PR and the art of spin

Allan Botica

Stereotypically regarded as a profession for 'people people', 'spin doctors' and lovers of the long liquid lunch, public relations nevertheless remains an enigma to many.

Paul Dryden, executive director for the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ), says if long lunches and spin was what PR was all about, the industry wouldn't continue to attract bright young things, retain mature skill, and grow year on year.

"There are more and more PR practitioners in New Zealand and all have found a home somewhere," says Dryden. "There's growth on internal communications teams and demand for the PR function in the corporate environment."

PRINZ, which performs the functions typical of an industry body - raising awareness, offering a code of ethics, and erecting barriers to entry to protect members - is 50 years old with 1000 members. The total PR practitioner pool in New Zealand is estimated to be around 5000 says Dryden.

He says PR is essentially about reputation management; managing the reputation of an employer or client while simultaneously developing strategies that communicate key messages to the right audience and through suitable channels.

"A lot of people equate public relations with press releases; while it's true people need excellent written communication skills for PR, so much of it is about negotiation and mediation; forward-planning and business strategy," says Dryden. Simple spin it is not, and many PR practitioners regard that particular term as synonymous with 'lie', says Dryden.

Allan Botica, a 19 year PR veteran and managing director of consultancy Botica Butler Raudon, says if a PR practitioner asked to do something unethical, they should refuse.

"PR companies are sometimes asked by clients or employers to create fake [case studies] or campaigns or say or write something they know not to be true," says Botica.

Dryden says sometimes that can occur through sheer ignorance - employer's need a clear understanding of what is ethical from a PR perspective and what is not.

"Anything misleading or untruthful is considered unethical; PR people should not be expected to tell lies," says Dryden.

He says the role of the PR or communications manager is increasingly strategic, and can be found at board level in New Zealand. The life of the 'long lunch' is certainly not a reflection of the industry as far as corporates are concerned, says Dryden.

The inference is that smart organisations treat their PR and communications managers as professional consultants rather than puppets or expendable messengers. And although final decisions rest with more senior business leaders, modern PR professionals are expected to tell their clients and employers if they think an approach is wrong or harmful from a PR perspective.

"If you think a client's approach/message is wrong, then you owe it to them to say so," says Botica.

Botica says the downsides of PR include sound PR advice that gets ignored and carefully thought-out PR strategies that fail through circumstances beyond the PR professional's control.

"In PR, relatively little of what you work with is within your control; you have to look at all the things that could possibly go wrong and take steps to prevent them happening. At the same time the territory you operate in has a degree of uncertainty," says Botica.

Not a career for control freaks then.

Jane Hardy, 22, has been working as an account executive Text100 for nine months. An Auckland University of Technology graduate with dual Bachelor degrees in Communications and Business Studies, Hardy says she set her sights on PR early.

"I saw that with PR you could mix personal creativity with business skills and people skills. I had an expectation that PR would deliver a holistic view of how a business works and that expectation has been met," she explains.

Hardy says PR as a profession isn't well understood, but with a little explanation most people can see how managed communication is fundamental to an organisation's success.

"There is so much meaningful activity in public relations and it is a stepping stone towards a future in business strategy or internal communications," says Hardy.

Botica says after 19 years, he still gets a kick out of PR.

"It's a professional service and while you don't promise everything is going to be wonderful and right for your clients, you do reduce uncertainty for them," says Botica.

Dryden says accountability is a big downside - no matter how well a PR person plans and strategises, if a campaign or PR maneuver fails it will probably be seen as the PR person's fault. And Botica warns budding PR proteges who view PR as a 'people job' that prolific writing in different voices and to different audiences is required; in fact top notch written communications skills are critical to landing a job.

"Can you write 1000 words before breakfast? If not, your usefulness as a PR practitioner will be limited," says Botica.

Dryden says new PR graduates and employees will be required to do a lot of writing "but what makes a good PR person is far broader than that; it's about understanding what makes a business function right through to being able to read a balance sheet."

If writing is core PR ability, so are people, presentation and communication skills. Hardy says PR practitioners need to be high energy and have empathy for others, and Botica suggests a key question for PR hopefuls is: am I temperamentally suited?

"You have to be a good listener, perceptive, curious, and know when you are being led. You need bags of confidence and self control when you are subject to whatever [emotional] battering occurs during the day," he says.

According to industry analysts, senior communications managers with large organisational experience can expect to be paid more than $100,000 and senior account executives in consultancies attract similar remuneration levels. Entry level positions initially pay up to $35,000, although this can rise quickly for people with particular flair or commitment. Sole PR practitioners running their own consultancies probably have the best income potential.

"People ask me 'how do I start a PR company?' and I always say 'by getting yourself a client'," says Botica.

Botica says while there's probably not as much money in PR as people imagine it is a progressive profession with a defined career ladder and there are plenty of tertiary PR courses available throughout the country.

However, people who have studied other academic disciplines can also be successful in PR (Botica has a doctorate of philosophy in drama from Oxford University )

"Journalists make good PR people providing they haven't become professional skeptics, as do people who have studied law or philosophy. If you're interested in PR, the best thing to do is do something else first; get life experience, learn about people, then do a formal PR course. And always write, write, write," says Botica.