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April 21, 2008 00:04 AM
Does Public Relations Have a Competitive Advantage?
Let's face it, United States' economy is not looking too hot. Each month accounts for another record loss of jobs, banks are announcing losses of billions of dollars due to the sub-prime mortgage and credit crunch, and it seems that industries are beginning to brace for worse things to come.
Also, the jobs many Americans use to have are going overseas to be done cheaper, and with the same efficiency the jobs were done here. So that brings the question, will our future jobs in public relations be safe?
In short, I would lean towards yes. For a business- or total a industry in this case- to be outsourced, it means that it would had to of lost it's competitive advantage, the core competency(ies) that places it above or amongits competition; which in this case would be the public relations practice in the U.S. versus the practice abroad. A competitive advantage is said to be achieved by attaining success in three areas: if it is valuable, rare, and difficult to copy. In these three cases, I would argue our jobs in public relations in the U.S. are safe.
Valuable
One could argue that practicing public relations- though one of the oldest forms of communications- started in the United States. The U.S. decades ago was a breeding ground of thought leaders who created the foundationfor the industry we know and love today. Along with that, as this post is being written, the public relations industry is growing at a very fast pace. An article on Career Builder showed that public relations manager salaries are increasing little over five percent a year. The American economy is placing a big investment in public relations, and clearly recognizes the value of it.
Rare
Public relations, as we all know, come in many different shapes and sizes. The ability to craft a hard-hitting message to specific audiences is more difficult than it looks. For the practitioner to be successful, dedicated time for research and a developed relationship with opinion leaders and those in their publics are key. Not many are able to succeed at that. (sidenote: speaking of rare have you seen this? The Pure Thinking blog found it and I thought it was awesome...my score was 28. Definitely rare all right).
Difficult to Copy
Similar to the "rare" element above, being difficult to copy comes rather easy to public relations. If we could get our entire Society in the room and rattle off all the different types of public relations there are, we'd be there for days. Then add in the kinds of publics thosetypes of public relationsserved, we'd end up spending a nice week or so enjoying each other's company. Mastering the jargon of healthcare, sports entertainment, hospitality, high-tech and consumer public relations would be no easy task; and try being successful in each category, on another continent. Not going to happen.
So take a deep breath my fellow PRSSA members. The public relations industry in the United States will be intact for quite a while. And though it may be difficult in enter the industry right away with the economy as it is, once the economy begins to boom again there'll be a position waiting just for you.
Thoughts and/or comments?
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April 18, 2008 00:04 AM
The Importance of Public Relations...and Web 3.0?
PRSSA understands the importance of public relations in today's society. As communications become more integrated, the purest form of connecting to an audience can be found in public relations.
As public relations becomes an international practice, it is interesting to see how it is accepted. Below is a link from the New York Times that highlights this point.
Public Relations
On another note, the public relations is just going through the growing pains of Web 2.0; and it seems that we may be running behind. Okay, not really. AdAge reports that there is a trend on its way that will utilize content on the internet that was already created and provide it to certain audiences; and it is being donned as"Web 3.0."Seems interesting, read it.
Both topics impact public relations. What are your thoughts?
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April 14, 2008 00:04 AM
The PRSA 2008 Southwest District Conference
One of our own PRSSA members, Kelsey Boyd, attended the PRSA 2008 Southwest District Conference. Below are her thoughts from attending:
"April 9-11, I had the privilege of attending the PRSA 2008 Southwest District Conference in Little Rock. The conference topic was "Public Relations in the New Media World." Throughout the week, speakers discussed the importance of new media such as blogging, podcasting and social networking.
One of the most influential lessons I learned from the conference is the growing need for honest, open communication in blogs. I learned that though blogging is risky business, it is necessary in the new media world. When bloggers receive negative comments from readers, they must respond to them truthfully and attempt to address the readers concerns. After all, a public relations practitioner's primary concern is with his or her public, so what better way to relate to that public than to directly, ethically respond to a blog comment?"
Kelsey Boyd
PRSSA ChapterPresident
Arkansas Tech University PRSSA Chapter
Blog readers and bloggers out there, what are your thoughts?
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March 22, 2008 00:03 AM
PRSSA 2008 National Assembly: Looking Back
Lets do some math:
Approximately 150 of the most enthused PRSSA members
+ 44 acres of beauty on a resort
+ 4 days
= A National Assembly I will not forget.
Thank you so much for attending National Assembly and representing your respective PRSSA Chapters in voting for the PRSSA 2008-2009 National Committee. The energy last weekend was so refreshing and seeing a group of members who were so committed reminded me why I joined PRSSA four long years ago.
From attending the officer roundtables, to Marisa's moving talk about planning out your life, I have many memories I could share. But before I do that, PRSSA members, what did you take back from National Assembly?
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March 5, 2008 00:03 AM
Who Owns What? A guide
Along with being a successful practitioner, it is important to know who is really the person or organization making the final decision.
The Columbian Journalism Review, lists the major holding organizations and the organizations they own.
Check it out
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March 4, 2008 00:03 AM
Public Relations: More Questions than Answers
We all know that in order for many organizations to succeed, they need some kind of public relations function. With new tools and ideas floating around and increased scrutiny on the public relations industry, its crucial that we can display our thoughts about what public relations can do.
For example, one of the most discussed debates is how and why public relations could be in the C-Suite. Some organizations have added the Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief Communications Officer, but still others do not see the importance.
