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The Stakeholders in Public Relations

Stakeholders are a central part of public relations.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

tl:dr;
'Stakeholders' are representatives of various vested interests directly or indirectly connected to a brand. The stakeholder model is so important that the PR industry's specialisations are named after major stakeholder groups.

Stakeholders play a centยญral role in pubยญlic relations.

In pubยญlic relaยญtions, we typยญicยญally segยญment three audiยญences: pubยญlics, influยญenยญcers, and stakeยญholdยญers. These audiยญences overยญlap to some extent but are used for difยญferยญent purposes.

The stakeยญholdยญer modยญel (as described in detail below) is so importยญant that our proยญfesยญsionยญal speยญcialยญisaยญtions are named after each major stakeยญholdยญer group.

Here we go:

The Stakeholders in Public Relations

In pubยญlic relaยญtions (PR), we often disยญcuss โ€˜stakeยญholdยญersโ€™:

Stakeholders = repยญresยญentยญatยญives of variยญous vesยญted interests dirยญectly or indirยญectly conยญnecยญted to a brand. 1Silfwer, J. (2021, January 5). The Stakeholders in Public Relations. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹sโ€‹tโ€‹aโ€‹kโ€‹eโ€‹hโ€‹oโ€‹lโ€‹dโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹-โ€‹pโ€‹uโ€‹bโ€‹lโ€‹iโ€‹cโ€‹-โ€‹rโ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹iโ€‹oโ€‹ns/

Establishing and susยญtainยญing relaยญtionยญships with variยญous stakeยญholdยญers is a sigยญniยญficยญant chalยญlenge for PR proยญfesยญsionยญals since their informยญaยญtion needs are typยญicยญally very different. 

โ€œPublic relaยญtions disยญtinยญguishes itself from marยญketยญing by focusยญing on the stakeยญholdยญer-organยญizยญaยญtion relaยญtionยญship, which comยญprises mutuยญal oriยญentยญaยญtion around a comยญmon interest point and a mulยญtiยญpliยญcity of stakes.โ€
Source: Public Relations Review 2Smith, B. (2012). Public relaยญtions idenยญtity and the stakeยญholdยญerโ€‰โ€“โ€‰organยญizยญaยญtion relaยญtionยญship: A revised theยญorยญetยญicยญal posยญiยญtion for pubยญlic relaยญtions scholยญarยญship. Public Relations Review, 38, 838โ€‰โ€“โ€‰845. โ€ฆ Continue readยญing

The PR Stakeholder Model

PR proยญfesยญsionยญals have variยญous speยญcialยญisaยญtions (based on the Stakeholder Model), includยญing corยญporยญate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions, investor relaยญtions (IR), media relaยญtions, digitยญal PR, pubยญlic affairs (PA), lobยญbyยญing, internยญal comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions (IC), crisis comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions, marยญketยญing PR, and industry PR (B2B).

The Stakeholder Model - Doctor Spin - The PR Blog
The stakeยญholdยญer modยญel in pubยญlic relations.

โ€œIn a corยญporยญaยญtion, a stakeยญholdยญer is a memยญber of โ€˜groups without whose supยญport the organยญisaยญtion would cease to existโ€™, as defined in the first usage of the word in a 1963 internยญal memorยญandum at the Stanford Research Institute. The theยญory was later developed and chamยญpioned by R. Edward Freeman in the 1980s. Since then it has gained wide acceptยญance in busiยญness pracยญtice and in theยญorยญising relatยญing to straยญtegic manยญageยญment, corยญporยญate govยญernance, busiยญness purยญpose and corยญporยญate social responsยญibยญilยญity (CSR).โ€
Source: Wikipedia 3Stakeholder (corยญporยญate). (2023, October 27). In Wikipedia. https://โ€‹enโ€‹.wikiโ€‹peโ€‹diaโ€‹.org/โ€‹wโ€‹iโ€‹kโ€‹iโ€‹/โ€‹Sโ€‹tโ€‹aโ€‹kโ€‹eโ€‹hโ€‹oโ€‹lโ€‹dโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹_โ€‹(โ€‹cโ€‹oโ€‹rโ€‹pโ€‹oโ€‹rโ€‹ate)

PR speยญcialยญisaยญtions are typยญicยญally named based on which stakeยญholdยญer type they manage:

Corporate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions = an organยญisaยญtionโ€™s straยญtegic use of mesยญsaging to shape its repuยญtaยญtion, articยญuยญlate its visยญion, and engage with key audiยญences across internยญal and externยญal chanยญnels.

