Not long ago, I read a quote attributed to Microsoft founder and Uber-Rich Guy Bill Gates that if he had only a single dollar left to spend, he’d spend it on PR.
Me, I’d buy a Zero bar and wonder how I wound up with only a dollar left to spend (the economy's not THAT bad, is it??)
Nevertheless, given the lofty source, this seems a ringing endorsement of the public relations profession. And PR is important. I mean, now that we live in a time where the power has shifted from those who report the news to those who make it – who needs the filter of the media when you can just broadcast to the world what you’re making, doing, selling, etc., via the internet, social media, yadayadayada – PR people are needed to help our clients raise their voice above this incredible DIN.
You’re shouting through cupped hands, the PR guy gives you a megaphone. You got a megaphone, PR guy gives you a microphone. You got a microphone, PR guy finds a celebrity who’ll tweet about you.
Yet, despite all this, PR people are still being left out of the executive board room; some studies show that high level execs don’t put a lot of stock into what their PR people say, and the fact that you can have Harvard-types flying in private jets to ask Washington for handouts and not even consider how incredibly STUPID that is, well, it’s enough to make a PR person say, bleep it, I’m becoming a forest ranger.
But PR, well, it’s like oxygen. You get too much, you get too high. Not enough and you’re gonna die (my apologies to SWEET).
For instance…I was watching the documentary-style film, “McLibel,” last night, considering how I might use this film for my PR class at Loyola. McLibel tells the story of two blue-collar members of a group called London Greenpeace who had the audacity to hand out pamphlets claiming that McDonald’s food is unhealthy, that McDonald’s workers are poorly paid, that the animals killed to make the burgers were brutalized, etc. Over 2 ½ years (the longest English trial ever), not only did this dynamic duo hold its own against McDonald’s high powered attorneys, but essentially won a victory in court—and helped challenge England’s libel laws as well.
There were numerous interviews with these two folks, Helen Steel and Dave Morris, comments being made about McDonald’s insidious marketing/PR efforts to reach children, how the trial was anything but good PR for McDonald’s, etc.
So, to paraphrase Frankenstein’s monster, “PR…BAD!!” (insert tooth-gritting growl and spasmodic arm gesture).
But as Steel and Morris’s campaign gained momentum, they began utilizing key PR tools to make their case…doing interviews, having a news conference outside of a McDonald’s, launching a website (McSpotlight.org), developing press releases, etc.
So, to paraphrase Frankenstein’s monster again: “PR…GOOD!!” (insert sweet, Boris Karloff smile)
It’s a message I try to impress upon my students who, in light of films and movies, may have preconceived notions about PR (you know, slimy Eurotrash guys in $5,000 suits who put “positive spins” on things like massive oil spills, seal clubbing, a chemical dumping), that public relations is a tool. Just a tool. A globally powerful tool, but a tool nonetheless.
As I often tell them, “Public relations is like a hammer. You can use it to build a house for a homeless family. You can also use it to smash someone’s head in.”
What our clients need to understand about PR, however, is that it is not a cure-all. As McDonald’s found, despite throwing $10 million pounds at the problem, it just wouldn’t go away. When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. My recommendation is to be proactive with bad news. Don’t wait for activists to start handing out leaflets. Of course, this doesn’t mean McDonalds was going to start running ads, admitting their food causes obesity, etc. What is needed in such an instance is a complete overhaul of how a company does business. A PR person can provide consultation, but can’t reinvent the client. They may RECOMMEND it, but it’s up to the client to DO IT.
The role of the PR person is to give upper management PERSPECTIVE. To let them know the TRENDS that are influencing society and what’s going to be, given these trends, the best strategy…like NOT flying to Washington in private jets to ask for money. Like replacing 5,000-calorie burgers on the menu with healthier alternatives.
Might McDonald’s in England had fared better if, instead of suing the London Greenpeace members and demanding an apology, they had met with them to discuss their issues to see how the company could address them. When a client, however, does not want to change, that leaves the PR person in a quandary. You may find yourself like the actor in McLibel who had once made a living playing Ronald McDonald. He ultimately found he couldn’t live with himself, believing he was manipulating children to pressure parents into buying them Happy Meals. There’s got to be a better way to make a living.
