Públicos

Públicos is the plural form of público in Spanish and Portuguese. It refers to groups of people considered as audiences, publics, or stakeholders by an organization, institution, or medium. The singular público can denote the general public or the audience at a specific event; the plural, públicos, emphasizes the existence of several distinct groups.

In marketing, communications, and public relations, the term designates audience segments or stakeholder groups that an entity aims to reach or engage. It is common to speak of segmentación de públicos and to classify públicos internos (employees, volunteers) and públicos externos (customers, media, communities). The concept supports tailored messaging and channel selection according to each group’s interests and needs.

In policy making and organizational communication, públicos are the groups affected by a decision or issue, or those who hold influence over it. They can include citizens, clients, employees, journalists, civil society organizations, and other societal actors. Engagement with different publics may involve dialogue, consultations, transparency initiatives, and targeted information campaigns.

Etymology: the term derives from Latin publicus. In both Spanish and Portuguese, it remains a widely used plural noun to denote multiple audience or stakeholder groups, particularly in Latin American and Lusophone contexts.