Tales from The Dark Side

Originally posted to the SCPRSA's Palmetto Practitioner blog Sept. 19, 2013:

It first hit me a few months ago when I was scanning resumes for entry-level hires and realized that I have T-shirts older than most of the candidates: I've been doing this a long, long time.

Longevity is not necessarily an asset in a profession undergoing the kind of radical evolution we're seeing in public relations. New skills and methods can be harder to adopt for numbskulls like me whose careers have been defined by applying the same basic principles to a wide range of circumstances and achieving successful outcomes.

But longevity does offer perspective, and that perspective has come in handy now that I've moved over to The Dark Side. You see, a few months ago our agency, Erwin Penland, unbundled its PR department and embedded its PR professionals into various account teams to provide more seamless, comprehensive thinking and solutions to its clients. After twentysomething years focusing primarily on public relations -- albeit mostly in an integrated communications environment -- I'm now a group account director responsible for determining strategy and managing execution across the full spectrum of communications disciplines.

In this new role I've gained a completely new appreciation for where PR stands in today's communications mix. And from where I stand, it seems so-called marketing guru Al Ries was only half right when he predicted the fall of advertising and the rise of PR more than a decade ago. Because if advertising is dead, then so is public relations.

Now before you burn me at the stake for such heresy, hear me out. I believe there has never been a greater need, nor more opportunities, for PR professionals to help organizations change people's beliefs and behaviors. I just think that labels like "public relations" and "advertising" are irrelevant in an age when innovation and resourcefulness are significantly more valuable than discipline-specific expertise.

Public relations is essentially the vocational equivalent of the art of storytelling. As professionals we're trained to forge meaningful connections with our audiences, whether it's fellow employees, opposition groups, government overseers or consumers at large. In today's integrated ecosystem, I believe PR professionals are uniquely qualified to not just have a role, but to lead those efforts by harnessing the vast array of communications tools available . . . and by helping invent new ones.

Upon hearing about my new role at Erwin Penland, a colleague asked me the other day how I felt about leaving PR at this stage of my career. "Leave PR?" I asked. "I'm helping to redefine it."

Are you?

Waiting for Tiger

As a golf enthusiast and PR pro, I'm doubly eager to see how the Tiger Woods saga will unfold over the next few months. While the PGA Tour won't be the same without everyone gunning for arguably the greatest golfer to ever play the game, I'm more curious to see how the fallen hero will seek to repair his image off the golf course.

I applaud Tiger for making it his top priority to repair the damage in his family . . . if that's even possible. But his choice to go into hiding instead of confronting his situation in a more complete and forthright manner is troubling evidence of the "above-it-all" arrogance that helped land him in hot water in the first place.

My question is, why aren't Tiger's advisers providing him with more effective counsel during this tragic episode? His painstakingly crafted mea culpas, placed in the secure domain of his personal Website, fall far short of the honest acknowledgment his sponsors and supporters deserve.

Let's face it: Tiger's star power is such that he could command any public forum, under the most favorable terms, for his "come clean" interview. A guest spot on Oprah would go a long way toward restoring his integrity, with little threat of the kind of questioning a more cutthroat interviewer might employ.

Instead, Tiger continues to exhibit the stubborn behavior personified by Kevin Costner's Roy McAvoy in the movie "Tin Cup." Struggling on the fringes of golf for over a decade, McAvoy amazingly needs only to par the final hole to win the U.S. Open and the woman of his dreams. Instead of playing safe by laying up on the long par 5, he goes for the green in two, putting five shots in the water before miraculously holing out for a scorecard-bloating 12.

My advice to Tiger: put the 3 wood back in the bag, lay up, and get on with the business of winning golf tournaments.

As Trust in Banks Wanes, Whither PR?

Credit crisis? I think the current crisis of confidence facing the financial industry is far more dire, which is why it's so surprising how quiet banks, brokerages and other institutions have been the past few months.

Evn the most pessimistic economist will tell you that consumer sentiment --fueled, no doubt, by relentless media coverage of every layoff and stock-market hiccup -- is contributing heavily to the current climate. The question is, when the fundamentals of the economy are restored, how much will lingering fear keep the population from resuming their normal purchasing behavior?

As a communicator -- and a consumer -- I see a tremendous void in useful information about what's happening in the economy and what we should do about it. I'm not talking about sugarcoating the situation. I'm talking about informing and educating the public, a role for which PR is ideally suited.

Yet the financial services industry is eerily silent. Maybe they're afraid of getting caught with their pants down, like the Big 3 auto execs flying on private jets to court Congress for billions in bailout money. One PR consultant told me her mortgage lender client absolutely forbid any proactive media outreach until the storm passes.

PR pros may be staring at the proverbial once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. By reassuring the public during these turbulent times, they can restore confidence in the financial services sector and demonstrate the tangible value of thoughtful, purposeful public relations.

Integration Starts with Shared Goals

It seems so obvious, yet for some reason so elusive. Decades after the phrase "integrated communications" was first coined, most brands and organizations are no closer to realizing its potential despite a communications landscape that increasingly demands such a comprehensive approach.

While countless companies and agencies explore methods to coordinate their various communications activities, I believe integration is more a question of philosophy than process. And it starts with one pivotal question: are your communications efforts oriented around a shared set of goals?

Imagine a football team without a common purpose. Wouldn't the offense go for it every time on fourth down regardless of field position, putting their defensive teammates in a hole if they're unsuccessful? Understanding the bigger picture -- in this case, the importance of field position -- allows for decision-making that supports the overarching goal of winning the game.

More than any other communications discipline, public relations encompasses an organization's relationships with the full range of its stakeholder groups -- customers, employees, investors, government and likely many others. That's why I believe PR pros are uniquely qualified to drive integrated thinking, because of our uniquely comprehensive perspective.