When you mention 'public relations' most people think about certain channels of communication: particularly editorial publicity, sponsorships, and 'launch events' for new products. This is not surprising, as this is the way many PR firms think and act as well.

However, this is not the best way of thinking about PR.

Take a look at the definition by the Institute of Public Relations:

'Public Relations practice is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics.'

Public relations is not limited to certain media, and it is not focused on promoting products.

Public relations can and should use any media, including TV and print advertising, to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics.

It is important to think about PR in this way, because for many consumers it is becoming increasingly important to know about the company behind the products. People have growing ethical, social, and environmental concerns and they want to be reassured that the companies they are doing business with share their values and concerns.

Many companies are not addressing these issues effectively and they are losing competitive advantage, because their thinking about public relations is limited to editorial publicity. Don't fall into this trap.

Ask yourself:

Do I understand my customers' ethical, social, and environmental concerns, and how they impact on my category?

Am I making good use of public relations as a tool for maintaining goodwill and mutual understanding, using any and all media?