Affordances of Internet Platforms for Public Relations Functions: A Study of Five Organizations in Kenya

Abstract

Public relations refer to a set of communications techniques and practices designed to create and maintain cordial relations between an organization and its publics. Despite the Internet being increasingly used by organizations as a platform for PR, its affordances and constraints have not been empirically established. Therefore, the study investigated how organizations utilize the Internet as a PR platform. Based on the study, this paper examines the affordances of Internet as PR platform in organizations. Relativist-interpretivist research paradigm and a qualitative approach utilizing the multiple case study method were adopted. A total of 45 participants was selected. These comprised nine respondents each from a financial, telecommunications, insurance, PR Agency and online shopping business. In each category of business, one person in management, two PR and communications experts (or customer care services marketing and advertising in some organizations), one ICT expert and five key stakeholders (key publics-internal/external customers) was selected. The PR organizations involved in the study were sampled purposively. In-depth interviews, observation and document analysis were used to generate data. Data analysis was done thematically. From the study findings, the key affordances or opportunities of the Internet for internal and external communication included customer feedback, social interaction, and information sharing at low cost and high speed. The Internet was also said to enable organizations to obtain goods and services at the most convenient time and enhance brand awareness by ensuring large coverage at low costs. From these findings, it was concluded that the Internet is a vital platform for PR in organizations, despite the many constraints to its application in PR. Therefore, the study recommends that organizations or business models formulate appropriate internet PR strategies to maximize applications and minimize potential constraints.