An insight into PR

I contacted a friend, Jay, who I know has had a lot of experience in the field of PR. I asked him to give me an insight into what he has done before. The information gathered concludes that relations with people in the media industry is very useful, you also need to be up to date with current issues and affairs that are present in the news.

PR is the art of achieving media coverage for a client without paying for it. As a PR you act as the middle man between the media and the client (Businesses, Charities, Institutions, Celebrities).

On a day to day basis, I had to write press releases to send out to all relevant media contacts informing them of 'media worthy' developments. The main challenge is often making the most mundane stories sound interesting enough to get them published.

The best PR's build up strong relationships with those who work in the media. This is the easiest way to ensure your client gets the maximum amount of coverage on a regular basis. When working on behalf of a high end restaurant and nightclub in London, I had to spend many evenings wining and dining journalists and feeding them false show-biz stories to guarantee the business got the coverage it needed.

The only way to judge whether your doing a good job is by scanning the media on a daily basis and highlighting all references to your client. There is no better feeling that opening a newspaper and seeing an entire double page feature on your client.

The most interesting part about the job is the whole area of PR Stunts. Press releases get dull and they often fail to have any impact. Most PR's now have to resort to setting up huge stunts to ensure they get the pictures or stories they need. When working on the Radio 1 Live Lounge album we made a number of famous bands do sets in busking locations across the London Underground. The pictures hit every newspaper and magazine we targeted!

I now work in the field of Event Promotion. The role has a greater focus on direct marketing and the development of long term promotional campaigns.

An area of interest

Public Relations (PR) is an area of the media that I have found interest in. PR involves communication of the organisation with the public that generates goodwill. It aims to produce and maintain a positive perception of the organisation; this is crucial for a successful business.
There are many ways to promote an organisation, event or business. Targeting the media is one way that will generate a great deal of success if done correctly and strategically. For example, promoting a new nightclub may include a spokesman from the organisation doing interviews with local newspapers or magazines, as well as print advertising in the paper. The company will aim to choose a particular magazine or newspaper that they believe their target audience may read and take notice of. Promotional material such as stickers, banners or products that relate to what is being promoted is also one of the ways that involves the public.

The company may also choose to do a promotional stunt or event. For example a case study that I found when researching PR was Bacardi Limited, one of the largest spirits companies in the world, partnered with Burson-Marsteller to launch its first ever global corporate responsibility campaign, Champions Drink Responsibly. The objective was to position Bacardi as a responsible company, prepared to address alcohol harm issues. Their strategy targeted the Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher to support their message ‘Drinking and Driving don’t mix’. They ran a competition online where Schumacher would drive the winner around a racecourse. They also contacted the BBC, where the famous reveal of ‘The Stig’ on Top Gear was revealed as Schumacher. His interview promoted Bacardi and the drink aware campaign; consequently the promotion reached millions of viewers all over the world, online, in the papers, Internet and magazines.

PR can also involve conference meetings, sponsorships, online viral marketing and face-to-face communication with the public. The PR company needs to generate as much interest and buzz about the product or event as possible, they need to devise a plan that aims to do so positively and effectively.

Furthermore, the skills involved in PR include communication; this needs to be on a small scale, face-to-face talking and also on a larger scale, to the general public or interaction with a company. Communication with co-workers, employers, the public and media representatives are part of the day-to-day duty of someone working in PR. Writing skills are also required, as well as being proactive and working with a team of people. Being organised is also vital as job duties encompass media relations and event planning, furthermore PR involves a lot of forward thinking and it can be very time consuming. PR professionals can be responsible for handling pre-planning, logistics, setup, and promotions for news conferences, grand openings, new product launches, and many other types of events.

PR seems to be similar to jobs in marketing, as it involves generating interest in a particular field. Both jobs offer positions in fashion, technology, food, health and products and so on, either on a large scale or with a smaller independent business.

It seems that a postgraduate course in communication and media, marketing or something along those lines will be particularly useful. PR is one of the most chosen careers by postgraduates, therefore the more work experience and qualifications gained, seems to beneficial!
It appears that the media tends to show PR as a glamorous and lavish lifestyle, for example Samantha Jones in Sex and the City. She is confidant, outgoing and is always seen lunching and mixing with celebrities. However, from my research into the field it appears to be fairly the opposite of how the media represents it. It involves a lot of long hours; it doesn’t appear to be a 9-5 job!

To improve as an undergraduate I believe I need to prepare and plan my assignments more efficiently. Forward planning and organisation would benefit me when writing the essay; a structure would definitely help the writing process. Although I think my time management is quite good, I could improve by starting assignments a bit earlier. This would then help if I became stuck or the assignment was more complex than originally thought. Consequently this would improve my essays, as it would allow me to spend more time making sure that I have answered the question properly and that my writing is of a high standard.

Public speaking is inevitable if I chose to take PR as a career choice. Being confident and presentable when public speaking can be a challenge, I believe that if I feel confident about the topic I am presenting, then public speaking will be a lot easier. It’s something that with practice it will become easier and I will probably feel more self-assured when faced with the challenge.