PR and NGOs : Friends or Foes ?

NGOs and corporations have very different goals. NGOs try to raise awareness or change attitudes while corporations try to make profit.
The practice of public relations has often been associated with corporations. In fact, PR was perceived as a tool used for the promotion of corporations; which obviously makes PR part of the bad guys by opposition to NGOs being the good guys. This perception has lead NGO activists not to associate with PR professionals. However, whether this perception still exists or has started to fade, the tools NGOs use to communicate with their stakeholders to reach their goals are the same as the one used by PR people.
Whether it is to raise funds or awareness or to prevent something from happening, activists use events (demonstrations), celebrities and experts, social media etc.
Moreover there is more and more cooperation between NGOs and PR agencies.
As an example, Ogilvy and WWF have been working together since 1977.

Take a look at this video which was produced as part of the new WWF campaign:

WWF - We Are All Connected from Troublemakers.tv on Vimeo.