publicity

n.

1. 1. Information that concerns a person, group, event, or product and that is disseminated through various media to attract public notice.
   2. Public interest, notice, or notoriety achieved by the spreading of such information.
   3. The act, process, or occupation of disseminating information to gain public interest.
2. The condition of being public.

[French publicité, from public, public, from Old French. See public.]

Many definitions of publicity exist. For example, the Publicity Handbook (Yale, 1991), states that "publicity involves supplying information that is factual, interesting, and newsworthy to media not controlled by you, such as radio, television, magazines, newspapers, and trade journals" (p. 2). According to Effective Public Relations (Broom et al., 2000), "publicity is information from an outside source that is used by the media because the information has news value. It is an uncontrolled method of placing messages in the media because the source does not pay the media for placement"(p. 10). Finally, The Random House Handbook of Business Terms (Nisberg, 1988) defines publicity as "information designed to appear in any medium of communication for the purpose of keeping the name of a person or company before the public or of creating public interest in their activities" (p. 229).

Publicity is typically generated from an organization's public relations department and its goal is to gain media coverage. Examples of news-worthy events that may receive media coverage, or publicity, include ground-breaking ceremonies, press conferences, organized protests, or ceremonial appointments. Successful publicity occurs when an organization has a carefully designed publicity plan, which includes crisis control methods, and when events have real news value. Media gatekeepers (producers, editors, and reporters) favor publicity events that provide opportunities for photos, video or sound recordings, and effectively communicate the source's intended message.

Attempts to gain publicity have typically originated in an organization's public relations department. The goal was, and still is, to gain media coverage, or publicity, including ground-breaking ceremonies, press conferences, organized protests, and ceremonial appointments. Attempts to gain publicity are most often successful when an organization makes the media aware of events that have real news value from the media's point of view.

Ethical performance will help a company prevent or counteract negative publicity and will give a company, organization, or individual a competitive edge in gaining airtime or space in publications. In order to gain publicity, a company or individual must have clearly defined and specific goals. Publicity can help a company accomplish many of its goals. For example, effective publicity can persuade customers to buy a product or service, bring more customers into a store, increase attendance at a special event, and help clarify misconceptions.

A company must carefully pick and choose which events deserve media coverage in order to avoid "overkill." Not everything needs full-scale media attention—only those events that are most newsworthy and important. Advertising, or paid placement, can complement publicity efforts for items that are not truly newsworthy.

Crisis Prevention and Response

Negative publicity can be the result of a mishandled crisis. However, anticipating crises and having a solid crisis plan in place can save a company from potentially disastrous situations and enhance its image. A company must first understand the different types of potential crises that exist, avoid common mistakes when handling crises, and act proactively when dealing with a crisis. In the next section we examine four companies that were faced with crises and the way each company dealt with its crisis.

Three major types of potential crises exist. A sudden and unexpected event is an immediate crisis. Immediate crises do not allow for research and planning. A fire, bomb scare, or plane crash is an example of immediate crisis. There should be a general consensus among key management on how to react in these situations in order to avoid confusion, delay, or argument. More time for research and planning can be devoted to emerging crises, examples of which are employee dissatisfaction, low morale, and sexual harassment in the workplace. Management should take corrective action before these issues become critical. Despite the best efforts by management. sustained crises can persist for months or even years. These types of crises can result from media rumors or speculation. An ongoing rumor of company downsizing is an example of a sustained crisis. Once a company or organization has identified the type of crisis, there are specific things that should and should not be done to control unfavorable publicity.

With effective damage-control methods, any type of publicity can be an advantage for an organization. All organizations should have a crisis management team (CMT) whose job is to anticipate crises and be ready to respond to the worst by upholding the image and reputation of the company in times of crisis. Companies can hire external CMTs or develop and train in-house CMTs.

When a crisis arises, certain things should not be done. A company or organization should avoid hesitation in speaking with the press. Any type of hesitation may be perceived as callousness, incompetence, or a lack of preparation. Obfuscation, or being unclear, leads the public to believe that the company is insensitive or is not being honest. Retaliation can increase tension and heighten emotions, rather than reduce them. Prevarication, or making false statements, is the biggest mistake a company can make because nothing should substitute for the truth. Pontification, the use of inflated language, simply avoids the issue at hand. Confrontation will keep the issue alive, and litigation (a lawsuit) eliminates all other viable solutions to the crisis.

Alternatively, there are certain actions a company should take in the event a crisis emerges. First and foremost, communication lines must be opened. Next. a company spokesperson should be selected. All employees should be instructed to send any crisis inquiries directly to the company's spokesperson. The media should be supplied with information as quickly as possible. The company must be open to the media and tell the full story so that reporters do not look to outsiders to fill in the gaps.

The company must express its concern about the crisis and should show empathy for all the people being affected by the problem. Most importantly, the company should tell the public what it is going to do to resolve the crisis and should have a company representative available twenty-four hours a day so long as media interest exists.

Finally, once the crisis is over, the CMT should meet again to summarize the crisis situation, review and evaluate how the plan was implemented, and give open feedback and appropriate recommendations in order to determine where improvements can be made in the crisis-management plan. Now, let's examine the crisis management methods used by four companies: Source Perrier, Exxon, TWA, and Johnson & Johnson.

