public relations (PR)

public relations (PR)
Aspect of communications that involves promoting a desirable image for a person or group seeking public attention.

It originated in the U.S. in the early 20th century with pioneers such as Edward L. Bernays and Ivy Ledbetter Lee. Government agencies in Britain and the U.S. soon began hiring publicists to engineer support for their policies and programs, and the public-relations business boomed after World War II. Clients may include individuals such as politicians, performers, and authors, and groups such as business corporations, government agencies, charities, and religious bodies. The audience addressed may be as narrow as male alternative-music fans between the ages of 21 and 30 or as broad as the world at large. A publicist's functions include generating favourable publicity and knowing what kind of story is likely to be printed or broadcast. The task is complicated by the variety of existing media: besides newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, there are publications of professional associations, direct-mail lists, on-site promotional events, and so on. It consists largely of optimizing good news and forestalling bad news; if disaster strikes, the publicist must assess the situation, organize the client's response so as to minimize damage, and marshal and present information to the media.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • public-relations — [ pyblikrəlasjɔ̃ ] n. f. pl. • 1951; mots angl. ♦ Anglic. Vieilli Relations publiques. ⇒ relation (II, B, 4o). ● public relations nom féminin pluriel Synonyme ancien de relations publiques. ● public relations (synonymes) nom féminin pluriel… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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  • public relations — ☆ public relations n. relations with the general public as through publicity; specif., those functions of a corporation, organization, etc. concerned with attempting to create favorable public opinion for itself …   English World dictionary

  • public relations — ► PLURAL NOUN (treated as sing. ) ▪ the professional maintenance of a favourable public image by an organization or famous person …   English terms dictionary

  • public relations — index publicity Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • public relations — / pʌblik ri leiʃnz/, it. / pablik re lɛʃon/ locuz. ingl. (propr. pubbliche relazioni ), usata in ital. come s.f. pl. [complesso delle attività di cui un ente, un azienda e sim., si serve per far conoscere la propria attività e i propri obiettivi …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • public-relations — s. 2 g. 2 núm. O mesmo que relações públicas.   ‣ Etimologia: palavra inglesa …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

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