Shaping Perception: The Role of Public Relations in Managing Reputation, Crisis, and Ethics
- lilydcase
- Jan 19, 2024
- 3 min read
Public Relations is a form of communication that allows you to manage how the public views a company or brand. I believe PR shapes public perception by showing people what the brand wants them to see. “Using strategic messaging to sway people of a certain view or create a certain perception for the brand”(Kelleher, 2020). Gaining media connections is a great way to build relationships with different outlets to create positive exposure of the brand. These connections can also be useful for future opportunities. It's especially crucial to know how to manage the company's reputation when dealing with a crisis. Knowing how to handle media during the time of these events is important when protecting the brand's reputation. Being aware of the messages you send out during these times of crisis and knowing how to add positive value to the conversation can greatly impact the consumers perception of the brand. PR practices can shape the image in a positive or negative way. For example, IHOP briefly changed their name to IHOB before gaining negative backlash and changing it back. The attempt was to let consumers know the company was selling burgers. However, “some consumers did not like this idea and wanted to go back to its original name” (Lucas, 2019). I do believe this publicity stunt was successful considering the amount of burger sales increased tremendously. Overall the company did a good job in leaving an impression on people and creating awareness that the company also sells burgers. Ethical considerations are really important in PR and can impact credibility of a company or firm. Ethics gives purpose to your day to day life, knowing your company follows a set of moral rules. There can be a lot of gray areas and blurred lines involving ethics so it's important to set guidelines to follow. This is why you should be aware of not only your own morals but also the company or brands. Making ethical decisions is essential when creating a positive image for the company. An ethical dilemma you might come across on the job is providing accurate vs inaccurate information. Let's say a problem arises in the company that results in a loss of merchandise. Downplaying the accident or bending the truth of what happened would not be truthful. Instead, it would be beneficial to give the employer advice on being truthful to the public in order to create a good foundation of trust. Another ethical dilemma that might arise is keeping customer information private. Giving information to another party would create a “loss of the customers confidence, you could even be sued for breach of confidence”(Cudmore). If someone is entrusting you with their personal information it is unjust to give away this information for your own benefits. Overall, ethics and shaping public perception can go hand in hand, especially when creating a message that aligns with the company's goals and morals. It's important to understand the messages you are creating and be aware of potential ethical dilemmas that can arise so you are prepared to handle them accordingly.
References
Kelleher, T. (2020). Public Relations (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press Academic US.
Lucas, A. (2019, February 7). IHOP’s fake name change helped it sell 4 times more burgers.
CNBC; CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/07/ihops-fake-name-change-helped-it-sell-4-times-more-burgers.html
Cudmore, D. The Top Ethical Issues in Public Relations. (2022, October 31). Darcy Allan PR.
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