Western European Perspectives on the Development of Public Relations

Other Voices

T. Watson

• Publisher: Palgrave Pivot
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781137427519
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Strategy
• Index: Business

The National Perspectives on the Development of Public Relations: Other Voices series is the first to offer an authentic world-wide view of the history of public relations. It will feature six books, five of which will cover continental and regional groups. This book in the series focuses on Western Europe.

1

Austria

Astrid Spatzier

Abstract: The development of public relations (PR) in Austria since 1945, across three phases, is reported and analyzed in this chapter. The first phase outlines key dates and the development of PR practice during the period of the ‘Occupying Powers’ from 1945 to 1955; the second refers to the period of the ‘economic miracle’ after 1955; and the third highlights the period from 1983 to the present, in which PR slowly became apparent in the field of communication science and practice in Austria.

Keywords: Austria; interaction modalities; occupation-related patterns; parameters to public relations practice; public relations as a journalism function; public relations as a promotion tool

Watson, Tom (ed.). Western European Perspectives on the Development of Public Relations: Other Voices. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. DOI: 10.1057/9781137427519.0005.

This chapter demonstrates the development of public relations (PR) practice in Austria as an occupational field. Although there were various kinds of proto-PR practices in former times, for instance at the time of the Babenberger and Habsburger emperors, Nessmann (2004, 2008) has stated that the development of PR as an occupation in Austria began after World War II.

According to Beck, Brater and Daheim (1980), specific occupation-related patterns and procedures are required to define an occupation. Against this background and for the purpose of emphasizing the development of the occupational field, this study addresses specific occupation-related patterns and procedures in the context of public communication with an organizational frame after 1945. As a result, the orientation, tasks and interaction modalities based on the background given by witnesses lead to the understanding of PR in a timeline from 1945 onwards. Archival research is adopted to focus the facts vis-à-vis general economic, political and social history as well as in the direction of communication from the inside-out perspective. This allows the reconstruction of facts that influenced the development of PR in Austria. The results allow the drawing of conclusions regarding the characterization of occupation-related patterns and find answers to questions such as: Which types of orientation, main tasks and interactions can be identified in Austrian PR practice since 1945, and which stages can be mentioned?

First, it should be noted that orientation patterns can be seen in relation to external and internal factors. On one hand, political, economic, cultural and social circumstances and media development influenced public communication in the context of organizations. On the other, certain attitudes in society affected the economic and political minds as well as the communication. In the period of the ‘Occupying Powers’, for instance, the United States was mainly responsible for the awareness of public affairs. During the ‘economic miracle’, however, an economic boom led to an advertising boom. Crisis, conflicts and changes in the society’s attitudes affected the communication after 1983.

The development of PR as an occupation in Austria

The period of Occupation

After World War II, Austria’s population was characterized by human tragedies and material losses. Furthermore, a loss of orientation and identity was recognizable. Butschek (2012) claims that the first ten years after the end of World War II was the phase of reconstruction. The reconstruction, associated with the desire to overcome mistrust, assumed importance regarding the evolution of PR in Austria. Although the media was licensed under Allied supervision at that time, US Army soldiers led the promotion of public affairs, which opened up a new field for Austrian journalists. The US Army recruited Austrian journalists, photographers and individuals, who were well versed in writing, to document the good deeds of America in Austria. The Information Service Branch (ISB) and the United States Information Service (USIS) provided excellent support in fostering the development of a new democratic identity. The population had no great confidence in their leaders or their future and so were very interested in news and information. According to Petschar (2005), long queues formed in front of the newsletter outlets. Journalists and organizations were invited to report on the early economic successes and cultural events. Major construction projects, the first festival of the post-war period in Salzburg in 1945, the reopening of the State Opera and the Burgtheater in Vienna were some occasions with content for reporting. Advertising of information was undertaken by organizations with the aim to overcome mistrust and to promote the economic and infrastructural achievements in the middle of the Reconstruction era. Although the term ‘public relations’ was not often used, public information in the context of organizational frames was available under the terms of public affairs, press and advertising. The main tasks were similar to those of journalism and advertising. Promotional and informational texts were written in order to overcome mistrust.

