Public relations comes of age

Public relations (PR) is an important component of a firm's Integrated Marketing Communications strategy. Once populated by such passive acts as issuing press releases and responding to press inquiries, the field has “come of age” and developed into an active part of the firm's promotional activities. Today's PR employs such techniques as event sponsorship, stunt marketing, charitable activities, and placement (the paid appearance of a firm's products within entertainment content). This paper defines contemporary PR practice and develops rules for successful implementation of these modern approaches to promotion.