Liz’s Blog

There is a lot of hype around the new Will Smith film, Hancock to be released in June. It is about a hard-living superhero who has fallen out of favour with the public and enters into a questionable relationship with the wife of a public relations professional who attempts to repair his public image.

Surely this is good for the industry in that PR is a fully established profession, and not directly linked with marketing? Or is it glamourising Public Relations? It is difficult to comment upon the perception of PR that this film will evoke without watching the entire film, but have a look at this trailor and let me know what you think!

Journalists often get credit for their published work, but is it not often the PR practitioners that have supplied the information? Therefore, should their work be publicly recognised?

 As this is often not the case, it ultimately highlights the importance of internationally recognised professional boards such as the CIPR in order for Public Relations work to be accredited and awarded for acheivements.

Otherwise, how would anyone be aware ouside of their network – of the integral role that PRO’s have within an organisation or agency?

Subsequently, are PRO’s merely content with orchestrating the media without external recognition? Initally, I must admit I was frustrated with the lack of credit that PR practitioners receive, but know I regard it as a personal sense of satisfaction, and content in the knowledge that it was due to my research and contacts that a story was published. 

PR has been around for many years now, but is it now regarded as as profession in its own right, and not just linked in with marketing etc?

There are many internationally recognised courses that are supplied in several unversities across the UK and this leads me to believe that PR as a profession is no longer to be a sector that can be entered without sufficient qualifications, not just relevent experience. I am currently studying for a Masters in Public Relations at Leeds Metropolitan University and it closey links theoretical views of PR with practical examples and case studies. However, it can be quite disconcerting when an acquaintance claims to be “doing PR” by flyering outside bars and clubs, and subsequently draws comparisons with my area of study.

I am aware that PR can be applied in any form of business or organisation, but is it necessary to gain qualifications in order to practice PR?

 ”Talk to every woman as if you loved her, and to every man as if he bored you, and at the end of your first season you will have the reputation of possessing the most perfect social tact.”
Oscar Wilde.
There are many words that have become very familar to us recently and they mostly include the word ’social’.  We now have social networking, social news releases, new social media… and the list goes on.
But what is ’social’ about an individual sat on the internet? There has been much criticism as to how many people you would actually consider your friends, although there is some kind of new social ettiquette on social networking sites such as facebook, bebo, mayspace – that entails accepting a ‘friend’ request’ after meeting the person perhaps even once!!

It can be argued that communities were established through communciation within a neighbourhood, but surely a community is fundamentally about sharing common interests?

I think it is interesting to observe the way in which socialising has evolved and become a new phenomenon online. Surely it is now alot more accessible than it used to be for people to communicate their thoughts, beliefs and passions through new social media?

 I have recently been researching online media relations for my assignment, and I have stumbled across a rather interesting article about blogging that I thought I would share with you. It is written by an IT journalist, Guy Clapperton who has watched the rise of the Internet and its evolution into an entirely new medium with interest, writing about it for The Guardian, Times, Daily Express, FT and others along the way. The article presents ways in which corporations can benefit from what is said about them in their blogs.

Clapperton currently runs his own blog and has blogged for The Guardian, as well as presenting podcasts for them.

Follow this link to read his perception of Blogging in Context…

http://www.johnsonking.co.uk/gb/ul_pdfs/JK%20Blogging%20in%20Context.pdf

I have been thinking a lot about my dissertation recently and I hope to highlight the importance of ensuring that a city is portrayed in a positive light. However, this research does not relate directly to Public Relations, and so it is arguable that there is a gap in research in order to investigate the ways in which PR strategies are initiated, developed and then implemented to an attempt to steer away any criticism.

This concept can be directly related to Liverpool as it was initially on a crest of a wave when it beat Newcastle to the title against all expectations, but within months the cracks in the Public Relations strategies began to demonstrate and element of uncertainty. For example: Plans for a futuristic building by Will Alsop, on the Mersey riverbank were dropped when the financial structure proved untenable. In addition, in June 2006, the Australian cabaret singer and festival director Robyn Archer, who had been hired on a six-figure salary, abruptly left her post and returned to Melbourne, having hardly been seen in the city.

Complaints about the programme have continued, and have been evident in the media, both regional and national. The resignation from the organising committee in June of local Labour leader Joe Anderson, who said the programme of events had failed to excite the imagination of ordinary people and would fail to leave a lasting legacy sums this up. The Public Relations practiitioners had a lot to deal with over the months leading up to 2008 and the cancellation, weeks later, of the city’s huge and much-loved Mathew Street Festival because no one had remembered to get health and safety issues organised, which also raised questions about whether Liverpool had simply taken too much on.

Therefore, it is necessary to take this criticism into consideration and attempt to formulate a model by which future bidders for the Culture status can base their public relations strategy. It seems, at present that they have overcome all of these obstacles and from what I can observe, the events are going ahead smoothly. It is interesting to look at a benchmark for Capital of Culture cities is Glasgow, which held the title in 1990, on the back of its legendary “Glasgow’s Miles Better’ campaign. There has actually been very little research on the precise economic impact of 1990 and what changed in Glasgow afterwards but it seems the city benefited from the general image created by holding the title.

