Evaluating Strategies of Activist-Public Relations From a Mainstream to Digital Activism Perspective

Abstract

Public relations, which has traditionally been used by corporations, is now being observed as a strategy within the activist realm. Activist organizations employ public relations (PR) strategies while advocating for a cause, while institutions utilize PR research to manage their interactions with activists. Hence, the precise definition, extent, and limitations of activist public relations remain ambiguous. This study examines activism as a social movement in relation to public relations (PR) to represent the convergence and divergence of interactions between corporate and social perspectives, as well as the reciprocal development of activism and PR. The study revealed that legitimacy and visibility, framing the issue, networking, crafting the message, resource enhancement, actions and implementations, communication media and tools, transformation and restructuring, and measuring effectiveness are the primary public relations tools that are effective for including different actors and movements with increasing awareness and responsibility.