Improving Image of PR Profession Starts at Home

Oct 11, 2004

In HBO's wildly successful "Sex and the City," actress Kim Cattrall played Samantha Jones, a "successful PR exec who knows what she wants," at least as described by HBO's Web site. But for many real-world PR execs, even the character's startlingly loose morals raised fewer questions than the precise nature of Samantha Jones' job - one that did not resemble the roles of 95% of PR professionals. She was basically a boozy party planner and celebrity shill.

Sure, she was sexy. But she also helped perpetuate the myth that PR folk are superficial gossipers who spend more time at swanky lunches and saying the word "fabulous" than at contributing to the success of an enterprise.

Yet Samantha Jones and other fictional characters of her ilk are not responsible for the shallow reputation of PR pros. The blame lays right within our own industry, and ironically, on some of the most talented professionals in the field.

You know you're guilty. At one point or another, you've turned to a prospect or client, and confided that, on the whole, PR people are a bunch of dim bulbs (excepting yourself, of course).

As a group, we must recognize that deriding our colleagues means deriding the entire profession, and ultimately, reducing our own perceived value as individuals.

What's worse, we may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Do we really expect to attract agile, young minds to our industry when we paint a picture of ourselves with such self-loathing strokes?

Perhaps it's because we haven't supplied better answers or just haven't described our job in terms that show the real value we bring - that we aren't just glad-handers who throw cocktail parties or finagle reservations at hot restaurants. Maybe we need to demonstrate that we inhabit many of the same roles as the more admired professions in our society.

I am an "attorney."

Well, maybe lawyers aren't the most admired profession, if you listen to any number of bad jokes or the odd Shakespearean quote. But smart kids apply to law school, and within corporate America, lawyers are almost certainly more respected than most communicators. Take Arthur Andersen. Because Andersen's business leaders placed more trust in its legal team than its PR machine, the company chose to communicate very little during what would be its ultimate crisis. The result - the company was ripped to shreds by the American media. In a matter of weeks, a 75-year-old, internationally renowned brand was reduced to rubble, mainly because no one was defending them from journalists. PR practitioners should position themselves less as creative right-brainers and more as "media attorneys" to earn the respect of the boardroom and attract young minds to the industry.

I am a "diplomat."

We may not dine with world leaders, but most of us do facilitate relationships among powerful people. We find elegant ways to deliver rough messages, both to distrusting journalists and to rigid-minded corporate chiefs. We choose our words carefully against the backdrop of varying company cultures. We act as mediators for potentially rivaling forces when we put media and clients in the same room. And we assure that each side gains an acceptable value from interactions.

I am a "teacher."

Does the average party planner know about the impact of a $50 barrel of oil on gas prices? Or how Sarbanes-Oxley affects companies' reporting requirements? Unlikely. And, with some exceptions, neither did most journalists, prior to the communications conducted by thousands of PR folk surrounding those subjects. Indeed, a primary role of the PR pro is to educate - which requires both the ability to explain an issue as simply as possible, and the chops to get down to the nuts and bolts that the most proficient "students" require. We must be able to teach both freshmen undergraduates and doctoral candidates with equal aptitude. And we do it every day.

Depending on your particular function, one of these job titles may resonate with you more than the others, but certainly, they more closely resemble your role than the party planner image projected throughout popular culture. So, the next time someone asks what you do, try using one of these descriptions. You may not get an invitation to the VIP room at Bungalow 8, but you'll probably get a bit more respect. PRN

CONTACT: Ian Lipner is Associate Director in the Washington, D.C. office of Lewis PR and founder of YoungPRPros.com. He can be reached at 202.349.3866, ianl@lewispr.com.