This is where I hope to fill a gap in research. Although there are difficulties in that the effectiveness of PR is not measurable, I think it would be very interesting get an impression of how important this industry is on making sure that Liverpool is positively recognised, not only for 2008, but also in the distant future: Especially as I am very proud to be a Scouser!

In my research for my dissertation I hope to look at the past, present and future of the European Capital of Culture status and use the city of Liverpool as a pivotal example for recognising the importance this title. I will look at the ways in which Public Relations is important in initiating and carrying out major events and ensure that it stands to meet the required expectations set by the EU. 

The research will gain a sense of positioning and incorporate theoretical views and evaluate the ways in which the Public Relations strategies are put into practice. By taking a globally recognisable status such as the European Capital of Culture; the success and failures of Public Relations techniques can be analysed and visual to potential bidders, who will reflect on previous strategies and use it as a benchmark in order to ensure that they are aware of the obstacles that they may be forced to overcome.

I am aware that this topic is still not exactly specific, but I intend to narrow my search through identifying the Public Relations strategies used in order for them to establish a pitch in the bid for the European Capital of Culture status and observe the various agencies that work to ensure that the proposed plans are put into action. The dissertation will hopefully give a factual indication of the importance of a culture status and the effect it can hold upon a city’s reputation and it will analyse and evaluate the extent to which the role of Public Relations was used in achieving this.

I will use a selection of case studies related to the European Capital of Culture to support this idea. My ultimate aim is to establish a model by which future bidders for the title can reflect upon the strengths and weaknesses of previous cities that have won European Capital of Culture.

I feel as though I am in some sort of limbo at the moment. I have always known exactly what I am to achieve over the next 12 months. But as I am rapidly approaching the end of my Master’s course, I have realised that I am still unsure as to what the future will hold for me.

There are several options. I just bite the bullet so to speak move straight to London and throw myself into some sort of PR role. An alternative option would be to apply for a graduate scheme. However, I am questioning my ability and exactly what employers would be looking for with my qualifications and whether I should be applying for jobs now?

 Also, I am aware that there are many PR opportunities outside of London, which would be more cost effective but do employers take graduates more seriously if they have already worked in a fast – paced environment?

I have a slight dilemma in that I could obtain several weeks work experience over the summer, which would be a fantastic opportunity- but it may put my dissertation in jeopardy!

 Any advice from my fellow bloggers would extremely welcome!

As you are aware, I have decided upon researching Liverpool’s Capital of Culture 08 and have collated a rather extensive list of contacts who could be potential interviewees.

The trouble is, I am yet to find out exactly what I want to ask! After meeting with my tutor several days ago, I realised that the role of PR in Liverpool’s Capital of Culture is quite a diverse topic! Subsequently, I have been advised to narrow my ideas and focus upon one particular element.  Here is a list of variables that I have jotted down, with an explanation of my afterthought!  

1. Destination branding. I could look into the ways in which Liverpool has positioned itself as an international tourist destination. But is this more marketing rather than PR?
2. Sponsorship. There are nine major official sponsors for Capital of Culture and I could relate this to Corporate Social Responsibility. But is there a gap in research for this? What would be my outcome?
3. Competing PR agencies in a bid to handle 08 events. I could focus upon their pitches and evaluate the success, and how it fits the brief.
4. Where is the Culture in 2008? Is it just merely regeneration? Many of my friends in Liverpool are not even aware of many of the cultural events taking place this year. The focus seems to be on Paul McCartney’s concert in August, or they appear to be more interested in his divorce settlement! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvqm1ZMKkRs&feature=related
5. Issues / Crisis Management. I could investigate the affects on sacking the CEO of the Culture Company.
6. Comparative study. I could attempt to formulate a new model that could be used as a reference for future bidders and compare / contrast with previous status holders such as Glasgow.

I must take into consideration the availability of literature that is essential to support my findings. If you have any ideas or suggestions they would be very valuable! Also, I would be very grateful if you could inform me as to which idea(s) you think I ought to pursue! 

 To find out more about Liverpool’s Capital of Culture, follow this link: www.liverpool08.com

Ultimately, I have given up with the idea of researching Northern Rock. I decided that any employee of the bank will want to actually cope with their crisis at hand rather than provide me with any kind of information so that I could research how they could have prevented it!

So… with a research proposal deadline looming, I thought about looking at my home town of Liverpool and the role in which Public Relations held on ensuring the Capital of Culture 2008 status.

On the 4 June 2003 when it was announced that Liverpool had won the Capital of Culture status, and beaten off 11 opponents; almost immediately- national and international perceptions changed and the image of the city dramatically improved. I hope that my connections with other PR consultants from my previous work experience will help me to understand just how the city has re-positioned itself and is now deemed “a cultural beacon of the world”.

Firstly, the major hurdle that springs to mind when thinking about the months leading up to ’08 is the sacking of the chief executive of the culture company. There were also some rather sceptical views and heavy criticism as to whether the events leading up to 2008 were to go ahead; for example the infamous Mathew St Festival was threatened to be axed just weeks before the August bank holiday.

By investigating the PR strategies surrounding the Capital of Culture, I hope to discover the ways in which the agencies have helped overcome these issues and worked with their stakeholders to ensure that the celebrations of the culture in Europe’s greatest city run effectively and efficiently.