“Public Relations – Is It Right For You?”

Speech given at the University of Minnesota - College of Liberal Arts  (April 24, 2015)

Thank you for that kind introduction.

I am very pleased to have been asked to provide my thoughts to your group today – the CLAgency is a very innovative concept and you and your faculty member advisors, especially Scott Meyer, should be congratulated for creating a real-world (and paid) opportunity to practice public relations.

I am a great believer in the liberal arts. I was a history major. My son was a political science major at Carleton College. And my daughter an anthropology major at UCLA.

As a family, we are “all in” when it comes to the value of the liberal arts. The fact that you actively promote this course of study using PR is commendable.

Public Relations. PR. Spin-meister. Flack.

It is said that public relations professionals are a lot like lawyers. Except that lawyers are the object of better jokes.

PR agencies and practitioners represent individuals, firms, brands, products, associations and even countries.

They are asked to perform a variety of tasks aimed at achieving a wide range of objectives, from building awareness; to driving sales; to dispelling or deflecting a negative image.

They use a variety of tools, including polling research, focus groups and behavioral studies, to inform strategy and messaging.

And they reach target audiences through a variety of channels, including the news media, paid advertising…and, increasingly, through social media.

In my own career I experienced PR in a variety of ways.

As a young journalist and editor I was the target of PR campaigns. My first encounter with a real, live PR person was a guy from Goodyear… who invited me to ride in the Goodyear Blimp over Beverly, Massachusetts.

I was the summer reporter for the Danvers Herald and about 20 years old.  I took up the invitation. In the piece I wrote, which was generally light-hearted and positive, I referred to my host as “the blimp pimp”.

Years later, when I was doing PR for Ford Motor Company, I was happy that a younger version of me wasn’t covering some car event I’d organized. My penchant for alliteration would have undoubtedly led to calling myself the “Ford whore”.

My next career stop was as a press secretary, first to Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts; and then to Senator Bob Dole of Kansas.

In many respects the press secretary’s job harkens back to the earliest form of public relations – the “publicist”.

Hollywood actors… or individuals in the public eye, like John D. Rockefeller or Henry Ford… would hire individuals to keep them visible…or burnish their image.

From politics there was a hop to the corporate world – to IBM, Ford, an aerospace company called CAE, a bank called CIBC and Canada Post, a more profitable version of the United States Postal Service located north of the border.

In those jobs I was both a client of PR companies, as well as the person directing in-house communications, advertising, marketing and government relations functions.

Today, I own my own company. My firm includes PR as an area of expertise. I was asked to provide you with some tips – some dos and don’ts – based on my own experience.

My first tip is to step back and decide if public relations is actually the right path for you. Because it is not right for everyone.

Why do I say this? Because, to one degree or another, it is highly unlikely that your views, beliefs or opinions will align perfectly with those of your client at all times.

There will even be times when you believe the client is dead wrong about something.

That may seem unlikely with an entity like the University of Minnesota… but it could easily be the case with a corporation, a political figure or an advocacy group. If your color pallet includes only black and white, you may have to get used to adding some gray.

My second tip is think of yourself as a brand.

How do you wish to be perceived by friends, family, associates and the public in general? It is really all about reputation. Much as a corporate misstep can cripple a company like BP for years, a personal misstep can cast a long shadow over a career.

It may be that you will see your role as that of a professional advocate – much as a lawyer will defend the unpopular individuals or causes – because everybody has a right to be heard.

But doing PR for tobacco… or North Korea…or the Tea Party… may not be, well, your cup of tea.

These are boundaries you need to set in advance – not after you land a job or position.

And if your job truly does conflict with your values, by all means quit. But keep in mind you will only get to resign so many times.

I worked with an individual, a wonderful journalist with great integrity, Jerry terHorst, who briefly served as President Jerry Ford’s press secretary. He resigned over Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon.

He was never sorry he did this. But he knew it was a card you can only play once… if you want to stay employed.

