My blog topics have primarily consisted of women in PR and social media PR for non profits. So what is the connection between the two? They are both two major phenomenons that emerged and developed through public relations. Both are also in the ‘relationship business.’ And, although one involves the development of technology and the other a social behavioural trend they both serve as clear examples of how PR has paved the way for radical opportunity. It will be interesting to see what other phenomenon can be attributed to the field in the near future. What do you think? What could be the next major ‘trend’ or opportunity we thank PR for?
0
Social media allows non-profits to tap into audiences that they previously had no connection or access to. Individuals are now able to express interest about important issues and organizations are able to target potential stakeholders.
Usingsocial media to create visibility for organizations helps create good reputation, and brand loyalty through word of mouth. After all social media is also word of mouth medium.
Research shows that social media is a fundraising phenomenon as there are whole new groups of potential donors that have been made created through this medium.
So, why aren’t more non-profits using this as a medium for increased donations? Are the ones currently using social media doing so effectively? In terms of:
-marketing their program
-using ALL available online fundraising mediums
-having a website that is donation friendly
-using proper online fundraising campaign guidelines (so as to not come across as spam)
Click on the picture below to view a clip of how non-profits ‘profit’ off social media.
While on the topic of social media, I though it would be worthy of mentioning social medias impact on non profits. Though we already know the extent of social media’s influence on society today, I focus on how it has impacted non profits as I have witnessed its effectiveness first hand.
There is no question that social media is adding a whole new dynamic to the Public Relations profession. Reaching your stakeholders now means incorporating Facebook and Twitter into your daily routine. Some are weary of this new technology while others have embraced it with open arms. While the corporate world has not yet entirely tapped into the social media phenomenon, the non-profit world has made it integral to their daily operations. Due to the extended audience reach that social media offers, non-profit organizations are utilizing these networking sites because it is simple, cost effective and highly accessible to anyone with an internet connection. There is no doubt that the impact social media is having on our world is both revolutionary and permanent.
But are there social benefits to social media? Is this too obvious of a question?
The answer of course, is yes. There are definitely benefits, (benefits which are supported by research) but just how much is it influencing charitable donations?
Online donations offer anonymity as well as convenience to donors therefore making it a viable alternative to more traditional methods of donating.
Social media allows for a seamless and highly assessable tool, meaning that people across the globe can easily donate to any cause anytime, anywhere.
When analyzing the impact social media tools such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have on an organization’s reputation, donor engagement, and overall awareness, the consistent common denominator was that online donations increase significantly.
However, there seems to be two unknowns. First, since social media is a fairly new innovation, its direct impact on society is difficult to measure tangibly. Second, are online donations segregating an entire generation? Does donating now primarily cater to youth and middle aged people?
Last week I wrote about the simultaneous evolution of PR and media popularity. This week I will focus on how the development of media consuption has influenced PR.
The increased production, distribution, and circulation of news has fuelled arguments that attempt to explain how we receive, interpret, and process information today. With the onset of the internet we now have new ways of communicating, searching, researching and accessing that help us receive messages faster than we ever have before. Yet, it seems the more information there is, the more need for the public to process and clarify it. So, how do we manage to interpret these messages?
The theory of technophilia describes our era as one that embraces “a culture of technophilia as it offers a free culture, open content, open source software, peer production, citizen journalism, and participatory media” (Forte, 2009). Technophilia is the idea that “information wants to be free” (Forte, 2009). This argument states that media provides such a free environment, that the public is now more informed and educated than ever before. This idea is supported by the fact that “we are living in a world where every individual can freely access information, amplify his/her own voice in the public sphere, and participate in communities that transcend cultural boundaries” (Forte, 2009).
This blog serves as a perfect example of “free information.” Still, this raises an important question, if just anybody can contribute to a news site, an encyclopaedia, or even publish their own resource, where then does the credibility lie?
Forte, A.. Learning in public: Information literacy and participatory media. Ph.D. dissertation, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States — Georgia. Retrieved September 24, 2010, from Dissertations & Theses: A&I.(Publication No. AAT 3376278).
In the last 30 years PR has evolved significantly with the emergence of social media, online reputation management, corporate web videos and the changing role of journalists and marketing professionals. PR is believed to be more important now because of the increased importance of media and media outlets
Among the most drastic changes PR has experienced (aside from the increasing number of women in the field) is the development of social media.
So, is it social media’s influence on PR or PR’s influence on social media? Maybe it’s a bit of both. Social media has expanded the way PR practitioners communicate with key audiences, conduct research, and monitor relationships. PR practitioners can also impact the use of social media by creating ‘controlled’ environments in which they can frame their client’s image and message. They use social media as a tool to attract responses or feedback which can later be used to improve the company’s image.
