More than three quarters of business fail to understand what public relations is, according to research by one online PR firm.

The finding came to light as pr2go, the online PR business, conducted extensive market research for the launch of a new service. And the firm’s chief executive has blamed the PR industry itself for failing to provide clarity.

“The thing that has appalled me is the lack of understanding of what PR really is,” said CEO James Hobday. “We’re not talking your average man in the street here, we’re talking marketing managers and directors of large businesses with multiple regional sites needing localised PR. We spoke to more than 500 business people and for them to have such a weak understanding of what PR means suggests that PR practitioners are missing the mark when it comes to demonstrating and justifying their product,” he said.