ABSTRACT
In its broadest sense, public relations (PR) is aimed at building positive relations between a company and a wide range of publics or stakeholders who may be impacted by the organisation’s activity. This chapter helps the readers to understand the difference between general public relations and marketing public relations and their relative contribution to marketing campaigns. It analyses the role of lobbying, astroturfing and word-of-mouth as a potential component of a marketing PR campaign. There are two distinct types of PR: proactive and reactive. Proactive PR is part of an overall communication strategy and focuses on the establishment of positive relations with stakeholders or publics in the long term. Reactive PR, on the other hand, is defensive and often unplanned. Sponsorship can provide significant opportunities to enhance brand equity and positive brand associations but should be approached and managed with care.
