Who Doesn’t Need PR?

Everyone thinks about PR when a crisis hits. The directions from which it can “come” are countless. Are you growing, and your competitors have become uncomfortable due to their reduced profits? Has compromising information entered the public domain? Did your employee make an unfortunate statement? Did an emergency occur at the production facility? Do they want to “squeeze out” your business and start publicly discrediting it? The list can go on indefinitely.

The exception is big business, which inherently understands the value of systematic, long-term PR. Firstly, their risks are exponentially greater than those of SMEs. Secondly, they need to meet public expectations. Controversial actions or inaction by large companies are, mildly put, incomprehensible to the public. For clarity – since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukrainians deeply distrust companies that do not support the Armed Forces, and they call for boycotting those global players who continue to operate in Russia.

Large companies operating in both Ukraine and Europe must also communicate regarding ESG (environmental, social, and governance practices). Publicly highlighting adherence to environmental principles, social responsibility, and transparency in management is also one of the tasks of PR. And not just public opinion depends on this, but also future relationships with investors, banks, and the state. Large taxes, large projects – these are talked about, not silenced.

Systematic PR is long and expensive. Writing one post on the brand’s page or giving a comment to one media outlet won’t work. People have short memories. And if you want to be known and remembered, to have positive associations and trust in the company, you need to work on PR systematically. If a strong opinion has already taken root in people’s minds that you are a reliable producer, socially responsible, honest, and the best in the world. In case of a crisis, public trust will soften the blow – people will be on your side and more receptive to explanations and taking your side.

Small and medium-sized businesses do not invest in reputation. Why? The answer is in the previous paragraph. SMEs simply do not have the resources for public communications and focus on marketing. And in many cases, this is quite sufficient. As a business grows from small to medium, and then to large, its influence on society also increases. For example, the opening of a new coffee shop will not worry people as much as the operation of a quarry. And as this influence grows, external factors will also become stronger, such as pressure from state institutions, investors, and creditors.

In the event of a public crisis, most immediately think of PR. My team and I have encountered this repeatedly: clients need an instant response, but the “ground” is unprepared, the business doesn’t know how to act within the team, how the media works, and how to communicate with them. We help them get out of the crisis. And then the business returns to its standard course, forgetting about PR.

You need to start with PR. Even if you only need it later in the troubled times of a communication crisis, it wouldn’t hurt to develop a PR strategy for your business “at the outset” together with professional PR specialists. Define the company’s philosophy and goals, its strengths and weaknesses, formulate key communication narratives and the company “personality” you want to convey to people through your platforms. Subsequently, these theses should be integrated into marketing. Eco-friendliness, responsibility, tolerance – this can be a common thread everywhere, and will already form a certain perception of the company.

So, everyone needs PR, just in different proportions. Large companies need systematic and long-term PR. Small and medium businesses need it at the start and during potential crises. And it’s only unnecessary for those who do nothing and strive for nothing.