Part One: The public relations elevator speech

Every student inevitably gets asked the question, “what do you plan to do with your degree,” which can be overwhelming to answer, especially for public relations students whose degree offers seemingly limitless opportunities. This versatile nature has made a single definition difficult, creating frustrations for students who are attempting to explain their degree.

As noted by the comments I received on my last post, family members are often the source of these frustrations. They understand what a doctor or accountant does, but they just can’t wrap their head around why anyone would choose PR. For example, a friend of mine received the following note from her grandpa after graduation:

Although this letter is funny, it’s a perfect example of the dilemma that we face. I think if we work together we can answer this question without compromising the integrity of our profession.

Let’s start by talking about what PR is not.

PR is not advertising. While PR and advertising can be equally creative fields, they serve completely different roles. The way I see it, advertising buys to sell. They purchase time and placement to create repetitious visibility to directly result in sales. PR receives third party endorsements, which builds awareness and trust often indirectly impacting sales.

PR is not marketing. Many people assume PR and marketing are almost identical, most likely because of the word “promote.” Marketers work to promote a product or service and PR focuses on promoting the company. PR only promotes a product or service when it’s new, relevant or innovative, and will help to build the company’s image.

These definitions should help us to remove a few of the common misconceptions about PR. In my next post, I will discuss the key components of a public relations definition.
Are there other things that confuse your friends or family about PR? If so, what are they, and how do you distinguish the difference?

So, what is it PR students plan to do with their degree?

I can remember the first time someone asked me what people do in public relations. It felt like an eternity before I spoke. I fumbled my way through a definition that was barely understandable, and then quickly asked, “what do you plan to do with your degree?”

As a student at Wayne State, I didn’t have a firm grasp on what PR practitioners did. Like a high school athlete dreams of going pro, I was a college student focused on being the president’s speechwriter. I’m confident I wasn’t the only one with a misunderstanding of the PR profession. In fact, some of the most popular sessions at the Public Relations Student Society of America 2008 National Conference were on event planning and working with celebrities. This year’s conference has even added sessions in fashion and entertainment.

For some, telling a student that PR isn’t just event planning is like telling a child there is no Santa Claus. The same thing is happening today with social media. Students are hoping if they play with Facebook and Twitter long enough, they might become the director of new media of a large company.

I believe the problem with this perspective is it misses the point of public relations altogether. Speechwriting, new media and event planning are very important aspects of public relations, but they are only pieces to the puzzle. Everyday my understanding of what a PR practitioner does is challenged and reshaped, which is partially why I’ve had such trouble explaining public relations in an elevator speech.

One thing I’ve learned is whatever PR students plan to do with their degree; it has to be flexible enough to include the changing environment of communication.

What was your first understanding of public relations? How has it changed?

In my next post, I will make an attempt at creating my public relations elevator speech.