PR – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The sphere of Public Relations and Corporate Communication represents the most diverse, influential, and exhilarating professional endeavours in the 21st century.
Acting as; a lifestyle manager for an A-lister in the entertainment industry, an accounts executive in a financial conglomerate, a marketing and social media coordinator for a tourism giant, a digital media specialist for a restaurant chain, an event management consultant for a sports agency, are only a handful of bullet points in what is a laundry list of opportunity in the world of PR.
A Dummy’s Guide to Understanding PR
Behind the smoke and mirrors, a Public Relations agency simply undertakes to paint the company in a flattering light vis-à-vis its target audience. Priority numero uno is to lend their client an aura of honesty, success and relevance as far as public perception goes, thereby boosting their credibility quotient.
Despite the popular adage, ‘There is no such thing as bad publicity’, these agencies also administer damage control should their client find themselves in less than tasteful situations. Though nothing piques the public’s curiosity like success through scandal, a PR guy plays his cards carefully to understand which scandals work in the client’s favour, and which do not, and acts accordingly.
Through direct mediums such as participation at conventions and award ceremonies, as well as indirect mediums like radio and print campaigns, social media marketing, blogs, press releases, newsletters, etc., a PR manager is tasked with researching, writing, planning, editing, designing and implementing effectual strategies to establish and retain a strong connection between the company and the media/public.
As opposed to an advertising agency, a PR firm does not indulge in any form of ‘paid media’. That is to say, they do not design and execute material for advertisements, billboards, nor do they directly promote client products. Rather, they are involved in ‘free media’, meaning they focus on newspapers, magazines, websites, and the likes, to act as ‘Reputation Nazis’ on behalf of their clients.
People are often of the opinion that any form of paid promotion is put forward by the company itself and hence, needs to be handled with gloves of skepticism. Whereas, the material presented in respected third-party outlets like newspapers, magazines and websites easily elicits trust from the public, as these conduits are viewed as occupying an unbiased standpoint. This is why the work of a PR guy emulates that of an artiste. By adding the essential cherry atop a deadly dull cake, they have the power to influence public attitudes to a startling degree, something that even advertising agencies cannot do.
Suiting Up for Battle
That’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? Just as in any business role within the professional sphere, a PR specialist faces the core challenge of helping draw in new customers whilst retaining existing ones. To distinguish the company amongst its competition, one has to adopt effective brand management techniques, thus converting leads into sales. However, to truly excel in what has become an increasingly cut-throat field, one needs the perfect start to getting ahead.
St Pauls Institute of Communication Education (SPICE) ushers in the advent of an exciting new era for the academic world of Public Relations and Corporate Communication. The Postgraduate Public Relations program takes students through a ten month long enriching learning experience that imbibes both theoretical and practical knowledge, skills and trends prevailing in the industry.
We’ve administered a complete overhaul to the age-old course loads, enabling exposure to a well-devised curriculum curated by veteran business experts. Additionally, the course work is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is relevant and current from an employer’s perspective.
The program is designed to portray an up-to-date reflection of the 3 essentials of PR;
Research
Through pedagogy in consumer behaviour, marketing, media engagement, and data analytics, the student is encouraged to conduct independent research and finely tune their ability to conceive and execute the perfect PR pitch.
Creativity
This segment encourages pupils to shoot down tried and tested methods. Becoming an innovative force that propels the execution of creative techniques through research, rather than manufacturing ‘yes men’ is a focal point in the program.
Communication
Content is king; a no doubt overused, over abused statement, but one that still holds water. The program hones the student’s written and verbal communication faculties, enabling them to put forward their well-researched ideas. Presentations, essays and class participation form a vital portion of the course, boosting the pupil’s confidence to throw in their creative ideas and arguments, and face constructive feedback from their peers and teachers. To remain in tune with the emerging needs in the field of PR, we inculcate concepts like finance, corporate, and lifestyle communications.
Entering the Professional Arena
St. Paul’s PR alumni speak volumes without ever having to say a word through their post-education accomplishments. Our pupils have created a name for themselves in some of the most reputed media corporations, whilst exhibiting the skills cultivated through our industry inspired curriculum, designed to prepare them way before they even set foot into the professional sphere.
PR Pundit, Avian Media, Madison Public Relations, Edelman, Adfactors PR, MSLGroup, Text100, to name a few, have a fruitful track record of taking SPICE’s students under their wing. These students have traveled from strength to strength with plenty of exciting opportunities coming their way.
The bottom line? There is always ample elbow room to accelerate a career in public relations, and deliver said career onto a custom-made tangent. By exhausting one’s faculties in various capacities such as designing and executing strategic communication plans within the company, to organizing promotional gala dinners for thousands of people, a PR specialist can author a very colourful portfolio.
