“If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on public relations.”
– Bill Gates
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.”
– Daniel J. Boorstin
If my memory is correct, in the movie Jurassic Park, the first person to get killed by a dinosaur is the public relations officer. He gets attacked while he is using the outhouse. The audience generally cheers that scene. The public relations officer in Jurassic Park was rude, insensitive and obnoxious. He was, unfortunately, playing strongly to stereotype.Public relations has a checkered image in the popular media. I find that somewhat ironic.
From a strictly dollars and cents standpoint, the return on investment for public relations can be difficult to pin down. Some, like Mr. Gates, intuitively understand the value of paying attention and actively working on managing your words and your image. Reading between the lines of Mr. Gates' comment is the fact that one way to make sure your last dollar begets more dollars is to invest it in public relations.
One of the reasons that the value of public relations can be hard to pin down is that a lot of the intrinsic value of a solid public relations effort isn't in the press releases sent out or the feature footage on the evening news. The true value of a quality public relations program is found in what isn't reported in the media or shared through social media. The crisis that is averted. The message that is clarified and restated. The relationships that have been nurtured that help an organization identify and respond to a problem before it becomes an issue.
You see, public relations is all about developing and nurturing relationships and reputations. The rude, obnoxious jerk from Jurassic Park isn't likely to have much success in the real world. The fast talking PR con man of many movies and books makes for an entertaining foil or an amusing clown but not a good PR practitioner.
Mr. Boorstin also seems to be commenting on the potential value of employing a public relations professional. The problem with his quote is that he indicates that public relations is of little use to the great or the achievers. He seems to suggest that public relations is a shortcut to talent and hard work.
So what is reality? Is it the obnoxious guy whom we enjoy seeing munched on by a T-Rex? Is it the value creator that Bill Gates is speaking of or the short cut man that Daniel Boorstin talks about? The truth, like any profession populated by people, is that it varies. There are public relations practitioners who fit each of the descriptions above, and plenty that fit none of them.
I do believe, however, in the inherent good in the ethical practice of public relations. Responsible practitioners of public relations are primarily communicators and relationship builders. The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has a code of ethics that advises public relations professionals to:
- Protect and advance the free flow of accurate and truthful information.
- Foster informed decision making through open communication.
- Protect confidential and private information.
- Promote healthy and fair competition among professionals.
- Avoid conflicts of interest.
- Work to strengthen the public’s trust in the profession.
The vast majority of the practitioners I have known over the years have followed these guidelines instinctively. They are good people with a desire to serve the public good. They are focused on communicating with their organization's constituents the information that is desired and useful to them.
So will someone please call off the dinosaurs!
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