Targets: External and internยญal pubยญlics, busiยญness journยญalยญists, regยญuยญlatยญory instiยญtuยญtions, partยญners, supยญpliยญers, vendors, etc.

Investor relaยญtions (IR) = an organยญisaยญtionโ€™s delibยญerยญate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion efforts to build trust and mainยญtain transยญparยญency with investors, anaยญlysts, and the finยญanยญcial comยญmunity.

Targets: Shareholders, investors, marยญket hubs, marยญket anaยญlysts, finยญanยญcial instiยญtuยญtions, trade journยญalยญists etc.

Media relaยญtions = a brandโ€™s tarยญgeted use of comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion to foster posยญitยญive interยญacยญtions with journยญalยญists, editยญors, and media outยญlets and to gain favourยญable covยญerยญage.

Targets: Journalists, editยญors, influยญenยญcers, etc.

Digital PR = the straยญtegic use of online comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion to build brand comยญmunitยญies, foster engageยญment, and manยญage repuยญtaยญtion in the digitยญal space. 4Silfwer, J. (2017, November 20). What is Digital PR? Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹wโ€‹hโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹-โ€‹iโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹gโ€‹iโ€‹tโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹-โ€‹pr/

Targets: Inbound web traffic, brand comยญmunitยญies, subยญscribers, fans, folยญlowยญers, influยญenยญcers, social netยญworks, etc.

Public affairs (PA) = a brandโ€™s intenยญtionยญal use of comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion to engage with govยญernยญments, poliยญcyยญmakers, and comยญmunitยญies to influยญence pubยญlic policy and social impact.

Targets: Voters, politยญicยญal journยญalยญists, politยญicยญal anaยญlysts, columยญnists, interest groups, etc.

Lobbying = the focused use of advocacy and comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion to dirยญectly influยญence legisยญlatยญive and regยญuยญlatยญory decisions in favour of speยญcifยญic interests or causes.

Targets: Politicians, legisยญlatยญors, govยญernยญment offiยญcials, comยญmitยญtees, influยญenยญcers, etc.

Internal comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions (IC) = an organยญisaยญtionโ€™s delibยญerยญate use of mesยญsaging to align, inform, and motivยญate employยญees while fosยญterยญing a proยญductยญive workยญplace culยญture.

Targets: Coworkers, potenยญtial recruits, etc.

Crisis comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions = a brandโ€™s rapยญid, straยญtegic deployยญment of comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion to mitยญigยญate repuยญtaยญtionยญal damยญage, address urgent chalยญlenges, and restore pubยญlic trust durยญing critยญicยญal situยญations.

Targets: Crisis vicยญtims, worยญried pubยญlics, the genยญerยญal pubยญlic, coworkยญers, journยญalยญists, influยญenยญcers, cusยญtomยญers, shareยญholdยญers, etc.

Marketing PR = a brandโ€™s tacยญticยญal integยญraยญtion of comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion and proยญmoยญtionยญal efforts to enhance product awareยญness, drive sales, and supยญport marยญketยญing objectยญives.

Targets: Potential cusยญtomยญers, existยญing cusยญtomยญers, trade journยญalยญists, memยญbers, affilยญiยญates, etc.

Industry PR (B2B) = a busiยญnessโ€™s purยญposeยญful use of comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion to build credยญibยญilยญity, foster trust, and estabยญlish thought leadยญerยญship withยญin its proยญfesยญsionยญal secยญtor.

