We are facing an era of a permanent search for new answers to contemporary environmental, political and social challenges. The public, as producers, receivers or users have wide access to information and tend to be more exposed to communication, being an essential element in this equation.

Publics are at the origin of the paradigm changes, thus they have the power to influence behaviors, individually or being part of organizations and they ask for different ways of behavior from the organizations. From the other side, themselves, acting as citizens, are at the same time change agents with a strong ability to influence decision making.

Considering the role of strategic communications not only for the organizations but also to the society, publics’ dimension must be considered as an essential element. When understanding strategic communication as a strategic function with clear goals to achieve, stakeholder mapping i.e., the work to and with public it’s not a nice, but a must-have in the whole process. Through strategic communication operationalized via public relations and advertising actions, it’s possible to improve the publics’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.

In this context, can strategic communication be understood as a way to boost public participation, assuming them as key players in a changing environment?

http://www.cecs.uminho.pt/en/como-promover-a-participacao-dos-publicos-atraves-da-comunicacao-estrategica/?fbclid=IwAR1DA_590X_becesC9ksBiQu138hkWlp0gdSvH-NIETcwCabBiW2iCcNOmw