Redefining PR: An Attempt to Restore the Profession to Its True Scale

Why communications are no longer just tools, and how this is changing the role of specialists at the management level.

Recently, the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), the largest professional association in the field of public relations (PR) and communications, introduced a new definition of "public relations/PR." The reason for this was dissatisfaction with previous formulations, which no longer reflect modern practice and the strategic value of the profession.

Andrey Lapshov, Chairman of AKOS and President of the Insiders Consulting Group, commented exclusively for Sostav on why this attempt to more accurately describe the real function of PR is important for the Russian market.

AKOS, as a professional association involved in the development of industry standards, education, and conceptual frameworks for the communications industry, closely monitors the evolving understanding of the role of PR worldwide. When the professional community redefines PR, it may seem like a purely internal industry debate. But in reality, such issues are important not only for communicators themselves. They demonstrate how the market describes the role of the profession and what expectations businesses have of it. PR rarely suffers from a lack of attention, but often from an inaccurate description. The profession is still often reduced to tools, individual communications tasks, or applied business support, although in practice, its function has long been broader. This is why the new definition of public relations presented by the PRCA deserves attention in the Russian context. Not as a model for literal adoption, but as an attempt to more accurately capture the true scope of the modern PR function.

Without claiming literal accuracy of translation, the essence of the new definition can be conveyed as follows: PR is a strategic management discipline that builds trust, strengthens reputation, helps executives interpret complex processes and operate in conditions of uncertainty, delivering measurable results: confidence of key stakeholders, long-term value, and commercial growth. At the core of this work is the creation of strong and healthy relationships with organizations and people on whom a company's ability to function, grow, and succeed depends.

For experienced professionals, this approach is hardly groundbreaking. The communications industry has long embraced the notion that PR isn't just about managing newsworthy events, but also about managing reputational risks, supporting change, building dialogue with key audiences, and supporting management decisions. The value of this new definition is that it restores the profession's true scope and describes PR not as a service or support role, but as a management discipline without which organizations are increasingly finding it difficult to navigate an environment of high uncertainty.

What's particularly important about this definition?

First, PR is understood here as relationship management, not a set of tactical actions. Press releases, publications, content, special projects, and collaborations with authors and influencers are means to an end, not the end itself. The essence of the profession lies in the ability to build lasting relationships with those on whom a company's credibility, business sustainability, and reputational capital depend.

Second, the emphasis is on trust as a result of consistent and honest behavior, not simply the ability to attract attention. This is especially important in an environment where attention can be bought but trust is not. Trust continues to be built by reputation, third-party endorsements, editorial verification, consistency of actions, and a company's ability to be persuasive not only in words but also in its own behavior. PR professionals must counter disinformation by ensuring fact-checking, balanced, and objective content.

Third, the new definition recognizes PR as a strategic management function that influences individual and organizational decision-making at the board and executive management levels. This is important because it marks the boundary between a mature understanding of the profession and its simplistic interpretation. PR deals not only with what and how to say something, but also with whether something should be said at all, how a particular decision will be perceived by different audiences, and what consequences it may have for the business, employees, partners, regulators, investors, and society as a whole. Furthermore, it is emphasized that effective communications are impossible without a two-way street. Modern PR is not a one-way broadcast, but a combination of storytelling and listening skills. It's not just about broadcasting messages, but about engagement, consultation, feedback, and the ability to adjust strategy based on real interactions with stakeholders. The audience is viewed as an active participant in the process, with initiative and a voice, rather than as a passive recipient of information.
A fundamental point has also been made: the profession clearly extends beyond marketing. PR operates not only within the context of brand, product, or company promotion. It encompasses internal communications, investor relations, interactions with local communities, government agencies, industry institutions, partners, and the entire ecosystem on which an organization's sustainability depends. In other words, PR addresses the needs of the entire management team, not just the marketing function.

Another important emphasis is related to the context in which the profession exists today. Geopolitical uncertainty, political polarization, technological shifts, crises of trust, and the rapid spread of disinformation make communications a critical function. PR today is not only about positioning but also about crisis preparedness, scenario planning, early recognition of reputational risks, and the ability to respond quickly in situations of pressure and turbulence.

It is also worth noting that modern PR creates and distributes reliable content through various types of channels: proprietary, partner, editorial, and social. What's important isn't the mechanics of "filling the internet with content," but the quality of one's presence in the information environment. In an era where algorithms and artificial intelligence systems increasingly influence how information is found, interpreted, and ranked, this takes on added significance. It's no longer just about visibility, but also how reliable, understandable, and trustworthy an organization's presence appears in the information space, which algorithms recognize, cite, and recommend.

Equally important is abandoning the logic of hype as an end in itself. The new definition emphasizes that long-term value is more important than short-term noise. This is especially relevant today, when businesses and communications teams are overly tempted to measure effectiveness solely by speed, reach, and number of engagements. However, sustainable reputational capital is built not through information overload, but through consistent, high-quality, and strategically structured work.

Finally, modern communications practices rely less on intuitive "feelings" and more on data, research, and continuous environmental analysis. A data-driven approach to PR is no longer an optional extra, but a fundamental requirement for mature professional work.

For those who have been working in communications for a long time, this definition isn't revolutionary. Its value lies elsewhere: it finally establishes that PR isn't a set of tools or an add-on to marketing, but a strategic function that addresses trust, reputation, decision quality, and business sustainability. This is especially useful now, when young professionals often enter the profession through isolated applied tasks and may view PR too narrowly. This definition helps them grasp the scope of the profession from the outset and, equally important, more clearly explain their role to management and colleagues: PR deals not only with messages, but, first and foremost, with meaning, context, relationships, risks, and long-term business value.