From the December 2006 issue of USP Age.
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In a career spanning more than 25 years in the communication industry, Jerry Olszewski, Senior Partner, Ketchum, has been a part of client programs focusing on such areas as environmental communication, public affairs, corporate reputation, employee communication and crisis communication. On a visit to India, he shares his thoughts with Amit Bapna and touches upon some of today’s most important issues and trends in public relations.
AB: There is a lot of debate on the relevance and the definition of public relations as a discipline of the marketing communication industry. What is your view on this – is PR a science or an art?
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JO: Public relations stands at the nexus of art and science. We would all agree that there is ample evidence of creativity in effective public relations campaigns, and we would most readily associate that with art. But even the creative process can be organized around methodologies and research that produce keen insights that, in turn, empower creativity that is more relevant and more compelling. For example, at Ketchum, we’ve broken the creative process into a methodology we describe as the 5 M’s – messages, messengers, media, moments and measurement. Each offers the opportunity for analysis that lends itself to the application of scientific approaches. Invariably, it’s the right mix of art and science that drives effective results.
AB: You have seen the profession in many different countries and markets. How is it practiced and received in the more developed and evolved ones when compared to countries such as India, especially in newer and emerging areas like environmental communication, corporate reputation, crisis communication, etc.?
JO: Establishing and building corporate reputation through effective communication is simply a given in most developed markets. It is increasingly important in a world in which there is great cynicism about corporate behavior and in which news and information move instantaneously. Quite often, the corporate reputation provides a halo of credibility, which can confer great competitive advantage to a company’s products and services. Equally, much time and effort is spent on aligning a company’s internal and external brands. At Ketchum, we actually acquired a change-management consultancy some years ago to ensure that we could offer total alignment capability – ‘from workplace to marketplace,’ if you will.
AB: What have been some of the emerging paradigms in public relations?
JO: The receiver is in control more than ever before. As a result, effective communication requires credible, compelling, creative content aligned with the very specialized interest of a given stakeholder group. This is the sweet spot for public relations. It’s what we do best, and with considerable cost-effectiveness.
The emerging paradigms include the sharp focus on demonstrating ROI, measuring results in ways that meet each organization’s definition of success. The explosion of the blogosphere and user-generated content has pushed all of us toward bold new communication concepts and toward a much more comprehensive view of the media.
AB: What are some of the issues/challenges that the industry is grappling with?
JO: The issues facing the PR industry are profound. On a global basis, we need to remain committed to transparency and the highest ethical standards on how we perform. Our practices must withstand external scrutiny in terms of honesty and professionalism. And, the battle for talent is here to stay. We face considerable challenge in attracting the best and the brightest to this profession, people who can build careers in PR. Finally, in emerging markets, public relations agencies face the issue of driving fees to levels that fairly reflect the value delivered.
AB: Agreed, there is a huge talent crunch being faced by the industry. But is there a ‘right’ profile that the profession is looking for?
JO: The talent requirement in public relations is evolving daily and dramatically. We need professionals who are ethnically diverse; who are globally aware; who have a facility with science, technology, and measurement; who understand the interplay of politics, media, and society; who feel comfortable with building music and visual imagery into online communications; who understand the power of sports and entertainment to create communication experiences on behalf of brands. And, yes, we still need writers.
AB: A major issue that the profession has been grappling with has been its measurability. Do you think PR can be justifiably measured or quantified?
JO: Of course. Public relations can, and must, demonstrate its value in measurable ways if we want to play a central role in advancing business objectives. For instance, at Ketchum, we focus on levels of increasingly sophisticated measurement moving from simple outputs, to outcomes, to ROI and, ultimately, to direct correlation to sales. We find that organizations have their own comfort levels with measurement and tend to enter that continuum within their comfort zones and then ideally progress in sophistication over time.
AB: How do you see the relevance and potential of the PR profession in an emerging economy like India or China?
JO: Public relations is already experiencing explosive growth in China, and India will certainly enjoy similar growth. As companies seek to build corporate reputations and continue introducing products and services, there will be a need for this function. Companies that use public relations effectively – with authenticity, transparency, creativity and an awareness of the media landscape – will gain a competitive advantage.
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