Search

This study develops a definition of political public relations that incorporates concepts from leadership communication and crisis communication. It then applies this theoretical framework to the communication strategies employed by New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison during their early responses to the COVID-19 crisis. Qualitative content analysis was used to examine the frequency of various framing strategies shared via Twitter and Facebook, which aimed to persuade apprehensive citizens to comply with unprecedented stay-at-home orders to suppress virus transmission. The findings revealed that both leaders employed communication strategies consistent with models of effective communication during a major crisis but had notable differences in style, tone, and engagement. For instance, Ardern's greater use of rational strategies, performed authenticity, and empathy in her social media posts enabled her to reach a larger audience than Morrison. Ultimately, this paper argues that political public relations should encompass leadership and leadership communication to better understand how political leaders can manage future crises. • This study develops a definition of political public relaitons, that includes leadership communication and crisis communication. • It analyzes the social media communication strategies of two Prime Ministers during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing their performances. • A core finding is that performed authenticity on social media channels increases message distribution and engagement. • The study provides detailed commentary on a range of rhetorical strategies for enhancing community resilience in crisis scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: From early on, competition between professions has been identified as a major factor in the process of developing public relations as a profession. This paper updates consideration of the influence of inter-profession disputes by examining the interplay between public relations and advertising in the digital age. It attempts to assess how new technologies, especially social media, affect the relationships between them, with particular reference to two aspects: whether social media increases, or decreases, professional cooperation (or competition); and who takes charge in the new communication environment. In researching these issues, which form an important part of the professionalization process of public relations, the paper examined documents and online publications, and undertook interviews and a survey of public relations practitioners in New Zealand. The findings suggest that the responding public relations practitioners were not able to take advantage of the social technology in order to leverage their professional status and improve their position within the organization. In addition, it seems that while advertising and public relations are still looking for ways to benefit from social media, both are still in a process of adaptation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper argues that carnivalesque protest comprises a particular genre of activist public relations which articulates conflict with, and resistance to, dominant discourses on controversial issues. A case study of the New Zealand group Mothers Against Genetic Engineering illustrates how the carnivalesque, by promoting community relationships and influencing public opinion through values of affect, can open up new spaces for public dialogue about social issues. It is argued that carnivalesque protest challenges the notion that collaboration should be a core professional value of public relations practice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• We look for ways for PR to adapt to an age of interdisciplinarity. • We reactivate jurisdiction perspectives in relation to PR and marketing imperialism. • We evaluate the evolution of social marking in general and in NZ in particular. • We revisit practical and theoretical intersections between PR and social marketing. • We suggest how PR can improve its social contributions and reputation. Positioning the present as an age of interdisciplinarity, we explore the potential for development through selected intersections, primarily with PR and social marketing. We situate this exploration in the further context of the contemporaneous search for what some management theorists have called soul. In the process, as well as contributing to the PR and social marketing bodies of knowledge, we seek to clarify academic deliberations about selecting productive and prosocial interdisciplinary intersections. To begin to illustrate parallel process in practice, we embed practitioner perspectives in an account of social marketing in Aotearoa New Zealand 1 1 We use Aotearoa New Zealand in recognition of the two groups that call these islands home: tangata whenua – the indigenous peoples, commonly referred to as Māori – and tangata tiriti – the peoples for whom Te Tiriti o Waitangi (New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi) established their right to live here. We do this to recognise the two cultures that formed this nation and the challenges and strengths this has created. Any reference to Aotearoa or New Zealand should be seen as a recognition of both.. Our intent is to look for ways in which both scholars and practitioners could get better at it. We conclude by suggesting that intersecting with social marketing can also help PR tackle three major and continuing issues: methods, outcome evaluations, and reputation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Public relations practitioners need to be more diverse, but to date, the occupation remains female dominated. • The emphasis on personal attributes in job advertisements creates symbolic capital and reinforces occupational stereotypes. • Occupational stereotypes create invisible barriers to entry and prevent diversification. Over the past decade, there has been a move towards examining public relations as a socio-cultural practice, acknowledging practitioners as influential communicators who produce and symbolise cultural values through public relations messages. Ideally, a diverse group of professionals would aide in representing a diverse society, but to date, the profession remains female dominated. In this article, it is proposed that practitioners' own discourse do not only establish what is most valued in the occupation and which habitus suits the practice best, but that the discourse also opens and closes occupational entry for new practitioners thereby contributing to a lack of diversity. This article presents the findings of an indicative thematic content analysis of one of the most common, yet under-research sites of discourse, namely entry-level job advertisements in New Zealand and Australia. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the analysis found that the advertisements placed little to no emphasis on the nature of the work, instead focusing on elements of 'fit' whereby new entrants were expected to be charismatic, friendly, and willing to work in an environment that is 'fun' and 'flexible'. In doing so, public relations practitioners tacitly created invisible barriers, a self-limiting occupational culture and furthered existing stereotypes of the 'perfect' practitioner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]