Are we wasting our time?

A recent PR Week survey found that 34% of polled employers thought that PR degrees made applicants less attractive than graduates from other disciplines, while 43% said that PR qualifications didn’t make a potential candidate any more or less attractive. (PR Week, 2009) The results of the poll are particularly worrying for a student half way through a graduate-level PR course.

Additionally, a look at the global leadership of Burson-Marsteller highlighted that 8 of its top 16 positions were filled by individuals with degrees from other subject areas, ranging from Accounts, Industrial Relations, Politics and Journalism.

In light of these revelations, I still believe a PR degree is an invaluable tool for building a knowledge base and understanding theories and practical approaches utilized in the working world of public relations. Some employers are devaluing the significance of PR qualifications as they may be threatened by individuals who have formal education in the field. PR graduates set themselves aside from others sporting alternate credentials by showcasing their commitment to the industry and acquisition of basic skills needed to perform productively within the sector.

Personal qualities and contacts are indeed necessary for success within public relations. An individual who is a good communicator, creative and sociable will undoubtedly pave the way to relishing in a PR function. However, in light of the competitive arena for obtaining increasingly limited positions, PR qualifications will help to set aside a graduate from the rest of field, as the individual will be able to demonstrate PR-focused skills and knowledge obtained during the course of studies.

References

Burson-Marsteller, (2009). Global Leadership. [online] Available from: <http://www.burson-marsteller.com/About_Us/Global_Leadership/Pages/default.aspx> [Accessed 30 March 2009].

PR Week, (2009). Agency Heads Unconvinced by PR Degrees. [online] Available from: <

http://www.prweek.com/uk/search/article/890349/Agency-heads-unconvinced-PR-degrees/> [Accessed 30 March 2009].

Whose job is it anyway?

The Institute of Social Marketing defines its discipline as that which ‘is concerned with the application of marketing knowledge, concepts, and techniques to enhance social as well as economic ends. It is also concerned with the analysis of the social consequences of marketing policies, decisions and activities’. (Lazer and Kelly, 1973) Social marketing looks at negative human behaviours such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption and seeks to implement campaigns aimed at changing such actions.

It’s as if the ‘marketing profession’ grew a conscience and recognized that it was one of the key factors contributing to the rise of destructive activities; 'they' were the ones that made smoking and binge drinking cool. On the other hand, they're probably just being clever and came up with another avenue through which to make more money. Social marketing is in effect the marketing industry’s very own CSR.

During Sean Kidney’s recent lecture at the University of Westminster, he presented an approach identical to how PR specialists tackle problems and formulate campaigns: understanding the context, defining objectives and how they will be measured, determining target audiences and developing strategic solutions.

My primary concern in listening to his presentation, was a nagging question of how I, as the PR practitioner fit into everything. With all this talk about solutions usually lying in changing the physical environment, altering legislation and adjusting prices, where does the PR role fit it? To some degree social marketing sounds like a great arena to enter as I’d simply do some probing, get some research done, throw my hands in the air and point to the MP or structural engineer who’d be in a better position to effect change.

I would argue that although these solutions have their merit, something has to be said about communication and its role in educating individuals. Change cannot come about unless there is an awareness of the problem and potential solutions; therein lays the pathway through which PR can make a noteworthy contribution.

The video clip below, a stunt done by the popular TRUTH campaign in the US, highlights the usefulness of PR in social marketing campaigns.

References

Institute for Social Marketing (2007). What is Social Marketing [online] Available from: <http://www.ism.stir.ac.uk/what_is_social_marketing.htm> [Accessed 30 March 2009].

Sean Kidney (2009). Strategy. [online] Available from: <http://www.seankidney.com/resources/social-change-strategy-checklist> [Accessed 30 March 2009].

You Tube (2009). Infect Truth’s Commercial, Baby Invasion. [online] Available from: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do5eTAg9qMo> [Accessed 30 March 2009].

If you fail to prepare....

No matter what you’re in the business of, be it a child nursery, a dog grooming company or hotel chain, something’s bound to go wrong. It’s only a matter of time before you lose a kid, accidentally slice a cocker spaniel or expose a customer or 2 or 100 to bed mites. Getting over the ‘it’ll never happen to me’ rhetoric is half the battle but then you also need to implement a crisis management plan before disaster strikes.

According to Wilcox et al (2003, p. 184), there are a number of strategies a company may choose to utilize in order to deal with a crisis; techniques which can aptly be demonstrated by a restaurant in the wake of a mild food poisoning incident.

Attack the accuser

Restaurant: ‘Which self-respecting person orders pork on a Wednesday anyway?’

Denial
Restaurant: Define ‘your pork’? Just because it came out of our kitchen, was served on our plate in our restaurant doesn’t really mean it’s ours per say. Couldn’t the wholesaler or farmer also claim possession?’

Excuse
Restaurant: To be fair, that pork came in here with an attitude...

Justification
Restaurant: The customers looked like the ‘I prefer it rear type...’

Ingration
Restaurant: ‘We totally understand, we’d be embarrassed if we threw up in public too’

Corrective Action
Restaurant: Free pork, on the house, for a year!!