Targets: B2B cliยญents, B2B proยญspects, trade journยญalยญists, trade organยญisaยญtions, niche influยญenยญcers, etc.

Learn more: Stakeholders in Public Relations

Groups With Information Needs

The PR funcยญtion is not just about manยญaging media relaยญtions or marยญketยญing PR; itโ€™s about comยญpreยญhensยญively manยญaging relaยญtionยญships with diverse stakeยญholdยญer groups, each with unique informยญaยญtion requirements.

The PR stakeยญholdยญer modยญel includes variยญous groups, such as busiยญness journยญalยญists, regยญuยญlatยญory instiยญtuยญtions, shareยญholdยญers, finยญanยญcial marยญkets, politยญicยญal entitยญies, and internยญal coworkยญers. Each group has disยญtinct informยญaยญtionยญal needs and priorities.

Stakeholders in Public Relations - Doctor Spin - The PR Blog
Different stakeยญholdยญer needs in pubยญlic relations.

For instance, while investor relaยญtions (IR) focus on delivยญerยญing finยญanยญcial perยญformยญance and strategy informยญaยญtion to shareยญholdยญers and finยญanยญcial instiยญtuยญtions, digitยญal PR tarยญgets brand comยญmunitยญies and online folยญlowยญers with engaยญging conยญtent that enhances brand image and loyalty. 

Similarly, internยญal comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions cater to the informยญaยญtionยญal needs of coworkยญers and potenยญtial recruits, ensurยญing they are aligned with the organยญisaยญtionโ€™s goals and culยญture. This mulยญtiยญpliยญcity of stakeยญholdยญers necesยญsitยญates a PR approach that is diverse in its reach and speยญcifยญic in its messaging.

The chalยญlenge for PR proยญfesยญsionยญals lies in effectยญively identiยญfyยญing and addressยญing these varยญied needs. It involves craftยญing tailored comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion strategies that resยญonยญate with each stakeยญholdยญer group while mainยญtainยญing a cohesยญive overยญall mesยญsage that aligns with the organยญisaยญtionโ€™s objectives. 

This requires underยญstandยญing each stakeยญholdยญerยญโ€™s perยญspectยญive, interests, and comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion preferences.

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1 Silfwer, J. (2021, January 5). The Stakeholders in Public Relations. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹sโ€‹tโ€‹aโ€‹kโ€‹eโ€‹hโ€‹oโ€‹lโ€‹dโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹-โ€‹pโ€‹uโ€‹bโ€‹lโ€‹iโ€‹cโ€‹-โ€‹rโ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹iโ€‹oโ€‹ns/
2 Smith, B. (2012). Public relaยญtions idenยญtity and the stakeยญholdยญerโ€‰โ€“โ€‰organยญizยญaยญtion relaยญtionยญship: A revised theยญorยญetยญicยญal posยญiยญtion for pubยญlic relaยญtions scholยญarยญship. Public Relations Review, 38, 838โ€‰โ€“โ€‰845. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹1โ€‹6โ€‹/โ€‹Jโ€‹.โ€‹Pโ€‹Uโ€‹Bโ€‹Rโ€‹Eโ€‹Vโ€‹.โ€‹2โ€‹0โ€‹1โ€‹2โ€‹.โ€‹0โ€‹6โ€‹.โ€‹011
3 Stakeholder (corยญporยญate). (2023, October 27). In Wikipedia. https://โ€‹enโ€‹.wikiโ€‹peโ€‹diaโ€‹.org/โ€‹wโ€‹iโ€‹kโ€‹iโ€‹/โ€‹Sโ€‹tโ€‹aโ€‹kโ€‹eโ€‹hโ€‹oโ€‹lโ€‹dโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹_โ€‹(โ€‹cโ€‹oโ€‹rโ€‹pโ€‹oโ€‹rโ€‹ate)
4 Silfwer, J. (2017, November 20). What is Digital PR? Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹wโ€‹hโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹-โ€‹iโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹gโ€‹iโ€‹tโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹-โ€‹pr/
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 Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

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