分析公關行業的商業模式和競爭策略 - 愛德曼公關個案

Abstract

公共關係，一個總稱，從投資者關係至遊說，其功能非常廣泛。早在十九世紀開始，公共關係被視為強大的政治武器。隨後經過現代化和自由化的演變，公共關係從只是功能演化成為一個對稱通信功能。詹姆斯.格魯尼格 (James E. Grunig) 在過去四十年對公共關係議題的研究，他指出公共關係應作為一種戰略管理。如果公共關係可以涉及組織的決策，它也許會創造更高的價值。在現實中，純公關公司很難存活在競爭激烈的公關行業，尤其是當他們面對的競爭對手是龐大的企業集團，結果就是被收購成為他們旗下的附屬公司。可悲的是，這些公關公司一旦被收購了就會失去其公共關係的核心價值，因為他們成為了其他廣告代理公司的公關。然而，丹尼爾•愛德曼 (Daniel Edelman) 堅持了他對於公關的信仰，經過了六十年也從來沒有改變，繼續往目標前進，因而成為了第一家以公關為核心的控股公司，也成為了全世界最大的公關公司。基於文化背景的差異，公共關係在西方和亞洲國家的實踐上有一些差距上的不同。但是最重要的是，我們發現對稱通信與公共關係在未來的增長將有互補的作用。

Public Relations an umbrella term, with a wide range of functions from investor relations to lobbying has started as powerful political weaponry back in nineteenth century. Through modernization and liberalization, public relations function is shifting from the role of being just a function towards the symmetrical communication. James E. Grunig’s study of public relations as a strategic management has led public relations to a brighter future. If public relations can involve in organizational decision making, it creates value to organizations. In reality, pure public relations firms cannot be survived in the highly competitive public relations industry, especially when they are facing competition and threats from the conglomerates and consequently being acquired as their subsidiary companies. But sadly, they lost the core value of public relations because they became public relations of someone’s advertising agency. However, Daniel Edelman’s adhere to his core believe in public relations has never stop for the past six decades and still moving forwards to become the first public relations centered holding company and the world’s biggest public relations firms. Due to the difference cultural background, the practice of public relations is founded with a gap in Western and Asian countries. Most importantly, we notice that the symmetrical communication will complement with the growth of public relations in the future.