Why PR is Not as Important
I'm a very important person. No, really. You should consider having a 'me' in your life. Well, your professional life and only if you want to lead a successful one. No, I'm not about to go on some narcissistic tirade. I'm not even speaking about my importance as an individual. I'm talking about my kind-- you know, communications consultant/liason/advisor/expert/guru *insert preferred term here*.
Yup! The good ole 'corp comms'. The ones who devise strategies to ensure that your company's objective is clearly and effectively communicated to its internal and external stakeholders. The ones who are often confused with being PR persons. Yeah, it's a common and understandable mistake to make, but though PR has to include communications, communications does not always include PR.
Communications is much broader, and does not focus solely on a company's reputation and image. It's quite similar to how PR can sometimes be mistaken for marketing, and the same way that marketing masters and PR magicians have 'fought' to ensure the two remain distinguishable, I often correct people when they call me a 'PR person'. I mean, sure, it has a nice ring to it, and with pioneers such as Edward Bernays I would be proud to be called one, but I simply am not.
Many 'corp comms' have the knowledge and skills and could easily make the transition to a career in that field; still, it is important to know the difference and importance. To be fair, it was only after the 1970's that communications branched out on its own and was no longer lumped under the term public relations. It was around that time that companies started to see communications to be more than just PR.
The role of communications is to bridge the gaps between higher levels and lower levels, and different departments, to ensure that everything flows smoothly within the organisation, and to also bridge the gap between that organisation and its external stakeholders.
PR folk will work closely with management in building and identifying strong relationships between the organisation and its publics. It focuses more on creating and maintaining a favourable image for companies or famous individuals. There's a lot more to PR and Comms, but there's also a lot of overlapping especially with areas such as media relations. However, I'll tell you why I think comms is more important than PR. Yup! I just went there.
Based on the succinct differences I explained above, it should be a no-brainer why comms is more important. A company cannot operate successfully without communications, but it can without PR. A company's communications strategies can have the same effect PR does. A company may not need someone to boost its image and hoist its reputation but it doesneed someone to communicate its objective to employees and consumers. I'm not going to get technical with my explanation I'll just use a simple example.
Recently, a popular local Kadooment Day Band came under heavy fire from patrons who were left dissatisfied with the service and experience provided by the band during Crop Over 2017. Dissatisfied is me being kind, those folks were enraged. Many took to social media to blast the management team; some even made videos expressing their disappointment while threatening to never participate with the band again. It was a PR nightmare. Or so I thought.
While watching the videos, reading the Facebook and Twitter posts, and comments, I noticed two things. 1- this band was one of the more popular Kadooment bands; enjoying many years of loyal support, free PR and a seemingly flawless reputation. 2- the patrons' main complaint was not the logistical issues that the band experienced, but that the band kept them out of the loop about the challenges they were facing.
Many expressed that as Kadooment Day approached and their costumes were still not available, they became worried and frequently checked their email and the band's social media for updates as to when they would be able to collect their costumes.
Customers argued that there were no posts or emails informing them of the cause of the delay, and they became even more anxious wondering if the near thousand dollars they spent would go to waste. Some noted that at one point the band posted an update about the delay but quickly deleted it as customers flooded the comment section with questions.
Many anxiously bit their fingernails waiting to hear something from someone in charge. But they all echoed this one sentiment-- "All they [management] had to do was let us know that they were experiencing challenges, and let us know when we would be able to collect our costumes." That was all the customers wanted-- communication. For someone from the band to communicate with them.
It did not matter that the band had a sterling reputation and image. From the time they dropped the ball with communications, loyal customers were willing and ready to dismantle that reputation and sully that image. And might I add, justifiably so. In fact, it was not the customers who did that, it was the band owners and those responsible for its communications. Luckily for them they have one year to bounce back from that catastrophic communications mess, as they only operate during the Crop Over season.
A company must put its stakeholders first. The only way to ensure that stakeholders are aware of the company's goals and objectives, and even challenges, is through effective communications. Stakeholders need to feel as though they are a part of the company and that the company cares about their needs and wants. This is where someone like me comes in, and why we're very important people.
