The Sunday New York Times article on public relations, titled “Spinning the Web; PR in Silicon Valley,” reinforces every stereotype about our industry and undermines our ability to make the case for our role as a serious advisor on both policy and communications. This story of a charming and immaculately connected publicist (disclosure: a former Zeno employee, a subsidiary of Daniel J. Edelman, Inc.) could just as easily been written in the late 90s dot-com boom, when technology PR boutiques were claiming to navigate the eco-system of venture capitalists, investment bankers, customers and media. This self-inflicted wound leads me to compile a few of the myths of the PR Profile, a more nuanced form of ethnic profiling:
First myth: the best PR campaigns are done without media of all sorts (omitting tech bloggers, tech journalists at mainstream media), in favor of discussions with influential people who will carry the day on Twitter or Facebook. The fact is smart PR people work at the intersection of social and mainstream media to create a continuing engagement with stakeholders—customers, employees, investors, regulators. An example is our firm’s work supporting GE’s efforts (healthymagination) to increase access to, and decrease the cost of, healthcare in the US.
Second myth: the job is all about relationships, with reporters, investors and celebrities. Not all of us look good, nor do we specialize in name-dropping. We forge connections through substance, not show, as a reliable partner to media and to opinion formers, as well as the public at large. For instance, we are helping Brita (client) encourage thousands of people to reduce their bottled water waste.
Third myth: we are now beyond PR and media relations, “we’re connecting people at the highest level, getting deals done.” I heard the same from a senior financial relations executive in the UK recently, who said he was adding more value than the investment bankers on deals. This overstatement leads to reactions such as Mike Arrington’s blast, “Smile, Dial, Name Drop, Pray,” in TechCrunch. PR people should allow others to take the credit, because we are consultants, not the decision makers.
Fourth myth: it is a distinct advantage to be an attractive female in PR. “That prejudice is something we all suffer through. When smart women interact with smart men, there is always a dynamic there,” said the publicist. Professional women in our industry should take particular umbrage at this conflation of PR with Soho night life.
Fifth myth: We do what the client asks, based on “gut” feel at the moment. In fact, the best PR programs are based on listening to the community, whether it’s public opinion research or on-line audits. We do not discriminate against reporters or bloggers because they are too tough; that’s what makes it PR, not advertising.
When I came into this business 32 years ago, my worst nightmare was to be presented as an empty-headed flack touting products without understanding, paid to drink with reporters in order to generate hits in the press. There are thousands of PR practitioners who work in an ethical and intelligent manner. This article missed the opportunity to present public relations as a vital profession at a time when reader attention is dispersed among media and ideas bubble up from the bottom.