John Gilbert
Public relations. What exactly is it? What does it feel like? What does it smell like? Does it smell like victory? Nope.
Public relations, advertising and marketing are all one big happy family. Without making it glaringly obvious, each section uses each others methods and may not even realize it. Especially when it comes to agency life in public relations, having knowledge in advertising and marketing can be huge.
Public relations, as an industry, basically spends their life patting others on the back in public places. Constantly showing the positives of others and ensuring that their best foot is always put forth first. So, do people go into public relations for the recognition? Not at all. Do they look for a pat on the back following a barely averted crisis? Nope, you can't afford to. Sometimes, you prevent companies and organizations from entering into dangerous waters when it comes to controversy and issues. However, to use a graphic analogy, it's kind of like getting attacked by a shark and surviving. On one hand, you have damage but things will heal and eventually get back to normal. On the other hand, someone fended off that shark in the water that day, but you haven't the slightest clue who they were. It can be a thankless job, but someone has to do it.
The way the industry seems to be going, jobs are being combined, people are doing more and learning more. One person now does the job of many. It's planned that way and is more efficient in such a fast paced workforce. Everyone's learning how to tackle aspects of public relations, advertising and marketing.
For instance, our Organizational Applications fundraising assignment. It certainly involved much more than just public relations. It also involved marketing and advertising. Look at the program itself, we learn about marketing and have an entire course dedicated to an introduction to advertising. It's on the pathway to becoming one monster industry. Some have it already and some are headed that way very soon.
The advantage can go to public relations if an amalgamation occurs. A two way perspective is more difficult to learn than one way. Intricacies and specifics are two words attributed to public relations. Sometimes, advertising and marketing can get away with an error here or there and nobody really catches it or it doesn't affect the end result much. When dealing in public relations, small omissions or errors can blow up into fiascos.
Would it be good to have knowledge of all three? Undoubtedly, yes. The more knowledge a person has, the more valuable they become and the more in demand they are. Job security is a hot topic and providing yourself with a better chance at success is something everyone must consider. As of now, the three entities can live as one big happy family. But down the road, a family may not have the resources to live the way they have been. They will look to see which child can learn how to be independent and carry more weight. That child will then become a leader and will be looked upon to carry the family forward. Not to say that the other siblings are completely cast aside, but if the lead sibling can handle their work on top of the rest, then they will continuously benefit from their dedication.
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