Corporate communication

It is:
• Internal and external communication
• Brand management (image)
• Good at corporate communication: the image is similar to the identity
• Used to express the identity but the image doesn’t bellow to the company
• Reputation is the image in the long term (it does not belong to the company):
intangible asset, hard to measure, and you have to take care of it
• Internal communication: employees are important stakeholders
• Relationships and intangible assets
• Corporate purpose (related to the mission and vision of the company)
• Persuasion
• Social media (is just one vehicle/tool for corporate communication)
• Tv and broadcasting services
• Related to management
• About an organization’s story (you have to talk about your identity as a
company)
• About relationships with real people (stakeholders)
• About media
• About making/being news
• An opportunity to affect attitudes and change perceptions, behaviors
(reputation)
• Culture-bound (shape cultures and societies)

It is not:
• The main focus is not about selling (advertising…sometimes)
• Manipulation
• Propaganda
• Spin (lies, deceptions)
• Blasting press releases

Corporate communication
• Social media (community managers)
Publicity, events and stunts
• Public information campaigns
• Media relations
• Activism
• Storytelling
• Institutional statements and protocol
• Employee communication
• Public affairs and lobbying
• Crisis communication
• Development and fundraising
 Public awareness/information campaigns

Examples

• Public transport campaign

• Personas mayores
• Cigarettes
• Domestic violence
• Fishing in Dominican Republic
• Smoking and pregnancy

Features

• Promote positive behavior or try to avoid negative behavior

• Share similarities with advertising campaigns: use of media, persuasion,
storytelling
• The topics that are presented, are the ones that affects society like safety,
environment, health, cultural
• Try to reach society as the audience
• They are limited to a short period of time (short-term focused), so they do
not loose effectiveness
• They try to raise awareness by attracting media attention, creating stunts or
preparing one specific spot that makes you reflect. Attractive and surprising
• The ads use data to make it reliable
• Do not try to sell or promote a product, they try to change perceptions
• The objective is to improve society
• Mass media do not make NGOs pay

Public information and awareness campaigns

Definition: purposive attempts to inform or influence behaviors in large audiences

within a given time period by means of organized communication activities involving
mass and online, interactive media, generally for noncommercial benefits to
individuals and society

Theoretical context for the practice of corporate communication

• Classical assumption for mass media theory: Mass media shape public opinion
• Why? Mediators and spokespeople for institutions
• Institutions communicated only for commercial interests… Primacy of the
media, again?
• Media as instruments of power and dominance
• However, the right to freedom of speech and expression + the right to be
informed (to access information) = if we live in a democracy and have these
rights as a citizen
 • Information shouldn’t be considered exclusive domain of the media
• Institutions are entitled to send out information

Communication is a strategy for/of

1. Contribution to free and democratic flow of ideas (social role)

2. Differentiation/competitiveness
3. Public acceptance: survival (license to operate)

SLO (social license to operate)

• The ongoing recognition and acceptance of a company or industry’s

standards business practices and operating procedures by its employees,
stakeholders and the general public
• You need to get them, is an intangible license that is granted to you if you
perform in a good way as a company
• Credibility, trust and legitimacy= social license
• Legitimacy: is the extent to which your company is going to play by the
norms of society
• Credibility: the company’s capacity to provide true and clear information.
When you fulfill any commitment that you make.
• Trust: willingness to be vulnerable to the actions of others

The atom of corporate communication

1. It builds and sustains the relationships between organizations and society. To

keep the license to operate
2. Cc as an atom= relationship (nucleus)
3. Communication
4. Good behavior: guided by your values, vision, mission: your identity
5. Understanding (mutual understanding): knowledge, empathy, listening, have a
narrative, have an attitude in order to understand

• You cannot have a good relationship without those aspects

• Together understanding, communication and good behavior sustain the
relationships organizations need to keep their license to operate

Why should institutions communicate on a regular basis?

Because they have to show their true identity and prove their social role

Legitimacy gap
• Difference between an institution’s performance and a society’s expectations
for right and proper performance

Corporate communication
 • Until the 1970s, public relations were used to describe relationships with
publics/stakeholders
• Corporate communication focuses on the perspective of an organization as a
while and

Why corporate

• A separate function of other business settings (human resources, finance,

marketing)

• It focuses on the organization as a whole body: from the Latin words: corpus
and corporate

• Related to any kind of organization or corporation

Definition: the management function that coordinates internal and external

communication aimed at building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships
with stakeholder groups upon which the organization (+ reputation) is dependent

What is a communication plan?

• The formulation and implementation of an organization’s communication

strategy in several steps
• Scientifically planned and managed
• Clear goals and objectives
• Communication plan is linked to the overall strategy of the organization (it Is
dependent on the organization’s strategy)
• Problem-solving strategy

STEPS

1. Research and problem statement

• Very important and essential, is an intelligence function as an organization

• What is happening in our context

1.1.1. Situation analysis: collection of all the background information needed to

illustrate the meaning of a problem statement: history, forces operating on
it, people involved…

1.1.2. Problem statement: a final concise description of the situation, often

written on a sentence

What it research in PR?

