Real World: The PR Department
A few years ago there was a show on MTV called PoweR Girls. The show, billed as
"sometimes glamorous, sometimes stressful but always exciting",
followed a gaggle of pretty, dressed-to-the-nines girls as they
pitched, planned and partied their way into Manhattan's club scene.
As a young PR professional at the time, I was disappointed at how
my industry was portrayed. All focus seemed to be on the celebs in
front of the "step and repeat" instead of the messaging,
strategy and tactics that make an event or any PR effort successful
for the client. Sure we want a hefty clip book showcasing all our
media hits but doesn't PR work to cultivate a resonating brand
image and (hopefully) drive ROI? Success for a client is achieved
through a multi-pronged approach where media attention is one
(albeit important) facet of a campaign.
Channel surfing the other night, I stumbled upon a documentary
(loosely defined in this instance!) on the E! Network. The
executive producer is Kim Kardashian so that should have been a
hint to the substance behind the subject matter (sorry, Kardashian
fans). This show, aptly titled SPINdustry, features the
LA-based firm, Command PR. I could handle viewing it for about
three minutes before I wanted to throw my TV out the window. Again,
another show that positions PR as all fluff and no substance - one
scene showed the account executives at a table while referring to a
pile of tabloids as their "Bibles"!
Shows like this perpetuate the perception that people like me
spend my days reading celeb blogs and trying to get my clients on
Oprah. Guess all the hard work our team does in
brainstorming the perfect angle to pitch the precise contact at
each publication, counseling a client in a crisis or the time spent
developing a thought leading white paper just aren't as sexy for
basic cable programming…