Full Apology
Restaurant: ‘Sorry, our bad...’

During a recent crisis management exercise it became blatantly clear that the underlying message is to prepare, act quickly and stick to the facts. Sounds simple enough but many companies fail to conduct a risk audit, others take too long to respond as we saw with President Bush and the 911 attacks and the class activity highlighted the dangers of making assumptions and being pressured into delivering false statements.

In the midst of a crisis, an organization is put centre-stage and its communications and behaviours are carefully scrutinized. It is therefore imperative that companies prepare for such inevitable occasions and turn disasters into a showcase of knowledge, expertise, care, concern and some good ole common sense.

References

Wilcox, D., Cameron, G. Ault, P., Agee, W., (2003). Public Relations Strategies and Tactics. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Women... Check... Racial and Ethnic Minorities... Not So Much

The public relations industry is charged with establishing relationships with a cross-section of groups particularly in areas with diverse populations. Despite the multi-ethnic nature of its audiences, the PR sector displays a predominantly Caucasian makeup and efforts to embrace diversity are limited and painstakingly slow.

It seems fairly obvious and good business sense to embrace employees who reflect the target groups of campaigns and promotions. How can a PR practitioner confidently understand an audience if there is no genuine insight into how such groups think, communicate and interact? ‘The environment will not be understood in the same way by everyone who considers it’. (Grunig et al, 2001, p. 135) It seems that previous faux pas committed in various PR campaigns could have been avoided if a multicultural employee base were incorporated.

So what is the underlying cause for this lack of culturally varied workers in the PR sector?

Image plays an important role in shaping perceptions of who is an ‘ideal PR specialist’. Again popular portrayals of PR practitioners are always Caucasian men and women, from Sliding Doors to the West Wing, the gender may change but the race does not.

Additionally, prominent practitioners are almost always white. Lord Bell and Max Clifford as well as past and current directors of the CIPR and PRSA are all from the same racial profile. Who then do ethnic minorities have as a role model when deciding on a career path? As it currently stands, PR is not being presented as a viable career option for individuals of ethnic minority descent and the problem begins before people even decide on the college course they’re going to embark on.

It’s great that the CIPR is shedding some light on this issue by creating a diversity site but more still needs to be done. More proactive steps need to be taken in order to challenge prevailing stereotypes about the industry through mentoring programmes, career talks and job workshops.

References

Chartered Institute of Public Relations, (2000). Diversity Matters [online] Available from:

<http://www.cipr.co.uk/diversity/> [Accessed 29 March 2009].

Grunig, L., Toth, E., Hon L., (2001). Women in Public Relations: How Gender Influences Practice. New York, NY: The Gilford Press.

A Cynical Look at CSR

Let me just point out from the onset that I’m all for giving back to the community; I’m a little less keen on the reasons why corporations adopt CSR programmes, and apparently I’m not alone. ‘The most frequently asked question by consumers and observers of PR is whether these intentions and behaviours are genuine.’ (Moloney, 2000, p. 106)

Ultimately business is about making money, sugar coat it as much as you’d like but the desired objective is financial gain. Many corporations such as Nike and Wal-Mart, have previously adopted the ‘take no prisoners’ approach, which saw poor wages, excessive hours, deplorable working conditions and child labour. In light of public outcry, corporate social responsibility programmes were adopted. It begs the question if it is ‘about doing the right thing or simply making a company look good’. (Parsons, 2004) Would either company have adopted rigorous CSR initiatives if they hadn’t been found out?

To add to the scepticism, CSR has become a booming business since the 1990s. More and more organizations have ‘suddenly’ found the need to participate in CSR projects. It’s quite ironic, with the exception of Edelman PR, that global public relations agencies such as Ketchum, Burson-Marsteller and Fleishman-Hillard, all prominently advertise their CSR services but do not produce their own CSR reports. PR organizations are all about promotion, if they had comprehensive CSR schemes, they would undoubtedly publicize them. An interesting case of NOT practising what you preach.

Speaking of publicity, you get loads by having a CSR programme; your company gets included in various lists about corporate giving and being green, numerous articles, interviews and you even get awarded for being good. But no, no, no it’s really not about all that. It’s also interesting to note the presentation of CSR reports, glossy covers, bright pictures, I can scarcely tell the difference between them and fashion magazines. But alas it’s about doing good and not that publicity stuff.

So at the end of the day is the effort really worth it? Nike didn’t succumb to its child labour allegations and in 2006 Wal-Mart was voted as the top CSR Corporation in a Reputation Institute survey. Go figure!!

And don’t let me even start on PR practitioners as the organizational ‘moral agents’....

References

Forbes.com, 2006. The Best Corporate Citizens. [online] Available from: <http://www.forbes.com/2006/11/26/leadership-CSR-walmart-lead-citizen-cx_mw_1128reputation.html> [Accessed 29 March 2009].

Moloney, K., (2000). Rethinking Public Relations: PR, Propaganda and Democracy. 2nd Edition New York: Routledge.

