2010 - Public Relations Society of America
2010 - Public Relations Society of America
2010 - Public Relations Society of America
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elationship approach to PR provides fruitful insights concerning the concept <strong>of</strong> building and<br />
maintaining organization-public relationships. The linkage <strong>of</strong> the organization-public<br />
relationship approach to public relations is natural as most scholars agree that in the definition <strong>of</strong><br />
public relations, relationship is key. Broom (2009) defines public relations as “the management<br />
function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization<br />
and the publics on whom its success or failure depends” (p. 3). Ristino (2007), in his article<br />
pertaining to public relations within the health services, speaks <strong>of</strong> the importance <strong>of</strong> managing<br />
and enhancing relationships with those they serve. “The communication activities are based on a<br />
two-way symmetrical communication process that ensures that publics served and the<br />
organizations serving them build long lasting, mutually beneficial relationships” (p. 79).<br />
Beneficial relationships with the public are important for the survival <strong>of</strong> an organization.<br />
<strong>Public</strong> relations practitioners must build and maintain strong relationships between the<br />
organization and its public to lead to a desired behavior by the public for the organization and<br />
vice-versa. In O’Neil’s (2007) study examining the association between relationship factors and<br />
strength and duration <strong>of</strong> donor support for a local food bank, she found that although strong<br />
public relationships were not associated with the amount donated, they were associated with<br />
years <strong>of</strong> support, happiness to continue donating, and willingness to recommend others to donate.<br />
O’Neil (2007) stated, “The findings <strong>of</strong> this study are useful in that they demonstrate that longterm,<br />
successful public relationships impact behavior” (p. 102).<br />
Whether internal or external, relationships are needed in order to get key audiences to act<br />
in a desirable way. In order to communicate successfully with target publics, public relations<br />
practitioners must revert to communication basics. According to Newsom and Haynes (2008) the<br />
basics include “message, public, and medium” (p. 109). Of particular interest to this study is the<br />
medium. Whether traditional or social, the medium a public relations practitioner uses is key to<br />
effectively building and maintaining public-organization relationships. One study that has been<br />
conducted is Vorvoreanu’s (2008) Web site experience analysis. In her analysis <strong>of</strong> nine corporate<br />
Web sites, she examined student-public relationship beyond usability, but actual experiences as<br />
interpreted by the key public. In other words, was the relationship, in the way the student-public<br />
viewed it, how the organization intended to be perceived? Vorvoreanu’s study <strong>of</strong>fered readers<br />
suggestions on how to improve the public’s Web site experience. This study is one that aims to<br />
confirm that the student-public and organizational relationship is the same and not one that is<br />
misconstrued through the medium.<br />
Throughout studies that focus on public-organization relationships, all contain<br />
multidimensional factors that contribute to the understanding <strong>of</strong> those relationships. Of particular<br />
interest to this study is personal commitment. In one study conducted by Banning and Schoen<br />
(2007) on a museum’s relationship with its key publics, the researchers found that the<br />
relationships could help determine both those who were likely to continue membership with the<br />
museum, as well as those who would not. “The information gained in the use <strong>of</strong> the three<br />
relationship sub-scales can help practitioners reinforce successful programs or change ineffective<br />
public relations initiatives, rather than simply measure the amount <strong>of</strong> communication produced<br />
in a newspaper or magazine” (p. 439). Personal commitment to the museum was a vital part <strong>of</strong><br />
this study to discover those who would continue their relationship with the museum.<br />
Social Media Tools Defined<br />
Eyrich, Padman, and Sweetser (2008) gathered information from practicing public<br />
relations practitioners and discovered that “overall, practitioners have adopted nearly six<br />
different social media tools pr<strong>of</strong>essionally” (p. 413). These six tools included e-mail, intranet,<br />
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