Are public relations officers who work in the not-for-profit sector the antithesis of the PR boogeyman?
NGO's like Greenpeace, Amnesty International and many many others are viewed by the general public as always being the good guys, the small but determined and valiant David in the David and Goliath story. It is also generally believed that those employed in the not-for-profit sector have more lofty goals than those working in big business, surely they must considering their relatively meager salaries. Perhaps this is why, despite all the scrutiny that the public relations field undergoes, those working for NGO's are rarely, if ever, targeted for scrutiny. Yet, the public relations tactics employed by the not-for-profit sector are no different than those used by big business. If anything, they may be deemed more manipulative because the aim of such organizations is generally to tug at the heart strings of individuals. So, although they are not reviled like many in public relations are but, rather, are seen as heroes, they are engaged in the same work, using the same means and hoping for the same outcomes.
2 comments:
Who really decides the line between ethical and non-ethical PR. well in the case of Non-profit organizations, well the purpose of the PR done is all the same - to promote a PRODUCT. the product could be saintly or evil ! why judge PR on that
Of course, the public relations tactics and tools that NGOs use might mostly be the same as in other fields of PR - however, I do not think that they, as you pointed out, generally work towards the same desired outcomes as, for example, large corporations. The latter ultimately want to make profit, while the NGOs mostly basically want to catalyse change (in behaviour or attitudes). May their strategies be same, the good that they work for is undeniable (that is at least valid for the big 'official' ones). I think one of the reasons for the better reputation of NGOs' PR is simply the smaller amount of money that it holds. Working for non-profit organisations and not having the opportunity to earn a fortune you must be rather some kind of idealist than a pure capitalist.
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