• Without researching a problem situation, practitioners, run de risk of action like
the six blind men from Indostan (partial view of reality)
• Research is the systematic gathering of information to describe and understand
situations and to check out assumptions about publics and PR consequences
• Is very expensive and not all have the expertise to do it
• People tend to not do the research because of the money it takes

When do professionals carry out research?

Formative: to lay a foundation or to inform a plan (prior the plan)

Evaluative: to determine/evaluate whether tactics meet (or met) objectives

(during or/and after the plan)

A) Process evaluation: when the plan is not finished, it determines whether or not
you are being successful. If not, you have to reconsider the objectives and
tactics
B) Summative evaluation: regular evaluation

2. Planning and programming

• What should we change (goals, aims and objectives)?

• Practitioners must determine what goal is desired, either to mitigate the
problem or to capitalize on the opportunity, and then devise a strategy for
achieving that goal
• Elements: goals settings, planning strategies (overall approach to the plan), key
publics and tactics (actions that are going to be used to meet the strategies)
• Strategy is as a ladder, is always present and with the tactics are the way to
sustain it

3. Implementation or communication

• What should we do and say? Who? When? Where? How?

• Tactics
• The only step in which we communicate
• Taking action and communicating
• Implementation is the coordinated execution of both strategies and their
tactics
• Message content, selection of delivery channels and dissemination, schedule
• Tool or tactics:
• Press releases, press conferences, feature writing (media relations), and
publicity
• Brochures and printed material
• Websites and blogs (social media): community manager
 • Advocacy advertising and issue management: defending a specific topic in
society
• Event planning and conferences
• Activism
• Media training
• Public information and awareness campaigns
• Lobbying
• Fundraising
• Communications actions are not the ends

4. Evaluation

• How are we doing? How did we do?

• If we need to make changes
• Evaluation is not simply a postmortem exercise buy an ongoing process and a
means for managing continual improving in PR

• Research—objectives---planning--- evaluation= ROPE

To sell a war: Critical analysis

Following a communication plan

1. Type of research:
• Formative research: focus groups (conducted by the Writhing group)
• Some of the findings were focused on Vietnam president
• Public ignorance about Kuwait

Problem statement: negative public opinion of the prospect of a war

2. Planning
• Goal/aim: altering public opinion perception of a military invasion,
raising awareness and popular support for a hypothetical American
military intervention
• Strategies:
• Informative: information about Kuwait (put the country on the map)
• Emotional: patriotism, vilification of Iraq (Saddam as an unscrupulous
dictator)
• Publics: Media, politicians, and American citizens, international
community
• Tactics: fundraising, stands, events, rallies. Information material for the
media (daily nowcasts, video releases and soundbites) and media
relations. Media training and image improvement (for Kuwait’s
ambassador). Meetings with politicians (lobbying is direct contact with
 legislators). Storytelling (Nayirah’s testimony, narratives good vs evil).
Third party endorsement: “Citizens for a free Kuwait”

• Third party endorsement: the creation of an association that apparently

has nothing to do with the parties involved in a conflict. It is the third
party who asks for involvement or else defends a position without
apparently not being involved

o Advantages: credibility and empathy

(Related terms)

1. Astroturfing: a type of initiative that seeks to gain entry into a popular

culture under the guise of appearing to be spontaneous movement (it is
usually orchestrated by traditional power structures)
• Goal: in the absence of widespread support for a position, some
unseen entity manufactures the appearance of it

2. Grassroots: movement that driven by the politics of a community

(operating at the grass roots). It involved recruiting, training and mobilizing
people to raise awareness and advocate for positive change as a response
to: a) perceived social injustice b) environmental degradation or c)
economic inequity. Ex: 15M Madrid (2011), #occupywallstreet (2011), The
sardines movement (Nov. 2019), Black lives matter (2013…), #Metoo
Movement (2020)

• Features: natural and spontaneous

• Scarce resources
• Self-organized and local level movements
• Very powerful (potentially)

3. Implementation

1st stage: information campaign (citizens for a free Kuwait and Hill and
Knowlton)
-For citizen: social-cultural messages (conferences, events, fundraising,
stands, rallies)
-For the media: background information (press releases, daily newscasts,
tempting sound bites)
-For politicians (Public affairs): media training and improvement for
Kuwait’s ambassador image, speech, writing, lobbying, institutional
contacts...
After some process evaluation

2nd stage: disinformation campaign (citizens for a free Kuwait)

 Hill and Knowlton make up an emotional (newsworthy) event that builds
political and social consensus: Nayirah’s testimony)

Result: massive media coverage. International military intervention (UN)

