Rent-a-halo from ‘fairy.com.au’.
Generally, the media loves to have a pop at PR people; pugnacious Aussie PR lobbyist David White is (perhaps with some justification) a recent whipping boy. But isn’t it perverse that PR has the worst image of all the marketing and media disciplines? Especially as they’re supposed to be custodians of reputation. But inexhaustive new research (by me) presents completely inconclusive findings suggesting that PR is by no means the worst offender when it comes to raising the ire of the man in the street. Look at the number of written complaints received per annum (and addressed to the respective official industry bodies) by the different communications disciplines and channels in Australia:
Advertising – 520 complaints
Newspapers – 400-450 complaints
Radio – 21
Internet – 18
Television – 13
Public Relations – 3
Business Communicators – a very saintly, 0
The Direct Marketing, Marketing and Interactive Media industries ignored requests for statistical input (what have they got to hide, I wonder)? Despite it looking like it’s the advertising and newspaper fraternity who’re the real shysters out there, what the sneakiest PR or marketing trick you’ve ever come across?
interesting stuff – but could the lack of complaints against the PR industry be due to the fact that people really don’t understand what PR is, much less recognise it in (good or bad) practice…
Ed
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Ta Ed; like I said ‘inexhaustive new research (by me) presents completely inconclusive findings’ – my research rigour may be somewhat questionable. But doesn’t it equally reinforce that PRs still tend to fly ‘under the radar’?
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