Also, there have been many studies and white papers about the emphasis- or lack thereof- on new and social media. Some outlets believe there should be devoted attention to it, while there is a party of thinkers whom believe that this is just a fad, or that this new and social media only represents a small percentage of their desired audiences.
And finally, the rise of advocacy has been an interesting situation to watch. Who should be the advocates of the practice? Why should it be important? What topics should be covered and when should the voice step in? All are very important questions without easy answers.
But now the fun part: What do you think?
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February 14, 2008 00:02 AM
National Assembly: Take Part in Deciding Next Year's Leadership
PRSSA provides many opportunities for members to travel around the United States to meet other members and build a network. With the season of Regional Activities upon us, many Chapters have sent invitations, launched facebook group and event sites and more. Another opportunity, and the second yearly PRSSA national event, is the PRSSA 2008 National Assembly.
This national gathering, though usually smaller than National Conference, is just as important. At National Assembly, thewords leadership, vision, opportunity and G.E.A.R.S. are used for calls for action. At National Assembly, Chapter leaders and delegates go to workshops, share spirited conversation about leading a Chapter, improving motivation skills, and leaving behind a legacy. At National Assembly, the PRSSA National Committee, the group that serves the Society by feeding of the energy of member around nation, are chosen.
And this year it's in San Diego. You can't beat that.
National Assembly is one of the most refreshing, motivating, eye-opening and exciting events I have had the honor of experiencing. The friendships, memories and ideas one receives is truly priceless. And it is so much fun.
Be prepared to meet the future leaders of PRSSA at National Assembly. These people live and breathe PRSSA.
All National Assembly attendees should be pumped for the Day of Competition and the roundtable and leadership discussions. The networking opportunities there are amazing. This is where you can bounce and catch ideas to improve your Chapters.
What are you all excited for National Assembly? San Diego? For those that have went to National Assembly before, what are your fondest memories?
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January 28, 2008 00:01 AM
Another Crisis Communications Case Study in Pharmaceuticals?
I am sure all of you have heard the same thing: it is crucial to learn how to operate in a crisis, but hopefully never have to practice it.
Unfortunately for the people at Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp., they were put into the position to practice what they know. Earlier this month, information came out that their cholesterol drug, Vytorin, works no better than the separate drugs of Zetia or Zocor.
Now this isnt any regular situation. These studies were done in 2006 and took over 21 months for the companies to release them; saying that the data was too complex and wanted to do more research.
Well during that time, Vytorin ads flooded our televisions and settled down in the minds of many TV viewers. And with this new information out, the two companies are using just as much money to save the product as they used to promote it. Take a look at the Jan. 22 article at Adage .
How do you rate the response of Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp.? Can this be studied as another effective case study for crisis communications or as others like to call it, "damage control?"
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January 16, 2008 00:01 AM
What a Recession Means to Public Relations
True, the public relations industry is one of the fastest growing services in the United States. It is also true that very quickly; the United States has turned into a service-oriented economy. So if everything looks so bright on our side of the fence, what do we have to worry about?
It is quite interesting to learn how economics has such an effect on everything; especially when it comes to the business-to-business (B2B) arena. We all have been learning that as countries are becoming more interdependent on each other, a slow down in one category can serve as an indicator for an entire market.
Advertising Age came out with an article that interviewed 10 executives about how the recession would affect the advertising and communications community. The consensus was that the industry had nothing to worry about for 2008; its 2009 we all must be weary about.
So as we prepare to enter the professional world, we will be diving into an interesting situation. We may have serious discussion with clients about budgets if you're in agency, or may even see major budget cuts if you're in corporate. The conversation about value will come to the forefront once more as wallets become harder to open.
Can this be avoided? Perhaps. The Pure Thinking blog believes that targeting other nations can be a key objective- for those that have the ways and means. As for the others, well, having a fantastic 2008 could prepare those for a slow 2009.
What are your thoughts?
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January 10, 2008 00:01 AM
Tools for Our Professional Development
We are members of the Public Relations Student Society of America. Not only do we value a sense of camaraderie amongst each other, but we also believe in scholarship in the industry. And our end goal: to advance the profession and be successful practitioners.
But in order for that to happen, we need more knowledge than what we gain in the classroom and even the internships we serve. We got to take the initiative and research some tools that many professionals use today. Below are some of the many tools one may use:
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MyRagan: A social networking site just for communications professionals and students. Every week it has a free white paper download on subjects like copywriting, speechwriting, crisis communications and the like. You can also find professionals in the area you live or want to live and connect.
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LinkedIn: Like MyRagan, however it is open to all.
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PRWeek Online: Latest news in the public relations industry, as well as a job bank and many useful resources (it also gives subscriptiondiscounts to students and PRSSA members).
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Adage and AdWeek: Online magazines that cover issues of advertising, branding and other forms of controlled communications. Also has pages of funny and successful TV and print ads. Job banks and latest agency news are available on these sites as well.
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BusinessWeek Online: Recently it has posted articles on The Perfect Business Plan and other tips about business communications.
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PR Newswire: A wire company that organizations use to send press releases (and who also recently bought Hispanic PR Wire, LatinClips and Hispanic Digital Network (HDN)).
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Dna13: One of the newest kinds of software that Andy Church, the vice president of marketing says helps stakeholder networking. Check it out and tell me what you think. More about it will be presented soon.
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RSS Feed Aggregators/Readers: About.com came out with a list of the top ten RSS feed readers one can use. Some you have to pay for, some you do not. But knowing how to set up and use a RSS feed reader really helps monitoring.
Please add to the list! New professionals, what tools are you using now that you wish you had previous exposure to? What tools should we be looking at?
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