Top 5 Reasons why PR's time has come
In the first quarter we are seeing an increase in business by 15% over last year's, I think this has less to do with Mango Media Caribbean and more to do with the fact that clients are recognising the strategic value of PR. Don't get me wrong our customers are asking us to justify every penny and even cut some of the fat from the budgets, still the increase in business and inquiries points a direct finger at my reasoning: that in a recession, PR has a critical place.
Here are the top 5 reasons why I feel PR's time has come:
1. PR's idea is now the central idea in the communications campaign as promotions and advertising budgets undergo a tail spin in recessionary times, our seat at the table has been strengthened.
2. PR always enabled conversations but in the new digital media environment where vertical dialogue is critical we are co-creating brands and enabling prosumers as we build trust and relationships.
3. PR professionals listen, advise and develop strategies; more and more we are helping shape new business realities.
4. We've gotten far beyond simply pitching to media. Hurrah!
5. Smart business leaders dealing in a world of 24/7 communications, instant messaging, NGOs and citizen journalists have finally recognised there is no room for spin in PR.
I'd be interested in knowing how you feel: what's the role of PR in difficult economic times?
http://www.mangomediacaribbean.com/blog/trackback.cfm?CF69D5FC-3048-2D03-0AB7B761D10A2920
Judette Coward Puglisi (MSc, Dip IR, BA), Managing Director. Find out more 
Maybe I'm getting more cynical, but a lot of times PR is used (and not only in these parts) as a cover up, to hide the less pleasant reality of the business, whether they are filching the books (Satyam - that started to fall apart only after the World Bank said that they would no longer be doing tenders with them), or doing any number of unsavoury things (consorting with "community leaders", or polluting) , or distracting public attention from some unpleasant bit of news (Look, we donated a used computer to a community that we took one billion of value from! Aren't we neat!).
These days, I automatically take any company or organizational message with a HUGE grain of salt. But then again, I am not usually the target market, so the loss of my little bit of business does not really matter.
And a lot of the really big old-style companies in this region use it like that. Still. And since they spend the most PR dollars, the various media and practicioners all line up at the trough.
There are some good PR firms out there, and yours has been very good at the art of PR. You're a readable writer, and I will actually go out of my way to read you. But the profession as a whole might be getting painted with the big brush of actions by the client firm.
I'll start with your comment about PR being used to distract "public attention from some unpleasant bit of news (Look, we donated a used computer to a community that we took one billion of value from! Aren't we neat!)."
Just last month I sat in an audience with other senior communicators and listened to Senator Helen Drayton, former corporate communications manager at Republic Bank, talk about businesses earning credibility by engaging the communities where it has expertise.
This is not about donating a computer Richard, it's about building sustainable long term programmes that improves the quality of life. It's about businesses providing opportunities and even taking on big social issues: education, HIV/Aids, environment. I can point my finger to many companies, some local, some multinationals who is doing just that: CLICO, Republic Bank, BHP, Guardian Holdings , BPTT, Nestle. I could go on with endless examples.
The point is PR is not spin, Richard.
Will the Satayams' in this world ever go away? No. But more and more I think we are seeing the emergence of organisations like Siemens. And from them we spot the wind of change. You remember SIemens' don't you? When allegations of bribery arose in the organisation, they faced the crisis head on, appointing legal counsel, beginning an investigation saying “let the chips fall where they may.”
That's PR at work. And it the best kind: clear, transparent. Sure we still have duck and run-for-cover organisations and CEOs, and we have professionals whose job it is to make sure that the cover is tightly on and to manipulate and spin. But more and more there is less and less of that.
Our world has changed. Citizen journalists, social activism, vigilant NGOs, an interlinked world, 24/7 communications and technology have all conspired to shape our world and all it simply means is that businesses have no choice now but to earn credibility by authentic engagement and that's where PR plays its most critical role.
Conversation are driving consumer decisions, think about it for a moment; would you prefer to buy something because you saw a glitzy ad or because you friend told you how cool it was or how much it worked?
Most corporations are fearful about what can be said about their organisations once they turn on the platforms that enable the conversations. I have been presenting lots of proposals on blogging and different employee forums using social media and it takes a lot of convincing but slowly companies are starting to budge as long as they see the demonstrable business case.
I guess that's why I think that this is such a great time for PR, who better than us to move companies into mainstream by building the relationships using social media vehicles.