So, basically, public relations functions for a company can be carried out by a PR department within the company or an outside public relations firm. There has been a recent move toward outsourcing, with studies showing that “Fortune 500 companies now spend 25% of their public relations budgets on outside firms. Almost 90% of the companies use outside public relations counsel to varying degrees.” (Cameron 109).
Public relations firms provide numerous services:
- Marketing communications
- Executive speech training
- Research & evaluation
- Crisis communication
- Media analysis
- Community relations
- Events management
- Public affairs
- Branding & corporate reputation
- Financial relations
I can understand the benefits of hiring an outside firm to handle many PR responsibilities. However, with current technologies and trends, such as social media, it seems that some of those responsibilities would be best handled by someone within a company who has a closer connection to the company and is able to share that connection with people on a more personal level. Of course, even if a company is employing an outside PR firm, the company itself could still directly maintain many PR responsibilities, so they could still work together quite well.
*Cameron, Glen T. & Wilcox, Dennis L. Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics. United States: Pearson Education, Inc., 2006. 47.
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