Perception manยญageยญment is a potent PR approach.
Managing perยญcepยญtions is a PR approach that shapes narยญratยญives to influยญence how pubยญlics interยญpret and responds to informยญaยญtion, events, or organisations.
Here we go:
Perception Management
Perception manยญageยญment is a straยญtegic PR methยญod that seeks to influยญence how audiยญences interยญpret and respond to informยญaยญtion, events, or organยญisaยญtions. The funยญdaยญmentยญal idea is that perยญcepยญtion, not realยญity, dicยญtates human behaviour.
What people believe to be facยญtuยญal matยญters more than what is objectยญively true regardยญing decision-makยญing, pubยญlic opinยญion, and reputation.
In PR, perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment involves:
Managing perยญcepยญtions is espeยญcially critยญicยญal in pubยญlic affairs, corยญporยญate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions, crisis comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions, and media relaยญtions. When used manipยญuยญlatยญively, it is also closely related to propaganda.
The research on perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment is focused on how organยญisaยญtions can creยญate a desired reputation:
โThe OPM [Organizational Perception Management] field focuses on the range of activยญitยญies that help organยญisaยญtions estabยญlish and/โor mainยญtain a desired repuยญtaยญtion (Staw et al., 1983). More speยญcificยญally, OPM research has primarยญily focused on two interยญreยญlated factors: (1) the timยญing and goals of perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment activยญitยญies and (2) speยญcifยญic perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment tacยญtics (Elsbach, 2006).โ
Source: Organization Development Journal 3Hargis, M. & Watt, John. (2010). Organizational perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment: A frameยญwork to overยญcome crisis events. Organization Development Journal. 28. 73โโโ87. โฆ Continue readยญing
Perceptions of Reality
How does perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment work?
Walter Lippmann (1889โโโ1974) proยญposed that our perยญcepยญtions of realยญity difยญfer from the actuยญal realยญity. The realยญity is too vast and too comยญplex for pubยญlics to proยญcess. 4Lippmann, Walter. 1960. Public Opinion (1922). New York: Macmillan.
Alas, no one bases their attiยญtudes and behaยญviours on realยญity; we base them on our perยญcepยญtions of realยญity.
Therefore, the straยญtegic manยญageยญment of perยญcepยญtions and narยญratยญives has far-reachยญing implicยญaยญtions: If you can conยญtrol peopleโs โpicยญtures in their heads,โ you can conยญtrol their attiยญtudes and behaviours.
One who effectยญively manยญages the perยญcepยญtions of pubยญlics acts as a morยญal legisยญlatยญor, capยญable of shapยญing attiยญtudes and behaยญviours accordยญing to the catยญegorยญicยญal imperative.
Today, the โpicยญtures in our headsโ are influยญenced not only by traยญdiยญtionยญal news media, but also by influยญenยญcers, search engines, and social media algorithms. Therefore, perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment is more critยญicยญal than ever.
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Walter Lippmann and Perception Management
In his semยญinยญal work Public Opinion (1922), Walter Lippmann laid the intelยญlecยญtuยญal groundยญwork for the idea that perยญcepยญtion and realยญity are not the sameโโโa core prinยญciple of modยญern perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment. 5Lippmann, Walter. 1960. Public Opinion (1922). New York: Macmillan.
Lippmann argued that:
Lippmannโs ideas resยญonยญate deeply with perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment in pubยญlic relations.
โWe are all capยญtives of the picยญture in our headโโโour belief that the world we have experยญiยญenced is the world that really exists.โ
โ Walter Lippmann (1889โโโ1974)
On Creating Pseudo-Environments
Lippmann coined the term โpseudo-envirยญonยญment,โ which describes the filtered, biased, and often artiยญfiยญcial verยญsion of realยญity presenยญted by the media. He warned that influยญenยญtial elites could exploit this manยญuยญfacยญtured realยญity to manipยญuยญlate pubยญlic thought and behaviour.
Lippmann was scepยญticยญal about the publicโs abilยญity to disยญcern realยญity from the pseudo-envirยญonยญment, which raises ethยญicยญal concerns:
Perception manยญageยญment is not inherยญently sinยญisยญter, but as Lippmann warned, it places immense power in the hands of those conยญtrolling the narrative.
In essence, perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment is the applied PR verยญsion of Lippmannโs media criยญtique. It acknowยญledges that facts alone do not win pubยญlic trustโprimยญing, framยญing, storytelling, and emoยญtionยญal appeal do.
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