customers and company credibility, or between branding and credibility, as well as the time and effort it takes to establish, develop and leverage it. At smartpr we call this Marketplace Credibility Management. Without it, some company assets are impossible to come by—or are rapidly lost.