Public Relations in Higher Education

Campaign History - 1985-1989

 

PR targets relevant publics. A conscious and tailor-made effort must be made to 

shape perceptions of those publics. A general effort to reach everybody is not 

sufficient. Each public is different and requires a different approach. 

 

According to Tomaselli and Louw (1988), the PR campaigns that were undertaken 

between 1985 and 1989 tended to assume a definition of the served "community" as 

the "business community" only. This approach worked well to raise money from the 

white businesses but ignored groups, communities and other organizations which 

were not businesses. These other communities constituted by far the greatest 

population in Natal and unless NU obtained their support, it would find itself losing 

legitimacy amongst the very constituencies which could conceivably take over power 

in the future.

 

Tomaselli and Louw (1988:2) suggested that future campaigns also be aimed at the 

poorer sections of our population. It was simply not possible to target the same 

campaigns at recipients belonging to both dominant and dominated groups (see 

Higgens 1983: 25).