What Impact Can PR Have on Society? What is an Example of This Impact?

Public relations, when addressing the public acuity, must develop a model representation to the public and their perceived message of ones company and ones products. According to Scott Hunter, publisher of the book, Public Relations and Its Impact, "creating "just the right image" in the publics eye is essential for survival of any organization today" (2007). Scott Hunter goes on to state, "public relations are about reputation, the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you" (2007). This statement alone speaks volumes on public relations and its impact on society. Why? People working in public relations need to have excellence and clarity when producing products or selling a concept. The populous must feel content and trusting to buy or even acknowledge a PR campaign. An example of this impact could be seen in the following: many years ago when my son was six, he saw an ad on the television about Crash Car Dummies. Benjamin thought that this commercial was awesome. One day after pulling into the driveway of my home, Benjamin climbed out of his car seat into the front seat between me and my husband. He turned to me and said, "look ma I am a crash car dummy..and virtually jumped up and crashed his head into the windshield...needless to say he needed stitches and the windshield was cracked. After the trip to the hospital, talking to my mother, we both called the company with fire coming out of our ears. Finally the product dwindled to nothing and I have never seen it advertised since. PR people need to be conscious of the product, the target audience, and create the right campaign/do the right thing, and develop quality products without going to extremes and being non-safety conscious.

Reference

Hunter, S. (2007 March, 3) Public Relations and Its Impact. Retrieved March 15, 2007 from

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/166906/public_relations_and_its_impact.html