In this article, PR NEWS speaks to the authors of two new communications books.
In the first conversation, we speak to Michael Morley, president of the New York office of Edelman, who provides fresh insight into the future of PR in a global theater. We interviewed Morley about his just-released book, "How to Manage Your Global Reputation," published by Macmillan Press Ltd.
PRN: What was the motivation for your book and how does it differ from what already has been said and published?
Morley: I was asked [by Macmillan and] Norman Hart, series editor of Studies in Public Relations, to fill a gap. We conceived the idea based on the knowledge that there are quite a lot of entry-level books on PR and at the other end, there are academic discourses that are less in the area of day-to-day communications and more in the area of psychology. It also seemed like there was nothing that covered global PR - I was originally asked to write about multi-country programs, and there are substantial differences between this type of PR and others [that are based on the U.S. PR paradigm].
Second, there was nothing for the fairly senior PR person who had already been practicing or someone in management. What a lot of PR people are recognizing is that most MBA courses have nothing on PR, so breeding CEOs and others who - other than instinct - don't have experience in this area is difficult.
PRN: What's fresh in the book concerning the convergence of management and PR?
Morley: What is important is this concept of where PR is going. It's being driven by so many factors - technology, the unification of nations into trading blocks and the hugely potent factor of democracy. PR doesn't flourish at all in totalitarian states and when the iron curtain came down, other states and regions turned much more democratic as well. Worldwide, PR's turned from being a nice to have to being an essential ingredient in management processes.
PRN: Why the need?
Morley: People are more educated - consumers make more careful decisions and we have to think about their needs and wishes much more clearly. My book focuses on the fourth wave of PR and its development. The third wave of PR (where we are right now) is characterized by thinking globally and acting locally. Here's an analogy, someone sitting in a penthouse somewhere has a brilliant idea, and takes it and adapts it for local taste around the world. But you just can't have this communication, blast it out and expect everyone will react the same way - so you customize it for different markets.
But this next wave is much more sophisticated - you think local and act global. It's the reverse of that.
If you think about the notion that someone in New York or Paris has the best idea and all that has to be done is flavor it for taste is a bit imperialistic. The best companies will be the ones who get in the minds of all the people in all the markets, figure out what they want and how they respond, and put that in a composite packet.
Thomas L. Harris has earned a reputation as a consultant, professor and lecturer on the role of PR in marketing. His 1991 book on the subject, "The Marketer's Guide to Public Relations," was the first devoted to the subject. His new book, "Value-Added Public Relations: The Secret Weapon of Integrated Marketing," was published this month by NTC Contemporary Books.
PRN: You speak about how PR is becoming an ally to marketing. What do you think has been the catalyst for this?
Harris: I think that when I went into this field 30 years ago, PR was little understood by most marketing people. But today, they understand that it's integral to what they do. One thing that has affected this is the declining effectiveness of advertising and the fact that companies realize they have to get more bang for the marketing buck. It's understood that advertising isn't the automatic answer and it's expensive.
PRN: Do you think advertising now recognizes the power of PR?
Harris: ...On the agency side, consider the fact that virtually every major ad agency has paid a high premium to buy an established PR firm and you'll realize that they know their clients' marketing needs can't be satisfied by paid media alone. Some have found a way to integrate advertising and PR seamlessly. Take Bozell's milk mustache campaign, which is a totally integrated campaign.
PRN: Name a company that has historically used PR and one that hasn't.
Harris: I would say that McDonald's has consistently used PR as an important part of marketing and Burger King, on the other hand, hasn't. BK has been very sporadic - it has bursts of activity, but no long-range commitment to strategic PR.
McDonald's actually relied on PR before it could afford to advertise and still counts on community relations to build brand loyalty now that it has a gigantic ad budget.
PRN: And what about one that has discovered the value of PR of late?
Harris: I often talk about the U.S. Postal Service. It was asleep for the first 100 years and then it had the success of the Elvis thing. Now it has "Celebrate the Century" that uses PR to get people to vote for their favorite subjects from the most recent decade of the the century that they want to see represented on stamps. It's another truly integrated marketing campaign where PR plays a key role.
(Edelman, 212/768-0550; Thomas Harris, 847/266-1026)