There are superheroes among us and they come in all forms. One particular group is indispensible to the corporate industry, as well as to media and entertainment. With responsibility that comes with driving impact, Public Relations professionals are truly the new-age Avengers. You don’t need to be Nick Fury to assemble your very own Avengers. You just need a PR objective in mind, and someone credible and trustworthy to reach out to.
So, how are PR professionals much like our beloved Avengers?
Black Widowing the PR Game
If Natalia Alianova Romanoff knows one thing, it is how to be a successful woman in a man’s world. According to an article by Quartz, women hold between 61% and 85% of PR jobs, however a 2014 World PR Report states that only 30% of PR consultancies are run by women.
Public Relations is all about assertion with a degree of empathy and understanding. Finding the balance between the two can be supremely difficult for most people, but PR professionals are constantly striving to achieve it. When working with a brand, it is important for PR representatives to understand the values and ideology of the brand, to absorb what the brand wants to convey, but also to be unapologetically sure about their own experience in public relations, and to channel this using the brand’s objective as a guiding force, but not a deciding force. Not only does the Black Widow have a highly scientific temperament and superlative martial arts skills that help her put down most obstacles in her way, she is also fiercely loyal and aware that professional integrity is of utmost importance. Everything you’d want in the ideal PR professional – analytical skills, problem solving abilities, and high ethical standards.
Hulk it Up!
With data and analytics beginning to rule the roost in PR and marketing, the field is increasingly powered by science and an analytical temperament. To add to this, Dr. Robert Bruce Banner has his extremes, but uses the power of science to mellow down into the finest balance between towering superhero and empathetic genius. PR professionals today are using Big Data to maximise their reach, combined with their understanding of brands and industries to fine tune their target audience.
The Hulk also doesn’t believe in quick-fixes and this is something the PR business understands better than anyone else. An efficient and effective PR strategy works in the long term. Market research and brand research go into crafting an in-depth strategy that then uses consistency to reach people not just quantitatively but qualitatively. Bad press is never better than no press. And when bad publicity does hit a brand or an individual, it is the job of a good PR professional to go to the root of the problem, to help the brand take accountability for its actions, and to grow from there into a name that knows where it has gone wrong and is working to amend mistakes rather than be in denial about them. Bruce Banner reacts, yes. But he, and eventually, his alter ego learn to be conscientious in every reaction.
Strong as Iron, Innovative as Iron Man
Tony Stark is no doubt on the top rung of the ladder, with money, charm and brains all to his credit. What makes him stand apart is how he uses his powers. If there is one thing that PR professionals constantly work towards, it is the art of innovating in a crowded, noisy industry. The very essence of PR is to help brands and companies stand out, and while science backs public relations in providing data, it is innovation and creativity that allows PR representatives to make their clients a cut above the rest. What works for one brand may not work for another, and with the upsurge of digital platforms and their immense potential, everyone has to evolve with the times. This being said, not every brand’s target demographic is as tech-savvy as the rest, and this is where Iron Man’s philanthropic nature comes into play. PR is ultimately about understanding people – what they need, what they expect and how best they can be reached. There can be no blanket, cookie-cutter approaches in PR. It is an profession built on personalisation, and with data providing the base, the human element comes in when this data is analysed and interpreted. Brands don’t want to reach out to a herd. While the reach needs to be large scale, the impact aspires to be on an individual level.
While you yourself don’t need to become Nick Fury, your go-to PR partner is quite like your Nick Fury. As peacekeepers, PR professionals are your first line of defence. As Avengers, they can do a lot more!
Be the first to comment on "Make way for the new-age Avengers"