Perception Management

Perception, not reality, dictates behaviour.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

tl:dr;
Perception management is a PR approach that shapes narratives to influence how publics interpret and responds to information, events, or organisations.

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:

  • Priming. Pre-suadยญing pubยญlics to put them in a receptยญive state dependยญing on the mesยญsage. 1Silfwer, J. (2023, December 3). Priming in PR. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹pโ€‹rโ€‹iโ€‹mโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹-โ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹-โ€‹pr/
  • Framing. Presenting informยญaยญtion in a way that influยญences how it is underยญstood. 2Silfwer, J. (2023, December 3). Framing in PR. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹fโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹mโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹-โ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹-โ€‹pr/
  • Agenda-setยญting. Determining what issues the pubยญlic thinks about by conยญtrolling media narratives.
  • Storytelling. Crafting narยญratยญives that reinยญforce a desired perception.
  • Reputation enginยญeerยญing. Actively manยญaging an organยญisaยญtionโ€™s credยญibยญilยญity and pubยญlic trust.
  • Crisis comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions. Mitigating damยญage by reshapยญing pubยญlic perยญcepยญtion after negยญatยญive events.

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:

โ€œThe OPM [Organizational Perception Management] field focuses on the range of activยญitยญies that help organยญisaยญtions estabยญlish and/โ€‹or 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. 73โ€‰โ€“โ€‰87. โ€ฆ Continue readยญing

Perceptions of Reality

How does perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment work?

Walter Lippmann (1889โ€‰โ€“โ€‰1974) 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 peopleโ€™s โ€œpicยญtures 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 โ€œpicยญtures 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.

Learn more: Perception Management

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 sameโ€‰โ€”โ€‰a core prinยญciple of modยญern perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment. 5Lippmann, Walter. 1960. Public Opinion (1922). New York: Macmillan.

Lippmann argued that:

  • People do not experยญiยญence realยญity dirยญectly; instead, they conยญstruct their underยญstandยญing of the world through โ€œpicยญtures in their heads.โ€
  • These menยญtal picยญtures are not formed from firsthand experยญiยญence but are shaped by media, elites, and propaganda.
  • The mass media act as a gateยญkeepยญer, decidยญing which events are importยญant and framยญing them in ways that manipยญuยญlate pubยญlic perception.
  • Public opinยญion is highly malยญleยญable, meanยญing whoยญever conยญtrols the narยญratยญive can conยญtrol realยญity for the audience.

Lippmannโ€™s ideas resยญonยญate deeply with perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment in pubยญlic relations.

โ€œWe are all capยญtives of the picยญture in our headโ€‰โ€”โ€‰our belief that the world we have experยญiยญenced is the world that really exists.โ€
โ€” Walter Lippmann (1889โ€‰โ€“โ€‰1974)

On Creating Pseudo-Environments

Lippmann coined the term โ€œpseudo-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.

  • PR proยญfesยญsionยญals act as โ€œnarยญratยญive archiยญtectsโ€, shapยญing the pseudo-envirยญonยญment that audiยญences perceive.
  • The difยญferยญence between realยญity and perยญceived realยญity is an opporยญtunยญityโ€‰โ€”โ€‰or a liabยญilยญityโ€‰โ€”โ€‰for brands, politiยญcians, and institutions.
  • Managing pubยญlic opinยญion is not about chanยญging facts but about conยญtrolling the interยญpretยญaยญtion of those facts.
  • Crises are not just about what happened, but how they are perยญceivedโ€‰โ€”โ€‰hence, sucยญcessยญful PR strategies focus on perยญcepยญtion rather than objectยญive truth.

Lippmann was scepยญticยญal about the publicโ€™s abilยญity to disยญcern realยญity from the pseudo-envirยญonยญment, which raises ethยญicยญal concerns:

  • Should PR proยญfesยญsionยญals ethยญicยญally manipยญuยญlate perยญcepยญtion, even for a good cause?
  • Can sociยญety funcยญtion if perยญcepยญtion is more importยญant than truth?

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 Lippmannโ€™s media criยญtique. It acknowยญledges that facts alone do not win pubยญlic trustโ€”primยญing, framยญing, storytelling, and emoยญtionยญal appeal do.

Learn more: Perception Management


Jerry Silfwer - Doctor Spin - Spin Factory - Public Relations

THANKS FOR READING.
Need PR help? Hire me here.

Signature - Jerry Silfwer - Doctor Spin

What should you study next?

Spin Academy | Online PR Courses
Free Introduction PR Course - Doctor Spin - Public Relations Blog
Free introยญducยญtion PR course.

Spinโ€™s PR School: Free Persuasion PR Course

Use this free Persuasion PR Course to elevยญate your pubยญlic relaยญtions game with powerยญful insights. Drive impact and influยญence like nevยญer before.

Persuasion 101
Advanced Persuasion
Propaganda

Learn more: All Free PR Courses

๐Ÿ’ก Subscribe and get a free ebook on how to get betยญter PR.

Logo - Spin Academy - Online PR Courses
Annotations
Annotations
1 Silfwer, J. (2023, December 3). Priming in PR. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹pโ€‹rโ€‹iโ€‹mโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹-โ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹-โ€‹pr/
2 Silfwer, J. (2023, December 3). Framing in PR. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹fโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹mโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹-โ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹-โ€‹pr/
3 Hargis, M. & Watt, John. (2010). Organizational perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment: A frameยญwork to overยญcome crisis events. Organization Development Journal. 28. 73โ€‰โ€“โ€‰87. https://โ€‹wwwโ€‹.researchgโ€‹ateโ€‹.net/โ€‹pโ€‹uโ€‹bโ€‹lโ€‹iโ€‹cโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹iโ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹/โ€‹2โ€‹8โ€‹8โ€‹2โ€‹9โ€‹2โ€‹5โ€‹9โ€‹6โ€‹_โ€‹Oโ€‹rโ€‹gโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹iโ€‹zโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹iโ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹_โ€‹pโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹cโ€‹eโ€‹pโ€‹tโ€‹iโ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹_โ€‹mโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹gโ€‹eโ€‹mโ€‹eโ€‹nโ€‹tโ€‹_โ€‹Aโ€‹_โ€‹fโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹mโ€‹eโ€‹wโ€‹oโ€‹rโ€‹kโ€‹_โ€‹tโ€‹oโ€‹_โ€‹oโ€‹vโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹cโ€‹oโ€‹mโ€‹eโ€‹_โ€‹cโ€‹rโ€‹iโ€‹sโ€‹iโ€‹sโ€‹_โ€‹eโ€‹vโ€‹eโ€‹nts
4 Lippmann, Walter. 1960. Public Opinion (1922). New York: Macmillan.
5 Lippmann, Walter. 1960. Public Opinion (1922). New York: Macmillan.
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Whispr Group NYC, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Cover Photo

The cover photo isn't related to public relations obviously; it's just a photo of mine. Think of it as a 'decorative diversion', a subtle reminder that it's good to have hobbies outside work.

The cover photo has

.

Subscribe to SpinCTRLโ€”itโ€™s 100% free!

Join 2,550+ fellow PR lovers and subscribe to Jerryโ€™s free newsletter on communication and psychology.
What will you get?

> PR commentary on current events.
> Subscriber-only VIP content.
> My personal PR slides for .key and .ppt.
> Discounts on upcoming PR courses.
> Ebook on getting better PR ideas.
Subscribe to SpinCTRL today by clicking SUBSCRIBE and get your first free send-out instantly.

Latest Posts
Similar Posts
Most Popular