Planning for Impact

by Frank Williams Over the years, I’ve heard clients and colleagues offer a number of reasons why they want to engage in a public relations or marketing communication campaign. When I ask about their goals, the responses often center on outputs like sending a certain number of press releases, posting a certain number of items…

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Public Relations: A Strategic Cornerstone, Not an Afterthought

by Frank L. Williams In last month’s column I focused on the fact that public relations should be a leadership function within an organization. The prior month’s column sought to dispel a few misconceptions about PR. Today’s column will further connect the dots between those two issues by touching on a common misconception many organizational…

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Public Relations: A Leadership Function

by Frank L. Williams My previous column, entitled A Few Misconceptions About Public Relations, ended with the following statement: “Effective public relations does not begin with tactics like writing a press release or a speech; it is a strategic function that begins in the boardroom, where organizational strategies are developed and leadership decisions are made.”…

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A Few Misconceptions About Public Relations

by Frank L. Williams Over the years, I have heard numerous misconceptions about what public relations is and is not. Some people with whom I have talked view public relations as merely “free publicity;” others characterize PR as “spin.”  One person said PR was “just public speaking,” while others believe the public relations profession centers…

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