According to Gröpel (1953), PR was understood as an art and therefore a special feeling was essential. Doppelreiter (1995) noted that values, such as participation and emancipation, were of particular interest in the journalistic texts of economic, political and social reorientation. The first PR course was established at the University of Vienna in the Department of Economic and Sales in 1945, and a first journal about advertising information was established a decade later in 1955 by the national advertising association. Economic scholarship was the first discipline that emphasized PR as a topic in the 1950s. Dissertations on PR written by Gröpel (1953) and Schweighardt (1954) emerged from the economic perspective at the University of Innsbruck.

The economic miracle

The date of 15 May 1955 can be considered as a turning point. The signing of the State Treaty for the re-establishment of an independent, democratic Austria on that date was the formal ending of the post-war, four-power Occupation that meant freedom for Austria.

According to Brusatti (1975), the period after 1955 led to surprisingly high sales figures due to rising consumption power. The completion of large-scale infrastructure projects, such as power plants or highways, as well as cultural and sporting events of international interest, such as the Vienna Opera Ball in 1956, the FIS World Ski Championships in 1958 in Bad Gastein, the Winter Olympic Games in 1964 in Innsbruck or the winning of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1966, were indications that post-war misery has been overcome and a new national identity gained. These positive economic and socio-political events required information and application. Mainly influenced by these circumstances, advertising as a special information field expanded strongly. The first two advertising agencies were founded in Vienna in the 1950s. Brusatti (1975) emphasizes that awareness of the economic upswing led to the unfolding of economic forces and the release of extraordinary power assets. This sentiment was reflected in the advertising industry and culture. The economic success was responsible for the development of public information in the form of advertising. Thanks to the economic boom, people were quite satisfied with the national situation and did not see the necessity to ask questions or maintain critical beliefs. This was one reason why companies were not forced to explain their responsibilities regarding commercial activities. Therefore, advertising information seemed to be sufficiently effective.

The advertising boom affected PR. According to Sturmer (2014), the first two PR agencies were founded in Vienna in 1964. Ernst Haupt-Stummer (1933–) founded ‘Pubrel Public Relations’ and Herbert Mittag (1919–2001) the agency ‘Publico’. Haupt-Stummer (2013) noted that PR’s foundation in Austria emerged from the proposition to get organizational information into the media without having to pay for advertising (E. Haupt-Stummer, personal correspondence, 13 December 2013). For Haupt-Stummer, one of the Pubrel agency’s first tasks was to improve the image of a production company. The company was struggling with a poor image due to the use of unhealthy substances. A report on the restoration of historic buildings using its products was placed in the media without paying for it. Nevertheless, this was an exception at that time (ibid.).

PR activities were perceived as being adjacent to journalism. According to Krejci (H. Krejci, personal communication, 25 April 2013), the early regular meetings with the press were organized by journalists. The club of economic journalists invited a business representative for a talk with them every week. Another kind of PR activity indicated the proximity to journalism and advertising during the economic boom. Skoff remembered that PR practitioners went to journalists with products under their arms in order to convince them to write about these products (R. Skoff, personal correspondence, 10 June 2013).

Dohle (2012) has commented that cultural, educational, ecological, structural and economic policy milestones, such as the new Salzburger Festspiele building in 1960, the reopening of the University in Salzburg in 1962, the founding of the national park in 1971, were occasions in which the dissemination of information was undertaken through advertising in the 1960s and at the beginning of the 1970s. The increasing number of such circumstances for which information distribution seemed to be important required the coordination of presswork. Nessmann (2008) has said that a working group for press officers was founded in 1968 with the task of coordinating press conferences. However, the main PR activities were journalism-based and limited to the selection of data and the writing and dissemination of information. PR practice was thus in the form of basic media relations and recognized by political organizations and very large corporations in the form of this press-related work. Tasks were either to make positive headlines or ward off unsolicited journalistic enquiries. PR practitioners and press officers were not in management positions and normally were not invited to meetings of senior management or the executive board. Small- and medium-sized companies regarded public information as unimportant.

During the mid-1970s, an east–west divide was recognizable in Austrian PR. While a small agency scene was visible in the east (in Vienna) and resulted in the main players joining the public relations club of Austria (PRCA) in 1975, PR continued to be an unknown existence in the west. This might be due to the fact that the political and economic centre of Austria was located in the east (in Vienna). The players in the east recognized earlier the possibilities given by PR compared with the organizations in the west.

