In the public eye/ Pred očima javnosti

Directors of successful companies know the importance of good publicity in order to sell their products or services. No matter how good your products or services might be, without the right public image and good public relations, you might not be able to achieve the desired results.

Public relations (used with a plural verb) are the methods and activities employed to establish and promote a favourable relationship with the public. Most large companies have Public Relations (PR) departments dedicated to managing their relations with the media, or they might use the services of publicity experts (individual publicists or publicity firms), whose job is to publicise, or inform and promote to the public the activities and qualities of their clients.

Similarly, publicity is a term used to describe the process of disseminating information or products through various media to gain public interest. Any type of publicity can be good for business, even notoriety, as long as it attracts public attention and keeps the person or company in the public eye (or limelight). The media is often known to kick up a lot of dust even when the actual story might not have much substance. Publicity achieved by means of exaggeration and sensationalism is called hype or, sometimes, a ballyhoo. Some people even resort to publicity stunts, or extreme actions to attract public attention. However, it is often disappointing when products or people do not live up to the hype, i.e. when it turns out that they aren’t what we thought they were. There are also people who avidly pursue publicity since publicity usually brings money and they are referred to as publicity hounds.

In general, ‘the public’ as a noun means the community as a whole, or it can mean a group of people sharing a common interest (e.g. the reading public), in which sense it can also be called an audience. As an adjective, ‘public’ describes anything related or used by all (public transport, a public house (pub), a public library, public funds, etc.), or known to all (a public scandal, a public statement, etc.).

If you go public with something, you reveal to the public a previously unknown or secret piece of information, e.g. The notorious businessman finally had to go public with the scandal. So if you are a public figure, be careful what you do publicly or in public, because it will soon become public knowledge. Or is that perhaps just what you wanted?