Standing in front of the glass counter, looking at the array of colours, flavours and sprinkles at the Italian ice cream shop got me thinking. Which flavour ice cream do i want, do i go for the usual cookies & cream or should i be healthier today and decide on fruit sorbet, do i want sprinkles, sugar cone or cup? These are real questions & decisions which need to be made whilst the gentleman behind me breathes heavily indicating that i need to hurry up & make my decision.PR was always seen as the sprinkles on top of the ice cream, sometimes you want sprinkles, sometimes you dont. PR was seen as a sub division of marketing or advertising, a career path for party planners, not quite making the grade but an occupation which would get you by. For many years i have stumbled across the what i refer to as "uneducated" beings in society who view PR as an occupation which needs to be defended, an occupation where you organise events. Yes, organising events is part of the job but really not the core of the job. I would then find myself explaining to the "uneducated" exactly what PR entails, hopefully enlightening them that without PR, a business would not fully grow, develop to its full potential & make the impact that it is destined to do in society. PR no longer needs to be carried by marketing or advertising instead PR can carry its own baggage up to the very top of kilimanjaro, reach the top & continue to conquer expectations.
It is partly our duty as PR practitioners to enlighten the "uneducated" and showcase our abilities in industry. Its time that we stand up for our profession, make a noise, rattle a few feathers & grow our industry. In a research paper which i conducted last year which looked at the difference between PR & Marketing in the corporate environment & how employees in the company viewed PR and its importance. Results indicated that just over 85% of employees feel that PR and Marketing are equally important & should work together in order to reach the desired outcome. There has definitely been a noticeable mindset change for many individuals with regard to their understanding of the PR profession and i think this change is ongoing which is positive.
Now its time that we continue to discover, master and invent new elements of our profession, as PR is a profession which is evolving & we're part of this evolution.
Great outlook on PR, content has a fun element to it as you compared PR to sprinkles on ice-cream. I liked that you added some statistics to your blog, it adds some credibility for those ‘uneducated’ people you are referring to ;-)
ReplyDeleteYES YES YES- pr is a much misunderstood line of work. We are seen as the blonde 'poppies' that talk alot, not the essential strategic angle that it can provide to all business relationships.
ReplyDeleteI am experiencing that at the moment, my employer does not understand PR.
Oh, how many times have I had to try and tell people what exactly PR is, and when I start explaining,often all I get is blank expressions.
ReplyDeleteMe, myself got into the profession, wanting to go into events, until I realised how much more there is to our industry.
People, nowadays, seem to have a better grasp on the PR concept than they have had a few years back, but we still have a lot of work to do.