Interpreting the Balance of "Eight Public Relations Capabilities"

Based on the results of the "First Survey on Corporate Public Relations Activities," which received responses from 479 listed Japanese companies, the Corporate Public Relations Strategy Research Institute conducted an "Octopus Model Analysis of Public Relations Activities." This analysis categorizes corporate public relations capabilities into eight areas: "Information Gathering," "Information Analysis," "Strategy Development," "Information Creation," "Information Dissemination," "Relationship Building," "Crisis Management," and "Public Relations Organizational Capability." Previous installments explained each of these eight capabilities. This time, we will consider the balance among these eight indicators.

Eight Public Relations Capabilities

■ Japanese Corporate PR Focuses on Information Dissemination and Collection

Of course, it goes without saying that it is desirable for the eight classified PR activities to be executed evenly, forming a large circle in the Octopus Model. However, as can be seen from the overall average (Figure 1), it is clear that many companies still place greater emphasis on "information dissemination capabilities," followed by "information gathering capabilities." This reflects the reality of PR departments in Japanese companies, which refer to public relations as "public information" (public relations). Their primary duty is likely to first create and distribute press releases, then post them on their websites. Consequently, while the Octopus Model for many companies is generally round, it tends to be slightly pointed at the top and bottom.

■ Sales Promotion-Centered "Eight" Model PR

However, several distinct models with unique shapes were also observed. Let's examine these classifications and speculate on their underlying causes.

A group exists where the scores for "Strategy Development Capability" and "Crisis Management Capability" are lower than the overall average. We named these groups "Eight" (Figure 2), because they literally resemble the shape of the number 8. "Strategy Development Capability" focuses on the alignment between business strategy and PR strategy, while "Crisis Management Capability" focuses on the degree of involvement of the PR department in the company's crisis management activities.

Therefore, weak performance in these two capabilities suggests weak collaboration with finance/business planning and legal/general affairs departments. Conversely, it implies these are sales-promotion-oriented PR departments conducting marketing-focused PR activities with strong collaboration with advertising/promotion and business units.

■ Management Planning-Centered "Cross" PR Model

Conversely, some groups exhibit high scores in "strategy development capability" and "crisis management capability." Combined with "information dissemination capability" and "information gathering capability," these four metrics stand out. We call these groups "Cross" (Figure 3). Unlike "Eight," they focus on management planning and crisis management, representing a management planning-centered PR department relatively distant from the business front lines. Of course, neither "Cross" nor "Eight" is inherently better; the positioning of the PR department, tailored to the industry and the company's characteristics, likely shapes its form.

■Balance of 8 PR Capabilities Correlates with Sales Revenue

However, it has been found that the overall PR capability score is closely correlated with company size (sales revenue). As a company grows and develops, the scope of the PR department's activities naturally expands, leading to a more balanced distribution of points across the eight areas. "Eight" and "Cross" can be seen as characteristic forms at specific stages of this development. We also discovered various other forms, such as "Pin," "Pacman," "Diamond," "Left Ear," and "Right Ear," but we will save their introduction for another time.

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