There are many areas of our daily lives in which we practice public relations without realizing it. Dating is one and it is the one that I'm going to focus on today. As a chronic dater and student of PR, it could be assumed that I am an expert on this topic...I am not an expert, just an experienced observer.
I'm sure we've all been on a date where the person we're with discusses their previous relationship crash and burns. This would be like a company highlighting all of their previous business mishaps on their website and press conferences. They don't do it and there's a reason why. The practice of focusing on the negative has a funny way of presenting you in a negative light. The goal is always to focus on the positive. So if you are one of these dating offenders remember: Don't bring up past relationships unless you're asked, avoid the subject on for the first few dates if possible. If something must be said stick with a quick response like "We had some fun together in the end it didn't work out". Be generic positive and then change the subject.
Honesty is the best policy. This is a big one. We need only look at Tiger Woods, Jesse James and Bill Clinton to know that if you lie you will get caught. Both in dating and pr getting caught in a lie is a lot harder to recover from than being honest and it usually requires a lot of work to clean up the mess. That is IF you can clean it up. Major PR fail if you ask me.
Choosing to represent yourself as a "crap" brand is also something that a company would never do. I went out with a guy when I was in high school who insisted on boasting about his wrap sheet and detention record as though I would be impressed that he was such a rebel. Let's get one thing straight. Do you think that when an organization is seeking investors or partnerships that they go out of their way to boast about how many industrial accidents they've had in the last year or how many of their employees are embezzlers? They don't! And they don't because no one wants to invest in a company, or a person, who is so proud of being irresponsible or stupid. I mean, would you invest money or time in BP Global at this point? So, if you show up for dinner dressed like a slob, Andrew W.K. style, and make a point of discussing how you almost got arrested last weekend because of how drunk you were, don't be surprised if you don't get a second date.
Would you direct your PR campaign for the new Depends at teenagers? Or arrange a partnership agreement between Ensure and Pedigree? Probably not, wrong demographic for the plan and those two products have nothing in common. This leads us to another major dating fail, dating people you shouldn't. I get that opposites attract and it can be fun to spend time with someone who is very different than you are, but often these types of relationships don't work out. I have a friend who is completely disgusted by body art and terrified of motorcycles. Last week she went to dinner with a motorcycle riding tattoo artist. Is it a surprise to anyone that they haven't spoken since? Probably not. What is shocking is that they bothered to have dinner at all. Choose your demographic wisely when selecting someone to spend the evening with, having the sense to date someone you like rather than date for the sake of it raises the chances of a more enjoyable experience.
I'm sure I could go on all day, but those are my big three.
If you are interested in more advice to help you avoid dating FAILS check out Ten Bad Dating Habits for Men or Ten Bad Dating Habits For Women.
Showing posts with label public relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public relations. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Public Relations VS. Propaganda
Is propaganda the same as public relations? Or can a clear line be drawn between the two?
Public relations began as a post-war effort to control the masses. The concept was derived by a man named Edward Bernays, who incidentally was the nephew of one Sigmund Freud.
Bernays was working as a press agent prior to U.S. involvement in WWII and was invited to become a part of the U.S. propaganda machine later on. It was only after the war had ended that he determined, "If you could use propaganda for war, you could certainly use it for peace."
He concluded that, based on his uncle's deductions about the human mind and his success in promoting the war at home and abroad, propaganda could be used to dominate the masses and create a means to use the unconscious mind to sway the public's thinking during peace time.
In this spirit, and as a result of the negative connotation of the word propaganda, he derived a new phrase to describe the process of mass manipulation. He was the first to use the words "public relations."
One of his earliest campaigns encircled the social unacceptability of women smokers. In order to break down this barrier and entice women to light up, he tied smoking to the suffragette movement based on Freud's conclusion that a cigarette was a phallic symbol. He called them "torches of freedom."
So are the terms pr and propaganda synonymous? I think it depends on how you look at it. According to Bernays, he created the term public relations so that he could conduct similar business in peace time free of the negative connotation of the word propaganda. Propaganda had become a bad word thanks to Joseph Goebbels, Nazi propaganda minister. Throughout the war, Goebbels developed campaigns that were built around generating centralized hate and building war support for the efforts of the Nazi party. His campaigns were all consuming and citizens of German occupied territory were exposed to these messages at all times throughout the day in films, posters and radio programming. The success of the propaganda Goebbels created rested on one thing, shielding the masses from both the consequences on what they've been lead to believe and extinguishing the voices of those who are of an opposing view.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” - Joseph Goebbels
Today, I think public relations is meant to be used more as a vehicle for communication with the public and information sharing than it is used for manipulation. Pr is generally utilized to develop a positive perception of an organization, or person and very often pr is used to generate positive behaviour, thoughts and attitudes that benefit many.
One of the most defining differences between the two is centered on the idea that propaganda is used to generate a negative image of a person, group, institution or corporation while pr is used to generate a positive image.
