How Public Relations impact a brand’s persona in the long run
It’s a fact that sound travels faster than light. But in the today’s high-tech online world news travels the fastest, especially fake news that may undermine ones reputation. Reputation is the social standing of an individual in the society. For a human, being a social animal, his reputation is of utmost importance. Likewise, the reputation of a business is also equally vital to be able to survive in today’s competitive markets. Reputation of a business is how others see the business. Is it good to conduct business with the firm or not, will investments with this business be profitable or not, is the company well managed or not, etc. are some questions that help determine the reputation of a firm. It is the reputation that fuels the business functioning’s of a firm. But why exactly does the reputation matter to such a great extent? And what does public relations have to do anything with the firm's reputation?
Every business, at some point, wants to expand its business operations in the international markets. At such times your reputation is all you have for a corporate dealer across the globe to trust you. Thus, every organization must strive to create and maintain a constructive business standing. Affirmative reputation provides the business with positive inclusions in the business world, while a negative one may start killing consumer trust, slowing the sales or the worse case, end up blacklisting you. Now that’s not something that any business would every wish upon itself. But how exactly is a firm supposed to maintain its goodwill?
That’s when Public Relations come into picture. Public Relations professionals help in promoting the business’ clients, its products or the business itself. This in turn assists in cultivating a positive reputation with the public through various unpaid or earned communications.
Crisis doesn’t knock at your door, ask for your permission and then come. They just come like a cyclone and blow up all your hard-earned reputation in a jiffy. Hence, having a PR strategy is what every company needs. PR activities constantly help in creating, plus in maintaining the interest of the consumers in the company’s product or service through news articles and success stories in the media that charm the consumers constantly. PR activities are those actions of the firm that keep reminding the public of its achievements and sky-rocketing performance. While advertising helps gain consumer attention, PR activities act like a hammer that nails the company’s product in the minds of the customers always reminding them that while the other brands rest, they always work towards being the best.
If it wasn’t for the successful and constant PR activities undertaken by Nestle India Private Limited, Maggi would never have regained consumer trust after the laboratory tests revealed high levels of lead in the food product. Without its PR activities our ‘Two minute’ Maggi noodles would have been wiped off from the food industry.
Public Relations also helps in reinforcing the brand value and image of the firm by maintaining positive relationships with not just the target audiences but also with the public at large. As a result aiding in building a strong image for the firm. Effective public relations activities today help in building the company’s business and at the time deal future crisis as well. Public relations is considered to be the most credible form of promotion, so a company that invests in its PR activities, reaps its benefits today as well as tomorrow.
Effective public relations is based on the in-depth analysis and understanding, of all the factors that have the ability to manipulate the consumers choices and their faith in the company and its products and services. PR professionals are also the ones that aide the organization in establishing advance plans for potential crisis. Such restoration plans do not let the company’s reputation falter at the hands of the competitors or sometimes due to the company’s own mistakes as well. Consequently, it is imperative for companies of all industries to have a public relations team on board that helps the company to deal with adversities of the business world.
Businesses are all about risks and where there is a risk there is always a chance of failure, and failure has all the potential to damage your company reputation. So spendings on PR activities is a profitable expenditure.
Benjamin Franklin very rightly said “Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked, and never mended well.” So why let your reputation take toll, when public relations could reduce the impact of your downfall.