Because, as Henry Ford once noted, “business can’t just be a bonanza.” That is, business can’t just be about making profits. You’ve got to be mindful of the world in which you live and the society that you impact. I recall an interview with filmmaker Michael Moore who recalled how once, on an airplane, the passenger next to him asked, “What do you have against profit?” Moore replied he had nothing against making a profit, but that business is about more than making a profit. If it were only about making a dollar, then General Motors (the target of his seminal film, ROGER AND ME) would be better off producing and selling cocaine than cars. More profit in cocaine than Skylarks, right?
PR people can make a difference when they find an executive staff who are truly willing to listen. But if they aren’t…well, it may be time to take off the clown makeup and find a new gig.
Comments
An excellent piece! How many times does someone in this industry find themselves in a dillema when their client decides to 'deep six' and there's virtually nothing you can do about it, but watch them sputter and descend.
And sadly, this seems to be a function of not what the company or institution does, as much as it is one of size and immobility!
Joe Troxler
Communications & Media Consultant
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
This is a great piece but what PR pros are failing to recognize is that with the boom of Social Media, companies are viewing Facebook and Twitter as an inexpensive PR Tool that can in some cases; eliminate the need for PR professionals. As a practicioner with more than 20 years of experience, social media is only a small part of the PR/Marketing mix and there is no substitute for a great placement on The Today Show or in The New York Times. I don't care how many Twitter followers you have!
Daniel - exceptional article! Hits the nail on the head. It's frustrating when execs underestimate the power of the PR perspective and unfortunate for them when they do...
Daniel,
I enjoyed your piece, but unfortunately we find ourselves discussing this amongst ourselves more often than not with little results where it matters. With all that's going on in today's corporate environment, it appears PR leaders are hesitant to challenge the leadership's front office practice of calling on PR when, as you say, there needs to be “positive spins” on things like massive oil spills, seal clubbing, and chemical dumping.
I feel it's time we not only tout the continued benefits of results driven PR, but that we also remind leaders that professional PR practitioners have a role at the decision making table, mater of fact it's a strategic imperative.
Let's hope leaders are not making budget decisions without accountants and business analyts in the mix. Or are they?
Cheers,
Bob
I agree, Daniel, with the others...this is a great piece, and I'm glad that someone like you is teaching our budding PR pros.
You really should try to re-purpose this piece for a medium with a broader stage like an op-ed in a major paper or newsmag, or a respected pub that's likely to be read by CEOs and other senior execs can read.
Also, I love the H.Ford quote and your comments in the last 2 grafs re: business being about more than profits. I think too often, some biz execs become focused solely on the profits and forget that customers will only give them those profits in exchange for value. And with the changes in our US culture and even worldwide--community service focus, grassroots/socially-driven media, consumer empowerment, enviro consciousness--what consumers value is evolving into something bigger than simply the product and price at the retail shelf. More and more--in addition to product and price--consumers care about how that product is delivered and the character/
(sorry 'bout the typo in first half of the previous entry--here's the rest of my comment)
...attitude/behavior of the company delivering it. If they don't like a company making a burger without re: to its health ramifications on kids and then marketing it in a manipulative manner, it really doesn't matter to some folks that they can get 4 burgers for 99 cents--they don't like how the company is serving up the product, and they won't even enter the store.
Companies need to step back and re-assess the value part of the commercial transaction, asking themselves what value really is in their industry and then ensuring that they're delivering on it. Some companies are doing quite well at this; others need a refresher course.
Bravo! An excellent piece on the value of public relations. I've been lucky enough in my career to work with great CEOs who asked for and valued my opinion -- perspective -- if you will. Too often companies think PR folks are just supposed to get stories placed and that is just such a small part of our work.
Strategic perspective might be a better way of talking about what we do -- finding CEOs willing to ask, listen and take action based on the PR pros strategic perspective is another thing. The ones that do understand the value we bring to the table are the ones that really can make a difference in the world. Take a look at my blog The Strategic Choice for some key examples.
Bravo Daniel for a point well-taken!
Joanna Broussard
President/Chief Strategic Officer
The BizMark Group Inc
Chicago, IL
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