PR at its best - create some buzzzzz...

Indeed time flies when you are having fun...The experience gained from writing this blog has been immeasurable and I hope this blog gives you the insights in the issues surrounding PR practitioners (in the eyes of a student) as they carry out their day to day duties. I have discussed issues relating to New Media, Globalization, Propaganda, Crisis Management, Feminization, CSR, Ethics, Politics and Social Marketing and how it all impacts on PR.

I shall be working on my dissertation in the next semester on Government PR and how New Media creates opportunities ...or challenges the sector. I will keep this blog updated and open for all to participate.

Celebrities - Is image everything?

Is lying justified?
"Come and have a go at me – in person – and let's establish just how far removed I am from the real professionals working in the industry," Max Clifford, 2006.

Last day of class and we watched this amazing movie of the encounter of Louis Theroux and Max Clifford. This movie (a short 3-minute clip attached) shows how in control Max is about issues related to his clients, in this case Simon Cowell. It's a good show I must say...

It is not unusual that on his website, Max describes himself as being in the business of PR, 'protecting and promoting' a wide variety of clients. He claims to have broken more tabloid front page stories in the UK than any journalists. Protection from themselves is what celebrities need. From watching Starsuckers, it is obvious that a celebrity is a made up individual that should fit in with image and the public's expectations.

Lose this image, and there is the risk of losing your entire career, considering what happened to Tiger Woods and John Terry who should have considered hiring him as well . That is, before the latter's 'mistress' Vanessa gave him the job. He obviously had an opinion about Tiger Woods' apology! Scandals have been happening too many times to these celebrities in the recent past. Well, if this is the case, then Max Clifford or an incarnate of him is the guy or ooops chic to hire.

Is Max Clifford the contemporary "King of Spin"

Well... 'Yes' if you are the client and 'no' if you are a critic. He may have crossed one too many boundaries in his effort to be successful, yet successful he is. But the guy has to be commended for making turnarounds with cases such as the late Jade Goody from the unpleasant personality in Britain's celebrity big brother to one of the most lovable people.

And as Pill(2009,p 623) observes, celebrity has become a global cultural industry with its own media and PRs to oil the wheels of fame and fortune. Skill would probably go hand in hand with this "shrewd" practitioner, and not everyone has the capability to stay in the business this long despite the negative perceptions and attitudes towards him. I wonder, would he be where he is if he wasn't controlling the show?


References
Pill, E. (2009). Celebrity and Public Relations in Tench & Yeomans, Exploring Public Relations, Pearson

Embrace life

Youtube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9E8i7lYdmk

This is a viral video. The concept behind this video is based on the social fact that people care a lot about how other people see them. Most people will be unwilling to do something that is considered embarassing or not generally "acceptable". Others on the other hand can take the risk and do it anyway. In the case of HIV and AIDS, people infected by it or affected by it have no choice but to deal with it.

They face discrimination and therefore leading to the stigma caused by the disease. This discrimination could either be intended or unintended. Since people tend to be more accepting of situations or even themselves if others understand them, the online campaign will be aimed at initiating discussions to help reduce the stigma. By engaging in positive conversations, those affected will be more confident around others and encourage others to go for voluntary testing and finally acknowledge their status and plan their lives.

NGO Activism or Brand Destroyers?

When marketing gurus Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman realized that the same marketing principles used for products could be used for selling ideas, social marketing was born. The main obective here is to influence social behaviour not for the benefit of the marketer, read NGO, but for the benefit of the larger audience and general society.

Role of Social Marketers and Activists
As social change agents, activists try to nurture public consensus and act as an 'open system' which informs the public while at the same time learning from dialogue with stakeholders. It is therefore important to be seen as responsible citizens in order to win respect, acceptance and legitimacy from the majority of ordinary citizens who must be won over for movements to succeed. Social conditions and public policies that violate morally acceptable values are basically the main agenda when it comes to activism. The results being governmental policies being put in place to ensure such issues are accepted in political and judicial structures. However, some of these actions may not augur well with big corporations...

Stepping on large toes?
Corporations such as Nestle have had their share of "Corporate Crimes" highlighted by NGOs such as Oxfam and Greenpeace. The latest being the issue of palm oil being used in its products which is killing off orang-utans, all this after the issue with the Zimbabwe farm which claimed that Nestle Zimbabwe sourced 15 percent of its milk from a farm owned by the president’s wife, Grace Mugabe. All these crises as a result of close monitoring of activities of corporations by NGOs and Nestle has had quiet a rough time trying to manage their reputation and resorting to social media which hasn't worked much for them.

This video by greenpeace is the campaign against the destruction of the orang-utans' forest. Would you buy a Kit-Kat after watching it?

I thought not for most people...that's how powerful activists can be. Clearly, activism plays a big role in determining how organizations work. Pity that sometimes the environment will be destroyed in order to get people to travel as is the issue with the alarming rate of carbon prints.

