The many faces of engagement: Toward a public-centered approach

The concept of engagement has emerged as a valuable framework to think about alternative ways to theorize public relations. This paper seeks to contribute to ongoing conversations about engagement approaches to public relations. We argue that public relations research about engagement has taken a very organizational centric approach that focuses almost exclusively on how organizations engage groups. This type of research focus is only one half of the engagement equation. This paper argues for a public-centered approach that focuses on how publics can cocreate meaning in their engagement with organizations. The paper explores the past literature and identifies a roadmap for future theorizing about engagement from a publics’ perspective