R Public Relations Firm
Strategic Public Relations: Guiding the court of public opinion
Digital sources have become an important part of Americans' news diets—with social media playing a crucial role, particularly for younger adults. Overall, just over half of U.S. adults—54 percent—say they at least sometimes get news from social media," the Pew Research Center reported in 2024. The digital age allows internet users to stay more connected to one another as well as to timely trends, conflicts, celebrations and current events; however, it also offers the public a constant stream of information—often with bias—and allows those near and far to share opinions on it all. When it comes to strategic public relations, we must consider the impact internet trolls, influencers, celebrities and thought leaders have on public perceptions and reputations. The narratives that each of these influential voices promote ultimately shape and drive the opinions of society as a whole.
Modern media formats, particularly public-driven ones such as social media, allow publicists to leverage fans, critics and influencers to push particular narratives, ultimately utilizing the public as unknowing spokespeople. For example, PR practitioners often partner with influencers to promote brands by publishing strategically organic-feeling content on their platforms. This creates authentic interest, positive association and brand trust among the creator's followers, which stem from strategically planned content and collaborations.
Consumers often take the online world at face value, accepting the published content as fact unless proven otherwise; however, publicists frequently help steer the trends, perspectives and narratives that the public claims and drives forward.
The "Wizard of Oz" approach
R founder Emily Reynolds Bergh often likens public relations to “The Wizard of Oz.” When Dorothy gets stranded in Oz, Ozians advise her to seek the aid of the all-powerful Wizard of Oz. Throughout her journey, she meets several new friends who join her trek in hopes of experiencing the favor and miraculous gifts of the Great Wizard. Once they arrive in the Emerald City, where the wizard resides, they find a gigantic, green, haunting face that leaves them feeling daunted but determined. That is until Toto pulls back the surrounding curtains to reveal an old, wholly ordinary magician peeking into a microphone and controlling the larger-than-life face with small levers.
To reach the status and mystique that he did, the wizard let the public push his narrative. Accepting what they saw or heard of the wizard as truth, Ozians began to spread the particular stories and interpretations of events the wizard set forth—hoping to shape their perceptions of him and influence their understanding of him and his "powers."
While this story is from a beloved work of fiction, we experience these sentiments regularly in strategic public relations.
Strategic public relations in the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni battle
One timely example of this is the Baldoni-Lively publicity saga. The "It Ends With Us" stars, Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, were at the center of a months-long scandal. Baldoni stated that Lively was difficult to work with, while Lively filed a lawsuit alleging that Baldoni behaved inappropriately on set and drove a smear campaign against her after she complained.
Painting himself as a prominent male feminist at the height of the #MeToo movement, Baldoni was the poster child of what it looked like to be an ally for women, and this directly impacted his ability to spin his conflict with Lively.
“This gave him somewhat of a leg to stand on and the ability for him and his team to potentially plant a seed of doubt in the minds of the public, which could undermine Blake Lively’s claims and her image in going against him,” said Bergh. “Especially with this playing out on social media platforms like TikTok, where consumer commentary is fast and furious, reputations can soar or plummet in the court of public opinion at an alarming rate.”
Triumphs and pitfalls of public-driven campaigns
Strategic public relations campaigns that rely on the advocacy and attention of the general public can have some cons and be used to harm, such as this one. Still, they can bring crucial attention to your narrative and produce many positive opportunities.
The drawbacks of investing in a campaign that relies on public buzz include the risk of a narrative falling out of your control, the possibility of a backfire and the presence of ethical unease that points to manipulation.
Bergh notably points out that PR practitioners must now manage press, media and public relations. With that, publicists who utilize a more flexible approach to ethics may engage in transactional tactics such as funding bots, boosting posts or paying spokespeople to share particular opinions.
"It’s a slippery slope as far as reputation campaigns go, and we’ve seen some get pretty dirty," said Bergh. "But luckily, the public is becoming more suspicious when they come across these types of tactics; they’re more savvy than ever."
Conversely, strategic public relations can benefit from thoughtful, public-driven projects, often producing an amplified feeling of authenticity and ownership, expanding reach and encouraging meaningful engagement.