References
Green peace UK, http://www.greenpeace.org.uk
http://www.techeye.net/internet/nestle-fails-at-social-media

Obama 2.0 - a new dawn for Political PR

If well done, a campaign like Obama's would be the result. Well planned, well organized, well implemented. And the result...success. "Change you can believe in", "Yes we can" are the taglines that were used in a campaign that will remain as an example to good political PR practise, at least for being the first campaign to aggressively use social media and branding in its political communication. Social media-a phrase that has been used continuously in most if not all PR blogs, from the tech-savvy Obama campaign to the 'smeargate scandal', an ill-conceived way of using social media in politics. The American campaign has caught the envy of countries all over the world and perhaps the biggest challenge is to measure up to this well orchestrated campaign and countries such as Afghanistan actually used social media in their last election.

For the upcoming UK elections, a survey just carried out, found out that 83% of the contenders are using facebook and 50% using twitter in their campaign. 84% say that they will continue using social media to communicate with their constituents if elected to office although critics say that what may be good for campaign may not be as effective in power. Changes in communication tools are radically shaping political communication, but there are other issues that are as important...

Image management
The importance of the way the public views politicians makes political PR all inclusive of aspects like personality, make-up, dressing and logo design other than just verbal or written statements. McNair(p.135) asserts that the personal image of an individual politicial can be moulded and shaped to suit the image of the political organisation.


Think of Sarah Palin and the supermom image, yet looking young and trendy with her fashionable glasses with attention to detail in ability to accessorize in what is now known as the Palin effect. The republicans may not have won the US election but they managed Palin's 'trendy' image tactic given that she was MCcain's running mate, probably to gain the youth's votes.

Culture has grown to expect a “political show” and is not satisfied until the “lights, camera, action” appeal is met. In the era of modern politics, politicians are judged by their style and this is as important as substance of what they say and do. And it's in order to say that behind every successful political party is a very good Political PR professional.


References
McNair, B. (2003). An Introduction to Political Communication(3rd ed.), Routledge

Bad politics...is it a matter of ethics? or irresponsibility?

Kenya -Zimbawe - Iran. The same political stories repeat themselves.

December 2007 -January 2008 may have turned out to be the worst nightmare for anyone living in Kenya after what many believed would be a democratic election turned out to be...not so democratic after all. Not only did hundreds lose their lives, others were evicted from what they called home for decades and officially became internally displaced (IDPs). The events that unfolded were not because the people were idle and just wanted a war...it was as a result of BAD POLITICS. Why do they make all those poor people wait in queues just to vote for them? And get nothing in return?

Has Political PR undermined public trust in politicians?
As much as some of us view politicians to be progandists, PR professionals have a role to play in shaping the way political communications is perceived. In this way, Political PR is probably the most challenging sector in PR. The intentions of political communications are just as well justified as the intention of any other communication sector. What makes this section unique is the environment in which they operate in with regards to public perception and the need to build reputation in a more agressive way. The increased focus on spin , information management and the use of what can only be described as propaganda techniques have all had an impact on how the public perceive the political process.

Perhaps the use of lies and deceit have undermined the ethical aspect of politics. However, with the upsurge of pluralism, there notable changes within the public with regards to their personal behaviour and collective behavior. Therefore, like-minded individuals promote and defend their choices and to a larger extent influencing public opinion and governments. To this effect, social movements are of prime importance to a PR professional.

Generally, I must say, with the balance in ethical behavior and pluralism in the society, Political PR is not to blame for the lack of trust in politicians. Improper individual and political party agendas are solely to blame for this and this will surely be overturned by Political PR.

How viable is CSR?

"Corporate Social Responsibility is a hard-edged business decision. Not because it is a nice thing to do or because people are forcing us to do it...because it is good for our business". - Niall Fitzerald, Former CEO, Unilever

Is CSR philanthropy? It is indeed hard to differentiate between philanthropy and CSR. I believe it should be defined as philanthropy that leads to sustainable development. In other words, while philanthropy concentrates on one or few stakeholders, CSR on the other hand should be a concept that touches on all the stakeholders. Hopkins says that most philanthropic acts by organizations are devoted to items that governments should be doing and government's failure should not be the preserve of corporations (p.114). Companies like Vodafone, Cadbury invest in CSR and have been successful in implementing it.

So then, is CSR mere window-dressing?
Is the effort to practice CSR just skin deep? CSR steadily moved up Corporates' agenda with the notion that it delivers direct benefits to the organization. If so, how then can companies convince stakeholders that practises associated with social and environmental issues aside from their business are ethical?

Cutlip et al. seems to be clear that any involvement in CSR is as a result of self-interest, to enable the company to have an easy life by indicating that an institutions relationship with its community is crucial because these communities supply the organization's workforce, provide an environmnet that attracts or fails to attract talented personnel, provide essential services and can, if angered, impose restraints on the institution or industry (p. 393).

