If you look at the online environment, there is now a lot of information posted, and there is an abundance of similar company information, products, and services.
In such a crowded situation, companies and marketers must devise various strategies to promote more useful information, increase added value to the services and businesses they provide, and differentiate themselves from their competitors. Brand power has come to have a huge impact.
PR is essential to increasing brand power. Nowadays, the keyword “PR” exists in our daily lives as a matter of course, and the number of opportunities to see it in various situations is increasing.
At first glance, when you hear the word “PR”, there are many keywords such as “〇〇PR”, and there are still many people who do not understand the original meaning and definition of “PR”.
In this article, we will discuss what is “PR”? Starting from this section, we will introduce in detail the types of “PR” and the differences between them and promotions and advertisements.
What is PR?
The keyword ”
PR
” is an abbreviation of the initials of “Public Relations,” which is a word that expresses “relationships with the public.”
I think there are many people who are not comfortable with the term “relationships with the public.” To break it down a bit, it is a communication measure that is strategically implemented to build good relationships with people belonging to a company or organization.
Keywords that exist in our everyday lives, such as public relations, promotion, publicity, and advertising, are recognized as being similar to PR. However, PR is different from such keywords.
We will organize the purpose, target, and location of information exposure, and briefly explain the differences between each.
PR
- the purpose
- subject
- Information location
∟Strategically utilize communication to effectively approach corporate value, business, and product value developed by companies and marketers ∟Organizations and companies in general ∟SNS/websites/various media
public relations
- the purpose
- subject
- Information location
∟Disseminate information for the purpose of widely disseminating business contents and measures within organizations such as companies ∟Organizations and companies in general ∟Various media/public relations papers/web sites
advertisement
- the purpose
- subject
- Information location
∟Carry out various advertising activities using paid media for the purpose of selling and expanding awareness of services, businesses, and products offered by companies and marketers. ∟Customer base/business partners/general consumers ∟Paid media/ WEB advertising/actual store
promotion
- the purpose
- subject
- Information location
∟Disseminate information for the purpose of selling products developed by a company and deepening understanding of the characteristics, properties, and brand background of the products ∟Customer base/business partners/general consumers ∟Various types Media/WEB site/SNS/physical store
marketing
- the purpose
- subject
- Information location
∟Aiming to sell products developed by a company, analyze issues faced by the customer base, propose and plan solutions for business ∟Customer base/business partners/general consumers ∟Advertising/SNS /WEB SITE
What are stakeholders who are essential to PR?
From here, we will introduce stakeholders, who need to be considered as a set when talking about PR. The public part of Public Relations refers to members of a country, region, or community. Please keep in mind that in corporate activities, the public related to the business is called “stakeholders.”
There are mainly three types of corporate stakeholders: media, shareholders, employees, government agencies, financial institutions, business partners, and general consumers.
Companies aim to build good relationships with the above stakeholders by conducting PR activities. Among stakeholders, media items have a particularly strong relationship with PR, and the majority of PR uses media items to deliver various information to each stakeholder.
Additionally, while
advertising, promotion, marketing, and promotion are specialized in promoting sales of products and services
,
PR and public relations cover a wide range of business content and measures within organizations such as companies.
The purpose is to
inform the public and build good relationships with many stakeholders
. From this, you can understand that PR and public relations are not just about implementing ideas and measures that are directly linked to sales.
Companies can create a positive image of their company among a large number of stakeholders by implementing PR activities that match their objectives. Effective PR activities can further improve the effectiveness of PR activities by implementing them in parallel with strategic marketing measures.
PR activities carried out by companies
The purpose of PR carried out by a company is to build a good relationship of trust with each stakeholder by accurately conveying to them the company’s philosophy and business activities.
In today’s world, there are many services, businesses, products, etc. crowded together, and the “products” provided by companies are similar and the market is overflowing.
We are no longer living in an era where simply making something will sell it, but the value of the “product” we provide and the provision of services from the general consumer’s perspective play a very important role. Because we live in an era where we are overflowing with so many things, it is necessary to develop measures through PR activities to increase awareness among general consumers, acquire a customer base, and gain even the slightest favor.
Main contents of PR activities carried out by companies
◇Use press releases to convey the company’s philosophy, future vision, and what value it is building through its current activities.
◇Use the website and SNS tools operated by the company to share the company’s philosophy and service value with each stakeholder.
