First of all, what is PR? A surprising number of business professionals don’t really know.

It doesn’t help that this question will often get you 200 different answers from 200 different marketers.

Alas Quill is to the rescue!

We did the work for you, and took a survey of more than 500 top marketing and public relations corporate agency and executives who work in conjunction with Quill Communications, Inc. nationally and around the world, asking them:

What is Public Relations?

~Public Relations is the management function that evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or organization with the public interest, and plans and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance

~The formation of strategic communications plans within all possible evolving media outlets, to ensure the proper message is getting to appropriate audiences using the most creative means

~Public Relations is the art of communicating an idea, or program (on behalf of your client) to a widely dispersed audience, wherein the audience will become better educated, and if necessary, act upon this new information

~Public Relations is maintaining and extending a client’s reputation to the general public. In addition, it involves coming up with solutions to reach goals, preventing crises, and extending goodwill

~”Standing” figuratively in the right place with the right message at the right time, so that those you want to see or hear you, will

~Public relations is the facilitation and maintenance of favorable relationships between a business and those audiences of most importance to the success of the business

~PR is communications directed at well-defined audiences in order to generate specific changes in beliefs or behavior – such as awareness of a company’s purpose, purchase of a particular product and contributions to a specific charity

~Building and maintaining two-way communications between a client and its stakeholder audiences, to be mutually beneficial to all parties

~PR is a communication tool to change the Knowledge, Interest, Belief, Attitude, and Awareness of your target audience/publics

~Public relations is the art and science of identifying and developing (for client or employer) a position in the marketplace of commerce or ideas using a variety of professional communications tools and skills, for the purpose of ethically moving existing opinion among key groups and individuals (internal and external) toward the employer’s/client’s desired position

~Using sound and ethical communications tools and skills to help mold, shape, change or reinforce opinions of distinct groups of individuals

~Public relations is a concept to enhance the reputation of an organization by improving the perception of internal and external publics using communication as a tool

~PR is the pursuit of the education of media, analysts and the public about concepts they might find important – if they were more familiar with them. Its purpose is not just to get people talking about an organization or issue, but is to provide a new understanding that compels them into action.