Despite the international crises, such as the oil crisis in the early 1970s, Austria’s population was still satisfied. According to Urbas (1980), the people in Austria showed the highest confidence values in their government in 1974/1975 in comparison with other nations. For instance, 42 per cent of the population in Austria were very satisfied with the political actors in the government. In comparison, the highest confidence value in the United States was 16 per cent, and in Great Britain 24 per cent. Therefore, organizations were not forced to explain backgrounds or philosophies. In contrast, advertising information was considered to be sufficiently effective in this period and was still dominating the public communication in an organizational frame.

PRCA became a federation in 1980 when the ‘Public Relations Verband Austria’ (PRVA) was established. Its aim was to represent the interests of PR actors, increase awareness of PR and separate it from advertising. However, public relations came slowly into awareness. Dennis Buckle (1982), President of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), stated that it was impossible that PR did not exist in Austria, but could be compared with a submarine that exists but operates out of sight. PRVA became more professional in its operations and continuously fostered the recognition of PR. The topic of recognition was in the limelight of its first national PR day in 1981, which was organized with the aim of distinguishing PR from advertising. According to Bogner (1981), this event put PR on the media agenda for the first time ever. However, society was still ignorant of it. Bogner and Hugelmann (1981) commented that the outside perspective still associated PR with journalism and advertising. It was seen as a form of promotion. Although the PRVA made extensive communication efforts in the media to increase the recognition of PR’s roles and benefits in order to distinguish it from other communication disciplines, it unconsciously became closer to journalism and advertising. First, according to PR-Szene (1982a, p. 7), the PRVA proposed to the Association of Journalists that PR professionals be titled as ‘company journalists’. Second, according to PR-Szene (1982b, p. 4), PRVA’s intention that paid advertising in the media be clearly identified led to closer cooperation with the ‘brand association’, which promoted advertising of brands. Neither action improved PR’s professional standing in Austria as a communication discipline.

At the beginning of the 1980s two more indications for understanding PR alongside journalism and advertising were recognizable. The trade union of journalists (1980), which published an occupational profile regarding PR, highlighted the spokesman as kind of journalist with the aim to distribute information of organizations. For this reason, press releases and advertisements were understood as PR instruments. According to the trade union, the spokesman was not characterized by a specific education or training, but he was responsible for information seeking and information distribution. The tasks were defined as follows: collecting, creating and disseminating information to general or specific publics by using media or press agencies. Above all, political and trade associations and very large companies were involved to set up such media work. Second, in 1980, the first journal that reported on PR was established; it was entitled Bestseller. Though it mainly focused on advertising and marketing, it also published communication topics.

In contrast to the union’s positioning of PR in relation to journalism, PRVA (1984) tried to highlight a converse occupational profile that emphasized the responsibility of practitioners for the whole communication of organizations. Nevertheless, practitioners mainly followed the journalism orientation. Additionally, an article in Bestseller (1982) reported that PR was understood as inexpensive advertising.

Public relations in times of crisis and conflicts

Crisis, conflicts and changes in the society’s attitude influenced the communication behaviour in the 1980s. Wachta (1984) considered the management of pollution crises to be the motor of development for PR. Austrians started to ask questions and express critical attitudes, which forced companies to explain their products, services and philosophy. PR was a convenient tool for this task, but it still highlighted the information paradigm. Conflict resolution was also based on that simple scheme. In this context, PR came more and more into the awareness of companies, society and communication science. The journalism orientation, however, continued to be the main model of practice emphasizing the use of journalistic skills and knowledge and associated craft skills, such as writing. PR came slowly into the awareness of communication science scholarship and education. According to Enichlmayr (1984), a traineeship in PR was introduced at the Institute for Communication Science at the University Salzburg in autumn 1982. In the winter term 1983––1984, a first PR course was established at the University of Salzburg and ‘Public Relations Practice in Austria’, edited by Signitzer (1984) emerged from it. This was the first observation of the status quo...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Introduction
• 1  Austria
• 2  Finland
• 3  France
• 4  Germany
• 5  Greece
• 6  Italy
• 7  Netherlands and Belgium
• 8  Scandinavia
• 9  Spain
• 10  United Kingdom
• Index