◇Hold company-specific events and sales promotions regularly to maintain relationships with many stakeholders.
Product PR activities
Currently, in order to carry out product PR activities that are specific to the products or services that you offer, it is necessary that they do not conflict with corporate PR.
In the past, product PR generally focused on the product’s features, advantages when compared to competitors’ products, cost performance, etc.
However, in modern times, it is of course important to focus on the above content, but it is also important to maintain consistency with corporate PR.
If a company has stated that it “emphasizes customer service and thorough customer support,” rather than focusing only on the services and product sales it provides, it should also focus on the specific details of the post-purchase support system. , it is necessary to assert the company’s unique support content without contradicting the company’s PR. By agreeing with the corporate philosophy, you can prepare a phase in which general consumers who were not aware of your services or products will grow into a customer base.
Main contents of product PR activities
◇Distribute the value of the products you provide to the media through press releases ◇Introduce the products using the website operated by the company ◇Use owned media (blogs) etc. to provide detailed product information and ◇ Deliver detailed and useful information to viewers that can only be obtained here ◇ Utilize SNS tools to introduce products ◇ Utilize influencers to carry out a wide range of product approaches ◇ Distribute email newsletters ◇ Deliver information to the company’s existing customer base ◇ Plan sales promotions and hold events to increase the number of points of contact between products and consumers.
Based on the idea that marketing includes promotion, and promotion includes public relations, product PR can also be called product public relations.
Local government PR activities
Currently, local governments are increasingly implementing PR activities. PR activities aimed at promoting local settlement and PR activities aimed at inbound demand are attracting attention. The number of PR activities sponsored and supported by local governments is increasing, and PR videos are also being actively created as a method of posting information.
A characteristic of PR videos that attract attention is that they tend to reach a large number of users, and when they become popular, there are cases where they spread through word of mouth and SNS, further increasing their attention. It also has the effect of increasing recognition and popularity of the target area and the businesses and services it provides. In recent years, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and local governments have been able to take financial measures to cover the costs required to produce PR videos, so videos promoting local areas are being actively produced.
Main contents of local/municipal PR activities
◇ Utilize the created PR videos and SNS tools to disseminate information across prefectures and across the country ◇ Don’t just publish the newsletter, use the newsletter as a place to post local information and form a platform ◇ With the cooperation of local residents and senior citizens, we will hold attractive events that will foster love for the region among young people.◇Companies and local governments will set up antenna shops in urban areas to widely introduce local products. install
strategic PR
Strategic PR is a concept that aims to make general consumers aware of products and services through PR activities, and to help them discover “reasons to buy” through their own decision-making. It is attracting attention from
Traditionally, companies and marketers have chosen to use advertising to increase awareness of the services and products they provide, leading to the ultimate goal of sales. However, the Internet market is overflowing with information, and the number of users who are accustomed to advertising or who avoid advertising is increasing, and distributing advertisements normally is not cost-effective and the chances of people seeing the advertisements are increasing. will decrease.
In strategic PR, rather than directly focusing on products for the purpose of advertising distribution, the approach of strategic PR is to create a “flow” through PR effects and steer the advertising to reach consumers. .
In order to implement strategic PR, strategic design plays an important role. Strategic design, which is considered important, requires a wide range of thinking, including management strategy and marketing strategy. Therefore, it is not recommended that the PR and marketing departments, which are often in charge of PR, formulate these plans alone. It is necessary to work together with various departments, including management, gather opinions from various angles, and promote the project as one.
In addition, we will carry out various PR activities, such as utilizing the latest digital content and video content that is gaining attention, and taking into account the rapid spread of smartphones, we will utilize SNS tools that are seeing an explosive increase in the number of users. It is necessary to link a wide range of content. Because of this, costs are expected to increase, so it is necessary to proceed with implementation while firmly understanding the cost effectiveness of the PR activities being implemented.
summary
In this article, we will discuss what is “PR”? From this point on, we have introduced the types of “PR” and the differences between them and promotions and advertisements.
PR activities are not intended to secure immediate sales, but are measures that can be expected to be effective in the medium to long term. If you are considering implementing PR, be sure to have a clear goal and choose the communication tool that best matches your target audience. Then, be sure to understand and communicate the value that the products, services, and various initiatives you offer can contribute to users.