Louis Theroux meets Max Clifford

Louis Theroux, journalist extraordinaire interviewed PR guru Max Clifford in one of his typical "Weird Weekend" documentaries.

The film demonstrates the relatiosnhips between journalists and the media. Clifford was able to manipulate some of the journo's but proved to be no match for the upfront Louis Theroux.

The unethical bahaviour demonstrated by Max Clifford - from setting up Louis to Clifford consistantly lying in the documentary makes me question the way PR is practised. This is especially hard-hitting as Clifford is arguably the leading PR guru (self-styled) in the UK.

The sybiotic relationship between journalists and PR practitioners is quite clearly demonstrated. In particular, this documentary reveals the dodgy bahaviour of Clifford, particlarly with regards to squashing rumours that Simon Cowell is gay.



References:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf6HxmXuKBE

NGO's and Public Relations

It takes a certain kind of person to work in PR at an NGO. Passion for the NGO you work for, an ability to multi-task and getting paid a substantial amount less than your PR counterparts are all essential for all PR professionals looking to work in this sector.

At NGO's there is a close relationship between PR experts and the dominant culture of the organisation. In many cases, directors at NGO's are involved with drafting and issueing press releases to the media, this gives them an advantage over directors in the corporate sector as they are able to build a relation with the media.

NGO's are also innovative in nature. They utilise new media tools like Twitter as they are free/inexpensive to use. As an illustrative point, 38 degrees, which grew to a membership in excess of 100,000 in 8 months, used Facebook extensively to publicise its efforts.

NGO's rely heavily on alliances to achieve change. Unlike corporates who keep their technology under-wraps, NGO's freely make available their resources, particularly to others in their sector.


Social Marketing is also a mechanism for companies to instute change, in particular social change. These companies endeavour to change behaviour, and social media has made this easier to achieve.

Politicians makes strange bedfellows

Politicians have come a long way from their counterparts of yesteryear. One can hardly imagine Abraham Lincoln engaging with rock stars and celebrities the way PR savvy politicians like Barack Obama do.



The Obama campaign has become the gold standard in the political arena, and his foray into new media has swept other parts of the world. Elections held in South Africa in 2009 saw many similarities to the Obama campaign. Branding and using new media platforms like Facebook were incorporated into the African National Congresses (ANC) campaign efforts.

Obama has managed to perfect a few other PR techniques, including his ability to speak in sound bites. His ability to tap into this and other PR techniques has undoubtedly made a difference in his quest to lead one of the world's super powers.

References:

http://www.thestar.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=vn20090315064208463C258434

Feminisation of PR and diversity issues

Debate – “Women will always work in PR but will never run it”

There are certain assumptions about how a PR practitioner should act and look. Arguably the most famous PR practitioner is Samantha Jones, the fictional character from HBO's Sex and the City. Ooozing sex appeal, competent and self-assured, Samantha Jones managed to crack the glass celing, and runs her own PR company.

But, a reality check brings us swiftly back to terra firma. There is a broad spectrum of people's ideas, assumptions and attitudes as to a women's role in this industry. My experiences have largely found that while PR is overwhelmingly made up of women, all too often, men are running the show and women are caged in by a glass ceiling, concrete walls and the velvet ghetto phenomena. The Velvet Ghetto, a phenomonon explored in the 1980's by Dr Caroline Cline looked at salaries, attitudes, bias, and not being part of the gang.

The infamous Max Clifford is probably Britain's most famous self-styled PR guru. As a relative newbie to the PR landscape in the UK, I find that Clifford and Alistair Campbell are the most recogniseable PR/publicity figures.

What makes this an even more bitter pill to swollow, is that women are often paid less than their male counterparts for doing the same job.

References:
http://www.iabc.com/rf/pdf/VelvetGhetto.pdf

Can PR ever be ethical?

Where does ethics fit into PR?




PR Week recently tackled this hairy subject in an article: Professional Ethics - Should you promote these products?


Debate: “The only way to practice ethical PR is to work in the NGO or voluntary sector, all the rest is corporate propaganda or spin”
In a letter to PR Week, Businesses are not here to be ethical, Reginald Watts, director, Sound Strategies said:
"There are too many people in public relations bouncing around on the edge of business who have seldom carried the responsibilities of large company senior management."

The role of management is to run an efficient organisation that makes money. The role of government is to run a successful and efficient organisation that ensures the system is good for society. These two functions work when they are well defined. Do not muddle them.

Sectors other than Charity are driven by the bottom-line. From the CEO’s to PR practitioners, the end-goal is to make money. Charities are dependent on their credibility with the outside world, their very existence depends on their ethical behaviour, and whether the public see them as trustworthy or not. This filters down from the board, to the PR practitioners.

Business on the other hand are under no such obligation, while ethical behaviour is a nice to have, a cherry on the top if you will, shareholders are happy with increased profit margins, and PR practitioners are bent on ensuring that the companies reputation is not sullied, by whatever mechanism.


Does PR have a duty to tell the truth?

A debate held by PR week in 2007 had the majority vote against the proposition that PR practitioners have the responsibility to tell the truth. What surfaced in this debate is: "if you are not prepared to lie occasionally, you cannot do your job successfully."

In the real world, you are expected to toe the company line, and yes, this means sometimes withholding information, or even telling white lies. Often, a duty to tell a journalist the truth can conflict with client confidentiality. Can anyone, not just those working in Public relations commit to telling the whole truth, and nothing but the truth all the time?


References:

http://www.prweek.com/news/634717/Ethics-debate-dishonesty-necessary/

http://www.prweek.com/news/983049/Professional-ethics-promote-products/

Social Media and Business

This video, "Using Social media for business" looks at the socio-cultural aspects of social media. It also shows the benefits and possible pitfalls of using social media for business. A definite must watch!!!

Social media mimics many aspects of society and culture. Groups found on various social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have been likened to tribes as they consist of a group of people with shared interests.







These communities are able to communicate with one another using platforms like Bebo, Myspace, Twitter etc. It creates a sense of belonging and acceptance, necessary for happy integration in a real and virtual world.
Social media allows you to connect with like-minded people and creates a sense of belonging.


What has contributed to the success of social media is the speed and ease of spreading ideas . . . A form of globalisation. The world has become a smaller place. We can connect with a client across the world with the click of a button using not only computers, but hand-held devices like iPods and Blackberry’s, which have become increasingly accessible.

Good Business – the rise of CSR – companies with a social conscience

Debate: “Attempts to align companies or brands with good causes are mere window dressing- companies should stick to the business of making money”

The above debate played out in a Contemporary Theory and Issues class at the University of Westminster. After listening to both sides, I believe that while in some cases PR departments and the companies they represent may engage in CSR simply for window-dressing, the bottom-line is that these companies are making a difference and are not simply worried about their bottom line.

The relatively recent wave of companies going green has also attracted suspicions over the motives of the companies involved - its simply become passe' for companies to slavishly press on to improve their profits without any thought for the environment.

References:

http://www.alternet.org/environment/48093