The extensions of Public Relations

Hi everyone,

Thank you for reading my post. My aim for this second post is to share some consciousness that I have been having while working those past days.

First of all, let’s see how PR is perceived in general:

·         Many PR campaigns/plans are very dependant of media so as to achieve a larger impact and efficacy.

            Based on psychological/cultural implications of the market.

·         Aims at having relevant strategies and tactics.

·         Highly media-oriented.

The other side of PR (excluding non-for-profit organisations):

Very often, PR’s perception is directly related to reputation and image of brands or companies. But during the past few days, I have been realising the extent to which Public Relations may be linked (directly or indirectly) to Marketing as the aim behind all the strategies and tactics very often comes back to...... sales and profit. Of course this is not to be generalised so it must be precised that I am taking into consideration works being done for brands/companies clients. Basically, the essence and role of PR is to provide with a positive perception in the market and/or  maximise the awareness or aspirations in regards to the brand/company. It is often presented or justified as being an initiative with the sole purpose of promoting their perception in the market. What we have the tendency to put aside is that, the real spirit behind it is to make the business work more/develop and/or increase the consumption and demand for the brand/company.

I always used to dissociate PR to sales and I have been astonished to see how far these could be connected. Ok, may be for some people it was probably obvious, but I always used to have a non-for-profit image of PR. While working, we had to figure out how to evaluate not only the effectiveness of the plan (as we most of the time do at university projects) but also the purchasing/sales implications of the brand/company. I am not saying that it is a bad thing, in fact it is a positive experience as it makes me more aware of how it is in the ‘real world’ but what I’m saying is that PR may have deeper and extended purposes behind the investment made in the campaigns.

Besides that, putting into practice the theoretical background gone through the past few years is very enjoyable. One thing is that, doing a new job where you already know what it is all about is very fulfilling as it gives you the feeling that you are where you are meant to be. It is amazing how every single day brings out its own experience and conclusion. What I like in this field, is that it is the kind of job where you keep moving, have on-going challenges and where you are given credit and appraisal for your hard work and creative ideas.

My internship is allowing me to know exactly where I want to be and what I want to do in my future career. The most exciting part of Public Relations for me is creating concepts as well as organising events. I hope that everyone gets the chance to have their own profession revelation as the good side in PR is that it is a field where you are given a wide choice and where you are not compelled to do the same job but rather can extend to new tasks and responsibilities.

Take care PR people and thank you very much for your time.