PR is often dubbed as “free advertising.” This
could not be farther from the truth since PR does not
do advertising nor is free because PR activities can
be time-consuming and labor-intensive. PR agency
owners might even claim that their business can
make the best capital return among other companies
in communication. The basis of PR activities is
making use of intermediaries to communicate with
the audience and influence them. The intermediaries
might be, among others, industry spokespersons,
stock analysts, investors, trendsetters, industry
analysts, customers, employees, even electronic and
print media (Newlands, 2014).
The PR Society of America stated that PR
consultants work to anticipate, analyze, and interpret
public opinion, attitude, and issues that might have a
good or bad impact. PR is counseling management
in every line of an organization. PR also reviews
takes action, communicates, and continuously
evaluates programs. It aims to reach public
understanding required for the success of an
organization’s goals (Wynne, 2013).
According to Staff (2013), PR activities are
carried out daily in communication/ advertising
agencies, government agencies, and creative
companies. PR consultants need to master the skill
of writing material and present it to the media. They
also have to seek and obtain media coverage when
arranging an event. Today, PR can creatively plan,
manage, execute, and evaluates an event to boost
branding.
Holmes (2012) suggested that in this digital era,
the PR industry demands more extensive skills in the
field of social media. However, Holmes argued that
the industry must return to its roots since PR has to
be able to benefit from all affiliates and means to
help the client's organization manage its relations
with the stakeholders.
PR consultant agency is a business in
communication with good sustainability. However, a
PR agency should be able to provide comprehensive
and sustainable PR services. Some of the services
are crisis management, electronic business strategy,
investor relations analysis, working relations, media
relations, public affairs, branding strategy, product
placement, event organizing, sports marketing,
exhibition, and other attributes which can contribute
to the marketing and sales of the client’s products
and/or service (Cutlip, 2006).
Every industry has different needs and uses
different approaches to find the best business
solutions. The existence of digital technology in the
industrial era nowadays becomes a new challenge
and potential for PR to accommodate it into their
activities.
Therefore, a program to establish a PR agency
will have a lot of potential for STIKOM InterStudi
business project, and it is in line with the latest
curriculum development towards a creative and
digital PR specialization. In fact, the PR agency can,
later on, serve as a facility for the students to hone
their skills and develop their potential.
1.1. Problem Identification
Based on the background as mentioned above, the
problem identification for this study is what are a PR
agency’s roles and interests in boosting STIKOM
InterStudi progress. The purpose of a PR agency
foundation at STIKOM InterStudi is to research how
far PR agency's functions and existence might
promote the development of an educational
institution in facing competition.
1.2. Purpose Statement
According to the definition communication experts
give, PR consultants is a business or agency which
offers media coverage, media planning, marketing,
or a particular communication service for all kinds
of business, including large companies which have
their public relations or communication team
(Parsons, 2003). PR consultants specialize
themselves in improving full public awareness of a
brand, a product, or an image of a company or
person. They determine the best strategy to publicize
a product which will drive traffic to the product and
increase sales. According to the PR Society of
America, most PR consultants are small to medium
enterprises whose activities specialize in catering
companies and industrial needs. On the other hand,
several large PR consultants, such as Edelman,
APCO, and Ruder Finn perform their PR activities
in a much broader scope from research, marketing,
to playing a role in a company’s marketing strategy
entirely and shape public perception. The foundation
of a PR agency at STIKOM InterStudi will take the
form of a PR Lab with the following purposes, first,
to explore how much PR consultants are needed on a
campus; second, to give the students a chance to
hone their skills in communication especially to
develop their potential in public relations; and third,
to be one of STIKOM InterStudi’s business units
which create jobs by empowering the students and
the alumni.