Value-Based Communication Practices in the Russian Public Relations Environment

Abstract

The article examines successful value-based communication practices in Russia's professional public relations environment. The study seeks to identify the forms in which civic identity and interethnic harmony are represented in professional PR campaigns and the means by which communication practices connect organizational objectives with those of society and the state. The empirical basis comprises 105 cases from a 2025 professional PR competition, including projects submitted by winners and shortlisted entrants. The methodology is based on qualitative content analysis, a multiple-case study, and a coding system developed specifically for this research. It encompasses value clusters, forms of representation of civic identity, narrative models, historical models, types of collectivity, and the depth and consistency of communication. Three observable forms were identified: explicit, integrated, and neutral or displaced. Explicit engagement was found in 10% of the cases, integrated engagement in 31%, and neutral or displaced engagement in 59%. The findings show that value-oriented vocabulary alone does not create a civic "we." Civic identity emerges when a value is connected with an addressee, an image of collectivity, a participation mechanism, and a socially significant outcome.