4. Evaluation
• Successful strategy and tactics:

Americans in favor of American military intervention in the Persian Gulf:

from 37% (November) to 84% (JANUARY)

Type of research

• Process evaluation: during and after the plan: daily tracking surveys
(October/November) and biweekly surveys (until mid-December) to
check the objective of the overall campaign was achieved
(conducted by the Writhing group) and summative evaluation

Misinformation: false information that is spread, regardless of intent to mislead

- It is simply a term for any kind of wrong or false information, but doesn’t care
about intent

Disinformation: false information disseminated in a hostile act of tactical political (or

any other type of) subversion

- There is a deliberately misleading or biased information, manipulated narrative

or facts to deceive and misguide people
- Propaganda can be disinformation

How to use it: intent

- Only disinformation is wrong on purpose to hurt or damage
- Use misinformation when you don’t know how for certain why someone is
spreading bad or wrong information

The practice of corporate communication

a. What is an in-house PR department?

- A PR unit that functions as a part of an organization and is not independent

- When a company says they handle PR in-house it means they have (at least)
one PR practitioner on staff

- Roles:
- Managing website, blogs, and social media
 - Organizing events
- Overseeing media relations
- Public speaking
- Safeguarding corporate reputation
- Handling crisis communication
- Creating and implementing an annual communication plan
- Overseeing internal communication
- Sometimes coordinating marketing materials

Media relations
- A specialty of PR that builds and sustains positive relationships with media
gatekeepers

Basic tools:
- Press release: written or recorded communication directed at members of
news media for the purpose of announcing something newsworthy
- Press/news conferences: an organized meeting for the purpose of officially
distributing information to the media and answering questions from reporters

Publicity
- Is the unpaid dissemination of facts, ideas, news about a product, service,
brand or person in various media

Characteristics:
- Uncontrol method of placing messages in the media
- Generally short-term focused
- Negative as well as positive
- Highs new value

Advantages:
- More credible than advertising- endorsed by the medium in which it appears-
- Cheaper than advertising

Vehicles:
- News releases
- Press conferences
- Special events and stunts (events that attract media attention)
- Captioned photos/ “cutlines”
- Feature articles
- Social media

Teresa Dorn
Quotes
- Deal with transparency to correct the disinformation
- Deal with the credibility inside and outside of the corporation with influencers,
and building the image
 - Any executive will tell you that the most important part is that you need to be
listening 80% of the time to really understand what the client needs
- Teamwork is the most important thing. Respect the others values
- Marketing is now niche marketing
- Good readers, professionals and listeners

Stunt
- Planned event designed to attract the public’s attention to an organizer or his
cause (“make a splash”)

What is a PR consultancy/firm/agency?
- It is a company that works for a number of clients often across different sectors
offering diverse communication services
- A strategic partner who helps clients/businesses successfully bridge the gap
between them and their publics and protect or build reputation
- Roles:
1. Editorial content and media relations (from press releases to public
speeches)
2.Research methodologies: anticipating, analyzing and interpreting public
opinion
3.Communication plan/programs
4.Public affairs: influencing public policies
5.Organising special events
6.Handling social media
7.Managing crisis

Advantages Disadvantages
In HOUSE - Loyalty of - less people doing all the work
professionals - fewer contacts
- High - less creativity
motivation - lack of impartiality
(company’s - (in favor of insiders they give a
success) blind eye and deaf ear to
- Saves time outsiders)
- Access to
historical
confidential
info about a
company

Consultancies - knowledge of - Price: it can be costly to obtain

industry: PR services
expertise - They might require more time
to understand problems (and
 - maximize they can charge clients
knowledge according to their time
and minimize worked)
budget
criteria /risks
- stronger list of
contacts
- wider range of
skills

The Global 250 agency ranking

Consultancies Holding group Staff

1.Eldeman
2.Weber Shandwick INTERPUBLIC
3.BCW
4.FieishmanHillard
5.Ketchum
6.Brunswick
7.MSL Group
8.Blue focus
9.Real Chemistry
10. Hill+ Knowlton Strat

Chapter 3: The theory of corporate communication (related concepts and elements)

Propaganda

- Definition
- Nature
- Typologies
- Conclusion

Help Catalonia

1. Sender (official): Omnium Cultural (Released on October 17th, 2017): agency

that promotes Catalan language and culture and also disseminate Catalonia’s
will for freedom. Propaganda in their communication products
2. Goals: in recent years one of the aims has been to assist Catalonia in its quest
to become a new independent state
3. Content: compelling narrative: the video tells a good and current story. The
video denounces the Spanish Government for attacking Catalan human rights
 - The video takes you on an emotional roller-coaster. It portrays Catalonia in
almost a state of war (repression, anguish, violence)

4. Mobilization (to put in a state of readiness for active service, to motivate

people to do something about something)
5. Publics: international community: opinion leader (European citizens,
politicians, EU officials, European media…) and public opinion (mainly young
people willing to sign a petition and put pressure on the Spanish Government)

