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Public Relations

Author: Sophia

what's covered
In this lesson, you'll learn about how design influences public relations. Specifically, this lesson will focus on:

Table of Contents

1. Public Relations Overview

Public relations (PR) is the development and flow of communications between an individual or an institution and the public.

Design is used in public relations by presenting a message via the web and traditional media, such as print and television. Below is an example of PR communication that was presented in a traditional newspaper and on the web.

Public Relations

This was released after the Gulf oil spill, and it's a good example of an integrated campaign, which is advertising on many mediums that provide a similar theme and experience. This PR ad also doubles as a strategy for crisis management.

terms to know
Public Relations
The development and flow of communications between an individual or institution and the public.
Integrated Campaign
Advertising on many mediums that provide a similar theme and experience.


2. Crisis Management

Crisis management is a strategy to offset any major dilemmas an organization may undergo. This strategy attempts to re-frame the look of the company or event by redressing it through ad campaigns.

Crisis Management

As was apparent in the BP ad above, companies, organizations, and brands often try to put a spin on the message being conveyed.


3. Spin

Spin is a politically-motivated technique that pushes a certain viewpoint.

An obvious example would be any type of political ad.

Spin

These ads are pretty subjective, as they don't contain any factual information; however, you can still see the use of spin. Both ads are trying to make the opponent look bad with subjective claims.

IN CONTEXT
There was an ad from Centrum nutritional supplements in the Journal of the American Diet Association in 1997. This ad said that the key to good health is a balanced diet. Experts agreed that this is true. Then the ad states, "Statistics show that 9 out of 10 Americans don't get all the nutrients they need from what they eat."

According to experts in the field, this statement referred to a survey conducted between 1976 and 1980; therefore, it was outdated even in 1997. Additionally, the survey found that only 9% of participants actually remembered consuming the recommended number of fruits and vegetables.

This didn't mean that they were deficient in vitamins and minerals. According to experts, these surveys measure nutrient intake for a single day at most; they're not suitable for determining the overall quality of an individual's diet.

The ad is riddled with refuted statements such as this. Although some of the statements may be true and others may not be entirely false, the company was putting its own spin on the product for promotion and advertisement purposes.

term to know
Spin
A politically motivated technique that pushes a certain viewpoint.

summary
In this lesson, you received an overview of public relations, and how it relates to advertising and visual communications. Specifically, you looked at an example of crisis management to handle a company's public image, and you learned about the way different ads use spin to communicate a certain message.

Keep up the learning and have a great day!

Source: THIS WORK IS ADAPTED FROM SOPHIA AUTHOR MARIO E. HERNANDEZ

Terms to Know
Crisis Management

A strategy to offset any major dilemmas an organization may undergo.

Integrated Campaign

Advertising on many mediums that provide a similar theme and experience.

Public Relations

The development and flow of communications between an individual or institution and the public.

Spin

A politically motivated technique that pushes a certain viewpoint.