As publicists manage more extensive and nuanced relations, leveraging public attention can be a powerful tool and impactful campaign extension that helps organizations and individuals garner necessary attention and publicists execute successful campaigns. While social media sites like TikTok can be volatile, they can also be supportive and uplifting, with users looking to chime in and join the conversation. Ultimately, this environment provides all the ingredients necessary to mold public perceptions and encourage consumer-driven discourse.
Spin is all around us
As Bergh so wisely explains, we all spin each other, and we do it all the time. Whether you're a celebrity, thought leader, business owner, influencer or industry professional, effectively steering and propelling public opinion forward can help shape perceptions and accomplish meaningful campaigns—when done authentically and ethically.
For expert help with strategic public relations for your brand, contact RPR today to schedule a discovery call.
Pros and Cons of Seasonal PR Campaigns
With the holiday season fast approaching, now is the time of year for brands to start planning their strategies. While the holidays may naturally boost sales for some brands, those who perform the best typically carefully curate their seasonal PR campaigns to optimize performance. But are there any pros and cons to consider for a seasonal PR campaign? Yes! Check them out here.
Pros of seasonal PR campaigns:
Even if you are a brand whose products or services don’t necessarily correlate directly with a particular season, there can still be benefits to incorporating holidays or times of year into your PR campaigns, including the following.
- Increased Brand Engagement. During the holiday season, though the average person is much busier this time of year, there is also an increase in social media usage during this same time period. With a good, consistent content strategy, a seasonal PR campaign can be associated with increased brand engagement.
- Larger ROI (Return on Investment). The key to a great campaign is all about strategy and planning. Taking the time to consider brand voice, messaging, the relationship between the brand and the holiday, as well as timing and social media usage, can translate to a larger ROI than your typical campaign.
- Increase Brand Awareness & Foster Trust. Another result of a well-executed campaign is increased brand awareness among your target audience. As more and more consumers become aware of your brand, specifically through multiple media channels, a sense of trust between your customers and your brand.
Cons of seasonal PR campaigns:
It’s not so much that there are a multitude of reasons you shouldn’t do seasonal PR campaigns; it's more like challenges to consider. And if you don’t, the ultimate con is that the campaign will fall flat or worse, cause a negative reaction among your target audience. As such, keep these things in mind.
- Time Limit! It’s all in the timing. Seasonal PR campaigns need to be carefully planned well in advance of the season. If you start too late, you will not be able to execute it promptly, and the campaign won’t be as effective.
- Inclusivity. With seasonal PR campaigns, you must remember that not all of your audience may be receptive to particular holidays. For example, the Fourth of July can evoke polar opposite reactions from people. Keeping that in mind, it may be best to remain as neutral as possible to be inclusive to your audience. On the other hand, if you know your audience well and feel comfortable with your stance as a brand, you may increase ROI by being more specific. Again, it goes back to careful strategy and planning.
- Relating the Brand to the Holiday. As a brand, you must properly relate your PR campaign to the holiday or season for it to be received well. Positioning is everything, and if that positioning doesn’t make sense for your brand, then the results won’t be as intended. For example, if you’re a global brand, you’d only want to target your Thanksgiving messaging to your audience in the United States.
R Clients’ Seasonal PR Campaign Examples
At RPR Firm, we love a good seasonal PR campaign, and so do our clients. Here are some examples of how they incorporate the holidays into their campaigns.
First up is Boudro’s, a longstanding Texas Bistro nestled along the Riverwalk within the heart of San Antonio, which offers several unique event spaces that can be rented out. Not only that, but the restaurant also offers private barges on the river for special group events. With the holiday season fast approaching, they’ve already begun to promote these exclusive experiences across their social media to drive traffic.
More recently, with our client InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk, we ran a campaign for Dia De Los Muertos. Dia De Los Muertos is a holiday celebrating the lives of friends and family who have passed in Mexican culture. As a part of this campaign, we successfully landed the hotel on the local news network KENS 5, promoting their event during the holiday, which can be seen here.
Whether you decide to launch a seasonal campaign or not, the main principles of PR remain the same. Know your target audience well, create clear goals on what you want your campaign to accomplish. Plan properly with your target audience (and the holiday or season) in mind. For expert help with your next seasonal PR campaign, contact RPR today to schedule a discovery call.
