A Love Letter to PR

I know the title is a bit syrupy, but public relations needs a little love these days. The profession I have chosen continues to take a beating as TV shows dramatize, or rather sensationalize, what me and my colleagues do, reducing it to spinning webs, concocting lies, overlooking illicit activities and, of course, doing it in the highest pair of heels we can find.

When you love what you do!

Let me first explain what public relations means to me, and to many in my profession. The Canadian Public Relations Society defines public relations as:

“The strategic management of relationships between an organization and its diverse publics, through the use of communication, to achieve mutual understanding, realize organizational goals and serve the public interest.” CPRS

So, what we do, as public relations professionals, is manage, and I would argue develop, relationships between our clients and their intended audiences.

While those of us in this profession will tell you this is exciting work, it’s not nearly as sexy or controversial as the fictional portrayals we see time and time again.

The most recent small screen depiction of public relations: Amazon’s Flack. The word “flack” itself is a derogatory term for a press or publicity agent and is typically used to dismiss or diminish the work that we do in public relations.

In the limited-episode series, Canada’s Anna Paquin plays Robyn, a publicist at a London-based public relations firm. When another character is shocked that she has proposed a strategy of telling lies to solve a client issue, Robyn responds “did you think we would resolve this without lying?”

It’s a casual response that comes easily to the character but is incredibly unfair to those of us who do conduct our work with a sense of pride in professionalism. Members of the Canadian Public Relations Society, including myself, abide by a Code of Professional Standards, which includes:

“A member shall practice the highest standards of honesty, accuracy, integrity and truth, and shall not knowingly disseminate false or misleading information.” CPRS

I can’t speak for everyone in this profession, but I believe I can speak for all the public relations folks that I know, and I believe for those of us who like to consider ourselves professionals. We don’t lie; we don’t arrange fake alibis for criminals; we don’t threaten people who can “expose” our clients; and we don’t put aside our ethical standards or dignity for the sake of a job.

Every day, I get to work with clients who genuinely want to improve relationships with their audiences. Agreed, this is not for puritanical reasons. They may want to improve sales, increase support for their positions, raise funding, or even repair reputation, but they turn to me, or people like me, for a strategy that is based on research, best-practices, and also integrity.

This is what I love to do. I love to research current and emerging trends and create interesting and novel ways to meet my clients’ communications needs. I pitch media stories almost every week, yet I still get a rush when reporters call me. I am thrilled when I see brands I work with engaging with their audiences on social media in a campaign I have created. And I am proud when a client tells me our strategy has met, or better yet, exceeded, their objectives.

It may not be Oscar Awards winning material, but it is challenging, and exciting and rewarding. This is real public relations, and I kind of love it! 

Want to know more? Email us at info@amplifyonline.ca.