Aesthetic Trends & Technologies
Practice Management Winter 2009

By Katherine Rothman

Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing the flow of information between an organization and its publics. Public relations - often referred to as PR - gains an organization or individual exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment.

Because public relations places exposure in credible third party outlets, it offers a third-party legitimacy that advertising does not have.

Common activities include speaking at conferences, working with the press, and employee communication. PR can be used to build rapport with employees, customers, investors, voters, or the general public. Almost any organization that has a stake in how it is portrayed in the public arena employs some level of public relations.

What does this definition actually mean to those in the aesthetic industry?

If one is a plastic surgeon, a skin care company CEO, a salon owner, or dermatologist, how is public relations relevant, why is it necessary, and what is the goal of engaging in some form of public relations?

People often understandably but mistakenly confuse public relations with advertising or marketing, and they do not grasp the nuances of each form of promotion. Advertising is the least complex and the most straightforward. It entails figuring out what one’s message is, designing an ad, and choosing media outlets in which to advertise.

Advertising is extremely expensive for all but very large organizations; and it lacks credibility because it is the individual or company making statements or claims about one’s own medical skill, customer/patient care, and results. The bottom line is: “Why should the public believe or trust the message?”
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About the Author
Katherine M. Rothman is the CEO of KMR Communications, Inc., a New York based PR firm with clients worldwide. The firm specializes in representing those in the medical and beauty fields with a core focus on media coverage. The firm has been in business for 12 years and was voted by PR Week “as one of the top 50 healthcare PR firms in the nation.” Visit the KMR website: www.kmrpr.com, or email Ms. Rothman at: info@kmrpr.com.