Analysis

- It was a manipulative propaganda

- Strong moralizing but zero analysis or context (no objective facts). They do
not explain why they think it is right or wrong
- An elaborate (hidden?) agenda underneath?
- Simple language, fast images + audio (not much time to think)
- Simplification of a complex problem
- There is an enemy: Spanish Sate. He is to blame for all the things happening
to society
- Appearance of journalistic reporting (This is Barcelona, Catalonia, Europe)
- We are told one side of the story, extra simplify the reality (partiality)
- Use of storytelling (own story)
- Emotional appeals,” universal human rights under attack”
- Sense of urgency (act now)
- Once your emotions have been stirred, agenda is defined called to action
(help Catalonia= help Europe)

Second video: Not an example of propaganda

-“Orgullo por lo nuestro: 2020

Propaganda

Introduction

- An accepted part of all communication studies

- Nowadays is a compulsory part of communication studies
- Revival of interest in the important role of propaganda in different areas
- Is very important to identify what propaganda is and what is not
- However, there is an inappropriate (ab)use of the term
- Propaganda is a controversial subject as it is about politics
- Propaganda does not sell tangible products (that is advertising)
- Propaganda: politics, ideologies
 - Propaganda as a neutral technique: which only in its specific application
becomes good or bad
- Origins of the term: Pope Gregory the XV (1622): the wanted to create a
response from the catholic church
- Sacra congregatio de propaganda fide
- History and religion

Aim and purpose:

1. Control (deliberate attempt to alter or maintain an established balance of

power that is advantageous to the propagandist)
- The power can be economic, political or religious
2. Content: Achieve acceptance of the propagandist’s ideology by the people to
reinforce, modify attitudes, behaviors or both

Synonyms? Misinformation and disinformation

Disinformation: can be considered as a synonym for manipulative propaganda

Academic point of view: propaganda is neutral

1.Definition

Is the expression of opinions or actions carried out deliberatively by individuals or

groups with a view to influence the opinions or actions of other individuals or groups
for predetermined ends through psychological manipulations (1927)

A carefully planned set of statements which whether true or false can be made to
undermine held ideas and to construct new ones that will take their place. It would not
be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and psychological….

- Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident
they are acting on their own free will (1897-1945) Joseph Goebbels
- The best propaganda is that which works invisibly, penetrates the whole life
without the public having any knowledge of it”

The attempt to affect the personalities and to control the behavior if individuals
towards ends considered unscientific or of doubtful value in a society of a particular
time

Definition
- The deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions- sometimes
manipulate cognitions- and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers
the desired intent of the propagandist
- Always carefully planned (Jowett and O’Donnell, 2012)
 - Propaganda is going to be at least persuasive, and sometimes can become into
manipulative
- Persuasion is not always bad

Persuasion vs manipulation

Persuasion: convincing. There is a voluntary acceptance of that persuasion. When the

sender tries to persuade, is because he things that is going to be the best thing for the
ones that are being persuaded.

Manipulation: is doing it only for his own good

Propaganda:

1. One-way communication model

2. Contents: opinions, symbols, ideas, selected metaphors/images, and emotions
to enlist public support for the propagandist’s opinion
3. Sometimes…psychological manipulation. (Persuasive in nature)
4. Fields: politics and religion: spread of one specific ideology

In summary
- Propaganda is ideological and persuasive communication, motivated by an
individual or group to spread an ideology to win followers/converts to the
propagandist’s ideology

2.Propaganda: Nature

- Propaganda uses informative communication

- But the purpose exceeds the notion of mutual understanding
- The purpose of propaganda is to promote a partisan or competitive cause in
the best interest of the propagandist, but not necessarily in the best interest of
the recipient
- Propaganda may appear to be informative communication, to be indisputable
and totally factual… but the propagandist will attempt to control information
flow and manage a certain public’s opinion by shaping perceptions through
strategies of informative communication

Theory: The Communication Continuum (Gibson and Sotelo)

- Communication is a continuum that flows through different stages between to

extremes

Concept
1. Allows for a diverse communication practice
2. Emphasizes major concerns of communication
3. Enhances responsible communication practice: become a better professional
STAGES

1.Dialoge: the perfect communication stage. Space of civility and equality in which to
or more may differ in a topic. They exchange ideas in a conversational way. Justice,
truth and beauty. We have activeness in both sides: sender and receiver (both are very
active in the practice). There is also balance between sender and receiver (they are the
same). They exchange whatever information they want.

2.Education: the sender is going to try to remedy the lack of knowledge of the
recipient on a very specific subject (like a class). At the beginning, there is an
unbalance conversation (the sender knows more than the recipient). There is still room
for rationality because at the end of the process, the recipient is supposed to build
his/her criteria to judge reality. At the end of the process, there is a balance of both.

