Thank you for your interest in the “Public Relations Defined” initiative, a collaborative, industry-wide advocacy campaign to modernize the definition of public relations. As of Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, the submission field is closed. More than 1,000 submissions were received during a two-week open submission period between Nov. 21-Dec. 2, 2011.

Data collected from those submissions will be used by a special PRSA Definition of Public Relations Task Force to develop three draft definitions. These will be put up for a public vote on this website in the days ahead.

As part of its mission to advance the public relations profession and professional, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has introduced a new initiative to modernize the definition of public relations and increase its value. As the digital age has caused significant shifts in how organizations communicate internally and externally, a question frequently asked by the public, media and practitioners is, “What is public relations?”

PRSA has set out to answer this question.

PRSA’s “Public Relations Defined” initiative will utilize a collaborative, industry-wide effort to develop a modern definition for the new era of public relations.

At PRSA’s new blog, “Public Relations Defined,” public relations professionals are invited to share their insights and perspective on what defines the modern practice of public relations.

As part of a special “Definition of Public Relations Summit” held in September in New York, PRSA partnered with the following organizations to provide input and support:

• Public Relations Student Society of America
• Chartered Institute of Public Relations
• Arthur W. Page Society
• International Association of Business Communicators
• Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management
• Institute for Public Relations
• International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC)
• Canadian Public Relations Society
• Word of Mouth Marketing Association
• Hispanic Public Relations Association
• National Black Public Relations Society

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) hosted two Definition of Public Relations Summits as part of its leadership of the “Public Relations Defined” campaign. The first Summit was held in September 2011 at PRSA’s headquarters in New York City. The second Summit, held virtually, took place in February 2012.

An overview of the first Definition of Public Relations Summit can be found here. That Summit brought together leaders of 10 organizations from throughout the public relations industry to discuss the state of the profession. Those leaders determined that exploring a modern definition of public relations was in the best interest of the profession.