The Future of PR

Throughout out my years of study it has always been interesting to gauge people’s reaction when I say I’m studying public relations. A lot of people don’t understand what public relations is and respond with ‘’so you study marketing?’’. Public relations efforts are very hard to be quantified and I believe this adds to the public opinion on the practice. When people cannot quantify the effect of the practice they believe it is unnecessary and a waste of money.

It is very hard to quantify the value of PR efforts. At the consultancy I interned with, staff used ‘’add value sheets’’ which equates the media publicity to the cost it would have been if we paid to advertise in the strip. However this method is still inadequate as positive public relations efforts far exceed the value of a normal advertisement as it comes from an un-biased source; one that has appears to have credibility. A great PR campaign can certainly have the ability to increase profitability in an organization but again proving this can be a little difficult. Companies may look at the linear relationship between PR efforts and sales but this still is not definite evidence. Various other factors in the market place all affect the sales amount and it is hard for PR practitioners to identify the exact impact of their PR efforts.

As companies grow, the need for PR department’s increase as the market places get cluttered with old, new and emerging companies. PR is vital for organizations to reach out to key stakeholders and build longstanding relationships to advance, promote and benefit the reputation of the company. If a firm does not use public relations in their strategies they cannot effectively portray a desired image to their audiences. Especially with all the new media communication forms, having PR professionals execute a business strategy is vital to create a successful corporation.

It's not what you know; it's who you know!

Since beginning my internship I have really found the saying ‘’it’s who you know not what you know’’ to be true. I have always heard this notion thrown around in the business world but had not yet seen it put into practice. The slogan originated in Philadelphia in 1918 when shipyard workers along the Delaware River adopted a war slogan all of their own being ‘’It’s not what you know; it’s who you know’’.

The first time I encountered this saying was when I was applying for internships. After sending my resume out to a few Perth based PR consultancy firms I was disappointed when I had no replies. Then I remembered a contact I had made whilst on set for fashion shoot in Sydney last year. She owned a PR agency over east and had given me her email for future contact. I emailed her and got a reply straight away with the direct email addresses of PR agency owners in Melbourne along with a reference she had written for me. Within a few days I had a Placement at a top Melbourne PR Fashion and Lifestyle agency. This was all due to a contact I had made last year. It truly pays off to be friendly to all people you meet as you never know when you will need to call on their kindness at a later date.

Again I found this notion to be true when I was planning a large event for a client at my PR Consultancy. The party was very last minute and required a small number of influential people to attend a first birthday of a high end jewelry brand. Luckily everyone who worked in the office was connected to at least 1 influential person whether they were a blogger, journalist, photographer or socialite. I learnt these connections were made through various portals; friends of friends, neighbors, ex co workers and even through family friends. The party was a success and made the social pages of influential newspapers and magazines. This was all due to the personal relationships the girls in the office had with other influential people.

Public Relations is all about creating positive and memorable relationships and this is a key skill learnt whilst networking. Once communication has commenced in a relationship both participants can pull on that mutually beneficial relationship. Such is the relationship between PR practitioners and journalists. Both are able to help each other in creating both a successful article and a successful PR campaign.

So next time you interact with someone in the office, at an event or even sitting on a plane just remember to be friendly as you never know what could come from the relationship.

Just Remeber To Backup!

Electronic media is enjoying broader use as new technologies and electronic devises are being produced. Currently over 50% of people in Australia get their news online. This has dramatically changed the face of Public Relations as the main forms of media are changing from traditional methods such as print and television to online. The creation of online communities has been both a challenge and an opportunity for the public relations world. Mass communication is much easier however it is much harder to control the message being sent.

Throughout my time at my internship I noted that more and more modern technology forms are being used to communicate between clients, practitioners and the media. Updates on client activities are occurring via email rather than telephone or in person. On my first day I received over 30 emails form staff members in the same office as me. At first I thought this was very strange and was even tempted to walk over and reply in person. However I soon learnt that email really was the most effective tool of communication. This way a message could be send to more than 1 person at a time, could be forwarded on to others and could be recorded for future reference.

Consultancies are now offering social media packages as well as traditional print, TV and radio packages. In a fast pace world, PR practitioners must be ahead of the game when offering communication strategies. If they don’t acknowledge the changing form of communication they will simply be left behind. Success in the online world involves knowing what the audience will respond to. Posts, tweets and photos all need to be relevant to the target audience in order for them to respond positively to the post. A simple generic media release is simply not adequate in today’s media landscape. Brands need to be communicating via various media sources in order to gain maximum publicity. This changing way of communication is very exciting and a progressive way of thinking for Public Relations Practitioners…Just remember to back up!

The Ethics of Ethics

The principle of ethics is thrown around loosely when it comes to Public Relations. Many believe they are simply two mutually exclusive terms that cannot be used in the same sentence. However throughout my time at my internship I have discovered that not only are ethical practices used, they are the underlying factor to all decisions made by PR practitioners.

Throughout my studies at university we have been strongly taught the importance of ethical behavior in the workforce. In all units we are asked to consider the ethical thinking behind all the decisions we make throughout both university and in our day to day life. Seeing these theories play out in the real working environment was an eye opener to me and really reinforced the teachings I learnt throughout university.

During my internship I came across a very real ethical dilemma in which the consultancy had to choose between monetary rewards and ethical responsibility. The consultancy was approach by a Not-for-Profit organization needing help with their upcoming large fundraising ball. The company could not afford the standard large fee of the company’s services but asked if they would reduce the fee for the charity. The consultancy was put in a difficult situation as they can only take on a limited amount of clients due to scarce resources. Ultimately the consultancy agreed to help the charity at a subsidized fee.

As communication professionals we have the upper hand on the public and are in a privileged position in society. As well as conducting a profitable business we have a social responsibility to give back to society and better the world. The knowledge and skill set of the consultancy had so much to offer the charity and presented them with an excellent media strategy. All though for a consultancy it is not viable to offer their services to all Not-for-Profit charities it is ethically responsible and presents their practice in a positive light if they are able to make a small difference to those in need.