Thank you for visiting the “Public Relations Defined” website. This site chronicles the Public Relations Society of America-led industry-wide advocacy campaign to modernize the definition of public relations. The majority of the campaign took place from November 2011–March 2012. The campaign is ongoing, however, allowing for continued dialogue within the profession about the modern role and scope of public relations.

Following 1,447 votes, hundreds of submissions, abundant commentary and nearly a year of research, PRSA announced March 2, 2012, the winning modern definition of public relations. Based on a public vote, held Feb. 13–26, of three candidate definitions, the profession’s choice for the modern definition of PR is:

“Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

Below is a compendium of resources outlining the scope of the campaign. More information can be found by checking out the PRDefined Resources page or by emailing PR@prsa.org.

• The New York Times: Public Relations Defined, After an Energetic Public Discussion (March 2, 2012)
• PRSAY: A Modern Definition of Public Relations (March 2, 2012)
• Public Relations Defined: Our Teachable Moment (Feb. 23, 2012)

• Final Candidates for a Modern Definition of Public Relations (Feb. 13, 2012)
• Op-Ed: Why We Are Modernizing the Definition of PR (Feb. 6, 2012)
• Candidates for a Modern Definition of Public Relations (Jan. 11, 2012)
• New Year, Modified Direction for #PRDefined (Jan. 10, 2012)
• Snapshot: #PRDefined Word Cloud — Day 12 (Dec. 2, 2011)
• Submissions Open for ‘Public Relations Defined’ Initiative (Nov. 21, 2011)
• The New York Times: Redefining Public Relations in the Age of Social Media (Nov. 21, 2011)
• PRWeek: Danny Rogers: The Search For A Fresh Definition of PR” (Nov. 25, 2011)

Change can be a good thing, right? That’s what we’re told throughout our careers and at almost every seminal moment in our lives.

When it comes to change in public relations, most practitioners readily embrace new ideas and ways of doing things. We thrive by implementing new concepts — from social media to blogger outreach — and using those to their advantage.

That’s what undergirded the “Public Relations Defined” initiative, which culminated a little over a week ago with the announcement of a new, modern definition of public relations.

It’s safe to say that most PR professionals have had a chance to voice their opinion. From the hundreds of blog posts, tweets and other commentary, there is no shortage of opinion.

For the most part, the “change is good” mantra is the reaction PR practitioners seem to have in response to the new definition. The overriding sentiment is positive.

Sure, there are some who criticize. That’s fine. In fact, we expected a diversity of opinion, regarding the initiative itself and its outcome. Or, as Stuart Elliot wryly put it in his New York Times column announcing the new definition, there was no “small amount of sniping, snide commentary and second-guessing.”

It’s unfortunate, but he’s right.

At the same time, a plethora of industry luminaries, including Jim Grunig, Neville Hobson and Jeremiah Owyang (analyst at the Altimeter Group) have given their blessing to the new definition.

Grunig says he’s “reasonably happy” with the new definition. Hobson called it a “far more contemporary interpretation of how the profession practices its craft.” And Owyang tweeted that the modernization of the definition of public relations “makes sense in the two-way sense that social has changed.”

Those are three influencers that any PR practitioner would be thrilled to have on board for a client campaign. And each supports the new definition.

Following 1,447 votes, hundreds of submissions, abundant commentary and nearly a year of research, we are pleased to announce the winning modern definition of public relations. Based on a public vote, held Feb. 13–26, of three candidate definitions, the profession’s choice for the modern definition of PR is:

“Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

Listed as Definition No. 2 in the public vote, it received 671 votes, or 46.4 percent, of 1,447 total votes.

Simple and straightforward, this definition focuses on the basic concept of public relations — as a communication process, one that is strategic in nature and emphasizing “mutually beneficial relationships.” “Process” is preferable to “management function,” which can evoke ideas of control and top-down, one-way communications. “Relationships” relates to public relations’ role in helping to bring together organizations and individuals with their key stakeholders. “Publics” is preferable to “stakeholders,” as the former relates to the very “public” nature of public relations, whereas “stakeholders” has connotations of publicly-traded companies.

You can read more about this exciting announcement in Friday’s New York Times advertising column.

Thanks for taking a moment to check in on the “Public Relations Defined” initiative. After three months of submissions, comments, deliberation and voting, the big moment is almost here: the unveiling of a new, modern definition of public relations.

The public voting period for the three candidate definitions ran from Feb. 13-26, 2012, and the votes are currently being tallied. We anticipate announcing the winning definition, as based on the profession’s vote, the week of Feb. 27, 2012.

The unveiling of the winning definition will be accompanied by the publication of the quantitative and qualitative data collected throughout this initiative, including the comments, suggestions and other feedback received outside the submission form, and during the public comment period. With our partners’ permission, we’ll publish the summit notes and the emails they sent with their feedback on the process and the definitions. If you have questions about the data, or the process, or what we were intending to achieve through this process, we’ll answer them.

We’ll also publish and promote guest posts from anyone who has something to say on the subject, from those who have conducted their own research to those who have process suggestions to those who simply feel they have a better definition to offer.

Be sure to check this space regularly this week to find out the winning modern definition of public relations, as based on the profession’s vote.

In the meantime, catch up on what has taken place during this three-month global initiative:

• Public Relations Defined: Our Teachable Moment (Feb. 23, 2012)
• Final Candidates for a Modern Definition of Public Relations (Feb. 13, 2012)
• Op-Ed: Why We Are Modernizing the Definition of PR (Feb. 6, 2012)
• Candidates for a Modern Definition of Public Relations (Jan. 11, 2012)
• New Year, Modified Direction for #PRDefined (Jan. 10, 2012)
• Snapshot: #PRDefined Word Cloud — Day 12 (Dec. 2, 2011)
• Submissions Open for ‘Public Relations Defined’ Initiative (Nov. 21, 2011)
• NYTimes: Redefining Public Relations in the Age of Social Media (Nov. 21, 2011)
• PRWeek: Danny Rogers: The Search For A Fresh Definition of PR” (Nov. 25, 2011)

Thanks for taking a moment to check in on the “Public Relations Defined” initiative. After three months of submissions, comments and deliberation, the big moment is almost here: the unveiling of the finalists and the public vote for a modern definition of public relations.

The public voting period will launch at 9 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 13, 2012. So check back here Feb. 13 for information on the final candidate definitions and how to vote. It’s your definition, so be sure you add your voice by voting.

In the meantime, catch up on what has taken place during this three-month global initiative:

• Op-Ed: Why We Are Modernizing the Definition of PR (Feb. 6, 2012)
• Candidates for a Modern Definition of Public Relations (Jan. 11, 2012)
• New Year, Modified Direction for #PRDefined (Jan. 10, 2012)
• Snapshot: #PRDefined Word Cloud — Day 12 (Dec. 2, 2011)
• Submissions Open for ‘Public Relations Defined’ Initiative (Nov. 21, 2011)
• NYT: Redefining Public Relations in the Age of Social Media (Nov. 21, 2011)
• PRWeek: Danny Rogers: The Search For A Fresh Definition of PR” (Nov. 25, 2011)