The Minister of Information and
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has given assurances that the Federal Government
and its agencies will work with Nigerian public relations consultants in the
execution of their communication projects.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
MTN Keen on Partnership with PRCAN, says GM Corporate Affairs
MTN Nigeria is willing to partner with the Public Relations Consultants
Association of Nigeria (PRCAN) to grow the marketing communication sector in
Nigeria and support steps to upscale the capacity of professionals in the
industry.
Ms. Omasan Ogisi, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, of MTN Nigeria, who
received he PRCAN leadership in her office in Lagos, urged the body to however
present its case for corporate support in good time and with the required
business case.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Ehiguese Re-Elected PRCAN President …Lays Out A One-Point Agenda
The Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria
(PRCAN), the professional body charged with the responsibility of regulating
public relations consulting practice in Nigeria has elected its Executive
Committee members to the steer affairs of the association for the next two years.
This was the highpoint of activities at the association’s 2017 Annual General Meeting
held in Lagos on Friday, March 31, 2017.
ICCO President Maxim Behar: PR business needs people with “sparks in the eyes”
The
Holmes Report CEO Arun Sudhaman talks to Maxim Behar on modern PR, old school,
building teams, social media, ethics and fake news
Of Image, Perception and Reputation
There are three key elements that are central to most PR campaigns,
and they are: Image, Perception and Reputation. These days it is not uncommon for people (some PR practitioners
included) to use these terms interchangeably, almost as if they are synonymous.
Well, the semantic lines may sometimes appear blurred, but in
the context of the Public Relations profession the three words do not mean the
same thing. Every brand possesses a bit of these three attributes, and how well
they are managed (or the lack of it thereof) to a large extent determines how far
a brand will go in achieving success in the market place, or in the minds (and
hearts) of its ‘publics’.
#1 – Image
Put very simply, your image
is who, and what, you say you are. It is how you present yourself, both in terms
of your physical manifestations, behavior, and the projections and claims that
you make about yourself. Your image
invariably evokes certain kinds of reactions in the minds and hearts of the
people to whom you manifest, or are presented. Reactions to your image may be positive (leading to
acceptance or goodwill) or negative (evoking resentment or rejection),
depending on a variety of factors.
You have full control over your image. In summary, your image is your brand!
#2 – Perception
Perception is the other end of the spectrum
from image. It is how people see
you, what they think of you, the way they react to the image that you project. People’s perception of you may be positive, negative, or anywhere in
between. Usually there are several other extraneous factors (beyond just your image or communication) that help to shape or influence perception, and this should not be surprising,
given the increasingly connected and information-driven world we live in today.
It is often said in PR that: Perception is Reality. What this means is that a person’s perception about a brand – regardless
of what drives that perception - is his
reality about it. It is real and personal
to him and invariably shapes the way he reacts to that brand. People warm up to a brand that they perceive positively.
Perception may be latent, or expressed.
#3 – Reputation
When people externalize their perception about a brand, whether
publicly or in private forums, it becomes the reputation of that brand. In other words, your reputation is an aggregation of what people are saying – or writing
- about you, based on information available to them, or on the perception they have formed about you. It
goes without saying therefore, that an overwhelmingly positive perception about a brand will
invariably build a good reputation
for it, and vice versa.
Word-of-mouth tends to be very effective in building and
gauging reputation.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, it should be noted that the end-game of most
PR activities in support of brands is to achieve a congruence of image, perception and reputation.
In other words, to see that the brand’s image
is rightfully perceived by its
‘publics’, ultimately leading to the desired reputation.
Happy and successful is the brand for whom there is a
harmonious alignment of the image it
projects, the perception it evokes
and the reputation it eventually acquires. It should be noted however, that these
factors are not mutually exclusive, neither are they finite in scope. For as
long as the brand exists, they will invariably always be Work In Progress,
responding to the dynamics of the market, the ever-changing demands of the consumer
and the evolution of the brand itself.
But the key learning for us as PR practitioners is that,
concerning the brands that we work for, we
should never allow any of these elements to develop by default, or by happenstance.
They must be carefully and professionally managed at every stage.
Monday, November 07, 2016
Monday, January 25, 2016
PRCAN Opens National Secretariat in Lagos | ….Commended by Lagos State Commissioner for Information & Strategy
The Lagos State Government has congratulated the Public
Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN) and other sectorial groups
in the marketing communications industry for the synergy among them.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr
Steve Ayorinde, who was the special guest at the commissioning of PRCAN
national secretariat in Ikeja, Lagos at the weekend, said the integration and
cooperation among the bodies would further deepen professionalism in the
industry to the greater benefit of the society.
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