3.Persuasion: the sender is going to work on the ignorance, passiveness or neutrality

of recipient of one specific thing to convince. At the end of the process, the sender is
going to try that the recipient shares her/his own criteria to judge reality. The recipient
is aware of the fact that she or he has been convinced/persuaded on something.
Voluntary acceptance

Features of the speech

- Distinguishes between premises (statements or ideas that have been proven

beforehand) and conclusions
- It doesn’t use emotional appeal (not used as a strategy to convince)
- Uses clear and very specific language/words
- Uses several sources to provide discussion about 1 specific information
- Not use personal attack as a way to discredit the enemy

4.Manipulation: the information relationships are completely unbalanced. The sender

is pursuing his own interest all the way in the communication process. Do not respect
the intellectual freedom of the recipient. The recipient is not able to build his own
criteria to judge reality, and he is not aware of that (it has been imposed).

Features of the speech

- Emotional appeals (use of stereotypes: generalization, manipulate reality. They
are a way to disturb reality)
- Changing names and words either to achieve a stronger impact or disguise the
true nature of something (“terrorist” is not the same as “violent people”)
- Selection of some facts or ideas in order to insist only on those that benefit the
sender
- Using lies (a way of distortion reality)
- Repetition of clichés
- Making categorical claims from one point of view
- Choosing one enemy to blame for all the bad things happening in the society
5.Imposition: not considered as communication. Not exchanging anything. Use
violence.

The Communication Continuum

Dialoge Eduaction Persuasion Manipulation Imposition

It is a flow, and it gets weaker as you go through stages

Where do these shorts lie in the Communication Continuum?

1. Donald duck in Nazi land

- This short could lie in the persuasion step of the Communication Continuum. It
can be perceived in the short, that the Nazi land is a nightmare, with horrible
working and living conditions (all imposed by Hitler). Donald Duck in his
nightmare suffered a lot in Nazi land, when he woke up, he was in USA, happy,
and thankful for belonging to USA. Therefore, it is a clear persuasion to
convince the public that the capitalist ideology is better than communism.

2. Education for Death

- This short could lie between the educational step and persuasion of the
Communication Continuum. It can be seen that all the events, and facts about
the reality in Germany are shown to the public to educate them about it. Its
principal aim is not persuasion about an ideology, but the public can also
perceive the short as a way to show that communism and Hilter, made
Germany worse.

3. Commando Duck

- This short could lie in the step of persuasion in the Communication Continuum
as it expresses and anti-Japanese sentiment

- Persuasive speech and manipulative speech

- Propaganda is always between persuasion and manipulation
Types of propaganda

1. Source acknowledgement and accuracy of information

- White propaganda: we know the source and the information is true (comes
from an identified source and the information and message tends to be
accurate). We see and ideology at the center of the message, is persuasive. -
Example: movements related to specific ideologies, politics, religious
propaganda coming from a leader

- Black propaganda: we don’t know the source (is concealed), credited to a false
authority and spread lies, fabrications and deceptions. Not very common
because is usually carried out during war (perfect context for black
propaganda). Ex: broadcasting service, it is not clear as at some point it is
evident. Fake news can be an example depending on the context. Can be an
example of disinformation

- Gray propaganda: the source may be correctly identified and the accuracy of
information is uncertain OR the source may not be correctly identified and the
accuracy of the information is certain

- Subpropaganda: the propagandist’s task is to spread an unfamiliar doctrine

through different stimuli and eventually have it accepted. There is a third party
involved in delivering of the message. Third party endorsement if the content is
related to an ideology can be considered subpropaganda

2. According to the object (Sotelo)

- Political: spreading information of those who are in power o wants to be in

power
- Ideological: planned to spread an ideology or win over followers/converts to
the propagandists’ ideology
- War: also known as phycological warfare, it includes all the informative actions
made by the Estate to promote patriotisms or hate of enemy among soldiers
and public opinion.
- Commercial propaganda: the sender wants to promote the acquisition or
purchase of a good or service

3. Purpose (Ellul)

- Agitative propaganda: introduces unconventional and ground-breaking

ideologies values/ideas usually against the current standards of society. It seeks
to arouse people (from apathy) to participate in or support a cause. Cause a
revolution
 - Integrative: attempts to maintain the legitimacy of the institution it represents
and thereby to ensure the legitimacy of its activities. It attracts persuadees to a
common set of believes.

