Is a PR Department Necessary For a Company Today?

Written By: Constantinos Rama
Edited by: Christine Saifi and Matija Petrović

The answer is definitely YES. A Public Relations (PR) department is responsible for the corporate image and the reputation of a company. On one hand, a good image can increase sales and make a corporation more valuable. On the other hand, many businesses are occasionally facing brand crisis that can be caused by different types of accidents, defected products or bad services which they usually generate customer or employee dissatisfaction and of course complains. The department of PR has to manage these kinds of crises and ensure that they do not damage the company in any way possible.

The "image" is what the public is supposed to see when the corporation is mentioned. A good corporate image my result in increased sales and contribute in enhancing the brand equity of a company.  The image however, is closely related to successes and failures; and PR can certainly help a company move ahead or assist in resulting fewer losses after a crisis. In other words, PR can ensure such an environment in which a business can survive in the market. Certain techniques and functions exist so that a PR department can employ towards reaching its objectives: 

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which is the company's philosophy in which through various initiatives intervenes in the society with an aim to improve the life of people so that a more socially responsible public ​profile is built. An example of a CSR initiative is, Green marketing, whereby, corporations find new products that are Eco-friendly or alter their existing products so they are more environmentally friendly.

Media Relations is also very important for sustaining the company's image through the media as they largely affect the public. Bad reviews or articles by journalist can create negative brand reputation whereas, positive ones result in a more favorable brand image and reputation. In addition, nowadays Social Media is becoming more and more powerful and therefore, a company’s online presence is a must. Active social media presence allows a company to be highly visible among its target audience as most customers and especially the new generation are shopping online, or posting reviews on social media.  

Another function of a PR department is Event Organization. Companies hold events so they can get the media and the people talking about them. Events can vary from new product launches, press conferences, openings, announcements, celebrations, social gathering, etc.. Usually in these kind of events companies will be portraying the image of themselves. The basic aim is the customer - internal or external - to have better knowledge and awareness about the company’s products, services, management, projects, plans, etc..

In addition to the above, many businesses are occasionally facing crisis that can be caused by various unplanned incidents, such as accidents, defected products, severe complaints from customers. The PR department has to manage these kind of crises and ensure that they do not damage the company in any way possible. The latter is known as Crisis Management as it manages urgent issues. A crisis management plan should be put forward by the PR department and updated on a often.

Finally, Employee Communication, is highly essential as it keeps employees engaged, promotes consistency and positive attitude, are kept up-to-date, they will be active bodies in the company, create more work efficiency, and they will better understand their role. 

In conclusion, the image is closely related to success and failure, so PR can absolutely help a company move to success or assist in achieving fewer losses after a disaster. In other words, PR can ensure an environment favorable for a business to grow and go even further, under certain conditions:

• The company's philosophy is customer - centric;
• Its products and services are offering real value and solutions to people's problems;
• There is clear vision towards sustainability and the well-being of internal and external publics;
• The company truly believes in the value of Corporate Communication and PR!