Public relations is based on the simple fact that people have opinions of each other and of government and other institutions. Therefore individuals, corporations, government officials, schools, religious organizations, and every other type of institution desire to be accepted by the public on the best possible terms. Public relations is a means of getting attention and shaping public opinion. It achieves its goals through publicity, advertising, the use of press agents, public affairs forums, lobbying public officials, and every other means that gets a message before the public. While most PR is directed outward at the general public or special segments of it, some is also directed toward people within an organization.
Corporations use various PR devices to get and maintain good employee morale and commitment.
Some companies use the term corporate communications instead of public relations. Public relations is often compared to, and sometimes confused with, marketing. Although they use similar techniques, their goals are different. Public relations is an image-creation business that is trying to sell persons, government policies, corporations, and other institutions. A book by Joe McGinniss on the presidential race between Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey was called 'The Selling of the President, 1968' because it is about the PR tactics used to promote the two candidates.