Social media, I think more than anything else, is shining a bright light on public relations.
And, that’s a good thing. Because, rarely does anything good in business happen in the dark (figuratively speaking, of course). So, goes the argument, if you’ve got nothing to hide, then you won’t mind answering a few questions for us.
Ultimately, good public relations is about achieveing good business results — whether that’s promoting a product, educating the market or pointing out a company’s true good aspects.
It seems like advertising doesn’t have any issues regarding if it’s honest or not. That’s because we know it’s advertising and, of course, it’s slanted. But, public relations — media relations, social media, and other activities to influence people — is generally more tactful. Traditionally, more “behind the scenes.” More indirect in reaching consumers.
And, it’s more personal. (That’s why it’s public relations.) And, because PR pros are being paid to represent a company, there’s an assumed slant. Like in advertising. But, because it’s often personal (not mass-marketed like ads), PR pros are held to a higher standard. We should be.
There should be an expectation of honesty. Beyond the shadow of doubt. Honesty SHOULD BE THE NORM. Because much of public relations is one-on-one. It’s about relationships.
Unfortunately, there are enough PR pros that are either lazy and don’t do their job thoroughly (as Chris Anderson rightly pointed out) or they are dishonest. I’m sure that being paid to represent a company is a factor in why some suppposed PR pros are lazy or not honest. But, it shouldn’t. In the long-run — particularly dealing in social media — honesty prevails.
Because, as a PR pro, your reputation and your word is your career.
For me, I’m glad there are tools like wikiscanner. It’s only a “nightmare” if you’re being dishonest. While I strongly disagree that PR firms should be banned from editing entries just because they’re PR firms, I have no problem being upfront about my work on Wikipedia or about someone else reviewing any work I’ve done.
I look forward to the day when PR pros have a better reputation.
- Mike
Great post - especially the last line.
[…] 1. Anonymous comments: Should they be allowed? by Steve Crescenzo a post inspired by Chris Anderson’s recent revelations. Some interesting views also expressed by Mike Driehorst and Roger D’Aprix. I know which points I agree with, but what about you? […]
That wikiscanner is a very handy little tool. Just goes to show how much more work is involved these days for PR firms to control what communication is out there in the public sphere.