Examining devotional campaigns and stakeholder-centric relationships in public relations materials: a case study

ABSTRACT The relationship management perspective and research on organization–public relationships have dominated the pages of public relations journals for decades. This has resulted in scholarship that heavily focuses on organization–public relationships, while overlooking other relationships that organizations strive to cultivate through their public relations efforts. This study applied the devotional campaign framework to addresses gaps in relationship management research regarding other relationships organizations strive to foster, including intra-stakeholder relationships and relationships with an object of devotion. Results from a mixed method case study, including a quantitative content analysis of 820 public relations materials and interviews with communication employees within a religious organization, suggest that organizations strive to foster organization–public relationships, a relationship between stakeholders and an object of devotion, and intra-stakeholder relationships. Findings advance relationship management theory and provide an updated framework for analyzing relational goals and messages in public relations materials.