Stereotypes are still alive and well...

Prevailing stereotypes of women and men have contributed to the unequal stratification of genders within the PR industry. Popular media has fed into the notion that jobs carried out by women are somehow less important than those traditionally done by their male counterparts.

As an industry primarily dominated by females, TV and movies mainly present the PR sector as glamorous, metropolitan, young, trendsetting and exhilarating. Authors Trevor Morris and Simon Goldsworthy agree that ‘PR is portrayed on the big and small screen as a sexy, fast moving, well-paid, exciting job’ (2008, p.16). Popular shows such as Sex and the City and Absolutely Fabulous have helped to perpetuate this myth of endless party planning and thrilling lifestyles but have also presented PR activities as ditzy and frivolous. After all, the programmes are looking to entertain and somehow writing press releases and developing campaign plans doesn’t quite seem possess the wow factor.

On the other hand, men are portrayed as being assertive, decision makers, often occupying powerful positions in corporate communications and politics. The party planning component doesn’t transfer to the men, understandably so, as they’re barely capable of getting together dinner plans for two. And yet again the pervasive stereotype rears its head!!

Although the entertainment world has misrepresented and exaggerated what public relations entails, it has accurately presented gender inequalities within the sector. So why then are female PR practitioners unable to advance to senior management positions in the real world practice of PR?

Author Larissa Grunig has pointed out a number of key factors, which she believes are fuelling the segregation of men and women within the public relations practice. She asserts that although women have made significant advancements within the world of work, they are still primarily viewed as caregivers (2001, p. 306). Additionally, women are faced with other obstacles such as sexual harassment, some are penalized for being young and attractive, and females also suffer because ‘men have become a rarity in public relations [and they] are increasingly prized at the expense of qualified women’. (2001, p.314).

Essentially, PR is like a polygamous marriage, there are tons of women around but it’s ultimately the man running the show.

It will take some time before women really begin to make inroads into leading the PR industry as stereotypes have and will continue to hold back progression. It is comforting to recall, however, that an African American was recently elected as US President in spite of prevailing negative assumptions about Blacks; a powerful reminder that with hard work and perseverance anything is achievable.

References

Morris, T. and Goldsworthy, S., (2008). PR: A Persuasive Industry? Spin, Public Relations, and the Shaping of the Modern Media. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

Grunig, L., Toth, E., Hon L., (2001). Women in Public Relations: How Gender Influences Practice. New York, New York: The Gilford Press.

Can you regulate ethics???

To many ‘public relations ethics’ sounds like a laughable oxymoron at best. In an industry deemed as salacious and deceitful, could the adoption of a code have any real merit or is just another PR stunt?

In an attempt to spin its way into.. ahm.. I mean obtain recognition as a ‘true’ profession, the leading PR associations, the UK’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and US’ Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) have enacted codes of conduct, which seek to guide practitioners’ behaviours. Both organizations have emphasized the importance of ethics in PR and the role it plays in establishing the practice as honest and trustworthy. Tench and Yeomans (2006), however, view the CIPR’s policy as an ‘aspirational and rhetorical document rather than codes that really restrict and sanction inadequate or unethical conduct.’ (p. 74). Similar complaints have been made against the PRSA’s attempt to influence the actions of its members.

Could the failures of the CIPR Code of Conduct and PRSA Code of Ethics stem from an inability to regulate personal ethics? Are rules about moral principles even feasible?

These are important questions to pose as they highlight the complexities of ethics. They are heavily influenced by range of factors including family upbringing, culture, values and morals. They may change over time depending on life experiences and external forces such as natural disasters and a global recession. With the possibility of several conflicting views, who’s to say who’s right?

The fashionable term ‘public interest’ appears numerous times in both the CIPR and PRSA’s codes. What exactly is ‘public interest’? Some could argue that it isn’t in the ‘public interest’ to promote products from the tobacco, weapons or alcohol industries, and yet PR practitioners flourish in these environments. Does respecting the customs and practices in other countries mean partaking in it?; acknowledging the fact that bribing is looked upon as a necessary part of business transactions in other cultures. The list could go on as the codes present several ambiguous areas related to competition, independence and fairness, which could be interpreted differently from one individual to the next. (PRSA and CIPR)

The codes have failed for a number of reasons including their lack of enforceability, vague rules and lacklustre attempt to legislate ethics. Aside from the obvious circumstances where lying can be detected and proved, creating regulations pertaining to ethics is a complicated task. Even if the CIPR and PRSA decided to take more than 20 minutes to put together a more comprehensive and restrictive code, ultimately, when faced with moral dilemmas, it is individual not a haphazard document that has to make the decision.

References

Chartered Institute of Public Relations, (2000). CIPR Code of Conduct [online] Available from: <

http://www.cipr.co.uk/Membership/conduct/index.htm> [Accessed 14 March 2009].

Public Relations Society of America, (2007). Preamble. [online] Available from: <http://www.prsa.org/aboutUs/ethics/preamble_en.html> [Accessed 14 March 2009].

Tench, R. and Yeomans, L., (2006). Exploring Public Relations. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.