PR is often misunderstood as promotion or gimmicks. This article explores its strategic role in building trust, reputation, and relationships.
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Key Moments
PR Misconceived as Gimmicks
The profession is wrongly seen as stunts and promotional buzz, obscuring its strategic role.Invisible Strategic Work
PR shapes narratives and reputations behind the scenes, but its effort remains largely unseen.Media Landscape Amplifies Misperception
24/7 news cycles and sensationalism reinforce the false view that PR equals publicity stunts.Profession Needs Self‑Advocacy
PR practitioners must become visible protectors and promoters of their own discipline's value.The Backdrop
PR’s been around for a long, long time – and yet is gloriously misunderstood. In India, we have had, and continue to have, globally respected practitioners of the profession. But still, for the general public, “PR” is a term just tossed about, with a wave of the hand.
Ah, the sheer irony – as PR professionals, we are the guardians of client mandates and architects of reputations, but have failed to safeguard that of our own profession. While PR, a core function in modern communication, is merrily lumped with promotional activities and terms like “gimmick”, “stunt,” etc., casually applied with reference to the diverse activities of public relations professionals. Nothing could be further from the truth – this gap seriously diminishes the true value of PR and negates the fact that PR helps organizations to build meaningful relationships, cultivate positive reputations, and achieve long-term objectives. Increasingly so in today’s world.
The Crux of the Problem
Clearly, one of the main and foremost reasons for the misconceptions about public relations lies in its often-invisible nature. This is unlike advertising, which overtly seeks to sell a product or service, or marketing, which focuses on driving sales through various strategies. Strategic and effective PR works behind the scenes, shaping narratives, building goodwill, and managing perceptions. There is an immense amount of work that goes into ideating, researching, conceiving, and delivering on a PR plan. Hence, whenever a company enjoys a positive reputation or navigates a crisis smoothly, people seldom witness the immense research, strategic planning, meticulous execution, and proactive communication that underpin these outcomes. This utter lack of visibility contributes to the assumption that PR is merely about managing momentary visibility rather than building reputations and driving communications agendas.
The Media Scenario
A 24×7 “always-on” media landscape, with its insatiable demand for captivating stories, may sometimes inadvertently contribute to this mischaracterization. Attention-grabbing “stunts” or seemingly outlandish “gimmicks” employed by some organizations to garner media coverage can be easily sensationalized, reinforcing a false perception that PR is primarily about generating buzz through unconventional or even outrageous tactics. Mistakenly termed as “PR”, they contribute to the narrative and the problem.
PR professionals enable the building of credibility and trust over time through consistent and transparent communication, not just fleeting moments of sensationalism.
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The Social Media & Noise Factor
As consumption of social media increases, the line between public relations and “promotion” often gets blurred in public perception. Promotion typically refers to activities designed to directly stimulate sales or increase brand awareness through specific campaigns and channels. While PR can certainly support promotional efforts by creating a favourable environment and generating positive media coverage, it is not solely focused on driving immediate transactions. Public relations encompasses a much wider scope, including stakeholder engagement, crisis communication, reputation management, employee relations, and corporate social responsibility.
Conclusion
To address these misconceptions, it’s essential to recognize that public relations is a strategic and multifaceted discipline. To present the true value of public relations requires a shift in perspective, negating the false narratives and embracing a deeper understanding of its strategic importance in today’s interconnected world.
As PR professionals, we ourselves – visibly – need to be the protectors and custodians of our discipline. If not us, then who else?
– Written by Swapan Dholakia, who leads PR at Legalwiz.in & Hire4Higher Consulting. He is a professional with 30+ years of experience across PR, communications advisory, consulting, trade bodies, marketing communications, and outreach, and is excited about the future and what lies ahead.
