1. What is Public Relations?
Kelli S. Burns, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Public Relations Sequence Head
School of Mass Communications

2. Public Relations is not…
• Party planning
• Attending events
• Travelling the
world with
celebrities

3. Most People Don’t Understand
Former White House
PR
press secretary Scott
McClellan wrote in his
memoir that the Iraq war
was sold to the American
people with a
sophisticated “political
propaganda campaign”
led by President Bush and
aimed at “manipulating
sources of public
opinion” and
“downplaying the major
reason for going to war.”

4. Public Relations is …
“Public relations is a strategic
communication process that builds
mutually beneficial relationships between
organizations and their publics.”
-- PRSA

5. Other terms for PR
Corporate terms: Corporate communications
Public Affairs
Communications
Corporate relations
Public Information
Media Relations
Flak, huckster, spinster, spin doctor

6. Components of public relations
• Counseling management
• Research
o to influence/persuade
o to generate mutual understanding and build relationships
• Media relations
• Publicity
• Employee/member relations
• Community relations
• Government relations
• Issues management/Crisis management
• Investor relations
• Fundraising
• Special event planning
• Marketing communications/Integrated Marketing Communication
⇒ STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

7. Some statistics
• More than 350,000 practitioners in U.S.
• 40% increase in employment expected by 2014
• 54,000 public relations firms in the U.S.
• More than $10 billion spent on PR by U.S.
organizations annually
• The average annual PR budget in a publicly owned
company is $9.9 million and $16.4 million for a
government agency.

8. Industry outlook
• Among fastest-growing industries
• Despite current economic uncertainties, U.S. public
relations firms expect increased revenues and profits.
• The greatest opportunities for future public relations
growth are in digital communication, social media and
corporate reputation management.

9. Based in New York City, PRSA is the world's largest
organization for public relations professionals. The
Society has nearly 22,000 members and is organized
into more than 100 Chapters, which represent
business and industry, counseling firms, independent
practitioners, military, government, associations,
hospitals, schools, professional services firms and
nonprofit organizations.

10. Which one of the following best describes the
type of organization you work for?

11. The PR PROCESS
Research
Action
Communication
Evaluation

12. Push to Add Drama

13. The Best Job in the World

14. Coraline

15. Volkswagen Twitter Zoom

16. Pee in the Shower?

17. Public Relations Sequence
First Semester
PUR 3000 Principles of Public Relations
JOU 2100 Beginning Reporting
Second Semester
PUR 3500 Public Relations Research
PUR 4100 Public Relations Writing
PUR 4401 Public Relations Issues
Third Semester
PUR 4101 Public Relations Design
PUR 4801 Advanced Public relations
Public Relations Practicum/Internship