What role has PR?
Michael Kearney reviews a new book which considers the value public relations can play

This fully updated second edition of Public Relations Strategy is designed to challenge readers by introducing them to the intense discussion that is currently taking place on the nature of PR and its role in developing and supporting management strategy.

The book by Dr Sandra Oliver, emeritus professor at Thames University in London, links models and theories of strategic management to the PR function and looks at the way in which globalisation and the internet are shaping and changing organisational PR strategy.

RAGS TO RICHES: A trader going about his business in Jakarta. The Indonesian authorities had to mount a major PR campaign to defend their tourism industry in the face of terrorist threats.

It is aimed at seasoned PR practitioners and students who, although aware of the tactical requirements of the profession such as media relations, publicity events and external publication production, struggle with issues about corporate policies and planning.

Dr Oliver covers the role of internal PR, how organisations gain and maintain their reputations, how PR is integrated into marketing plans and managing ethics in strategic and operational PR programming. The book should prove to be a useful addition to the thinking PR person’s library, as well as a valuable learning tool for students undertaking professional examinations in PR and related disciplines.

PR practice involves reputation management by identifying perceptions of an organisation and working to inform all relevant audiences about the organisation’s performance. It is concerned with developing a deserved reputation for an organisation, one which is based on solid performance and not hollow hype.

Many companies prefer to use the term ‘corporate communications department’ rather than ‘PR department’, as they believe it better represents theory and practice of this discipline in large companies. Globalisation has changed the face of managerial interpretations on what exactly strategy means with the following from Mintzberg et al (1998) offering five uses of the word strategy:

1. A plan as a consciously intended course of action
2. A ploy as a specific manoeuvre intended to outwit an opponent or competitors
3. A pattern representing a stream of actions
4. A position as a means of locating an organisation in an environment
5. A perspective as an integrated way of perceiving the world

The web has driven the PR industry to look for new ways of measuring the impact of messages across diverse cultures and in shorter time frames. Having knowledge of electronic commerce and law, security and authentication and internet protocols for companies are key competencies for PR practitioners, who are now expected to offer strategic corporate e-learning communication solutions for business and commerce. Furthermore, an understanding of the value/supply chain, with all its communication interfaces and the implications of e-enables supply chain is essential. How people receive, interpret and respond to visual information now forms a critical component in market research and relationship evaluation.

The book has some excellent case studies, not least one on the Marriott Hotel group in Indonesia, after a bomb exploded killing 12 people and injuring 150 in 2003. Hotel occupancy throughout Indonesia plummeted overnight and anxiety skyrocketed among the business community. Decisive action was urgently needed to restore confidence.

The case study reveals the research, strategic plan, continuity planning, key messages, operational strategies and evaluation outcomes.

Indo Pacific was hired by the Jakarta government after the bombing to set up and run a media centre to handle incoming and outgoing information. The strategic plan included the following steps:

• Control damage to Indonesia’s reputation internationally by communicating steps being taken by the country’s authorities.
• Anticipate potential issues that may arise and provide credible information to international and national media on the authorities’ efforts against terrorism.
• Utilise the media by restoring the confidence of foreign investors and tourists, gaining support from Indonesian citizens in countering terrorism and explain the role of Islam in modern Indonesia and jihad, as distinct from terrorism.

The strategy proved a success with hotel occupancy returning to normal within a number of weeks and business confidence restored in a short period of time. Apart from this case study, others included are Royal Caribbean, 3M and Edelman Worldwide.

Michael Kearney is chairman of Snap Printing Group