Public relations goals are the measurable outcomes a PR program runs against — awareness, reputation, engagement, and business impact. The four categories, how to set them, the measurement disciplines, and the goal-setting failures that repeat.
No American company has done more, over a sustained period, to rebuild its reputation at scale than Walmart. The 2005 Lee Scott reset, the sustained sustainability commitments, the operational benefits, the post-Katrina response, and the corporate affairs discipline under Leslie Dach. The Mike Duke succession this year continues the broader trajectory.
A publicity agent decides what the world reads, watches, and hears about a client — and what it does not. The function has existed since Bernays. The tools have changed every decade. In 2026, the AI engines are the new shelf.
Authority is earned, not bought. How PR builds credibility through earned media, expert positioning, and a verifiable track record — and the five mistakes that erode it.
Mercedes-Benz's August 2009 sales decline — falling luxury demand at the trough of the global financial crisis, the Daimler/Chrysler unwind aftermath, and what the moment revealed about premium brand elasticity.