By Tom Duke, APR, Fellow PRSA

President, Akron Area PRSA

When members of the Akron Area PRSA review 2009, including the meetings and the various accomplishments of the chapter and its members, we have to reflect with a feeling of pride.

Last year was a disaster for many, with 10 percent unemployment in Northeast Ohio and our chapter’s geographic coverage area. Money was tight, foreclosures were rampant, construction was way off and retail sales were down. Despite that, Akron Area PRSA’s membership rolls grew to 112, a total that is believed to be the largest in the chapter’s 40-year history. We were one of the few chapters that grew in 2009. This qualified the chapter for a second Assembly Delegate, an important factor in creating a national image for our area.

We did this because we focused on making Akron Area PRSA a professional organization that offered true professional development to its members. This becomes difficult, at times, because our area of service is spread over a 14-county area – the largest PRSA service area in Ohio.

National PRSA has developed a program that can assist you in explaining your profession to others, including your boss. It is a well-formulated program that can be particularly helpful to PR practitioners during a downturn in the economy.

An important part of your mission as a public relations professional should be to foster more accurate and better-informed perceptions of the value and role of public relations in the diverse organizations it serves. This can be effected through an industry advocacy campaign titled “The Business Case for Public Relations™” formulated by PRSA in late 2009.

According to PRSA, the framework for The Business Case for Public Relations was created with the help of public relations industry leaders. The goal is to drive industry recognition and growth by helping professionals in the field educate key audiences about public relations’ roles and outcomes, demonstrate its strategic value and enhance its reputation.

As the program grows, it will include “research, practical tools, influencer and media outreach and targeted career development opportunities,” according to PRSA. It also will celebrate the positive influence our industry has had in the service of the public good. PRSA says that, “Public relations is more vital than ever before, given the explosion of consumer engagement through new and social media, the collapse of reputation and trust in major institutions and the evolving needs and concerns of corporate CEOs. At the same time, though, the industry continues to suffer criticism at the hands of individuals who do not understand the practice and application of public relations.”

The Business Case for Public Relations can make you a better professional, more fully equipped to explain public relations' roles, outcomes and value. These benefits apply to professionals at all career stages, as well as to the industry at large. Check out the new program by accessing www.prsa.org and learning about the tools that are available to explain the importance of public relations in our society.

This new PRSA initiative will be enhanced by a new Akron Area PRSA Committee – the Advocacy Committee – chaired by veteran PR practitioner Dave Meeker.