Conclusion

The important thing is not defining, but rather identifying propaganda

Negative connotation. But propaganda becomes positive or negative in its specific
application
Understand propaganda as a precedent of public relations

Characteristics
- One-way communication
- Aim: to maintain or alter the balance of power
- It mobilizes/seeks a response: changes, reinforces, or modifies
attitudes/behaviors so:
- It exceeds the notion of mutual understanding
- It disseminates biased ideas (ideologies) to further the desire intent of the
propagandist
- When there is voluntary acceptance (attempts to satisfy the needs of both
persuader and persuade): persuasion
- When there is an involuntary acceptance (purpose is to achieve acceptance of
an ideology in the best interest of the recipient): manipulation

Public relations

- Is the art of adapting big business to a democracy, so that the people have
some confidence that they are being well served and at the same time the
business has freedom to serve them well – Arthur Page (1958)

- Not about one point of views, not the art of tempering mental attitudes, nor
the development of cordial and profitable relations…but to reconcile or adjust
in the public interest those aspects of our personal and corporate behavior
which have a social significance – Harwood L. Childs (1930)

Origins of the term

- At the beginning of the 20TH century:

- Publicity agents was used to define:
- It is the unpaid dissemination of facts, ideas, news about a product, service
brand or person in various media
- It is more credible than advertising, cheaper
 - Uncontrolled method by placing messages in the media, generally short-term
focused, negative and positive, high news values
- Considered as a part of the public relations effort

- Press agentry: it is the practice of attracting the attention of the press through
techniques that manufacture news, no matter how bizarre in order to get
public notice
- Negative connotation: they are supposed to attract media attention at any
cost (can lie, exaggerate, fake demonstrations)

Method: staged events or publicity stunts, faux rallies or gatherings, spinning,

and hype

- It was a common practice in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the USA
- It cannot be considered public relations. Rather, it is a practice primarily
associated today with major entertainment-related event (Hollywood
premieres and boxing events)

- The goal of press agentry is to attract attention rather than gain understanding

Public relations

Publica relatio: people who were in power that remained in power that explained the
things that were doing to improve society

- Edward L. Bernays (1923)

- Democratic origin

Context: The right to freedom of speech and expression + the right to be informed
(have access information) + political equality (to participate in politics) = shared
sovereignty (there is a relationship between government consent and citizens, we are
all equal, vote for a governor)

Public sphere: an abstract area in social life where individuals come together to freely
discuss and identify societal problem/issues, and through that discussion influence
political action (Hauser, 1988)

Working conditions

1. Wide spectrum/ perspectives of different mass media with an ideological intent

with different ideologies
2. To entitle business to open their own communication channels to make
effective that access to information coming from corporation
Nature of public relations

Is a two-way communication model:

1. There is a deliberate exchange of information between the sender and the

receiver
2. The purpose of the information exchange is:

- In the short-term, to demand active participation of the recipient

- In the long-term, to develop mutual understanding between the sender and
the receiver (develop profitable relationships for businesses and societies)
- Societies can change the way a company thinks
- Educational, relationship with the recipient

Theory
1. Public opinion can exist because there is public relation. We live under a
democracy that makes that possible

Edward L. Bernays (1891-1995)

- Nominal father of public relations

- Early leader for public relations
- Expanded the press agentry an publicity agentry
- Instrumental in the formation of opinion shaping methods of persuasion
- Responsible for many societies changes in the USA for long-lasting effects
- Made possible for women to smoke in public
- Made fashionable to wear silk clothes
- Made American breakfast (bacon and eggs) famous

Thoughts

1. Coined the term “public relations council”

- He interprets the client to the public, and the public to the clients (company)

2. Organizations have the right and the duty to inform public opinion

- Trough the practice of public relations

3. PR is a two-way process

4. We need PR as a form of social statesmanship

- Something needed by democracy and the government

5. Influences: Sigmund Freud, Gustave Le Bon, Wilfred Trotter, Walter Lippmann

= Public relations is much more than communication

6. He was the first theorist of public relations (write books): he defined the PR
four-steps process of the communication plan

Chaos
- Psychoanalysis is very present in his ideas as he is the nephew of Freud
- He is atheist, he believed that someone had to organize he chaos= the council
of public relations
- Average citizens had limited intellect

The solution is the council of public relations in the chaotic world

Perception of the individual (citizen) and public opinion

• Ordinary citizens are not intelligent

• He had and unabashedly hierarchical view of society

• Since citizens have limited intellect, the PR’s goal is "to create a
compact, vivid simplification of complicated issues”

• Individuals cannot survive outside the mass/herd because of all the

intellectual influences

Invisible government

- Is the relatively small number of persons -a trifling fraction of our hundred and
twenty million- who understand the mental processes and social patterns of
the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind, who
harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world

Characteristics of the individual (Trotter adopted by Bernays)

1. He is tolerant and fearful of physical and mental solitude. Fear of being alone
2. He is more sensitive to the voice of the heard than to any other influence
3. He is subject to the passions, violence and panics of the herd
4. He is reasonable susceptible to leadership
5. His relations to his fellows are dependent upon the recognition of him as a
member of the herd

• Describe how we are and act

Public opinion

• It is the aggregate result of individual opinions -now uniform, now conflicting-

of the men and woman who make up society or any group
 • This is an ill-defined, mercurial and changeable group of individual judgements