While social media has increased the way PR practitioners communicate, it has also led to increased competition between companies in the same market. Companies now fight to have the most media presence for their brand, or services. Healthy competition?
Of course there are many things that have changed about PR, but does its growth necessarily mean it is better than it once was, or have we lost some important techniques to modern approaches.
My previous entries have discussed women’s strong presence in PR. I have also discussed the reasons why they may have chosen this career path over others. So, the argument now is, where exactly are they within the PR industry hierarchy?
What positions, within PR, are women filling, and why?
If women have outnumbered men in the field, why then, is their overwhelming presence not reflected in literature, textbooks, and journals? Why is it that they are instead well represented in the entertainment industry, primarily Hollywood?
Research shows, there is a lack of female presence in public relations textbooks, specifically in photographs, profiles, citations and quotations. This disproportionate representation of women in textbooks does not reflect their overpowering presence in the industry. What does this suggest? Are women’s contributions to PR being down played and overlooked despite their prominence and influence in the field?
This may have something to do with the fact that men are still the ones holding top positions within public relations. Women are ultimately subjected to technical positions, lower pay, with less opportunity for promotion compared to their male counterpart. So, it appears there is a glass ceiling in PR after all. Though it is not present in entry level positions it becomes quite apparent once women attempt to enter top level positions.
This, however, is drastically contrasted with the way women are represented in movies. In Hollywood, women are often sought after to play the role of a PR agent. The portrayal of women in Sex and the City, The Hills, Kell on Earth as PR persons may merely reinforce gender stereotypes however, regardless of whether Hollywood glorifies and misrepresents these positions, the fact is that they are mirroring real life PR industry (at least in terms of female representation). As superficial as Hollywood is, it plays a powerful role in changing public perceptions. Though it may not be prudent to leave it to Hollywood to define women in PR, they seem to be the only force that recognizes women’s presence in the field. In any event, both in real life and in Hollywood women’s prevalence in PR had a significant impact on TV commercials as well. I have attached a Mac ad that is just one example of a commercial that aims to mimic the PR world today.
Now for a change of perspective, I thought I would tackle this topic from a male’s point of view. Instead of asking, why so many women have entered the field of public relations, why not ask, instead, why such few men have?
Research shows that of the 11 specialty industry areas analysed, only four were significantly more male than female oriented. These specialties were in areas that were traditionally male dominated such as technology, finance, sports and industry. (Aldoory, 2001).
So, why have men suddenly decided to stray away from the PR industry? Some suggest that it may have something to do with the fact that we are now living in the Information Age and that we have moved from an industrial society to a technological one, created by information exchange. Unlike the Industrial Age that was created by men for men, we now enjoy a business environment that is more ethical, one that allows women to move up the corporate ladder.
Some attribute the loss of men in PR to the increasing availability of higher paying jobs in other industries. And, the more men moved away, the more women began to find it appealing.
This question of ‘why such few men’ seems to be harder to answer than my previous one (why so many women). After doing some research, I realized that there are no publications that focus on why men have increasingly become more absent in PR. In fact, searching “men in public relations” in google does not pull up a single relevant link. What it does pull up are synopsises, discussions and fan mail on “Mad Men” the critically acclaimed series on AMC cable. The show is set in the 1960’s in an advertising firm whose corporate culture includes middle class, young, white men. The series depicts sexism, especially in the work place, as middle and upper management are all men, while admin positions are filled by younger, attractive women. Ironic? Click on the picture below to watch a preview of what the show is like.
I’ve also attached below, another video that is a parody on the show- reversing the role of men with women- it’s more comical than informative, but it makes you appreciate how ridiculous this kind of environment is.
*note: most of the scenes are relevant while others are just plain weird. You’ll get the point! Enjoy.
Upon further researching women in PR, I discovered, to my surprise, that their predominance in the industry has been received, by some, with a considerable amount of negativity. This, ties into my previous blog where I talked about a PhD candidate that felt it was politically correct to refer to the increased number of women in PR as a ‘serious issue that must be addressed’. Another example of this negative reaction is found in Peppercorn’s CEO, Steve Cody’s blog where he referred to the growing number of women in PR as,
“unsettling and unhealthy because too much of anything is bad.”
