Andréia Athaydes

Public relations licensing in Brazil: evolution and the views of professionals

Abstract Public relations has been licensed in Brazil since 1967. Federal and regional councils enforce the law on a limited basis, and penalize those who do not comply with legislation. This article summarizes the evolution of public relations licensing and presents the opinions of registered professionals in southern Brazil. Participants clearly agreed that licensing benefits their clients and organizations and should be maintained. Respondents also agreed that licensing legitimizes the profession, enhances its reputation, and benefits practitioners. Participants did not feel that licensing makes it difficult for other people to practice public relations illegally. Federal and regional councils continue to strengthen procedures to promote and enforce a recently improved definition of public relations and its functions. Consequently, an amendment to the law was written through national gatherings of professionals and educators.