Part 1: PR Buzzwords

by TVG Staff

The business world is notorious for using jargon and industry-specific language, and PR is no exception.  Understanding this can help you better communicate what your company needs, or what your communication professionals are trying to tell you. Here at TVG, we’ve created a glossary of common terms used in the world of public relations.

1. PR (Public Relations) – public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their audiences/stakeholders.
2. Integrated communication vs. strategic communication
   1. Integrated communication – Linking of all communication and messaging throughout the business.
   2. Strategic communication – Umbrella term used to describe the grouping of public relations, internal communication, market research and advertising.
3. Pitch – A highly-targeted communication that is crafted and sent to a person in the media to gauge their interest in your client. You can also incorporate photos and videos, and it ends with a call to action.
4. Boilerplate – The “about section” of a company, used at the end of a press release. Placed after the (###) at the end of the release.
5. Press release – an official statement issued to the media giving information on an issue, event, product release, new hire, etc.
6. Media kit – often called a press kit, it’s a set of documents given to the media and it generally contains press releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other relevant material about your client or their product/service.
7. Media advisory – a document used to invite reporters to cover an event, campaign or rally.
8. Public affairs – A branch of public relations dealing with matters that influence the public directly. Legislation, policing and public administration are all areas of public affairs PR.
9. Proactive and reactive communication – Proactive communication involves creating a communications strategy to anticipate something in the future, building and protecting a client’s reputation. Reactive communication refers to the practice of managing a crisis or responding to specific events and messages after the event or crisis has occurred.
10. Branding – Branding is the entire practice of planning and designing the messaging that represents a company in its entirety. This includes visual media and collateral materials, as well as the content shared through any and all channels–messaging sent through the organization to employees, and any external advertising and marketing.
11. CMO – Chief Marketing Officer – this person is part of the executive team overseeing the marketing efforts of a company.
12. CCO – Chief Communication Officer or Chief Creative Officer
13. VP of Corporate Communications – this person heads up the corporate communications team, generally encompassing both internal and external communications by the company.
    1. Chief Creative Officer – this person is part of the executive team overseeing new creative ideas including graphic design, new materials made for and about the company, and new media campaigns both physical and digital
    2. Chief Communication Officer – this person oversees the internal and external communication practice within a company, often managing teams that handle employee communication, public relations and sometimes human resources

This is part one of four in the BuzzWord series. Part Two will detail social media buzzwords. If you need help navigating the world of PR, contact us at TVG@VandiverGroup.com.

*Definitions for this blog post were compiled from Oxford Royale Academy, PRSA, ConstantContact.com and CreativeMarket.com.