Does propaganda still exist? I think it largely depends on where you are in the world. In nations where information is filtered and strictly governed by the powers that be it is easy to sway public opinion however you choose. In democratic nations where freedom of press, freedom of information and freedom of speech exist it is more difficult for propaganda to exist. Large corporations and governments are subject to laws ensuring that they are responsible in the way they conduct business with the public. That’s not to say that propaganda doesn’t exist in democratic nations mind you, but thanks to largely unregulated content on the World Wide Web and the sheer volume of information that the general public has available to them at any time it is difficult to create all encompassing mass think. Public relations exists to convey messages. At times pr is used to create behavioural and attitudinal changes, but this is not done through the disguising of information and skewing of the facts. In fact, it is done by presenting the facts and posing a call to action. Any person wishing to form an opinion can always do further research and decide if they agree with a call to action, or not.
Are you practicing pr or propaganda? In the end I think it comes down to a fine line and the line is drawn on responsibility and integrity.
Definitions:
The Oxford dictionary definitions (www.askoxford.com):
Propaganda • noun information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view.
Public Relations • plural noun treated as sing. the professional maintenance of a favourable public image by an organization or famous person.
Webster’s English Dictionary definitions (www.merriam-webster.com):
Propaganda Main Entry: pro•pa•gan•da
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Congregatio de propaganda fide Congregation for propagating the faith, organization established by Pope Gregory XV †1623Date: 17181 capitalized : a congregation of the Roman curia having jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions2 : the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person3 : ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect.
Public Relations Main Entry: public relations
Function: noun plural but usually singular in construction
Usage: often attributive Date: 1807: the business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm, or institution; also : the degree of understanding and goodwill achieved
Information sources:
thinkexist.com
Love, Hate and Propaganda (CBC)
Public relations began as a post-war effort to control the masses. The concept was derived by a man named Edward Bernays, who incidentally was the nephew of one Sigmund Freud.
Bernays was working as a press agent prior to U.S. involvement in WWII and was invited to become a part of the U.S. propaganda machine later on. It was only after the war had ended that he determined, "If you could use propaganda for war, you could certainly use it for peace."
He concluded that, based on his uncle's deductions about the human mind and his success in promoting the war at home and abroad, propaganda could be used to dominate the masses and create a means to use the unconscious mind to sway the public's thinking during peace time.
In this spirit, and as a result of the negative connotation of the word propaganda, he derived a new phrase to describe the process of mass manipulation. He was the first to use the words "public relations."
One of his earliest campaigns encircled the social unacceptability of women smokers. In order to break down this barrier and entice women to light up, he tied smoking to the suffragette movement based on Freud's conclusion that a cigarette was a phallic symbol. He called them "torches of freedom."
So are the terms pr and propaganda synonymous? I think it depends on how you look at it. According to Bernays, he created the term public relations so that he could conduct similar business in peace time free of the negative connotation of the word propaganda. Propaganda had become a bad word thanks to Joseph Goebbels, Nazi propaganda minister. Throughout the war, Goebbels developed campaigns that were built around generating centralized hate and building war support for the efforts of the Nazi party. His campaigns were all consuming and citizens of German occupied territory were exposed to these messages at all times throughout the day in films, posters and radio programming. The success of the propaganda Goebbels created rested on one thing, shielding the masses from both the consequences on what they've been lead to believe and extinguishing the voices of those who are of an opposing view.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” - Joseph Goebbels
Today, I think public relations is meant to be used more as a vehicle for communication with the public and information sharing than it is used for manipulation. Pr is generally utilized to develop a positive perception of an organization, or person and very often pr is used to generate positive behaviour, thoughts and attitudes that benefit many.
One of the most defining differences between the two is centered on the idea that propaganda is used to generate a negative image of a person, group, institution or corporation while pr is used to generate a positive image.
Does propaganda still exist? I think it largely depends on where you are in the world. In nations where information is filtered and strictly governed by the powers that be it is easy to sway public opinion however you choose. In democratic nations where freedom of press, freedom of information and freedom of speech exist it is more difficult for propaganda to exist. Large corporations and governments are subject to laws ensuring that they are responsible in the way they conduct business with the public. That’s not to say that propaganda doesn’t exist in democratic nations mind you, but thanks to largely unregulated content on the World Wide Web and the sheer volume of information that the general public has available to them at any time it is difficult to create all encompassing mass think. Public relations exists to convey messages. At times pr is used to create behavioural and attitudinal changes, but this is not done through the disguising of information and skewing of the facts. In fact, it is done by presenting the facts and posing a call to action. Any person wishing to form an opinion can always do further research and decide if they agree with a call to action, or not.
Are you practicing pr or propaganda? In the end I think it comes down to a fine line and the line is drawn on responsibility and integrity.
Definitions:
The Oxford dictionary definitions (www.askoxford.com):
Propaganda • noun information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view.
Public Relations • plural noun treated as sing. the professional maintenance of a favourable public image by an organization or famous person.
Webster’s English Dictionary definitions (www.merriam-webster.com):
Propaganda Main Entry: pro•pa•gan•da
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Congregatio de propaganda fide Congregation for propagating the faith, organization established by Pope Gregory XV †1623Date: 17181 capitalized : a congregation of the Roman curia having jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions2 : the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person3 : ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect.
Public Relations Main Entry: public relations
Function: noun plural but usually singular in construction
Usage: often attributive Date: 1807: the business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm, or institution; also : the degree of understanding and goodwill achieved
Information sources:
thinkexist.com
Love, Hate and Propaganda (CBC)
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