Instructor's Newest Book Explores Evolving Nature of the Public Relations Industry  

Kathryn Lancioni, instructor of Public Relations in the College of Communication of the Arts, brings her 25 years of experience as a journalist, public relations executive, communications strategist and college professor into her newest book, Public Relations: The Changing Global Landscape, published by Kendall Hunt.

This book focuses on the changing landscape of the global public relation and marketing arenas. Divided in two, the book first looks at predictions about the future of the field as reflected in industry surveys and the press. The second part features the thoughts of 28 global public relations and digital marketing professionals from the South Pacific, the Far East, the Middle East, Europe, Central America and North America.

"I wanted to provide insights about the industry from a variety of vantage points," said Lancioni. "Beyond a global lens, the book features practitioners relatively new to the industry and others with over 30 years of experience sharing their ideas about the evolving nature of their profession, emerging trends and outdated practices."

Lancioni presented insights and findings from her book virtually at a global conference hosted by Delhi Metropolitan Education, affiliated with Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in Delhi, India, on March 8. Titled “Inspiring Women — Global Faces,” the conference was part of the University’s program honoring International Women's Day and was streamed live on Facebook. Lancioni was joined by Pooja Arora, Ph.D., Pamela Shabi and Rachel Lipson, all contributors to Public Relations: The Changing Global Landscape, for the Q&A session following her presentation. A live recording of the event can be viewed here.

The book was originally meant to be a section of her next textbook — The Practice of Public Relations, which is to be released in early March — but Lancioni said she realized the concept of a global industry reflection had the potential to be its own book. A second edition of Public Relations: The Changing Global Landscape is anticipated in 2022 or 2023.

The Practice of Public Relations will be Lancioni's third book and is about the practical application and critical role public relations plays in organizations. In this textbook, she introduces the "Practice of Public Relations Model," which illustrates the interconnected relationship between public relations and the seven communication functions inherent in most organizations: media relations, investor or stakeholder relations, community relations, crisis management, employee relations, public affairs or government relations, and customer relations.

Lancioni said often public relations is viewed as a single functional area of an organization, which is not a realistic way to understand the discipline's impact. "The hope is that through these books, especially the PPR book, people will reconsider the strategic importance of public relations and how it influences other areas of a company. The goal is to help people understand how public relations can be used to improve communication across an organization, as well as support its long-term business objectives. Successful public relations comes when it is supported and embraced by all facets of an organization," said Lancioni.

Communication Research was the first book published by Lancioni, with the second edition released in September 2019. To learn more or to buy the books, visit the Kendall Hunt website.

Categories: Arts and Culture