Public Relations Myopia: Long – Term Effects of Using PR as the Marketing Aid

Public relations (PR) is increasingly subordinated to marketing objectives, often functioning as a tactical extension for short – term sales generation rather than a strategic tool for relationship management. This paper introduces the concept of “PR Myopia” – a parallel to Theodore Levitt’s “marketing myopia” – to describe the existential risk organizations face when they prioritize immediate sales gains over long – term stakeholder trust, particularly through the use of deceptive practices such as fabricated “fake news”. Employing a longitudinal research design with 178 participants, this study investigates how repeated exposure to disinformation affects stakeholder belief trajectories and evaluates the efficacy of restorative, truthful communication in rebuilding that trust. The empirical results demonstrate that repeated exposure to disinformation leads to a rapid, severe, and uniform collapse in stakeholder belief. Crucially, the research finds that the “restorative” effect of genuine corporate communication is negligible; once trust is destroyed, stakeholders become entrenched in skepticism and dismiss even verified information – such as financial earnings reports or safety updates – as further deception. The study concludes that “PR Myopia” results in a state of permanent relational bankruptcy, warning that short – term promotional gains inevitably invite long – term reputational blindness and organizational failure.