Media and The Message

by Nicholas G. Licata, M.A.

An Ounce of Prevention [Back to Columns]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That sage advice, probably dating back to Benjamin Franklin, still holds true today. It is advice that is especially important when considering its impact on your communication efforts. Bring up public relations in a conversation and the first thing that comes to mind for most business people is a crisis situation, or the guy in the marketing department who sends out the press releases. However, public relations is an important management function that should not be overlooked.

The word "public" in Public Relations is a deceiving term because we tend to think of the public as a mass audience -- the kind we reach by advertising in the local daily newspaper. The public in public relations, however, can be any of an infinite number of publics. Any group that can be identified as having a relationship with the company is a potential public.

So, the people who buy and use your product or service are a public; the manufacturers of the components of your product are a public; your employees are a public, their families, you get the picture. Many of these publics are also interrelated: employees who use your product; a vendor who is a member of an environmental group that has an issue with your company, etc.

The second word in PR is "relations." Public relations is how you manage the relationship between your company and each of its publics. Consider your employees as a public. How you manage your relationship with them, whether you treat them well or not, can go a long way to making your company successful. You may spend a lot of money to advertise your products and services and build your brand. If you treat your employees well, they will take their positive feelings and your company's message into the community. The good things they say about you and your company will reinforce your image and your brand. This will compound the investment you have made in your advertising program.

Conversely, if you treat them badly, your business will suffer. They will take the negative feelings they have from work into the community. This will erode your image and undermine your advertising investment. The cost of repairing this damage will be much greater than the small changes that you could have made to promote good employee relations.

Communication is dynamic. Everything you do and say sends a message that will impact how your company is perceived on many levels and with many groups of people. Keeping this in mind will set the stage for building and maintaining a successful business.