Serving the Industry

An examination of groupings of practitioners with a common practice and interest is available by examination of special interest groups within the Associations that represent PR practitioners. This identifies the extent to which the Associations both serve the ambitions of members and the extent to which these Associations can bring interested practitioners together in their own self interest.

Evidence of this support and enthusiasm for areas of PR practice can be garnered from a number of national public relations association web sites. They show that there are interest groups that focus on domains of PR practice.

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations has special interest groups representing:

• Construction & Property

• Consultancy

• Corporate + Financial

• CSR Network,

• Fifth Estate - Voluntary sector

• Government Affairs (GAG)

• Health & Medical

• Internal Communication Alliance

• International Public Relations

• Local Government Marketing Communications

• Motor Industry

• Science Engineering and Technology Group (SET)

It is also worth reflecting that, in an age of global communication, the interests of other PR associations are worth passing analysis to identify other domains of practice recognised elsewhere.

For example, in the USA, the Public Relations Society of America has a different emphasis

• Association/Nonprofit

• Corporate

• Counselors to Higher Education

• Employee Communications

• Entertainment & Sports

• Environment

• Financial Communications

• Food and Beverage

• Health Academy

• International

• Military & Public Safety

• Multicultural Communications

• Public Affairs & Government

• Strategic Social Responsibility

• Technology

• Travel & Tourism

And in Germany the groups within Deutschen Public Relations Gesellschaft (DPRG) there are practitioner foci of a different slant with working groups dealing with:

• International PR

• Arbeitskeis "Krisenkommunikation/Issues management

• Communication as creation of value

• Financial communication

• Internal communication

• Public Affairs

Sweden covers different ground among the members of the Swedish Public Relations Association (SPRA):

• Internal communications

• Public affairs

• Public services

• Mass media relations

• Investor relations

• Market communications

One may expect that the trade media would be very sensitive to the needs of readers. One method for identifying the realm of public relations is through analysis of specialist subjects that trade magazines cover. The media view of domains of practice are typified among editorial features that both serve the industry practitioners and suppliers offering specialist services. The leading PR magazine, PR Week from 2003 to 2005 identified in feature length a number of insights into their perception of the domains of PR practice.

These were:

• Product & promotion

• Crisis

• Diversity

• Public Affairs

• New media

• PR and the media

• Marketing Management

• Pharmaceutical

• Multicultural campaign

• Hi-Tech

• Corporate Communications

• Financial Communications

• Internal Communications

• Not for Profit

• Internal Communications

• Corporate Branding

From previous posts, it would seem there is a difference between how the PR institutions support thier members and the kind of work thier members do.

Picture: The Representative of the People on Duty 1794 Pen, ink and watercolour, 315 x 220 mmMusée Carnavalet, Paris