Chapter 1

In Chapter 1, the foundation of what Public Relations is by defining marketing, advertising, and public relations. The book defines advertising as the use of controlled media or media in which one pays for the privilege of dictating message content, placement, and frequency.) Marketing is the process of researching, creating, refining, and promoting a product or service and distributing that product or service to targeted consumers. Public relations are the management of relationships between an organization and its publics. In doing further research on the foundation of PR, I came across PRhistory.com and it talks about the four models of PR.

In the press agentry/publicity model, the focus of public relations efforts is on getting favorable coverage, or publicity, from the media. The website mentions that this could also be known as the sometimes called the P.T. Barnum (like Barnum & Bailey) model, is almost pure propaganda. It is one-way communication that is often more hype than fact. You can see this with any publicity for a major sporting event such as UFC102.

In the public information model, the focus is on the dissemination of objective and accurate information. The website says that truth and accuracy are very important. Many governments and nonprofit agencies use this PR model as a way to disseminate information relying on very little research and no feedback from the public.

The two-way asymmetrical model is a more sophisticated approach in which research is used in an effort to influence important publics toward a particular point of view. The website says that many corporations and businesses use this model. Evaluative research is conducted but the results are used strictly to alter public attitudes in favor of the organization's objectives.

The two-way symmetrical model is the model that focuses on two on two-way communication as a means of conflict resolution and for the promotion of mutual understanding between an organization and its important publics. The website says that this model is based on a free exchange of information that is used to alter attitudes in both the organization and it's publics. This model of public relations depends on good feedback and is used primarily by organizations that are governmentally regulated and must prove that they are socially responsible.