So, when looking at the impact of women in PR it may not all be positive. In fact, Cody goes on to say that
“too many young women will distort the cultures of our organizations and impact the end result of our industry’s services”
In my opinion, women are not consciously claiming PR as female industry. In fact, women’s predominance in PR did not develop as a result of the alienation of men. On the contrary, many men are consciously alienating themselves from the industry by choosing, early on, not to study PR. In other words, women have not formed an impervious PR alliance that aims to isolate men. There are currently no obstacles in place that prevent men from entering the PR field. It’s a choice, like the choice women have made to study PR or to practice medicine or law. With this said, men should be encouraged to enter the PR field. More importantly it would be important to investigate why male presence has diminished in a field that was once dominated by them.
Today, I will begin by exploring the reasons we (women) have chosen a PR path. The ambiguity and lack of the available research has led me to conduct my own mini research poll. Of course it is small scale and will not necessarily reflect all the reasons for practicing PR but it will offer insight and discussion. Please complete the poll below (only 4 questions)
The Velvet Ghetto phenomenon is based on Business Week’s article (1978), which suggested that PR has been a “safe place” or “velvet Ghetto” created by firms/companies in order to achieve their affirmative action requirements. The theory argues that women were encouraged to enter the PR industry in an attempt to tuck them away, so that they would not interfere or pose a threat to men in their race for top management positions.
As “interesting” as this theory sounds, is it plausible for it to still exist today? Well, what the velvet theory cannot explain is the increased female presence in PR courses at universities or colleges, nor the achievements women have accomplished in the field. What the velvet theory cannot do is downplay the important role women have played in PR. I say this with such emphasis because during my research into this topic, I stumbled upon an article posted on PRIA (Public Relations Institute of Australia) website about the “Predominance of Women in PR”. This article stated (and I quote) that
“Many in the industry believe that an unbalanced workforce could effect the profession’s credibility and lead to lower salaries, simply because women traditionally have not been employed in senior management roles”
So that solves it! We are not only causing the PR industry to loose its credibility, we are also unfairly paid “simply” because, well, we have always been. This PhD candidate goes on to say that
“Whatever the case, I believe it’s an issue the industry has to seriously consider. This work should provide a few pointers to the likely directions and implications for PR.”
Well at least we are not a crisis that has to be seriously considered!
Check out the article , click on the PRIA icon below:
Smashing the glass ceiling with PR
These days the PR industry seems to have unintentionally become a leading force in the campaign for female representation in the workplace. It seems as though the communications field has successfully smashed the glass ceiling that has prevented women from not only equalizing but dominating this sector. Interestingly enough, this is all happening in a field that was once dominated by males. In fact, the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) released figures indicating that women now outnumber men by 60:40; which is an incredible shift from 1987 when figures indicated the opposite at 20:80.
So the question is: what has caused the phenomenon of women in PR? Why does this industry more than any other attract women? Since this phenomenon is relatively new, there is little research conducted in this area. However, we can still speculate as to why this may have occurred.
Some argue that women are predominant in this field because it offers the best of both worlds: a high powered career that offers enough flexibility to manage a household. I’m sceptical of this argument. Would it not be just as rewarding for a man to have this kind of flexibility in his career? Would a man not equally want to spend quality time with his spouse and children?
One might also want to consider the fact that there has been a drastic increase in the number of women enrolling in college, making women more prepared and more qualified to enter PR than in the past; subsequently prompting women to become more successful.
There is also the idea that women are pulling towards PR because they are inherently good at it. It’s almost as if it were part of our make up. This idea is supported by the notion that if one is good at what they do, then they will consequentially enjoy doing it. Women are proving their talent and are making significant strides in the field of PR. Therefore, it seems only natural that more women would be inclined to join this field.
What about the idea that women are better communicators than men? (many men would admit to this, to some extent). This may be because women are also historically better listeners.
There is also the purported notion that we are great multi-taskers with the ability to manage various ideas and envision various scenarios while staying focused on the overall goal. Or, maybe it’s because we are more practical than theoretical. Or, that we are more detail oriented, which is often key in producing effective communication plans.
Regardless of the reasons, the fact is that women are significantly outnumbering men in the field of PR. The question now is will it last? And what effect with this have on the field? Do men now feel threatened by a female dominated environment? Do we now need to encourage more men to join the field? Are we missing a male perspective on communications? What do you think? 
I thought this would be an interesting and relevant topic to blog about. Though I am not a feminist I think it’s interesting to consider the reasons why women have been so successful in PR. Feel free to post your comments and ideas. I have posed these questions to encourage constructive debate about an issue that that think is becoming more and more important in PR. It’s more an exploration of the topic, rather than a prescription of the issues affecting the surge of women in PR. Stay tuned for more to come!
PR: Its just part of our make- up 
