And Now It’s Time For A Few Words With The CEO
I talk frequently with young people who seek to jump start their careers at my company. About every fifth one has majored in PR at school or say their burning desire is to be a PR person. When I ask them why, they often say, ” Because I like working with people. ”
“Wonderful, I respond, but you are not applying to be the Pope. What do you think PR has to do with serving the needs of humanity?” And they stare at me blank faced. Why this glazed expression? Because they, like so many others-including those we would think should know better-really haven’t much a clue about what PR is or should be.
Which is really our fault. We are the influencers, communicators, idea shapers and we allow most of the Western world to be in a baffled state as to what we do and why we do it? This has to change.
Let’s start with the name. Public relations? Sounds like a course in etiquette or a State Department code name for turning the masses in a third world state against the ruling junta. Why don’t we say what it really is: The Incredibly Important Function Of Making Or Shaping News.
Ok, hold that thought. Let it seep in. Remember, in case you have forgotten, how vital that function is to every company, every organization, every leader. And with this powerful realization frozen in your mind, recognize that the first market you need to “sell” is your company or clients’ senior management. Because too many don’t get it. I addressed a global conference of the world’s leading CEOs in Germany last October. If I had announced that my subject was PR, the hosts would have said, “thanks, but please stay home.” But not if I told them and sold them on the Incredibly Important Function Of Making and Shaping The News. That they would want to hear. That they would need to hear.
In most cases, senior management values PR below finance, manufacturing, HR, sales and marketing. And PR people abhor that. But I say it is our fault. They can’t respect it if they don’t know what it truly is. If they don’t know that it saved Tylenol. That it made the iPod. That it keeps Jack Welch a legend. And that it can do the same for them.
Isn’t it time we did PR for PR?
on January 30th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Interesting post Mark. It’s true that most senior management value PR below almost everything else yet count on PR to make themselves and their company’s look good. For a long time now I have made the argument that one of the main reasons for this is because PR is are not synonymous with business and it needs to be. It is impossible to perform effective PR campaigns if the publicist performing the campaign doesn’t understand the business objectives the campaign is trying to promote. In fact, PR people need to be as up to speed on basic business trends, tactics, market movements, etc. as much as the management teams of our clients do and in many cases even more so.
A CEO should be able to tell you everything happening within their business but a good PR person should be able to tell you that as well as what is happening with the other players in their market. So how do we start to change the perception of PR? I think it starts in college. I was one of those PR majors you mention in your post. What is interesting is through the course of earning my degree; I was never forced to take one single business class. How do you perform effective PR campaigns if you don’t get basic business principles? Many potential candidates come across my desk interviewing for a job that were PR majors in college. I ask all of them if they took business classes while earning their degree and the majority always says no. Shouldn’t colleges and universities who offer PR degrees understand that they are not doing their students justice by not requiring business classes to be a part of the major? Subsequently, shouldn’t business majors today be required to take basic PR classes to round out their communication skills? Requiring marketing classes is just not good enough.
The perception of PR people will change when the junior people entering the field are equipped with the necessary resources to succeed from day one - - and just ‘liking to work with people’ is NOT one of those resources.