My views about PR

The relationship between PR Industry and Media is very complex, and more symbiotic one. PR Industry uses Media as its fundamental medium for delivering its messages. PR practitioners want to place their stories in the news or other journals and programs. Unless they do this, PR would lose one of its main avenues for communication with the public.

PR Vision

In the Indian Entertainment Industry, while handling Marketing and Promotions for feature films; events; television; and advertisements, I worked closely with PR professionals and sometimes even took the PR responsibility. But most of the times, PR professionals thoughtfully channel every information depending on the medium of communication. 

PR professionals are very good strategy planners, and actively involved in shaping the lost image of an organization. It's not surprising for me to know the dark side of PR. I think they are the screenplay writers, who know very well how to change or hold the climax of any situation of a story. They can be either crisis makers or crises breakers!!

The most surprising thing I learnt in the first class of PR fundamentals is that, 'all the Advertising is paid'. Is advertising a paid medium all the time..? I think NOT !! With the use of social media, other free channels, and social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube have many free options of advertising yourself and your product. If you want to increase your visibility (space and duration) in the search engines, and you want your advertisement to be on the homepage, or on a particular spot, then only it is paid.

PR is sometimes paid form of communication. Organizations plan and manage the PR agencies to manipulate their message. This has been seen in major political campaigns worldwide where PR appears after any bad statement of any politician, and they cover up the situation. It's interesting to see how they divert the entire situation to some other issue; that's what I would like to know more about..

The media depends on PR to supply content to fill air time or column line inches. PR is very challenging and interesting field where I would like to give a shoulder to the falling image of an organization, and want to rebuild it by creating interesting stories. I would like to know how PR works in different scenarios, and how effectively it can be used in technology driven, and fast paced changing world.