PR and the community

This week's readings is focused on the importance of taking into account the views and preferences of the community in order to succeed in plans undertaken by a company or the government.

Here are two important points mentioned in the readings:
1) how a project can be adjusted and catered to gain approval from the public community
2) the importance of understanding your target audience in order to construct meaning around a particular topic or issue

I feel that the case study about the highway in Australia is very interesting, as the methods that the PR department implemented in order to gain the favour of the community are innovative and clever. Because the community was very unhappy with the inconvenience of the construction involved, PR practitioners had to develop tactics to appease them, and one such one was by allowing children from the community to decorate the highway, which incorporated community involvement and gain the interest of the community as a whole. I think it is important that the community and the public have a sense of participation in whatever project a company is embarking on, so as to make them feel involved because they have a chance to voice out opinions.

However, this is not always possible, because PR practitioners may not have the power to make important decisions for a company. This links back to the earlier readings about how the purpose of a PR can be maximised by operating within the decision-making dominant coalition of the organisation. Otherwise, a PR practitioner would have no say in the plans of involving the public in projects or plans.

In conclusion, this week's readings gave me more insight about the close relationship required between a company and the community, and the involvement of PR in it.