Four Crises

Source Perrier was unable to overcome negative publicity when top management hesitated in the crisis-solving process. Traces of benzene were found in the company's bottled water in 1990, but top management reassured the public that it was necessary to recall contaminated bottles only in North America. The crisis continued when scientists found benzene in bottled water being sold in Europe. Again, management responded incorrectly by attributing the contamination to a filtering-system problem. The final blow to the company came when the media discovered, and reported, that benzene-tainted products had been sold all over the world for months. The media questioned Perrier's integrity and concern for public safety, and the company lost its dominant position in the marketplace; it has been unable to rebuild its reputation.

Similar to the mistakes Perrier made, Exxon's CEO did not visit Alaska after the tanker Exxon Valdez dumped millions of gallons of oil into Prince William Sound in 1989, and TWA's CEO resigned three months after 230 people died in the crash of Flight 800. Arriving to the crash site thirteen hours after the accident, he was criticized for not showing immediate sympathy for the crash victims and their families. Neither Exxon nor TWA has been able to reclaim its market position.

Conversely, Johnson & Johnson handled a disastrous crisis amazingly well in 1982 and the company's reaction remains as a model for effective media relations. After cyanide was discovered in some capsules of Tylenol, a product used by an estimated 100 million people, Johnson & Johnson decided to cooperate fully with the media. It immediately announced a recall of all Tylenol packages in both U.S. and foreign markets. These decisions, which were based on the business principle of being socially responsible, earned Johnson & Johnson praise from the media. The company received additional positive press coverage when it subsequently introduced its new tamper-resistant packaging. Despite not being able to control media coverage of the situation, Johnson & Johnson was able to gain positive publicity because the company had a plan and knew what to do during a crisis.

Publicity is not advertising, public relations, or promotions, because it is not controlled or paid for, but it has many advantages. If used correctly, companies can benefit greatly from publicity. Careful planning, research, and training can reduce negative publicity and can help companies control crises.

Bibliography

Broom, Glen M., Center, Allen H., and Cutlip, Scott M. (2000). Effective Public Relations. ed. by Natalie E. Anderson. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Carter, Rudeseal Ginger, ed. Perspectives Public Relations. St. Paul. MN: Course Wise.

Lesly, Philip, ed. Lesly's Public Relations Handbook. 3rd ed. (1983). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Nisberg, Jay N. (1988). The Random House Handbook of Business Terms. New York: Random House.

Yale, David R. (1991). The Publicity Handbook: "How to Maximize Publicity for Products, Services, and Organizations" Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Business Books.

[Article by: JENNIFER L. JENNESS]

noun

1. A systematic effort or part of this effort to increase the importance or reputation of by favorable publicity: advertisement, ballyhoo, buildup, promotion, puffery. Informal pitch, plug. Slang hype. See knowledge/ignorance.
2. The act or profession of promoting something, as a product: advertising, promotion. See knowledge/ignorance.

n

Definition: promotion of something, someone
Antonyms: secret

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IN BRIEF: Information that brings a person, place, or thing to the attention of many people.

Isn't it time we all paid more attention to the good people? The bad ones get publicity enough — and it's the good ones who make our country good. — Unknown

Quotes:

"There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary." - Brendan F. Behan

"All publicity is good, except an obituary notice." - Brendan F. Behan

"The price of justice is eternal publicity." - Arnold Bennett

"Publicity is the life of this culture. Without publicity capitalism could not survive and at the same time publicity is its dream." - John Berger

"The monster of advertisement... is a sort of octopus with innumerable tentacles. It throws out to right and left, in front and behind, its clammy arms, and gathers in, through its thousand little suckers, all the gossip and slander and praise afloat, to spit out again at the public." - Sarah Bernhardt

"The cult of individuality and personality, which promotes painters and poets only to promote itself, is really a business. The greater the genius of the personage, the greater the profit." - George Grosz

See more famous quotes about Publicity

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - det at være offentligt kendt, reklame, presseomtale

idioms:

• publicity agent    pressesekretær

Nederlands (Dutch)
publiciteit, reclame, bekendheid, openbaarheid

Français (French)
n. - publicité, attention des médias, feux des médias, brochures publicitaires, affiches publicitaires, films publicitaires

idioms:

• publicity agent    agent publicitaire, attaché de presse

Deutsch (German)
n. - Werbung, Publicity, Öffentlichkeit

idioms:

• publicity agent    Publicitymanager

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δημοσιότητα, διαφήμιση

idioms:

• publicity agent    υπεύθυνος δημοσίων σχέσεων (κν. δημοσιοσχεσίτης, επικοινωνιολόγος)

Italiano (Italian)
pubblicità, notorietà

idioms:

• publicity agent    agente pubblicitario

Português (Portuguese)
n. - publicidade (f)

idioms:

• publicity agent    publicitário (m)

Русский (Russian)
реклама, гласность

idioms:

• publicity agent    агент по рекламе

Español (Spanish)
n. - publicidad, anuncio publicitario

idioms:

• publicity agent    agente de publicidad

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - publicitet, reklam

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
公开, 宣传, 人尽皆知

idioms:

• publicity agent    广告员, 宣传员

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 公開, 宣傳, 人盡皆知

idioms:

• publicity agent    廣告員, 宣傳員

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 주지, 널리 알려짐

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 知れわたること, 周知, 公表, 宣伝, 広報, 評判

idioms:

• publicity agent    広告代理業者

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) دعايه, شهرة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פרסום, פרסומת, פומבי‬

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