Who’s spinning the public relations industry?
While perusing the Barnes and Noble fiction section recently, I was amazed at the number of number of books casting their sexy, fabulous heroines as associates at PR firms. The back covers read like soap opera teasers: “Devastated by her recent breakup, Taylor moves to New York to start a career in the fast-paced world of PR. She soon finds the career and love life she always wanted — and most importantly, she finds herself.” Gag.
Who decided that public relations was fabulous and chic? That every female PR exec charges her way down bustling city streets, cell phone and designer bag in hand a la Samantha Jones, leaving a trail of men in her wake? Who is doing PR for the PR industry to make it seem so sexy?
The B2B PR world I know is frankly anything but. One of my first gigs as an intern took me to a small Iowa town in July, where I staffed a state fair booth touting the importance of agriculture. It was more than 90 degrees outside and the town was home to a dog food plant. Suffice it to say I did not look, feel or smell fabulous. More recently, I got the heel of my stiletto stuck in a perforated data center floor tile while shooting a video about high density data center cooling systems. The un-sexy stories from myself and my colleagues go on: standing in the freezing cold at the Today Show to slip Al Roker a client product, connecting shower hose at 5 a.m. to build the world’s largest shower, scouring the city for a giant pair of scissors for a grand opening ribbon cutting.
Never during these endeavors did we feel sexy. That’s because PR isn’t sexy — but it is:
- Strategic. Good PR engages an organization’s constituencies and tailors articulate messages to each group that are factual and compelling — no B.S., no spin.
- Engaging. Whether it is through social media channels or a niche trade association, savvy practitioners know how to tell their story where their stakeholders gather, and in their language.
- Results-oriented. Results of our work are measurable and tied to business goals. Whether it’s a spike in sales, investor inquiries or social media “buzz,” compelling public relations drives a desired action.
And in my opinion, that’s pretty sexy.
