Article: Public Relations is Perception Management

This article by Robert Leaf makes a number of excellent points regarding public relations; it is worth reading.

Some key points from the article include:

- You might run a great company, your product or service might genuinely provide great benefits. But if the customer does not perceive it that way it remains on the shelves.

- Among other tasks, executives must become perception managers. To do this executives must integrate public relations into the company's total communications mix.

- Previously, advertising departments or ad agencies saw public relations departments as threats to their egos. Now executives must put a premium on getting all sides to work together.

- Too often public relations experts are called in late - when there's a problem. A crisis has blown up. Share prices are plummeting. Employees are leaving. New competitors are stealing business.