My third piece of advice is to be willing to say to a reporter or blogger that you don’t know the answer to a question – and that you’ll get back to them when you do. Most of the people I’ve hired over the years in media relations or public relations jobs are super-smart. They were that annoying kid who always had their hand up in third grade with the quickest answer. And they didn’t change much during university.

But PR isn’t Jeopardy. Getting it right is more important than getting it fast. There is no shame in taking the time needed to be really, really sure. 

The reporter will be fine as long as you do eventually get back to them within their deadline.

My fourth piece of advice is to put yourself in the shoes of the reporter.

Understand what motivates them. Understand that while you are fighting to get their attention, they are fighting to get the attention of an editor, news director or a producer.  

Ask yourself, “Is this really news?” And don’t limit your interactions only to things that advance your interests. Help them out with ideas or news tips even when it doesn’t immediately benefit your client.

PR is all about relationships and trust. They will remember the favor.

I would also urge you to hone your writing skills. The ability to write clearly and concisely will always be a key skill. Any firm worth its salt will test your writing skills – on a timed basis, typically with no access to Google or some other crutch.

So write - and read as much good writing by others - as you can.

One thing you may wish to think about is whether to enter the PR field with an agency… or a corporation.

My guess is the vast majority of you think the agency route is the best way to go… perhaps because you’ve watched “Mad Men” and want to be the next Don Draper or Peggy Olsen. Or maybe it’s just because you’ve heard that agencies like to hire lots of young people.

But working on the client side – the corporate side – can have advantages. My son Joseph is a good example. When he graduated from Carleton College he went to Cargill, the giant agro-commodity company, in media relations.

He learned a lot about a sector – agriculture. He learned a great deal about what corporations are looking for in their communications from some great practitioners, including Pete Stoddart and Mike Fernandez. He even managed the relationship with a PR company, Weber Shandwick, on a project.

These skills and that knowledge allowed him a year later to be hired as an account executive at one of the nations up and coming PR firms.

In my view, a corporate opportunity can be a fulfilling as an agency job. A lot depends on what you make of it.

And you need not stay with the same company – if you yearn for diversity of experience you can always change companies and/or sectors. I did this six times over the course of my career.

My brother, who worked for consulting firms, described his client experience as “promiscuous”. He described my approach as “serially monogamous”. Either path can be rewarding.

The trick of course – especially at your early career stage - is winning the engagement or getting hired.

Speaking of hiring – go with a firm that hires slow, but fires fast.

Seriously.

A good firm spends a great deal of time selecting people that are a good fit for their culture… and reflect their values.

A good example is Four Seasons Hotels. One of my clients was Katie Taylor, former CEO of Four Seasons and current Board Chair at Royal Bank. She told me that Four Seasons will often interview thousands of individuals to fill a few dozen jobs.

It is all about maintaining the highest standards of quality and service. And if a person doesn’t live up to those standards, they’re gone. Because one bad employee can ruin a brand and a firm’s reputation.

I would also urge you to move beyond electronic communication, like e-mail, to include telephone and face-to-face. Don’t get me wrong – e-mail is great. But a smiley face is never a full substitute for an actual smile. And you can never get the tone of voice or the nuance that often tells you more than the words by themselves.

And if you go into the Agency side of things or even the corporate side, I would recommend you read a book called “The Trusted Advisor” by David Mainster.

Consultants hate this book…because it tells the inside story on how consulting firms and agencies worm their way into the clients hearts…and wallets. Mainster is a former McKinsey guy. And believe me; McKinsey is very good at what they do…including endlessly expanding the scope of their business.

I would also urge you, as your careers progress, to find opportunities to interact with other professionals. At your stage, the Public Relations Society of America, or PRSA, is a good forum. When you reach the most senior level, the Arthur Page Society and The Seminar are excellent forums for interaction with your peers.

So those are just a few thoughts.

Public relations is a challenging, intellectually stimulating field. It is populated with some very good people. It can be wonderfully rewarding… and infinitely frustrating.

But it is never boring.

I would love to get your reaction, comments… and try to answer any questions you might have.

Thank you.