The onus is left to the company to determine their main objective of engaging in CSR. Some companies like Nike and Johnson and Johnson have been noted as engaging in CSR to regain their reputation after crises.


References
Cutlip, S.M. et al. (2000). Effective Public Relations (8th ed.), Prentice Hall
Hopkins, M. (2007). Corporate Social Responsibility and International Development: Is Business the Solution?

How top companies win with social media

Contact
Gaye Agesa (Press Officer)
Spiral PR
Northwick Park Road
London S77 N73
Tel: +44 020 7 431 7651
Cell: +44 757 888 4315
For full press release visit: http://pitch.pe/49272

Experts say that most businesses get it wrong

London, 4th March 2010

• Spiral PR has launched a webcast-PR and Social Media Concepts that informs companies on the best way of using social media to improve on their bottom line.
  

• The agency's social media strategist says that although most companies have adapted social media as a PR tool, most of them are doing it incorrectly.

• The video highlights important aspects that organizations should understand before investing time in social media. Get the right tools in place,start the right conversations and keep the audiences engaged.

• Social networking opens the traditional form of top down information disseminations because information flows in and out of the organization freely.

• Advantages of social networking sites include:establishing community experience for customers and other publics; extending organizations' brand identity; personalized interactions

Quotes:
"Whereas traditional media is about broadcast, social media is better seen as a two-way conversation. It blurs the line between media and audience." - Mildred Yiamat,Online PR Specialist

"The trick is in getting the right advice from the right people. There are few agencies that can give your company the right solution. Joining the right networks at the right time requires carefully laid out strategies." - Suki Amoni, Spiral PR

About Spiral PR

Spiral PR is a newly established PR firm offering strategic communication services across a number of sectors. We specialise in Online PR, Media Relations and Crisis Management.

RELEVANT LINKS

PitchEngine
The full social media press release announcing the launch of the webcast by Spiral PR

PR and Social Media Concepts
The webcast launched highlighting the effect of social media on public relations and it has changed how PR is practised.

Digg
Find us here for more update on the SMPR.

Facebook
This is Spiral PR's facebook page and fans are encouraged to join.

Technorati
For updates on Contemporary Issues in PR blog

Feedage
For updates on the Contemporary Issues in PR blog

Still a velvet ghetto?

It has been 24 years since IABC Research Foundation published "The Velvet Ghetto: The Impact of the increasing percentage of Women in Public Relations and Business Communication." The report analyzed the future of PR as a profession and the possible implications of the fact that there was an increase in the number of women joining PR. The study found out that:

• Women were more likely to perceive themselves as technicians and not managers
• Women were paid less than men - even when other variables were controlled
  
• Professions diminished in salary and status if they moved from male to female dominance

The situation seems not to have changed even though in 2002, a survey done found that the glass ceiling had finally been broken. In 2010, 8years later, we are still talking about the probability of women never running PR. Is there something we are missing? Some writers like Lesly(1988) have been known to argue that women actually seek out lower status positions. Is this still the case now?

PR practitioners have always been optimistic since the 80's that the since there were more women in the practise, they will achieve more prestigious positions and higher salaries even as studies have continued to show that their male counterparts earn more. Most of us are tempted to disagree with this fact but we cannot argue with the statistics, can we?

Women will always work in PR but will never run it....?

While the fawcett society actively campaigns for equal rights for professional women, and rightly say that "jobs traditionally done by women are poorly paid and undervalued", we would explore ways in which women are seeking empowerment. Traditionally, jobs such as nursing, secretarial and receptionists tend to be lowly paid. It is quite interesting how PR ended up being one of the most lucrative jobs when men joined at the top positions in the UK and the US. Do men have to do with defining a profession?

Our culture and believes and to an extent the media probably plays a role on how women are viewed and more so view themselves. In class today, while spelling out attributes that define women, we came up with terms such as soft, emotional and multi-tasking while on the other hand we defined men as aggressive and strong. This not withstanding the fact that about 87% of the class is female. Is this how we actually perceive ourselves? At least one finding of the Velvet Ghetto has not come true and the profession has not diminished in salary and status just because it has more women than men.

The debate in class raised some interesting opinions, about how women prefer to pursue family other than career. Is it possible to have both? I believe so. Taking time off to raise a family at the expense of your career is a choice. We pride ourselves as being good at multi-tasking, why then can't we do this simple task?

Even in countries where women have been seen to be homemakers, women are surpassing male domination and becoming CEOs and Directors. If others have made it, the sky should be the limit.


References
Lesley, P. (1988). Public Relations numbers are up but stature down. PR Review
Grunig, L. et al. (2001) Women in Public Relations: How gender influences practice
Grunig, L. et al.(1984), Women in Public Relations: Problems and Opportunities. In Grunig', J. Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management