A public relations department works on enhancing a company's reputation with the use of skilled publicists. These people possess the ability to highlight positive attributes of the business, product, or person. Business today is extremely competitive. For companies to remain competitive, they need to stand out from the crowd and appeal to both the public and the media. The public are the buyers of the product and the media are responsible for selling it. (Crystal, 2007).
Public relations provide a service for the company by helping to give the public and the media a better understanding of how the company works. Within a company, public relations can also come under the title of public information or customer relations. These departments assist customers if they have any problems with the company. They are usually the most helpful departments, as they exist to show the company at their best. (Crystal, 2007).
PR also helps the company to achieve its full potential. They provide feedback to the company from the public. This usually takes the form of research regarding what areas the public is most happy and unhappy with. (Crystal, 2007).
People often have the perception of public relations as a group of people who spin everything. Spin can mean to turn around a bad situation to the company's advantage. It is true that part of the purpose of public relations is to show the company in a positive light no matter what. There are certain PR experts that a company can turn to for this particular skill. (Crystal, 2007).
The Definitions
According to Wikipedia, "The term Public Relations was first coined by the US President Thomas Jefferson. He used the term during his address to Congress in 1807. One of the earliest definitions of PR was coined by Edward Bernays. According to him, "Public Relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interest of an organization followed by executing a