PR practices in India has started as a result of the opening of the Indian economy in 1991.
In the 15th All India Public Relations Conference on November 9, 1993, in Delhi the then Prime Minister Narsimha Rao said;
“You have the magic touch. You can make anybody believe that by using a small amount of hair oil you can get the hair growing by one foot everyday, by taking some pills one can become younger by twenty years within a short time. This is the kind of conviction that PR can bring to the minds of people”.
PR is a strategic management communication function dealing with public issues encountered by organizations across a wide spectrum.
The public issues that PR dealt with may includes: accidents, disasters, sabotage, competition, political loyalty, moral obligation to family disputes, and role in marketing and brand building.
Marketing is the process through which the needs and desires of customers are assessed and fulfilled. PR is an important tool in the promotion that aims at maintaining cordial relationships with both the internal and external stakeholders.
PR used to play a role in brand building but not necessarily in active partnership with brand advertising. Companies use PR to launch their product or when they ventured into unknown territories.
PRCAI (Public Relations Consultants Association of India) is an umbrella trade body which constitutes PR firms, founded in October 4, 2001. Modeled on the successful UK PRCA, the PRCAI is not only the Indian PR industry’s flagship trade association but also a forum for government, public bodies, industry associations, trade and others to confer with public relations consultants through one body.
PRSI (Public Relations Society of India) is a national association of PR practitioners, established in 1958 to promote the recognition of public relations as a profession and to formulate and interpret to the public the objectives and the potentialities of public relations as a strategic management function.