3 answers
Celia
Student
Vancouver, Washington
3
Questions
Asked
513 views
What is the largest limitation working in the field of public relations?
I am currently at studying Communications with an emphasis in PR at Utah Valley University. I enjoy long conversations, reading books, and traveling to new countries.
#publicrelations
Login to comment
3 answers
Cassandre Cowman
Marketing
1
Answer
New York, New York
Updated
Cassandre’s Answer
Hi Celia,
The limitations around PR are on the industry itself and how it will continue to evolve. I've worked within an organization (CPG) where we managed our own PR and also in one in which I oversaw it, but we outsourced it to an agency. A huge portion of public relations became influencer relations and also affiliate marketing; at the brand where we managed it internally, we actually renamed the whole function/ department Influencer Relations and stopped all other PR activations . Influencers became the voice to the public and traditional publications, even digital became less influential as part of a marketing campaign or launch. When working with digital publications, an affiliate marketing program, where the websites receive a % of sales from sales resulting from exposure, is becoming a strong revenue stream and share of voice for these outlets. The great things for the brands as well is that the direct ROI from this type of activation is trackable and measurable as well. This whole scenario really depends on industry, but as all marketing/ comms functions, it is changing quickly. Based on my experience and industry, I don't think PR in a traditional sense will exist in the future. Studying PR/ comms can help set you up for success for many roles, so don't put to much emphasis on limitations, but instead think of the possibilities.
The limitations around PR are on the industry itself and how it will continue to evolve. I've worked within an organization (CPG) where we managed our own PR and also in one in which I oversaw it, but we outsourced it to an agency. A huge portion of public relations became influencer relations and also affiliate marketing; at the brand where we managed it internally, we actually renamed the whole function/ department Influencer Relations and stopped all other PR activations . Influencers became the voice to the public and traditional publications, even digital became less influential as part of a marketing campaign or launch. When working with digital publications, an affiliate marketing program, where the websites receive a % of sales from sales resulting from exposure, is becoming a strong revenue stream and share of voice for these outlets. The great things for the brands as well is that the direct ROI from this type of activation is trackable and measurable as well. This whole scenario really depends on industry, but as all marketing/ comms functions, it is changing quickly. Based on my experience and industry, I don't think PR in a traditional sense will exist in the future. Studying PR/ comms can help set you up for success for many roles, so don't put to much emphasis on limitations, but instead think of the possibilities.
Julia Rhault
Employee Engagement Manager
5
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Julia’s Answer
Hi Celia, I'm a little unclear as to what you mean by "limitations" but studying Communications in general will prepare you for a myriad of communication-based career opportunities (I may be biased - I also was a Communications major in undergrad ;) ).
PR as a whole is super dynamic, fast-paced, and an interesting field to go into. The campaigns that you'll work on will vary widely depending on which industry you are going into / which company you're looking to work for. Or, if you're interested in going the PR agency route, you will likely manage 5+ clients' accounts and campaigns so you will be exposed to more of a variety of clients and industries depending on the agency's client roster.
The concept of "limitations" depends on the individual and what you are looking to get out of your career. If you elaborate a bit more on the concerns or back-of-mind thoughts you may be having about the field of PR, I'd be happy to discuss more here.
PR as a whole is super dynamic, fast-paced, and an interesting field to go into. The campaigns that you'll work on will vary widely depending on which industry you are going into / which company you're looking to work for. Or, if you're interested in going the PR agency route, you will likely manage 5+ clients' accounts and campaigns so you will be exposed to more of a variety of clients and industries depending on the agency's client roster.
The concept of "limitations" depends on the individual and what you are looking to get out of your career. If you elaborate a bit more on the concerns or back-of-mind thoughts you may be having about the field of PR, I'd be happy to discuss more here.
Jonathan Pollak
Digital Sales
4
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Jonathan’s Answer
It may not be a limitation, but there is some animosity between PR folks and regular journalists - many journalists don't trust PR folks, since their job is to "spin" for the company. If you decide to pursue a pure reporting job later on, it could be a hindrance. But it can also help if they're looking for someone who can pull out the truth from corporate statements.
It sounds like travel writing may be a good fit for you too, but obviously can be hard to break into. I would suggest keeping a travel log/journal whenever you go someplace new.
It sounds like travel writing may be a good fit for you too, but obviously can be hard to break into. I would suggest keeping a travel log/journal whenever you go someplace new.