Letter to cousin

January 13, 2006



Dear Clay,

In the past we have discussed how I am going into public relations and you mentioned you would like to know more information about this field. Here is some more information on what public relations is and does.

As the institute of public relations puts it, "Public relations is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics." In easier terms, we are the formal voice relaying messages from an organization or individual to the public and from individuals to the organization. We manage the flow of information from an organization to the public, from the public to an organization, from one organization to another organization and relay messages within the organization itself.

When an organization needs something disclosed to the public, we gather the information that needs to be communicated and then relay that message to the public. We let people know what is going on within an institution, organization and sometimes individuals. If the public is unsure where an organization stands on something, we relay the message from the company to the public on where the company stands, so there is no confusion. The information that is relayed to the public must be honest and trustworthy. We also need to know how the public feels about certain issues or will react to the position that a company is taking on an issue. We take how the public feels and relay that to the company so the company can make decisions based on the best interest of themselves and the public.

Examples of public relations are all around us. Most of the stories found in newspapers come from press releases which are put out by public relation representatives. For example, the President of the United States has a PR representative that makes sure the president’s views on certain issues are known and understood by the public. Another example is the Johnson & Johnson Tylenol incident of 1982. Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol had been poisoned and several people died. J&J immediately pulled Tylenol off store shelves. Although this was a huge economic loss the public viewed J&J as doing the right thing. By pulling Tylenol off the store shelves the public gained respect for J&J and continues this day to support their products. Celebrities also have public relation representatives. Public relations representatives will promote positive aspects regarding individuals and will correct or redirect hurtful or negative aspects about the person. Public relation representatives will assist in sharing approved information about the celebrity’s life.

Public relations can also incorporate event planning. Public relations representatives may be in charge of coordinating events. Responsibilities may include finding a form of entertainment, getting a location and calculating ticket prices or cost. They will make sure that all arrangements are made and ready for an event, in addition to informing the public about the event.

There are many different fields of interest in public relations that one can go into; it just depends on what you want to do. I hope this letter helps you understand more about public relations and some of the things that it involves. I hope to talk to you soon.


Love,
Michelle Toponce