The public sphere is deeply wounded by the intrusion of PR -Jurgen

This intrusion of PR marks the abandonment of the criteria of rationality which once
shaped public argument, such criteria being completely lacking in a consensus created
by sophisticated opinion molding

PR counsel roles/functions

1. To bring to the public facts, ideas of social utility which would not so readily
gain acceptance otherwise
2. To maintain an intense scrutiny of the informative consequences of his client’s
actions, avoiding the propagation of unsocial or harmful ideas (similar to a legal
pleader or attorney): such a lawyer role
3. To direct and supervise the activities of his clients wherever they impinge upon
the daily life of the public
4. To articulate the four steps of the PR process
5. To integrate the public and the private interest
6. To match public interest and private interest

-
“Public relations is about understanding the concerns of the public with whom
organizations are interdependent” Larissa Gruing (2012)

Fundamentals of PR Theory

System perspective

- General systems Theory (GST): from natural science to social science

- Karl Ludwig von Beralanffy (1901-1972)
- Levels:
- System a consistent totality (an organization)
- Suprasy system: the system’s environment/context (society)
- Subsystem: a system’s component (department or unit of an organization)

Understanding the organizations as systems

- A system is a set of interacting units (parts of subsystems) that endures through
time within an established boundary by responding and adjusting to change
pressures from the environment to achieve and maintain states of equilibrium
- Each subsystem affects the other subsystems as well as the total organization

Systems perspective
Systems theory
1. Living system engage in exchange with their environments producing changes
in both (the systems and the environments)
 2. Systems can be classified in terms of nature and amount of interchange with
their environments
- Closed systems and open systems. Is impossible to have a closed system (not
able to survive as an organization)

Closed systems: have impermeable boundaries

- They cannot exchange matter, energy, or information with their information

Open systems: exchange inputs and outputs through boundaries that are permeable
- They are responsive to environmental changes and feedback
- Their survival and growth depend on interchange with its environment
- They adjust and adapt to counteract or accommodate environmental variations

Scott Cutlip and Allen Center (after Bernays)

- Apply the general systems theory to public relations: Effective public relations
(1952) book as the bible
- Systems perspective and ecology
- Considering organizations as open systems
- Ecology in PR: to prosper and endure all organizations must:

HOW
1. Accept the public responsibility imposed by an increasingly interdependent
society (=PUBLIC SPHERE)
2. Communicate, despite multiplying barriers with publics that are often distant
and diverse
3. Achieve integration into the communities that they were created to serve

- PR essential role is to help org anization adjust and adapt to changes in

their environments= this is ecology for Cutlip and Center.

- Organization adjust to the environment, adaptation to changes through

communication (Public relations)

PR activities

Depending on the number of stakeholders, the name of the activity is going to change

- Media relations
- Employee or international communication
- Public affairs
- Lobbying
- Crisis management
- Investors relations
- Development/non-profit
Media relations

- A specialty of public relations that builds and sustains positive relationships

with media gatekeepers

Employee communication internal relations

- Internal relations is the specialized part of corporate public relations that builds
and maintains a mutual beneficial relationship between managers and the
employees on whom organizations success depends

Public affairs

- Is the specialized part of public relations that builds and maintains

organizational relationships with governmental agencies and community
stakeholder groups to influence public policy
- Local communities and governmental entities

Lobbying (as a part of public affairs)

- Is the specialized part of public relations that builds and maintains relations
that builds and maintains relations with government and political actors,
primary to influence legislation

Crisis management

- Is the public relations specialty that helps organizations strategically respond to

negative situations and to dialogue with stakeholders affected by perceived
and actual consequences of crises
- UK supermarket chains: working to feed the nation. Design a statement to the
customers that they were working with the government to provide them what
they need

Investor relations

- Is the specialized part of corporate public relations that builds and maintains
mutual beneficial relationships with shareholders and others in the financial
community to maximize market value

Tools
- Conference calls
- Fact sheets
- Stunts
- Webcasts
- Events
- Newsletters
- Media relations applied in investors relations
Development/ non-profit

- Is the specialized part of public relations in nonprofit organizations that builds

and maintains relationships with donors, volunteers and members to secure
financial and volunteer support

- Corporate communication is about many things, not just media relations

- PR is a management function that established and maintains mutual beneficial

relationships between an organization and the publics on whom it success or
failure depends

James Gruing and Todd Hunt

- Public relations: “Management of communication between and organization

and its public”
- Communication is a behavior of individuals/groups/organizations
- PR professionals do not communicate just for themselves
- The focus is on management: PR is a management subsystem

Public: group of people affected by organizational behavior and a group of people

who affect organizational behavior

4 models of public relations: (for the exam: know how to apply them)

Political parties during election period: according to the purpose and nature of
communication what model do their use?
- Two-way asymmetrical model: two-way imbalanced effects
- There is no mutual understanding
- It does not change
- Political parties have a lot of information about us, what do we think, they use
this to persuade us

Which of these models resembles more to a journalistic approach according

to purpose and nature?

