What Is “PR” According to SUNNY SIDE UP? A Thorough Explanation of PR That Is Important Today!

Nice to meet you! I am Y, a planner at SUNNY SIDE UP. In this “SSU PR Method” series, I will be writing about what SUNNY SIDE UP considers PR to be.

What exactly is “PR”?

PR stands for “Public Relations,” which literally translates to the relationship with the public. It is generally defined as “activities for corporations and organizations to build favorable relationships with society.”

In other words, everything conducted under the philosophy of building relationships between corporations/organizations and society can be positioned as PR activities.

Rather than referring to a single communication method, it is most appropriate to understand “PR” as the mindset or concept itself for achieving the aforementioned objective.

With this fundamental premise in mind, I will briefly explain the nature of PR.

PR as a General Methodology

While the fundamental premise is that PR is a “mindset or concept,” there is also “PR” that has become widely popular as a methodology. This refers to “activities where information a company wishes to disseminate is delivered to consumers through the media acting as a third party.”

Many PR firms and advertising agencies use this method, working daily to secure media coverage (publicity) in TV, web, magazines, and other outlets. To achieve this, they regularly develop plans to add newsworthiness to products and locations and engage in activities to build relationships with the media.

The basic procedure is as follows:
1. Develop information that adds value to products or services and turn it into a story.
2. Create a press release that organizes the developed information.
3. Provide information primarily to the media (TV, web, newspapers, magazines, etc.).
4. The media features it as an article and disseminates the information to consumers.

The key points are that by disseminating information through the media, the “persuasiveness of the information increases” and “broad dissemination can be expected.”

The procedures and points mentioned above are undoubtedly the fundamental methods of PR for PR firms and advertising agencies.However, it is better to understand them as merely a part of the methods used to realize the overall concept.

PR methods are borderless

As mentioned above, if the concept is PR, then all communication activities and promotions directed at consumers are positioned as PR activities.

For example, the following may also be conducted as part of PR activities.

PR Activities Conducted Through Various Methods

While we utilize various marketing methods like those mentioned above, a PR firm is characterized by its particular strength and expertise in “disseminating information through the media.”

At SUNNY SIDE UP, we have members who specialize in the various fields mentioned above.

By forming the optimal combination of members based on the product or challenge, we propose and execute the best communication activities and promotions.

We hope this has helped you understand the philosophy of PR. In the next installment, I will write about “PR Information Development.” Please look forward to it. Click for “Vol. 2: What is ‘Information Development’ in PR that creates valuable information?” here.