Introducing Public Relations

Exciting, engaging and dealing with both the theory and day-to-day practice of public relations, this is a conscise and approachable alternative to the larger, dryer and more expensive textbooks currently on the market.

Introducing Public Relations is your guide to the basics of public relations: where it came from, what it means and what issues the industry faces today. It takes readers from the origins of PR all the way to the newest theoretical debates, explaining along the way the changes and development of the role of the PR practitioner. With interviews and ′day in the life′ examples from a wide range of professionals in the industry students will learn what PR practitioners do, what they think and how the industry really works. Putting the student first, this book: Gives a grounded, critical coverage of the history and theory of PR, so students understand not just the what but the how and why Covers all aspects of PR in practice, from in-house and consultancies to government, sport, NGO and corporate PR Packs each chapter with case studies, anecdotes from the field and career advice from expert PR professionals Helps easy revision with exercises, summaries and checklist. Highly accessible and engaging, there is no better headstart to understanding what PR is all about. It is the perfect text for any students encountering public relations theory and practice for the first time.

'Today's Public Relations' works to redefine the teaching of public relations by discussing it's connection to mass communication, but also linking it to it's rhetorical heritage.

Winner of the 2019 Textbook & Academic Authors Association’s The Most Promising New Textbook Award How can public relations play a more active role in the betterment of society? Introduction to Strategic Public Relations: Digital, Global, and Socially Responsible Communication prepares you for success in today’s fast-changing PR environment. Recognizing that developments in technology, business, and culture require a fresh approach, Janis T. Page and Lawrence Parnell have written a practical introductory text that aligns these shifts with the body of knowledge from which the discipline of public relations was built. Because the practice of public relations is rooted in credibility, the authors believe that you must become ethical and socially responsible communicators more concerned with building trust and respect with diverse communities than with creating throwaway content. The authors balance this approach with a focus on communication theory, history, process, and practice and on understanding how these apply to strategic public relations planning, as well as on learning how to create a believable and persuasive message. Key Features Chapter-opening Scenarios capture your attention by discussing current PR challenges—such as the Wells Fargo cross-selling, VW emissions cover-up, and P&G’s “Like a Girl” campaign—and thus frame the chapter content and encourage active reading. At the end of the chapter, you explore various aspects of socially responsible communication to “solve” the PR challenge. Socially Responsible Case Studies in each chapter illustrate the key responsibilities of a modern public relations professional such as media relations, crisis communications, employee communications, applied communications research, and corporate and government-specific communications. Each case features problem-solving questions to encourage critical thinking. Social Responsibility in Action boxes feature short, specific social responsibility cases—such as Universals’ #NoFoodWasted, Nespresso in South Sudan, and Merck’s collaboration with AIDS activists—to highlight best practices and effective tactics, showing the link between sound public relations strategy and meaningful social responsibility programs. Insight boxes spark classroom discussion on particularly important or unique topics in each chapter. Personality Profile boxes will inspire you with stories from PR veterans and rising stars such as the U.S. CEO of Burson-Marstellor, the Chief Communication Officer of the United Nations Foundation, and the Executive VP at HavasPR.

Experiencing Public Relations examines the everyday experiences of PR practitioners in order to better understand how public relations is perceived by those outside and within the field. The book aims to provoke debate around the nature of public relations by looking at how it is defined at a theoretical level, compared to how it is lived and represented in the real world. Chapters feature work from some of the world’s leading public relations scholars. They cover a diverse range of subjects, such as representations of PR in fiction and film, terrorist use of public relations, the impact of social media on this medium and a study of ‘dirty work’ within the PR industry. The book also explores international PR practices, presenting analysis from contributors based in Australia, Germany, India, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, UAE, UK, USA and Venezuela. Experiencing Public Relations goes beyond the ‘frontstage’ scholarship of public relations to bring together stories of PR in daily life, revealing how influential theories work out in practice and translate into different cultural and social contexts. This book will provide researchers, professionals and students with a vital perspective on the inner workings of public relations today.

Introduction to Public Relations and Advertising introduces the reader to the basics of public relations and advertising in a single textbook. Topics include the functions, effects, and critical issues of public relations as well as the history of advertising and its relationship to marketing. The unit on advertising covers theoretical models, advertising campaigns and critical research issues. Introduction to Public Relations and Advertising is used by the Department of Communication at the university of South Africa and will prove invaluable for other students of communication as well as practitioners who need to reflect on the fundamentals of public relations and advertising.

This is the ideal textbook for students of PR as it offers a link from theory to practice. Shirley Harrison describes the key frameworks and developments in PR and shows exactly how they work in the real world.