-public information model

- spread information in a truthful manner
-objective information in a one-way communication model

“Thinking means connecting things”

Lesson 5: corporate communication

- Until 1970s public relations was used to describe relationships with publics,
stakeholders
- Corporate communication focuses on the perspective of an organization as
a whole and on the important task of how an organization presents itself to
all its key stakeholders (internal + external)
- Corporate communication: a separate function of other business settings
(human resources, finance, marketing)
- Focuses on the organization as a whole/body: from the Latin words: corpus
and “corporare”
- Related to any kind of organization or corporation

- Corporation: a structured human organization (company, business, public

or private firm) that is forms for a particular purpose within a given
community to which they provide cohesion and paradigm

What is corporate communication?

- The management function that effectively coordinates all internal and

external communication aimed at building and maintaining mutually
beneficial relationships with stakeholder groups upon which the
organization (+reputation) is dependent
- Most valuable intangible assets of a corporation: very important

Stakeholders

- Any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of

the organization’s objectives
o Those groups without whose support the organization would cease
to exist
- Only manage this relationship through corporate communication in order
to gain stronger reputation in the long-term
 - Stakeholders: employees, managers, customers, owners, shareholders,
local communities, media, financial institutions, governmental groups,
competitors, suppliers, activist (political action groups)

- “Public relations: is more than a set of tactics and tools, is a mindset”

- “Communication Is the medium through which all companies access the

vital resources they need in order to operate”

- “We used to be the tail of the dog, but now communications is the
organizing principle behind many business decisions”: strategic

General principle for corporate communication

- Corporate communication→ needs to link corporate identity (what the

institution really is) and its image (picture of the institution that is
presented to external stakeholders)
- Final result: coherence between expressed identity and perceived image
and better reputation
- Our reputations is going to depend on that perceived image
- But image is not identity→ the first is just a consequence of the latter and
how it is communicated

Institutional identity: the sum of all factors that define and project what an
organization really is and where it is going
- Institutional identity emerges from
- The organizations’s core mission, vision and purpose (why do you exists as a
company)
- The corporate culture (core values)
- The organization’s communication

Advocacy advertising: how we can communicate what the company really is

(identity)
- Advertisement or public communication that attempts to influence public
opinion on specific political, economic or social issues
- There is no product or service in play but a cause/issue at the center of the
ad
- It attempts to:
o Communicate the organization’s viewpoint on various issues
(sustainability, social justice, treatment of employees, regulatory
changes...)
o Communicate identity (purpose, values)
▪ Controversial issue is related to its identity. Communicate
what they think about the controversial issue and can
generate negative/positive reactions from part of the public
 o Manage relationships with stakeholders
o Main goal: promote public debate on those issues

Advocacy advertising example

- L’ Oreal (2019): ad for men using makeup
- Non-profit: Mom demand actions

Image
- Is the immediate mental picture that audience have of an organization
- Image and reputation belong to stakeholders
- Institutional image formation process:
1. Institutional members decide an organization’s identity
2. Identity is spread through communication policies (or tools such as
advocacy or issues advertising)
3. As a result of communication impacts, an idea about the
organization as a whole exists in the minds of its
stakeholders/publics
- Communications helps to have a coherence of who you really are, and the
image that customers have in their minds
- Images are powerful perceptions

Corporate advertising
- Advertising by an organization where the company, rather than its products or
services is emphasized
- Is an attempt to:
o Create positive public awareness (image) of an organization’s decisions
and/or corporate identity (particularly in diversifies companies
o Build brand recognition (umbrella identification)
o Boost employee morale

Features of corporate adverting

1. It takes advantage of advertising strengths
o Persuasive language and format
o Content control
o Wide circulation

2. It can offer a global perception of an organization

Reputation
- Image over time
- An individual’s collective representation of past images of an organization
(induced through either communication or past experiences) established over
time
Strong reputation:
- Visibility
- Distinctiveness
- Authenticity
 - Transparency
- Consistency

-A corporation critically depends on its reputation

Identity→ image→ reputation= through corporate communication (handling

relationships, communicating identity and handling the reputation)

Why is corporate communication important?

• Is about relationship building and reputation management

• It must create value for the organization
• Reputation is a long-term indicator of communication’s value creation
• It includes deliberate efforts to formally communicate (a two-way
communication model) and relate with/to stakeholders so that they can make
informed decisions about the organization
• If you don’t have a strong reputation, clients will not buy your products
• It is the voice that corporations and institutions use to interact with the outside
world and includes many activities

Why is corporate communication strategic?

- The corporate strategy is the general direction taken by a company with regard
to:
- Choice of business and markets
- Its approach to its stakeholder groups
- Corporate communication is an important part of the company’s strategy